Sen. Feinstein: Snowden's Leaks Are 'Treason'

Thoughtful responses not in her repertoire

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Monday said the 29-year-old man who leaked information about two national security programs is guilty of treason.

Feinstein said former National Security Agency Edward Snowden she doesn't see him as a hero or a whistle blower.

"I don't look at this as being a whistleblower. I think it's an act of treason," the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee told reporters.

Comments

[Ziggy Stardust]

And I thought violating your oath to uphold the Constitution and a full assault on the 2nd amendment was treason. Silly me

[darius404]

Well the Constitution is actually rather specific in what constitutes the criminal act of treason:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.

The only ambiguous parts are what specifically counts as "Enemies", and what "Aid and Comfort" mean. But the government would have a hard time defining Snowden's actions, at least, in those terms.

[Res Publica Americana]

As opposed to Feinstein's actions and those of her fellow Congressmen, which often fit that definition perfectly.

[Agreenweed]

Yes. This.

[Copernicus]

I was pretty sure I admired this Snowden fellow, and then Feinstein opened her mouth and removed all doubt.

I say this with full knowledge that this post is being read and flagged and stalked and reported by scores of government ASSHOLES!!!

[Duke]

Then I guess he did commit treason. He aided the American people by letting them know how they are being ass-raped every day by their betters. And we know that the American people are the enemy because of the wars engaged against them by their own government -- kinda like Syria. Why can't the American people just stop being the enemy?!

[Muzzle of Bees]

"The homeland is the battlefield."

[LilDebbie]

So Snowden committed treason and Feinstein is a traitor?

[Res Publica Americana]

The entire presidency of your progressive coreligionist is bursting with acts of treason -- acts which would have led to rebellion in times gone by.

Fuck you, you disingenuous totalitarian whore.

[Duke]

Feinstein claiming that Snowden's failure to uphold and defend the constitution is so ironic, so hypocritical, so maddening... Aaarrrggghhh!!!

[Sevo]

Strange dynamic at the SF Chron:
A columnist who writes on tech issues (but admitted a couple of weeks back to being simply a J-school grad with a smart phone) supports Snowden. The columnist is an econ ignoramus, luddite and a dedicated statist, proposing government control of jobs per that idiot Lanier.
The comments are split, and it's not breaking on left/right lines:
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchr.....a-traitor/
The cons on the left are reduced to "BOOOSH" and 'shy didn't he stay here?'; the righty-cons are huffing and puffing about snipers and 'treason'.

[20yearsecurityclearance]

I am absolutely appauled by the acts of Edward Snowden. Sen. Feinstein is correct in calling these acts of treason. He's not a hero (I choke even typing the word in reference to him); he's a disillusioned coward. Most Americans are happy to enjoy the freedom and protection our national security programs afford them. They don't want to know the details. And they don't need to know. Edward Snowden violated laws and the trust this country put in him. The U.S., with its international relations, will track him down and return him to this country, where he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Would you feel the same if GWB was still in office. How much do you get paid? Is it a per post thing or are you on a salary.

[LilDebbie]

T suspect you have been trolled, sir.

[dinkster]

Jerkcity? T pants

[SeaCaptain(Yokeltarian)]

There are people that believe this shit.

[Sevo]

20yearsecurityclearance| 6.10.13 @ 9:30PM |#
"I am absolutely appauled"

Is that Ron or Rand?

[Agreenweed]

Are your employers hiring? Hell, it probably pays as well as the spam ads. I can see it now- $83 an hour to write anti liberty posts! Hell, Feinstein will sign the check.

[mr lizard]

Fuck off slaver

[An0nB0t]

Dear DiFi: If it wasn't already abundantly clear from the beatdown you received over gun control, no one cares what you believe or has the slightest bit of respect for your intellect or political insights. Hurry up and die.

[Sevo]

AOBO,
This is painful, but living in SF, Di Fi is as close to 'right wing' as you're going to find.
We send that low-IQ Boxer and that hag Pelosi to DC, we send stand up comic Ammiano and smilin' Leno to the the state legislature, and it won't take much research to find that Di Fi is well to the right of any of those idiots.
BTW, I use the term "we" loosely; not one of those shitstains has ever gotten a vote I cast.

[An0nB0t]

Former Californian here who enjoys Big Sur and Yosemite more than he hates California politicians. My condemnation of DiFi isn't a claim that she's better or worse than the rest of the CA goons, but that she occupies a particular place of loathing in my room-temperature silicon heart.

As for comparing/contrasting her with other CA politicos, in the ideal world there would be plenty of gibbets for everyone.

[Sevo]

"As for comparing/contrasting her with other CA politicos, in the ideal world there would be plenty of gibbets for everyone."
Not going to gripe; her statements re Snowden are pathetic beyond what I thought was her limits.

[Chris Bray]

Dianne Feinstein is alive?

[Floating Weightless]

Feinstein is pure scum.

[Jerryskids]

I just have to say that if treason is defined as giving aid and comfort to the enemy, DiFi has just said what we all knew they were all thinking all along - we are the enemy as far as they are concerned.

Just in case the fact that an NSA program designed to ferret out terrorists turned its' focus squarely on every single American citizen right off the bat didn't clue you in to who the government thinks the real threat is.

[darius404]

My god. Don't you people see what the government has done to us? They've reduced us to commenting on 24/7 posts. Those BASTARDS.

[Sevo]

As a regular on 24/7, I figured it was the peer acceptance value that kept you fashionistas from commenting here.
Or that maybe you folks couldn't read...

[darius404]

Oh, I comment on things here from time to time. But 24/7 usually doesn't get this sort of attention.

[darius404]

I at least glance at everything that comes through this feed. It tides me over during the slower parts of Reason's day.

[Chris Bray]

Repulsive vampire.

[Goldwyn Smith]

Disgusting.

[Jon Lester]

This same woman wants to take away our semi-automatic rifles, yet give fully-automatic variants to Syrian jihadists, none of who would even pretend to be a friend to America, if not for their needs.

[ToiletsonIce]

Di-Fi is a politician looking for a meat hook and a gas station if I ever saw one.