The list of people who have given up everything for a cause is full of heroes. Many of America’s most prominent historical figures are people who turned their backs on comfort and security for the sake of their beliefs; many civil rights leaders, reformers and revolutionaries fit this description.
But there is one such person alive today who has not been celebrated, but vilified and chased from the country. He resides now in a Russian airport, taking refuge from a government that wants him extradited and sent to trial.
His name is Edward Snowden, and his crime is that he told Americans the truth about the National Security agency’s surveillance program.
Snowden, a former resident of North Carolina, never completed his high school degree. He joined the army to fight in the Iraq War but was injured during training and left unable to serve. Through merit and determination, he earned a job working for the NSA. During this time, Snowden found himself in a unique position. During one of the worst recessions in American history, he was a high school dropout earning more than $200,000 annually in a white-collar job.
Most of us would be more than satisfied in such a position, and would do whatever we could to hold onto it. But sometime in the past few years, Snowden became aware of gross ethical malfeasance on the part of his employers. In early June, he released to The Guardian and The Globe details of several government surveillance programs which seemed to be in violation of the fundamental right to privacy.
“The return of this information marks my end,” Snowden told The Washington Post. Based on the government response to his actions, this seems accurate. Snowden sacrificed his job and has been charged with multiple felonies carrying a cumulative sentence of more than two decades in prison. He is now seeking refuge in a Russian airport while government officials seek to have him extradited.
John Boehner has said Snowden is a traitor and that he has “put Americans at risk.” But America’s definition of traitor only extends to those who aid America’s enemies, and Snowden has only helped the American public. If Snowden is truly a traitor, then the American people have been classified as an enemy of the American government.
For Congress and the courts, the Snowden case is a test of character. If he is indeed tried and sentenced as an enemy of the state, it will undermine the servility of the government to its people, which I contend is a key American value. It will cement morally flexible authoritarian roles in our government, and I think that’s something we should all be very concerned about.
History will never condemn Snowden for telling the truth. Even if he is judged to have been misguided, he is someone who sacrificed his way of life to better his country. As such, he will eventually be saluted for his bravery and selflessness.
When judging Snowden, our representatives need to make sure they’re on the right side of history.
Nathan James is a junior majoring in public relations.
