You're assuming this nation operates according to the Constitution....and that anything is guaranteed today..it is not.
However..the first Responsibility of our Government is the Security of this Nation...and it is not...without a Secure Nation all bets are off the table..and is what we are seeing playing out everyday....even without outside threats.
Islam is the number one enemy we have..and the World on a whole...anyone watching the World Stage is seeing it's power and agenda not only moving but gaining....and for the most part it's a “silent creeping” across our nation.
If any think that our country is not already invaded they are not informed...and when the enemy is on your land and functioning behind the scenes...using all the communication networks within ...then it really isn't hard to understand why gov. is doing what it's doing.
How they USE what they gain is another story. But especially since 9/11....this Country knew it would never be the same as before that..and it won't be.
You call out rights sacred....under who?...that's been sidestepped long long ago. As has the Constitution.
So...Of course the liberties we once knew will not be as we knew them....especially when many so called Americans are not American....they bare the name only...their allegence is elsewhere...this is not their home./p>
If there are no constitutional guarantees, then there is also no guarantee that the government will act lawfully.
If it’s understandable for the government to violate the 4th Amendment in order to protect the nation, then it is equally understandable for Snowden to violate the law in order to protect the Constitution.
Your logic seems to be that “all bets are off - so all bets are off.” Good luck with a government that operates under that philosophy.