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Snowden: Hero or Traitor?
Some consider Edward Snowden
A hero; some a traitor.
Some feel that he loves his country;
Some call him a hater.
Let's admit: One thing he did
Was open up our eyes
To infringements of our rights to privacy,
To intrusions and to lies.
Our rights are being redefined
In ways that circumvent
The Constitution, Snowden says,
And without the people's consent.
Snowden feels that the government must
Justify any intrusion
Into our rights. Otherwise,
Our liberty's merely an illusion.
If we say, "I've got nothing to hide,"
He equates that to our saying,
"MY rights do not matter,"
And it's hopelessness that we're conveying.
Has any REAL damage been caused
By Snowden's revelation
Of NSA surveillance tactics
That justifies criminalization?
He asks: Is the government punishing dissent--
Which it has done before--
Or pursuing an actual threat to the nation?
That's something we have to explore.
Or could it be that the NSA
Is feeling so distraught,
NOT because Snowden's a threat,
But merely because it got caught?
Meanwhile, Snowden's in exile in Russia--
Not his place of choice--
Hoping that policies protecting our rights
Could give him cause to rejoice.
(11-11-14)
A hero; some a traitor.
Some feel that he loves his country;
Some call him a hater.
Let's admit: One thing he did
Was open up our eyes
To infringements of our rights to privacy,
To intrusions and to lies.
Our rights are being redefined
In ways that circumvent
The Constitution, Snowden says,
And without the people's consent.
Snowden feels that the government must
Justify any intrusion
Into our rights. Otherwise,
Our liberty's merely an illusion.
If we say, "I've got nothing to hide,"
He equates that to our saying,
"MY rights do not matter,"
And it's hopelessness that we're conveying.
Has any REAL damage been caused
By Snowden's revelation
Of NSA surveillance tactics
That justifies criminalization?
He asks: Is the government punishing dissent--
Which it has done before--
Or pursuing an actual threat to the nation?
That's something we have to explore.
Or could it be that the NSA
Is feeling so distraught,
NOT because Snowden's a threat,
But merely because it got caught?
Meanwhile, Snowden's in exile in Russia--
Not his place of choice--
Hoping that policies protecting our rights
Could give him cause to rejoice.
(11-11-14)
