How Edward Snowden Changed Me

Childhood is arguably the most important time in a person’s life. It lays the foundation that we build our lives upon. It is when we begin to learn who we are individually, who we are collectively as a nation and where we fit in on this big rock we call Earth.

As a “millennial” my education was far different than what can only be described as “scholastic horror stories” my parents told. Gone were the days of being beaten with yardsticks and broom handles by nuns. Like many in my generation, I was very fortunate to have teachers that made me feel that I was important. Three things teachers told us repeatedly in elementary school were:

1. We could be anything we wanted to be, if we put our minds to it
2. Our country the United States of America was based on freedom, equality and democracy.
3. Do what you feel is right/ Do what your hearts tells you.

Little did I know a man named Edward Snowden and the Main Stream Media would profoundly impact my sentiments on the these statements forever.

When Edward Snowden’s revelations burst onto the scene, America was rocked to its core. The government that was supposed to be upholding our constitutional rights was systematically violating them in the name of “National Security.” The documents demonstrated that the NSA was in effect collecting and hoarding the communications of people across the globe and perhaps more shockingly people across the United States. NSA Director James Clapper, had been caught lying to Congress. Edward Snowden had been forced into exile in Russia while attempting to find asylum elsewhere.

One of the most perplexing things was the mainstream media’s response to the Snowden leaks. As opposed to focusing on the implications the documents spelled out for the state of freedom in our country; they instead chose to make Edward Snowden the focal point. Accusation, vilification and speculation dominated CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and all the MSM outlets. Snowden was called every name in the book: a traitor, a Benedict Arnold, a naïve hacker, a 29 y/o nerd, a defector, etc. The reporters railed against one of their fellow journalists Glenn Greenwald for aiding and abetting the so called criminal.

Meanwhile NSA Director James Clapper, lied to Congress about his agency’s’ systematic betrayal of American values and therefore the American people. He has evaded punishment for a felony crime and continued his career unscathed. The National Security Agency is still accessing our data, threatening companies that fight it, and has left the American people feeling powerless to stop it.

After all one person can’t fight the all powerful US Government and win right? Wrong.

Mr. Snowden won in the face of the largest and most powerful government in the world. He provided us with a choice. The choice to either review the information and voice our opinions or remain silent about mass surveillance, police states, and parallel construction. He began a debate that we needed to have. He made us realize we had been taking the most important things we had for granted; our privacy and freedom. He lost everything including his freedom, so we could choose if we kept ours. He lost it all for all the right reasons. I believe him over anyone else in Washington.

Edward Snowden demonstrated that nothing is impossible. He saw what was happening around him and he did what he believed was right, not just for Americans but for the world. Edward Snowden reminded us that those things we learned so long ago in elementary school aren’t just words, but core principles we should all keep in mind.

Content posted to MyMPN open blogs is the opinion of the author alone, and should not be attributed to MintPress News.