General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Has Anyone Else On DU Noticed This Lately? [View all]railsback
(1,881 posts)"Those that have undying support for the NSA assumed almost immediately that Edward Snowden was bad, weak, had no appreciable evidence, etc. etc."
No one can 'work their way to the truth' going down such paths.
For example, for me, I'd have no problem with Manning if he leaked specific info. Instead, he did a massive document dump with little knowledge of what he was dumping, or who might get ahold of it. I'd have no problem with Snowden if he leaked specific info showing the NSA was breaking the laws as written. Instead, he leaked the entire blueprint of how we protect ourselves as a nation, while ALL the other nations, who use the same tactics in one form or another, take notes, and have NO intention of revealing their own apparatuses. He also stole classified material and fled the country with it. Der Speigel wouldn't even print much of what Snowden handed off to them. Both are careless, both put our nation at risk, and both should pay for it.
This isn't Star Trek. There's no 'one nation', no 'one human race'. We STILL live in a world of nations and races, who have no desire to expose their borders to other nations in the name of 'humanity' and 'freedom'. If given the opportunities, they WILL use whatever they can attain to strengthen themselves. It would be ignorant to think otherwise.
One can be 'open minded' AND understand the complexities of this world enough to know that the U.S. STILL needs to protect itself in order to survive, AND ALSO that We are a nation of laws, written by our elected representatives, that MUST be adhered to, and that We The People, have the power to change those laws through elections.