77k statesmen more like it. If it doesn't reach 100k I'll be pretty taken back by the lack of spine in Americans today. Go back 10-20 years and it would be a much bigger push back.

Freedoms are easy to give up, but you have to fight to get them back. Maybe we shouldn't give them up so easy.

When you have to break the law to reveal constitutional attacks that are illegal to even speak about yet might itself be illegal, something is wrong and it is an un-winnable situation.

If I was the NSA I'd do the same thing, it is their job to pry for national security. But it is our job to let them know when they have gone to far or just gotten lazy. Is it really too hard to ask for judicial approvals? Oversight? And when the executive branch overreaches happen yet make emergency directives to make it legal those need a check. Yes a free society is harder to manage, but others fought and died for that for us, least we can do is hold strong. Authoritarian nations are much easier for the leaders and much harder on individuals/citizens.

Then again the ARPAnet was a DoD project, it is ultimately the best honeypot in the history of the world.