Originally Posted by
broncofan
Even if the NSA intrusions were fourth amendment violations, there are at least other interests the government is trying to safeguard in the process. The remedy for constitutional violations is that evidence is excluded from trial, laws are struck down as unconstitutional, or officers are enjoined from taking certain actions. It is contemplated as part of life that there will be judicial remedies for constitutional violations.
The institution of slavery by contrast was something extraordinary. There was no weighing of interests; it was the objectification and commodification of your fellow human beings. It was inhumane, sadistic, and greedy. It should not be placed on a continuum with everyday intrusions that a court may remedy by issuing an injunction or by excluding evidence from trial. Nobody who valued African-Americans as people could have ever attempted to justify slavery as a balancing of interests. So, it does not make sense for it to be compared to potential constitutional violations where a balancing of rights and exigency takes place.
I just wanted to add that distinction to my previous conclusion that your complaints are entirely trivial.