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> As much as I agree with Snowden, the USA government will never forgive the betrayal. I don't mean to distract from your main point, but IMO the only betrayal

> As much as I agree with Snowden, the USA government will never forgive the betrayal. I don't mean to distract from your main point, but IMO the only betrayal was by the NSA/CIA. Snowden was simply upholding his civic responsibilities.

kelnos 6y ago
That depends on your point of view. If you are the government, then Snowden absolutely did betray your trust. Unfortunately it also just happens to be the government that gets to decide what penalties there are for this sort of thing, even though the people were also betrayed by the three-letter agencies.
- kyuudou 6y ago
  >If you are the government, then Snowden absolutely did betray your trust. And having gotten federal clearance in the past, I remember lots of very forbidding language indicating the extensive penalties that would occur if that clearance was violated. Even the guy who got pardoned by Trump, Kristian Saucier, who took a few pictures inside of a submarine where he worked[1], was basically ruined until pardon - prison, not honorable discharge, etc... 63 months of prison! That's how serious the federales are about enforcing classification and generally, I agree with it. Except in the case of exposing massive unconstitutional abuses of power including the wholesale disregard and contempt for the 4th amendment. 1: https://www.theday.com/article/20180309/NWS09/180309337 https://www.theday.com/article/20180309/NWS09/180309337
kyuudou 6y ago
No worries and I totally agree with you. Snowden had no other choice after the examples of whistleblower after whistleblower after whistleblower tried to follow the rules in place for disclosing the kind of abuse he observed and instead ended up getting railroaded, ghosted and otherwise ruined. It also allowed people like Bill Binney to come out to expand further on those revelations.
Hnrobert42 6y ago
Snowden betrayed everyone whose lives he endangered by breaking his oath. Over half my annual charitable giving goes to the ACLU and EPIC, but that guy can burn in hell.

kelnos 6y ago

That depends on your point of view. If you are the government, then Snowden absolutely did betray your trust. Unfortunately it also just happens to be the government that gets to decide what penalties there are for this sort of thing, even though the people were also betrayed by the three-letter agencies.

kyuudou 6y ago
>If you are the government, then Snowden absolutely did betray your trust. And having gotten federal clearance in the past, I remember lots of very forbidding language indicating the extensive penalties that would occur if that clearance was violated. Even the guy who got pardoned by Trump, Kristian Saucier, who took a few pictures inside of a submarine where he worked[1], was basically ruined until pardon - prison, not honorable discharge, etc... 63 months of prison! That's how serious the federales are about enforcing classification and generally, I agree with it. Except in the case of exposing massive unconstitutional abuses of power including the wholesale disregard and contempt for the 4th amendment. 1: https://www.theday.com/article/20180309/NWS09/180309337 https://www.theday.com/article/20180309/NWS09/180309337

kyuudou 6y ago

No worries and I totally agree with you. Snowden had no other choice after the examples of whistleblower after whistleblower after whistleblower tried to follow the rules in place for disclosing the kind of abuse he observed and instead ended up getting railroaded, ghosted and otherwise ruined. It also allowed people like Bill Binney to come out to expand further on those revelations.

Hnrobert42 6y ago

Snowden betrayed everyone whose lives he endangered by breaking his oath. Over half my annual charitable giving goes to the ACLU and EPIC, but that guy can burn in hell.