When WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought asylum in Ecuador after publishing U.S. military documents and getting in a load of trouble for it, I can't say I was too surprised. The man was in charge of an organization hellbent on declassifying the world. This new case involving former government contractor Edward Snowden, however, is becoming more intriguing and unusual than Assange's legacy in just a matter of days.
Snowden, a 29 year old who worked for the National Security Agency and the CIA, is on the run after releasing classified documents stating how the NSA is secretly hacking computers and phone records on a global scale. Not long after Snowden's identity surfaced, the U.S. government filed charges of espionage against him.
The man hunt has caused a sensation in Hong Kong, where Snowden said he defected to after granting the U.K. paper The Guardian possession of the stolen documents. The most recent stir happened in Moscow, where many thought Snowden went to after the United States made pleas to China to turn him over to the authorities. So far there's no Snowden, and the media reports he is seeking asylum in Ecuador with the aid of Assange and WikiLeaks.
Some people are calling Snowden a hero for his courage in releasing these documents. Others are labeling him as a traitor to the United States. Snowden considers himself a spy for what he has done with the hope of making the American population aware of the U.S. government's wrongdoing.
Looking at his current situation and shady background, not only do I think Snowden should turn himself in, but I believe his cause was worthless in so many cases.
Stories all over the internet quote Snowden saying how he released classified documents for the greater cause of informing the American public. This, in his eyes, makes him a hero. Okay, let's consider his "heroism" for a second.
Snowden worked under the employment of the NSA and the CIA -- both organizations involved with protecting the United States at almost any cost, which includes classifying certain information that could cause potential harm. At the NSA, he worked as a security guard and then worked in computer security at the CIA.
Not only did Snowden work for two organizations involved with national security, he worked jobs "securing" two organizations involved with national security. Yet, he betrayed the trust of the NSA and CIA by leaking documents. The government spying on everyone is a frightening thought, but think of who they are spying on.
Chances are, the government isn't interested in the poop jokes and hockey updates I provide to my dad, or me asking my mom what's for dinner. Instead, the government uses these records to look for people possibly involved with terrorist activity, such as the two brothers responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing.
Snowden violated trust on at least two or three levels. To think how we got pissed off about former General David Petraeus having a sexual affair (which was more of a threat to his marriage than national security), but Snowden is considered a hero for failing to uphold his agreement to secure the most precious information on the planet? How he got these jobs in the first place should be a high concern, considering he never completed high school and had a basic community college education. After this Snowden issue is resolved, the next case should be the ass who thought hiring this guy was a great idea.
While on the note of Snowden's hypocrisy, it's worth mentioning how a man so dedicated to his cause fled at the first sign of danger. Let's backtrack a bit.
Snowden lived in Hawaii with a unnamed girlfriend while working as a government contractor with Booz Allen Hamilton. Before Snowden's name ever reached the press, he said he left Hawaii for Hong Kong without telling his girlfriend or family of his real intentions. He also told the NSA he was going on leave due to his battle with epilepsy. Now the man, who is supposed to be uncovering "the truth," has lied to his loved ones and betrayed two government agencies.
The greater irony is where Snowden is traveling to seek "freedom." He defected to China -- a country with government and press censorship about 100 times worse than the United States. His next possible stop is in Ecuador, which isn't much better with free speech, according to free speech organization Freedom House. Snowden said he fears an oppressive American government, but, in turn, sought safety in two countries liable to jail a person for making "your momma" jokes.
Snowden feared his actions so much that he released the documents to a paper outside of the United States. His paranoia before this case was off the scales, saying in one story how he would wear a red hood over his head and laptop while typing in his passwords in fear he was being watched.
To wrap this all into perspective, Snowden isn't exactly the Man of Steel, the Dark Knight or a firefighter in regards to being a hero. As the U.S. Marine Corps commercial states, true heroes are the ones who run "toward" the first signs of danger.
What really makes Snowden's mission pointless is the fact that the information he revealed was basically assumed by almost everyone already. I'm guessing Snowden didn't get much time to watch movies or play video games while stealing top secret documents, but the rest of us who do know how just about every method of spying and intelligence-gathering is portrayed in cinema.
Just take the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games or Battlefield, for examples. Gamers have the ability to pilot unmanned drones, designate missile strikes and watch cut scenes where satellites can zoom in on a terrorist taking a leak in the woods. War movies and thrillers have shown the same. Watch an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and see how the NYPD can trace phones and the caller's location using recordings and triangulation from cell phone towers. The only differences between these instances and the NSA are the fictional aspect and the larger scale of intelligence-gathering.
The United States is by far the most technologically advanced country in the world. To think the NSA hasn't been hacking computers or cell phones for a while now would be ignorant. If the same thing was happening in Ethiopia or Antarctica, maybe there would be a cause for alarm.
At this point, Snowden has little place to run, and what makes his situation worse is how involved the media is. Just the rumor of him landing in Moscow had almost every reporter in the Northern Hemisphere awaiting his arrival to take pictures and video. If the media could find him, who is saying the CIA or FBI can't?
Snowden does have the chance to seek asylum in Ecuador, but two problems exist: He needs to somehow sneak by everyone first, and Ecuador still has to lay down the welcome mat. Both of these circumstances remain a work in progress. It is possible, however. Julian Assange was lucky. Snowden has the misfortune, however, of being the "second" person to attempt this. By now, the U.S. government likely wised up and filled in some of the loopholes that led to Assange's escape.
I'm not certain if Snowden will make it out or not. I'd like to see his capture just to see if he is as cocky in custody as he is while running under the safety of other countries. If he is a hero, he would stand up and take responsibility for his action, but Snowden doesn't seem to be in a rush to do that. This case gets more bizarre with every development, and I'm sure we will here about Snowden for weeks to come. If he does get caught, it may give him some reading time. I suggest 1984.
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