I feel like the op-ed is aiming to "spread the knowledge" more than it is trying to dig deep into the legal issues surrounding NSA's activities. I recall readin

I feel like the op-ed is aiming to "spread the knowledge" more than it is trying to dig deep into the legal issues surrounding NSA's activities. I recall reading polls after the Snowden leak showing how a fair amount of the US public did not fully understand what was happening. It seems like this is Barnett's initial attempt at speaking out in some official form and creating some dialogue around this issue.