I feel certain that it's been SOP in Congress for a long time.

The coup already occurred.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024270922

members who are questioning the system.

and I am apparently wild-eyed and naive for being concerned.

are two factions in this class civil war, the wealthy elite and the peons. It isnt Democrats per se doing the spying. Gen Clapper and Gen Alexander are not Democrats. The spy agencies are not interested in upholding the Constitution, their mission is to keep the wealthy elite safe. There is every reason to spy on Congress-Critters. You better believe that if Sen Sanders had anything to hide he wouldnt have asked the question. Of course there is a short list speaking out.

I think there is a good chance that we have had a silent coup and the NSA and other "Intelligence" agencies run this country.

It started in 1963. That's when presidents started to lean forward in their seats while taking instructions.

but I take your meaning. They really had it put together well enough by 1963, in order to pull that off and get away with it scott free. (no insult intended to Scotts)

but decided on the actual event that crystalized just how much power the intelligence services have. The OSS birthed a monster we thought we could control.

"Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."
Friedrich Nietzsche

Or you live long enough to become a villain."
Harvey Dent

Point well taken. totally agree.

That's how a lot of them get rich quick and manipulate legislation to their benefit.

When Speaker Pelosi tried to make it illegal, she got backlash and could never make it illegal.

Then in 2012 Obama passed a law cracking down on insider trading on Capitol Hill
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303299604577323703044261464

A year later in 2013, congress quietly repealed the heart of the law
http://nyulocal.com/national/2013/04/15/congress-quietly-repeals-congressional-insider-trading-ban/

anything. He has already lied to Congress, he's an old Bush loyalist and should have been FIRED when we threw out Republicans five years ago now.

He should ask Snowden. HE is the one who is most likely to tell the truth.

Remember people laughing when it was revealed that they could or had spied on Obama? I bet no one is laughing now.

It's a good ploy though, get him on the record, lying or not, as we have Clapper on the record lying, and then being exposed as a liar.

It's possible Bernie already knows the answer. I am pretty sure we all do.

There was not a moment of doubt in my mind after I saw this:

he played that character so well.

Sanders' party affiliation is Socialist.

He knows they spy on him.

They've been spying on the lefties
since about 1900

Debs, Goldman, the Wobblies ... or am I
misremembering history again?

If they could turn all their information into a memory aid
for citizens, we'd probably gladly pay a fee for it!

It would be more difficult to cut out 535 phone numbers x, what, five or ten, figuring there are multiple lines going into the individual offices in the legislature, plus home and cell phone lines, from the meta data base, than to just gather it all up and in.

Now, if the question is, did NSA ask for a FISA warrant on any Congresspeople, now, THAT answer, if yes, would be interesting!

Obviously the 'metadata' of everyone who talks on a phone or browses the internet is being collected. I think the question is, are US political leaders being targeted for spying by having their 'metadata' examined by someone with the ability to do so. That would be the 'spying' part.

By his definition, the answer is yes even if no one got a warrant for a phone tap on any line.

Edit--for some reason, this post posted THREE times, all with the same post number, so I deleted two of 'em (below). Weird--reminded me of DU2! That used to happen on occasion back in the day.

if there were actual warrants on a congress critter, that would mighty interesting too. But I suspect Bernie is actually pointing to a practice to which there exists no oversight and accountability.

"connect-the-dots" phone tree, they have to go to FISA in order to actually tap. Now, the whole lack of an adversarial approach to obtaining these warrants is, of course, a topic for discussion, but I think in order to tap, one of the FISA judges has to say "OK, go do it."

That said, the way the letter is worded, unless the Congressional metadata is somehow scrubbed and excluded from the meta-database--and we know it isn't, because the idea is that this metadata is just numbers, it's not about specific people, UNTIL the warrant is gotten--the answer to Bernie's question has to be YES. It can never be "NO" unless they shut the program down, or start "excluding" people--and "excluding" people is, IMO, worse than including everyone -- it smacks of "politburo and party apparatchiks privilege" and that won't do at all.

it isn't the "meta data collection" by itself, as if it were all just disappearing into cyber space never to be seen again, as it were.

