DEBATE: CLEMENCY FOR EDWARD SNOWDEN?

[warrior1972]

They're KIDDING...RIGHT?

(CNN) - The editorial boards of The New York Times and The Guardian are calling on the U.S. government to give former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden a pass, or at least a deal.

The Times board, generally a reliable supporter of the Obama administration, disagrees with the White House on Snowden, writing: "He may have committed a crime. ... But he has done his country a great service. ( I apologize if you hear me gagging in the background...) It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency."

Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus says she does not believe Snowden should get clemency. Her recent column calls Snowden an "insufferable whistleblower."

"If Snowden really believes in the Constitution, he should have stuck around, tested the constitutional system, taken his punishment, argued that he was justified in the leaks that he did.

"He didn't. He just turned tail and fled the country," Marcus told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."

"Ruth Marcus' argument exemplifies everything that's horrible about the D.C. media," said Glenn Greenwald, investigative journalist for First Look Media. Greenwald broke news on the NSA, using data that Snowden gave to him.


thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/02/debate-clemency-for-edward-snowden-ruth-marcus-glenn-greenwald/?hpt=po_c2

[Sailor]

No my friend, they aren't kidding. They really believe that Snowden is a whistleblowing hero. IMO he's as much a hero as John Walker.

The only plea bargain I think he deserves is a cell next to Walker's for the rest of his natural life without possibility of parole in place of a rope and yardarm.

But then, the American left considers people like me to be knuckledragging neandertals. I'm not as "enlightened" as they consider themselves to be.

Screw them.

[warrior1972]

Jan 4, 2014 6:56:55 GMT -8 Sailor said:

No my friend, they aren't kidding. They really believe that Snowden is a whistleblowing hero. IMO he's as much a hero as John Walker.

The only plea bargain I think he deserves is a cell next to Walker's for the rest of his natural life without possibility of parole in place of a rope and yardarm.

But then, the American left considers people like me to be knuckledragging neandertals. I'm not as "enlightened" as they consider themselves to be.

Screw them.

No, I don't rank him with Walker. I want his ass fried in his own bodyfat, but I don't rank him with Walker.
You should know why, since we are kindred spirits concerning what we did in the military.

Snowden was incredibly intelligent and yet incredibly naïve. He took it upon himself to make the call regarding what should and should not be disseminated to both the American public and the world with no regard whatsoever for the consequences to both. I have no doubt that this man is one of Mikoformiko's patron saints.

But Walker?

Walker knew exactly what he was doing, and did it anyway, for personal profit. If someone gave me a gun and told me I could blow his brains out if wanted to, I would gladly do so, and reimburse them for the bullet.


Like I said, you should know why.

[Sailor]

Yes, I think I know why. I want his ass deepfried as much as you do.

He's not a spy as Walker thought himself to be, but IMO he is every bit as much a traitor and the traditional penalty for treason is death.

You know as well as I do that if Snowden was truely a whistleblower he could have worked within the system and provided his evidence to the House and Senate Intelligence Oversight Committees. There are and have always been avenues to do this and this little turd totally ignored his responsibilities, choosing instead a course that he hoped would lead to fame and perhaps fortune.

[warrior1972]

Jan 4, 2014 8:31:47 GMT -8 Sailor said:

Yes, I think I know why. I want his ass deepfried as much as you do.

He's not a spy as Walker thought himself to be, but IMO he is every bit as much a traitor and the traditional penalty for treason is death.

You know as well as I do that if Snowden was truely a whistleblower he could have worked within the system and provided his evidence to the House and Senate Intelligence Oversight Committees. There are and have always been avenues to do this and this little turd totally ignored his responsibilities, choosing instead a course that he hoped would lead to fame and perhaps fortune.

Agreed.

And we need to do everything in our power to insure that he gets neither.

[101ABN]

Too much a coward to fight within the law, IMO.

Essentially, he took the law into his own hands and, for whatever good may come of his actions, the harm may be irreparable.

[warrior1972]

Jan 4, 2014 11:15:37 GMT -8 101ABN said:

Too much a coward to fight within the law, IMO.

Essentially, he took the law into his own hands and, for whatever good may come of his actions, the harm may be irreparable.

Bingo.

[Sailor]

I'm glad to see there are some subjects we all see eye to eye on.

[warrior1972]

Jan 4, 2014 16:41:53 GMT -8 Sailor said:

I'm glad to see there are some subjects we all see eye to eye on.

Of course there are.

If there were not, How could we have been friends for years?