--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The domestic NSA-led Surveillance State…" description: "\"The domestic NSA-led Surveillance State which Frank Church so stridently warned about has obviously come to fruition. The way to avoid its grip is simp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/glenn-greenwald-1215_accepting_the-domestic-nsa-led-surveillance-state_3094538.jpg" --- # The domestic NSA-led Surveillance State which Frank Church… ![“The domestic NSA-led Surveillance State which Frank Church so stridently warned about has obviously come to fruition. The way to avoid its grip is simply to acquiesce to the nation's most powerful factions, to obediently remain within the permitted boundaries of political discourse and activism…” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/glenn-greenwald-1215_accepting_the-domestic-nsa-led-surveillance-state_3094538.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/glenn-greenwald-1215_accepting_the-domestic-nsa-led-surveillance-state_3094538.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/glenn-greenwald-1215_accepting_the-domestic-nsa-led-surveillance-state_3094538.jpg) > “The domestic NSA-led Surveillance State which Frank Church so stridently warned about has obviously come to fruition. The way to avoid its grip is simply to acquiesce to the nation's most powerful factions, to obediently remain within the permitted boundaries of political discourse and activism. Accepting that bargain enables one to maintain the delusion of freedom - "he who does not move does not notice his chains," observed Rosa Luxemburg - but the true measure of political liberty is whether one is free to make a different choice.” [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The surveillance state has materialized; compliance preserves an illusion of freedom while true liberty requires the ability to choose otherwise. **In simple terms:** Surveillance thrives on obedience; real freedom means dissent. Key Takeaway Question authority, seek alternatives. Themes freedom surveillance political liberty Mood cautious critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - journalism - political engagement - legal reform Key Concepts authoritarianism civil liberties psychology of compliance Questions to Reflect On - What would you risk to truly be free? - How can societies balance security and liberty? A Different Perspective Compliance may protect personal safety but can erode democratic values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Bargains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bargains/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Different choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-choices/) [Discourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discourse/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Fruition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruition/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political discourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-discourse/) [Surveillance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance/) [Surveillance state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surveillance-state/) ## Related quotes > [“But the more significant factor is that one can easily remain free of even the most intense political oppression simply by placing one’s faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/but-the-more-significant-factor-is-that-one-can-easily-remain-free-of/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Mass surveillance by the state is therefore inherently repressive, even in the unlikely case that it is not abused by vindictive officials to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/mass-surveillance-by-the-state-is-therefore-inherently-repressive/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Taken in its entirety, the Snowden archive led to an ultimately simple conclusion: the US government had built a system that has as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/taken-in-its-entirety-the-snowden-archive-led-to-an-ultimately-simple-2/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Taken in its entirety, the Snowden archive led to an ultimately simple conclusion: the US government had built a system that has as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/taken-in-its-entirety-the-snowden-archive-led-to-an-ultimately-simple/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“The idea that we should dismantle the core protections of our political system to erect a ubiquitous surveillance state for the sake of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-idea-that-we-should-dismantle-the-core-protections-of-our/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Ever since he repented of religion and shaved off his clerical beard and mustache, he has had the constant feeling that he has taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/ever-since-he-repented-of-religion-and-shaved-off-his-clerical-beard/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [“The notes for Rosa Luxemburg were found next to his body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-steadman-watson/the-notes-for-rosa-luxemburg-were-found-next-to-his-body/) Wallace Steadman Watson > [For 'Rosa Luxemburg,' I read everything by and about her, but the first time I was stuck in that corset, I got an understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sukowa/for-rosa-luxemburg-i-read-everything-by-and-about-her-but-the-first/) [Barbara Sukowa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sukowa/) > [“On March 23, 1919, one of the most famous socialists in Italy founded a new party, the Fasci di Combattimento, a term that means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/on-march-23-1919-one-of-the-most-famous-socialists-in-italy-founded-a/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [Rosa Luxemburg maintained that the capitalist system can keep up its rate of investment (and therefore its profits) only so long as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/rosa-luxemburg-maintained-that-the-capitalist-system-can-keep-up-its/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [“Should I, too, prefer the title of 'non-Jewish Jew'? 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Her analysis of Leninism and capitalism and social democracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/rosa-luxemburg-was-still-is-for-me-a-great-personal-and-intellectual/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [ I think \[Karl\] Marx, Pope John XXIII or Rosa Luxemburg \[had achieved the mode of existence\].But it would be useless to look at a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/i-think-karl-marx-pope-john-xxiii-or-rosa-luxemburg-had-achieved-the/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Freedom does not mean license.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/freedom-does-not-mean-license/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) ## More by Glenn Greenwald > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“The evidence shows that assurances that surveillance is only targeted at those who “have done something wrong” should provide little comfort, since a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/the-evidence-shows-that-assurances-that-surveillance-is-only-targeted/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“It's almost hard to imagine anything more undemocratic than the view that political officials should not debate American wars in public, but only express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-almost-hard-to-imagine-anything-more-undemocratic-than-the-view/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Only In America can a renowned and devoted terrorism supporter like Peter King be the arbiter of national security and treason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/only-in-america-can-a-renowned-and-devoted-terrorism-supporter-like/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Above even our physical well-being, a central value is keeping the state out of the private realm—our “persons, houses, papers, and effects,” as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/above-even-our-physical-well-being-a-central-value-is-keeping-the/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“That capability at any time could be turned around on the American people and no American would have any privacy left, such is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/that-capability-at-any-time-could-be-turned-around-on-the-american/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Converting the Internet into a system of surveillance thus guts it of its core potential. 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If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. 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