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I agree with you that the United States should not be engaging in mass surveillance, and there needs to be reform and checks on the power. And I agree with you

I agree with you that the United States should not be engaging in mass surveillance, and there needs to be reform and checks on the power. And I agree with you that we'll repeat history if we're not wary. But I don't think this is evidence of the United States "sliding" into a soviet state. I may be wrong in my interpretation of your comment, but that seems to be your overall warning. I believe that the people of the United States are a good barometer of our democratic health. We might not vote as much as we (arguably) should, but the shock and outrage on such a nearly universal scale illustrates that the government still doesn't have absolute, corrupt power. The fact that this was hidden and not designed as a deterrant also demonstrates to me that the United States is still, if not consciously, afraid of the power of its people. I can't say that it will last indefinitely, but at the moment, I believe the people are doing a good job of showing that this is not okay and we aren't moving towards people disappearing in the night and needing to be cleared for travel.

gambiting 13y ago
I wasn't trying to suggest in my comment that US is slipping into a soviet state. However, I think it can remain democratic and anti-socialist, but still use surveillance methods against its citizens that would be a Stalin's wet dream. And you might not be moving towards clearing people for travel - but at the same time, you don't need to. If you have information where everyone is and what everyone is doing, it achieves exact same result, doesn't it? Communist government would keep your passport to stop you from leaving - but nowadays governments can do that even if they let you keep your passport. Boarder agents have access to a central database, and a single note there can stop you from leaving the country forever. US government can effectively exile its own citizens by placing them on the no-fly lists while they are abroad,and obviously no one will ever tell you why you ended up on one. US might not be literally using the same methods Soviets did, but if you think about it, the final results are frighteningly similar. And yes, I am glad that the general populace is NOT happy with the government's actions and that there is an uproar against them. There is still hope. But I find it absolutely sickening how US is presenting itself as a "bastion of freedom" even though it still has places like guantanamo, or where journalists are forbidden from writing about some cases, under the threat of spending several years in prison. This is not how a free country should look like.

gambiting 13y ago

I wasn't trying to suggest in my comment that US is slipping into a soviet state. However, I think it can remain democratic and anti-socialist, but still use surveillance methods against its citizens that would be a Stalin's wet dream. And you might not be moving towards clearing people for travel - but at the same time, you don't need to. If you have information where everyone is and what everyone is doing, it achieves exact same result, doesn't it? Communist government would keep your passport to stop you from leaving - but nowadays governments can do that even if they let you keep your passport. Boarder agents have access to a central database, and a single note there can stop you from leaving the country forever. US government can effectively exile its own citizens by placing them on the no-fly lists while they are abroad,and obviously no one will ever tell you why you ended up on one. US might not be literally using the same methods Soviets did, but if you think about it, the final results are frighteningly similar. And yes, I am glad that the general populace is NOT happy with the government's actions and that there is an uproar against them. There is still hope. But I find it absolutely sickening how US is presenting itself as a "bastion of freedom" even though it still has places like guantanamo, or where journalists are forbidden from writing about some cases, under the threat of spending several years in prison. This is not how a free country should look like.