Quote:
Originally Posted by aceventura3
I never understood the problem with the "wiretap" program, and still don't. I do look at the issue in two different ways and answers to the questions below could help me understand the problem if there is one.
Who was victimized and how were they damaged?
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I'm almost certain we've gone over privacy before. If you don't value your privacy that's fine. No one will force you to be private. The problem is that not only do a lot of people value their privacy as a fundamental right, but that same fundamental right is in the Bill of Rights and numerous court rulings since. It's why we have warrants. You need probable cause in order to breach someone's privacy.
What the large telecoms and Bushco (and now Obama) did was bypass existing FISA laws to unlawfully spy on people. They could not supply probable cause, presumptively because there was none. Again, whether or not you value privacy, I know that you value adherence to the law, not just as a conservative but as aceventura, as a conviction.
I could explain to you why privacy is important to me, but that's not likely to convince you because you have a different set of values. If you disagree strongly enough with my values, feel free to do anything and everything you can to legally change existing privacy laws, but I should warn you that you'll be fighting an uphill battle.
---------- Post added at 09:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:11 AM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
It sounds more like you'd be a martyr for rights, not actually sieze what are your rights.
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I'd not be dying to further a cause, just to defend it, so martyr is the wrong term. My personal convictions tell me that people have been placing a low value on human life since the dawn of civilization, and I refuse to follow the trend. It is a conviction to value human life, even over other important rights.
I'll simplify. I'd not kill someone for free speech. Does that mean I don't value free speech? Only to an absolutist (and absolutists are absolutely always wrong without exception
). I do value free speech, a great deal in fact, but not to the point where I'd violate my strongest conviction and kill someone over it. As soon as I cross that line, I violate my own code of convictions and I'm no better than anyone that's gone to war.