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> To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous I feel perfectly safe. This whole entire issue about the government collecting meta-data is overblow

> To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous I feel perfectly safe. This whole entire issue about the government collecting meta-data is overblown IMO. And comparing it to tyranny and demanding rioting on the streets is literally self-destructive and utmost retarded. Maybe you need to compare it to a country like the Republic of Congo to get an idea of what's safe and what's not. But instead the majority of people here sit in their comfortable chair in front of the computer fantasizing about how much they hate the government and how much the government must hate them.

xtracto 13y ago
Good for you that you feel safe. An American colleague of mine (doing a 2nd PhD in Liverpool while I was doing my first/only one) told me he did not create accounts in Google/Yahoo/Hot mail not because of what could happen at this time, but at what the people with that information could do in the future. Right now, you feel perfectly safe in your comfortable chair, having all your information in Google, Facebook, and other servers. But after a small wrong turn of events (that I hope do not happen), you might find yourself in the wrong place and the wrong time, and all your innocently shared information (shared with google, microsoft, facebook, etc) will be used by your government to condemn you.
- jvictor118 13y ago
  What exactly is "all this data" you're worried the government will see? What are you doing on Google and Facebook? I have this funny feeling the NSA doesn't care about your memes or JS plugins or whatever stupid crap you talk about on Facebook.
- reader5000 13y ago
  You could also develop liver cancer and die, regardless of your cloud data usage!
  - mvaliente2001 13y ago
    That's why you don't care about liver cancer when you use the cloud.
flyinRyan 13y ago
>Maybe you need to compare it to a country like the Republic of Congo to get an idea of what's safe and what's not. Modern US patriotism at its finest: find the shittiest place you can think of and compare the US to that to show how great it is.
- powertower 13y ago
  Sometimes you need to compare and contrast to the worst to get an idea of what's really going on... Can you get up in the morning, turn on your coffee maker, shower, eat, get in your car, drive to work, ... enjoy your free time, etc? Do you know how many safe things need to happen for any of those events to work? Think about it. From the electricity to the police force to the gas prices and 100 other things. Or just compare it to Russia, China, UK, etc. A place with at least 100MM people... We'll both still choose to live in the USA.
  - flyinRyan 13y ago
    Ironically, I had all those things and chose not to live in the US anymore. I live in another first world country that has all those things but doesn't waste money and lives fighting endless wars, doesn't constantly erode my freedom and privacy, etc.
  - Goronmon 13y ago
    Can you get up in the morning, turn on your coffee maker, shower, eat, get in your car, drive to work, ... enjoy your free time, etc? Do you know how many safe things need to happen for any of those events to work? Think about it. From the electricity to the police force to the gas prices and 100 other things. So, your argument is that the USA is as safe as Russia and China? I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of people in those countries that were able to accomplish those tasks today without a problem.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
betterunix 13y ago
Well excuse me for wanting my country to be held to a higher standard than Congo.
madaxe 13y ago
Ever been to Congo? Either one? It's fine. And this is coming from a white man who spent a week hitchhiking and walking around with zero security. I get hassled a lot more by LE in the US on trips there than anywhere else. Hell, I made it across eurasia with a grand total of one brush with the law, which went away with a bribe. I feel unsafe in the US. Not because of "the terrorists", but because of the jackbooted thugs that you call your government and her agencies.
- powertower 13y ago
  > And this is coming from a white man who spent a week hitchhiking and walking around with zero security. Survivor bias. Your experience in Congo does not in any way discredit events of genocide, rape, catabolism, and all the other crazy things happening in those parts of the world. > but because of the jackbooted thugs that you call your government and her agencies. Someone asked to see your ID? For most people, living in the USA is a simple and non-violent experience as far as the government goes. You can post your outliners, but that's all they are.
  - madaxe 13y ago
    > Survivor bias. 1) So if you went to disney and came home safe, that's survivor bias? 2) You don't have rape in the US? Way to go! > Someone asked to see your ID? 1) Yes, and they didn't like it ("what state is this from?" "England" "but what state?") so I spent a night in a cell. 2) At the tender age of 13 while living in Chicago, I was threatened with spending the rest of my youth in juvie... for throwing a bit of gravel at a closed window to get someone's attention. This went as far as court. > For most people Ah, you're William Hague, right? Nothing to fear if you've nothing to hide? You'd be there in 1938 shuffling into a cattle car believing that your benevolent government was sending you to a holiday camp. Oh, and finally... But instead the majority of people here sit in their comfortable chair in front of the computer fantasizing about how bad things are outside of their glorious america, having never left their home city, never mind state.

