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> That alone marks him as a hell of a lot more mature than the numerous folks one reads of in the papers who speak despite not being authorised to, who take it

by davorb 11y ago

> That alone marks him as a hell of a lot more mature than the numerous folks one reads of in the papers who speak despite not being authorised to, who take it upon themselves to release classified information, or who are careless with information which may cause damage to the security of our nation. You know, there is a reason people went to the press -- it's because when they followed the official route they were ignored, threatened and had the full force of the US government turned against them. I suggest you read up on people like William Binney and Thomas Drake, before you so lightly dismiss people who have lost their careers and more, fighting for your freedom. http://www.npr.org/2014/07/22/333741495/before-snowden-the-whistleblowers-who-tried-to-lift-the-veil http://www.npr.org/2014/07/22/333741495/before-snowden-the-w... > Binney says he and two other NSA colleagues who also quit tried sounding the alarm with congressional committees. But because they did not have documents to prove their charges, nobody believed them. Snowden, he says, did not repeat that mistake. > "He recognized right away, it was very clear to me, that if he wanted anybody to believe him, he'd have to take a lot of documentation with him — which is what he did," Binney says.

wtbob 11y ago
> You know, there is a reason people went to the press -- it's because when they followed the official route they were ignored, threatened and had the full force of the US government turned against them. They were not ignored; their concerns were founded in an incorrect understanding of the Constitution and the law. They didn't follow the official route, which is to file a complaint with an inspector complaint. The government did nothing to them until they broke their oaths and the law. There's a better quote in there: > "Snowden could've come to me," says George Ellard, the NSA's inspector general. "In fact, he would have been given some protections." It applies equally to Drake & Binney. Anyone has the ability to go to an inspector general and raise issues of misconduct. What folks don't have the right to do is invent their own Constitution and laws. Another good quote is: > "Perhaps it's the case that we could've shown, we could've explained to Mr. Snowden his misperceptions, his lack of understanding of what we do," Ellard said. But we're already far off the topic; this isn't the thread to discuss how Binney, Drake & Snowden shared a fatally flawed misunderstanding of what is & is not licit under the prevailing interpretation of the Constitution. I'm just honestly glad that this young man actually fulfilled his oath. That really shouldn't be remarkable, but these days it is.
- meric 11y ago
  It should be noted these people who swear oaths have a greater responsibility to the constitution and the nation as a whole than to the individual organisations within government.

by davorb 11y ago

wtbob 11y ago

> You know, there is a reason people went to the press -- it's because when they followed the official route they were ignored, threatened and had the full force of the US government turned against them. They were not ignored; their concerns were founded in an incorrect understanding of the Constitution and the law. They didn't follow the official route, which is to file a complaint with an inspector complaint. The government did nothing to them until they broke their oaths and the law. There's a better quote in there: > "Snowden could've come to me," says George Ellard, the NSA's inspector general. "In fact, he would have been given some protections." It applies equally to Drake & Binney. Anyone has the ability to go to an inspector general and raise issues of misconduct. What folks don't have the right to do is invent their own Constitution and laws. Another good quote is: > "Perhaps it's the case that we could've shown, we could've explained to Mr. Snowden his misperceptions, his lack of understanding of what we do," Ellard said. But we're already far off the topic; this isn't the thread to discuss how Binney, Drake & Snowden shared a fatally flawed misunderstanding of what is & is not licit under the prevailing interpretation of the Constitution. I'm just honestly glad that this young man actually fulfilled his oath. That really shouldn't be remarkable, but these days it is.

meric 11y ago
It should be noted these people who swear oaths have a greater responsibility to the constitution and the nation as a whole than to the individual organisations within government.