So expressing support for Snowden is suggested to be a sign I might be a threat to a country. Way to accelerate the self-censorship (and the subsequent censorship of thought) that this whole surveillance disaster creates.
I don't know exactly who Hayden was talking about, but various people on the Internet have done a lot more than "express support". Calls for "revolution" and "rioting in the streets" seem to pop up in comments on these stories on a pretty regular basis on various sites. But there have also been suggestions of more specific action, including shooting FISA court judges and others and one guy on Reddit speculating about blowing up parts of the power grid.
Now I'm sure most of that is pointless Internet talk. But it certainly goes way beyond expressions of support or discussion of changing policy or laws through democratic means.
All over it has been established that per-se democracy does not exist anymore. Meaning that wealthy and powerful have more democracy allotted to them than to the rest.
Actually what is seems is that government is putting screws real tight on the lid because if whole FIAT dollar thing fails - there will be no more democracy and only Militarized police and thorough monitoring of the people will stop an extraordinary event such as Civil war or revolution from happening.
One wacko on Reddit and a few hyperbolic calls for protest hardly warrants a heavy handed response.
What about the constant over-reaction you hear from gun rights activists? You hear far louder and more violent statements directly from national TV pundits anytime the topic of gun reform comes up.
I don't understand why as a country we are okay with heavily armed, self-appointed militias spouting paranoid delusions about "the Feds," but somehow challenging the NSA in discussions on Internet forums is being considered dangerously close to terrorism.
Various sites? Can you confirm? I don't read reddit because it really is lowest common denominator (it's the tabloid of the forums). But I haven't seen the comments you're referring to anywhere that I'd consider reputable.
Unfortunately I do think there is a grain of truth in what he is saying--citizens have more power to affect change individually via the Internet than they ever have before. That's gotta be scary as shit for people comfortably in power.
