Hero or Traitor?
I suppose Edward Snowden has never really left the news but with the recent release of the Oliver Stone film Snowden the topic is once again abuzz. The question which gets put to the crucible always comes back to is he a traitor or a hero? In my opinion he is neither. I do not believe that he was motivated by the calculus of a traitor, which is to either enrich themselves or deliberately betray their country. He is also not a hero because a hero acts in defense of others without concern for the consequences to themselves. His release of secret information confirmed what many had long been warning about. Before he ever took his action many in Congress were criticizing the Bush Administrations data collection practices. To Bush's credit he said point blank if you don't like it, do something about it, pass laws strictly outlining what can and cannot be done. Congress did not act and the Executive Branch continued it's programs. What has happened since as a result of Snowde...