Russia: Snowden can stay

[JDPriestly]

106. Have you ever pointed out to your boss that something going on in his company was illegal?

If you ever did, it is very likely that you were either ignored or fired -- usually for some phony reason.

Snowden told US the American people that we are being spied on.

I have been assured here on DU (many times) that other countries spy on the internet too. I have been assured that China, Russia, France, Brazil, etc. all do it.

If they all do it, then surely they would know that the US does it. Snowden was not telling them anything new (if they are all doing it).)

It's we, the American people, who believed that our Constitution prevented our government from spying on us. We thought we were safe. We thought we were free.

Sillly us. So Snowden's news was news to us, but probably not to a lot of other countries. Remember that virus that affected Iran's nuclear capacity. It is strongly believed that was either our invention or that of the Israelis. Our capacity to use the internet as a weapon as established although most of us thought that surely our democratic government would not be spying on us.

Silly us. Snowden is a whistleblower. When our government decides to do things that are illegal, a citizen who knows about it has a duty to come forward.

In democracy, the individuals and bureaucratic institutions that happen to be executing power are not the authority. The people are the authority. The individuals and bureaucratic institutions that happen to be executing power form a government that ultimately answers to the people. Therefore those individuals and bureaucratic institutions are not what is to be protected foremost and always. It is the people who are sovereign and who must be protected -- and who have the last say.

The NSA should be a servant of the people. It should not be abusing the people.