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Comment by fragsworth | Hacker News Reader

It's questionable that they are "getting away with it".

The implications of what they've done are incredibly vast and damning. Not to mention, persistent - people now know everything they type on their computer is handed over to the government. That doesn't go away, no matter how much the media might want to ignore the subject.

I'd actually be surprised if they completely get away with it. At least a few people will be in trouble over this whole thing. Lots of civil rights organizations are organizing lawsuits over this as we speak.

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NYT columnist Maureen Dowd recently described a supposed political strategy in a recent column:

“It’s not true, it’s not true, it’s not true, it’s old news.”

If you can delay and delay and delay until the outrage disapates you just might be able to get away with something outrageous.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/12/opinion/sunday/dowd-when-m...

Like they get away with Guantanamo? "Enhanced interrogation"? Still being in the middle east? No-knock warrants?

Please. This is the System. Nobody of any consequence will go to jail, because the System writes its own rules.

That probably sounds a little tin-hatty, but face it, you're counting on the Government to properly regulate the Government, while waving TERR'STS and AL'QAEDA and an American flag. It's not going to happen.

Eventually it will happen, but today is not that day.

If nothing changes, nobody goes to jail, and nobody loses their job (as in fired / disgraced, not retired with pension & consulting job @RAND), I'd say they got away with it.

>people now know everything they type on their computer is handed over to the government.

And those who are honest with themselves are less free, they moderate their behavior, even perfectly legal behavior. Those who are not honest with themselves will continue as if nothing changed ("the gov't doesn't care about what I do" "they aren't really recording and storing my calls").

Indeed the government will do as they please, it;s not like anyone is truly going to force them to stop that requires strength not complainants an lawsuits. My personal opinion is that we truly have no power in a large government, unless we were to revolt with riots, militias, and a organized task force and basic wage an un-winnable war with our own government. Anyways no one wants that except for maybe so guns nuts and anarchist. Although it would be pretty interesting in the history books. Which will be over written... haha America blows!

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