&gt; You also disregard nationalism, patriotism, and the ability of the intelligence community to groom targets which they&#x27;ve perfected into an art form.<p>I&#x27;m not saying those things don&#x27;t exist or that the NSA is incapable of hiring competent people, I&#x27;m disputing your claim that the NSA has a &#x27;monopoly&#x27; on recruiting the best and brightest. I&#x27;ve seen no significant correlation in my personal experiences between skill in mathematics and patriotism.