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Also more proof that any current "scandal" deserves the quotation marks (at least the IRS anyways).  The IRS also used the same scrutiny for liberal groups as they did for right leaning groups.  http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/24/politics/irs-targeting/index.html

 

George's letter said that out of 298 groups the IRS set aside between 2010 and 2012 for close examination of their political activities, six had the words "progress" or "progressive" in their names. Another 14 groups with those words in their names were not sidetracked for close scrutiny because of their political efforts, he said.

 

Overall, George wrote, 30 percent of groups with "progress" or "progressive" in their names received tough processing because of their political activities. That compared to 100 percent of organizations with "Tea Party," `'Patriots" or "9/12" in their names, George said.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/progressives-irs_n_3509983.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

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What does his age have to do with it?

 

 

Whether you agree with what he did or not, he's a little punk that deserves a good ol' fashion ass whippin.  

 

 

29 is considered a kid?  wow, and here I thought I was getting old and crusty... guess I still have more to look forward to!

I was half kidding about him being a kid, but go back and read the articles from  a couple of days ago in the NY Times.  They are fascinating, if true and I have no reason to believe they aren't true.(He was freaked out about the thought of being imprisoned because he wouldn't be able to have a computer, etc.) he has a long hard road ahead of him that he may not be prepared for  Basically Snowden had no plan and eventually he will end up just a sad much older man who can't ever come home.  I suppose he did what he did for all the right reasons, but it may not really amount to very much in the long run.  Was it courageous?  Maybe!!  But now that he is on the run, he will get a lot less attention and he may end up a foot note in this whole affair. 

 

Compared to the world class courage of a Nelson Mandela, Snowden isn't much of a hero, but he certainly brought attention to something most of us figured was going on for a long time.. So good for him and good luck in the future.  The prospect of being holed up in a Latin American country for the next 60 years seems rather bleak.

 

LouieB

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I sort of skimmed this article and will read it in depth soon.  It hits on some salient points.  Interesting stuff.

 

Maybe I should have said, good fucking luck.  Undoubtedly he will either end up in a backwater somewhere forgotten or beg to come back to the USofA within a year or two.  At some point, one of the governments he is negotiating with will relieve him of his four computers and leave him with no leverage at all.

 

LouieB

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Hixter- Regarding the IRS "scandal," the reason it belongs in quotes IMHO, is that it has not risen to the Administration toppling thing that Issa and so many people on the right tried to make it.  Is it a problem that the IRS seemingly targeted conservative groups (and some on the left)?  Yes, but when you step back and look at it the IRS did so because the sheer numbers of requests for Tax Exempt status that where coming in.  They did not have a good system in place to successfully find out which groups were tax cheats or not, so they decided, on this "profiling" method.  Simple as that.  It is just plain foolish to even consider that this directive came from anybody in the administration. 

 

Here is the thing, that completely gets my goat.  Issa and the right saw this as not a problem that needs to be fixed, rather they saw this as an opportunity to score political points and try to take down Obama.  The real problem, got pushed out.  It is the same with Benghazi.  Rather than focus and solve the problem the right wants to try to take down Obama.  Partly because the narrative that Obama is bad for the economy is fading away.  

 

So all of these "scandals" are nothing more than a political distraction.  The GOP has it so out for Obama they have lost sight of actually trying to help the country.  

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I'm tired of looking at Eric Snowden's face.

This guy is so screwed.  Imagine sitting endlessly in a Moscow airport trying to figure out your limited options.  Where is he going to go?  Still craving attention and having what he considers valuable information, it must be positively cinematic.  Can't wait for the made for TV movie about him.  At this point, no matter how you feel about his information, he has very little future ahead.

 

(I keep imagining how long a beard the guy is growing.)

 

LouieB

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This guy is so screwed.  Imagine sitting endlessly in a Moscow airport trying to figure out your limited options.  Where is he going to go?  Still craving attention and having what he considers valuable information, it must be positively cinematic.  Can't wait for the made for TV movie about him.  At this point, no matter how you feel about his information, he has very little future ahead.

 

(I keep imagining how long a beard the guy is growing.)

 

LouieB

I support him and am grateful to him for what he's done, but will point this out. Ellsberg didn't run. He stayed to face the music.

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I support him and am grateful to him for what he's done, but will point this out. Ellsberg didn't run. He stayed to face the music.

 

I keep going back and forth about how I feel about him and his actions... but yeah, his bumbled flee attempt makes him look like an incompetent coward.

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There are issues he brought to light that at least in some circles make him a hero.  I do think we needed to know about the wholesale data gathering.  Other aspects of national security, well it is a toss up.  Elsberg brought to light documents about the VIetnam war and certainly did not run. He knew exactly what he was doing and in true civil disobedient style stood his ground.  Only time will really tell if he is a hero or a bumbling coward, but so far he seems not to know what he is doing and didn't give much thought to the next steps.

 

LouieB

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Does anyone know what the feck is going on in Egypt? Are these guys mad about the man they voted into office not long ago?! What are they protesting?

They felt that they elected the Muslim Brotherhood guy only because the alternative was another military junta. Now they want the Brotherhood out (which is probably a good thing, depending on who replaces him.)

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Does anyone know what the feck is going on in Egypt? Are these guys mad about the man they voted into office not long ago?! What are they protesting?

Morrissey is President and they are already sick of him.

 

Seriously it isn't that complicated.  They guy is turning into a tyrant, even though they elected him and the army is about to take him out and maybe set up new elections. 

 

LouieB

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Morrissey is President and they are already sick of him.

 

Seriously it isn't that complicated.  They guy is turning into a tyrant, even though they elected him and the army is about to take him out and maybe set up new elections. 

 

LouieB

Let's hope much of the Arab world takes notice as to the man on the street reaction to the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Let's hope this doesn't turn really ugly.  I was just a kid, but I still remember, with absolute horror, the assassination of Sadat.

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I keep going back and forth about how I feel about him and his actions... but yeah, his bumbled flee attempt makes him look like an incompetent coward.

 

Yeah, he's turned from a righteous whistleblower to a punk.

I agree with Bjorn...Ellsberg didn't run and hide under the skirts of the Kremlin.

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Let's hope much of the Arab world takes notice as to the man on the street reaction to the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Let's hope this doesn't turn really ugly.  I was just a kid, but I still remember, with absolute horror, the assassination of Sadat.

 

 

I remember this too! it happened on my 12th birthday. I didn't really understand what it fully meant but I knew it was big.

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Morrissey is President and they are already sick of him.

 

Seriously it isn't that complicated.  They guy is turning into a tyrant, even though they elected him and the army is about to take him out and maybe set up new elections. 

 

LouieB

Panic on the streets of Cairo

Panic on the streets of Alexandria

I wonder to myself

Could life ever be sane again ?

The Giza side-streets that you slip down

I wonder to myself

Hopes may rise on Lake Nasser

But Honey Pie, you're not safe here

So you run down

To the safety of the town

But there's Panic on the streets of Suez

Port Said, Aswan, Mansoura

I wonder to myself

 

Burn down the Shura

Hang the blessed Morsi

Because the music that they constantly play

IT SAYS NOTHING TO ME ABOUT MY LIFE

 

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