Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Justice for Edward Snowden
This is an opinionated article about Edward Snowden and how he should be given clemency by the U.S government. Most of us know Snowden, he leaked information of what the NSA was doing, they were gathering the American peoples personal information. Snowden did break the law but he also went against what the government wanted him to do by giving information to the American people he thought they should know. Do you think Snowden should be let back in the country? Or do you think we should put him in jail for breaking the law?
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James Clapper, who lied under oath, hasn't been punished, but Edward Snowden, who held the NSA accountable to its lies and didn't endanger national security at all, has been exiled. I think that doesn't make much sense. Snowden may have broken his contract, but he is a patriot and should not be kept out of the United States. I found it very interesting how this article juxtaposed President Obama's previous views on rights and safety with the ones he seems to be expressing now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jaime. Because James Clapper is the director of National Intelligence, he is padded by layers of lower workers when he breaks the law. Snowden is exiled for breaking the law. In fact, Clapper's lying is a danger to Americans, while Snowden was trying to protect Americans. He had no other options to do so, as the systems in place to check federal organizations are broken-- when Snowden brought this issue up to his supervisors, he was ignored, and he would not be protected if they decided to retaliate. While one part of me thinks that the information the NSA collects is theoretically to protect Americans, the illegal means by which they do so, without consent, is unacceptable and unconstitutional.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rachel and Jaime. I think it's much more serious that James Clapper lied than it is that Snowden told the truth. Yes, he broke the law, but he made the people aware that their rights to privacy have been infringed upon. I suppose the NSA wants us all to operate under the idea that "what we don't know won't hurt us", but that is no excuse. Ever since this affair started, I've been made uneasy and sometimes afraid, but not of spies or terrorists or enemies to the nation, but of the people who are supposed to be protecting us from threats, who seem to be exploiting the trust we all collectively place in them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of the above comments. The fact that only Snowden has been punished and not James Clapper is a little unsettling. Snowden was trying to do what he thought was best for us. Clapper was merely trying to hide the fact that the government was spying on us. Like Nia, I find this a little fear-inducing. I think there is a problem when people are starting to become less afraid of terrorists and more afraid of their own government. Our government is supposed to protect us from terrorists, but who will protect us from our government?
ReplyDeleteAs everyone else said James Clapper should not be left unpunished. This is another difficult issue between privacy and safety. It is unsettling that you can't have both but that's just the way it is. I think Snowden should be let back into the country and part of me thinks he should be in some way punished. I'll be honest I really don't have a strong opinion on this issue. I can understand both sides but can't choose one.
ReplyDeleteSnowden is not a criminal, and he should not have been exiled. Though it is true that Snowden broke the law, the government broke the law as well by spying on its citizens. If government officials are not considered criminals, then Snowden should not be either. Snowden did America a favor by revealing the poisonous and decadent intentions of the NSA. It is absurd to say that Snowden's revelation did more harm than good; though the NSA may have been "protecting" America, are the values and ideals of American society really safe if the American government is spying on its own people?
ReplyDeleteEdward Snowden is a hero. He knew what was at stake when he revealed NSA secrets but he did it anyway and that was extremely brave of him. He followed his oath to defend the Constitution by betraying his contract with the government. To point out the obvious: The Constitution is more important than a contract.If justice is going to be served to anyone, it should be Clapper. Snowden should not be punished for his act of bravery, but rather hailed as a national hero.
ReplyDeleteWow-- Becky-- you radical! ;)
DeleteAgain in the realm of privacy, I believe that what Mr. Snowden did was correct and informative to the American people. In the cases of Pres. Nixon and Pres. Bush lying to the public does not turn out well. Rightfully so, the NSA should take heat for not protecting the full privacy of Americans. The more private that the government becomes from the American people the more personal Americans seem to become with the government. If this trend continues, it is my opinion that the government's own privacy will be extinguished and revealed.
ReplyDeleteWhat Snowden did was indeed a patriotic act that many of the founding fathers likely would have applauded. The only issue I have is that when you get down to it, he still illegally released classified information. As much as it would be great to grant him clemency, I fear that it might set a bad precedent to others who could release classified information in the future.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Edward Snowden technically broke the law, the law is illegitimate if it violates the Constitution. I respect Snowden for having the courage to stand up for the rights of the American people. The massive federal government intrudes on Americans' lives constantly, as bureaucrats in departments such as the NSA practice Orwellian overreach on a grand scale. Snowden shed light on a dangerous development within the federal government, which ceases to have any accountability whatsoever these days. His loyalty to his country overruled his responsibilities as a government official, making him a true patriot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Andy and Victoria. I don't think Snowden should have been punished. His act was patriotic. He reveled to the American people what was going on behind closed doors. What Snowden did was illegal but he revealed to the citizens of the United States what the government was doing. I think that the American people should view Snowden as a hero.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lunger. Snowden may have broken the law but if a law is illegitimate if it goes against the constitution. What Snowden did was patriotic even though it my be considered illegal. The press needs to stop pointing the finger at Snowden and someone needs to hold Clapper accountable. The NSA shouldn't be spying on its own people and someone had to reveal this to the public. Through this, I hope that change will come out of Snowden's bravery.
ReplyDeleteThe morality of Edward Snowden's situation gets a little cloudy because I respect arguments from both sides. I do believe that he did something risky that ended up damaging the reputation of the NSA (and rightfully so) however he did do it illegally. Personally I'm not sure if he should be granted clemency here but maybe somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteAlthough what Snowden releasing this information to the American people was a patriotic act, I do not think his crime should go unpunished. He violated his contract and betrayed the American government, and for this he should remain in excile. Personally, I think he got lucky that he wasn't punished more severely.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very controversial essay. Although Snowden did break the law, I personally view him in the light of an American patriot. I think that he allowed Americans to see that the government was intruding on our privacy. I think as an American, I am more offended that the government betrayed its citizens privacy rather than that someone released the information. In conclusion, I think Snowden should be let back into the U.S.
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