The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

‘Traitor’ Edward Snowden deserves Nobel Peace Prize

Channels Opinion Pages | STAFF COLUMN

If we all told the truth, can you imagine how much we could accomplish?

Ridings_David_C
David C. Ridings, Channels Staff

I bet you will begin by lying to yourself to avoid this question.

Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former Booze Allen Hamilton employee and National Security Administration contractor, has been nominated three times for a Nobel Peace Prize for helping to bring the world closer to peace.

Snowden is the man responsible for leaked NSA documents.

Story continues below advertisement

The nomination of Snowden is monumental because of the potential of bringing global awareness to the ugly truth that your government is illegally spying on you.

Snowden released the information for the people’s protection, not the government’s. Being a patriot isn’t about supporting your government, it is about supporting the citizens.

Often regarded as a traitor, Snowden is undeniably a significant figure of our times. He will go down in history for his contributions in bringing world governments’ injustices to light.

Snowden’s life is in danger every day. A Nobel Peace Prize victory could aid in granting him the amnesty and foreign citizenship he needs to keep his life and the truth safe.

In the past, radical change often required martyrs.

People tend to believe that everything is fine the way it is because they’re sold a false sense of security.

The truth is that you should feel unsettled when people think you are as foolish as they are. It’s the time for the gloves to come off.

President Barack Obama was exposed though Snowden’s leaked documents to have knowledge and involvement in violation of constitutional laws.

It’s ironic that Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for a peace driven speech. Now the Obama administration is the head of the so-called “free world,” yet the documented government involvement speaks louder that any award winning words.

Obama received 205 votes for the Nobel Peace Prize prior to winning. Snowden is at three—It’s the principle that matters even if a victory seems bleak.

There are citizens in numerous nations that wish to see Snowden legally punished and killed for his actions. He is said to have committed unpatriotic crimes of theft of government property that puts national security at risk.

But citizens of the world needed to know what was in these classified documents. They also needed to know the true colors of the United States’ and other nations’ wide spectrum of the just and unjust.

The leaked information has shed light on the total defiant disregard to the laws of the United States and the United Nations. They are intentions fueled by the United States’ pursuit of international financial control.

The government’s exposure has undoubtedly increased security among those who were violated. But those informed of their rape of privacy proved to be grateful—that is unless they preferred to be lied to.

The transparency of the entire government is something that is long overdue. All we can do at this point is sit back and wait because as Snowden said to the world, “The worst has yet to come.”

Much like the Library of Alexandria being burned to ruins, we are losing years of potential progress due to the lack of crucial information being shared by world governments.

Never be afraid of committing a crime if the crime is truth.

In a day and age where truth is a crime, we’re all lies.

More to Discover