Hiraghm is correct - the traitors to the Crown were patriots of the American Revolution and absolutely understood the circumstances and consequences of what they were about - and stood in the door anyway. That's the gold standard and the very definition of courage of convictions and bravery in action. Snowden isn't even in the same universe. His activities - and those of the apologencia attempting to mask his traitorous actions after the fact - have been all about claiming uber-patriot status while seeking to avoid the consequences of his actions - that's cowardly and sniveling and a rank insult to true patriots who have given their all - to those who are as we go back and forth on this,and those who will in the future - as they will again and again - as we always ask them to do. Until he comes home to deal with the very enemy he has proclaimed he's nothing more than a ranting idelaogue, a common criminal as the thief that he is, and a traitor against the oath and the promises he made to this country - his country - our country..

Maybe we should consider, had the founders of this country faced the British court system they would likely all have been killed and we would still be under British rule.

Hello jneilschulman,
I have some sympathy for Snowden. Imagine the dilemma he must have faced; what law should he abide by? The one some bureaucrats established or the highest law of the land, the Constitution? We need a better system for justice through our Supreme Court. Any law that so flagrantly violates the Constitution should exonerate anyone who violates it in favor of the Constitution. Sure he broke the law. Occasionally laws are found to be unconstitutional and therefore unlawful. Are they not? “The law is a ass.” Dickens. I believe, unfortunately at this time, with this administration, it is doubtful that Snowden could get a fair hearing. For crying out loud, the guy who put out the video that didn't cause the Benghazi attack is still in a halfway house serving out the remainder of his sentence... So far our government has not produced one example of someone being harmed by what he released, though it is clear that the rights of millions of Americans have been violated. The government breaks laws with impunity routinely, yet no one is held to account. Snowden points this out and some want his head. If the government can do what Snowden has shown, and you were in his place, what chance would you expect for justice?
Is it Galt like? I don’t know. Perhaps it is more Ragnar like…

Respectfully,
O.A.

Snowden's actions must be put in context. If what he did is treason, then what did the left's lovable Daniel Ellsberg do when he disclosed the top secret Pentagon Papers during a time of war? Ellsberg got off that hook. All Snowden did was inform the American people of the clandestine and arguably illegal activities of their own government against them and against others including foreign leaders. I give him a hardy "Well done!!"

that's for the court's to decide and he could have handled this in a different way than walking out of NSA with classified documents.

My take on Mr. Snowden is two fold; First, he DID steal Top Secret information using other peoples access which is treason, BUT, he could not in good conscience let the Government get away with spying on all Americans!!! I may have done the same thing... It's hard to say???

President Bush should never have signed into law "The Patriot Act" especially since Obama has changed it to really tie the hands of the American people...

Edward Snowden strikes me in many respects as being a John Galt-like figure. He refused to let his work be used for potentially evil ends, so he quit. Though in a bit of a twist, he showed his work to the world as justification for his actions. With much the same ideological reaction as the original got for leaving the product of his work abandoned on a trash heap.

I liked Rand Paul's take on the matter.

Should Edward Snowden be treated as a whistle-blower? I believe he should, as he was pointing out clearly illegal activity on the part of the US Government.

The NSA is trying to rebut Snowden's claims by saying they have only one e-mail from him, and that was three months after he reached out to The Guardian.

The truth of the matter might not come out until we change the party that has the President. One could file a FOIA request, but they'll just shout "national security" and stop all process.

I thought one of the most interesting things in the interview was snowden's comment that the US has secretly ruled there is a difference between seize and search under the 4th Amendment vs just seize. This has been their whole argument. we're not listening we're just collecting. Because they are only doing one part of it, they say they are within the bounds of the 4th Amendment. clever and cocky-spying bastards

watching it right now...thanks for the head's up!