Speigle Online - Jimmy Carter: America no longer has a functioning Democracy

[Melinda]

NSA-Affäre: Ex-Präsident Carter verdammt US-Schnüffelei

This is a very rough google translation - maybe someone in this group can translate this article more successfully - I hope. From Speigle Online:

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter criticized in the wake of the NSA Spähskandals 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, their moral authority. 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" allowed the.

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.

More at link. Any translators out there, mebbe? Oh, and good on President Carter, good on Congress (today), and good for us - hopefully. It's time to shut the NSA down.

[JDPriestly]

1. I posted a photo of Carter speaking from the audience at this meeting.

Here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1268124

[dipsydoodle]

2. ‘America has no functioning democracy’ – Jimmy Carter on NSA

Former US President Jimmy Carter lambasted US intelligence methods as undemocratic and described Edward Snowden’s NSA leak as “beneficial” for the country.

Carter lashed out at the US political system when the issue of the previously top-secret NSA surveillance program was touched upon at the Atlantic Bridge meeting on Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia.

"America has no functioning democracy at this moment," Carter said, according to Der Spiegel.

He also believes the spying-scandal is undermining democracy around the world, as people become increasingly suspicious of US internet platforms, such as Google and Facebook. While such mediums have normally been associated with freedom of speech and have recently become a major driving force behind emerging democratic movements, fallout from the NSA spying scandal has dented their credibility.

http://rt.com/usa/carter-comment-nsa-snowden-261/