There's a famous quote somewhere about where political power really comes from… I look to history (and present day actions) and it seems like a fitting solution to meaningful representation. Then again, years later we could be right back where we started…
Hint: The last bit I left out rhymes with "carol of the sun" ;)
I don't know what quote you are referring to, but here is my favourite one.
"You don’t know what order with freedom means! You only know what revolt against oppression is! You don’t know that the rod, discipline, violence, the state and government can only be sustained because of you and because of your lack of socially creative powers that develop order within liberty!" --- Gustav Landauer
It humbles me every time I read it, because to resist or to rebel against existing things is easy, at least for me.. but to actually put thought and effort into things "building a better world" in a sustainable and organized way, to be creative in co-operation and compromising with others, to get out of all these comfort zones, etc. It's a lifetime effort, and none of us will see all the fruits of it, or ever be sure the fruit won't be snatched up, so the default is to not even try, except a little bit here and there. It's like living hand to mouth, but in a political sense. It's all just reaction, and that sucks.
I don't think it is an easy thing to rebel in effective means… We americans like to cite the revolutionary war but forgetting that less than 1% of the population did any fighting [0], and even then there was massive outside nation state influence (ex: France.) Kinda similar to whats going on in syria now [1]… and other places in the past and present.
But I do agree with the literation of it being like living hand to mouth, but I think it goes far beyond being a political sense. Mortgages, paychecks, car loans, insurance, student loans, dead end jobs, that gadget we just have to have, endless media d̶i̶s̶t̶r̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ entertainment, the food we eat… when do we, as a society (people from all backgrounds, sadly not all of us are invited to BBG 2013 and Google Zeitgeist in Watford) really give ourselves the time to think or push the boundaries outside current constructs to forge something transcendent?
I totally understand that regarding the petitions and everything else - but John Q Public may not and seeing millions sign a petition that is ignored will hopefully cause a further awakening in people.
"Eventually Inspector General I. Charles McCullough III wrote Wyden a letter stating that it would violate the privacy of Americans in NSA data banks to try to estimate their number."
It would violate your privacy to find out if your privacy is violated. This sort of double-think should be in an Orwell novel, not in real life!
Lets make it an online petition, that way we don't even have to do anything than click and type and spread our online outrage instead of actually making this issue a big deal.
And millions of americans should sign a petition to have this happen.