Why is he our patron saint? He was a government official coming out against invasion of privacy. Isn't that what we are all after, in the end?
There is a considerable difference between running a government and being an individual. It is not merely ethical for one government to read another's mail, it is a duty. By not taking adequate steps to inform itself of the Japaneese intentions the US suffered the loss of a substantial part of the US fleet at Pearl Harbour. Had sufficient resources been avaliable the naval codes could have been cracked in time. The closure of the Black chamber was a key reason why US espionage efforts were inadequate at the start of WWII. Given the choice between the US Army and the CIA plus NSA I would choose the latter any day. The millitary hardware is useless without intelligence operatives. Unless Perry is advocating an absolutist pacifist stance I don't see that his stance is credible. I don't know many pacifists who oppose intelligence gathering. Diplomatic trafic has always been considered fair game. Long may it remain so. Phill