Manning and Snowden whistleblew that the State was circumventing it's obligations to human rights and wilfully breaking international and US law. Being critical of that kind of thing isn't demonizing the State - nor, imo, should it be cast as the sole preserve of The Left.
Us little people have always been critical of the big, powerful people, regardless of our political inclinations. Unfortunately the big, powerful people have been telling us for so long that what we're criticising them for is actually the fault of some other little people that we've started to take it as a given.
They disclosed classified information without regard to consequences they could not foresee. That we are able to hone in on a potentially positive consequence—exposing a particular harm—does nothing to address other problems with what they did, problems which may overshadow the good and which are definitely relevant to this discussion.
The problems chiefly being about how we interact with institutions. The right has traditionally seen itself as protectors of law and order. In that vein they might have pointed out—as I just did—the unforeseen consequences. The left for its part is reluctant to accept authority, or to put faith in systems, often scoffing at the idea that a cold faceless machine could ever do good.
Manning and Snowden whistleblew that the State was circumventing it's obligations to human rights and wilfully breaking international and US law. Being critical of that kind of thing isn't demonizing the State - nor, imo, should it be cast as the sole preserve of The Left.
Us little people have always been critical of the big, powerful people, regardless of our political inclinations. Unfortunately the big, powerful people have been telling us for so long that what we're criticising them for is actually the fault of some other little people that we've started to take it as a given.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops. - Stephen J. Gould
Manning and Snowden whistleblew that the State was circumventing it's obligations to human rights and wilfully breaking international and US law. Being critical of that kind of thing isn't demonizing the State - nor, imo, should it be cast as the sole preserve of The Left.
Us little people have always been critical of the big, powerful people, regardless of our political inclinations. Unfortunately the big, powerful people have been telling us for so long that what we're criticising them for is actually the fault of some other little people that we've started to take it as a given.
They disclosed classified information without regard to consequences they could not foresee. That we are able to hone in on a potentially positive consequence—exposing a particular harm—does nothing to address other problems with what they did, problems which may overshadow the good and which are definitely relevant to this discussion.
The problems chiefly being about how we interact with institutions.
Are you suggesting that whistleblowers should refrain from bringing institutional malfeasance to light because of unforeseeable consequences which may overshadow the good?
The right has traditionally seen itself as protectors of law and order. In that vein they might have pointed out—as I just did—the unforeseen consequences. The left for its part is reluctant to accept authority, or to put faith in systems, often scoffing at the idea that a cold faceless machine could ever do good.
The Right's protection of law and order was always contingent on whether it served its interest. Hence, for example, its support for the FBI and the DoJ. But now that both have become a bit of a bother, those institutions of law and order have suddenly become - in the words of Donald Trump - "vicious monsters, controlled by radical-left scoundrels, lawyers and the media, who tell them what to do."
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops. - Stephen J. Gould
Snowden is an individual. He acted with the authority of an institution. We still don’t know who all received what he stole. Again, honing in on the positive you take from his actions fails to address these broader issues.
As for the right only being interested in authority when it suits them, that’s kind of the point being raised about the left here…
Oz, a TV doctor, is struggling against the lieutenant governor, John Fetterman. On Saturday night, Trump called the Democrat “a socialist loser”. He also claimed without evidence that Fetterman, who recently suffered a stroke and whose health has been mocked by the Oz campaign, used illegal drugs.
“Fetterman supports taxpayer-funded drug dens and the complete decriminalization of illegal drugs, including heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, and ultra lethal fentanyl,” Trump said. “By the way, he takes them himself.”
"Fetterman may dress like a teenager getting high in his parents’ basement, but he’s a raging lunatic hell-bent on springing hardened criminals out of jail in the middle of the worst crime wave in Pennsylvania history.”
Trump: gov't is after me, they must be after you!
CNN
Trump's effort to rile up his base was also evident in his vilification of the judge who approved the search warrant. Trump declared that the entire search was based on a "phony pretext from a highly political magistrate who they hand-picked late in the evening just days before the break-in." In fact, the judge ended up with the case entirely by chance. And legal experts have said there is nothing to suggest that he handled the case in an untoward way.
And as the speech went on, Trump made the attacks personal, telling his supporters: "They're trying to silence me, and more importantly, they're trying to silence you."
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"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here. .
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
Trump's GOP opponents SHOULD focus on his being a loser in 2020
His election lie is not only critical to Trump’s brand and brittle ego, it is the very rationale for his candidacy. If Trump really won the 2020 election, his record as president is vindicated and the calamity for Republicans that is the Biden administration can be rightfully erased only by his return to the White House. The myth thus makes 2024 more a restoration than a reelection, essentially rendering illegitimate the candidacy of any Republican other than Trump. On the other hand, shattering the myth exposes Trump’s most glaring weakness — the utterly damning fact that he lost the 2020 election and is destined to carry the party to defeat once again.
Trump’s would-be rivals should brutally call him out for what he is (and what Trump hates most): a loser. A failure who put Joe Biden in the White House. A defeated president who, like Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush, should be unthinkable as his party’s standard-bearer for a third time in a row.
Intelligence review will continue
The judge is not stopping the US intelligence community’s from continuing to examine the documents as part of its damage assessment into the potential risk to national security.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress last month that the intelligence community would be conducting an assessment “of the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents.” The intelligence community has also been working with the FBI since mid-May to examine some of the documents taken from Mar-a-Lago, CNN previously reported.
Rationalia relies on voluntary donations. There is no obligation of course, but if you value this place and want to see it continue please consider making a small donation towards the forum's running costs.
Details on how to do that can be found here. .
"It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
"This is how humanity ends; bickering over the irrelevant."
Clinton Huxley » 21 Jun 2012 » 14:10:36 GMT
