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Snowden: 'Governments Can Reduce Our Dignity To That Of Tagged Animals' (theguardian.com)
An anonymous reader writes: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden writes a report on The Guardian explaining why leaking information about wrongdoing is a vital act of resistance. "One of the challenges of being a whistleblower is living with the knowledge that people continue to sit, just as you did, at those desks, in that unit, throughout the agency; who see what you saw and comply in silence, without resistance or complaint," Snowden writes. "They learn to live not just with untruths but with unnecessary untruths, dangerous untruths, corrosive untruths. It is a double tragedy: what begins as a survival strategy ends with the compromise of the human being it sought to preserve and the diminishing of the democracy meant to justify the sacrifice." He goes on to explain the importance and significance of leaks, how not all leaks are alike, nor are their makers, and how our connected devices come into play in the post-9/11 period. Snowden writes, "By preying on the modern necessity to stay connected, governments can reduce our dignity to something like that of tagged animals, the primary difference being that we paid for the tags and they are in our pockets."
By creating a planetary network, mankind on Planet now has the ability to share information at light-speed. But by creating a single such network, each faction has brought themselves closer to discovery as well. At the speed of light, we will catch your information, tag it like an animal in the wild, and release it unharmed-if such should serve our purposes.
Datajack Sinder Roze, Alpha Centauri
No, the traitors are the military personnel, who swore to defend the constitution from all threats foreign and DOMESTIC, and then sit at their desks at the NSA, figuring out better ways to spy on us.
"Prediction: within 10 years, Windows will be a Linux distribution." Me, 7-6-2016
I think it already had reduced beyond dignity. Just visualize airport lines.
A traitor to whom?
To the government that tries to usurp your freedoms? Most certainly.
To you? Most certainly not.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
You mean invade a sovereign country that is hosting him? That will no go over well with the international community, many of whom are starting to tire of America's shit. The only traitors are those who are opposing "We the people", those who are violating their oath to protect America and her citizens from threats both foreign and domestic. He exposed wrong doings when others remained silent. He is a hero and frankly more need to do as he does. Don't like it? Tough. What have you done for humanity?
Support your local school shooter, give them your firearms.
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Some people that have posted here seem close to realizing the government is less and less the holders of power, and the corporations like google, are more and more in a position of authority.
I would merely caution against whom you anger, for in a post government corpocracy there will likely be no enforceable laws preventing corporations from seeking 'damages' from negative 'feedback'.
~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
Which avenues could Snowden have taken? Keep in mind that Snowden claims that he did raise his concerns with a legal division at the National Security Agency but was rebuffed; this happened years before he leaked to the public. Keep in mind that NSA staffer Thomas Drake tried to use proper channels to report allegations of improper contracting but wound up the target of an investigation.
There is this analysis that shows that Snowden couldn't take any other avenue.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/oct/14/hillary-clinton/clinton-says-nsa-leaker-snowden-failed-use-whistle/
What kind of foreign intelligence efforts could possibly be compromised from the public knowledge that the government indiscriminately spies on the people? That's utterly stupid.
He held a clearance. To do so, it was required that he make several legally-binding promises. Among them, he would have promised (in no particular order):
There is no wiggle room.
He did report through appropriate channels and in the correct order. The reason he had to go through the other appropriate channel was because the first one turned out to be a traitor. Snowden would never have leaked the information if the first channel had followed the law.
And no, there is no wiggle room, the constitution goes above the others. Negotiating away the constitution or suppressing it would make you a traitor.