Snowden: A traitor or a patriot ?
 

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I think that criminal is a better word to use than traitor. No disclosure is one of the many agreements made by NSA workers and consultants.

It is really amazing how many people think (1) that NSA is actually listening to their phone calls and (2) that this is something put into place by the Obama administration. :a20:

It has been going on since at least 2001. Your individual calls are not being monitored!

All the help he has from China, Russia, Ecuador etc. pretty much tells where his allegiances are.

U.S. warns countries against Snowden travel | Reuters

Doesn't really matter what I think, but, when he's caught, the government is gonna do everything they can to ensure the taxpayers are paying for his meals and sleeping accommodations courtesy of the Federal prison system for many years. Maybe, he did witness some abuses of this surveillance authority; but, we'll probably never know the whole truth...the government's embarrassed, he's the villian. :shrug:

Don't be too sure. Metadata may be more telling than content in any case. But the new Utah data center with 5 billion terabytes should be able to search 5 years of ALL domestic communications with Google-like search capabilities. I was actual surprised to see all my Google searches back to 2005 - https://history.google.com/history/.

I think this is going to end badly. It seems to me they pushed him too far and he released details of US hacking of China to ensure he'd get cooperation in Hong Kong. He seems very intelligent and has prepare well for the inevitable. He knows his future prospects and he's not coming back to face potential execution (in his words, the country is worth dying for). I assume he's made plans for release of further documents regardless of what happens to him. I can even imagine a finale with suicide and mass distribution of whatever information he has.

Does he get frequent flyer miles?:crap2::a20::1rotfl:

Run Ed, Run!

I agree. This surveillance also plays a vital part in protecting us from another 9/11 or Oklahoma City like attack. The US is still hated by many in various other parts of the world. If you use certain words in an e-mail, phone conversation, etc. then a computer continues to tape that conversation or e-mail. I do not see people listening in on our private phone calls. How many employees would the NSA have to do this kind of work?

Snowden looks like a criminal to be who violated the terms of his employment and other contracts as well as the US criminal law statutes. Cannot really see him as a whistleblower. Not a traitor so far but could become one soon given what information he gives to other countries.

I have to agree. PFC Manning is guilty of treason for releasing confidential data to Wikileaks that compromised many of our operations in Afghanistan This guy is only guilty of violating his terms of employment. Unfortunately he Pi$$ed off the NSA. If his name would have been Holder he would not be in trouble.

Z

I supported his disclosure of the huge increase of gathering data on citizens in the US. He crossed the line when he started giving information to other countries about what we are doing, but then are we so dumb to think these other countries don't know we're listening???

The framers made someone being called/labeled a traitor very difficult to prove. As I recall the actions had to place America in harms way and give aid and comfort to the enemy and some other requirements.

What is clear to me is that Snowden breach the trust of his company, broke his confidentiality agreement, brought attention to NSA's programs in such a manner that our enemies domestic and foreign and including those politicians who have and will take cheap and unsubstantiated shots at America.

What is clear is that far too many contractors are being relied upon and that far too many people civilian and federal have security ratings without being properly vetted and well above their stations and education

The tragedy here and with so many other previous leaks is that the admonition of "loose lips sink ships has been lost on subsequent generations following the greatest generation.

Scary stuff

Just as important, as the amount of damage he may have done, is the "vetting" process and procedures within the NSA, which allow things like this to happen. We continue to hear about the search for Snowden, but nothing about heads rolling in the NSA. Contractors with critical national security information and not being monitored, seems like poor judgement by the administration of the agency.

I think he should be protected as a whistleblower. I am surprised that people did not already know what he released anyway. I never doubted this country has been spying on its own people to whatever the technology of he day allowed.

I've said this before and I will say it again right now...almost every day and in almost article in the press discussing something about the government, it says the information came from someone who "needs to remain anonymous because that high ranking official isn't authorized to discuss this issue" ...How is this any different than what Snowden is doing? And these supposed high ranking officials are exempt from prosecution? Yet they want to prosecute Snowden? Something is very wrong here.