What do you think of Edward Snowden?

[bsfins]

This isn't a political mud slinging blame,liberals,conservatives mud slinging thread....I'm not asking for Why this happened or,who to blame for this happening..

I wondering what you think of Edward Snowden the former NSA computer tech,that is currently on the run for leaking information.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange calls him a hero,Most are calling him including the the U.S. government a traitor...

What do you think of him?

[masterfins]

I'm in the something else category.  I don't think he did it to be famous, I don't think he is a traitor, and I don't think he's a Hero.  I think he did what he thought was right, which is up for debate whether or not it was.

[Phishfan]

To be honest, I have not learned enough about this to really weigh in. First, I already knew the government was monitoring our communications. Anyone shocked by this must have had their head in the sand. Second, I definitely think that our government needs to operate in ways that should be kept secret from the general population. Leaking of some information can put the lives of our contrymen at risk (this does not appear to be one of those cases though). Lastly, my sense of curiosity always has me wanting to learn the secrets I'm not supposed to know.

I think this guy though what he was doing was right. Does that really mean it is right, not necessarily.

[BigDaddyFin]

I don't know what to think of the guy because I don't have enough information. 

1.  We know he's not a spy.  Spies don't hang around in a hotel for three weeks and then hop airports looking for political asylum.

2.  What he has done is make us have a very important conversation about our privacy versus our perceptions of security.

The reason I can't come down either way yet, is that we still know very little about what he knows and how much he knows. 

I have to say I no longer believe that government monitoring of this kind is making us any safer.  Once upon a time, I supported the PATRIOT ACT.  I never thought we would use it against our own citizens and to this degree, so I have that blood on my hands.  I cannot and will not support this level of government spying without any kind of reasonable suspicion or due process against its own people.  This new Meta-data thing has me worried but I don't know enough about the ins and outs of it.

I have to agree with Rand Paul that time will decide if Snowden is a hero or a traitor.  I can't blame him for running, but I wish he would come clean with what he knows so that we can decide as a nation what to do about all of this once and for all.  I fear for his safety, but I also have to say that if he ends up in a country that is considered unfriendly to the US (Cuba, Venezuela, China, Russia) they may beat what he does know out of him and kill him.  Of course there are politicians who unfortunately want to do that here.  If there were ever a case for Presidential pardons, this might be it...

[CF DolFan]

He is a traitor who is trying to pose as something else. He was in China, now Russia and then wants to be off to Central America. He is selling, or at least trying, to sell things. Had he of just been looking to hide out he would have been in France or Switzerland.

[Sunstroke]

For a while there, I had the only vote for "traitor," and was sincerely wondering whether I was missing out on some aspect of this story.

[Phishfan]

^^^ I may need more to the story myself. I haven't paid attention really.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

For a while there, I had the only vote for "traitor," and was sincerely wondering whether I was missing out on some aspect of this story.

I haven't voted, cause I haven't decided.  But as one person put it, if some one had revealed magic or purple in 1944, they would not have been considered a "whistle blower"

[Sunstroke]

But as one person put it, if some one had revealed magic or purple in 1944, they would not have been considered a "whistle blower"

That would have come as quite a rude shock to my magician grandfather, Lavender the Magnificent...

[Buddhagirl]

I honestly don't know what to think of Snowden. I'm not sure what his intentions are.

[pondwater]

As far as I know, he has only released info regarding bad behavior against the American citizens by the government. I don't consider that traitor behavior, nor do I think it is heroic. However, it was the right thing to do. Anything else, I'll hold off judgement.

[Pappy13]

I have a real hard time believing his motives were completely altruistic. It would be really admirable if it's true, but the guy threw away his entire career over this? I gotta believe their are extenuating circumstances that haven't come out yet, but maybe I'm just cynical.

[fyo]

Most are calling him including the the U.S. government a traitor...

That's incorrect.

There have been a numerous of polls on the topic recently, and they've all been divided, but with a majority "in favor". E.g. a very recent one ( link )

Support for Snowden dips, but more Americans still see him as patriot

That was a Reuters poll. The most negative poll I've seen was a USA Today poll which was split pretty much down the middle (49% to 44% on the question of whether the leak "served" or "harmed" public interest).

The separate question of legalities seems to depend a lot on the phrasing used. Should he be "prosecuted" or "stand trial" seems to gather a fair bit of support, whereas should he be "punished" (or similar) seem to get a strong "should not be punished" response.

[fyo]

He was in China, now Russia and then wants to be off to Central America. He is selling, or at least trying, to sell things. Had he of just been looking to hide out he would have been in France or Switzerland.

That's absurd. He has completely ruined his life. Either he gets the "Assange" treatment and spends who knows how long in the transit area of some Russian airport (or in an Ecuadorian Embassy) or he lives looking over his shoulder (probably in virtual house arrest) in Ecuador or Iceland. Regardless, he'll have little to no contact with family and friends -- and will never be able to feel safe.

He was earning a nice 6-figure salary in his job (while still in his 20s). Now, any comforts he gets will be at the mercy of others. He migh even live quite comfortably wherever he ends up, but nothing approaching what his old income could have provided for.

Whether you consider him a traitor, a hero, delusional, or something else entirely, he clearly didn't do it for any financial gain. Any claim of that based on the evidence we have so far is moronic.

[bsfins]

Fyo-I don't care if it's correct or not...I just wanted what you thought,not what you can google......Stop trying to nit pick,and correct people....