Since these programs began operation shortly after September 11th, how many terrorist attacks were prevented SOLELY by information derived from this suspicionless surveillance that could not be gained via any other source? How many individual communications were ingested to acheive that?
(Give the American people the information we need to) ask ourselves whether it was worth it. Bathtub falls and police officers kill more Americans than terrorism, yet we've been asked to sacrifice our most sacred rights for fear of falling victim to it.
Excerpted from The Guardian, June 17, Glenn Greewald, On Security and Liberty, Edward Snowden Q & A: Dick Cheney traitor charge is 'the highest honor'