The Oath Keepers on Edward Snowden

Reason.com ^ | 06/14/2013 | Jesse Walker

[Rusty0604]

Stewart Rhodes, the group's founder, has emailed me a statement about Snowden:

He is an example of what needs to be done by anyone who has knowledge of such gross violations of our rights. We need more to stand up, because this is surely the mere tip of the iceberg of the infrastructure for a police state that is being built over us.

This is about far more than supposed attempts to ferry out al Qaeda operatives. This is part of a growing Stasi and Checka style surveillance police state which tags, tracks, and prepares plans to detain dissidents with the "Main Core" database of millions of Americans who the regime considers a "threat."

And this is also really about the absurd claim that the U.S. is a battlefield and the Fourth Amendment doesn't apply to the President's "surveillance of the battlefield."

[Pollster1]

I’ll agree that Snowden is (probably) not guilty of treason. He is quite possibly guilty of espionage, defined as, “the act of obtaining, delivering, transmitting, communicating, or receiving information about the national defense with an intent, or reason to believe, that the information may be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation”. If I was on his jury, the prosecution would have to convince me that the national security damage outweighed the benefit of making this un-American program public, but it’s possible that I could be convinced. In any case, Snowden is a sideshow. The real issue is the NSA, Big Government, and how we put that dreadful genii back in its bottle - the Enumerated Powers, which do not include acting as Big Brother.

[Jeff Head]

He is not a traitor. He informed the American people of secret surveillance being carried out against all of them. And, according to the following interviews with a 40 yerar NSA career official, who headed up their Intelligence Division under Bush, what the NSA is doing is the thing that is wrong and unconstitutional, so Snowden's act is an act of patriotism.

Former Director of NSA Intelligence reveals the full extent of PRISM capabilities. MUST SEE!

Another William Benny interview about PRISM and the NSA

And, just becasue he was in Hong Kong when he went public on youtube does not mean he "seeking protection from America's enemy."

Have you ever been to Hong Kong? I have? A person who spoke the language and knew what they were doing could hide there. Lots and lots of people. lots and lots of small, out of the way apartments.

But my guess is that he is no longer there.

I know this (and so does Snowden) he does not want the communist chinese to get ahold of himm and milk info out of him.

No, he kept his oath to the Constitution, though he had to breal=k "laws" to do so...which should tell you much more about our sad state of affairs than anything.

SNPOWDEN, PRSIM, & THE NSA

[Sam Gamgee]

Let’s see. They harass US citizens. China cheats on trade. They arm our enemies such as Iran. They spy on us and steal our technology. So yes, they are our enemy.

[Sam Gamgee]

I am still asking what is the big deal. The NSA is not doing anything different than it did under GWB, who was also monitoring communications.

[Sam Gamgee]

Fair enough. I can concede that. Still don’t think he is a hero.

[CA Conservative]

Fair enough. I can concede that. Still don’t think he is a hero.

I agree.

[Sam Gamgee]

If he doesn't want the Chinese to get him, why did he go to Hong Kong? If he is innocent, why just come back home and face his accusers?

[JoeProBono]

"If he is innocent, why just come back home and face his accusers?"

Seriously? Just where do you live?

[Gene Eric]

>> He informed the American people of secret surveillance being carried out against all of them.

And allegedly the Chinese too!

[Gene Eric]

The Snowden hero worship flies in the face of Conservatism. Congressional accusations of treason equally flies in the face of Conservatism. Vilifying the NSA is just plain stupid.

Striking that Snowden, the Obama voting Libertarian, is all the rage. Since when are Libertarians to be trusted given their support for pedophilia, heroin, and homosexually goat marriage. Is it the appearance of “truth to power” against the nefarious, constitutionally defiant NSA that’s prompting the affection?

The NSA is not the problem. It’s Congress. But that’s obviously not important right now.

[sargon]

Since when are Libertarians to be trusted given their support for pedophilia...

There are lies and damn lies, and that's a damn lie...

[Gene Eric]

Just pointing out the hypocrisy.