By Stan Welch
I guess I must just be old fashioned when it comes to things like treason and traitors. I say that because I consider former NSA contractor Edward Snowden to be both a traitor and guilty of treason.
This self-righteous little weasel decided that the NSA and its domestic surveillance program was out of control and needed to be exposed. So far, I’m with him. Ever since the Patriot Act was passed, Americans’ freedoms have been dwindling and Big Brother has been putting on weight.
Actually, it goes back much farther than that. Civil liberties and the Bill of Rights have been taking a beating ever since the war on drugs cranked up fifty years ago. Warrantless searches, illegal seizure of personal property and assets, phone taps and entrapment by law enforcement were all practiced and condoned because, after all, we were catching those dirty drug dealers.
Well, all those tactics have failed miserably. Drug cartels in many parts of this hemisphere are more powerful than the countries they operate in. Take Mexico for example.
So I can sympathize with Snowden and his desire to out the NSA and its excesses. But to flee with four hard drives full of classified information, no matter how it was gathered, is way way over any reasonable line. This scumbag is currently touring the United States’ largest and most powerful enemies, shopping this information around.
There are two reasons he is able to do this. First is the United States’ ineptitude. They didn’t even revoke his passport until this past weekend. That was after he had already been to Hong Kong, a city state within the control of Communist China, and was in Russia.
Another issue is the top secret clearance this guy had. Reports have surfaced since this happened that literally thousands of similar clearances have been issued without the recipients having been properly vetted. Probably that pesky budget sequestration making it go so slow.
The other reason this world tour continues, with rumored stops in Cuba and Ecuador, and possibly a final stop in Venezuela, is that our President evokes about as much fear in the world’s real leaders as Sherry Lewis and Lamb Chop.
Hong Kong, aka Red China, stuck their finger in the American eagle’s eye when they let Snowden leave for Russia despite a U.S. extradition request. This is the same superpower that Obama is counting on to keep North Korea under control. Makes you feel safe and comfy doesn’t it?
As for Russia, Putin has made it clear he has no respect for Obama or the United States. He has challenged us on the Syrian issue and he has been accused of actually aiding Snowden in his escape from Hong Kong.
I can’t help but remember hearing our president pledge his flexibility to Putin once he was reelected. And that same president is currently working to reduce our nuclear arsenal even more than he already has. Come to think of it, Snowden may not be the only traitor in the mix.
The international embarrassment that this nation has suffered in recent years may become something much, much worse. It may become the greatest security breach in decades.
So the question is, where are the drones when you need one? Fly one in one of this traitor’s ears and out the other. Sorry, traitors get no slack.