three paragraphs worth reading
occur at the end of This Isn’t How to Stop Hacking, today NY Times column by Joe Nocera, written from Wuhan China where he is on a trip for Western journalists rganized by the China-United States Exchange Foundation, and written in the context of the presence of Snowden in Hong Kong and the remarks he has made.
They are the final 3 paragraphs of the column. I offer them without further comment in this diary, although I will make a few remarks in the tip jar.
They are the final 3 paragraphs of the column. I offer them without further comment in this diary, although I will make a few remarks in the tip jar.
I don’t know whether Prism and the other programs truly stop terrorists. I have my doubts. What I do know is that if you are going to lecture the world about right and wrong — and if you’re trying to stop bad behavior — perhaps you shouldn’t be engaging in a version of that behavior yourself.Instead, this has become one of the trademarks of the Obama administration: decry human rights abuses abroad, but hold men in prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, who have never been accused of a crime. Say all the right things about freedom of the press — even as you’re subpoenaing reporters’ phone records. And express outrage over Chinese hacking while carrying on a sophisticated spying operation of your own citizens. It may seem to us a false equivalence, but the existence of Prism will make it far more difficult to force the Chinese to get serious about stopping their own hacking.
Maybe America’s new motto should be: Do As We Say, Not As We Do.