It's having the wherewithal to eavesdrop - for POLITICAL and other nefarious purposes, and being able to do this with no MEANINGFUL oversight scrutiny..

The apparatus of the FISA court and it's administrative systems is a complete joke, thanks to the Patriot Act(s) and the fascists who set those in place.

It is the collection and storage of personal data by the government into search-able dossiers on all US citizens, that is so offensive to the principles of democracy.

... and don't mind President Obama listening in.

Just as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid never complained about the Total Rove Awareness Program.

Meanwhile the NSA has already passed around sound captures of our troops deployed in combat zones 'sexting' with their loved ones at home... and enjoying every moment of it.

How long before they start selling credit card numbers and industrial intelligence to competing companies? There are endless entrepreneurial opportunities in being an NSA 'analyst'.

Shit, they probably spy on the President himself.

Another true American Hero and Patriot!

Wonder how long it will take for Alexander to respond, if ever. (not holding breath)

Journalist Glenn Greenwald testifies before a European Parliamentary Committee about National Security Agency surveillance practices, civil liberties of European citizens, and privacy concerns.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/316863-1

This is riveting with true concerns for all, reminding us all how the head of the FBI back in the day, J Edger Hoover had Scandalizing information on anyone they wanted and used it to control power. 1 hour, 3 minutes

So why bother asking? He'll just get the least-untruthful answer or whatever nonsense they call it these days.

justice will prosecute?

srry,just dreaming but following link has interesting debate between greenwald and some msm reporter about prosecuting clapper

ps read the comments too,ernest,brad's co writer is a lawyer

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=10442

Mind if I steal it for an OP? Or would you like to do the honors?

honored you appreciate it,please use anything i post as you like manny

Thanks for posting this video.

Glenn Greenwald has the patience of a Saint; this coming from an Atheist.

What a smarmy tool Ruth Marcus is.

Some where in the bible I read that Satan is the father of the lie. Go figure.

On the other hand I am having a real tough time thinking good about people.

I'd really like to recover some personal/political emails that were sent between the WH and the Ashcroftian Liberty University xian operatives that were somehow inadvertently destroyed.

Or the mittus Rmonius hard drives that were conveniently removed from the Massachusett's state-owned computers when Mr. mitt left office.

Best, would Mr. NSA please send us a copy of all correspondence amongst the participants of Dicky Chenny's Energy Task Force? Although, We, The American People, paid for these nice people to gather and dictate our futures, we haven't been able to locate any source material.

Bless you, NSA.
You might end up being the backup/archival/attic/basement storage that we all need.
Just let us get our shit back, please.

I actually hope the NSA IS spying on Congress- someone's gotta keep an on those skeezy posers.
For example, some of them seemed more comfortable supporting the Israeli gov (Liebermann) than the US gov.

But let's be honest about 'blackmail'- most of the GOP has no shame anyway. What's the NSA gonna do, throw out pics of Boener drunk to the press? everybody knows he's a drunk anyway and his district keeps voting for him because they don't like black people!. How you gonna blackmail folks like that?

one would imagine. And he might want to ask why his computer has so many more cables coming out of it than anyone else's.

Bernie...you're a good guy BUT there are a lot more important things. AND it takes a FISA court order to LISTEN.

all these dingbats that care about human rights and our constitution are getting unnerving. Why shouldn't the NSA keep close tabs on Congress? How else can they weed out the troublemakers? We know that when government bodies and secret panels can make their decisions in secret completely free from prying eyes and the meddling of the public and their elected representatives - that is when government can act the best. Unaccountability is the secret to affective governance.

Good show! Some folks just bury their selves in delusion.

I mean seriously. You actually believe that is the case?

whether they'll admit it. Not likely. The key phrase was "every one" which includes congress critters.

and it won't be in plumber style. On the other hand it may be possible that they are looking for dirt on "anyone" that can be used to keep the NSA growing.

exempts him for all eternity unless someone comes along with evidence to the contrary. He's retiring soon. If they actually admitted anything, I'd be stunned.