Posted on 06/11/2013 1:30:13 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
From what we know so far, Edward Snowden appears to be the ultimate unmediated man. Though obviously terrifically bright, he could not successfully work his way through the institution of high school. Then he failed to navigate his way through community college.
According to The Washington Post, he has not been a regular presence around his mother’s house for years. When a neighbor in Hawaii tried to introduce himself, Snowden cut him off and made it clear he wanted no neighborly relationships. He went to work for Booz Allen Hamilton and the C.I.A., but he has separated himself from them, too.
Though thoughtful, morally engaged and deeply committed to his beliefs, he appears to be a product of one of the more unfortunate trends of the age: the atomization of society, the loosening of social bonds, the apparently growing share of young men in their 20s who are living technological existences in the fuzzy land between their childhood institutions and adult family commitments.
If you live a life unshaped by the mediating institutions of civil society, perhaps it makes sense to see the world a certain way: Life is not embedded in a series of gently gradated authoritative structures: family, neighborhood, religious group, state, nation and world. Instead, it’s just the solitary naked individual and the gigantic and menacing state.
This lens makes you more likely to share the distinct strands of libertarianism that are blossoming in this fragmenting age: the deep suspicion of authority, the strong belief that hierarchies and organizations are suspect, the fervent devotion to transparency, the assumption that individual preference should be supreme. You’re more likely to donate to the Ron Paul for president campaign, as Snowden did.
It’s logical, given this background and mind-set, that Snowden would sacrifice his career to expose data mining....
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
it’s interesting that in this case, it looks like the average citizen, liberal and conservative support what Snowden did.
While the elitists, whether republican or democrat, all consider him a traitor.
Do straight people write like this?
By the way, the word is "graded."
We had a neighbor who worked as a CIA analyst on a part time basis ~ that was in between bipolar cycles ~ guy was supposed to be a real genius, but his entertainment consisted of swapping psychotropic and hallucinogenic medications with his buddies.
He is still a hero in my book. I guess there is a lot of pressure on the New York Slimes right now to be “fair and balanced”, hence the hit piece.
But let me respond a little.
“never finished community college”
Didn’t Bill Gates drop out as well? Better take him on next.
“Betrayed us all.”
No. It was those 14 hack federal judges that betrayed us all. It was any and all who knew of the program and stood silently by as private information was taken from me and anyone else using a Verizon phone, with not even a pretext of any probable cause. (And please don’t tell me it’s everyone right now unless you, like Edward, have a copy of the order).
I support him, reservedly, but opinion polls show support also for the data mining he exposed. It’s a muddled picture at best.
As if the current regime deserves our trust, cooperation and respect...and hasn't already betrayed all of these things.
Brooks, for an Ivy League elitist, you are an incredibly obtuse man.
Good point. Tells me all I need to know.
I love that Snowden is a high-school drop-out. It has all the ‘elites’ stumbling around - attacking his life story: So, he stumbled as a youth - but ‘surprise’ he matured and pushed himself forward.
For comparison, let’s review the Rhodes’ Scholar; Bill Clinton. Such a fine human being!!!!!!
“I support him, reservedly, but opinion polls show support also for the data mining he exposed. It’s a muddled picture at best.”
Nothing muddled about the fourth amendment. Your logic—plenty of muddling there. Most people would agree to a warrentless search of their homes if it would help law enforcement. Go muddle with them.
Ok, so we have you adamantly opposed to the provisions of the Patriot Act.
Anyone else?
“here have to be basic levels of trust and cooperation”
Amazing how he misses the irony of his statement considering he’s talking about a secret program designed to spy on all innocent Americans.
This just feels like a story where there is a lot that isn’t public yet. How did a guy with this lack of qualifications get that kind of job and access? He was there less than three months. Was he placed there to leak this? Where has he disappeared to? Where is he getting money? He just up and left a longtime girlfriend. What does she know? Was this set up by someone in the background?
“Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled as they have been during the Bush administration. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance. I will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government. “ - Barack H. Obama, 2008
He was making $200,000 a year, according to news reports. Perhaps that’s where the money came from. Just think, Bradley Manning could’ve been working right beside Mr. Snowden had he not had a homosexual hissy fit.
He betrayed the cause of open government. Every time there is a leak like this, the powers that be close the circle of trust a little tighter. They limit debate a little more.
Don't poke the bear. He might eat us.
What provision would that be? Sennsenbrenner who crafted the bill said there is no provision that provides for blanket surveillance of the innocent.
Look, we knew the potential of the Patriot Act and some opposed it while others bought into the judicial protections offered domestically. We also knew of the potential for abuse of the huge powers of the IRS. Snowden just showed us that our faith was misplaced.
Does anyone here want to bet that similar abuses to those uncovered at the IRS haven’t aren’t happening at the NSA?
Edward Snowden must wear jeans. He doesn’t have the crease in the pants that gives a tingle to Mr Brooks.
If Brooks succeeds in convincing us that Snowden is just a high-school drop-out whack job, that just makes the story even worse, because what the hell was the government doing entrusting access to all the emails in the whole country to a high school drop-out whack job????
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