Commondreams.org, By: John Atcheson, 08/28/2013
Most of the debate around Manning and Snowden focuses on what they did and whether they are heroes, traitors, or something in between. And that’s exactly the way our leaders want it. Because that keeps the debate off the fact that our government is spying on us; that the fourth amendment is in shreds; that the degree of government intervention in our lives is not warranted by the nature of the threat we face; and the breakdown in the media coverage of the Patriot Act in particular, and national security in general, made these leaks essential if we are to have a functioning democracy.
For more on this story visit www.commondreams.org
