And, making CYA statements.

Yes, fiction writers also wrote of planes going into buildings...well before planes did.

and not without a warrant.

that is a lame excuse that seems to be popular with the cool kids for some reason.

....for those tidbits regarding credit cards and phones, etc.

Now we don't even know what is freely being passed back and forth between commercial interests, local law enforcement, feds, intelligence agencies and their contractors, and the military itself.

Brave new world.

Could one not say that same thing about slavery, Japanese internment, civil rights and other issues. Simply because your television has pacified you into believing that these activities always end with the bad guy in jail does not mean that it is true.

One might ask if Devereaux would write a different column had his boob tube shown him that Jessica Fletcher was using stolen credit card data to cash out big time or that the folks on NCIS were routinely using their access to harass ex-girlfriends and gain insider knowledge to make stock trades.

In short, I pity Devereaux for his immature view of the issue. It hasn't any substance at all. It makes him look like an idiot who forms his world view from fictional TV dramas. This is perhaps one of the most moronic opinions on these issues I have seen to date.

Cheers!

violations were never justifiable on the grounds that some people had knowledge.

and not a peep out of anyone. If we had known then and most of us did, it would not have made much difference because we felt safer. What is happening now is that someone working there wanted to be a hero and outed a lot. I give Mr Snowden very little slack because he has caused uproar all over the country. Unnecessary uproar. It is hard for me to believe the dialog that has gone on on DU because of this. Most are outraged that they are "being spied upon". Some want to give Snowden a medal, A medal to someone who wrote his material as soon as he reached Hong Kong. And those senators and representatives who got their fannies up on their shoulders about it should be ousted because they did not hold up to their oaths when they went to Washington because they missed all the meetings held about it. And of course the Republicans are loving it and adding to it while rubbing their hands together in glee. Go ahead and feel anyway you desire. I was not afraid before but I sure am now!