Snowden had already decided to leak classified information before he had access to any of it - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Jarate Lover;41211346]If this was all planned ahead of time, I think he used the information about the NSA spying on people to get the people to admire and glorify him, then proceeded to leak other information to other countries knowing that if the US government tries to kill him or anything, the people would be very angry. He used PRISM as insurance. "A people's voice is dangerous when charged with wrath." - Aeschylus[/QUOTE] I'm not so sure. Even if he was entirely legit, fleeing to China and Russia would be the smartest move - Because he's there doesn't mean he's sharing national secrets with their governments. He just knows better than to go to Europe like Assange did - You saw how that turned out for him.

I wondet which country will pass The Whistleblower Protection Act first.

[QUOTE=vadrigar;41212531]I wondet which country will pass The Whistleblower Protection Act first.[/QUOTE]Well, the U.S. already has it, so...

[QUOTE=vadrigar;41212531]I wondet which country will pass The Whistleblower Protection Act first.[/QUOTE] You mean like this one? [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistleblower_Protection_Act[/URL] Or maybe like these? [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_in_Government_Act[/URL] [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd–La_Follette_Act[/URL] [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Service_Reform_Act_of_1978[/URL] Oh, maybe we need an organization devoted specifically to whistleblowing within the DoD, and hey, how about one for just the intelligence community within the DoD. [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Defense_Whistleblower_Program[/URL] [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Intelligence_Community_Whistleblower_Protection[/URL] Anyone who says the US has no protection for whistleblowers hasn't done their homework. There are a lot more options available now than there ever were for Daniel Ellsberg.

[QUOTE=Zambies!;41203874]Every anti-US nation Snowden hops to destroys his image slightly. It will add up if he goes to Cuba and then Ecuador.[/QUOTE] If he starts actively leaking confidential US information, then yes. Right now, due to US's desire to charge and extradite him, it looks like Snowden has to jump to these countries out of [i]necessity.[/i] And, as Obama announced just today, [quote]I'm not going to have one case with a suspect who we’re trying to extradite suddenly be elevated to the point where I've got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues, simply to get a guy extradited so he can face the justice system[/quote] Essentially, what he's saying is that the US gov't is only going to go after Snowden if there's minimal diplomatic action involved. Both sides are setting up an atmosphere where the US looks like they're only going to act if they can get away with extraditing Snowden quickly and painlessly. The US is literally putting Snowden in a position where his only alternative is to go to countries that aren't willing to readily give Snowden to the US. As long as he doesn't start creating his own diplomatic power play with these different countries, the ball is in the US's court.

[QUOTE=SPESSMEHREN;41203290]As if that isn't enough, he truly believes he is above the law just because he's a "whistleblower" on programs that were perfectly legal.[/QUOTE] oh my god are you serious every post you make makes me infuriated

He's already leaked U.S. Classified documents onto media sites and it is now spreading across the internet. All I know is this guy is causing us a headache in the Afghanistan. [QUOTE]Terrorist groups had always taken care to avoid detection – from using anonymous email accounts, to multiple cellphones, to avoiding electronic communications at all, in the case of Osama bin Laden. But there were some methods of communication, like the Skype video teleconferencing software that some militants still used, thinking they were safe, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials who follow the groups. They spoke anonymously as a condition of describing their surveillance of the groups. Those militants now know to take care with Skype – one of the 9 U.S.-based Internet servers identified by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden's leaks to The Guardian and The Washington Post. Two U.S. intelligence officials say members of virtually every terrorist group, including core al-Qaida members, are attempting to change how they communicate, based on what they are reading in the media, to hide from U.S. surveillance. It is the first time intelligence officials have described which groups are reacting to the leaks. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak about the intelligence matters publicly. [/QUOTE] [URL]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/al-qaeda-nsa-leaks-changing-tactics_n_3509871.html?utm_hp_ref=world[/URL]

[QUOTE=Ice Tea;41203173]Yes they are secretly trying to waste money in capturing and prosecuting random innocent people. Wake up. People think Snowden could be a traitor because he is assumingly committing treason and telling other superpowers even more secrets of our system. People who think he is a 'Hero' should reconsider.[/QUOTE] Why should we have "secrets" in our system?

