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Edward Snowden: What Makes Men Legendary
by duane p. roshell
The issue at hand is not purely whether Edward Snowden is either heroic or treacherous for his act of
whistleblowing via the leaks. But rather, at the core of this debate is the theory of structure on which
later surviving vestiges of the Espionage act of 1917, and the 1918 amendment to the act, also called the
Sedition Act was predicated. Markedly, are the stipulatory parts, which can be examined in current
American law (e.g. 18 U.S.C.A. § 793). Did this act, and the now non-controversial parts, extend too far in
its restrictions on freedom of speech? Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers might answer this
question in the a0rmative.
Arguably, one might conclude that Edward Snowden is a hero of sorts. Certainly, he satis1es two
de1nitions of a hero: Merriam-Webster’s de1nition stating, (1) a person, typically a man, who is admired
or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities; and Urban Dictionary.com’s
de1nition, which says a hero is, (2) someone who gets a lot of OTHER people killed.
Edward Snowden has taken the path less taken, the road less traveled. History will have to ultimately say
if his courageous stance was a correct choice or not.
The 1985 v. Morison case set the precedent, requiring the government to prove harm to national
security. Snowden states that he, “…[c]arefully evaluated every single document…disclosed to ensure
that each was legitimately in the public interest," he said. "There are all sorts of documents that would
