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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2013-10-24 15:44, spike wrote:<br>
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<div class="WordSection1">But I don’t understand why they would
care. They aren’t the Tea Party and are not subject to an IRS
audit. To quote a once and future president: What difference
does it make?</div>
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<br>
Remember when GWB tried to give Merkle a backrub?<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTQY1Aw9zcs">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTQY1Aw9zcs</a><br>
Obama has done it again. <br>
<br>
She - and a fair number of Germans - grew up under a system of state
surveillance. There is a symbolism there that is deadly serious, and
the fact that the US does not seem get it is a very bad sign. Maybe
the German ambassador should dress up like a KKK member for the
White House Halloween party - surely the president will get the
joke?<br>
<br>
Of course intelligence agencies are up to a lot of surveillance of
friends and foes. But there are presumably certain gentlemen's
agreements about what Is Not Done. Flouting these are not just
embarrassments, they are signs that a government is no longer in
full control over their agencies.<br>
<br>
I think the US is seriously losing allies right now. Worse, we are
seeing further breakdown of an international system that - while
never perfect - at least kept trust and interaction habits
functional. <br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dr Anders Sandberg
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University
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