Malsua 1,422 Posted May 29, 2014 If you have the time, the article I'm linking here is very thorough and explains in detail how the government turned inward after the cold war and how Snowden should be hailed for exposing the outrageous overreach by our government. When your government is massively violating the rights and charters of the people it is supposed to protect, it is your DUTY to expose it. What the NSA and others are doing is the antithesis of freedom. It's a direct betrayal of the people. These systems need to be dismembered. The people behind them need to put out to pasture or put in jail. Violating the privacy of millions or billions of people must end or we're going to end up with a world wide Stasi-like government that would make the Stasi blush. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/27/-sp-privacy-under-attack-nsa-files-revealed-new-threats-democracy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scorpio64 5,120 Posted May 29, 2014 I don't think I'd go as far as saying he is a hero, but I will agree that he is a patriot. His intentions were well meaning and, unlike Manning's wikileaks recklessness, Snowden only disclosed the bare minimum to get the point across. Maybe I'm cynical but for all we know Snowden is a double secret squirrel agent and is actually working with some covert government agency. There are plenty of them too. There was a time when virtually nobody knew that the NSA , NRO and a bunch of other agencies even existed. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains, our government is overstepping it's constitutional authority. Government corruption is at an all time high and the wrongdoings are hidden behind a very high tech curtain of secrecy. All Snowen did was open the blinds a little bit and gave us a peek. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
njpilot 671 Posted May 29, 2014 I haven't searched to check the validity of his statement that he tried to be a whistleblower and do it the proper way. When he was told to shut up and do his job is supposedly when he decided to take the actions he took. If that is true, I consider him a Patriot and give him the respect he deserves for trying to right a terrible wrong. In line with what Mark stated above, this government is and has been way exceeding its powers given to it by the Constitution and definitely needs to be reigned in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10X 3,278 Posted May 29, 2014 I haven't searched to check the validity of his statement that he tried to be a whistleblower and do it the proper way. When he was told to shut up and do his job is supposedly when he decided to take the actions he took. In the interview he detailed a number or times, at several of his jobs in the intelligence community, where he tried to blow the whistle without success. Brian Williams said that NBC had independent confirmation that Snowden had gone to the chief counsel at NSA, exactly as he had described, and they were filing freedom of information requests to see if they could verify the other attempts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djg0770 481 Posted May 29, 2014 The level of internal spying on US citizens validates his actions IMO. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeerSlayer 241 Posted May 29, 2014 The way I feel is, he just confirmed what we all already suspected. Sucks he had to basically sacrifice his entire life to provide people with the truth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ALAN553 26 Posted May 29, 2014 i too was on the fence, but after a few years of reading the posts on this forum....how our rights are trampled on, how police departments treat requests for FID card, CC and P2P, how towns like jersey city are evaluating gun manufacturers, politicians, judges, etc.....it makes you take pause about the motives of those in power....just a thought...history will judge snowden. Actually, how he described himself as a "patriot" may have been simialr dinner conversation sitting at some ones table, candles lit somewhere in philadelphia or boston in 1776....Can you imagine..rising up against government?? a KIng? a world power???? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BCeagle 12 Posted May 29, 2014 He did the right thing.. but that doesn't mean he shouldn't face consequences. He broke the law and should be charged accordingly. Though I'm not sure how the Whistleblower protections don't come into pay here.. The problem, really.. is that people are talking about Snowden more than they are the INFORMATION that Snowden disclosed. Focusing the attention on the individual deflects (and minimizes) from everything he took the risk to expose. Kerry was an ass telling Snowden to "man up" I think if Rand Paul is our next President, he should pardon him. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voyager9 3,417 Posted May 29, 2014 Kerry was an ass telling Snowden to "man up" I think if Rand Paul is our next President, he should pardon him.It's easy to tell someone to 'man up' when you want him close to either make a spectacle out of or make him disappear. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonfoxx 4 Posted May 30, 2014 Patriot, probably. He sure brought some questionable government actions to light and has us all asking some serious questions... A giant PUSSY, yes! For running off to Russia like he did. If he believes in what he is doing/saying, stay here and fight the fight for what is right. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
njpilot 671 Posted May 30, 2014 A giant PUSSY, yes! For running off to Russia like he did. If he believes in what he is doing/saying, stay here and fight the fight for what is right. The only problem with this, as he believes, he can't get a fair trial as any evidence that he would want to present in his defense, would be found to be top secret and not accessible for his defense. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
