Perhaps some politicians (examples, former VPs) should get off their self-averred strategist “horses” and learn how to play checkers before attempting 3-D chess.

Snowden’s reveal of NSA’s software capability for Internet and telephone call monitoring is “no big deal” with regard to a U.S. citizen’s right to privacy.

We are told, at this juncture, preamble incipient information is being stored. Also we are told no content is being gathered. Why is this preamble incipient information important?

To protect ourselves via surveillance NSA must have at least this information. It allows tying networks together, be they terrorist, criminal or benign family, then does the FISA Court act, if necessary.

What Snowden’s reveal accomplishes is already known by terrorists, that is, not to use public communications. Snowden’s reveal actually places terrorists in tiny boxes, more easily discarded, let’s hear it for discarding!

What distresses me is not NSA’s spying on foreign diplomats, by all means spy away, but please let’s forego ineptness.

Criminal conspiracy, and their writings and verbalizations, has never been, is not now, and never will be a question of privacy, it can never be sustained under the law. Imagine a criminal co-conspirator telling a judge, “Your honor, my mutterings are private.” I say, “Not for long.”

Yes, righteous behavior confirms “virtue is its own reward.”