Snowden's Secret

[warrprayer]

"Man was matter, that was Snowden's secret. Drop him out a window and he'll fall. Set fire to him and he'll burn. Bury him and he'll rot, like other kinds of garbage. The spirit gone, man is garbage." - Joseph Heller, "Catch-22"

Yes, they once even gave an idiot like me a secret clearance. I would never have dreamed of violating that confidence. Not that I am a great fan of the state. More because of the people I worked with, and that extended family of brothers and sisters I would never meet, both at home and abroad.

In my case, breaking that trust would probably have gotten me a visit from the F.B.I. and 10 to 20. This is at the low end of the clearance spectrum. In Mr. Snowden's case, it will bring you something they call "termination with extreme prejudice". This is not a nice thing.

I would not have done as Snowden has done. Hopefully, though, the discussion that is started about restoring our liberties will be worth the sacrifice that has been made.

"When the spirit is gone, man is garbage". When we give up freedom for security, our spirit dies and we become like garbage.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. ...then you care not of the 4th amendment.

Must suck to be you.

[warrprayer]

3. I think you completely missed

... the point of the op. I said that when we sacrafice our freedom for security our spirit dies and we become like garbage. That is the essence of the 4th amendment if I'm not mistaken. WTF?

[Cooley Hurd]

4. If I did, my sincere apologies...

I've been fighting with Authoritarians all week. I might be punchy.

[warrprayer]

8. It's understandable

I get that way myself sometimes. I think this country will be a better place as a result of Snowdens actions.

[hedgehog]

2. "termination with extreme prejudice" ? I would suggest you've been watching too many movies!

More likely, years in court, then off to the penitentiary

[warrprayer]

6. no, we never do that

'The Green Beret Affair: capture, interrogation, and killing of Chu Van Thai Khac [edit]

In early 1969 some of Detachment B-57's sources of information started to disappear. This led the detachment's leadership to conclude that its intelligence agents had been compromised.[2] In the spring of 1969 a reconnaissance detachment operating in Cambodia captured photos showing Chu Van Thai Khac (AKA Thai Khac Chuyen[5]), a South Vietnamese GAMMA agent, meeting with North Vietnamese intelligence officers. Chuyen was subsequently arrested and interrogated for ten days, with polygraph tests indicating that he had compromised security arrangements and was working with the Viet Cong. Various ways of dealing with Chuyen were discussed within Detachment B-57, including possibly killing him. While the 5th Special Forces Group's executive officer strongly opposed killing Chuyen, the detachment's commander and operations officer met with the CIA headquarters in Saigon who suggested that "elimination ... might be the best course of action".[6]

On 20 June 1969, three officers assigned to Project GAMMA drugged Chuyen, took him out on a boat into Nha Trang Bay, shot him twice in the head and dumped his body into the South China Sea. A cover story claiming that Chuyen had been sent on a one-way mission as a test of his loyalty was later approved by the 5th Special Forces Group's commander, Colonel Robert B. Rheault.[7]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_GAMMA#Green_Beret_Affair

[JimDandy]

5. Fear of repercussion

has halted many just causes. Heros rise above the fear in defense of justice. Idiots do too. I don't care which category Snowden falls in...just glad the info became public.

[warrprayer]

9. better productive disagreement/discussion on D.U.

than indifference!!!

[JimDandy]

18. True. Never heard

that saying re: Indifference. Like it!

[HardTimes99]

7. Mais ou sont les Neigedens d'anton? - nt

[warrprayer]

10. Ironic

... isn't it, that the only thing Snowden did in Catch-22 is die?

[HardTimes99]

13. We should all get naked and sit in trees, rather than accept

a modus vivendi with the Dreedles of the world.

[warrprayer]

15. Speaking of naked

if you ever get a chance, watch "The King of Hearts" sometime if you can find it. Sort of a "Catch-22" set in WW1 France.

[HardTimes99]

16. An awesome film - makes me weep each time

I see it.

[warrprayer]

17. yeah

I'm glad I was alone the first time I watched it.

[randome]

11. Good post.

I would point out, however, that Snowden has done exactly that -he gave up freedom for security in Hong Kong.

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[warrprayer]

12. thanks but I disagree

I have some idea of the kind of folks looking for him. He could go to the dark side of the moon, and he will never be safe again a day in his life.
When you make such a monumental play, you had damn well be ready to take the heat that goes with it, up to and including death. That I agree is true.

[warrprayer]

14. I also agree

that by cooperating in any form with China, he is doing me no favor. Any advantage given to them, as an American worker, comes out of my ass. The only good thing I see in exchange is a renewal and national discussion of restoring our liberties that vanished in the post 911 hysteria.