Here's the definition of a whistleblower:
"a person who informs on another or makes public disclosure of corruption or wrongdoing."
And, here's the definition of a traitor:
"a person who is guilty of treason or treachery, in betraying friends, country, a cause or trust, etc."
Pretty simple, right? So, why so much debate? To me, it's very black and white.
If you've been living under a rock for the past week or so (that would include lying on a beach with a cocktail in hand ... I totally support that!), in a nutshell, Snowden worked for a defense contractor, he had top secret clearance and he released classified documents unveiling an NSA surveillance program. Now this is crystal clear, and I know this because The Husband has top secret clearance and has for years ... if you sign on to a job and you are given top secret clearance, you MAY NOT release classified information. Period. Bottom line. Very simple, you moron. In Snowden's opinion, which holds zero weight to me because he's 29 years old and apparently thinks he knows what's best for all Americans even though he's had very little life experience, he thinks its important for the American public to know about the NSA's program and debate it. What?? I don't need to debate my protection! I just want my family and friends and all Americans to be protected you numskill!
I think I've made it pretty clear that my opinion is that this guy should be punished to the full extent. The NSA's surveillance program doesn't have the government listening to all of our conversations about what we had for dinner last night or Betty is cheating on her husband Todd or my kid needs a math tutor. The program is designed not to spy on 35 million Americans but rather to find out whether someone is calling Yemen 75 times over a 2 month period or if a person is discussing a pipe bomb. Is that what your discussing on your phone converations? If so, then I want my government to listen. If not, then don't worry about it, you're in the clear. I know I'm not doing anything wrong so listen away government!
I'll wrap up by saying that unfortunately this is the world we live in now, this is our reality. It's a different time made up of terrorists and terribly awful people. I don't want anymore attacks on US soil therefore I want my government to protect me and my family. So, to the NSA, do what you need to do. Make my world safer. I don't want or need to have transparency of your programs. I've got quite enough on my plate to worry about and I'm not going to feel any safer knowing how you sniff out the bad people in the world. I'll do my job and you do yours. Deal?? Great. And, more importantly, thank you.
