i just kind of can't get what's going through these guys' mind, other than that they're viewing it as some kind of display of wealth. i mean, it's coercive, sure - but in a way that is more repulsive than convincing. if i were to get proposed to like that, i'd basically never talk to the guy again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22ec8o7p2bI

thought

To: glenn.greenwald@theintercept.com

hi.

i was watching some news reports on the large amounts of personal communication in the snowden leak, and a thought crossed my mind. now, before i start i want to point out that i'm aware of the invasiveness of my suggestion and just leave it at that.

a lot of people have noticed that this leak didn't get the reaction that was maybe hoped for - that the public forgot about it at the end of the news cycle. i think people just have a hard time taking the abstract down into the concrete. i think what i'm going to suggest might help in generating a reaction by making the issue more relatable.

so, you apparently have huge amounts of communication between individuals. perhaps this information could be worked into a novel, with a fictional narrative worked out to connect the passages together. now, obviously this suggestion necessitates that personal information is removed - that the communication is published without context. but, i think this has the potential of clearly demonstrating what the government is collecting. and i think it's interesting as an idea in itself.

i get why this is an idea that you're likely to react poorly to. but, i'd just ask that you think it over a bit, and the possibilities of what could come out of taking a project like this on. i'd be willing to volunteer in constructing the narrative, in writing the novel, although i understand why you can't just send me raw data of this sort and let me strip out the context.

j