Edward Snowden’s brave act may mean prison for him – and a huge reality check for us

In Washington, where the state of war and the surveillance state are the same, officials have begun to call for National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s head. His moral action of whistleblowing – a clarion call for democracy – now awaits our responses.


After nearly 12 years of the “war on terror,” the revelations of recent days are a tremendous challenge to the established order: nonstop warfare, intensifying secrecy and dominant power that equate safety with Orwellian surveillance.


In the highest places, there is more than a wisp of panic. It’s not just the National Security Agency that stands exposed; it’s the repressive arrogance perched on the pyramid of power.


Back here on the ground, so many people – appalled by Uncle Sam’s continual morph into Big Brother – have been pushing against the walls of anti-democratic secrecy. Those walls rarely budge, and at times they seem to be closing in. But all the collective pushing has cumulative effects.


In recent days, as news exploded about NSA surveillance, a breakthrough came into sight. Current history may not be an immovable wall; it may be on a hinge. And if we push hard enough, together, there’s no telling what might be achieved.


The gratitude so many of us now feel toward Edward Snowden raises the question: How can we truly express our appreciation?


A first step is to thank him – publicly and emphatically. You can do that by visiting SupportEdwardSnowden.org to sign the “Thank NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden” petition, which RootsAction.org will send directly to him, including individual comments.


As Snowden faces extradition and prosecution from the U.S. government, active support will be vital – in the weeks, months and years ahead Snowden has taken nonviolent action to help counter the U.S. government’s one-two punch of extreme secrecy and massive violence. The process has summoned the kind of doublespeak that usually accompanies what cannot stand the light of day. 


So, a June 9 statement from Snowden’s employer Booz Allen Hamilton was riddled with official indignation: “News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the core values of our firm.”


What are the “core values” of this huge NSA contractor? The conduct of stealthy assistance to the U.S. national security state as it methodically violates civil liberties?


The corporate-government warfare state is enraged Snowden has broken through with conduct and values that are 180 degrees in a different direction. “I’m not going to hide,” he told the Washington Post on June 9. “Allowing the U.S. government to intimidate its people with threats of retaliation for revealing wrongdoing is contrary to the public interest.”


When a Post reporter asked whether his revelations would change anything, Snowden replied: “I think they already have. Everyone everywhere now understands how bad things have gotten.” People have the power to decide whether they will sacrifice their privacy to the surveillance state.


And, when the Post asked about threats to “national security,” Snowden offered an assessment light-years ahead of conventional wisdom: “It is not that I do not value intelligence, but that I oppose… omniscient, automatic, mass surveillance. That seems to me a greater threat to the institutions of free society than missed intelligence reports, and unworthy of the costs.” 


Profoundly, in the early summer of 2013, Edward Snowden has given aid and comfort to grassroots efforts for democracy. What we do with his brave gift will be our choice. 


NORMAN SOLOMON is the author of the new book War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.