This sort of rhetoric only kind of works if those countries have failed to update their electrical grids since then; even so, that was 65 years ago and you should probably get over it. The US not updating its own infrastructure is simply inexcusable.
It's possible to be blunt without being abusive or making verbal threats. "Professional" does not have to mean "non-confrontational". What Linus seems to do is use a bazooka when a handgun would suffice, without any regard for collateral damage.
What are you willing to sacrifice your privacy for? I don't think this is good or bad, but I would like to see it done on a national level. It would probably cause just as many problems as it mitigates.
I just really like seeing projects that make public information REALLY public.
Credit score and medical information aren't government matters. Social Security number isn't supposed to be used as an identity number, so if we lived in a country that respected its own rules then it wouldn't matter if everyone knew your SSN; it really should be just like someone knowing your name. Actually, if everyone's SSN was readily available it would cause a huge push towards better identity measures.