Definitely starting to feel better about it...

[Peacetrain]

This has been a long hard slog... and just as it seemed we were starting to really get a handle on all the damage done during the Bush years and the run up to the wars.. things really looking much better, from jobs, to housing, to even obesity rates in children.. just back where we should be..

We have been dealing with issues of privacy for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, they had you thinking your neighbors were commie spies, people built bomb shelters in their back yard.. duck and cover in school..heck there were even tv shows on the spies next door (let me tell you that left you with some nightmares), through the 60' and 70's everyone had a file with the FBI it seems.. but the whole Patriot Act mess, FISA courts.. cameras everywhere..all the privacy we give up by technology usage..and now we are at a place if you do not have the technology you cannot find work or go to school.. it is a real circle..its enough to give you a headache.

I did not get a chance to listen to the President today, but picking up bits and pieces.. it looks like we are going to get some type of ombudsman ( I think that was what Rachel described it as) oversight on these courts.

I am okay with that.

[dkf]

1. It's obviously not enough. But at least he recognizes we are watching and we are not happy.

[yourout]

2. I'm not so optimistic......Reagonomics and free trade policies have....

done irreparable damage. Wages are down and the middle class is in far worse shape than before Reagan.

[abelenkpe]

10. ^This^

I wish our representatives, the internets and media were passionate about the economy, middle class and jobs.

[hlthe2b]

3. Say what you will about Snowden... I don't think this would have happened without his leaks...

I know this will enrage the Snowden haters and I am pretty equivocal about him myself, but yes, I think this gave cover for Wyden, Udall, the ACLU and others to discuss and built the pressure that lead to today's announcement.

Snowden may be anything but a hero, but I am glad to see the "surveillance state" start to be reigned in.

[Amonester]

8. The "surveillance state" will not be *really* reigned in.

It will just go deeper underground.

Sure they will have to throw up sand and find ways to make believe it's being reigned in.

But as long as private interest money will not be thrown out of politics, don't expect anything else.

[madrchsod]

9. i feel sorry for snowden now.

when this started i thought he went about this all wrong and i still do. why i feel sorry for snowden is he went to greenwald. while snowden was in limbo in russia greenwald was signing a book deal. according to greenwald he was informing the brazil government about the nuts and bolts of the us spy network in brazil. greenwald was offered protection by an unknown brazilian politician in case the americans..what kidnap him? i did a google search about this politician(no name was not published as of this morning) giving him protection. the source was a brazilian blogger in the usa. i could not find any other brazilian news source that published this story. he also said he`s coming back to the usa no matter what will happen to him.

snowden is a man without a country while his friend greenwald cuts a book deal. where`s the justice in that?

[mick063]

4. Real change will not come for this issue until the great politcal movement of unification begins

Then there will be sweeping changes in a variety areas.

It likely won't even be the NSA agenda that sparks the great movement. The NSA will simply be one of a long list of casualties.

What will likely spark the great political movement of unification will be the inevitable economic collapse due to inherent instability of unchecked capitalism.

[yourout]

6. Amen.....Unregulated Capitalism will consume itself and the planet.

The human instinct for Greed will trump common sense if it is allowed.

[uponit7771]

5. Naw, Obama didn't light his hair on fire or nothin so... you know

[burnodo]

7. Oversight? NOW??

I wonder why.

[Marr]

11. I seriously doubt the government will take any substantial steps

to reign in domestic surveillance anytime soon. It's completely institutionalized.

This is PR. They're going to try to sell the product now that the public is aware of it. That site that's being touted as some kind of step towards increasing transparency, for instance, is-- if you read the description and not the headlines-- actually a sales pitch for domestic surveillance. It's going to help "make people aware of the mission", so to speak.