[PopeOfNope]

> but it wasn't until the Snowden documents that we understood what this closet really meant.

> We had no idea the government was recording every phone conversation in the u.s.

> We still had some hope that the rule of law as being followed

All lies. This was well covered on slashdot when it happened. We all knew exactly what it meant.

Snowden's release was iron clad and incontrovertible, which was refreshing, but it also detailed the extent to which private tech companies outside of AT&T were aiding the federal government in their illegal activities.

Even the most paranoid nutbag commenting on those old slashdot threads couldn't imagine how bad it was going to get. Reality outpaced the conspiracy theorists.

[brazzledazzle]

This is my recollection too. I think everyone held their breath hoping we'd pull away from the edge.