Simple question: Is Snowden a Whistle-blower or Treasonist ?

[jessie04]

Did he inform on someone breaking the law ( whistle-blower)

or

he inform on a legal congress approved ( ) plan that he signed never to divulge ( Treasonist) ?










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[Sunlei]

1. a thief of his companies business papers.

[B Calm]

2. Another right wing treasonist!

[graham4anything]

3. Whatever Rand and Ron Paul think, I think the other.

[NoPasaran]

4. WTF is a "treasonist"?

[Javaman]

10. he brokers treaties?

[winter is coming]

26. Someone who puts condiments on their trees, instead of eating them unseasoned?

[madinmaryland]

30. Is that what happens when I cast asparagus??

[winter is coming]

32. Asparagus is cast when people who mistake it for tiny trees.

Such people fall into two categories:

1) Those with extremely poor eyesight
2) Those who believe Hollandaise sauce is a type of mayonnaise invented by the Dutch.

[Laelth]

5. He broke the law.

As have activists throughout history. Were Henry David Thoreau and Rosa Parks whistleblowers or traitors? In the context of civil disobedience, this question makes little sense.

-Laelth

[NoPasaran]

19. Thoreau went to jail

Rosa Parks was arrested, although apparently her case dragged on until the case became moot. Neither of them fled the country to avoid the personal consequences of their civil disobedience.

[Laelth]

23. Perhaps they should have.

I would not want to be in Mr. Snowden's shoes right now.

-Laelth

[NoPasaran]

33. Someone who was supposedly pulling down $200K probably has some pretty nice shoes, I would guess

[mia]

6. Can't decide if he's a whistle-blower or a weasel. n/t

[BlueToTheBone]

7. Wouldn't that be Traitor?

I think you just made a word up when we have a perfectly good one to describe the perp.

[yellowcanine]

11. I hate when people make up new words when a perfectly good word exists already.

And it is not if one couldn't be colorful within the existing language framework.

For example, treasonous nincompoop could be employed in this instance.

[BlueToTheBone]

14. Especially when they aren't as good as the words we already use.

[GoCubsGo]

8. Neither.

He's a naive political hack with delusions of "saving the world" from somebody whose politics he doesn't like.

[randome]

17. I'll go with that.

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[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
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[Progressive dog]

9. No

[backscatter712]

12. Stupidest fucking debate question ever. n/t

[JaneyVee]

13. I'll wait for more facts before jumping on or off the bandwagon.

He didn't expose anything we don't already know, so I'm not sure he is a whistleblower. His entire motive seems to be to spark a National conversation about this. Which could have been done without leaking classified info.

[B2G]

15. It's not just 'breaking the law'

It also refers to mismanagement, corruption, illegality, or some other wrongdoing.

[B2G]

16. And 'abuse of power' is also covered. nt

[Zorra]

18. I'll let you know when I figure out if he is for real or not. nt

[CakeGrrl]

20. He broke the law by revealing information. He didn't expose any lawbreaking.

He's no whistleblower.

[Life Long Dem]

21. He's a criminal

[roamer65]

22. I'll reserve judgement yet.

Lets see where he next turns up.

[FarCenter]

24. He did not follow the whistleblowing procedures for classified information.

Members of the intelligence community have a process defined in legislation passed by Congress for whistleblowing using classified information, one of which is taking the information to a Congressperson.

Instead, he broke the law by making classified information public.

[KittyWampus]

25. I don't know yet.

[Kelvin Mace]

27. The word you want is "traitor" not "treasonist", which is not a word

I do not consider informing on a police state to be treason, I consider contravening the Constitution to be treason.

[still_one]

28. Too soon to tell, maybe something else also

[Th1onein]

29. You mean "traitor," don't you? nt

[bluestate10]

31. He is guilty of treason. The more I find out about him, the more he looks like a rightwing

ideologue. Of course some "progressives" here on DU are ready to build a bronze statue of that poser. He sat through Bush and said nothing.