Now that it appears Snowden has fled Hong Kong to Moscow and may eventually wind up in Cuba with the assistance of Wikileaks can all of the patriotic hero talk be put to rest?

Now that it appears Snowden has fled Hong Kong to Moscow and may eventually wind up in Cuba with the assistance of Wikileaks can all of the patriotic hero talk be put to rest?

 

No. You completely forgot about Iceland. The number one place where he is trying to go.

 

If you want to put the patriot hero talk to rest, try submitting tangible evidence that proves he put the United States at risk.

Why is he not going to Iceland? It seems like now he is trying to get to Equador where his patron Asange has been granted asylum. The more he does the more he proves to me that he is in this strictly for the self aggrandizement. You want to put the traitor talk to rest try proving that he's not spilling his guts to governments that are at best hostile to the US.

Why is he not going to Iceland? It seems like now he is trying to get to Equador where his patron Asange has been granted asylum. The more he does the more he proves to me that he is in this strictly for the self aggrandizement. You want to put the traitor talk to rest try proving that he's not spilling his guts to governments that are at best hostile to the US.

 

We don't know where he is going. Its not like he can board a plane and enter the country now like he did Hong Kong. Long list of protocol to follow.

 

And that isn't the way we serve justice. You are innocent until proven guilty.

 

Good for him if he gets asylum in a place like Ecuador or Iceland. Sad time in our history when our Director of National Security, James Clapper, breaks his oath and lies in front of Congress when asked if the NSA was collecting this type of data on American citizens.

 

He lied and Edward Snowden releases the truth and you seriously want to call him the traitor? Because you have a hunch? Spare me.

No, I call him a traitor and coward because of the way he leaked the information and where he is now living. A true hero would not only have followed his conscience and released the information, he would have stayed around and faced the consequences of his decisions.

No, I call him a traitor and coward because of the way he leaked the information and where he is now living. A true hero would not only have followed his conscience and released the information, he would have stayed around and faced the consequences of his decisions.

 

Then don't call him a hero. He would prefer you didn't and doesn't look at himself as one.

 

He only hoped it would spark a national debate. It has. It's done what he wanted it to. He's done a great public service. It has allowed us to confirm that Big Brother does in fact exist. And it shows that as technology grows, governments all over the world, ours being the main culprit against Americans, are using that technology to keep tabs on everyone.

 

I think Edward Snowden cares more about what is going to happen with our privacy rights more so than he does about himself. What say you?

 

Do you care more about labeling him as a traitor and ensuring he serves justice in the good ole 'merican way? Or do you care more about our privacy rights being violated and wondering how are we going to fix it?

 

Personally I am willing to forgive him of the oath he broke (even though part of his oath is defending the Constitution.) I care more about holding the weasels in DC accountable for breaking their oath -- time and time again.

And what consequences should he face? You are calling him a traitor. That is most likely death.....

 

 

Seriously?

You're certainly seeing different things then I'm seeing. I see a narcissistic person who is in this for the "fame".

 

And yes I do think that he should "man-up" and face the consequences of his actions. He should return to the US and face trial. If as you say Snowden was more interested in sparking a public debate then couldn't he have done that without fleeing? I'll concede one point, he's not a traitor in the truest sense of the word. He is a coward and is guilty of espionage. He should be arrested, charged and tried as such. However I'm sure he'll follow in the footsteps of his sponsor and stay in hiding and/or seek asylum elsewhere.

 

And if you truly believe that all he wanted to do is spark a debate why the continued threats to release more?

 

Finally, I can't believe that you really believe your first sentence based just on his statements. It's obvious to me that he sees himself as some type of hyper intelligent person that is outsmarting the government.

Dude's a traitor. Period. He disobeyed direct orders and could compromise national security. Traitor.

You're certainly seeing different things then I'm seeing. I see a narcissistic person who is in this for the "fame".

 

And yes I do think that he should "man-up" and face the consequences of his actions. He should return to the US and face trial. If as you say Snowden was more interested in sparking a public debate then couldn't he have done that without fleeing? I'll concede one point, he's not a traitor in the truest sense of the word. He is a coward and is guilty of espionage. He should be arrested, charged and tried as such. However I'm sure he'll follow in the footsteps of his sponsor and stay in hiding and/or seek asylum elsewhere.

 

And if you truly believe that all he wanted to do is spark a debate why the continued threats to release more?

 

Finally, I can't believe that you really believe your first sentence based just on his statements. It's obvious to me that he sees himself as some type of hyper intelligent person that is outsmarting the government.

