Editorials / Opinion

Seattle Times letters to the editor

Snowden the watchdog

A supporter holds a picture of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret information about U.S. surveillance programs, outside the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong. (The Associated Press / Kin Cheung)

Since when is columnist David Brooks a psychiatrist? He fails to justify why the government listens to and tracks Americans’ phone and Internet activity [“Edward Snowden: betrayer of trust,” Opinion, June 12].Despite spending billions of U.S. dollars on security, Brooks can’t explain why 9/11, the Boston massacre, foreign hacking into our government’s business or other breaches occurred. Nor does he link any of them to America’s foreign policy.

Because he can’t justify the government’s invasion of our privacy, Brooks attacks Edward Snowden. He can’t admit that Snowden might be an intelligent and principled whistle-blower, so he suggests Snowden may have psychological problems and cites his alleged relationship with his mother, his loner status and his limited exposure to public education.

Jean Majury, Mercer Island

Snowden the traitor

Every day men and women at the CIA, NSA and intelligence organizations in our military make sacrifices to keep our country secure [“NSA leaker Snowden not welcome in U.K.,” seattletimes.com, June 14]. Some within the organizations lose their lives protecting our country.

Edward Snowden has jeopardized the lives and the missions of people in organizations pledged to keeping our nation secure from foreign powers and terrorists. He hasn’t just jeopardized the security of the United States; our NATO partners are also at risk.

Snowden is not a hero; he is a traitor. He acted in a very naive way and it may take years to repair the damage he has done.

Dana Stern, Canyon County, Calif.

Uphold the Constitution

The way many voices in the media have tried to portray whistle-blower Edward Snowden as a criminal and a betrayer of the trust is ironic and even a bit surreal [“NSA leaker Snowden not welcome in U.K.,” seattletimes.com, June 14].

It is ironic because Snowden’s “crimes” pale in comparison with the sweeping violations of our constitutional right to privacy that he exposed.

It is surreal because Snowden courageously risked his career and his freedom to do what was right — an all-too-rare act of selflessness — and we have responded by labeling him as the worst kind of criminal.

Snowden’s actions did technically violate the law, but we shouldn’t focus so much on that because it can cause us to lose perspective. The real betrayal of trust was when our leaders violated the Constitution they had sworn to uphold, not when Snowden exposed them.

Anthony Bencivengo, Seattle