Edward Snowden: heroic whistleblower or traitor?

I’m not sure how I feel about this yet—I go back and forth. But I do feel that many of the black or white labels we once were comfortable with are anacronistic in this Internet-social media age when everybody seems to know, or think they know, the truth about everything they read and hear.

I’m not settled with my view of Mr. Snowden’s actions; we live in complicated times. I feel that the labels “traitor” and “hero” are both overblown; and it is only in the larger context of information (that might be revealed) that we can draw our conclusions over time.

He could turn out to be both, he needs to come back to the US and stand trial.

True American Patriot.

@WestRiverrat He could not receive a fair, impartial trial. Much too complicated. He violated a law that was legitimized by a secret interpretation of the law and legalized by a secret court. Is it a crime to release information that should be public in a democracy? According to our government it is. The only thing that could save him would be jury nullification, with the people refusing to enforce a law they do not agree with, and we know how the government feels about that. Hell, just to be sure it didn’t happen they would probably just set up a secret court, hold the trial in secret, refuse, on national security grounds of course, to allow it to even a transcript of the testimony to be released, and then put him away for life instead of killing him just to show how humane and righteous we Americans are.

A traitor betrays his country Snowden only betrayed the NSA. Which is the higher allegiance; to the NSA or to the American people?

@flutherother I want to know how much of what he is not telling us, he has told to the Chinese at this point. Whistleblowers do not flee to our adversaries. If he felt he would be persecuted, he could have fled to Canada, Switzerland or France before blowing the whistle.

If his main purpose was to tell secrets to the Chinese he could have done this with less fuss. I think he feels safer in Hong Kong.

Extradition is a major concern with all the countries listed. He might have been ok in Ecuador or Nicaragua but would that have made folks any happier. Hong Kong at least gives him cards to play in the game.

Had he stood firm on American soil, and spoken his mind, I might call him a hero.
The fact that he took this information and went to China makes me call him a traitor.

He didn’t take “this information” @filmfann. He exposed it, to everyone, not just China.

If he is a traitor, then someone please tell me what he has betrayed.

The real question here, is whether or not the NSA is heroic, or traitorous to the American people… and the entire world. They seem to be in direct violation of the fourth amendment.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies we gave them permission to do this in the immediate wake of the September 11th attacks. I am rather shocked that any of the information Snowden shared came as a surprise to anyone.

@SuperMouse I disagree. I believe that they have gone far beyond, and abused, whatever powers they were granted in the aftermath of 9/11.

And, perhaps it would not have been such a surprise had the government not denied categorically that they were doing what he exposed.

I’d say BOTH.