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<h1 class="title">Majority Of Americans Don't Mind Being Spied Upon,
Pew Study Finds</h1>
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<span class="submitted">Submitted by <a
href="http://www.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden">Tyler Durden</a>
on 06/10/2013 17:48 -0400</span><br>
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<p>In what is likely the most disappointing, if not unexpected,
news of the day, we find that according to a just released <a
href="http://www.people-press.org/2013/06/10/majority-views-nsa-phone-tracking-as-acceptable-anti-terror-tactic/">Pew
Research study</a>, a <strong>substantial majority, or 56% of
Americans</strong>, "<strong>say the National Security
Agency’s (NSA) program tracking the telephone records of
millions of Americans is an acceptable way for the government
to investigate terrorism</strong>." <strong>Only 41% object
to having every phone conversation intercepted, investigated,
analyzed, and recorded for posterity</strong>. Sorry Edward
Snowden<em>: <strong>you just threw your life away for nothing</strong></em><strong>.
</strong>The sheep have been properly and thoroughly conditioned
and brainwashed, which is why they continue to get precisely the
government they so rightfully deserve.</p>
<p><a
href="http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-1.png"><img
src="cid:part5.01020301.08050701@gmail.com" width="188"
height="368"></a></p>
<p>More from Pew:</p>
<blockquote>
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</div>
<div class="quote_end">
</div>
<p>The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center and The
Washington Post, conducted June 6-9 among 1,004 adults,<strong>
finds no indications that last week’s revelations of the
government’s collection of phone records and internet data
have altered fundamental public views about the tradeoff
between investigating possible terrorism and protecting
personal privacy.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>It just gets better:</p>
<blockquote>
<div class="quote_start">
</div>
<div class="quote_end">
</div>
<p><a
href="http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-3.png"><img
src="cid:part7.00050507.01030109@gmail.com" style="float:
left; margin-right: 10px;" width="300" height="355"></a><em>Currently
62% say it is more important for the federal government to
investigate possible terrorist threats, even if that
intrudes on personal privacy. Just 34% say it is more
important for the government not to intrude on personal
privacy, even if that limits its ability to investigate
possible terrorist threats.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>These opinions have changed little since an ABC
News/Washington Post survey in January <a
href="http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-2.png"><img
src="cid:part9.06010004.02090806@gmail.com" style="float:
right; margin-left: 10px;" width="294" height="375"></a>2006.
Currently, there are only modest partisan differences in these
opinions: 69% of Democrats say it is more important for the
government to investigate terrorist threats, even at the
expense of personal privacy, as do 62% of Republicans and 59%
of independents.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>However, while six-in-ten or more in older age groups say it
is more important to investigate terrorism even if it intrudes
on privacy, young people are divided: 51% say investigating
terrorism is more important while 45% say it is more important
for the government not to intrude on personal privacy, even if
that limits its ability to investigate possible threats.</p>
<p>The survey finds that while there are apparent differences
between the NSA surveillance programs under the Bush and Obama
administrations, overall public reactions to both incidents
are similar. <strong>Currently, 56% say it is acceptable that
the NSA “has been getting secret court orders to track
telephone calls of millions of Americans in an effort to
investigate terrorism.”</strong></p>
<p>In January 2006, a few weeks after initial new reports of the
Bush administration’s surveillance program, 51% said it was
acceptable for the NSA to investigate “people suspected of
involvement with terrorism by secretly listening in on
telephone calls and reading e-mails between some people in the
United States and other countries, without first getting court
approval to do so.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Perhaps least surprising is that once the most vocal objector
to "Dubya" pervasive surveillance, the Democrats, are now its
most ardent defenders. And so once again, political party line
stupidity trumps common sense.</p>
<blockquote>
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<p>Republicans and Democrats have had very different views of
the two operations. Today, only about half of Republicans
(52%) say it is acceptable for the NSA to obtain court orders
to track phone call records of millions of Americans to
investigate terrorism. In January 2006, fully 75% of
Republicans said it was acceptable for the NSA to investigate
suspected terrorists by listing in on phone calls and reading
emails without court approval.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a
href="http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-4.png"><img
src="cid:part11.00020607.05020007@gmail.com" width="411"
height="259"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Democrats now view the NSA’s phone surveillance as
acceptable by 64% to 34%. In January 2006, by a similar
margin (61% to 36%), Democrats said it was unacceptable for
the NSA to scrutinize phone calls and emails of suspected
terrorists.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course, if the president was Romney, his head would already
be on a stick. Metaphorically speaking of course.</p>
<p>Finally, the biggest danger to America it appears is not a <em><strong>turnkey
totalitarian tyrant</strong></em>, but broad apathy as it
turns out only one in four follow NSA News "very closely." The
other 3 in 4 are far more concerned with who gets to fake-wed
the fake-bachelorette this season, or who is the victor of
Dancing with the Stars.</p>
<blockquote>
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<p><strong>Roughly a quarter (27%) of Americans say they are
following news about the government collecting Verizon phone
records very closely. This is a relatively modest level of
public interest. Only another 21% say they are following
this fairly closely, while about half say they are following
not too (17%) or not at all (35%) closely.</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Interest in reports about the government tracking of e-mail
and online activities is almost identical: 26% say they are
following this story very closely, 33% not closely at all.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Attention to these stories is higher among Republicans and
Republican-leaning independents: 32% are following reports
about the government tracking phone records very closely,
compared with 24% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning
independents. The partisan gap in interest is almost identical
when it comes to reports about government collecting email and
other online information: 30% of Republicans and
Republican-leaners are following very closely compared with
20% of Democrats and Democratic-leaners.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Overall, those who disagree with the government’s data
monitoring are following the reports somewhat more closely
than those who support them. Among those who find the
government’s tracking of phone records to be unacceptable, 31%
are following the story very closely, compared with 21% among
those who say it is acceptable. Similarly with respect to
reports about government monitoring of email and online
activities, 28% of those who say this should not be done are
following the news very closely, compared with 23% of those
who approve of the practice.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Those who wish to be even more depressed can <a
href="http://www.people-press.org/2013/06/10/majority-views-nsa-phone-tracking-as-acceptable-anti-terror-tactic/">read
on here</a>. </p>
<p>As for Edward Snowden, hopefully this will teach you to throw
away your life to liberate a bloated and apathetic society that
couldn't care less if the slaughter-gate was slammed shut behind
it, and just wants to have its rose-colored blinders on in
perpetuity. </p>
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