Posted on 06/10/2013 7:25:14 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
You've probably heard by now that the man responsible for the NSA leaks of surveillance programs is a 29-year old high school dropout who was a contract worker for the NSA, Edward Snowden.
Snowden is being lionized by both left and right -- at least, those who are reacting emotionally to his revelations. They are, indeed, serious and dangerous. The potential to make the US a police state is great, as is a loss of any sense of privacy for the individual.
The potential is also there to head off terrorist attacks. And revealing these surveillance programs almost certainly gives terrorists who are paying attention a means to avoid detection.
But Snowden insists he did nothing wrong:
The man behind the largest leak of classified information in the history of the US National Security Agency (NSA) has chosen to make his identity public, despite the potential consequences for himself and his loved ones.
Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old employee of defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton and former CIA technical assistant, said he had never intended to remain anonymous. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," he said.
The revelation of Snowden's identity came after the US Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, said on Sunday that he had asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into the leaks, telling NBC News, "It is literally gut-wrenching to see this happening, because of the huge grave damage it does to our intelligence capabilities... this is a key tool for preserving protecting the nation's safety and security."
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Neither, just a shmuck who needs to turn himself in and plead for leniency. He will get plenty of support for his defense so I will not worry about his fate. I am more concerned about what he revealed and getting that properly investigated in Congress, not just swept under the rug as usual.
Hero.
He could have kept quiet and lived a pretty good life with his $200k/year salary.
He did the right thing.
Hopefully, many more will come forward and do the right thing.
I thought that I read elsewhere this AM that he was let go from the Special Forces after training accident where he broke both legs. How does a high school drop out get into the Special Forces?
Compared to Bradley Manning, Obama, Hillary and Holder, Rice, Kerry, Reid, Pelosi, Shumer and the Levins...he’s a freakin’ superhero.
There is a distinct odor emanating from this whole fiasco.
In light of what Obama was doing with IRS, I would consider him an unqualified defender of what remaining freedoms we still have.
This guy is a hero.
I suspect he’s a nut with psychological issues. My impression is that he is exaggerating the power that he had. I believe he knows the outline of these programs, but that he is making up the part about having the authority to wiretap people.
He may also be right on what is going on.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
The Government’s Malfeasance and snooping has done NOTHING to combat terrorism. Surveillance by the IRS, NSA, CIA, FBI et al DID NOT catch the Shoe Bomber. Civilians did. It did not catch the Times Square Bomber. A Civilian did. It did not alert the Government about the Tsarnayev Brothers (Russia did, to no avail). It did not locate Djokar, a Civilian (who smokes! LOL)did.
However, these valiant efforts at surveillance DID cause a lot of unnecessary audits of honest citizens, rig an election, and deprive millions of conservatives of their God-Given rights.
Which was probably the intent in the first place.
Obama? Hero or traitor. At least this guy isn’t using that info to take away our rights.
Hero. One gutsy guy. Praying for his safety.
YES!
There's something wrong with this guy. Embrace him at your own risk.
“Which was probably the intent in the first place.”
AMEN, Bro, AMEN!
He was making that salary for only 3 months. He made this decision years ago when he was making far less. But the real question is: why him? His bio is of a loser who backed his way into the intelligence services. I know 3 people who worked at Booz Allen and all three had Ivy League advanced degrees.
Robert Baer thinks he may have been recruited for a Chinese espionage action:
Former CIA Officer: Officials Considering NSA Whistleblower’s Case ‘Potential Chinese Espionage’
WAY too early to call him a hero.
Possibly a hero.
The Traitors are the people who supervised him and set up this national spy network.
Hero.
He will pay a huge personal price for his courage. (Unlike Jason Whatever, the gay basketball player).
“He who trades a little liberty for security will end up with neither,” as I believe Jefferson said.
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