ENEMY OF THE STATE PART FIVE: REMEMBER WHO THE REAL ENEMY IS (PART ONE)

"Remember who the real enemy is." This statement made famous by Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games trilogy, not only applies to the dystopian tyranny in the literary world of the Hunger Games, for it may also be applied to the Edward Snowden ordeal. Is the enemy the NSA, as Snowden and his supporters like Glenn Greenwald claim? Or is the NSA in the right, as they use their mass digital data collection to ward off what they would consider the real enemy: the terrorist threat? It has already been established that Edward Snowden is not exactly an enemy of the state as the Constitution’s definition of treason does not apply to what he has done. On the other hand, the Federalist Papers serve to condemn Snowden as an enemy of the people, despite his frequent claims that these rash decisions he made were in the interest of the American public. Is Snowden also an enemy of God? In answering this question, one must first look to the Bible for the definition of an enemy of God. One passage from the Bible that serves to define what an enemy of God looks like is James 4:1-17. In this passage, it is said that “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God… he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:3-7). Snowden, by this definition, is most definitely an enemy of God. Snowden, through his actions, has not befriended or subscribed to the ways of God. Rather, he is a friend of the world, as he subscribes instead to the sinful ways of the world and of man. He lives to glorify himself, and as it is said, God opposes the proud. It is later said, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 4:10-12). Edward Snowden is once again a clear opponent of God by means of this definition. Snowden took the fate of the United States as well as the law by which it lives into his own hands and forced his way in as the judge of the law. However, the only one with the authority to do such a thing is God. Snowden, thus, is an enemy of God, for he tried with all his might to be God. Edward Snowden, through his rash actions, took not only his life but the lives of others into his hands and tried to be God. This, therefore, makes Snowden not just an enemy of the people, but also an enemy of God. The Letter of James serves to condemn Edward Snowden and his actions as an enemy of God. There is also a second Bible passage that explains how Snowden’s actions go against what a Christian and true servant of the Lord God is to do, found in the Letter to the Romans. For it is said in Romans 12, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:14-18). Once again, for a host of reasons, Edward Snowden is not living his life as a servant to the Lord but rather as an enemy of God. Snowden certainly does not live by the guideline expressed in Romans 12, to “not claim to be wiser than you are” (Romans 12:16). He rather is often found singing his own praises, as he brags of his capabilities and power. For example, in an interview, he made note of what he considers a tremendous capacity for hacking as he said, "I, sitting at my desk, certainly had the authorities to wiretap anyone, from you, or your accountant, to a federal judge, to even the President if I had a personal email.” Self-important boasters like Snowden are not true servants of God, but rather His enemy. Snowden’s tendency for arrogance as well as his many other qualities that violate the guidelines set in Romans 12 make him not one who overcomes evil with good, but rather one who was overcome with the evils and sinful tendencies of human nature, and, thus, an enemy of God. People like Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald who aggressively oppose the mass digital surveillance of the American public conducted by the NSA claim that the NSA clings to the terrorist threat as an invalid excuse for their actions that Greenwald considers to be unconstitutional violations of rights to privacy in particular. However, in light of a recent report by the Wilson Center, terrorism truly has taken to the digital world. For example, the report opens with a reference to one of many scenarios in which murders and injuries of Americans could have been prevented if suspicious online activity tying one to terrorist groups or ideals had been investigated and pursued. In this case, a man named Arid Uka killed two US servicemen and injured two others, and yet, this could have been prevented. In the report, it is said that “After he was arrested, investigators reviewed the history of Arid Uka’s Internet activity. It showed—most obviously in his Facebook profile—a growing interest in jihadist content, subsequent self-radicalization, and ultimately his viewing of the aforementioned video, which led him to take action in an alleged war in defense of Muslims…Arid Uka is a typical case of the new trend of terrorists being engaged through the newest online platforms, commonly known as the ‘new media’ or ‘social media.’” The report goes on to reference cyberterrorism expert Evan Kohlmann’s explanation of the turn of terrorists to social media, as he says, “Today, 90 percent of terrorist activity on the Internet takes place using social networking tools. . . .These forums act as a virtual firewall to help safeguard the identities of those who participate, and they offer subscribers a chance to make direct contact with terrorist representatives, to ask questions, and even to contribute and help out the cyberjihad.” Made evident in not only these passages but also all throughout the Wilson Center report (to read more of the Wilson Center report, see here: http://www.edline.net/files/_0bJTm_/414a430c9af41b733745a49013852ec4/STIP_140501_new_terrorism_F.pdf) terrorism is now largely present online, especially in social media. Thus, Snowden and his supporters like Greenwald are incorrect in their allegations that the NSA is using the terrorist threat as merely an excuse for their mass surveillance, and in Snowden’s release of the NSA documents, he was also handing this information over to the terrorists that now will most likely proceed to reconfigure their tactics and use of the Internet therein. In other words, Snowden and Greenwald have essentially put the American public in the hands of the terrorists that wish to harm them.