[ellio]

This epitomizes why I will never consider Barack Obama a great President. I've seen good arguments that he is above average, even well above-average as a President. I respect a lot that he has done, such as engaging in effective diplomatic relations with Cuba and supporting a form of healthcare that is closer to universal. But I cannot ever look at a man who so openly and willfully jeopardizes the idea of a free republic and think of him as a good leader. Alexander Hamilton wrote,

“It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country…to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. If there be any truth in the remark, the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made…And a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.”

Mass surveillance and government secrecy are one of the greatest threats to this ideal ever to face this country. Can we survive with them? Of course. Life will go on, we'll live in our houses and buy nice things and generally lead comfortable lives. But we'll never live as free persons, and even those of us with the most comfortable lives will constantly be looking over our shoulders, burdened by the feeling that something is very wrong.