Obama takes a Giant Leak on Civil Liberties

Obama takes a Giant Leak on Civil Liberties

 

From The Daily Pnut: (March 2017) Assange Takes a Giant Leak: On Tuesday, in what is being called the “biggest leak ever” (a term that seems to be all the rage in cybersecurity nowadays), WikiLeaks published 8,761 CIA documents detailing, among others things, wiretapping protocols of the agency and efforts to turn personal electronic devices into remotely activated spy devices. The documents also focus on the loving relationship between the CIA and its UK counterpart GCHQ and how the agencies partnered to turn ‘smart televisions’–a well-established standard in living rooms around the world–into provisional surveillance devices. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary and epitome of calm and composure Sean Spicer declined to comment on the reports, citing a lack of evaluation of the leaked data. Having also made previous leaks of this magnitude, whistleblower-turned-movie-star-turned-recluse Edward Snowden seemed confident in the authenticity of the leak, confirming this on his Twitter account.  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released a short but familiar statement from his abode in London exile, citing the “exceptional [form of] political, legal and forensic perspective” taken by his publication.     While 1984-esque methods of intelligence gathering have become synonymous with the CIA, this leak carries with it more potentially troubling political aspects. The documents reveal that the CIA, in addition to its US headquarters in Langley, Virginia, also runs a secret cyber-intelligence center on the grounds of the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2014, Germany was the target of repeated and unsanctioned US intelligence gathering. That and the new leaks (if confirmed) could make the meeting between Chancellor Merkel and President Trump later this month terribly awkward. Not that it wasn’t already awkward enough.     —although, somehow, I miss any reference to Obama in this news item. After all, it’s Obama (and Clinton, and the Democrats etc.) that’s supposedly been holding the Rudder of the World for the past 8 years. Could it be that Obama has actually spied on Trump, and that the Obamagate, if adequately gauged, should leave the Watergate scandal as a ridiculous joke for beginners?  "Perish the thought"—because you should never forget the Golden Rule of the Liberal Mind:  IT’S NOT FASCISM WHEN WE DO IT.  And, yes by all means, keep on trumping about Trump.