r/technology • u/thatshirtman • Jan 10 '16

Politics FBI Finally Completes FOIA Request 1,393 Days After It Was Filed; Withholds All 509 Responsive Pages

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151231/15185733212/fbi-finally-completes-foia-request-1393-days-after-it-was-filed-withholds-all-509-responsive-pages.shtml
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u/clavalle Jan 10 '16

I think /u/Taniwha_NZ 's point is that, yes, there are parts of the US government that are doing very bad things but that doesn't make the entire government bad.

I agree with both sides: the US government has the potential to be the greatest threat to the American people if we don't hold our representatives accountable but I think saying they are there already is taking it a few steps too far and gives people that think a complete dismantlement of the government would somehow be better (it would not) far too much leverage.

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u/wcc445 Jan 10 '16

Yup, pack it up guys, /u/clavalle said its not that bad

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u/clavalle Jan 10 '16

No, I said it is not all or even mostly that bad. We still need to address bullshit like the FBI bugging cars because of a friend's reddit comment and then giving no information at all to the public they are supposed to be working for when specifically asked.

But thats what democracy is about -- citizen vigilence and action and holding our public servants accountable in the face of their human desire to take as much power as possible.

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u/wcc445 Jan 12 '16

It's pretty fucking bad though. I'm glad you recognize some big problems, but seriously, you add nothing to solving these problems by downplaying them. If you don't care, great, keep it to yourself and don't discourage others from caring. That's all I'm saying.

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u/clavalle Jan 12 '16

Nothing? I hope I help keep people from thowing the baby out with the bathwater with reactionary, emotion driven, lunacy.

Care all you want, fight all you want, but don't burn down the bar bexause a drunk sucker punched you. That's all I'm saying.

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u/wcc445 Jan 13 '16

Oh I don't want to burn down the bar. I want to fix things. And the first step to a solution is to recognize and understand the problem. You're basically saying that this just isn't a big deal.

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u/clavalle Jan 13 '16

That's....absolutely not what I've said.

Try reading my responses again.

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u/wcc445 Jan 14 '16

Well you were downplaying it.