# How Should the US Deal with Wikileaks and Snowden? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 28, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121 "2016-07-28T17:04:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/21 "2016-07-28T22:46:18Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > At least for patriots. Only true Scottish patriots though, right? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/22 "2016-07-28T23:01:57Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > when its done to help a hostile foreign power, its another league than the legit media. At least for patriots. You dont have as much patriotism in your entire body as Edward Snowden does in his pinky toe. ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/23 "2016-07-28T23:03:28Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You dont have as much patriotism in your entire body as Edward Snowden does in his pinky toe. right; war is peace, love is hatred, Islamic terrorism is resistance, the Soviet fall was a disaster, yup. until a terrorist attack happens that might not have without Snowden being a traitor to his country. And Assange being a loser trouble maker. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/24 "2016-07-28T23:11:31Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > right; war is peace, love is hatred, Islamic terrorism is resistance, the Soviet fall was a disaster… …you’re a Democrat… No. but seriously, I can think of precious few people who have sacrificed more for the good of this country than Ed Snowden, and most of those people died in the process. What should we do about Snowden? Give him a full pardon and a medal. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/25 "2016-07-28T23:17:25Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > until a terrorist attack happens that might not have without Snowden being a traitor to his country. And Assange being a loser trouble maker. I’d rather live in a country with a slightly increased chance of the occasional terrorist attack than a surveillance state with government agents reading my email and monitoring what I post on Facebook (or the SDMB). ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/26 "2016-07-28T23:25:24Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’d rather live in a country with a slightly increased chance of the occasional terrorist attack than a surveillance state with government agents reading my email and monitoring what I post on Facebook (or the SDMB). there’s 300 million people in this country; the gov is reading mainly, if not, nearly all, stuff from potential radical Islamic terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/27 "2016-07-28T23:35:24Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > there’s 300 million people in this country; the gov is reading mainly, if not, nearly all, stuff from potential radical Islamic terrorists. So, just a thought: before you start recommending that we violate both American and international law by assassinating someone on foreign soil, perhaps you could spend, like, ten minutes learning what he actually revealed? Because what you just wrote here isn’t remotely true, and we know it isn’t remotely true specifically because of the information Edward Snowden leaked. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/28 "2016-07-28T23:56:08Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > No. but seriously, I can think of precious few people who have sacrificed more for the good of this country than Ed Snowden, and most of those people died in the process. What should we do about Snowden? Give him a full pardon and a medal. Protecting freedom doesn’t require a gun, it’s a shame so many Americans don’t recognize that, but I don’t know about a medal. He did unmask abuse, however some level of secrecy is necessary. Official state representatives placed in other countries need to speak frankly and secretly about what they experience to their superiors so our government can get a reliable picture of the reality in other countries. If this communication stays secret it helps both governments understand the issues at hand even if they don’t wish to or cannot take advantage of it to come to and understanding. Revealing an email where some American military attache reports the staff in the country he is stationed are incompetent and corrupt helps no one at all, and detracts from our nations ability to come to acceptable terms with others. Snowden spread shit, he was the drunk at a bar who told everyone Mary was cheating on her husband and the shy mail room clerk had a fierce crush on someone out of his league and will now be embarrassed every day he shows up. So, maybe for the best, but lets drop the hero declarations. