>On the other hand, it frustrates me that the tipping point for how Snowden's legacy will be viewed is action by a set of corporations, and not action by electe

>On the other hand, it frustrates me that the tipping point for how Snowden's legacy will be viewed is action by a set of corporations, and not action by elected officials, the media, or an informed public... Democracy is effectively dead; who could we have voted for that would not have done these things if not Obama? The United States is an oligarchy, just as the Internet has become feudal. Sometimes we'll agree with the decisions of the oligarchs; other times we won't. But that isn't the question. Should we live in an oligarchy? (Personally, I'm less optimistic that this is any sort of "tipping point." Humans rarely change their minds, and Snowden became a traitorous footnote to most people a long time ago.)