I was not comparing surveillance and slavery. My original comment was a comparison of the acceptance of surveillance by good people today with the acceptance of slavery by good people when slavery back when slavery was legal. In today's world, most people can't imagine slavery was ever accepted by good people. Just as most people don't differentiate between "legal" and "good."

Clearly my segue into civil rights as attempt to bridge the issues fell flat. I do think curtailing freedom en route to an Orwellian future could be every bit as bad as slavery.

Nor was I suggesting a confrontation with your father. Your original post conveyed a respectful 'agreement to disagree' with your father, with a suggestion of wistfulness at the divide between your father's views and your own on. I assumed the potential for discussion between you; my intent was to offer potential suggestions. I thought the projection of NSA's current surveillance capability into pivotal historic circumstances might get the point across because it might with my father.

Actually I did read your post, and more than once, before commenting. I realize you do not yourself share your father's view. My assumption was that you posted publicly because you were looking for dialogue. Although I was not attempting to attack you, I can understand holding "you Americans" responsible for your government's actions could be construed as such.

Though I suspect the American electoral system is as flawed as our own, Americans have at least some means of influencing the American government. Non-Americans have no such influence. The dialogue the Snowden refvelations seems to have triggered in the USA only seems to concerns the acceptability of tyhe NSA spying on Americans. The inference is that Americans in general have no problem with the NSA spying on the rest of us. This is certainly a source of frustration to me, but I should not have dumped that on you personally. So I apologize for that.

Just so you know, I wouldn't know a rhetorical tactic if it bit me. I learned to argue in a large family. I do appreciate the work you do, and apologize for any offence I've given. Certainly you are the best judge of where and how you advocate for anything.