The Dropout and Big Brother
June 13, 2013 - by
When Joyce brought up Edward Snowden and NSA spying, table talk veered from the McCrory Ballgate story, Moral Mondays and legislative lunacy.
Snowden is a 29-year-old high school dropout, former Elizabeth City resident and computer nerd who was making $200,000 a year until he started an international furor over U.S. government surveillance.
Snowden says, essentially, that the NSA (“No Such Agency”) can hack anybody, anytime – including you and the President. The government and President Obama say, essentially: Yes we can. But you can trust us. And we’re keeping you safe.
Joyce asked: Why isn’t Snowden a hero? Why are Very Important and Serious members of Congress calling him a traitor? Except Senator Rand Paul, who plans to sue the government. (Side note: Snowden supported Ron Paul for President.)
Are we OK with all this?
The British government says law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear here. But look at it this way: Say you’re Facebook friends with someone who, unknown to you, leaks a government secret to the media – maybe something about Fort Bragg. The government, if it wishes, then could examine all your Facebook posts, all your Twitter posts, all your cell phone records and all your emails.
But you have nothing to worry about. So long as the government considers you a law-abiding citizen.
I hope they don’t decide this blog is a national-security threat. You’re in trouble if they do.
So it’s The Government versus The Kid. Maybe it’s the aging hippie in me, as Senator Goolsby would say, but I believe the kid.
The Dropout and Big Brother
June 13, 2013/
When Joyce brought up Edward Snowden and NSA spying, table talk veered from the McCrory Ballgate story, Moral Mondays and legislative lunacy.
Snowden is a 29-year-old high school dropout, former Elizabeth City resident and computer nerd who was making $200,000 a year until he started an international furor over U.S. government surveillance.
Snowden says, essentially, that the NSA (“No Such Agency”) can hack anybody, anytime – including you and the President. The government and President Obama say, essentially: Yes we can. But you can trust us. And we’re keeping you safe.
Joyce asked: Why isn’t Snowden a hero? Why are Very Important and Serious members of Congress calling him a traitor? Except Senator Rand Paul, who plans to sue the government. (Side note: Snowden supported Ron Paul for President.)
Are we OK with all this?
The British government says law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear here. But look at it this way: Say you’re Facebook friends with someone who, unknown to you, leaks a government secret to the media – maybe something about Fort Bragg. The government, if it wishes, then could examine all your Facebook posts, all your Twitter posts, all your cell phone records and all your emails.
But you have nothing to worry about. So long as the government considers you a law-abiding citizen.
I hope they don’t decide this blog is a national-security threat. You’re in trouble if they do.
So it’s The Government versus The Kid. Maybe it’s the aging hippie in me, as Senator Goolsby would say, but I believe the kid.