Replies to post #205318 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[BullNBear52]

Clapper's testimony was in public. I'm sure his behind the door testimony was somewhat different.

"Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?" Oregon Republican Sen. Ron Wyden asked Clapper at the March 12 hearing.

"No, sir," Clapper responded.

"It does not?" Wyden pressed.

Clapper recanted and said: "Not wittingly. There are cases where they could, inadvertently perhaps, collect -- but not wittingly."[/I]

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/11/clapper-under-fire-for-hill-testimony-suggested-didnt-know-about-fed-massive/#ixzz2W07y8OLh

Nice duck!

And from the NYT,

“My sole motive,” he told The Guardian, “is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.”

While that principle is the right one, he should brace himself for the charges and possible punishment that may come in its wake. Most likely, he will be charged with disclosure of classified information under the Espionage Act, which carries a possible 10-year jail term for each count. Mr. Snowden broke the agreement he made to keep these materials secret. [/I]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/opinion/surveillance-snowden-doesnt-rise-to-traitor.html?ref=opinion

[PegnVA]

If Daniel Ellsberg took the Pentagon Papers to, say, HK/China instead of the NY TIMES, would he have been thought of as a hero? Ellsberg remained in the U.S. and suffered the consequences of his "self righteous" action.
Where Snowden went off track, imo, is running off to a country not always friendly to the U.S. after revealing U.S. Nat'l security info he was sworn to keep secret because, as he professed, he just wanted to let people know what's going on...I also believe he embellished his ease of ability to hack e-mails of high-profile people.

How many other Snowdens are keepers of U.S. Nat'l security info because the gov't has downsized and hires outside consultants to be the keeper of our Nat'l security secrets?