Troops 'targeted by NSA for anti-Obama views'

Troops 'targeted by NSA for anti-Obama views'

It looks like troops returning from Afghanistan are being scrutinized for simply posting on internet sites like Facebook.

Very scary when we see these actions by the government.

Who is next? What is next?

The NSA is systematically monitoring the Internet posts and telephone conversations of U.S. military returning from Afghanistan, according to a civil-liberties attorney.

“The FBI and the Secret Service are showing up to request an interview to question specific Internet posts the veteran has placed on websites such as Facebook,” explained attorney John Whitehead, founder of the Rutherford Institute.

Whitehead said the agencies are looking for “anti-Obama views that can be interpreted to reflect psychological problems of sufficient seriousness to disqualify the veteran from ever owning a firearm.”.......

Troops 'targeted by NSA for anti-Obama views'

Paranoia with helium in their heads

reply to post by xuenchen

Whitehead said the agencies are looking for “anti-Obama views that can be interpreted to reflect psychological problems of sufficient seriousness to disqualify the veteran from ever owning a firearm.”.......

So it's perfectly OK for him to use military grade weapons while he's in theatre, but the moment he (or anyone else) questions Obama, he's somehow deranged?!! WTH?

Where is this totalitarian BS going to stop?

reply to post by MysterX

Whitehead said the agencies are looking for “anti-Obama views that can be interpreted to reflect psychological problems of sufficient seriousness to disqualify the veteran from ever owning a firearm.”.......

Yep.....

Anybody "anti-Obama" must have a psychological problem alright !!

But that's only in the minds of people inflicted with Obama-Obsession Complex

reply to post by xuenchen


Nothing like surprises me anymore, from the Govt and this administration.

1984 here we come.

reply to post by MysterX

So it's perfectly OK for him to use military grade weapons while he's in theatre, but the moment he (or anyone else) questions Obama, he's somehow deranged?!!

Yes,,, and guess who gets a trial and who doesn't

reply to post by xuenchen


Before you start jumping the gun, people in the military technically don't have freedom of speech. The president is your commander in chief and you aren't allowed to talk bad about him. This is all under UCMJ law.

The article you cited seems to make a few connections for the reader in that it suggests that the NSA is spying on soldiers to get PTSD rulings so that it can later deny the veteran the right to own a firearm. The only source that article mentions is some unnamed NSA leaks.

I'm going to call this article as propaganda, not that the Government doesn't distrust veterans (I am aware as a veteran myself that they do), but this article seems to do the thinking for you with little facts to back up its claims.

Originally posted by Krazysh0t
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Before you start jumping the gun, people in the military technically don't have freedom of speech. The president is your commander in chief and you aren't allowed to talk bad about him. This is all under UCMJ law.

The article you cited seems to make a few connections for the reader in that it suggests that the NSA is spying on soldiers to get PTSD rulings so that it can later deny the veteran the right to own a firearm. The only source that article mentions is some unnamed NSA leaks.

I'm going to call this article as propaganda, not that the Government doesn't distrust veterans (I am aware as a veteran myself that they do), but this article seems to do the thinking for you with little facts to back up its claims.

Good Point and well taken.

But it doesn't stop here.

You can bet They are doing this with the public as well.

I'll find some evidence......

Originally posted by Krazysh0t
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Before you start jumping the gun, people in the military technically don't have freedom of speech. The president is your commander in chief and you aren't allowed to talk bad about him. This is all under UCMJ law.

That's not quite true. In the military you must obey lawful orders. Not being allowed to talk bad about a superior is NOT a lawful order.

I've talked to military commanders and in a private setting they have no fear in saying they do not like Obama, that he is a poor Commander in Chief, among other things.

Petraeus went down because he was not loyal to Obama, the affair was just the reason to fire him. No doubt he was being spied on.

reply to post by xuenchen


Of course this is WND?

Raub was not "arrested" ...he was brought in for Psych evaluation and the judge reccomended he recieve in house counseling for a month. He was posting about killing people.

After an appeal he was immediately released by a different judge the next day.

"Anti-Obama" views had nothing to do with it. He was posting about the Fed and How 9-11 was an inside job. Niether specific to Obama and one specific to Bush.

He followed a litany of those posts with a comment about "sharpening his ax and ready to severe heads" which promted the locals to visit him, where he resisted and ended up being brought in for Psych evaluation.

Now you can debate the legitimacy of your local cops doing a wellness check cuz of violent FB posts...A debate worth having..

But he was not "arrested"...not "charged"...it was Psych/Wellness check..He was out in 24 hours...
And it wasn't anti-Obama...it was Anti-Gov.
And he made violent threats on FB.

reply to post by Krazysh0t



Well said.
Plus If I may add my 2cents, I wonder if we had a truth meter
how much of the anti Obama's soldiers reasons are sound?

There is so much disinfo from AM radio to Fox and friends
about Obama, most soldiers are acting on info that has a pretty
good chance of not being true.

reply to post by xuenchen

Troops 'targeted by NSA for anti-Obama views'

Not really new. Soldiers and Marines coming home from the Nam were advised NOT to partake of those against the war by way of reading underground newspapers, taking part in protests or attending gatherings against Nixon. This covered even those who were exiting the service at the time.

Many vets today feel that this war could have been won and done long before Nixon's fall in August of '74. Many feel betrayed still because they went to win and those in command had no intent of victory. There is no shame in answering the call... but there is in trying to extend conflict for the profit of a few.

