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Senator Sanders comments on Snowden
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024292659
Scuba
(53,475 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)arcane1
(38,613 posts)I can't remember the last time I read that kind of rational nuance on DU when it comes to this topic. Or the first time!
Love ya, Bernie!!
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)a2liberal
(1,524 posts)Snowden took extraordinary actions and risk to FULFILL his oath to uphold the Constitution (unless there's a different oath that he's talking about that comes with a clearance. I also acknowledge that I don't know if he actually had an oath to uphold the Constitution. Our elected officials certainly do though and are violating it by calling for prosecution of one who revealed such massively unconstitutional activity [and by voting for that activity in the first place...])
jmowreader
(50,528 posts)When you become a member of the military or a civilian government employee, you swear an oath to the Constitution. That doesn't change when you get a clearance. The oath Bernie refers to is the one where you swear to not divulge the secrets you have learned. I have NO idea what contractors are sworn to do, although our mercenaries like Blackwater and DynCorp seem to have sworn to defend the Almighty Buck.
If Snowden was truly interested in fulfilling an oath to uphold the Constitution, there are a long line of currently pissed-off senators who would have been more than happy to hear him out.
a2liberal
(1,524 posts)However, I do have to disagree on the whole "why didn't he go to higher authority?" meme. When the ones in authority are the ones perpetuating the unconstitutional activity, going to the public is the only option. Keep in mind that even senators who believed that there was unconstitutional activity going on were so cowed by the police state that they were unwilling to do anything about it other than make vague statements about "it's worse than you think"
mindwalker_i
(4,407 posts)However, why doesn't the NSA need some form of clemency or a plea bargain?
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)...they should thank him for what he's done. Give him the Medal of Freedom.
- And be feted in every state in the Union for exposing this tyranny and corruption.
K&R
debunkthis
(99 posts)eom