greatgunstatenj 32 Posted May 30, 2014 i'll save my praise for this guy Snowden when more comes out about the nature of his intentions. i do not think he set out to free the American people from the NSA's intrusions however , i think he was a little more self-serving in his actions. As of now he has done US ALL a great service in releasing this info, but to then run to America's foes he becomes a traitor IMHO. What other info does he have that he did not share with the media, maybe he saved some nuggets for admission to China and Russia .. they just don't let you hang around because your a nice guy, you need a golden ticket. we'll see Stay tuned... Greenwald is supposed to be releasing the names of all the American citizens the NSA has spied on. I may be disappointed if I'm not on the list! haha http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/26/glenn-greenwald-publish-list-us-citizens-nsa-spied/ http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/item/18369-greenwald-to-release-names-of-u-s-citizens-targeted-by-nsa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeteF 1,044 Posted May 30, 2014 Patriot, probably. He sure brought some questionable government actions to light and has us all asking some serious questions... A giant PUSSY, yes! For running off to Russia like he did. If he believes in what he is doing/saying, stay here and fight the fight for what is right. Yeah, BULLSHIT. See how fast he would have disappeared if he stayed in the US. If you don't think that would happen you really are delusional. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djg0770 481 Posted May 30, 2014 Yeah, BULLSHIT. See how fast he would have disappeared if he stayed in the US. If you don't think that would happen you really are delusional. Exactly. He KNEW how much spying they did. Do you think he was so stupid as to think he would get a fair trial here? He's a 30 yr old white man in the USA with no prior convictions... Think about that as a gun owner in NJ and tell me he should have "trusted the scales of justice". I don't think he's a "hero" per se. But I do believe he's a Patriot. Let's not forget that the Bostonians that threw the tea in the harbor were considered traitors as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BCeagle 12 Posted May 30, 2014 Patriot, probably. He sure brought some questionable government actions to light and has us all asking some serious questions... A giant PUSSY, yes! For running off to Russia like he did. If he believes in what he is doing/saying, stay here and fight the fight for what is right. He's not a pussy, he is smart. He would have been railroaded and jailed in any court proceedings. Its odd but he can probably speak more in RUssia, than here, where he would be silenced under "national security" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonfoxx 4 Posted May 31, 2014 C'mon guys, theres enough people asking the serious questions now that he would have been well supported and represented. He's a PUSS, he ran away from the country that he hoped to help. Did all the signers of the DOI run to other country's after they signed it??? NO!!! They stayed here and fought, got others behind the cause and ultimately defeated the powers in question. Just look what happened at the Bundy Ranch, nobody ran to Russia, they stayed, gathered support and the government backed down. STAND AND FIGHT! I think that I heard that from some organization before... Hmmm..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gunguy1960 2 Posted May 31, 2014 There will always be enemies, both foreign and domestic, he exposed domestic enemies and that makes him a hero. He could not fight this war and remain here, they would have taken all his evidence and put him in a very quiet cell for decades. We will lose the war on terrorism because of political correctness and incredible stupidity of those in charge, the bombing in Boston was a perfect example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
djg0770 481 Posted May 31, 2014 C'mon guys, theres enough people asking the serious questions now that he would have been well supported and represented. He's a PUSS, he ran away from the country that he hoped to help. Did all the signers of the DOI run to other country's after they signed it??? NO!!! They stayed here and fought, got others behind the cause and ultimately defeated the powers in question. Just look what happened at the Bundy Ranch, nobody ran to Russia, they stayed, gathered support and the government backed down. STAND AND FIGHT! I think that I heard that from some organization before... Hmmm..... Like Waco and Ruby Ridge too, right? Or Vince Foster etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RubberBullets 65 Posted May 31, 2014 C'mon guys, theres enough people asking the serious questions now that he would have been well supported and represented. He's a PUSS, he ran away from the country that he hoped to help. Did all the signers of the DOI run to other country's after they signed it??? NO!!! They stayed here and fought, got others behind the cause and ultimately defeated the powers in question. Just look what happened at the Bundy Ranch, nobody ran to Russia, they stayed, gathered support and the government backed down. STAND AND FIGHT! I think that I heard that from some organization before... Hmmm..... I cant believe there are honestly people that believe the govt wouldnt go above and beyond to silence a voice with top secret information on illegal unconstitutional activity. Once he was charged with espionage, treason, whatever how much more leaking do you think youd hear? The proceedings would be classified in the name of national defense, and snowden would rot in the federal pen with no voice. His strategy was sound, and good for him for thinking ahead so he wouldnt share the same fate as previous whistle blowers Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wikkie2204 0 Posted May 31, 2014 He likely would have suffered a terrible "accident" while driving his vehicle, or a sudden unexplained food allergy to something so severe that he wasn't able to be saved. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites