You're right on the details, and I agree with your analysis, but the moral question still stands. Do we as a society and nation have any right to do this? Why does our desire for security trump the rights of people at home and abroad? And why does having a conversation on this topic have to be so damn difficult -- all the details are kept secret, down to the interpretation of the laws that apparently allow for programs like these. There's something fundamentally messed up about all this.