We agree with you...

now...how, precisely, do they accomplish this terrible and totally illegal system of surveillance?  We are just curious...

Ah, like the great Lily Tomlin said: "No matter how cynical you get, its impossible to keep up"

Russia would consider granting asylum to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

Snowden fled the United States after leaking information about the NSA's secret surveillance of phone records and information collected by Internet providers. Afterrevealing his identity to the public, he said that he had sought refuge in Hong Kong, and was hoping "to seek asylum in a country with shared values."

Snowden has not made any requests for asylum yet, but Peskov told Russian newspaper Kommersant, "If such an appeal is given, it will be considered."

"We'll act according to facts," he said. The Guardian reported Tuesday that the statement prompted other Russian officials to declare their support for Snowden. As the newspaper noted, the country has a poor record for human rights and free speech, but has been known to support critics of the United States.