Is Edward Snowden a hero or a traitor? That is the million dollar question!
Snowden, the 29-year-old whistleblower behind the biggest intelligence leak in U.S. history, is the man who called attention to the National Security Agency program that has been monitoring our emails, phone calls and social media communications for nearly a decade.
After 4 years as an employee of the NSA, which included a stint as a technical director for the CIA, Snowden blew his security clearance and went public with news of the monitoring program. Now, the debate is on, challenging if Snowden should be lauded as a national hero for making the general public aware of the program, or if he should be vilified as a traitor.
Some say Snowden is a hero for giving up his high paying job, his national security clearance and his own personal safety for the sake of public interest. They argue that the public may have never known of the snooping program had Snowden not had the guts to unselfishly come forward and risk it all for his fellow American citizens. For this, he should be congratulated.
However, others are calling Snowden a national traitor for his rogue actions. They argue that if he were a real hero, he would stayed in America after blowing the whistle and taken whatever punishment he was due like a man. Instead, he is hiding out somewhere in Hong Kong, is seeking asylum from a foreign country and is being courted by China and Russia, who are each eager to protect him in exchange for providing them with vital secret U.S. data that he may have had access to.
So who’s right… is Edward Snowden a hero or a traitor?
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I'm going for trator. I agree if he was a hero he wouldn't be hiding trying to protect himself. He's just a snitch. If he sells info to some government then he's a enemy.
This guys a patriot. Read this http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57589617-38/sno…
Leaving the US was an incredible risk, as NSA employees must declare their foreign travel 30 days in advance and are monitored. There was a distinct possibility I would be interdicted en route, so I had to travel with no advance booking to a country with the cultural and legal framework to allow me to work without being immediately detained. Hong Kong provided that. Iceland could be pushed harder, quicker, before the public could have a chance to make their feelings known, and I would not put that past the current US administration…
First, the US Government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason and that the disclosure of secret, criminal, and even unconstitutional acts is an unforgivable crime. That's not justice, and it would be foolish to volunteer yourself to it if you can do more good outside of prison than in it.
Second, let's be clear: I did not reveal any US operations against legitimate military targets. I pointed out where the NSA has hacked civilian infrastructure such as universities, hospitals, and private businesses because it is dangerous. These nakedly, aggressively criminal acts are wrong no matter the target. Not only that, when NSA makes a technical mistake during an exploitation operation, critical systems crash. Congress hasn't declared war on the countries – the majority of them are our allies – but without asking for public permission, NSA is running network operations against them that affect millions of innocent people. And for what? So we can have secret access to a computer in a country we're not even fighting? So we can potentially reveal a potential terrorist with the potential to kill fewer Americans than our own Police? No, the public needs to know the kinds of things a government does in its name, or the "consent of the governed" is meaningless.
2) All I can say right now is the US Government is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me. Truth is coming, and it cannot be stopped.
This is a tough one…..I really had to think about it before commenting……
The truth is, I see the man as a bit of both, a traitor because a *Hero* doesn't run and hide and while seeking asylum in a foreign country no less. And a Partriot, if for no other reason than the fact that he gave up everything to inform the American public of just how widespread the government's hacking is.
Obama used to be totally against this sort of thing now he's for it. I'm just saying its easy for all us on the outside to judge when we don't know the whole story. Maybe there's some things gong on we as a public don't know about? I can't believe he'd do a 180 like this without there being a really good reason.
"I'm just saying its easy for all us on the outside to judge when we don't know the whole story."
@Lauren-I have to repsectfully disagree. I don't think this is an "easy" call for a lot of people (myself included) for just the reason you pointed out..we're on the "outside" looking in and there simply is a lot we don't know.
We freely blab tons of personal information about ourselves everyday on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. Info like our comings and goings, new jobs, vacations, who we're dating, etc. is all PUBLIC info we hand out daily. Facebook alone has a timeline of almost our entire life. Should we really be angry if the government sees info we give away anyway??
– DJ
DJ you know how much I appreciate you just for starting this site and keeping it classy!
But I have to respectfully disagree with your repeated use of the word "We."
I can barely TOLERATE my cell phone (most days I forget I have one) so Facebook, Twitter and most other forums (not *forms*) of social media are on my "No Need For It" list.
I come here because I enjoy this site. I like sharing my thoughts and opinions on different topics your post. I do the same on 2 other sites.
I do NOT support giving Our government a free pass to spy on whomever they choose just because we live in an UNSAFE world and millions of Americans "freely blab tons of personal information" about themselves anyway. I'm NOT one of those people.
And I believe there needs to be REAL checks and balances put into place to minimize the risk of government over-reach and abuse of Power.
Thanks for the response Truthizz.
My message is an automatic copy from the social networking site that handles our polls now. So the term "we" was meant to describe those of us who partake in social networking and was in response to another member's comment.
As always, I appreciate your support and daily commentary.
– DJ