It didn't work then and it won't work now. Imperial presidencies don't own anyone. Eventually, there will be a repeat performance.

Did the article not say troops/veterans returning from Afghanistan?

Why yes it did which doesn't mean they are still in the service given the fact the FBI,secret Service, and locals 'arrested' the guy it is a CIVIL matter.

Meaning UMCJ does not apply that also means he does have his 1st amendment rights,

Without a warrant or recitation of his Miranda rights, Raub was handcuffed and taken into custody. After a quick hearing, government officials confirmed that Raub’s Facebook posts necessitated his detention, refusing to acknowledge legal objections that the words were wrongly interpreted. The former Marine will undergo 30 days of evaluation at Salem VA Medical Center. Read more: communities.washingtontimes.com... Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

Former Marine.

If ANY of our AD members know this to be true, please post and let us know!!!

Originally posted by xuenchen
reply to post by MysterX

 

Whitehead said the agencies are looking for “anti-Obama views that can be interpreted to reflect psychological problems of sufficient seriousness to disqualify the veteran from ever owning a firearm.”.......

Yep.....

Anybody "anti-Obama" must have a psychological problem alright !!

But that's only in the minds of people inflicted with Obama-Obsession Complex

This is extremely disturbing and seems to fit the administrations profile quite nicely. The PTSD argument seems to be coming up quite frequently lately with our vets. Seems to me anyone who is willing to fight on the battlefield when ordered should be the last one to have their weapons taken away when they come home.

Maybe if the shrinks can't get the PTSD to stick they will claim the soldier has Obamaphobia. Bet they even try to get it included in the DSM5.
Ted Cruz accused of Obamaphoia

reply to post by macman


I think...hopefully...more people are having their eyes opened to what is really happening on the erosion of their personal Freedoms.

As more and more people find *they* are one of *them* being spied on...it's starting to hit home.

As an aside, as of yesterday, the .sales of George Orwell's 1984 have taken a HUGE jump.

NATION
George Orwell's 1984 sales jump due to surveillance leak
June 12, 2013 - 11:55 am

NPR reported Wednesday that Amazon sales of the book jumped by 6,021 percent in the last 24 hours.

Read more: www.wjla.com...

Des

Originally posted by macman
1984 here we come.

I think we are basically there already.

Originally posted by sealing
how much of the anti Obama's soldiers reasons are sound?

Come on ... are you kidding? Mr. Transparency's administration is running the biggest 'spy on Americans' scandal ... and Benghazi-gate .... and IRS gate .... and Lobby-gate ... and Fast and Furious ... and he rewards Susan Rice and Eric Holder for telling lies and being corrupt .... etc etc etc. Try to see past the hope-ium haze that the media has blown. Obama is awful.

Originally posted by FlyersFan

Come on ... are you kidding? Mr. Transparency's administration is running the biggest 'spy on Americans' scandal ... and Benghazi-gate .... and IRS gate .... and Lobby-gate ... and Fast and Furious ... and he rewards Susan Rice and Eric Holder for telling lies and being corrupt .... etc etc etc. Try to see past the hope-ium haze that the media has blown. Obama is awful.

I understand the politically oportunistic view and convenient rhetoric of "Obama..Obama...Obama"...but my fear is that political divisivness will lead to what? The GOP in the Whitehouse in a couple of years? With Lindsay Graham (R) saying we should "censor the mail" and Peter King (R) saying Journalists should be Prosecuted? Boehner saying the leaker is guilty of "Treason"...a charge that hasn't been leveled since WW2?

You think it would be better under McCain???? Or Romney????

We have an INSTITUTIONAL problem here...not an "Obama" problem...Keep claiming it is all "Obama's" fault and people will wrongly assume the problem will get solved at the end of his term...or if we elect a Conservative.....and it will just become worse under the next POTUS.

Bring heat on DC et al. ...if you feed the partisan rhetoric..."it';s all Obama's fault", all you are doing is campaigning for the next President who will oversee the further erosion of our civil liberties.

reply to post by xuenchen


I think this has been happening for a while though. I think the real shocker is going to come when the Guardian releases proof that the NSA has been hacking emails, tapping phones and watching all the internet activities of returning troops. I'm trying to think of which groups of people in the USA the intel services would be monitoring, and I keep coming back to that.

I do there needs to be a distinction between the NSA reading public information and deliberately hacking for information though. Someone reading something on Twitter, forums and blogs is not illegal, that's not hacking. And depending on the kinds of things they're saying, it might actually be justified to watch them and visit them too.

This is where that fine line comes in. I would want my intelligence services to be asking questions of people who are making threats or acting so suspiciously that they should at least be scrutinized. The difference comes when there is no oversight and those rules start to apply to everyone, making every citizen a suspect without good reason.

Originally posted by jrod

That's not quite true. In the military you must obey lawful orders. Not being allowed to talk bad about a superior is NOT a lawful order.

Behold, Article 88:

“Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

While article 88 is seldom invoked for private conversations, it CAN be. And if you post it on Twitter or Facebook, it ain't private.

If you're a non-com, they can use Article 134 instead. And there are a couple of DOD directives to toss in as well that you can be in violation of.

Basically, if you're in the military, you just don't criticize the gubmint in public. It's the only way to be sure.

DALLAS, August 23rd, 2012 - After a special hearing today, Circuit Judge W. Allan Sharret declared the commitment order granted to federal authorities for Brandon Raub’s arrest and detainment was invalid. Read more: communities.washingtontimes.com... Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

Update, and to reitterate this has nothing to do with military law./