By GARY OLSON

Although revelations about the government’s vast intrusion into our private lives network are chilling, they’re also an opportunity for the public to inform itself about how our political system actually works.

First, any “terrorist” who doesn’t know her/his electronic communications are being monitored by the National Security Administration isn’t worthy of the label. Before Edward Snowden’s recent leaks, the only people destined to never hear about what our government is doing are our citizens.

Why? Because that public airing might slow down Big Brother’s attempt to hoard even more power. In short, within the higher circles there’s a genuine fear that the public will discover just how much the country is beginning to resemble a creeping, embryonic police state.

Second, instead of focusing on his message, our supine corporate media is playing the “Where’s Edward?” game while mainstream pundits fall over themselves attempting to demonize and discredit him. God forbid that ordinary citizens might respect Snowden as a courageous whistle-blower. Snowden says of himself “I am neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American.”

Parenthetically, didn’t Daniel Ellsberg’s leaking of the Pentagon Papers finally allow us to learn the truth about the U.S. war on Vietnam? Would not a similar expose have proven invaluable in the run-up to the Iraq war?

Third, a huge missing piece in this conversation is that the actual purpose of this burgeoning secret power is to advance the U.S. empire at home and abroad. Enormous energy is expended to insure this connection is never made in the public mind, again, because it might well undermine Americans’ faith in their government.

Fourth, and closely related, the actual causes of terrorism — deep and widespread grievances against U.S. foreign policy — are hidden behind the national security curtain because any public discussion would draw attention to solutions that remain unacceptable to self-serving elites.

The most obvious grievance is U.S. complicity with Israel’s abhorrent policies but the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, escalating drone warfare, and secret torture centers are major contributing factors. Excluding any discussion of this larger context of terrorism has been the rule since 9/11 and continues to this day. Once that discussion is off the table, the only permissible topic is a highly circumscribed debate on how to “combat terrorism.”

Finally, because our citizens have been indoctrinated into believing the U.S. is “exceptional,” Washington’s behavior is assumed to be benign and carried out in our best interest. Snowden’s revelations about widespread Orwellian practices call into the question the very legitimacy of the government. For example, we now know that the corporate/intelligence/government/military complex contemptuously subverts the Constitution and then blatantly lies about it to a rubber-stamping Congress.

In that sense, Snowden’s actions are absolutely intolerable to the powers-that-be, and every effort will be made to intimidate others who might consider following his example. The unmistakable message to the rest of us: Do as you’re told, or else.

For me, this is all the more reason to be grateful to Snowden even as we use this rare unveiling of shrouded power — possibly our last — to reclaim our country.

Remaining silent is not an option.

Gary Olson is chairman of the political science department at Moravian College in Bethlehem. His most recent book is "Empathy Imperiled: Capitalism, Culture and the Brain" (New York: Springer, 2013). Email him at olson@moravian.edu