The ultimate goal of the NSA is total population control

Yet, most people remain blindly ignorant of the issues. ... Perhaps, even willfully ignorant. Will any substantial political force stand up to the NSA?,... Or is the NSA the new Praetorian Guard?

Don't expect on the people, as long as their life style is not affected, they don't care and don't want to care.

[ > " we learn that the NSA lies"

Is it ironic ? ]

> Our privacy will be the hottest issue in the next elections I predict.

I wish that were true, but I seriously doubt it'll even be in the top 10 issues.

NSA lies? You mean we didn't really send Apollo 11 to the moon?

I'm actually more disturbed by the utter lack of outrage over the NSA spying and collecting the records of practically everyone! People I talk to just shrug and claim they don't care because they have nothing to hide or they assumed they were being tracked one way or another anyway. Wake up people!! As big corporations and the uber rich gain ever more political sway and the population becomes ever more ignorant (e.g., easily controlled) It won't be long before people will disappear in the middle of the night for posting or texting unpopular ideas or viewpoints. Watch 'V for Vendetta' for a glimpse at where we're heading.

I vaguely recall that Lenin said : people are eager to be mastered. The NSA has rightly learned from ex-CCCP.

> ...or they assumed they were being tracked one way or another anyway...

Well, yeah. But at one time the trackers knew it was both wrong and against the law. Therefore they were very careful about how they did so and what it was used for. Now they don't care.

Progress report:

1944: Gestapo

1974: Stasi

2004: NSA

Just think what we have to look forward to!

Unfortunately, most people just let the press spoon-feed them what the press wants the hot issues of the day to be. Sheeple . ... Bellies full,... Minds empty.

To all of you expressing your outrage about the apathy in society. What are you doing (besides posting to some little-read web forum) that makes you less apathetic and part of the solution?

Personally, ... I advocate and educate on FOSS and general issues of technological freedom, every chance I get... Almost to the point of being an annoyance, really.

But there is no solution, so there's nothing to do. Do you think there's something to do ? Or do you advise every one to close one eye?

@jackd2: for myself, I continue to support the legislators who are being sensible about this (my one congressman and both senators are among the strongest in opposition to NSA excesses), and encourage others to do the same.

Maybe some day I'll think of something better.

And what about you, jackd2? What is your position on the misuse of authority and contravention of the constitution?

> my one congressman and both senators are among the strongest in opposition to NSA excesses

Good for you. And what would you do if none of the candidates available did so, which is the case for most of us?

@ JaseP

Personally I have written my congressmen expressing outrage and demanding congressional action to curtail the spying. But they're useless and can't even get it together to order a pizza let alone pass legislation. Additionally, I do not belong to any social media sites thus limiting my exposure of personal information. I am also a long-time supporter and user of FOSS including Linux which I've been using exclusively on all of my machines since 2003. It's practically common knowledge that both Windows and OSX have a back door which Linus Torvalds refused to allow in Linux and publicly said so. And I voice my views and opposition to Big Government and the complete apathy of our population on some little-read web forums.

That's laudable... But politicos won't respond unless there is a significant groundswell (as there was with SOPA, et al.), or significant campaign contributions at stake (and who has that???)... It takes lots of murmurs to equal a roar...

The "politicos" won't respond until they stop being re-elected.

The disease is Empire. The symptoms include the effective freezing-out of all "third party" candidates.

Americans are getting the government they voted for, good and hard. Democracy sucks.

Quoting:Democracy sucks.

Except that you're talking about empirical rule, which is not democracy...

...and the U.S. is a democratic republic, not a democracy...

...and the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, which we in the U.S. have not paid.

Democracy = voting. All else is sophistry, trying to put nice wallpaper on a failing system.

Suggested reading: Hoppe, "Democracy: The God That Failed"

Everyone votes.

But they don't all live in democracies.