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<p>This thread has gone way off course, so I am re-addressing the wording, making this thread as neutral as possible. I hope this can engage open conversation, and less of an hostile environment. </p><p> </p><p>What are your views on Edward Snowden being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? Other candiates in high regard are the Pope, and Putin. This year a record 278 people have been nominated, so it is no ones easy grab this year, outside looking in.</p>
Posted in these groups: 
Snowden
Geopolitics / International Relations
Snowden Geopolitics / International Relations
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 32
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There is intelligence oversight provisions in our intelligence law. If you happen to violate or witness a violation of an American's 4th amendment rights there are proper channels to report it. Snowden is not a whistleblower. Espionage is not making this world free or more transparent. Snowden increased his access to steal classified and give it away to foreign governments. There is much more to it than random cellphone data on Americans. Our collection capabilities and weaknesses have been exposed to the wrong people. The damage caused by this will continue for years to come. I just hope it's not to another nation's advantage. So no, I don't think Snowden deserves anything but a conviction.
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SSG (Join to see)
Snowden, just like Bradley Manning, is seen as violating the Espionage Act of 1917. There are also numerous published Executive Orders that cover the topic. One could could easily find that out with a Google search, or by looking at the sources an SF 312, Information Non-Disclosure Statement.<br>
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CW2 Kameron Read
For the "servicemember" who asked for a reference. Executive order 12333 covers intelligence activities. report to the Intelligence Oversight Board, consistent with Executive Order 13462 of February 29, 2008, and provide copies of all such reports to the Director, concerning any intelligence activities of their elements that they have reason to believe may be unlawful or contrary to executive order or presidential directive. Not an excuse to share sensitive information with the rest of the world. There are ways to report on the NSA without passing our classified to the world.
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<font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">
</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Calibri">Moral courage is a hard virtue to spot. Did Snowden shed
light on an issue the American people should have knowledge of? I believe so.
Did he go about it in a way that put citizens in danger and strain American foreign
policy worldwide? Absolutely. The world needs whistleblowers, and there should
be policies in place to protect those individuals. However, the nature
surrounding Snowden's conduct and the way he went about highlighting privacy
infractions was not in line with our own values and ultimately put American
lives in danger. I want to believe that his original intent was well natured
and this is a classic case of a good idea with very poor execution. He
shouldn't be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize and should be brought back to
the states for due process, let a jury of his peers decide where fault lies.</font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">
</font>
</font><p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Calibri">Moral courage is a hard virtue to spot. Did Snowden shed
light on an issue the American people should have knowledge of? I believe so.
Did he go about it in a way that put citizens in danger and strain American foreign
policy worldwide? Absolutely. The world needs whistleblowers, and there should
be policies in place to protect those individuals. However, the nature
surrounding Snowden's conduct and the way he went about highlighting privacy
infractions was not in line with our own values and ultimately put American
lives in danger. I want to believe that his original intent was well natured
and this is a classic case of a good idea with very poor execution. He
shouldn't be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize and should be brought back to
the states for due process, let a jury of his peers decide where fault lies.</font></p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Times New Roman">
</font>
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
My fear is that if Snowden were to turn himself in to US authorities, there would be little chance of him getting through a fair trial due to the nature of the evidence that would need to be presented. It would, almost by necessity, have to be a closed trial and the vast majority of what was heard would be Classified. All the world would ever see would be the end result (probably a "guilty" verdict) and would have to take it on faith that that reasonable due process was done. I don't think the world - or even most of the country - is going to think that happened. This is a no-win situation for everyone involved.
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TSgt Christopher D.
