Edward Snowden and the NSA

I did not see the interview, but I have a very difficult time with this part. Nobody has a clearance that your boss nor the chain-of-command doesn't know about. Especially access to SCI materials.

 

United States of Secrets

 

I find Snowden as heroic as any soldier and way more American than any politician.

 

No

 

Maybe his boss had clearance but never looked at it? I dont know.. he said he brought programs to the attention of his boss who didnt know the programs existed.

 

Bear in mind that everything he says only benefits himself at this point. Building up an image of a martyr benefits him and only him. There's no way to verify any of his claims whether they are true or fabrications.

 

Somewhat more accurate....

 

If he really was a patriot, he would not have given up the foreign intel. That has made the US a laughing stock in international politics and will damage the US and our US interests for many years to come. He hurt this country with that stuff to gain advantage for himself. That is not the act of a patriot.

 

What advantage did he gain for himself?

 

He got to see a real NFL championship ring....

 

No

 

Bargaining chip with other countries like Russia, as in "See I know stuff about foreign intelligence gathering too."

 

Shit, he had all the qualifications to be President and he didn't realize it.

 

You think he did that just so he could live as an exile in Russia?

 

Maybe I was wrong and we actually are talking about the President.
That was the course Obama took when the military got Bin Laden.

 

Warrants for his arrest. Most wanted man status. Labeled as a traitor by every flag hugging rube in his home country. Loss of his homeland. Loss of his employment, forever.

He reaped some real benefits.

 

OK, that's funny as shit right there.

 

Such an insightful comment.

Care to elaborate??

 

Sure, I work for a defense contractor and my boss's know that I have a clearance but they have no idea what for. They are not allowed access to the programs, know what they are or what level. That's kind of the funny thing about having a clearance, only those with a valid need to know are granted one. Just being the boss isn't enough.

 

Snowden sure as hell did no favors for himself with his actions and I wonder if he feels that it was worth it or at this point. He sounds like the kind of person that is more honest, and dedicated to his country, than most other citizens would be and he gave up a lot to do what he did. Who could he have gone to to in this country to achieve the results that he did? No one I suspect and if he had tried to bring all these secrets to light through channels within our own Government he would most likely have been tucked away in some hole to never be seen again.

I hate that it was necessary for him to have done it in the manner he chose but I'm not sure I condemn him for it. I don't think for a minute that all the secretive bs that our Government is getting into is necessary to "protect us" from the terrorist world. I still think it's basically another move on the part of people who think that power is everything.