Obama And NSA To The American People (and Congress): F@ck Off

But a poll from November showed that only 11% of Americans trust Obama to actually do anything to rein in spying.

We were right to be skeptical…

Today, Obama announced his fake “reforms” … and he’s not doing anything but putting lipstick on the same ‘old pig.

The New York Times notes that Obama’s “reform”:

Largely codifies existing practices.

The Times points out that the reform is meant to placate NSA critics, without actually challenging national security agencies:

The emerging approach, described by current and former government officials who insisted on anonymity in advance of Mr. Obama’s widely anticipated speech, suggested a president trying to straddle a difficult line in hopes of placating foreign leaders and advocates of civil liberties without a backlash from national security agencies. The result seems to be a speech that leaves in place many current programs, but embraces the spirit of reform and keeps the door open to changes later.

The Times includes a revealing quote:

“Is it cosmetic or is there a real thumb on the scale in a different direction?” asked one former government official who worked on intelligence issues. “That’s the question.”

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