General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Edward Snowden is a man without honor. [View all]marble falls
(60,263 posts)to be released in violation of his agreements that he would stay here and get his charges against the government heard under oath and on the record. While I agree his disclosures about government intrusions into our privacy alone need a thorough public hearing with him making his accusations and his own defense against the charges he faces, the rest of it - from character assassination to virtual beatification of Snowden - and the drip drip drip release of "secrets" which seem almost tawdry and blackmail like are troubling.
There is no doubt there are two issues here:1. Snowden's obligation to his employer and 2. the federal government's intrusion into private lives without due process and seemingly unconstitutionally - and doing it with private contractors.
They aren't equal issues and I think the Fed's problems trumps the Snowden circus. He may well be no-account but the privacy issue needs to be at least discussed publicly. I don't believe in shooting the messenger and I don't believe in shooting the message because the messenger is a less than a savory person, either.