| I disagree with a decent number of things in this article. >Yet for all the pontificating...today I rather see the pattern of a common deserter in Snowden, rather than the champion of free speech that some position him as A person doesn't have to behave perfectly all the time - bravery and heroic acts remain so, despite imperfections of the person doing those acts. What Snowden did was undoubtedly brave and heroic, despite his opinion or lack thereof, of whatever issues of the day. That's assuming I find fault with Snowden for remaining silent on the Ukraine issue - which I don't. How much does a person have to give and sacrifice, really? I don't blame Snowden for determining that he has given enough, and deciding to live a quiet life, outside the public sphere. >During his time in Russia, we have seen the whistleblower system work effectively here at home. The details of Trump’s... I'm not sure I agree with this statement either. While it is nice to see the whistle blown on obvious bad actions, I'm not convinced that it is an example of the system "working", but more an extension of the political division in our government, and how normal and essential government functions are weaponized for political ends. I have strong doubts that any whistleblowing would have happened under a more "establishment" president, with an equivalent level of misdeeds. Do you really think that Joe Biden's administration is that more ethical than Trump's? >... certainly far less than the charges Snowden brought on himself or the freedoms he gave up by not using the right channels. Instead of following process, Snowden fled the country under the Obama administration, who was a teddy bear compared to Trump. I can't tell if the author is naive or deliberately obtuse, but this is where the article lost all credibility for me. I don't see how Snowden could have faced a fair trial and while it was Donald Trump's admin that started the persecution of Julian Assange, I have no doubt that Obama's Justice Department (which was infamously and shamefully prosecutorial to whistleblowers) would have been even more severe to Edward Snowden. In hindsight, not only do Snowden's actions seem reasonable, but they also seem intelligent and resourceful and perhaps the only way to stay out of jail for decades. >If I could reach him today, I would tell Snowden to come home and face the consequences of his actions, and set an example for his children of what patriotism and conviction really means. Ideals are meaningless without sacrifice. This is very easy to say when you don't have to sacrifice anything. Especially when it seems to ignore any aspect of reality. At this point, I believe the article to be malicious because of how divorced from reality it appears to be. |