the least-untruthful thing they can tell us.

We can trust almost nobody these days, except immediate friends and family - the NSA is forcing people to deceive.

that we must trust a corporation to protect us from our government?

Yikes.

Just how I refuse to believe so many congresscritters had no knowledge whatsoever about what was going on...

I know it's not going to happen, but I hope some documentation gets uncovered someday to prove me right...

...I put no faith in the idea that either group is working for interests outside of their exclusive and insular bubble.

How quaint.

And how does my assertion of collusion between the NSA and corporate America equate to my thinking there is a "significant difference" between the two?

and anyone that wants to trust Microsoft is not thinking straight.

To wit:

and provide some assurance to government cronies ...and possibly get a PR boost from the public's lack of understanding.

Read this:

Instead, according to Smith, “transparency” means “building on our long-standing program that provides government customers with an appropriate ability to review our source code, reassure themselves of its integrity, and confirm there are no back doors.”

the crazy asshole yelling the loudest is always a government agent or informant trying to assure everyone else they're totally not reporting whatever everyone does back to the authorities?

I dunno why I brought that up. No real reason I guess.

It's the only thing they really "care" about.

"encrypting". Ha! Yeah, right.

they have all OSs, even open source, infiltrated.

... these guys are really worried that the Snowden leak might reveal the nature of their past collaboration. Trying to do a little "get out in front of it" PR.