He took unilateral action in determining what he thought was safe. Neither of us really knows the impact of the leak or its actual scope (as far as other lesser

He took unilateral action in determining what he thought was safe. Neither of us really knows the impact of the leak or its actual scope (as far as other lesser security breaches likely concomitant with the major leak). The approach doesn't boil down to that hyperbole at all. There's a place for opposition, but I don't see it as among those people who choose to work on classified projects for the NSA and CIA. Compartmentalized security relies on trusted individuals not choosing to make unilateral security decisions. If he wants to resign and then generally oppose governmental surveillance, then he is welcome to do that. I see the pentagon papers as along the same lines as this. The remnants of my teenage agents sympathize with the whistle blower spirit, but I see this as effectively the same as vigilante justice and blatant disregard of the importance of trust in security and while it may have had positive societal benefits, that doesn't mean there should be no consequences.