I think all of the points you raise are worth discussing. Of particularly interest to me is figuring out how to have discussions on contentious topics in a constructive manner, which is why I commented here. Whether or not I'm effective in this, I do know that I haven't done enough research to weigh in responsibly on Snowden or the other points you raise. (For example, to be effective, I would want to have some facts at hand with respect to education levels and curriculum of high school students in St. Petersburg, Russia, undergrads in the US, rates of entry into the intelligence services over time, etc. I don't have such and am not sufficiently motivated to look them up). I do believe that the points you make in this comment are much more likely to result in a better discussion. Thank you for that!