I don't think that is the intended statement at all. Please reread this sentence:
> There's several cases, most notably Assange and [...] that indicate that private entities are putting pressure on governments, who in turn put pressure on their peers in other countries.
Converting the stage 1 bootstrapping compiler to C++ is a bad idea IMO. There any many embedded platforms without a C++ compiler (except perhaps downrev gcc).
It is a matter of judicial law that was inherited via common law of England. The US government now takes the place of the king -- the 'sovereign'. This has no place in a democracy, and is not supported by the constitution, in my opinion.
That is actually one of the primary purposes of giving the people the right to bear arms. If you are not successful, however, expect to bear the consequences.
The New York City metro area has a population of about 20M. NYT has only really expanded into the national market in the last 15 years. It is primarily a local/regional paper. NYC has a higher periodical subscription rate than other regions, partly due to the reliance on mass transit. NYT competes with the Wall Street Journal and other local/regional dailies.