[pkinsky]

This argument is a variant of the Yuppie Nuremberg Defense, courtesy of Thank You For Smoking.

1; You know what you're doing is wrong. 2; Everybody has a mortgage to pay. 1; Ah, the yuppie nuremberg defense.

[walshemj]

what ever a NSA employee has done or not done saying that is the same as a war crime for example the Srebrenica massacre is just childish hyperbole.

[nitrogen]

You misread the parent comment as comparing the crimes, when in fact it was comparing the excuses for continuing to commit them, using a quote from a movie.

[walshemj]

and your point is what exactly.

[nitrogen]

Two points:

1. The comment to which you replied wasn't comparing violent war crimes to privacy violations, so your indignation was unnecessary.

2. Whether you're discussing war crimes, selling cancer-causing tobacco products, or spying on innocent civilians, the "just doing my job" and "I have a family and a mortgage" excuses are inadequate justification.