These days probably
no one is in the news more often than Edward Snowden. Snowden is either a demon
or a hero, depending upon the side of his escapades with which one sympathizes.
Some people, including me, are caught on the horns of a dilemma – we see merit
in both sides.
First let me say that
the United States is a nation of laws, and lawbreakers must be punished. Snowden
must pay the consequences of his actions.
One commits civil
disobedience in order to be punished.
By so doing, one calls attention to the injustice one is protesting, thus
garnering popular support for reform. By fleeing to nations somewhat cool to
the U.S. interests, Snowden has given the government backing in the effort to
demonize him. Thus the full force of his disclosures is blunted – attention is
called to his actions and turned away from the object of his protest: our government is spying on us.
Which begs the
question: Why are so many people, including many liberals, not upset about the
object of Snowden’s disclosures? Let me repeat it loud and clear: Our government is spying on us. When one
makes a telephone call, or sends an email, somewhere within the confines of the
NSA’s headquarters that call is being recorded.
According to the
government, only so-called metadata,
the calling and receiving telephone numbers, the time of day and other innocuous
data is being recorded. Perhaps so, but we have only the government’s word for
this, and that word is becoming more suspect all the time. Even if true there
is no guarantee that more personal data will not be recorded in the future.
The government also
assures us that the data will be used only for discovering and subverting
terrorist plots. And again, even if this is true at the present time, who can promise that no government bureaucracy
will ever decide that some opposing movement constitutes a terrorist plot, and use the information as a weapon?
As to the threats
that have already been uncovered, it appears that the metadata was brought in
to play only after the terrorist activity was discovered by conventional
methods. Would the activity have been prevented even though the metadata was
not available? The government isn’t telling us.
According to
Amendment V of the Constitution: The right of the people to be secure in their
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable
cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place
to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Perhaps the
Constitution does not apply to the government.
Snowden should
receive at least a slap on the wrist, and then get a medal.
****** My books, “There Are Only Seven Jokes” and “The Spirit Runs Through It” are available in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.
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