I've been swimming up-stream of late as one of the few critics of Snowden on this site. I've written before that he was wrong to reveal the inter-workings of the NSA and then blast his half-truths around the world.
Perhaps, Snowden and those who support him prefer we wait until a terrorist act is actually committed. Then we should use the traditional police tactics to try to solve the crimes. I totally disagree.
I'm not comfortable with 50 successful terror attacks since 9/11. Check this from WAPO:
"In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, officials cited a nascent plot to blow up the New York Stock Exchange and a case involving an individual providing financial support to an overseas terrorist.
“In recent years, these programs, together with other intelligence, have protected the U.S. and our allies from terrorist threats across the globe to include helping prevent the terrorist — the potential terrorist events over 50 times since 9/11,” National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander told the committee.
He said at least 10 of the plots targeted the United States."
Look, I'm all for a society with the greatest slice of freedoms for the maximum amount of our citizens. However, we live in a world where teenagers will murder 20 children with AR-15s and terrorists will blow-up anything they can.
Real talk.
So yes:
1. I'll take off my shoes at the airport because I'd like to return to my family.
2. I've quit taking backpacks to my favorite stadiums.
3. I'm okay with going through metal detectors at the movies.
4. I don't mind the fact that all of my city streets are peppered with security cameras.
And finally, I could care less is my calls are in some federal data-base. In fact,
1. There are thousands of private businesses with access to my ATM/checking accounts.
2. My VISA is all over the internet.
3. Hundreds of low-level workers have handled my medical records and faxed them all over the city on unsecured lines.
4. Low-level CSR's at Verizon and Bellsouth have access to every single call I've ever made to anyone. They can watch, look and listen at anytime without warrant or provocation. They can't arrest me without probable cause and neither can the government.
5. My mailman sees every document that enters my house before I do. He can open any letter he wants to and reseal it and I'd never know he did. Or, he can simply throw it away.
6. Netflix monitors ever movie I stream.
7. Even if don't purchase something, ALL of the major retailers engage in data-tracking me just for visiting their sites.
So yes, sign me up for this modicum of inconvenient NSA program because they require less of me than everyone else.