Why the Ruling Class is So Upset About Edward Snowden

[DirkGently]

59. Absolutely. This is a threat to The Way Things Are Done.

Nothing makes an insider or elitist angrier than someone bucking the chain of command. There is nice, cozy arrangement right now, particularly for national issues, wherein very little information not beneficial to government is reported in-depth. There are gobs of "leaks," but somehow they're all helpful to the establishment.

Look at all the "classified" info dumped trying to defend the NSA spying scandal. "Zillions of terror plots were stopped!" Yet not one squeal of "traitor," nor any threats of prosecution.

This is serious stuff. Damaging information is the precise information people need to hear, and it's largely been successfully characterized as crime. This is the same logic used on progressives in general. Occupy, an explicitly peaceful, non-violent movement, was nonetheless stalked and spied upon and infiltrated, because, you know, complaining about monied interests or government corruption is tantamount to treason.

What's going to happen at some point is truly "damaging" secrets will be revealed, because now it all goes in the treason bucket.

And I'm going to reverse a habit I have here and point out this is AN OBAMA PROBLEM. This administration, not Bush, began abusing the Espionage Act and applying it to whistleblowing and leaking.

It's not acceptable because he's doing it. And it won't be acceptable when the next conservative continues it.