American government Quote by Henry Giroux
“What many commentators have missed in the ongoing attack on Edward Snowden is not that he uncovered information that made clear how corrupt and intrusive the American government has become - how willing it is to engage in vast crimes against the American public.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Surveillance State and the Politics of Fear”, 2013
Government surveillance erodes privacy and empowers systemic abuse, turning citizens into subjects of control.
In simple terms: State spying harms democracy.
Key Takeaway
Guard privacy and demand transparency.
Themes
privacy
government
surveillance
Mood
cautious
urgent
Type
political
activist
When to use this quote
- activism
- policy advocacy
- digital security
- public discourse
Key Concepts
authoritarianism
civil liberties
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards protect against governmental overreach?
- How can citizens hold power accountable?
A Different Perspective
Balancing security and liberty is complex.
![“A: Snowden has enough information to cause more damage to the US government in a minute alone than anyone else has ever had in the history of the United States. But that's not his goal. [His] objective is to expose software that people around the world use without knowing what they are exposing…” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cba/glenn-greenwald-1215_around-the-world_a-snowden-has-enough-information-to-caus_1776965.jpg)
![“Snowden has enough [sic] information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had. The U.S. government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be…” quote by Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/167/glenn-greenwald-1215_begging_snowden-has-enough-sic-information-to-ca_2136813.jpg)
![“He [Edward Snowden] has been careful with his info, doling it out to responsible news organizations — The Post, the New York Times, the Guardian, etc. — and not tossing it up in the air, WikiLeaks style, and echoing the silly mantra “Information wants to be free.” (No. Information, like most of…” quote by Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffc/richard-cohen-5202_politics_he-edward-snowden-has-been-careful-with_1660144.jpg)
![“With almost no time to decide, [your loved ones] gave the entire country an incalculable gift. They saved the Capitol from attack. They saved God knows how many lives. They saved the terrorists from claiming the symbolic victory of smashing the center of American government. ... They allowed us to…” quote by William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6f7/william-j-clinton-302_american-government_with-almost-no-time-to-decide-your-loved_154373.jpg)
