No matter what you may think about Edward Snowden, because there seems to a concerted effort to discredit him on the left, as well as what we expected from the right, he is absolutely correct. He is critiqued for his political evolution and reported statements. He has been called a racist because he had criticized Obama in the past. Anecdotal information culled from statements by his co workers has been used to build a conjectural bank of accusations about his motives and imagined real ideology. In some ways the radical left that criticizes him for this construct of supposed evidence by using information selectively mined from the internet supports a lot of what he is saying in this message.We are living in a world that goes beyond the imagination of George Orwell. I know that my blogging activities are being monitored. I have accessed direct information that has let me know that this is a fact. That has a lot of bearing on why I don't write more about French politics. I will never own a cell phone. The speculation as to why he did what he did seems pretty unbalanced as to what his critics have conjectured as to what he could have expected to gain and the reality of what he did and the personal consequences of his actions. None the less, he has set in motion our awareness and the beginning of a real worldwide movement to re liberate the internet and give us back our privacy. Nothing will ever be the same, it never is, but at least we have the knowledge and knowledge is power.
I don't think he is being egotistical when he states that his mission was accomplished and has been been vindicated. And why we are on the subject, if Vlad could free members of Pussy Riot, for what ever reasons in his political game, why can't Barak Obama Free Chelsea Manning NOW!
The Traitors of Today are The Heroes of Tomorrow.
3 comments:
Damn, I am pulled two ways on this: When I was in the military I had a Top Secret clearance and when I retired I had to sign compliance statements. There is information that is detrimental to our country, our security and the lives of military and others...there is a grey line between whistleblower and reckless endangerment...He is guilty of violating his Secret clearance - which is a crime.
We need to decide: Do we need military and national security secrets, and should we hold people cleared for access to that information accountable?
the Ol'Buzzard
I really understand your concerns. I understand and respect the principle of loyalty and trust. I'm sure Manning did, and I cannot really say how much of his disclosures were based on his true concern and how much was a result of his emotional instability. None the less, I do think his moral values over rode his sense of loyalty. I also think the way he endured the treatment he was subjected to during his pre trial solitary confinement proved his real strength of character. This idea of loyalty and trust has to be equal...a government can't demand unquestioning loyalty baed on the threat of punishment alone. That will create rebellion. It has to work both ways to be effective. In the case of Snowden, you have Government a Secuirity apparatus that has clearly gone beyond the limits of what is was supposed to be doing. It was a system out of control. Even now, re realize that it was a system that had become dysfunctional because of the sheer volume of the information is was collecting. Because of this, our concept as a society has had to alter what we think of as freedom and our right to privacy. I think in all of the cases, the whistle blower crossed the line, but it was a line of being aware of what the consequences were. In another post, I wrote about Benjamin Franklin who was the postmaster of Boston and an official of the British government. He violated his responsibilities and the law in revealing official government correspondence which he had access to. He committed a traitorous act and violated the trust that is placed in the security of the post, yet, his act is regarded as heroic. What do you think about Daniel Ellsberg? I believe there is a clear line between whistle blowing and espionage...but we have to deal with these things in a way that doesn't violate the trust we give authority.What about the abuse of government during the McCarthy era? Lives were ruined, people prosecuted on trumped up charges for hysterical charges of espionage. Ultimately, you are the bottom line here...it is your moral compass that must guide you and make the decision between complacency or taking the consequences of your actions.
It's to us in free society to define what power government has over us, but how can we do that if we do not understand what power is anymore?
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