On 06/10/2013 12:44 AM, Ryan Simpkins wrote: > Did Mr. Snowden do the right thing by disclosing PRISM and similar programs to > the world, or did he violate the trust of his employer, government, and fellow > countrymen by reveling secrets that aught not to have been reveled?
Yes he did the right thing, and he very well could be an American hero. However he absolutely did violate the trust of his employer and government. And he will have to face the consequences of those actions, and hopefully through those consequences we'll be lulled out of complacency and act to change things. If he thinks otherwise, then he hasn't quite thought things through. People forget sometimes throughout history courageous men and women have done the right thing, even when it meant civil disobedience, but were willing to go to prison for their beliefs. Rosa Parks, for example, knew full well she'd be prosecuted for riding on that bus, and even that she'd be incarcerated, but she hoped her actions and her treatment, trial, and incarceration would be a spark for change, and it was. This week has been one of cognitive dissonance for me as I've come to realize that the Tea Party is probably right about their view of government, though at the same time as they got elected they became part of the problem. And my relatives forwarding supposed prophecies about the constitution hanging by a thread (because the wrong lizard got elected) were actually right, though no opposing vote will change this situation. This is a very good but sad take on the situation: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130607/what-if-journalists-covered-us-like-they-cover-world /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
