• Meanwhile: Edward Snowden is a traitor and these programs are vast and accessible without a court order, but Snowden is a liar and the scope of the programs is so small: “The NSA leaker is lying about both his access to information and the scope of the secret surveillance programs he uncovered, the heads of the House Intelligence Committee charged Thursday.” Republican Representative Mike Rogers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said: “He was lying. He clearly has over-inflated his position, he has over-inflated his access, and he’s even over-inflated what the actually technology of the programs would allow one to do. It’s impossible for him to do what he was saying he could do. He’s done tremendous damage to the country where he was born and raised and educated.”

Has he, though? Has the country been “tremendously damaged” by Snowden’s disclosure? Or, if indeed “tremendous damage” has been done, was it not actually done by the government that decided it was cool to do widespread surveillance on its citizens without their consent, without a national discussion on whether sacrificing these particular liberties in the interest of national security is wise or desirable or even effective, without transparency or oversight or accountability? Wouldn’t the architects of this vast dragnet be responsible for any “tremendous damage” to the country, as opposed to the man who pulled back the curtain behind which they were operating?