Though I should not be surprised, you misrepresent me. There's nothing wrong with covering the issue. It's just not helpful at best, and actively harmful at worst, to try to inject the issue into every possible place. We are intelligent adults; we are more than capable of thinking about more than just one issue.
It isn't like there are many people left who haven't heard about it, and even if there were, the front page of HN has consistently contained several articles covering the NSA specifically for a number of weeks now.
As I'm not surprised you condescend me by insulting my ability to interpret your post, I guess.
My point is: why inhibit it no matter the context? Perhaps this is a new user who isn't privy to the daily dealings of hn? Maybe they aren't aware that their effort might be better spent on a less-informed forum? Why immediately dismiss and discourage their input?
It isn't like there are many people left who haven't heard about it, and even if there were, the front page of HN has consistently contained several articles covering the NSA specifically for a number of weeks now.