Keep in mind the USA is a constitutional republic. Theoretically the Constitution was meant to keep in check the main weakness of a republic that has a tendency of being corrupted by special interests rather than represent the good will of all the people. History shows the more powerful a republic becomes the more corrupt it gets. And when corruption reaches a pinnacle and ignores and desecrates the original purpose of the Constitution, that made it a beneficial union, the state inevitably disintegrates.
Glenn Greenwald – System Updates #12: The Most Important Stories We Covered
Glenn appears ~7 minutes into the video