Comment by roc | Hacker News Reader

Comment by roc | Hacker News Reader

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> "What exactly happened recently"

The existing outrageous actions of the government were finally given attention by the media, a large slice of the populace finally seems to have noticed and the government has been compelled to actually admit and address the issue. [1]

We should be upset that these outrageous policies ever existed. We should be upset that it took this damn long for the media to treat the issue with the gravity it deserves.

And we should be happy as hell it actually 'took' as a news story this time, let alone managed to stay in the news for weeks.

To the privacy conscious, it's irrelevant whether Snowden told us anything "new". What's relevant is that (for whatever reason) this long-festering problem was finally brought to the forefront in a way that has demanded attention.

I suppose if you didn't mind any of the "old news" that the government was abusing the constitution, or had made your peace with it, this might seem a pointless story.

[1] Though that's a long way from a fix, it's significantly better than the dismissive "with us or against us" defenses of the past.

Thank you. IMO, this is the most factually correct and honest basis for the prevailing sentiment that I think there is. It bothers me, though, that the cause has to be renewed and sustained with misinformation. Where was this outrage when the PATRIOT act was renewed in 2011? There certainly was some, but from what I recall it was orders of magnitude less than it is now. This is why it seems to me like the outrage is based on the recent factual misconceptions. Even worse, conspiracy theories are being thrown around that go far beyond even what Greenwald originally claimed PRISM was, and those theories aren't being scrutinized and further fuel the fire.

If we are going to have a debate on what the scope of electronic surveillance should be, it should be an honest one. I just feel like we're replacing the ridiculous unfounded "TERRORISTS GON DESTROY 'MURICA" sentiment with an equally ridiculous unfounded "GUBMINT OUT TA GITCHYA" sentiment. I don't like having to choose between those two options.

I tend to agree. However -- 12 years later, I'm willing to look past the "GUBMINT OUT TA GITCHYA" angle if that's what it takes to sway public opinion/attention.

Calm and objective hasn't so much as slowed this down.

Most people make decisions in an emotional manner. Politics is an ugly beast, but it is what it is. I'm just glad that non-techies actually care.

The ends justify the means then.

What outrageous actions? What outrageous policies? What long-festering problem? You haven't said a damn thing, just as Snowden has yet to expose any wrongdoing on the part of the NSA. He has said that the NSA is spying on everybody, but all of the evidence he has presented has shown nothing of the kind and in fact shows that procedures to protect our privacy and 4th amendment rights are in place and being followed.

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