Perhaps so, but back then it brought down the government, whether it would do so today in an era of poorer ethics, highly-tuned government spin and when both go

Perhaps so, but back then it brought down the government, whether it would do so today in an era of poorer ethics, highly-tuned government spin and when both government bureaucrats and politicians are well immunized against public opinion is a moot point. In ways I agree with your assessment as I've been around long enough to witness those changes. I can only add that unless we citizens insist on changes that actually benefit us and not the Establishment/Ruling Elite then we'll end up imprisoned in a totalitarian dictatorship. At some point the current trend/movement will have to stop or that's where we'll end up by default.