Heroes or Traitors?

Some on the Left seem conflicted about Manning and Snowden, grateful for the key information they leaked but not ready to call the two young men heroes. In Manning's case ambivalence seems to spring from the fact that he sent out 700,000 documents. Either he read all 700,000 or he doesn't know what he released. To some that might seem injudicious. Manning's confinement by the military has apparently been grim. If I were the judge in his case, I would sentence him to time served and release him, but no one expects a humane military solution.

Snowden has a related problem. He took a huge amount of unread data on three computers to China and Russia, where their spy agencies undoubtedly copied it when he went downstairs to lunch. Also he ran away like a cheetah.  This morning we hear that he has been granted a permit to stay in Russia. That's a good place for a libertarian. Maybe Rand Paul will be the next to move there. In the meantime, our legislators can--if willing--get to work on privacy issues in both our government and corporate systems.