[QUOTE=demoguy08;41208853]Wow you actually, honestly believe this?[/QUOTE] Life in the west is pretty great compared to many other places.

[QUOTE=VIbe;41213352]Why should we have "secrets" in our system?[/QUOTE] Are you kidding me? You can't think of any information that should be kept secret? How about, say, the identities of informants within Al-Qaeda- you think that should be public?

[QUOTE=valkery;41203105]Just because he knew ahead of time that there was something fishy and decided to do something about it doesn't make him a traitor. I don't care what the government says or any logical reasoning as to why this man should be considered a traitor. Regardless of whether they could use or did use even the relatively small amount of data they gathered to stop terrorists, I don't care. In this case, and this case alone, I feel as though I should be pulling on the slippery slope fallacy. So they can stop terrorists. That's great. Fantastic. If they look a bit deeper, I'll bet they can stop that murder on 5th next week. A little more and that 7-11 on the corner won't be robbed. Maybe just a little more and that rape or those abusers could be stopped. At what cost though? Eventually I'll be getting talked to by the FBI because I told my buddy three weeks ago in a joke that I knew of a bomb threat to the White House. I know it seems far fetched, but our current reality is that far detached from it.[/QUOTE] Well, as long as it can stop those things (it probably can't), and it isn't used for crushing dissenters or global espionage or something (it is being used for the latter now, though, and that needs to be stopped), you're an entitled dick for putting "privacy" over the security of the nation and the lives of other people just based on principle. "The cost" be damned. Don't quote Benjamin Franklin or some other historic figure romanticizing freedom or hailing it as most important, either.

[QUOTE=scout1;41207816]Because terrorist attacks are, statistically, one of the least possible ways of dying and a far cry from the 60s and 70s where domestic terorrism was a real threat? Look I could explain to you why every government does every action, but you need to learn this for yourself, first of all, and second of all I don't have that kind of time. Governments all act in self-interest. How does it benefit their country? I mean the obvious example is why the US works at all with any dictatorship anywhere ever. They have something we want. Military buffer. Resources. Political leverage.[/QUOTE] So after complaining that you were being insulted, you've essentially confirmed exactly what I said. That so long as you're happy, you don't really mind your country fucking the rest of the world up.

[QUOTE=Harnbrand;41214427]So after complaining that you were being insulted, you've essentially confirmed exactly what I said. That so long as you're happy, you don't really mind your country fucking the rest of the world up.[/QUOTE] I don't even know who you are.

[QUOTE=scout1;41214632]I don't even know who you are.[/QUOTE] It doesn't matter. From what I read, you don't care about the US government fucking people over.

[QUOTE=SPESSMEHREN;41203697]Because people as a whole are irrational and formulate opinions with half-truths, incorrect, and biased information. If you were to ask for the whole country's input do you seriously expect the government to ever accomplish anything? Especially seeing as you have a significant amount of people who believe Obama is a socialist....[/QUOTE] [quote]Especially seeing as you have a significant amount of people who believe Obama is a socialist....[/quote] Isn't this going against your statement that people are irrational?

[QUOTE=BFG9000;41215039]Isn't this going against your statement that people are irrational?[/QUOTE] Obama isn't a Socialist though.

[QUOTE=Emperorconor;41215126]Obama isn't a Socialist though.[/QUOTE] Maybe he isn't, and maybe he is, but taking people's word for it is not enough for me. I'll just go off what I've observed.

[QUOTE=BFG9000;41215380]Maybe he isn't, and maybe he is, but taking people's word for it is not enough for me. I'll just go off what I've observed.[/QUOTE] If he was a socialist, why would he even be in the Democrat party?

[QUOTE=Emperorconor;41215640]If he was a socialist, why would he even be in the Democrat party?[/QUOTE] Damnit guys it was an obvious joke