Snowden managed to codify the bulk collection of metadata, help enshrine a bunch...

sroerick · on June 3, 2015

There hasn't been any kind of surveillance reform since the Church Committee.

It's true. Congress is putting on a kabuki theater show for the benefit of those who don't understand that they're lying.

But the fact that they had to is a triumph, however small.

Snowden revealed an illegal program. And he forced the government to pretend that they fixed it. He should be pardoned and welcomed back.

At the very least, we should take steps to ensure whistleblowers are able to step forward in the future.

mpyne · on June 3, 2015

Fine. We'll pardon him for the illegal program. And then convict him for the thousands of perfectly-legal programs, after we welcome him back.

In the meantime, we should also take steps to ensure that whistleblowers understand the difference between whistleblowing and holding the voting and non-voting public hostage just to advance their own political agenda.

dragonwriter · on June 3, 2015

> There hasn't been any kind of surveillance reform since the Church Committee.

There certainly has.

One might argue over whether the direction of that reform was desirable, but that's a different question.

dllthomas · on June 4, 2015

Yeah, I seriously want to taboo the word "reform." Half the legislature wants to actively import poor foreigners to vote for them, the other half wants to seal us in a hermetic bubble. Everyone agrees we want reform, why can't the lazy legislators give it to us?