In the latest poll in our ‘Underground Knowledge’ group on Goodreads.com, we ask members: What is your opinion of whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Bradley Manning who leak classified intelligence information to the public concerning their own government’s criminal activities?
Whistleblowers Manning, Assange and Snowden
Interim results show that 68% of poll respondents consider the whistleblowers are heroes; only 10% consider them traitors; some 16% consider them a combination of both traitors and heroes; and 6% are undecided.
Respondents’ comments make for interesting reading. Some of those comments (abridged) follow:
They are both. On one hand they are heroes because they exposed governmental misconduct at personal risk. On the other they are traitors because as government employees they violated an oath and perhaps put some people at risk. What if the military personnel who man the nuclear weapons were given the same freedom to violate their duties? Snowden should be lauded and then put in prison.
These people do the public and their countries a great service which puts themselves in jeopardy!…The three listed above are the ones that stand out most in peoples minds, BUT, there are many others including news reporters who “have accidents” Mike Hastings and Martin Burns being two i know of personally.
The facts could have been shared with Congressmen who write the laws, and could have affected changes these men sought, without compromising the security of this nation or the safety of our people. The Americans are nothing less than traitors and should be shot. Assange has just been exploiting any exposed secrets, to the detriment of any and all nations or people involved.
Risking everything – their jobs/careers, good relationships with colleagues, friends and families, not to mention their own lives! – is something extremely heroic, some might even say foolish. In my opinion though, it shows an extreme level of unrelenting devotion and unbending commitment to one’s principles and morals…
Is it right to rendition and torture people who are innocent, is it right to drone strike civilian targets, is it right to arm train and fund terrorism, is it right to ship major amounts of narcotics into the USA?
NONE OF THAT IS RIGHT!!!
Praise to those who expose it!!
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Yes, it is the duty of every serviceman or woman to report wrongdoings, and even disobey illegal orders. However, all of the activities divulged were legal under the authorities granted, or they were dealt with using the legal system. Reports must be made through the chain of command, or barring that to the Inspectors General. Neither of those options was chosen.
Contractors hired for wetwork? Yes, very wrong, but not illegal during the Bush/Cheney administrations, because Cheney’s cronies were involved.
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I don’t think that’s correct, K……. At least some of Assange’s leaks exposed highly illegal activities, for example the footage of helicopter pilots shooting Iraqis for sport including civilians. There were numerous other similar leaks, I’m pretty sure.
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You can imprison one Manning or Assange, or kill another, but the spirit of whistleblowers is alive and well now and it’s the beginning of the end for the global elite. You cannot kill or imprison them all and what we are seeing so far is literally the first wave of whistleblowers from the military and CIA etc.
To see all the comments, or better still to have YOUR say, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group?type=group
Poll ends October 10, 2015.
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The Underground Knowledge discussion group is open to everyone! All you need is an enquiring mind, an interest in the world we live in and a desire to learn or to uncover “underground knowledge” on important issues of our times. This group is also for like-minded people to discuss the controversial topics explored in The Underground Knowledge Series, which includes the non-fiction books Genius Intelligence, Antigravity Propulsion, Medical Industrial Complex, The Catcher in the Rye Enigma and International Bankster$.
Our members include scientists, journalists, moms and dads, historians, doctors, whistleblowers, authors, bankers, teachers, intelligence personnel, housewives, students, Army vets, pacifists, conspiracy theorists, the odd redneck and the Average Joe. All viewpoints welcome!
To visit the group, go to: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/142309-underground-knowledge—a-discussion-group
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All tree are definitive heroes on their different ways.