Keeping Perspective

The Greater Treachery

Ad hominem attack is mounting upon Edward Snowden.  Apparently he conspired from the get-go to infiltrate the government spy agencies and exfiltrate information and data.  A local blogger had this to say:

So let's put aside the fantasy of Snowden being some sort of caped crusader, fighting for truth and justice; he is anything But. He made a deliberate and conscious decision to take up a job with the pre-meditated intention of stealing data and releasing it publicly. We reckon that this will harden people's attitudes towards Snowden. He is a spy, just like those that he is trying to vilify. He has certainly forfeited the moral high ground.

It has been reported that the US Government has cancelled Edward Snowden's passport, so that he cannot legally enter Russia, nor can he go anywhere else legally. Perhaps 10 years "incarceration" in the transit lounge of a Russian airport might give Snowden the opportunity to reflect on his treachery and deceit.

Treachery and deceit.  Well, it seems to us that such a petard would hoist all whistleblowers.
  To some extent or other all whistleblowers break confidentiality agreements (which are pretty standard these days) and to one degree or another they take information that does not belong to them and expose it to the respective authorities. They usually deliver documentary evidence to back up their claims.  


But let's grant the point for the moment--whistleblowing is an inherently immoral and unethical practice.  Let's hoist Snowden on that petard.  But the question is begged, so what?  Imagine for a moment that the US espionage complex had been complying strictly and exactly to the law--the law which it constantly testified to Congress with which it was in total compliance.  What would Snowden's whistleblowing have accomplished then?  Nothing.  Imagine a deep throat whistleblower that comes forth to tell us that New Zealand police consistently and regularly read people their rights when they arrest suspects.  Nothing surprising there.  Move along.  That's exactly what we would expect, after all. 

Suppose Snowden had infiltrated and discovered that the US agencies, together with their Western running dogs (to employ good old fashioned rhetoric from a by-gone era) were in strict compliance with the laws.  They were not spying on US citizens.  They were not keeping data.  They were not hacking the computers and phones of people all over the world, including their own citizens.  They were not slyly telling investigative agencies what warrants should be applied for, so they could go on fishing expeditions, because there appeared to be significant threats.  They were not leaking private e-mails of people like General David Petraus to orchestrate his resignation.  They were not using their powers to hack into the computer of a particularly aggravating reporter and exfiltrate data--all of which, of course, was done (as far as we can tell) without warrants, and no probable cause whatsoever.  If none of this was actually the case then Snowden's whistle blowing would have been completely null and void. 

But that has not been the case.  Therefore, if Snowden is a traitor, so are those in the US government apparatus that willingly and knowingly deceived and misled Congress, and broke the law.  Which is the greater breach?  Clearly, the authorities.