I have never flagged anything at HN before, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the characteristics I associate with HN. Plus the "things that most Americans don't know" are pablum I've seen so many times before as to be boring.
I would have preferred to keep my mouth shut, but when my own (software-development oriented) submissions have been flagged, I've groused that I wish flagging required a brief written justification. So I felt obligated to write this to explain myself.
Amen brother.
While this article is a break from the PRISM fodder that's seen quite a bit of play here, it has absolutely nothing to do with software development, technology, or the internet.
If I could downvote the article I would, and I'm not the type to flag submissions, but to see this on the front page is, I guess, indicative of the audience and their views.
I would have preferred to keep my mouth shut, but when my own (software-development oriented) submissions have been flagged, I've groused that I wish flagging required a brief written justification. So I felt obligated to write this to explain myself.