Daily Kos: Where is Edward Waldo Snowden? w/ BONUS Forced Landing of Bolivia President's Jet by US Allies.
The NSA Story Recap
Since Snowden has gone quiet, the people's questions, comments, and concerns are finally returning to the topic at hand: A confirmation of the NSA's global dragnet.
The first thing we learn from the online debates is that very few Americans understand what the issue is. Although, they certainly seem to have an avalanche of strong opinions about it.
Some argue: "All countries spy on each other. Everyone does it."
Well, of course they do, bless your heart. Those who blurt that argument demonstrate that they have absolutely no idea what this NSA revelation is about and no clue why the world is alarmed over it.
The NSA story has nothing to do with governments spying on each other.
Some argue: "All governments spy on their citizens. They all do it."
That argument immediately demonstrates a heady cerebral brew of fear, denial, confusion, and resignation. Totalitarian governments like the US, China, and Russia may spy on their ordinary citizens, but in most nations, this is flatly unconstitutional, tightly enforced, and completely unacceptable.
Even so, the NSA story has nothing to do with governments spying on their citizens.
Another thing the story is not about is "Americans." It is not about the NSA illegally spying on Americans -- because it is demonstrably legal to do so, with or without a warrant. Snowden is not taking on the non-existent human or constitutional rights of Americans in matters of digital privacy.
So, if Snowden's whistle blowing on the NSA has nothing to do with countries spying on each other -- and nothing to do with governments spying on their citizens -- what is this news story about?
What Snowden told the world is that all ordinary humans that populate the planet and who also use telephones, digital devices, computers, and/or the Internet are being individually identified, geographically located, and data-mined for information on everyplace they go, everyone they communicate with, every Internet search, everything they say or write, everything they purchase, and every contact they've logged.
In other words, the NSA is collecting and recording the personal communications and digital data of the ordinary citizens of nations like Switzerland, Japan, Germany, Portugal, Argentina, Sweden, Panama, Canada, Spain, Romania, Uruguay, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Austria, Ireland -- and tens of nations where such actions are illegal and unconstitutional -- nations whose governments are sworn to protect the people from the type of criminal activity that the NSA is engaged in.
That's what the NSA story is about.
Have your assumptions been accurate?
