General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Two Different Mindsets at DU [View all]cui bono
(19,926 posts)It was pushed to be legalized in 2008 and was signed into law - and thought to be unconstitutional by many due to its violation of the 4th Amendment. Then the current admin extended and expanded it. So while it may be technically legal now, it was not when it was started and I don't think the general public understood what was going on. Simply legalizing it doesn't make it the right thing to do. I wish it were mere "overkill" but it is far more egregious than that, and far more troubling that a Democrat has legalized it and expanded it.
I think that's why it resonated so much. People are surprised that this is still happening and more so than before. And that it was happening to American citizens in such a haphazard manner.
I don't agree at all with your comment that Snowden's leaks are merely political. He gave the docs to Greenwald and the Guardian. He's not necessarily the one picking the times of release, but even if he were, don't you think it makes sense to bring up the issues that coincide with what's going on in current events so as to shine more light on them? It makes perfect sense to me to do it as a way to ensure that the most attention is paid to that particular aspect. I think it's a smart way of releasing the info.
Again, the activities absolutely are unconstitutional. They violate the 4th Amendment. And they were illegal before they were legal. Legalizing something that's criminal to allow one to do unconstitutional search and seizures is still continuing the same actions that everyone complained against when BushCo did it. I'm still not okay with it.