A different way of phrasing this is that the discussions about the TSA 100-200 days ago revealed that many of the newcomers here _do_ want to talk about civil l

A different way of phrasing this is that the discussions about the TSA 100-200 days ago revealed that many of the newcomers here _do_ want to talk about civil liberties and see it as a big part of startup life. Before Paul changed the ranking to penalize TSA stories, they were common. Before Paul changed the interface to hide the votes on stories, it was clear that there was increasing support -- especially internationally -- for discussing it, and that the bulk of the resistance came from old-timers. The sad thing is, I really think the only thing that needs to happen is for pg to make it explicit that these stories are within scope. It would revitalize HN and make it much more appealing internationally. I'm not holding my breath, though.