If the cowardly Snowden is so certain of U.S. public support, he shouldn’t fear a jury of his peers

I’m sure you’ve encountered people who have done something that causes them to be isolated from their peers, and in search of sympathy or support seek it out from someone they might otherwise have never bothered to associate with before, perhaps didn’t even like. Perhaps it was someone who was also despised by the larger group. Thus being viewed as the enemy by former friends, they now seek “friends” among enemies—who naturally welcome a “traitor” in their midst who “confirms” their negative propaganda. 

And so we see Edward Snowden continuing to make many people in this country despise him the more, by creating paranoia in foreign countries against the United States. Still holed up in Russia, Snowden told German television that he believed that U.S. intelligence was “spying” on many German officials besides Prime Minister Angela Merkel—but not, admittedly, that he actually knows this. In fact, many of Snowden’s claims are based upon his “suspicions,” rather than actual knowledge. He knows of certain programs (he can read the reports he stole), but he doesn’t know the extent of the operations. But that hasn’t stopped him from sowing dissent in foreign capitals against the U.S. at every opportunity, calling himself a “patriot” in doing so.

Now, Germany is not technically an “enemy,” but Snowden’s claims have made many Germans believe that the U.S. is the “enemy.” Frankly, I would be surprised if the Germans were not engaged in their own cyber-spying, particular given the fact that terrorist cells—both domestic and foreign—have set up shop in the country; in fact the 9-11 terrorists initially began their preparations in Germany. Neo-Nazi groups—especially in the former East Germany—have found increasing support from the unemployed and anti-immigrant (particularly Turkish) racists. 

But the extent of the alleged cyber-spying is more a fantasy of those who think in the terms of worst case scenarios. There may be evidence that the NSA has the ability to do certain things, but the extent to which it has invaded the privacy of individuals is a matter of debate. We know that the U.S. hackers have moled into Chinese military and industrial computer systems; we also know that the Chinese are doing the same in our systems (I am frankly tired of this idea that the Chinese are our “friends” when they have done a great deal to undermine the U.S. economy and our now threatening our Pacific allies). But if anyone with access to what the Chinese are doing and exposes it to the world, he can expect if caught a quick trial and death sentence. The same in Russia; if such a person escaped the country, he could expect to be assassinated, perhaps by poisoning, as seems to be the preferred method by Russian intelligence.  

Snowden’s own paranoia knows no bounds; he seems to believe that the U.S. today operates on the same “principles” as dictatorial regimes like China and Russia. If he is so certain of his “innocence” and American public support—say a jury of his peers—why is he so afraid to come back? "These people, and they are government officials, have said they would love to put a bullet in my head or poison me when I come out of the supermarket and then watch me die in the shower” he told the German interviewer. 

Could there be any more evidence of the self-delusion of this guy? Even if he didn’t make this up, it isn’t anything more than stream-of-consciousness hyperbole and evidence of the extent of the feeling that his actions are treasonous and should be punished. Was Daniel Ellsberg targeted for assassination when he released the Pentagon Papers? Maybe the Nixon administration had his psychiatrist’s office ransacked looking for something to embarrass him with, but kill him over it? Snowden himself is just a little man who wants to big. But after all is said and done, despite his support in the media, for a majority of Americans he’s still just a little man living his own contemptible fantasy. It is easy to make bold accusations from the safety of foreign countries; it’s the coward’s way. But it’s time for Snowden to come home and find out how “big” people really think he is.