As usual David Simon makes a lot of sense. But what I don’t understand, and what bothers me most about the whole deal, is why it had to be a secret. If this were really a “healthy” discussion we should be having, then why did it take a whistleblower to start it? hard to imagine we’re less safe because it’s not a secret (there might even be a greater deterrent effect now).
I also don’t like such intelligence being subcontracted to private companies. The last thing we need is an intelligence-industrial complex giving money to congress and getting laws passed similar to the military- and prison-industrial complexes.
Simon has really encouraged me to think through my tendency to react in a knee-jerk fashion to these sorts of things. I agree with your questions and concerns. I don't think this is a healthy situation. While I don't quite agree with Simon's apparent confidence in the protections against discretionary abuse of the massive database, I have to admit that his logic is sound and argument compelling.
I've been more than a little disappointed to read the various ad hominem attacks on Simon since he posted the Shocked piece.