It seems to me...
They can sniff non SSL packets all day if they want. As far as I'm concerned, second/third party servers, and the ISPs; should be given the same regard as a post office box. That is - if that is even sacrosanct, any more, under the new surveillance laws! It has already been proven we didn't need all this extra oversight even before 911 - they just had a legal over-burden on inter-governmental communication. That was the only choke point, and then again, as far as I'm concerned that opening of the intercommunication should have been limited too.
How soon the people forget the abuses of the 60s and 70s during the war protest period. The government committed all kinds of abuse, and there was good reason to put these limits on them!
