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One of the reasons the president is getting away with this is that the public is not asking the questions. God knows the press won't ask.
The first step for people who are appalled at this problem is to demand that politicians at every level make a public statement about surveillance. Make them say on the record that they support the government snooping on its citizens. Ask not just senators and congressmen, but all officials, all the way down to dogcatcher.
Send letters, send emails. Corner them on the campaign trail. Force them to render a specific opinion, on the record. If they refuse to answer, put them down as pro-snooping. Then document it all in one place, on the internet, where anyone can find it and use it against them.
One of the politician's oldest tricks is to finesse an issue by never publicly commenting on it. We have to draw a bright line and force these knuckleheads to pick a side. The NRA has done that beautifully, causing gun control advocates to crumble. The same approach can work for surveillance.
