Poll: Majority Says Snowden Did A Good Thing, But He Should Be Prosecuted

[ProSense]

Poll: Majority Says Snowden Did A Good Thing, But He Should Be Prosecuted

A majority of Americans support Edward Snowden's decision to leak classified information on the National Security Agency's surveillance programs but a roughly equal share believe the 29-year-old former government contractor should be prosecuted for his actions, according to a new poll released Thursday.

The latest poll from TIME found that 54 percent of Americans say Snowden did a "good thing" when he leaked the top secret information, compared with 30 percent who believe otherwise.

But the same poll showed that 53 percent believe Snowden should be prosecuted for the leak, while just 28 percent disagree.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/poll-majority-says-snowden-did-good-thing-but

These polls are breaking along partisans lines, but there is agreement on prosecution.

Approval/Disapproval of the program:

Democrats 58/33 percent
Republicans 39/57 percent
Independent 50/43 percent

On prosecution:

There is by bipartisan support for prosecution of government officials who leakclassified material:

•59% of Democrats, 58% of Republicans and 50% of Independents agree that such leaks should be prosecuted

NEW TIME POLL: Support for the Leaker—and His Prosecution
http://swampland.time.com/2013/06/13/new-time-poll-support-for-the-leaker-and-his-prosecution/

Just think, this poll was conducted before this revelation:

(Snowden)...Showed Hong Kong Newspaper Documents Revealing US Hacking Attacks On China (updated 2x)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023001669

[markiv]

1. i do agree he should be charged, if he broke the law

otherwise you negate all security obligations

however, if found that he exposed larger crimes, it should mitigate a verdict or punishment, and/or he should be pardoned

[gcomeau]

4. He didn't expose any crimes whatsoever

...let alone larger ones.

People can have their hair on fire about the idea that this data collection is conducted, but it's exactly according to the law, which is the definition of not being a crime.

[markiv]

5. thank you, all knowing and seeing one

and blessing us with your supreme jusrisprudence, knowing all facts and law

[gcomeau]

6. My pleasure. While we're educating you anyway....

...I'll fill your noggin with a few more simple facts. Like that it isn't necessary to be all seeing or to know all laws to know that the specific thing we're talking about him leaking was authorized by specific laws and thus does not constitute a crime.

There you go, now you too can speak intelligently about the subject!

[markiv]

8. my, my, I've been told off

i'll give you this much, what you lack in wisdom, you more than make up for in belligerence

[gcomeau]

10. I prefer belligerence to ignorance... take that trade any day. -eom

[markiv]

12. you're far too modest about your ignorance

you have plenty of that, too

[gcomeau]

14. Clearly...

...as evidenced by the mountains of information I overlooked that you have been able to point at.

You know... the invisible mountains...

[markiv]

16. just curious, who do you consider yourself to be a peer of?

federal court?

appelates court?

supreme court?

and what's your security clearence - top secret?

[gcomeau]

19. Wow, now you're really scrambling.

The information we are discussing is the LEAKED information. Which requires no security clearances genius. Being leaked means it's out in public.

Do you not get these concepts at all?

[liberal_at_heart]

7. It is up to us to make the lawmakers get rid of the law that makes it legal.

[gcomeau]

9. Indeed it is.

Of course I see almost not one single solitary person freaking out about this focusing on that. They prefer to fill their time ranting about tyranny being upon us, as if we didn't live in a democracy where the people who enacted these laws did so after being elected and in plain view of the public.

The public decided they didn't give enough of a crap to pay attention until the GOP.. who VOTED >90% IN FAVOR OF THE LAWS IN QUESTION... decided they saw a chance to make people freak out over it and turn it into their scandal of the week. But that's hardly the same thing as Obama turning the US into Orwell's 1984.

[liberal_at_heart]

11. every politician republican and democrat with maybe the exception of Kucinich voted

for this law. It is not just the republicans' fault.

[gcomeau]

13. Umm, no. No they did not.

The laws that are specifically relevant to this program are, in chronological order:

Protect America Act (2007):

Senate: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/110-2007/s309
GOP : 42 - 0 FOR
Dem: 17 - 27 AGAINST

House: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/110-2007/h836
GOP: 186 - 2 FOR
Dem: 41 - 181 AGAINST





FISA Amendments Act (2008)

Senate: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/110-2008/s168
GOP : 46 - 0 FOR
Dem: 22 - 27 AGAINST

House: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/110-2008/h437
GOP: 188 - 1 FOR
Dem: 105 - 128 AGAINST




FISA Amendments Act Re-Authorization (2012)

Senate: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/112-2012/s236
GOP : 42-3 FOR
Dem: 30-19 FOR (That's disapointing, but it was still the GOP who put the major muscle behind it.)

House: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/112-2012/h569
GOP: 227-7 FOR (Massive majority in favor)
Dem: 74-111 AGAINST (Majority opposed, passed only because the GOP votes pushed it through!)

[liberal_at_heart]

17. I was talking about the initial vote, and by the way FISA sucks. The amendments have not helped

to fix FISA. They are a rubber stamp.

[dixiegrrrrl]

18. I love the smell of solid facts in the morning.

[liberal_at_heart]

21. so I take it you're happy with the Patriot Act as it is written now then.

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. My reply was to gcomeau......

I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.

[KittyWampus]

15. I wish you'd start an OP with just this in it's title. It's up to voters to make Congress get rid of

laws making NSA overreach legal.

[sibelian]

2. Oooooh! A poll!

Gosh. You know, I think I'm going to have to revise my opinions regarding Snowden. I think I'm kind of 50% on his side now.

Ineed to construct an approval algorithm for how I feel about him.

[MADem]

3. My view? He should have taken his concerns to the

Senate Intel Oversight Committee.

His hero's son, Rand, is on that body. He would have gotten a meeting.

IF there's anything illegal happening, he could have resolved that without blowing up his life and making it appear that he is a tool in the hands of larger forces.

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

[Bradical79]

20. I think there's a right way and a wrong way to government abuse.

The Chinese hacking thing in particular is what I think he should be prosecuted for.

We are actively engaged in some cyberwarfare with China. It's a two way street, and everyone with half a brain knows it. Exposing details of our hacking attacks against China, in a Chinese newspaper no less, when they are engaging in hacking attacks against us seems like treason to me. It's no different than if he was working for China as a double agent.