Edward Snowden: Whistle blower or traitor?

    If you've paid any attention to the media lately, chances are you've heard the name Edward Snowden. Who is he? He is a former high-ranking employee of the N.S.A who decided to blow the whistle on the U.S.A's seemingly over-the-top surveillance policies, including the monitoring of phone calls, emails,etc. of not only targeted suspects, but of everyone in general. He sees this as a violation of the rights of the American people, and something they should have more of a say on. But not everyone agrees.

    An article by Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker paints him as "a grandiose narcissist who deserves to be in prison." Toobin defends the actions of the N.S.A, stating that the very mission of the agency is to intercept electronic communications, further questioning whether Snowden even understood the nature of his job. He continues on to condemn him, saying that even Snowden acknowledged his actions were criminal, and that he should have taken advantage of federal whistle-blower laws, and taken his complaints to congress. He complains that these were federally approved surveillance programs, and questions this sudden "higher calling" Snowden is answering, that gives him the authority to sabotage national security because he doesn't agree with a decision made by the government.

    While I may be a Canadian citizen, our countries work very closely together, and ultimately anything that affects American society will affect Canadian society as well. And I have to say I disagree with Toobin's opinions on many scores.

    The mission of the N.S.A may be to intercept electronic communications, but that does not give them the authority to intercept ALL electronic communications. Former congressman Ron Paul has this to say on the subject:

“The Fourth Amendment is clear; we should be secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects, and all warrants must have probable cause. Today the government operates largely in secret, while seeking to know everything about our private lives – without probable cause and without a warrant.
“The government does not need to know more about what we are doing. We need to know more about what the government is doing."

   Snowden claims that the Intelligence community operates on the grounds of  "self-certification", believing that they are serving their country by collecting intelligence wherever it can, by any means necessary. He says that these violations of personal privacy of American citizens are seen as trivial by employees of programs such as the N.S.A, and that the more you voice your concerns the more you're told it's not a problem. Perhaps this is why he decided not to take his complaints to Congress, but rather straight to the public.

    When questioned about his decision to come forward rather than remain anonymous, Snowden says that the public is owed an explanation as to the motivation of the whistle-blower, and that he is willing to go on the record to verify that the documents leaked have not been tampered with and that they are the real deal. He says if his intent was malicious or for personal gain, he could easily have taken his information to the open market, but his intent is to give the American public an opportunity to weigh in on the actions of their government agencies, and decide whether they agree that these actions are right.

     Some also criticize his decision to leave US soil for Hong Kong, voicing concern that he may be giving secrets to the Chinese. Toobin describes China as "a stalwart adversary of the United States in intelligence matters", but Snowden disagrees with the opinion that China is an enemy to the U.S.A. He says that Hong Kong has a long standing tradition of free-speech, and their people are not repressed like the people of mainland China.

    Finally, in response to criticism of his motivations, he asks those watching the video what it would take for them to leave a well-paying and comfortable position in Hawaii. Challenging those cynical voices to walk in his shoes and see if they can sleep at night, knowing about these abuses. He contests that unless the American public are willing to take a stand against these surveillance policies, they will only get worse. The government will continue to "grant themselves powers, unilaterally, to create greater control over American society and global society" on the pretense of protecting citizens.

    It will be interesting to see what comes out of this leak, whether he will be extradited back to America, or whether he will be able to seek asylum elsewhere. More importantly, it will be interesting how the American people react. Whatever the outcomes, I tip my hat to this man who has given up everything to protect the constitutional rights of his fellow citizens. Every person who takes a stand against these policies is taking us one step back from an Orwellian-like future.