Personally I'm not too fussed if the NSA et al are looking at my stuff.
Mind looking beyond your nose ? Even if average joe hasn't something to hide (which is doubtfull), what about "bearer of secrets", like lawyers, doctors, journalists, etc. ? And its not just about the goverment getting a peak at your private stuff now and then. All that is collected and translated into profiles that are used to categorize people in order to create relation-structures.The example Klumpen brought up is the best example how this security apparatus can get totally out of control. While its more complicated then Klumpen made it look like, all it needed was that guy new someone from a left wing extremist group - to this day there is not the slightest proof that he was involved in ANY activity concerning that group. Still one saturday morning someone decided that it was time to drag him and his wife and kids with drawn weapons out of their beds and arrest him. What was following was an enduring psychological "torture" for him and his family as he was under constant observation for over a year. Some people around here need to see a psychiatrist after a break-in because they feel their privacy was violated and don't feel secure in their own home anymore. That must be peanuts in comparison as you have to accomodate to the fact that someone might listen to every word you say, could be in your flat every moment you are not at home, might watch what you are doing right now, and this isn't done by some "evil villain" where you can still have the comfort to think that he will get cought and punished eventually, but the "good guys" who are supposed to protect you.
But it hasn't be that extreme, all it needs is to end up on some security list (which are all confidental), to not be able to travel freely anymore, not getting the chemicals you want for your hobby, etc.
All this just so some people can lull themselves into a false sense of security ?
..they're also spying on you and making sure you're not going to blow me up or what have you.
But thats the stupidest thing there can be, you are far more likely to die from an household accident, in traffic, in/due to a natural disaster, an uncountable amount of diseases, food poisoning, a medical error, alcohol abuse (either active or passive), etc. etc. etc. . Why are these millions not spend on preventing you from such threats ? Which also would have the neat side effect that you could actually tell that the money was worth beeing spent on, instead of just beeing told that the money is beeing well spent by those who receive it.
A constitution? What's that?
We know that the brits can't get it right
But while there is no single "piece of paper" that has "constitution" written on it, there are a whole lot of things (like magna carta, Bill of Rights, Petition of Rights ,habeas-corpus-act, Common law, numerous comments on law, ... ) that all form some kind of constitution.
