No, I think the principle of law they have violated is the use of State Intelligence against its own citizens. Similarly, we do not use our armed forces against

No, I think the principle of law they have violated is the use of State Intelligence against its own citizens. Similarly, we do not use our armed forces against our citizens, because those two bodies are intended to be used against the enemies of the country. To the degree to which it can be said that warfare obeys any moral or legal imperatives, it rarely rises above the level of avoiding killing civilians out of hand. One may reflect on the degree to which the right to private communications is violated in warfare, but summarizing is beyond my abilities. The employment against citizens of these same tools, honed for deadly violence, is calamitous. More succinctly, what on earth is the use of a polity having military specialists employed against itself? That they have violated our right to freedom from investigation without cause as guaranteed by the 4th Amendment is secondary to the concern of the military running an operation against its own people. It is rather unfortunate that this Agency happens to be extremely well-funded, terrifyingly effective, and employing geniuses, but clearly in Snowden they are hoist on their own petard. Through his actions it has become plainly evident that the National Security Agency administrators are not merely engaged in un-Constitutional aims, but in conducting military action against the People of the United States themselves, have committed an awful treason. We should not let them plead against a lesser charge.