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Let Snowden Come Home

newyorker.com

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11–20 of 311 posts

Re: Let Snowden Come Home

#11

Post by eli »

Perhaps a minority opinion, but I believe the NSA vastly overstepped and that they need to be reined in (much further than what the USA Freedom Act contains)... but also that Snowden probably should face charges.

Snowden is charged with "willful communication of classified communications intelligence information to an unauthorized person," which -- I think sensibly -- is illegal even if the unauthorized person is a reporter and even if you had good intentions.

I'm not a lawyer, but if he wants to argue that he's innocent or that the law is unconstitutional, it seems like the courtroom is the right place to make that argument.

Re: Let Snowden Come Home

#15

Post by istvan__ »

fsdfewjfiekf wrote: post #7

As long as "home" means "prison next to Robert Hanssen and everyone else who sold secrets to the Russians", then sure.

Many of the CIA and other government agency employees sold secrets to the Russian. How about that? Or if it is for business reasons, it is ok, if it is pointing out the nature of the surveillance state we are living it is not ok.

Re: Let Snowden Come Home

#16

Post by tosser-004 »

Snowmen did two things:

1. Exposed the tools and techniques of domestic surveillance. 2. Exposed the tools and techniques of foreign surveillance.

The idea of not prosecuting Snowden seems to focus on the commendable exposure of the full extent of the domestic program.

I just don't see how one can ignore his exposure of the perfectly legal foreign intelligence gathering.

Re: Let Snowden Come Home

#17

Post by [deleted] »

austinhutch wrote: post #6

If he were to come back to the USA and then subsequently be detained, I would join the hopefully overwhelming protests in favor of his release. I am hoping if such a time comes, that there will be a historic level of demonstration advocating for his freedom.

[deleted]

Re: Let Snowden Come Home

#19

Post by nickbauman »

rfrey wrote: post #3

"As Snowden intended, the primary impact of the leaks was on political debate inside the United States." I think the primary impact has been the complete erosion of whatever goodwill the United States had among the citizenry (n.b. not the governments) of her allies. That obviously doesn't matter in the short term; but so many things don't matter in the short term.

I think the militarization of our local police forces and the tacit support of interdiction, confiscation and especially their extra-judicial killing of unarmed people has done more, but it's not an argument I want to win against your assertion at all.

Re: Let Snowden Come Home

#20

Post by marssaxman »

tosser-004 wrote: post #16

Snowmen did two things: 1. Exposed the tools and techniques of domestic surveillance. 2. Exposed the tools and techniques of foreign surveillance. The idea of not prosecuting Snowden seems to focus on the commendable exposure of the full extent of the domestic program. I just don't see how one can ignore his exposure of the perfectly legal foreign intelligence gathering.

Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.
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