Opinion of Edward Snowden?

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Discuss

[RaphaelDLG]

The government was making policy
1) Without telling the American people about it
2) Without being authorized by law to do it without telling the American people about it (i.e., it's something that legally can be classified)

This is extremely illegal and undemocratic - the government is making policy without any connection to its people, like a dictatorship or something.

These propositions are true regardless of whether you like the metadata collection or not, think it is worthwhile, politically effective, etc - even if it is effective and it is necessary (i'd argue it's neither), that's beside the point.

Let's say we all debated and came to the conclusion that, while it made us feel a little icky and invaded, ultimately the warrantless metadata collection was necessary to empower the government to keep ussafe.  That's fine, and that's democratic, but that's not at all what happened here.

The government was doing it without this debate, without us knowing that the program existed, so there's no way that we could democratically authorize such a program of bulk warrantless collection.

FF Snowden exposed this, so then could debate surveillance programs like a democracy then decide on them (like we did with the PATRIOT ACT, for better or for worse), rather than have some asshole in DC decide that the govt is going to  collect people's info without a warrant while pretending like that collection was going on and never letting the program be put to a vote.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

HUGEE FF!! Of course the government would want to prosecute someone who exposed their own illegal action.

[Intell]

Piece of Sh*t and did not abide by proper means and left to Russia, if that's a haven for civil rights. He should be prosecuted and have proper action taken against him.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

Piece of Sh*t and did not abide by proper means and left to Russia, if that's a haven for civil rights

aren't you like a maoist or something

[The Dowager Mod]

HP.

[SATW]

HP, scum etc...

[Kingpoleon]

HP for fleeing to Russia.

[SWE]

Piece of Sh*t and did not abide by proper means and left to Russia, if that's a haven for civil rights

aren't you like a maoist or something

So it's reasonable that he would hate freedom.

[Catholics vs. Convicts]

Strongly HP. If you truly care about this country don't run and hide in Russia.

[Slow Learner]

An example of an HP (okay, he's more obnoxious than horrible) doing someting good.

[ElectionsGuy]

FF

[Miles]

FF

[dax00]

The greatest FF America has seen since................ Abraham Lincoln.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Traitor.  He should be brought back to the US and put on trial for treason.

[nicholas.slaydon]

[/s]

The greatest FF America has seen since................ Abraham Lincoln.

Let me correct that.
The greatest FF America has seen since................. FOREVER