Hello Damon,   
      
    DAG> http://boingboing.net/2013/08/08/lavabit-email-service-snowden.html   
      
   DG>My Fellow Users,   
      
   I prefer the word participants, not users.  The word "users" has a   
   negative connotation, whereas "participants" is much more positive.   
      
   note to Moderator: the quotes from this part on are by Ladar Levison.   
      
   Many of the comments I have made are based on an op-ed article by   
   Froma Harrop.  I'll see if I can find a site online for all to read.   
      
    DAG> I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in   
    DAG> crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of   
    DAG> hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After significant soul searching, I   
    DAG> have decided to suspend operations.   
      
   This is total BS, being nothing more than an "ad" for Ladar Levison.   
      
    DAG> I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my   
    DAG> decision. I cannot.   
      
   Yes, you can.  You may not want to, but you can.   
      
    DAG> I feel you deserve to know what.s going on   
      
   Then tell us.   
      
    DAG> --the first amendment is supposed to guarantee me the freedom to speak   
   out   
    DAG> in situations like this.   
      
   It is quite apparent you do not understand the first amendment.   
      
   The first amendment is a relative right, not an absolute right.   
   Shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire and you   
   will find out just how true that is.   
      
    DAG> Unfortunately, Congress has passed laws that say otherwise.   
      
   Congress passes many laws.  Including laws that are unconstitutional.   
   Those laws that are unconsitutional are not valid, as the courts have   
   made clear.   
      
    DAG> As things currently stand, I cannot share my experiences over the last   
   six   
    DAG> weeks, even though I have twice made the appropriate requests.   
      
   You do not need my permission to express your views.  Nor do you   
   need anybody else's permission.  You have only yourself to blame for   
   not [publicly] sharing your experiences with others.   
      
    DAG> What.s going to happen now? We.ve already started preparing the paperwork   
    DAG> needed to continue to fight for the Constitution in the Fourth Circuit   
    DAG> Court of Appeals. A favorable decision would allow me resurrect Lavabit   
   as   
    DAG> an American company.   
      
   Everybody interprets the Constitution to mean what they want it to   
   mean.  However, only the courts have the Constitutional authority to   
   make their own interpretation stick.  Naturally, the justices of the   
   U.S. Supreme Court are the ultimate Constitutional authority ...   
      
    DAG> This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without   
    DAG> congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_   
    DAG> recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with   
    DAG> physical ties to the United States.   
      
   I'll expose your nonsense to the world.  Or at least to the   
   participants in this forum -   
      
   The collection of metadata is all automated.  There is nothing   
   illegal about this.  What happens is, a computer flags suspicious   
   activity.  No human can look further without a FISA warrant.  Got   
   that so far?  FISA warrants can only be granted for two reasons -   
   foreign espionage, and foreign terrorism.   
      
   If an email conversation is about religion, that person would not   
   be a legitimate target.  Even if that person is a Muslim.  The same   
   thing can be said if the conversation is about sex, or music, or   
   even politics.  The conversation *must* be about plotting terrorism.   
      
   The media would like to have a simple NSA. The simpler, the better.   
   However, intelligence operations are complex.  Also very tricky.   
   Especially when conducting an operation that spans the globe, where   
   cooperation is needed from agencies from other countries.   
      
   The very idea of 100,000 NSA agents looking at pictures of your   
   cat or dog is absurd.  What a waste of time and resources that would   
   be.  American taxpayers would never stand for such foolishness.  Even   
   if it was dirty pictures, it would still be absurd and a total waste.   
      
   Ladar Levison, the author of this piece of garbage, is almost as bad   
   as Glenn Greenwald.  I say "almost" because Greenwald is total nuts.   
   Total off his rocker nuts.  Greenwald is a left-wing nut, not a crazy   
   loon from the right, whose specialty is waving conspiracy theories   
   about the NSA program.  He loves to rant and rave about Nancy Pelosi   
   and other Democrats who support the program, so he can be entertaining   
   even to conservatives.   
      
   This hard right-left alliance has one thing in common, and one thing   
   only - They hate Obama.  That's it.  Nothing else matters to them.   
   They can be enemies on everything else.  But on that one thing they   
   are in agreement - They hate Obama.   
      
   You see, real opponents of the NSA program do not want America to   
   do intelligence at all.  They hate Obama.  No more Obama means no more   
   intelligence.  See how that workds?   
      
   President Obama has done a piss-poor job of explaining the Affordable   
   Care Act to the American people.  President Obama has also done a   
   piss-poor job of explaining the NSA program to the American people.   
   In both cases, the people want it (access to quality health care, and   
   protection from terrorism).   
      
   The NSA program is not perfect.  However, rather than doing away with   
   the program, the solution is to make it better.  What is needed is more   
   transparency, along with Congressional oversight.   
      
   Hating Obama is not a solution.  Right-left loons should have learned   
   that from the American people, who elected and re-elected Barack Obama   
   as their President.   
      
    DAG> Sincerely,   
    DAG> Ladar Levison   
    DAG> Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC   
      
   What a joke.   
      
    DAG> Defending the constitution is expensive! Help us by donating to the   
   Lavabit   
    DAG> Legal Defense Fund here.   
      
   I thought posting ads was a no-no in Fidonet?   
      
    DAG> -The opinions expressed are not necessarily an advocation of any of the   
    DAG> aforementioned ideologies, concepts, or actions.   
      
   Thank the Goddess!   
      
    DAG> We still have the freedom of speech,   
      
   Of course we do!  And we always will!   
      
    DAG> for now,   
      
   What do you mean, "for now"?  I can say, or write, anything I want!   
   The moderator mike ban me from this forum after I do so, but he can't   
   stop me from saying or writing it first!   
      
    DAG> and I enjoy using it in a satirical or ficticious manner to amuse myself-   
      
    DAG> "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a   
    DAG> revolutionary act." --  George Orwell   
      
   "What is truth?" - Pontius Pilate   
      
   --Lee   
      
   --- MesNews/1.06.00.00-gb   
    * Origin: news://felten.yi.org (2:203/2)