"The NSA et al. have been running comprehensive spy operations since their inception, both at home and directed at allies. As the tech has improved, so too have their capabilities. It's neither new nor surprising that they would be keeping tabs on everyone."
While it may be true that "It"s neither new nor surprising that they would be keeping tabs on everyone." it is none-the-less an exceptionally solid foundation upon which a thoroughly justified sense of outrage, indignity & revulsion may be based. When an agency such as the NSA's is shown to conduct every act of it's U.S. domestic surveillance programs in direct violation of Constitutional constraints & scores of Federal laws (forget states & localities) it strikes me that it may be cause for reasonable concern.
What your genius intellect seems to miss is that the NSA "scandal" is a pawn. While gullible wise men not unlike yourself sink their teeth into all of the NSA's juicy little sins, a small army of rooks is chipping away at your precious rights and "ethics" and "laws" almost entirely uncontested.
Don't you mean OUR rights, "ethics" & "laws" (unless you happen to not be a U.S. citizen, which as a practical matter should not be worth a whit)? And yes, these precepts are in point of fact, most precious, if one's status as an autonomous human holds any meaning what-so-ever.
"Since Snowden went rogue, we've had revelation after revelation after revelation about all the bad little things the NSA has been doing. Yet, I can't seem to recall one major outlet running a series of stories on the people who actually run and control the NSA."
I'm not sure exactly what point you're trying to make here, other than observing that indeed, no one is being held to account for anything they've done; though notably, they're all exceedingly anxious to "blame the messenger" & label Snowden as villainous in what can only be regarded as a pathetic effort to shift attention away from their own high crimes. While there have been any number of upper echelon NSA officials profiled within the media, their conduct as related to their administration of the agency that they helm can hardly be considered singularly discrete & separate from the agency itself. These are appointees who direct an organization to conduct matters routinely & knowingly in direct violation of multiple scores of laws. For the sake of an overly simplistic illustration, were the "NSA" parenthetically re-badged as the "Cosa Nostra", these appointed leaders would rank as Capos; criminals leading a criminal organization in it's willful commission of countless crimes against society.
"You know, the people who appoint the judges that authorize the activities, the officials who appoint the department heads, the members of the various committees responsible for monitoring everyone involved. It's all just a little bit... well, curious."
Oh there is plenty of responsibility to spread about, & the entirely of the supporting cast should certainly be held to account as well.
"But you keep spreading the word about the NSA's nefarious activities and sinister intent. After all, somebody's gotta watch Sesame Street."
I have no intention of remaining silent as the foundations of U.S. democratic society are being assaulted & eroded moment by moment. Consequently, I'm afraid that won't leave time to join you in any T.V. viewing.
