That only works if you assume that there's only ever one attack. If it thwarts another, then it's benefiting. In any case, I wouldn't really argue that the NSA

That only works if you assume that there's only ever one attack. If it thwarts another, then it's benefiting. In any case, I wouldn't really argue that the NSA 'disrupts' the nation at all - the spending on it is only a little larger than at the end of the cold war, and apart from the recent news stories only a very small minority will actually be affected by it in their daily lives.