NSA files revealed new threats to democracy
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There is no historical precedent for the proposition that the procedures of totalitarianism are compatible with the system of enlightened, individual and democratic self-governance. Such an argument would be doomed to failure. It is enough to say in opposition that omnipresent invasive listening creates fear. And that fear is the enemy of reasoned, ordered liberty.
It is utterly inconsistent with the American ideal to attempt to fasten procedures of totalitarianism on American constitutional self-governance. But there is an even deeper inconsistency between those ideals and the subjection of every other society on earth to mass surveillance.
Some of the system's servants came to understand that it was being sustained not with, but against, democratic order. They knew their vessel had come unmoored in the dark, and was sailing without a flag. When they blew the whistle, the system blew back at them. In the end – at least so far, until tomorrow – there was Snowden, who saw everything that happened and watched the fate of others who spoke up.
He understood, as Chelsea Manning also always understood, that when you wear the uniform you consent to the power. He knew his business very well. Young as he was, as he said in Hong Kong, "I've been a spy all my life." So he did what it takes great courage to do in the presence of what you believe to be radical injustice. He wasn't first, he won't be last, but he sacrificed his life as he knew it to tell us things we needed to know. Snowden committed espionage on behalf of the human race. He knew the price, he knew the reason. But as he said, only the American people could decide, by their response, whether sacrificing his life was worth it.
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http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/27/-sp-privacy-under-attack-nsa-files-revealed-new-threats-democracy
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grasswire
(50,130 posts)
bemildred
(90,061 posts)villager
(26,001 posts)The conversation is indeed rather bracingly continued there...
bananas
(27,509 posts)Noscript hides a lot of stuff.
Had to enable guardianapps.co.uk to see the comments.
Thanks, I wouldn't have bothered.
Leme
(1,092 posts)btw, who knows you click the link other than DU ?
villager
(26,001 posts)Both in the public and private sectors.
That seems to bother some posters around here very little, though...
Leme
(1,092 posts)I was sort of doing a rhetorical question. I also didn't want to think too much about it. Its like a maze where there are multiple outlets.
