Shoot the messenger! No, nuke the messenger! Torture the messenger! Message, what message?
The fact that the NSA spies on internet communications, on the other hand, has been known (at least in principle) for years.
This seems like the build-up to a war and the United States government has mobilized unimaginable resources devoted to offensive capabilities, and there's an eerie sense of escalation that's reminiscent of the Cold War.
The story about the messenger is a lesson of the times to come where few people can make a lot of difference. I am not talking about whistleblowing, I am talking about a more radical approach like hacking country facilities around the world to uncover and discover crimes and unethical actions. It's obvious that this power can be used for good or bad.
Do you remember the last time in history where a single person without any weapons or military training has such big impact? You don't even need followers. I am really excited! (uh, NSA is reading HN too).
It's sad to see that even the media doesn't want to protect itself anymore. Well I hope they won't count on our support later, when they come arresting more of them for publishing any sort of leak and "harming national security".
In fact, normally that is what they fill their time with. MSNBC speculates wildly about members of the GOP while Fox speculates wildly about members of the Democratic party. Why is this case different? What should that difference tell us?