Ed, the fix to the problem must come from politicians, but this is an issue of liberty, not party politics. If your guys refuse to look out for the greater good, you need to call them on it (that is, of course unless you agree it's not a party politics issue).

While I appreciate you taking the high road and calling me a troll, my post was provided for comic relief. Although, perhaps this gets closed for "flaming" a fellow BOLer.

The have been on both sides of the isle and nothing changed (possibly for a good reason I do not think that the NSA will tell me why if I asked). The only outrage was when they found out that they were subject to the spying and even that blew over in a few days.

i think it is telling that the bigger hue and cry was not that they were spying on americans, much less other country's leaders, but that a contract employee spilled the beans about what they were doing.

I think many Americans are more upset with spying on Americans than spying on Angela Merkel. The folks who seem to be the most upset with spying on our friends are the American companies who will feel the brunt of foreign actions to mitigate the risk. Brazil is setting up its own center of servers so that information about it and its citizens stays in Brazil instead of somewhere in the U.S. where NSA has built its backdoors.

I think the question is where are the checks and balances. Who is monitoring what the NSA is doing and is taking them to task for when they overstep their boundaries (if there are any at all).

This spying is eroding the not only the trust of citizens but foreign countries. As buggs noted many countries and foreign companies are now not working with American companies for fear of what's been installed in the equipment.

Sadly, the nation is to the point where it no longer matters what thinking Americans are upset and outraged about. It does not bode well when there are too few thinking Americans among the citizenry.

I disagree, noelekal. There are plenty of '...thinking Americans among the citizenry.' It's the railing against the system with no results that wears down the citizenry and leaves them believing that no one is listening and no change will come. And even if they can effect a change, as pointed out above, laws are struck down regularly enough that it's easy to feel that nothing you do will fix this or any other issue. So yes, people just live their lives hoping this won't adversely affect them directly.

I just want to know what the Kardashians are doing today.

I think noelekal has a point; one scroll through the programming on MTV and his point is driven home with a sledgehammer.

We could compel results out of the system. I "think" the reason we don't get results is because there is too little "thinking" going on in the populace. Ignorance, greed, and apathy has replaced "thinking." Liberty is neither valued nor understood, hence blatant spying for all.

I THINK that the Kardasians are waring against someone that does not like the brand

Another thoughtful post

And I would add that too many of us let others do our thinking for us.

pls shorten to 140 characters or less. thx

well, i think if i try hard enough, Brooke Burke really will leave her husband for me...hardly reaches the level of "thinking" that i believe be discussed...

Not to mention the delusional nature that pervades our society.

Thought "delusion" got a mention in the old Joe Walsh tune but ... guess not.

Oh well ... illusion/delusion. It's all sorta the same thing and the lyrics could be said to apply.

Sometimes I can't help the feeling that I'm
Living a life of illusion
And oh, why can't we let it be
And see through the hole in this wall of confusion
I just can't help the feeling I'm
Living a life of illusion

Pow! Right between the eyes
Oh, how nature loves her little surprises
Wow! It all seems so logical now
It's just one of her better disguises
And it comes with no warning
Nature loves her little surprises
Continual crisis

Hey, don't you know it's a waste of your day
Caught up in endless solutions
That have no meaning, just another hunch
Based upon jumping conclusions
Caught up in endless solutions
Backed up against a wall of confusion
Living a life of illusion

If you can not afford the shopping of the current MsGlimore what make you THINK that you can keep up with brooks?

perhaps we should say "critical thinkers." Of course, one could also argue that what is considered "thinking" today is not what it was just a few years ago. People see a blurb on social media extolling something, they agree with this blurb with no idea the validity of it, and consider that thinking.

i think she will be bringing her money with her