Thom Hartmann: The French Patriot Act Exposed!

[thomhartmann]

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV & FSTV "live" 7pm and 10pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[JDPriestly]

1. We will have great difficulty reclaiming the privacy without which our rights are meaningless.

Do we really enjoy freedom of speech and assembly and the right to petition our government when everything we say and write to each other over electronic media can be tracked if not actually read or heard? I don't think so.

The very fact that we are under surveillance will inevitably limit our freedom of speech and our freedom of the press.

The trade-off is too costly in terms of the freedom that is fundamental to our self-government. i can't understand why people don't understand this obvious fact.

How can people be so blind to the dangers of surveillance.

The sad thing is that some (not all) of the government officials who are in involved in implementing this surveillance system seem to be responsible, thoughtful people. I think they are blind to the dangers because they are so confident in their own moral judgment. Unfortunately, those who combine the moral judgment with the power to collect the information will most likely eventually be replaced by hacks who do not have that good moral judgment.