[pmichaud]

I'm not so sure. Europeans stopped conquering and colonizing in favor of economic colonialism, which is just as bad perhaps, but now with a veneer of credibility. They are just doing business. Nevermind that the despot du jour was installed by the CIA.

Similarly we can talk about NSA overreaches all we want, as opposed to the old way of actually silencing the dissent. Great, except everyone is just talking, they are probably continuing with impunity under a different program name.

[Spooky23]

In East Germany, this thread would likely have led to our arrest.

[PavlovsCat]

In a free country on the other hands, every last (healthy adult) citizen would be able to think without employing sophistry, and to see woods despite the trees.