You know, I really don't mind the thought of the government evasdropping/spying on me. I guess I just don't lead an interesting enough life. I didn't understand all the hoopla that the President was receiving over the spying ordeal that was in the news a few weeks ago. I know I'm in the minority and I'll be interested in reading what this author has to say on the subject.
I also don't feel bothered by the idea of the government sort of vaguely monitoring my phone calls and emails, checking for terrorist buzzwords. I have nothing to hide. What does bother me is the thought that this kind of technological capability could be abused, for example to monitor those a politician might feel are personal enemies (NOT terrorists). I think that's the kind of thing people need to be vigilant about.
I worry about a lot of things, big and small, but this book was too paranoid even for me.
It seems to me that if we want the government to catch the bad guys, we need to give it the tools to do so, even if that means some abridgement of our much-vaunted rights. Of course we should be vigilant, and watchful for abuse of the powers that we grant the government (for we are ultimately the grantors of its power), but that is precisely every citizen's responsibility.
Instead of worrying and ranting endlessly, we should take more interest in our government, become informed about the issues that are important to us, write letters, send emails, and VOTE.
