I have mixed feelings about Snowden. If he was just a whistle blower I would support him but I am getting the impression he was just doing it for himself and to get attention. For instance his constant interviews slowly leaking a little more information instead of all at once. I am beginning to question his real motives.
One can always question the person and their motives. But the question we should ask if the information that person has brought out in the open makes a difference. In the case of Snowden, it's forcing this country to face a new harsh reality minus the red,white and blue glasses we've long loved to wear. That reality is just what kind of gov't do we have and is that what we want?
Opinions are mixed I'm sure but then they always have when truth is told!
On a side note, as children we were taught that keeping secrets, keeping things hidden or to use a valid word sadly twisted, to occult (means
to hide, no devil involved) information and ideas suggested wrong doing and evil possible foul play. Now we embrace the idea almost as national treasure. It's the criminal who operates in the dark and shadows and it's the honest and trustworthy who do all things in the open. To flip a load of bullschitt back at the ones who lay it out, to The State and the NSA, if you have nothing to hide then why all the need for secrecy? Here come the apologists!
In observing the recent threads here in BC on the contract talks, many complained that the union and UPS were keeping the talks hidden or again you could use the word occulted (remember no devil here) and that in the case of union members for whom the union works as fiduciary agent for hire should be making more known to it's members. Of course you always had the union apologists who would step in and defend the union and secrecy at every turn thus defending a created heirarchy of control when the control should be the other way around. The union members demanding more information were right because the Union's job is to act as representative yet the union itself has turned into a type of boss over it's own members thus another departure from what unions are suppose to be and how they work.
The state has the same relationship supposedly with the people and a so called social contract exists to which a consent to govern is implied. This alleged contract asserts "We The People" are the boss and those in gov't act as our hires to serve in the best interests of those who elect them. Yet just like the union, the hires of "We The People" have become the bosses and the "hires" using secrets (hiding the truth) to keep from us becomes imperative in order to maintain power. If we had transparency, if given all the facts, their ability to stay and maintain power (both sides) would be at risk because the people would understand just what these people are when you remove all the layers of whitewash that hides truth.
In my book, whatever personality trait flaws may exist or are created for propaganda reasons and both do apply, Snowden, Thomas Drake, Sibel Edmonds, Julia Davis, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, Daniel Ellsberg et al are all heroes in my book for their own reasons.
Or as Assange use to famously say,