I'm appalled.

You mean to tell me that our spies are...wait for it...

Spying on people?

Methinks any world leaders who have a problem with this are mostly a bit on the jealous side that we are much better at it than they are.

Fish on...

Todd

I think the big deal is the US got caught, did not do a good job, and let guys like snowdick tell on them. If youre going to a good job at spying......you need to do a good job at spying and not get caught.

I am not shocked but I am appalled. World leaders, like any other business person, should enjoy a reasonable expectation of privacy when making phone calls from their office or residence. Permanent trap and trace or taps on their phone lines are actions akin to shuffling through their file cabinets without a warrant, and are totally against the law.... Our own laws...which appear to no longer universally apply.

As Todd said, it’s because they are jealous. A German official stated as much in the press over the weekend (I ain't digging the article up). Europe has nowhere near our capabilities and they don't like it.

Still - kinda crappy & scary if you ask me. I mean I get it in practicality, I guess. Just wish we were above some of it to a certain degree. Be a good neighbor; lead by example; shining light on a hill and all that stuff.

However, this knife cuts both ways. The simplest way around this is carrier pigeon and false Orange Crop Reports

now that you know for sure that we are doing it to other leaders.....


dont think Russia and other capable countries arent doing it to us...


now, some or most would say "they arent spying on me", which is all fine and dandy, but the truth is, privacy is lost, and noone is safe anymore...

Of course our laws do not "universally apply"...they apply to US Citizens, in the US.

Fish on...

Todd

You mean the Clarence Beeks Report?

Those don't even apply to us.

The joke is that foreign leaders somehow thought they WOULDN'T be tapped. Anyone under the belief that we "tap specific phones" is extremely misinformed. By default, it ALL gets captured.

Yep - one of my all time favorite movie characters. "And you with your jerkied beef!"...

I'm saying that I believe a lot of future conversations & dealings with other countries are going to be hurt as they will change tactics due to socially known lack of "trust". I would change up as many of my comms tactics as I could if I were Germany and the others. That will put us further in the dark on some things. Its not a good situation to be in...

Neither shocked nor appalled. I've come to expect the very worst from my government.

George Bush started it.