 

I'm not going to change your mind on his motives.

 

I'm under the insane belief that there are good people in the world and someone on the inside got tired of listening to government officials lie under oath to the American people regarding the surveillance of American citizens.

 

I'm not so sure it would of been as big of a deal if he stayed in the US. I don't blame him for leaving. He isn't the only person to flee their country when they showed an injustice happening. He would be tried not as an American citizen but as terrorist. He would't be treated humanely, he wouldn't have a fair trial. And he would live the rest of his life behind bars. I can't get behind something like that after he sparked a national debate and pulled the lenses off a lot of people.

 

He hasn't benefited from this at all. Even with the bit of fame, if that is what you want to call it, he hasn't gotten a thing. He doesn't get to see his family, his girlfriend, his friends back at home and he may never get to. Sure its his fault, but at the same time we are to blame for letting it get this far and trusting big government officials.

 

I would say those that want to see him put behind bars here in the US rather than have accountability on those who are still in their positions after spying are cowards.

Dude's a traitor. Period. He disobeyed direct orders and could compromise national security. Traitor.

 

1. The whole compromise national security mantra is bologna. They're mad he blew the lid off of their boondoggle and it embarrassed them. You cannot come up with one piece of evidence to prove it has or will compromise national security. Unless you are referring to the spying on american citizens. But that would mean every person in the US is subject to suspicion of being a terrorist.

 

2. If I knew of Asian FEMA camps going on and I thought they were violating property rights, privacy rights, human rights....ya know... the stuff that gives us our dignity....and I go to the press even though I was told not to talk about it, am I a traitor?

1. The whole compromise national security mantra is bologna. They're mad he blew the lid off of their boondoggle and it embarrassed them. You cannot come up with one piece of evidence to prove it has or will compromise national security. Unless you are referring to the spying on american citizens. But that would mean every person in the US is subject to suspicion of being a terrorist.

 

2. If I knew of Asian FEMA camps going on and I thought they were violating property rights, privacy rights, human rights....ya know... the stuff that gives us our dignity....and I go to the press even though I was told not to talk about it, am I a traitor?

 

1. Right, fleeing the United States to foreign countries with knowledge of our surveillance systems couldn't possibly compromise national security. What was I thinking.

 

2. If you are an employee of the government and you disobey an order then yes, you are a traitor. Pretty cut and dry to me. When you work for the government you have orders to follow. My cousin in the military will tell you straight up that he doesn't concern himself with who the president is or political beefs because at the end of the day he still has to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief whether he agrees with him or not. The same rules apply for all government employees. If you don't like what you are doing or finding out as a government employee and your responsibility to the country doesn't outweigh your conscience then you should have thought about that before you applied for the job.

1. Right, fleeing the United States to foreign countries with knowledge of our surveillance systems couldn't possibly compromise national security. What was I thinking.

 

When you have some actual evidence rather than your mere suspicion based off what the MSM tells you, then I will consider changing my perception of him.

 

2. If you are an employee of the government and you disobey an order then yes, you are a traitor. Pretty cut and dry to me. When you work for the government you have orders to follow. My cousin in the military will tell you straight up that he doesn't concern himself with who the president is or political beefs because at the end of the day he still has to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief whether he agrees with him or not. The same rules apply for all government employees. If you don't like what you are doing or finding out as a government employee and your responsibility to the country doesn't outweigh your conscience then you should have thought about that before you applied for the job.

 

You take an oath to protect the Constitution as a soldier. Same goes for politicians. If you see an injustice going on and you don't act, you are breaking that oath.

 

I'm sure you would feel differently if you were a man of the law and you came across an abolitionist attempting to free 20 people. Or would you say "ahh its pretty cut and dry to me. These people are the property of so and so and they must go back. I took an oath, sorry."

The Crown called several men traitors during the 18th century. They defied their government. Such barbarians.

If you are an employee of the government and you disobey an order then yes, you are a traitor. Pretty cut and dry to me. When you work for the government you have orders to follow. My cousin in the military will tell you straight up that he doesn't concern himself with who the president is or political beefs because at the end of the day he still has to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief whether he agrees with him or not. The same rules apply for all government employees. If you don't like what you are doing or finding out as a government employee and your responsibility to the country doesn't outweigh your conscience then you should have thought about that before you applied for the job.

 

What about James Clapper? Is he a traitor for lying to Congress under oath?