'The Tide Has Turned': NSA Protesters Back to the Streets for #1984Day
Rallies expected in cities across US

Protesters in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Raleigh, Austin, and other cities have scheduled marches, rallies, and other events to "draw attention to the NSA's unconstitutional surveillance programs," in the name of protecting the principles of the U.S. constitution's fourth amendment.
"The tide has turned against the National Security Agency's unconstitutional phone and Internet monitoring," said Ben Doernberg from Restore the Fourth NYC. "The front page of Monday's New York Times stated that opposition to the NSA's activities has 'momentum that even critics say may be unstoppable,' and on Sunday, We the People will build on that momentum."
One such rally will take place in San Francisco where speakers such as Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg will target House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi over her opposition to the recent Amash Amendment, which attempted to defund NSA programs that infringe on privacy rights but failed to pass in the House.
"1984 is a warning, not an instruction manual," says Andrea O'Neill from Restore the Fourth DC of the dystopian novel written by George Orwell--the inspiration for the day of action's title. "As we find out about more unconstitutional programs every week, it is clear that the NSA's domestic spying has gone too far and must be stopped before it's too late."
On Sunday morning, Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has extensively reported on the NSA leaks in question, provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reported on the most recent of those NSA revelations-- that members of Congress have been repeatedly refused access to basic information about the NSA, despite continual proclamations by the White House that congressional overseers are given "robust supervision" over the NSA's activities.
Sunday's actions follow last month's Restore the Fourth in which protesters took to the streets in over 100 cities while several internet companies including WordPress, Reddit, and Mozilla and digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation displayed anti-NSA spying messages on their home pages.
Follow live tweets below for the actions throughout the day:
Tweets about "#restorethe4th OR #1984day"
_____________________
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Protesters in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Raleigh, Austin, and other cities have scheduled marches, rallies, and other events to "draw attention to the NSA's unconstitutional surveillance programs," in the name of protecting the principles of the U.S. constitution's fourth amendment.
"The tide has turned against the National Security Agency's unconstitutional phone and Internet monitoring," said Ben Doernberg from Restore the Fourth NYC. "The front page of Monday's New York Times stated that opposition to the NSA's activities has 'momentum that even critics say may be unstoppable,' and on Sunday, We the People will build on that momentum."
One such rally will take place in San Francisco where speakers such as Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg will target House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi over her opposition to the recent Amash Amendment, which attempted to defund NSA programs that infringe on privacy rights but failed to pass in the House.
"1984 is a warning, not an instruction manual," says Andrea O'Neill from Restore the Fourth DC of the dystopian novel written by George Orwell--the inspiration for the day of action's title. "As we find out about more unconstitutional programs every week, it is clear that the NSA's domestic spying has gone too far and must be stopped before it's too late."
On Sunday morning, Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has extensively reported on the NSA leaks in question, provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reported on the most recent of those NSA revelations-- that members of Congress have been repeatedly refused access to basic information about the NSA, despite continual proclamations by the White House that congressional overseers are given "robust supervision" over the NSA's activities.
Sunday's actions follow last month's Restore the Fourth in which protesters took to the streets in over 100 cities while several internet companies including WordPress, Reddit, and Mozilla and digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation displayed anti-NSA spying messages on their home pages.
Follow live tweets below for the actions throughout the day:
Tweets about "#restorethe4th OR #1984day"
_____________________
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. He is the author of Migrant Justice in the Age of Removal. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.

Protesters in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Raleigh, Austin, and other cities have scheduled marches, rallies, and other events to "draw attention to the NSA's unconstitutional surveillance programs," in the name of protecting the principles of the U.S. constitution's fourth amendment.
"The tide has turned against the National Security Agency's unconstitutional phone and Internet monitoring," said Ben Doernberg from Restore the Fourth NYC. "The front page of Monday's New York Times stated that opposition to the NSA's activities has 'momentum that even critics say may be unstoppable,' and on Sunday, We the People will build on that momentum."
One such rally will take place in San Francisco where speakers such as Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg will target House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi over her opposition to the recent Amash Amendment, which attempted to defund NSA programs that infringe on privacy rights but failed to pass in the House.
"1984 is a warning, not an instruction manual," says Andrea O'Neill from Restore the Fourth DC of the dystopian novel written by George Orwell--the inspiration for the day of action's title. "As we find out about more unconstitutional programs every week, it is clear that the NSA's domestic spying has gone too far and must be stopped before it's too late."
On Sunday morning, Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has extensively reported on the NSA leaks in question, provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reported on the most recent of those NSA revelations-- that members of Congress have been repeatedly refused access to basic information about the NSA, despite continual proclamations by the White House that congressional overseers are given "robust supervision" over the NSA's activities.
Sunday's actions follow last month's Restore the Fourth in which protesters took to the streets in over 100 cities while several internet companies including WordPress, Reddit, and Mozilla and digital rights groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation displayed anti-NSA spying messages on their home pages.
Follow live tweets below for the actions throughout the day:
Tweets about "#restorethe4th OR #1984day"
_____________________

