Snowden interview 05.28.14

[funkymonkey1111]

So nobody can comment in more than a few words why he isn't a hero?
I would like to hear that side of it.

it's easy. Just listen to John Kerry. The folks calling him a traitor here would agree with the secretary

[hatidua]

I suspect the history books will be very kind to Snowden. It's certainly not like the U.S. government over the past dozen years has cared (in the slightest) about the privacy laws that once governed the snooping on the citizenry.

[blacklabel]

I suspect the history books will be very kind to Snowden. It's certainly not like the U.S. government over the past dozen years has cared (in the slightest) about the privacy laws that once governed the snooping on the citizenry.

Freedom has to win for the history books to show in a good light.

[blacklabel]

So nobody can comment in more than a few words why he isn't a hero?
I would like to hear that side of it.

He threatened national security. He should have gone through proper channels. He's a traitor. There's the short version for the hang him crowd. I couldn't be further on the opposite end of the spectrum. His actions won't lead to a damn thing changing but I commend him for trying in the biggest way possible.

[kidicarus13]

He should have gone through proper channels.

I think I understand you better now.

[blacklabel]

You're joking right?

Read the rest of my reply.

[Hound]

Read the rest of my reply.

He did. You need to watch the Frontline series on this. It is not biased, these are the words of the people who were doing the spying and the ones that were trying to do the right thing. These are the people that DID USE THE PROPER CHANNELS and got in real trouble for their attempt. Bush almost lost over 2 dozen top appointees over this. The only reason they did not is that he lied and said it was stopped. These are the AG, you know, the guys that are the lawyers of the gov. If anybody can watch the full show and still think nothing was wrong..... They have NO understanding of the Constitution, why it was written, what a Land of the Free is or what a democracy is.

To be clear, the reason we are even having this discussion is because of the change he has already made. Business is already changing, Governments are changing (around the world), if you don't see that you are blind.

[KestrelBike]

So nobody can comment in more than a few words why he isn't a hero?
I would like to hear that side of it.

Besides the *derp* "he's a traitor" line, the most concrete negative reason that I have heard is that he seriously damaged the intelligence gathering techniques or something like that. I think this was in reference to the international communications dragnet, and if so: duh. How could any of those jihadists possibly believe that they could ever securely communicate with cell/satellite methods?

But I do believe that anything that is against our personal rights, no matter how effective of a tool it is against our enemies, is wrong. And anyone who brings it to light regardless of the 'channels', is a friend of mine.

Agreed.

[vossman]

I kind of enjoyed how Kerry said he was a traitor etc for exposing all the things we have done with surveillance but.................. the fact that we did it was widely seen as a violation of privacy laws, illegal search and supposedly many of the collection methods he exposed have been stopped and policies have changed. Supposedly changed of course.

So its OK to break the law but when someone exposes you, its not OK?

[Gman]

Our government is out of control, and these leaks have clearly demonstrated that fact. I'd like to see some proof that they aren't trampling the Constitution at every opportunity.