Even Jimmy Carter is aware.

Ex-President Carter condemned U.S. snooping

The Obama administration tried to placate Europe's anger over spying programs. Not as ex-President Jimmy Carter: The Democrat attacked the U.S. intelligence sharp. The disclosure by whistleblowers Snowden was "useful."

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter criticized in the wake of the NSA spy scandal the American political system. "America has no functioning democracy," Carter said Tuesday at a meeting of the "Atlantic Bridge" in Atlanta.

Previously, the Democrat had been very critical of the practices of U.S. intelligence. "I think the invasion of privacy has gone too far," Carter told CNN. "And I think that is why the secrecy was excessive."

Overlooking the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said Carter, whose revelations were long "likely to be useful because they inform the public."
Carter has repeatedly warned that the United States sharply declined due to excessive restriction of civil rights. Last year he wrote in an article in the "New York Times", new U.S. laws "never before seen breach our privacy by the government".

Carter was the 39th President of the United States, who ruled from 1977 until 1981. During his tenure, he tried to align U.S. foreign policy that is more about human rights - after his retirement from active politics for his humanitarian work, he received the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.

In Atlanta, he also expressed his overall pessimistic about the global situation. There is currently no reason for him to be optimistic, Carter said, referring to the situation in Egypt, which had fallen into a military dictatorship. He also lamented the growing political divide in the United States, the excessive influence of money in U.S. election campaigns and the confusing American election rules. The ex-president whose "Carter Center" operates worldwide including election monitoring, announced skeptical whether the United States, the standard that applies when reviewing the Center of elections might be fulfilled.

As a bright spot, however, Carter called the triumph of modern technology that would have caused some of the countries of the Arab Spring of democratic progress. Exactly these developments but are endangered by the NSA spy scandal as major U.S. Internet platforms such as Google or Facebook lose credibility worldwide.

Translated from:
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/nsa-affaere-jimmy-carter-kritisiert-usa...

Dane Allen wrote on 07/18/13 at 08:56:34:

Right.... it's Carter's fault...

"Asked about an NSA program that tracks people's Internet activity, Bush said, "I put that program in place to protect the country. One of the certainties was that civil liberties were guaranteed."

Dane Allen wrote on 07/18/13 at 10:03:58:



quoted for TRUTH....

"slippery slope"

Quote:


I remember Carter's dismal term as President pretty well, and I never thought I'd agree with him about much of anything, but he's pretty much spot on here.

[quote author=40415A5D52475B330 link=1374120273/0#5 date=1374170249]Pine wrote on 07/18/13 at 10:53:51:


I won't let you get away with calling me a bigot. I demand proof or an apology. I won't let up until you do so.

[quote author=3D3C27202F3A264E0 link=1374120273/0#9 date=1374178926][quote author=65404F44604D4D444F210 link=1374120273/0#7 date=1374173665]srinath wrote on 07/18/13 at 10:57:29:


I won't let you get away with calling me a bigot. I demand proof or an apology. I won't let up until you do so.

OF course Carter's statement is a folly in and of itself.  This country is not, not has it ever been a democracy.  We are a democratic republic.  There is a difference and it matters that people don't know the difference.  We elect people to represent.  Otherwise we would vote on every single bill and law that is ever presented to be made law.

Starlifter wrote on 07/20/13 at 19:25:21:


You would be amazed how many people don't know that.  Secondly if we elected representatives that respected the voters we would likely not have these problems.  But the government no long fears us.  The majority are clueless in how the system works and what their role is in it.  Hell most people don't even know who their senators or representatives are.  That is the point.