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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Toughest Interview Keith Alexander Has Is From A Comedian? John Oliver.
What Does It Say About The US Press That The Toughest Interview Keith Alexander Has Is From A Comedian?from the too-much-and-none-of-it-good dept
Last night was the debut of comedian John Oliver's new show on HBO called Last Week Tonight. Oliver, of course, is well known from his years on The Daily Show (though, if you're not familiar with it, you should also listen to his podcast, The Bugle). On his first show, Oliver was able to get former NSA boss Keith Alexander, who retired about a month ago. The resulting ten minute interview is well worth watching, not just because it's pretty damn funny, but because it's one of the few times a journalist has actually asked Alexander direct tough questions about the NSA -- and it's not even from a journalist:
Seriously, compare that interview to the one Alexander gave to 60 Minutes, a show that used to be associated with asking the tough questions of people in power.
Alexander kicks off this new interview claiming that Americans don't understand that they're not the target of the NSA, and Oliver immediately shoots back:
Oliver: No, the target is not the American people, but it seems that too often you miss the target and hit the person next to them going 'Whoa, him!'
Alexander: You see, we're not just out there gathering information, listening to their phone calls, or collecting their emails. But, that's the first thing that people jump to.
Oliver: But you are out there doing that. You're just saying that you're not then reading them. You are gathering that data.
Alexander responds with the usual NSA talking points about "we just collect metadata" and again, Oliver immediately hits back:
Oliver: That's not nothing. That's significant information. Otherwise, you wouldn't want it.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140428/02534427047/what-does-it-say-about-us-press-that-toughest-interview-keith-alexander-has-is-comedian.shtml
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)it might be gone later.
dickthegrouch
(3,174 posts)and watched by accident. It is in my to-be-recorded list now. There's too many good shows on Sunday night
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)Too much to record on Sunday.
Buns_of_Fire
(17,180 posts)NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)I'm really hoping HBO podcasts his show like Real Time.
Hekate
(90,692 posts)However this is a great, serious interview on its own merits.
Well done, John Oliver, well done!
grasswire
(50,130 posts)Alexander is a weasel. And a liar.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Obviously.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Thank you, Ichingcarpenter, for doing what the one BUSINESS mentioned by name in the entire Constitution is supposed to do: Tell the Truth.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)This might be how the NSA would define a tough interview with the goal of misleading us. Jesus Christ. Does everyone work for the fucking CIA/NSA?
grasswire
(50,130 posts)....starts to say "truth" and changes the word to "reality"?
There are many bits cut out of this interview. It's impossible to carefully parse it.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)telling.
hvn_nbr_2
(6,486 posts)ask of the rich and powerful, it's not surprising that a comedian asks tougher questions than they do.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)The question I would like to ask him:
How do you decide who is an enemy of the US?
I stand with Joe Biden (ver.2006) on the NSA "collecting" and storing our Meta-Data:
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)The movement has started. Either get on board or get the fok out of the way.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)When asked if he knew of any instance where the NSA had acted illegally, Alexander answered:
In my time, no. Not that I know of. You know, one of the most impressive things that Ive seen in my career was people who made a mistake, that could be a huge mistake, stepping up to say I made a mistake. And in every case, to my knowledge, everyone but 12 individuals stepped forward at the time they made those mistakes.
Oliver called out Alexander, firing back Right, but you cant say everyone
except for 12. Thats like saying Ive never killed anyone
apart from those three people I have buried under my patio at home.
The key issue I was trying to make was, in every case, we reported. In some cases, those who made a mistake, but were still caught. Alexander clarified.
This statement is an outright lie, and not only in relation to blatant violation of the Constitution. Indeed, the NSAs own internal documents have noted that over several years the agency has abused its power thousands and thousands of times in order to spy on innocent Americans.
The Washington Post reported last year that The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.
Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by law and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls. the Post report noted.
Despite these facts, Alexander, other NSA insiders, and President Obama have continually claimed that no abuses occurred, save for the afore mentioned twelve documented instances where jealous or paranoid NSA employees took it upon themselves to spy on their significant others.
Even in these cases, the majority culprits were only outed because they took it upon themselves to own up to their abuses some time later, as detailed by a report issued by the NSA Inspector General. They were not caught as Alexander claims. This means that many more undiscovered abuses have almost certainly taken place.
Elsewhere in the interview, in addition to making several jokes and farcical suggestions, John Oliver called out Alexander when he attempted to once again claim that Americans are not being targeted by the NSA.
No, the target is not the American people, but it seems that too often you miss the target and hit the American person next to them going Whoa, him! Oliver said.
He added that Americans are concerned that the NSA is not just collecting the haystack to get the needle, but is also collecting the whole farm, and the county and the state, and now youve got photos of the farmers wife in the shower as well.
Were not just out there gathering information, listening to their phone calls, or collecting their emails. But, thats the first thing that people jump to. Alexander claimed,
Oliver refused to relent, noting But you are out there doing that. Youre just saying that youre not then reading them. You are gathering that data.
When Alexander attempted to make the argument that the agency only collects so called metadata, the comedian insisted Thats not nothing. Thats significant information. Otherwise, you wouldn't want it.
Compare Olivers interview to the walk in the park that was Alexanders appearance on CBS 60 Minutes, where reporter John Miller didnt once follow up on a single statement Alexander made. In this context Oliver, a British comedian, comes across as a hard hitting political interviewer.
The sad truth is that government corruption and abuse of power is only being commented on, questioned and investigated in a jokey kinda way on entertainment shows and talks shows. Hence why the alternative media is exploding and establishment institutions such as CBS are now universally recognised as full on propaganda arms.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I watched it yesterday, stunned that Oliver essentially demonstrated why MSM is not even worth watching.
This is gonna be a good show to watch.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)Two interviews with the National Security Administration. One by a news program, one by a comedian. Only one of them came through a winner. Here's a "completely unscientific, utterly subjective" play-by-play. Let the scoring begin
http://time.com/79861/nsa-throwdown-john-oliver-v-60-minutes/
winner was Oliver by far according to Time