[pdkl95]

> Do any of you have any concept of duty, service, community?

Yes. Duty is important.

> You do realize that they are serving a cause much greater than you or I

That's the problem. A lot of people in the intelligence community are serving a cause, but it's not the cause they promised to defend when they swore an oath of office.

    I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the
    Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
    that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this
    obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;
    and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on
    which I am about to enter.

They took an oath to defend the Constitution, not to save lives or defend a government. The are betraying their sworn allegiance when they subvert the plain meaning of the 4th Amendment and other constitutional protections.

Snowden is one of the few that fulfilled his duty to the Constitution. Everyone else in the intelligence community that stayed silent instead of reporting rights violations and other crimes is a collaborator that placed personal interest above their duty.

[effie]

> They took an oath to defend the Constitution

Wow, I didn't know that. Well it figures - when oaths or promises like this are demanded by an institution (university, army, government) for the advancement of career, it isn't hard to guess that most people will comply, despite their actual feelings and goals. The whole concept of public oath seems to be in place mainly to maintain the public belief in the institution, rather than actual procurement of allegiance.