> Perhaps we think that we are standing up for those ideals? Perhaps we believe that the Constitution actually does set up a government and grant it certain pow

> Perhaps we think that we are standing up for those ideals? Perhaps we believe that the Constitution actually does set up a government and grant it certain powers, and that it's perfectly constitutional for that government to use those powers? The government is granted those powers by democratic mandate. When a mass surveillance system can be set up without any democratic debate, these powers were never granted to the government, it grabbed them without permission. When the director of the NSA lies to Congress under oath, there is no democratic oversight over these powers.