Is NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, a courageous patriot or has he threatened nationa

1. 83

   bethperryposted 10 years ago

   Is NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, a courageous patriot or has he threatened national security?
   
   Snowden has taken responsibility for working with the NSA to direct widespread surveillance on the public. He recently told The Guardian, "I, sitting at my desk, certainly had the authorities to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge or even the president, if I had a personal e-mail." Do you feel Snowden's exposing the truth is 1. courageous and patriotic, or 2. has compromised national security?
   
   

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2. 59

   taburkettposted 10 years ago

   Mr. Snowden has shown courage by his actions.  He has only compromised the agencies blatant disregard for the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.  If the security bureaus wish to actually protect the patriotic citizens of this nation, then they need to focus on the terrorist groups, not the entire citizenry.  It is obvious that "Political Correctness" in this matter has risen to an injustice through discrimination against honest citizens.  Big brother does not need to know how many times I call my wife, friends, barber, baker, doctor, clergy, or butcher.  If they were doing their job correctly - Mr. Snowden would not be forced to divulge their outrageous antics.

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      Larry Wallposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      A question, how do you separate terrorists and spies from honest citizens without checking out  innocent people. Spies are not clearly marked, neither are honest people. Your neighbor could be a spy and you might be talking to him over the fence.

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      bethperryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Larry Wall.No one is clearly marked, of course. I think what people are getting fed up with is that precise reasoning is being used as excuse by gov to snoop into everyone's lives, with or without probable cause.

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      Express10posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Information is being gathered without warrant or justification and it's not right. One can learn a lot about people that they don't want others to know just by watching. That doesn't make them safe, just makes the watchers nosy & over reaching.

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   Brenda Durhamposted 10 years ago

   My first thought is that he's a patriot for exposing the truth.
   But.........I haven't read much about his involvement yet.......so I'm withholding final assessment until I learn more.

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      bethperryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      That's fair enough, Brenda

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      aguasilverposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I've seen the video where he explains why he has done this, and read the reports, he is a hero and will possibly end up dead for his patriotism, for he has exposed dark forces who are seemingly plotting to overthrow democracy.

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      Judah's Daughterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If they make him 'disappear', he will DIE a HERO, NOT a COWARD.  He has asylum now.  He was smart enough to LEAVE the Country before exposing this US Government corruption.  Edward has true INTELLIGENCE and is an AMERICAN HERO, one we ARE PROUD OF.

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4. 79

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   Anyone who does not believe their government spies on it's citizens has their head buried in the sand. This is especially true after the events of 9-11.
   His decision to go to Hong Kong which is ruled by Communist China who without a doubt spies on it's own citizens makes no sense.
   The CIA, FBI, NSA have always used surveillance tools to detect  would be foreign and domestic terrorist actions. During the Bush era more leeway was given to the government in hopes of preventing another 9-11. I'm sure what Snowden has done by revealing to the world how the U.S. gathers information will be viewed by many military and government officials as an act of treason. Terrorists and criminals will now pursue new avenues to conduct their activities.
   In all honesty I don't believe too many citizens are losing sleep over this issue. It's not like the government is going to suddenly stop spying on us. Worrying about things you cannot control is a waste of time and energy.

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      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      House Speaker John Boehner today called NSA leaker Edward Snowden a "traitor" who put Americans at risk by releasing classified information to the media."The disclosure of this information puts Americans at risk." It's rare both parties agree.

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      bethperryposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Unfortunately for Boehner, he's earned the nickname "Cave Man" for his tendency to cave to Dem objectives. So I'm not sure how earnest his criticisms here could be weighed.

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      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      When it comes to National security issues Republicans have always been in favor of doing whatever it takes to protect our shores. National Security is not a patrician issue for most people. J. Edgar Hoover spied on everyone! :-)

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      Express10posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I've always hated Boehner's stances and general demeanor. His calling Snowden a traitor shows Americans how much he values the privacy of their phone calls, etc. and info that could be gleaned from them.

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      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think the more we learn about Snowden the more we'll learn that his motives aren't completely alltruistic. It's one thing to announce spying on Americans and another to show Russia, China, and other nations how we gather intelligence. Hero? No.

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   maxoxam41posted 10 years ago

   Courageous and patriotic. To show how much of a democracy we are, he has to flew to Hong-Kong. Smart choice.

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   chef-de-jourposted 10 years ago

   Snowden has popular support for his actions - so he's a Robin Hood of cyberspace, giving the poor information only the powerful had access to - and he's a hero in my book, as brave as they come........... or he's mad for celebrity like many individuals these days who stop at nothing to get a tiny bit of global coverage.
   
   I hope he turns out to be a genuine moralistic whistleblower. I hope his actions will influence someone in authority to question motive and strategy.

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      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you. I don't think he displayed anything we didn't already know was going on since the Patriot Act - but hopefully he shook people awake enough now to care and fight back.

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      Express10posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Christin S I agree, but so many people refuse to stand up for what's right even if an injustice or crime is happening right in front of them. This is one of the reasons we've gone this far down the drain thus far. I hope some people are awakened.

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   Sarra Garrettposted 10 years ago

   He is courageous and deserves a medal.  There are really no secrets that he unleashed, just look around at the changes to our country.  Look outside the box and they will be a plain as the nose on your face.

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   Rosana Modugnoposted 10 years ago

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   Justsilvieposted 10 years ago

   I want to know who fed him the Data?  Because I do not believe for one minute this uneducated smuck, with three months on the job had this much access...
   
   Nothing courageous or patriotic about him and the more he talks the more you come to realize there is more to this story.

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    Express10posted 10 years ago

    I think he is a whistleblower and has not committed espionage. In fact, there are several lawyers who have been interviewed on various shows that say they are surprised or shocked that he is being charged with espionage. It's a rare comeuppance for the US government when Russia, Japan, and others work in concert to dangle the carrot just out of reach. I hope that Edward Snowden lives long, prospers, and stays out of the US to avoid trumped up charges which appear to be little more than an angry lashing because officials didn't want this information to come out so they could continue violating people's rights unnoticed.

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    jdw7979posted 10 years ago

    He is a patriot, and one who is blatantly pointing out the UNCONSTITUTIONAL acts our Big Government Corrupt has been doing for years. I do however wish he was not aligning with China and Russia, which makes it difficult to see the positive he is doing.
    
    Our government, all in the false name of safety is partaking in horrendous acts on its citizens. The majority of American Tax Payers are just waking up to these things. We must band together and end this tyranny, or our children grow old in a much less free and liberty driven society!
    
    Look no further than the rash of scandals and corruptions of late.. that is a true wake-up call and if citizens could use the excuses these elected officials are using, nobody would be in jail. The NSA, IRS, FBI, CIA, DHS, and most of these 3 lettered frauds are using tactics in line with dictators and communist rule to turn us into peasants needing D.C. to survive.
    
    Very scary..

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