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/29 "2016-07-29T00:37:06Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Protecting freedom doesn’t require a gun, it’s a shame so many Americans don’t recognize that, but I don’t know about a medal. He did unmask abuse, however some level of secrecy is necessary. Official state representatives placed in other countries need to speak frankly and secretly about what they experience to their superiors so our government can get a reliable picture of the reality in other countries. If this communication stays secret it helps both governments understand the issues at hand even if they don’t wish to or cannot take advantage of it to come to and understanding. Revealing an email where some American military attache reports the staff in the country he is stationed are incompetent and corrupt helps no one at all, and detracts from our nations ability to come to acceptable terms with others. > > Snowden spread shit, he was the drunk at a bar who told everyone Mary was cheating on her husband and the shy mail room clerk had a fierce crush on someone out of his league and will now be embarrassed every day he shows up. > > So, maybe for the best, but lets drop the hero declarations. Pretty much this. Snowden seems to have become the poster child for both the left and right for some odd reason, but the guy is neither hero nor arch-demon…he’s just a slimy bastard who found some dirt and spread it far and wide, doing as much good as harm, or as much harm as good, and all for his own selfish reasons. He deserves neither medal nor smart bomb, as he’s basically not worth either. I figure eventually he’ll cut a deal and get back to the US, which he seems increasingly wanting to do…most likely because things haven’t played out the way he thought they would. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/30 "2016-07-29T00:48:44Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > there’s 300 million people in this country; the gov is reading mainly, if not, nearly all, stuff from potential radical Islamic terrorists. I probably wouldn’t mind as much if I believed the .gov were even half-way competent with the information they glean. The reality is that in today’s America I get to both have my privacy raped by government agents, and they still aren’t able to stop terrorist attacks. We’re getting the worst aspects of both options. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/31 "2016-07-29T00:53:45Z")
What should be done about them? Snowmen stands accused of espionage. He should be extradited to the US, put on trial for his crimes, found guilty, and sentenced appropriately. Assuage has not committed a crime against the US - the crime was committed by Private Manning and by the Russians. The US should not concern itself with him. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/32 "2016-07-29T01:04:19Z")
Snowden proved that the government was lying. So let’s have him hung, drawn, and quartered. And let’s promote James Clapper, who is inarguably guilty of perjury. #retardpolitics ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/33 "2016-07-29T01:07:45Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > Snowden proved that the government was lying. > > So let’s have him hung, drawn, and quartered. “Proving the government is lying” does not justify treason. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/34 "2016-07-29T01:18:07Z")
What kind of man is told that the NSA is illegally spying on the American people and illegally hiding their actions from government oversight and concludes the problem is that someone refused to cover it up? You should be _thanking_ Snowden for coming forward about this rogue agency, not threatening to murder him. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/35 "2016-07-29T01:28:30Z")
Federal labor laws specifically prohibit punishing a whistleblower. Snowden worked for the NSA at the time he exposed the secrets. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/36 "2016-07-29T01:33:48Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > “Proving the government is lying” does not justify treason. Then why do we bother with this whole “government of, by, and for the people?” Let’s just wrap ourselves in flags and get it over with. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/37 "2016-07-29T02:51:52Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > “Proving the government is lying” does not justify treason. Proving that the government is spying on its own people isn’t treason. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/38 "2016-07-29T03:17:05Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > I do think Russia should be sanctioned until they turn Snowden over, ditto Ecuador, and other countries need to join us. Perhaps countries that harbor these people also should be tossed or suspended from the UN, as the USSR was from the League of Nations after the Winter War, and South Africa during apartheid. I’m pretty sure a U.N. Permanent Security Council member state, as Russia is and the USSR was, can’t be expelled or suspended. The League of Nations had no operative equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/39 "2016-07-29T03:38:38Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > What kind of man is told that the NSA is illegally spying on the American people and illegally hiding their actions from government oversight and concludes the problem is that someone refused to cover it up? You should be _thanking_ Snowden for coming forward about this rogue agency, not threatening to murder him. He stole classified intelligence from us and handed it over to foreign powers. That is treason. The content of the intelligence is irrelevant. > [@Miller](#): > > Proving that the government is spying on its own people isn’t treason. It is if the spying is legal (which it was) and he “proved” it by stealing intel and making it public (which he did). > [@boffking](#): > > Federal labor laws specifically prohibit punishing a whistleblower. Snowden worked for the NSA at the time he exposed the secrets. What he did isn’t “whistleblowing”. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121/40 "2016-07-29T07:05:43Z")
Journalists are foreign powers now ? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-the-us-deal-with-wikileaks-and-snowden/761121.md?page=3)