xtracto 13y ago

Good for you that you feel safe. An American colleague of mine (doing a 2nd PhD in Liverpool while I was doing my first/only one) told me he did not create accounts in Google/Yahoo/Hot mail not because of what could happen at this time, but at what the people with that information could do in the future. Right now, you feel perfectly safe in your comfortable chair, having all your information in Google, Facebook, and other servers. But after a small wrong turn of events (that I hope do not happen), you might find yourself in the wrong place and the wrong time, and all your innocently shared information (shared with google, microsoft, facebook, etc) will be used by your government to condemn you.

jvictor118 13y ago
What exactly is "all this data" you're worried the government will see? What are you doing on Google and Facebook? I have this funny feeling the NSA doesn't care about your memes or JS plugins or whatever stupid crap you talk about on Facebook.
reader5000 13y ago
You could also develop liver cancer and die, regardless of your cloud data usage!
- mvaliente2001 13y ago
  That's why you don't care about liver cancer when you use the cloud.

flyinRyan 13y ago

>Maybe you need to compare it to a country like the Republic of Congo to get an idea of what's safe and what's not. Modern US patriotism at its finest: find the shittiest place you can think of and compare the US to that to show how great it is.

powertower 13y ago
Sometimes you need to compare and contrast to the worst to get an idea of what's really going on... Can you get up in the morning, turn on your coffee maker, shower, eat, get in your car, drive to work, ... enjoy your free time, etc? Do you know how many safe things need to happen for any of those events to work? Think about it. From the electricity to the police force to the gas prices and 100 other things. Or just compare it to Russia, China, UK, etc. A place with at least 100MM people... We'll both still choose to live in the USA.
- flyinRyan 13y ago
  Ironically, I had all those things and chose not to live in the US anymore. I live in another first world country that has all those things but doesn't waste money and lives fighting endless wars, doesn't constantly erode my freedom and privacy, etc.
- Goronmon 13y ago
  Can you get up in the morning, turn on your coffee maker, shower, eat, get in your car, drive to work, ... enjoy your free time, etc? Do you know how many safe things need to happen for any of those events to work? Think about it. From the electricity to the police force to the gas prices and 100 other things. So, your argument is that the USA is as safe as Russia and China? I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of people in those countries that were able to accomplish those tasks today without a problem.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

betterunix 13y ago

Well excuse me for wanting my country to be held to a higher standard than Congo.

madaxe 13y ago

Ever been to Congo? Either one? It's fine. And this is coming from a white man who spent a week hitchhiking and walking around with zero security. I get hassled a lot more by LE in the US on trips there than anywhere else. Hell, I made it across eurasia with a grand total of one brush with the law, which went away with a bribe. I feel unsafe in the US. Not because of "the terrorists", but because of the jackbooted thugs that you call your government and her agencies.

powertower 13y ago
> And this is coming from a white man who spent a week hitchhiking and walking around with zero security. Survivor bias. Your experience in Congo does not in any way discredit events of genocide, rape, catabolism, and all the other crazy things happening in those parts of the world. > but because of the jackbooted thugs that you call your government and her agencies. Someone asked to see your ID? For most people, living in the USA is a simple and non-violent experience as far as the government goes. You can post your outliners, but that's all they are.
- madaxe 13y ago
  > Survivor bias. 1) So if you went to disney and came home safe, that's survivor bias? 2) You don't have rape in the US? Way to go! > Someone asked to see your ID? 1) Yes, and they didn't like it ("what state is this from?" "England" "but what state?") so I spent a night in a cell. 2) At the tender age of 13 while living in Chicago, I was threatened with spending the rest of my youth in juvie... for throwing a bit of gravel at a closed window to get someone's attention. This went as far as court. > For most people Ah, you're William Hague, right? Nothing to fear if you've nothing to hide? You'd be there in 1938 shuffling into a cattle car believing that your benevolent government was sending you to a holiday camp. Oh, and finally... But instead the majority of people here sit in their comfortable chair in front of the computer fantasizing about how bad things are outside of their glorious america, having never left their home city, never mind state.