Posted on 11/27/2013 10:24:35 AM PST by kobald
This week in Washington, Senator Marco Rubio accused a fellow American of treason. Edward Snowden drew the Republican's ire by informing hundreds of millions of innocent people that the NSA is spying on them...
Anyone familiar with the Snowden story will understand why Rubio's comments are misleading. Americans are concerned about their civil liberties because of the accurate information the former Booz Allen Hamilton contractor leaked. He isn't responsible for any conspiracy theories, except in the sense that a conspiracy is "an agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act," and he exposed NSA and GCHQ cooperation on such acts. Finally, Snowden didn't exactly choose Vladimir Putin's Russia. His plan was to pass through en route to a different country, but while he was there, the Obama Administration yanked his passport. As a result of that brilliant strategy, they stranded a man with lots of secrets in Russia rather than, say, Ecuador...
Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, who are much, much better informed about NSA surveillance, insist that "we have yet to see any evidence that the bulk phone records collection program has provided any otherwise unobtainable intelligence," and believe much of what the NSA does is not necessary to protect our security.
One can agree or disagree with Snowden's actions. But it is mighty strange to label as a traitor someone who acted to inform his countrymen and protect their liberties.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
As Michael Corleone might say, “Who’s being naive here?”
What reason is there to think that USG is more worthy of respect than Russia’s? Despite its long history of worthiness, USG is no longer above reproach. Snowden did what he had to do to avoid a miserable, tortured solitary confinement in a secret prison. Russia was a better option.
Fitting Snowden in with the constitutional definition of treason, he would have to:
Give aid and comfort the the enemies of the United States. He only is guilty of that if the American citizenry can be construed as an enemy of the United States, and he gave aid and comfort to them by telling them that the government is spying on them;
Take up arms against the United States. Knowledge is power, but it is not an arm. He took up information and disseminated it;
Making common cause with the enemies of the United States. Once again, this definition only fits if the American citizenry are construed as the enemies of America.
What he did do was disseminate information in order to torpedo a clandestine program by the United States government, which is not the same as the nation called the United States. The government is appointed through a republican process, and given the task of safeguarding its people’s liberties. Governments come and go, and parties are in and out of power at different times. They are not the nation, but its servants (see Menachem Begin, Revolt!, chapter titled Milchemet Achim Leolam Lo [never a civil war{read it in Hebrew, don’t know how it translated in English text}]).
Thus, Snowden was not a traitor. He was a rogue agent of the government, but sometimes one has no other morally acceptable choice than to go rogue. Whether or not Snowden was faced with such a dilemma is something we can each have an opinion on.
Don't be naive. The man sold out his principles and his constituents with his rah-rah backing of amnesty for illegals.
He deserves every bit of scorn that's being heaped upon him.
Snowdens activities definitely crossed over the line between ‘whistleblower’ and traitor.
Rubio is trying sound conservative after selling out on immigration
Did I miss when Woodward and Bernstein were prosecuted for treason?
The question of Snowden will be a decisive one in the Republican primary. I’m not sure who else besides Rand Paul and Ted Cruz will be positive about Snowden’s leaks. I think both have praised the leaks but neither has said he should not be prosecuted or be pardoned.
It might be that he should not be pardoned and should be prosecuted, but still a praiseworthy act. That is the real civil disobedience, where you accept the consequences of your defiance, an act of courage, rather than a pretentious publicity stunt. Sophocles wrote a play about that once.
On the 50th anniversary of the biggest lie in history, the lies continued. The US government has found you'll believe almost anything they tell you. The PRESS is happy to repeat the lies as often as possible, they think that is their job. Watch the video and see if you can think.
Three strikes:
1. Deaf.
2. Dumb.
3. Blind.
He’s out.
Or, if you want:
1. Consorting with the enemy.
2. Undermining national sovereignty.
3. Undermining Constitutionally-enshrined personal liberties.
The list goes on and on.
Got to disagree sir.
It’s amazing to me to see the knee jerk “conservative” response - here, on FR of all places - equating Snowden’s acts exposing the growing police state powers with a compromise of “National Security”. Only a fan of big, centralized, all-powerful governments - a Statist - would take sides against him.
Paul Revere had loose lips.
Then why did he go to Russia of all places?
More than one thing can be true, but the hard line appears to have been set apurpose by the Establishment. So far, they don't seem to be getting a lot of respect, except from some high-profile radio hosts who insist they are not an e-GOP claque.
Ping to my last. Especially to the part about, "more than one thing can be true".
Nobody owns all the truth.
Circumstances change. There is a first time for everything. China and Russia move one way, the US moves the opposite. We must change the US's direction or force it to go the way of the USSR.
Maybe if he’d ever finished anything he started (high school, the Army, his CIA tour, university, etc)...we might feel different.
You make him sound like Obama sans Affirmative Action.
But Eddie isn't chilled, diluted sugar water. He is one accomplished guy! Who made monkeys out of those deployed to prevent him (and control us)! He is a patriot!
Prove it.
Kinda hard to do, when both China and Russia are to the right of the US on the political spectrum.
Of course, that's what we need to change. And, if Marco isn't on board (as his performance on the immigration question has shown), well that's how the cookie crumbled!
I fear more the enemy within than Russia.
As noted in the article, that’s Obama’s fault — he didn’t intend to travel to Russia, he got stuck there when his passport was cancelled.
Nonsense. That's the Establishment BS narrative designed to cover their @$$es now that yet more of their misbehavior has been dragged into the light of day.
Snooping on American citizens without legitimate grounds for individual suspicion most certainly does not "have to happen", and is in fact prohibited from happening.
Probably both.
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