But it isn't a case of accomplishing the perceived goals. Granted, the NSA is inefficient, but the people are still being watched. Hell, they looked up porn habits to decredit radicals. And they've managed to get the public to consent to the incredibly invasive procedures of the TSA. It isn't about whether they're good at national security, it's whether the populace is receptive to such changes and government authority. Just look at the ad-hoc Martial law that was implemented in the hunt for the Boston Bombers. [quote]“The best way to take control over a people and control them utterly is to take a little of their freedom at a time, to erode rights by a thousand tiny and almost imperceptible reductions. In this way, the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.” - Adolph Hitler. [/quote] Not that I'm saying the U.S. government is on the same level as National Socialist Germany.