Everyone is under surveillance now, says whistleblower Edward Snowden

[NanceGreggs]

161. I'm not telling anyone to shut up ...

... despite the fact that in some cases, I wish they would.

I was merely pointing out that there are some people who, once they have been convinced of something, will never be convinced otherwise. That is the case with many who believe the NSA is spying on everyone, all the time, everywhere. No amount of scrutiny or transparency will ever satisfy them. Think about the Birthers - they have been shown mountains of irrefutable proof that Obama was born in Hawaii - but they just cling to the idea he was born in Kenya, no evidence to the contrary being of any consequence.

I was certainly not responding to "people who say we need to know what the NSA is doing in the realm of domestic spying" - those people have legitimate concerns, and it is a topic that should be discussed.

However, the problem here on DU is that no one can discuss the topic without 100% belief in Snowden being used as a litmus test of true concern. I've seen many posts here where people have invited discussion of the issue as a stand-alone topic. But the Snowdenistas immediately dismiss even the possibility of discussion by challenging anyone who refuses to swear an oath of fealty to the man himself, or expresses any doubt in his veracity.

Can one be truly concerned about NSA overreach that impacts on personal privacy at the same time they don't give Snowden's allegations much credence? Common sense dictates that one can. But that is a position that has become unacceptable here - you're either 100% on-board with every word Snowden has uttered OR you are 100% FOR unfettered domestic spying. There is no in-between allowed; there is no middle ground between positions that are as extreme on one side as they are on the other.

That's why the "it's not the messenger, it's the message" meme is absurd on its face. There is a very loud group here who refuse to even discuss the message without demanding unquestioned loyalty to the messenger - you know, the one who they keep saying it's NOT about.

DU has become a black-and-white world, where shades of gray don't even exist. And that is not conducive to 'discussion' about anything.