Edward Snowden made a conscious

Edward Snowden made a conscious decision to expose a massive, draconian
system of spying on American citizens

The truth about the Snowden affair & why you should care

y Doug Hagmann (Bio
and Archives)  Wednesday,
July 3, 2013

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/print-friendly/56303

Some call Edward Snowden a traitor, while others call him a hero. One
thing that is certain is that he cannot be both to the citizens of the
United States. Interested by this stark difference of perception, I decided
to investigate exactly what it was that he allegedly did that caused this
drama that has captivated so many.

In the process, I found that there is a lot of misinformation and
outright disinformation that exists about his actions. Most troubling is
that much of it seems to be coming directly from officials within the U.S.
government and members of the
corporate media. In this investigative process, I also learned why
every American, and every “free” person reading this regardless of what
country in which you live, should be very concerned about the case of Edward
Snowden.

One overriding theme that was reinforced during my
investigation is that our
elected officials have a rabid contempt for any constitutional limitations
placed upon them. While this is not exactly a news flash, the case of Edward
Snowden must be viewed against this backdrop of contempt, which is not
specific to any one political office or party and knows no restraint.

A second but closely related theme that should be well beyond debate is
that any federal law that
violates the United States
Constitution is not a valid law. There is a rich history for the
principle that an unconstitutional law is void, and no legislative act that
is contrary to the constitution
can be considered valid. Again, the Edward Snowden affair must be properly
viewed in this context.

Edward Snowden in brief

Although there are many side issues and offshoots of the case “against”
Edward Snowden, the core issue of the matter is fairly straightforward. At
the heart of all the drama and legal machinations being discussed is one
very simple issue: his security clearance and the executive order under
which it was created and Edward Snowden was working.

Proper understanding of the issue required me to contact a very highly
placed, known and trusted source familiar with how the various processes of
security clearances work. While this
statement might seem
oversimplified to those in the intelligence business, it makes little
difference to us as American citizens or freedom loving people of our own
countries. It does not change the facts of the Snowden affair.

At the time Edward Snowden received his security clearance, he signed
away certain constitutional rights in
exchange for his loyalty
to the government, and to operate at the mercy and direction of the office
of the President or his designate. Nonetheless, he is still an American
citizen.

Based on the information obtained during the course of my investigation,
it appears that Mr. Snowden, while working in the capacity described,
learned that he was involved in activities that he reasonably believed to be
in direct opposition to the laws of the United States Constitution. He found
that contrary to what was being said by the government to the American
people and the world, he was not only aware of, but involved in spying
activities that were inconsistent with the protections, rights and freedoms
afforded to us by the U.S.
Constitution.

At some point, as an American, he had to make a decision. It would be an
unenviable position that would forever change his life. Does he violate the
executive order under which he was operating to expose a system of spying on
the American people, a system that was so vast and out of control that he
felt so compelled to let us know what is actually taking place and face the
consequences, or does he keep his mouth shut and continue to operate under
an order he believed to be unconstitutional?

Included within that decision was something else. Would his revelations
harm, in any way, the security of the United States and his fellow citizens?
Again, based on my investigation of the information released, nothing was
revealed by Snowden that any potential enemy of the U.S. did not already
know. Additionally, he did not appear to release any “fruit” of the data
mining and spying operations, but merely disclosed the scope and extent of
its existence.

What, then, is Edward Snowden allegedly guilty of? He can only be guilty
of one of two things, but he cannot be guilty of both. Either he criminally
disclosed our national secrets to our external enemies, consequently putting
all Americans at risk in violation of his oath, or he decided that as a
citizen, he had an obligation of overriding importance to his fellow
citizens that trumped the oaths he signed and was working under, to expose
government programs that are operating outside of the laws of the U.S.
Constitution.  It’s really that simple.

A solution exists

Amid all of the drama that exists pertaining to where Edward Snowden will
likely end up, there is a simple, viable solution that would benefit all
involved that no one seems to be talking about – perhaps for good reason. As
it stands today, should Snowden return to the United States, he would not be
permitted the same rights as any other citizen under the U.S. Constitution
to have an open and fair trial or answer the charges against him based on
the “contract” he signed for his clearance. In reality, he could, and likely
would, be tossed in prison indefinitely, denied access to legal counsel, and
denied all of the normal and customary rights granted to American citizens
accused of a crime. He would have less rights than murderers and most
terrorists, and the proceedings against him could, and likely would, take
place well outside of the purview of American citizens.

All of this could be avoided while still forcing him to answer the
charges against him. With the stroke of a pen, the President could simply
sign an order that would allow Mr. Snowden to return to the United States
and be subjected to be tried in the American criminal justice system, in
open court, in a manner consistent with
the Constitution of the United
States that would afford him the normal judicial and constitutional
protections as an American citizen.

Knowing this, perhaps the appropriate question that no one is asking, is
what is this administration afraid of by allowing this case to proceed in
this manner? Are the risks of multiple international incidents more
palatable or easily manageable than a system of transparent judicial
process? If so, something is terribly wrong.

Who will be valiant for justice sake?

Edward Snowden made a conscious decision to expose a massive, draconian
system of spying on American citizens that he believed is violating the
rights of every American. He could not reconcile his responsibilities under
the executive order in which he was working with his knowledge as an
American citizen himself. He made a conscience decision to fall on the side
of the fence for the
American citizen.  Is anyone coming to his aid?  Who will be valiant for
justice sake?