The problem as I see it?

The problem is all this, all these billions of dollars, all these data centers, all these government agencies and private contractors, all this spying, all this debate, all these people, all of this... isn't going to stop jack shit.

When the fuck are we going to learn that authoritarianism and violence are not the goddamn solutions to our problems? Did we not learn anything from the 40 year multi trillion dollar epic failure known as the "War on Drugs"? Well yes, yes we did, we learned that if we scare people bad enough they are willing to put up with anything.

Why is the debate on whether or not this is "right" or legal" and not on whether or not IT WORKS? Because it doesn't. You can record and listen to every conversation on the planet, it still will not stop some idiot with a homemade bomb from using it.

War is not the solution to every problem. It's really not the solution to any problem, but there are fortunes to be made, people to control, weapons to build, and the inherent need to be the most powerful and to use that power to subjugate others.

You want to stop terrorism? You are not going to do it with guns, or bombs, or wiretaps, or listening devices, or with data centers, agencies and spies.

You want to stop terrorism? Stop bombing brown people and start feeding them. Become the country we like to pretend we are. Yes it's an oversimplified solution to a big problem. But no more oversimplified then the moronic "endless war on terror" or the far right cry of "kill them all".