Letter: General would have hung Snowden
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is interviewed by The Guardian. Credit: The Guardian
I tried to follow the shifting sands of columnist Anne Michaud's logic ["The founders would see Snowden as a patriot," Opinion, July 4] without much success. The view from her lofty perch, I fear, would not be compatible with those of the founders.
George Washington maintained an effective domestic spying network during the Revolutionary War, and depended heavily on it to provide intelligence for his military strategy. Had Edward Snowden lived in 1776, and disclosed Washington's military plans and secrets to the British as an act of conscience, his "bravery" would surely have resulted in his abruptly swinging from the end of a rope.
The patriots who placed their signatures on the Declaration of Independence -- and put their lives in forfeit -- exhibited true bravery.
Toby Rogers, Valley Stream
