Manning and Snowden light path for the US to return to its better self
Since the 9/11 trauma, America has allowed the national security state to ride roughshod over vital liberties. This is a turning-point
Yochai Benkler
guardian.co.uk,
Since the 9/11 trauma, America has allowed the national security state to ride roughshod over vital liberties. This is a turning-point
The closing arguments in the trial of Bradley Manning, where prosecutors are trying to persuade the judge that leaking to the press constitutes the treasonous act of aiding the enemy, came fast on the heels of the most significant bipartisan response to leak-based national security journalism that we have seen since the 1970s: Wednesday's vote on the Amash amendment in the House. At no time since the Obama administration launched its war on national security journalism and its sources has the critical role of leaks and journalism been clearer. Without Edward Snowden's whistleblowing and Glenn Greenwald's reporting, NSA surveillance would still have been in the dark, protected by secrecy and bolstered by the "least untruthful" lies James Clapper delivered to Senator Ron Wyden.
Wednesday's vote in the House may well yet turn out to be a turning-point on
much more than just NSA surveillance – because dragnet surveillance of phone
metadata is only one manifestation of our post-9/11 constitutional PTSD.
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Continua qui: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/26/manning-snowden-us-better-self