would this have happened whether or not these things had ever been admitted to? >> this would not have happened if these things had not been admitted to, but without the leak, we wouldn't have known this was happening. there was a "usa today" article that hinted at this in 2006 and then sort of got forgotten, and there was, in sort of what had happened to this program after the bush administration had gone under the water. we had some senators in the intelligence committees who were warning obliquely that something strange was happening with the patriot act with the government and they weren't allowed to talk it. i filed a foia lawsuit and the judge read what was happening in a classified incamera by himself hearing and dismissed the case without them knowing what was going on. it took the leak by edward snowden to really drive this into the public consciousness and force the government, essentially, to acknowledge what was going on, which created the opportunity for people to challenge it as well as because the government itself has described it as comprehensive, systemic, giving legal standing to various plaintiffs to say, well, if it's everyone's call,