Domestic spying ‘inconsistent with the values of this country’

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/10/01/former-obama-official-domestic-spying-inconsistent-with-the-values-of-this-country/

by tareqak • 13 years ago

51 13 13 years ago

washingtonpost.com

cobrausn• 13 years ago

"We also have an over-classification problem. I don't condone what Ed Snowden did. He made a commitment to protect classified information. Breaking that commitment was wrong. However, he did bring to light this classification problem, which needs to be debated as a society. The problem with over-classification is you create an inherently closed system. Closed systems are prone to failure. In fact it's not just technology. Think of the political system. Closed totalitarian systems are inherently weaker than open egalitarian systems."

Anyone else seeing the contradiction here?

cmyr• 13 years ago

As someone who has clearly had an S/TS, (and who may want to have one again in the future) it would probably be (at least) irresponsible of Mr. Finan to condone the discloser of S/TS material by somebody with a clearance.

RyanMcGreal3• 13 years ago

There's something fundamentally wrong with a system in which you are required by protocol to maintain the affectation of hypocrisy in order to avoid being punished for making sense.

w_t_payne3• 13 years ago

I do not think that there is any insurmountable contradiction in perceiving the act of leaking classified information as a serious breach of both professional ethics; organizational trust and national duty; whilst also appreciating the opportunity for debate that arises as a consequence of the leak.

Rhetorical flourishes and occasional emotive rants aside, we are basically all friends, and friends tell each other when they are doing something bone-headed. Even if similar bone-headed stuff is normally kept quiet for very very good reasons indeed.

davidp• 13 years ago

I'm not sure about "irresponsible," unless you mean in the sense that he might impact his own future earnings and jeopardize his kids' college education etc.

On the other hand, if he honestly felt that Snowden did the right thing but is saying the opposite in order to keep his job intact, you could say there's a different kind of "irresponsible" going on.

Hypothetical: Should prospective S/TS clearance recipients be asked if they would reveal classified information if they thought that NOT revealing it would undermine the Constitution? It would be similar to asking a prospective soldier whether he or she would obey an order from the Commander in Chief that clearly violated the Constitution (e.g. "assassinate the Speaker of the House").

Such questions just aren't asked; but that's the question Snowden asked and resoundingly answered.

arca_vorago• 13 years ago

The main contradiction you are referring to has it's core at this phrase: "Breaking that commitment was wrong."

People who are inside the system are so invested in the viewpoint that they and their people are always right no matter what, that they don't really stop to take the time and actually think about these issues from a more objective point of view.

The argument would be that everyone inside knows that the IG's are not doing their job properly, continuously prosecute those who bring information to them, and therefore have undermined the official mechanism to address these issues.

As a former military guy who finally, to use the cliched term, "woke up", I do think there is conversation to be had about the duty of contractors in their agreements. So while I feel that the largest swath of the American Military is criminally negligent and in dereliction of duty by not addresses these constitutional issues as required by oath, I wonder what process the civilian contractors go through and if they swear any sort of oath other than the legal one regarding classified information? Regardless, in the military, it is the defense of the constitution that is mission number one, and I personally feel Snowden has done more on that front than just about any general or politician has done in years.

Having left the beltway about 2 years ago, I feel like everyone is either too scared to rock the boat and get fired or otherwise prosecuted, or they think they can ride the wave to the top and are simply opportunistic. They are saving themselves and their families now not realizing they are creating more destruction for their children and grandchildren.

stygianguest• 13 years ago

Any 'values' that apply only to a certain nationality aren't worth much anyway.

jwoah12• 13 years ago

How does stating that one country has certain values imply that no other country has those values?

ds9• 13 years ago

I think what stygianguest meant was that values worthy of respect are not specific in their applicability according to the nationality of the agent.

For example, if a Russian spy in the NSA revealed some documents, or if a US spy in Pakistan revealed documents, the author's value judgment against Snowden would not apply, because it is specific to a home-country actor breaking rules of the home country.

Domestic spying ‘inconsistent with the values of this country’

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