ENEMY OF THE STATE PART TWO: A QUESTION OF SEVERITY

Snowden’s actions undeniably affected the American people. In this digital day and age, how could they not? But how does Snowden – as a person as well as through his actions – measure up to Daniel Ellsberg, a fellow whistle-blower? Daniel Ellsberg was in over his head in regards to the Vietnam War, all the way back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He had previous military experience, serving in the Marine Corps, and he got even more involved over time, serving in the Pentagon under Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. In fact, Ellsberg was the one reported the Gulf of Tonkin incident to McNamara – the main event that lead the United States to get involved in the Vietnam War. So what changed in Ellsberg, that lead him to expose the government’s dirty secrets regarding the government’s involvement in Indochina – who was once, according to Encyclopedia Britannica “an ardent early supporter of the U.S. role in Indochina? The question is not what but who changed Ellsberg, and the answer is Randy Kehler, a jail-bound draft resister who gave Ellsberg a more imminent idea of what the Vietnam War’s impact on Americans. Ellsberg said in a reflection upon this pivotal event in his life, "…his words in general showed that he was a stellar American, and that he was going to jail as a very deliberate choice—because he thought it was the right thing to do. There was no question in my mind that my government was involved in an unjust war that was going to continue and get larger. Thousands of young men were dying each year. I left the auditorium and found a deserted men's room. I sat on the floor and cried for over an hour, just sobbing. The only time in my life I've reacted to something like that." Ellsberg proceeded to release to The New York Times the Pentagon Papers in attempt to expose to the American public the wrongdoing and excessive involvement in Indochina that the government had tried to keep a secret. How does this man and his brave actions compare to Edward Snowden? In many ways, they don’t. As a person, one may conclude that Ellsberg is the braver, stronger, and perhaps even the wiser and more intelligent of the two. For one, Snowden attempted to join the Special Forces until a broken leg drove him back home, never to return. On the other hand, Ellsberg served as a platoon leader in the Marines. Also, in regards to bravery and authenticity, Snowden seems to lack these qualities, as what he claims are his motives never seem to add up, and the mere fact that he is hiding in Russia this very moment says something profound about his lack of bravery. Contrastingly, Ellsberg did no such thing; he stood his ground and he did not flee, but rather he fought and took it to the courtrooms. Additionally, Ellsberg’s revelations seem to be more impactful than those of Snowden. For example, Ellsberg was dealing with matters of life and death – American troops were dying in thousands in Vietnam. Who, exactly, is the NSA killing, by going through someone’s Gmail account? Also, Ellsberg was revealing secrets on war, which is safe to say somewhat direr a matter than unwarranted spying conducted by the NSA that is trying to ward off terrorist threats. Which whistle-blower revealed the heftier secret? Edward Snowden, who told the public about the NSA’s unjust attacks on freedom in its attempts to protect the people, or Daniel Ellsberg, who told Americans the truth about the Vietnam War that was taking not only peoples’ freedoms but peoples’ lives?