Patriot or Traitor?

What is a patriot?  My 1996 edition of my Merriam Webster’s Collegiate dictionary describes a patriot as “one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests”.  What is a traitor?  My handy dictionary defines a traitor as “one who betrays another’s trust or is false to an obligation or duty.”   Is Snowden a patriot or a traitor?  During the televised interview with Brian Williams Snowden said that he was a patriot.  My personal definition and that of my dictionary certainly don’t jive with Snowden's assessment.    

Looking back a bit at the facts…  Snowden exceeded his authority to access and retrieve information that he did not have authority to access or possess.  Snowden didn’t just take them home, he gave this classified and sensitive information to foreign governments.  In May of 2013 Snowden packed his bags and took all the information he gathered and went to Hong Kong where he met with journalists to reveal his treasure trove of documents.  When the information was made public the U.S. Department of Justice charged Snowden with two counts of violating the Espionage Act and the State Department revoked his passport.  He ended up in Russia, where he sits today hoping to return to the United States.

Snowden remarked that his definition of a patriot was someone who regards him or herself as a defender of individual rights against presumed interference by the federal government.  This must be a new age definition.  It’s a mangled definition and one that defies the oath that members of the military and federal employees take.  When problems arise there are ways to find resolution.  I won’t pretend that every reaction ends in a manner that every party finds 100% happiness from.  The fact is that providing classified data to other countries would never meet my definition of a patriot.

Is Snowdens dilemma unique?  No.  Look at Nelson Mandella.  Mandella fought against apartheid (where the basic rights of nonwhite were unfairly restricted) using non-violent means including boycotts, strikes and civil disobedience.  He was arrested, tried and spent 27 years in prison for his effort.  I see Nelson Mandella’s efforts to be more heroic.

It should come as no surprise that every country performs intelligence gathering.  Why?  To determine where threats are within their borders.  It may not be surprising to many that these countries also use electronic means to gather intelligence about what other countries are doing.  They also send spies to other countries to live, side by side with other citizens to gather information.  The work of the NSA is no different from what goes on in any other country.

Should the US stop gathering intelligence?  No.  Without a doubt there are threats to the well- being of our country and her citizens.  The day we lay down our arms and stop defending our borders we lose. 

Snowden is a traitor.  IF he was a patriot he would never have considered giving our secrets away and he would be here to face the music.