@Sir R. S. -- Re: Does anyone still think this is only about terrorism? Etc.
'The spying of my country's state aparatus on it's citizens en-masse is a tool of oppression.'
Too right. Since when and how did this pernicious, effectively unaccountable process enter democracy? I can't remember any detailed exposé explaining the 'benefits' to the citizenry in all those various texts from Locke, Rousseau, etc, etc.
Err, sorry, I forgot about the updated version: forget all that social contract nonsense and stuff, democracy's defn. is, of course, determined by those who hold the power (and it's no longer us--that's if it ever was).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