Maj Harley,<div><br></div><div>Just a question for you... You said, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; ">However, the nature</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; ">surrounding Snowden's conduct and the way he went about highlighting privacy infractions was not in line with our own values and ultimately put American lives in danger."</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; ">I am curious... how is our government violating the 4th amendment (collecting on American citizens without a warrant) in line with our values? I don't understand. On one hand, it's illegal/immoral/wrong for Snowden to break an agreement to not disclose what he knows, and on the other, it is preferable for our own government to completely disregard it's Constitutional limitations?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; ">If he comes back, he will not get due process under provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. He will not get a 'fair' trial. His 'crime' was exposing abject criminality. The real criminals will, of course, never even be indicted, much less tried. Are these our values now?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; ">I'll agree on the poor execution part, but he could have easily sold the data for money and safe haven. He didn't.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; "><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; ">This being said, I don't think anything he did merits a Nobel Peace Prize. Exposing the criminality did absolutely nothing to promote peace. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px; "> </span><br></div>
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SFC (Join to see)
TSgt D.,
I believe he means going to some of our greatest adversaries (such as Russia) instead of nations that would accept him, but wouldn't be considered a serious geopolitical threat such as Iceland.
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Snowden did the WRONG thing.<br><br>Whistle blowers do not take treasure troves of U.S. secrets to foreign countries.<br><br>If he ever comes back to the U.S., he should be shot on the spot for treason.
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CSM Michael Poll
Ahh he did, I must have browsed over that. Well I do not agree with on the spot, the US Consitution and the UCMJ guaruntee a trial. Therefore I agree that if found guilty, death is justifiable, but we are not a bunch of neandrthals. We are a civilized nation and all people have the right to trail. My opinion nothing more. I do think he is guilty, just my opinion as well, not to be admired for sure, once again, my opinion.
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SGM Matthew Quick
Of course I was being factitious about outright shooting him...but if I had gone through the entire legal process up until he SHOULD be executed, it would have made me late for school.
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Capt Jeff S.
We have a Cmdr-in-Chief likewise suspect of treasonous activity. If we're going to start shooting people for treason, why not start at the top and work your way down to Snowden. You might discover that by the time you got to Snowden, his actions weren't so damaging -- relatively speaking.
Which is more damaging to our National Security? Funding the Arab Spring or exposing our government's violations of our constitutional rights? If you're worried about our people being killed, "What happened at Benghazi?" and "Who ordered SEAL Team 6 to be loaded in one helicopter that got shot down?" ??? Why are there so many dead people that knew things potentially damaging about Obama. Between you and me, those are greater concerns. I don't like the fact that our gov't is corrupt and out of control. Those we elect seem to have gotten the idea that they don't have to answer to We The People that elected them!
Should our gov't be hooking up Islamic terrorist rebels with weapons so that they could install an even more radical Islamic government hostile to our national interests and national security? ??? How has this worked out for us in Libya, Syria, Egypt, etc. Even the people of Egypt didn't like the Muslim Brotherhood gov't our gov't was propping up and after overthrowing Morsi, they told us to keep our aid money... So much for our State Dept and foreign relations... Now we have ISIS to contend with and they make Al Qaeda look like the warmup act.
Snowden had good intentions, but he was poor on Execution. Unlike Manning, whose sole purpose for the release of classified was to embarrass the Army for not giving him the respect he deserved -- damnit!, Snowden's focus was to expose the violation of the Fourth Amendment by our gov't which was getting to be too much like Big Brother.
Which is more damaging to our National Security? Funding the Arab Spring or exposing our government's violations of our constitutional rights? If you're worried about our people being killed, "What happened at Benghazi?" and "Who ordered SEAL Team 6 to be loaded in one helicopter that got shot down?" ??? Why are there so many dead people that knew things potentially damaging about Obama. Between you and me, those are greater concerns. I don't like the fact that our gov't is corrupt and out of control. Those we elect seem to have gotten the idea that they don't have to answer to We The People that elected them!
Should our gov't be hooking up Islamic terrorist rebels with weapons so that they could install an even more radical Islamic government hostile to our national interests and national security? ??? How has this worked out for us in Libya, Syria, Egypt, etc. Even the people of Egypt didn't like the Muslim Brotherhood gov't our gov't was propping up and after overthrowing Morsi, they told us to keep our aid money... So much for our State Dept and foreign relations... Now we have ISIS to contend with and they make Al Qaeda look like the warmup act.
Snowden had good intentions, but he was poor on Execution. Unlike Manning, whose sole purpose for the release of classified was to embarrass the Army for not giving him the respect he deserved -- damnit!, Snowden's focus was to expose the violation of the Fourth Amendment by our gov't which was getting to be too much like Big Brother.
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