General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: So, just to sum up, Assange is a rapist, Snowden's a narcissist and nut job, Greenwald's a pervert, [View all]Blanks
(4,835 posts)I want to be clear on my position on Snowden. This kind of behavior should not be viewed as heroic.
It is something completely different to reveal secret information to the press and insist on anonymity than it is to reveal secrets and be viewed as a hero.
Young people who commit suicide receive a lot of attention after the act and sometimes spur 'copy cats'. Its dangerous to give someone a lot of positive attention for doing something illegal.
If people are willing to commit suicide because they see how much attention it gets - revealing government secrets for attention seems a much less permanent way to get a lot of positive attention.
Not everyone who thinks Snowden shouldn't be getting a lot of positive attention is a troll. As far as using Manning as an example for why Snowden did it the way he did, we shouldn't know who he is either.
People should watch 'All the Presidents Men' (or read the book). I remember when some old guy died (and I'd never heard of him). The only reason it was in the news was because he was suspected of being 'deep throat'. That's how one effectively stops corruption - anonymously.
Anyone saying that Snowden should be seen as a hero isn't thinking it through. I don't care if it is Jimmy Carter (a man that I have a lot of respect for), wrong is wrong.
As far as the secrets he revealed, I wasn't surprised or appalled by them. Oddly, I thought everyone knew that this kind of thing was going on. That doesn't mean I like it, but we could have just as easily gotten the information from an anonymous source.
I wouldn't expect it to stop either, people will modify their behavior now that they know, but there is no constitutional guarantee of privacy (according to my attorney). I guess we could start a petition, but I wouldn't count on that stopping it either.