Aug

18

McCain Says, "There is [sic] Too Many Ways...That People are Able to Communicate with One Another."

»
sascha's picture

I couldn't make this up if I tried. The full McCain quote in its full context is available here.

During his Saddleback Church presentation, McCain was asked how he would balance privacy rights with security issues. Here's part of the transcript:

    11 THE POINT IS WE
    12 HAVE NOW HAD TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES OVER THE LAST 20 OR 30
    13 YEARS IN COMMUNICATIONS THAT ARE REMARKABLE. IT'S A
    14 REMARKABLE ABILITY THAT OUR ENEMIES HAVE TO COMMUNICATE SO
    15 WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH THAT CAPABILITY. I MEAN, THERE IS
    16 TOO MANY WAYS AND -- THROUGH CYBERSPACE AND THROUGH OTHER
    17 WAYS -- THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ONE
    18 ANOTHER. SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO STEP UP OUR
    19 CAPABILITIES TO MONITOR THOSE.

Some will certainly say that McCain's statements are just about our enemies having too many ways to communicate. Ponder that spin for a moment -- how do you limit the abilities of your enemies to communicate without detrimentally impacting your non-enemies? Put into a different context, McCain's quote is exactly what repressive regimes around the globe have stated throughout history. It's a statement with woeful historical and contemporary precedent.

Tags:
  1. Kevin Donovan (not verified) on Mon, 2008-08-18 16:31

    Wow. You're right that it is easy to spin that, and I'm sure it will be, but it truly points to a certain way of thinking. Expression is something that needs watching and limiting, not exploring, to McCain.

  2. Doug Alder (not verified) on Tue, 2008-08-19 08:03

    "SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO STEP UP OUR CAPABILITIES TO MONITOR THOSE."

    I guess that means if McSame gets elected TIA will be revived in a big way.

  3. sascha on Tue, 2008-08-19 10:22

    Kevin & Doug,

    Indeed -- McCain's perspective is what's important. The notion that communications is dangerous (and therefore a more panoptic society must be created) is what's so disconcerting. Ben Franklin's famous quote is most certainly apropos:

      "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

  4. Doug Alder (not verified) on Tue, 2008-08-19 15:35

    I fear the MSM is going to ensure McSame gets elected - that and the incompetence of the DNC and Obama;s campaign (too afraid to strike back hard - too afraid to state the obvious as Wesley Clark did then got thrown "under the bus" for it - too afraid to bring up the fact that McCain sold his country out when he was a POW, too afraid to play the same dirty p[olitics the GOP does - it's going to cost the Democratic Party the election - almost guaranteed). McSame scares the sh$t out of me and hell, I'm in Canada. If he's elected his temper and his alzheimers/senilty is going to cause a nuclear war somewhere, probably the middle east but no guarantees there - he's more of a threat to world peace than Bush ever was.

  5. Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2008-08-19 20:01

    This Blog is Commuinicating. It conveys information that does not support shutting down terrorist communications. That is giving support to the terroists. Sasha, you are a terrorist and this is a terrorist communication.

    Gee, I'm so glad that because of the FISA amendments this blog, along with every other freakin' domestic communiation of any kind,  is being monitored and appropriately logged.

    6. Post new comment

    The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
    • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

    More information about formatting options

    Captcha Image: you will need to recognize the text in it.
    Please type in the letters/numbers that are shown in the image above.