CitizenFour, the acclaimed documentary about Edward Snowden, is widely available. Maybe we need to remind ourselves that the Snowden’s disclosures may have faded into the background, but the U.S. government’s all-out assault on democracy & freedom continues today, and the ongoing prosecution and intimidation of whistle-blowers is shameful. Despite the lies and protestations from government officials, mass surveillance of every telephone call, email, and other online communications does nothing whatsoever to protect us.
If we want to preserve what’s left of a free society, we need to protest the widespread intrusion into all of our lives. We can’t afford to remain silent and let the government continue to pretend all is well and continue to condemn Snowden. All the political candidates need to be challenged on this as well.
If you haven’t seen the documentary, it’s worth the time to watch [run time just under 2 hours] — it’s available in most libraries. (You might also want to read Glenn Greenwald’s book, No Place to Hide.)