We do not live in an episode of 24, and a world where Jack Bauer exists. We live in reality. A reality where governments abuse mass surveillance to squash political movements all the time. If the NSA had the power they do today, back in the '60s, there would be no MLK Jr. or civil rights movement. It would be interesting to see what role the NSA played in the fizzle-out of the Occupy movement. My bet is, they had a prominent role in not letting it truly matter.
Quite. The actual trend in the US is towards greater freedom, on the whole (women in states with restrictive abortion laws may justifiably disagree). I find it ironic that Snowden has sought political asylum in a country where you can (as of very recently) be prosecuted for saying it's cool or natural to be gay.
