[adventured]

And so it begins, the assault on Snowden, his character, his qualifications, etc.

[gridmaths]

Indeed.. and this guy will be crucified, for basically doing the right thing.

Such is the projection of American military power that his credit card and bank account will already be locked down, on grounds that he is a 'terrorist', regardless of which country he flees to.

[gyardley]

Sure, simultaneously with his canonization.

It's perfectly possible for Snowden to have done what he did and still have negative qualities - for example, by going public he's making the entire conversation about him instead of the programs he leaked.

[adventured]

He had no choice but to go public. His only shot at not being disappeared, killed, tortured, etc was to go public.

By going public, he's also encouraging others to do the same. Even if it's just the smallest amount, it matters.

[gyardley]

This is total fantasy. The government has and follows an established procedure for dealing with whistleblowers, including anonymous ones they manage to uncover - they'll conduct an investigation, file a complaint, arrest him, and then get an indictment.