General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The real reason a very loud few are posting hostility toward Glenn Greenwald at DU: [View all]Armstead
(47,803 posts)Your dismissive tone is insulting to people who are not conspiracy theorists but who do have a genuine concern for the right to privacy, due process, and all those quaint notions.
The issue of the extent and nature of the National Security State is totally legitimate subject of debate. It transcends who is president, party loyalty and all that otehr stuff, including left-right divides.
It is TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY 100 Percent legitimate to worry that the government is going overboard with its surveillance and invasions of privacy and disregard of legal niceties. That's been a perennial concern -- and is often shown to be true. (Hoover and MLK, for example.)
And it has become an issue of increased magnitude since 9-11. Why the hell should average citizens be forced to face the prospect of being monitored, electronically followed or strip-searched when they fly to visit Grandma because tey somehow got on a Watch List.....etc.
As I recall, when GW was president, complaints and warnings about those things were generally accepted by almost everyone on DU, and it wasn't considered "disloyal" when people raised red flags about Bush and Cheney's overreach. THAT wasn't lumped together with Alex Jones Black Helicopter Paranoia.
Why now?