Unless you've been living on one of the moons of Saturn, you've heard by now of the NSA's comprehensive collection of information from millions and millions of Americans. Phone calls, email messages, and even pictures you posted on Facebook: All of it is sitting in a supercomputer in Maryland, waiting to be dealt with by our avatars of surveillance freedom in the intelligence community.

You have also, to be sure, heard of Edward Snowden, the former NSA employee turned whistleblower, who blew the lid off this whole comprehensive surveillance operation and then ran for his life.

Well, it seems a Reuters editor submitted a Freedom of Information Act request, seeking the emails Snowden sent to his superiors at the NSA before he finally blew the whistle. The NSA's response to that request is summed up in a truly demented US News headline on the matter: "NSA: Releasing Snowden Emails Would Violate His Privacy."

Paging Mr. Kafka, your table is ready.

Perhaps the greatest strength those in power have, the single largest muscle in their collective core, is their utter and complete lack of shame. They will say anything - literally anything - to derange the national conversation and distance themselves from their own activities. The NSA is worried about someone's privacy? Yeah, like that.