TheBearGuy, what snowden did was not illegal. It's called whistleblowing. Just like if you were in a software company and you sold that company's secrets to a competitor, that would be illegal. However, exposing the company's illegal practice of tax fraud would NOT be illegal, and you would be protected by law from even being fired for exposing it. The Feds are trying to use laws aimed at the first (things like leaking data about troop movements or technical specs for weapons) for punishing him for doing the second... (exposing them for doing something they're not allowed to do, and is little more than embarris them and force them to stop breaking the law once caught). It's disgusting and also illegal.
When asked what form of government we have in a citizanship exam, if you respond democracy, you will be failed. What we have is a republic. Even Franklin was very quick to point out the differences between the two.
The federal government is not granted power to regulate mariage under the constitution. If it's not listed in the constitution as something the federal government is meant to regulate specifically, it is a matter left to the states. The whole purpose of doing this is moving things closer to voters so that they are empowered to make important changes we are in dire need of making which can not be left to the beurocracy of washington. The closer you get to a locality, the more and more you move from Republic to Democracy. Many states (like california) allow the population to vote directly on new laws, which is actually pretty close to straight democracy.