Edward Snowden Research Paper

David Owens
Bragger/English 1A
July 15, 2014
Snowden: Judas Iscariot he is not, or is he?
The list of infamous traitors is short and perhaps less well-known than other less significant lists, like the list of this year’s Oscar nominees. There was; Brutus, Tokyo Rose, Mata Hari, Benedict Arnold, John Anthony Walker Jr., and Judas who was one of the twelve disciples, and perhaps the most well-known of all traitors, he betrayed Jesus for a mere handful of coins. This list is incomplete, but it lists traitors who were both foreign and domestic, from modern day to the time of the Old Testament. Some of these traitors were responsible for the loss of lives, and others were not. Edward Snowden is the current candidate for traitor, and claims
Also worth mentioning is the fact that the Editor of the New York Times, Bill Keller found it ethically, and perhaps morally correct not to print information that had been leaked by the NSA until there was absolutely no other choice. (Frontline documentary). It remains clear, at least to me, that prior to the traitor Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA, and the “Program,” there was plenty of information available regarding that program. The higher echelon of the U.S. government had it, the employees of the NSA had it, and even the New York Times had it, and when the former Department of Justice Attorney Thomas Tamm leaked that information to the Times, they, at the behest of George W. Busch decided in good conscience not to publish it.It was not until the Times reporter who had originally received the top secret information from Tamm; James Risen informed the Editor of the Times that he was going to release a book on the subject, that the story finally broke on the front page of the New York Times. Perhaps with the omission of Tamm, and Risen it was a case of American patriots toeing the line. What of the traitor Edward Snowden? (Frontline
Yes it is odd, and possibly the definition of a traitor. (Williams interview).The public has many rights, and the list is a long one. At the top of that list is our right to live safely, free from harm. Our government has the responsibility to see that our rights are protected. When a person, be they a citizen, or an officer of the government turns over classified information to a foreign country then that person becomes a traitor and Edward Snowden is a traitor. This means that regardless of whether or not Snowden took an oath, he is still a traitor, and a man without a moral compass. Even the New York Times initially refused to print classified information from the NSA leaker’s, and a newspapers prime objective is to deliver the news regardless of public or governmental opinion. Indeed Edward Snowden betrayed our country, and his family. His father is a veteran, his grandfather was an FBI agent, and I can’t help but feel bad for them. If Snowden is truly a patriot as he claims, then his only hope for redemption is to come back to the United States and face charges. For her treasonous acts Mata Hari died in front of a firing,