Obama is Checking Your Email

Hilarious new meme called "Obama is checking your Email"

I made my own:

My personal opinion is that there really are two things at play here, and each should be discussed separately: "telephony metadata" and internet metadata . The Verizon thing is A-Ok for me. I could see someone making an effective case for the internet metadata. I almost wish that the administration would put out a Coursera set of lectures where they go through the oversight process. Oversight and separation of powers are what separate us from the rest. From what I've seen they are there, but I could always use more information.

Oil is a Global Market, People don't "Win" these things.

In a newish story by the NYT, the story revolves around China being the biggest winner in the Iraq War. What they ignore is the fact that the oil market is a GLOBAL market. If Iraq wasn't providing China this oil, they would get the oil somewhere else, and compete with others for higher prices. In reality, more oil means cheaper oil, and cheaper oil means a win for most......maybe not those who get pollution....but most. As long as China can't get in a position to choke off oil to the USA through embargoes, I think we're fine. Jon Stewart also has an interesting opinion on the issue, but ultimately ignores the point just as much.

Another NSA Post

A few links on the NSA leak with the last one being Obama himself.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/06/06/why_the_nsa_needs_your_phone_calls

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/06/stop_the_nsa_surveillance_hysteria_the_government_s_scrutiny_of_verizon.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-defends-sweeping-surveillance-efforts/2013/06/07/2002290a-cf88-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrbHvNDwExYA

If you disagree with the act, read one of the first two very thoroughly, and then tell me if you still feel the system is unconstitutional. Personally, I feel the FP article does the best job looking at the situation.

China's Weird Investments

Interesting story about Chinese investment in the Caribbean. I honestly wonder what China hopes to get. Trade deals? Military bases? UN support? I honestly have no idea what China hope it could get from its relationship with Latin America. Its ability to project naval power that far in the case of a war is unlikely.

Trust, We Do it Every Day

Foreign Policy Magazine posted one of the best poorly titled pieces in my opinion recently. The author explains how your calls will not be monitored, recorded, or viewed unless you happen to fall into a very suspect group of people, so the title may be a little sensationalist. The idea that who we call is our own information obviously has never watched The Wire by HBO, and if you're shocked by this, go watch the The Wire....it's really really good. Drop phones, layers of knowledge, and more are present in the show, and you have to wonder how much of that is present in terrorist networks.

On a side note, I always wonder about those people who say, "I can't trust the government". Well, I do trust this government to follow the rules, and when it does break them, it'll be stupid enough to get caught. Trust is an important part of our everyday lives. When I merge onto the interstate I trust I won't get hit; when I was young my parents trusted the neighborhood boy down the street to babysit me; I trust Facebook to keep a lot of my photos. In this globalized world that we live in we can't fear or distrust everyone irrationally. Car accidents happen, kids get hurt, and servers crash. It doesn't mean that I trust completely, but rather I try to know what I can, and trust to fate I'll get home safe every day. With the thousands of journalists who monitor the government for any little wrong it's not surprising that any wrong move the government makes gets jumped on by big organizations like the NYT.