Below are the arguments of those that support the NSA over Snowden's revelations*.

[Maedhros]

91. "Promoting our side" is great, as long as "our side" is doing the right things.

For example, Obama instructing the DOJ to cease considering quantities of certain drugs when prosecuting possession cases. That's the RIGHT THING to do, and so I support the President's decision.

However, there are a number of policies that are promoted by OUR SIDE that are absolutely the WRONG THING to do:

* Designating all military-aged males in the vicinity of a drone strike as "militants" so that collateral damage appears to be minimized.

* Continuing an ever-expanding drone warfare campaign when military and terrorism experts agree that it generates more terrorists than it kills.

* Preemptively putting Social Security on the negotiating table.

* Claiming the authority to execute U.S. citizens without due process, accountability, oversight or transparency.

* Re-authorizing the Patriot Act, with even more egregious Article 215 provisions than the Bush version.

* Undoing the post-meltdown banking regulations that were put in place to prevent the same thing from happening again.

* Allowing war criminals who tortured people to walk without charges.

* Allowing bank executives who committed fraud that stole billions from Americans and destroyed the world economy to walk without charges (or, in some cases, serve in the President's cabinet)

* Allowing 60 Gitmo inmates, who have been cleared of any and all wrongdoing, to continue to be imprisoned and subjected to forced feeding.

et alia.

When "our side" does WRONG THINGS, it is our duty to call them out on it and MAKE THEM STOP DOING THE WRONG THINGS.