Dangers of the Security State

This is a story of just one individual — albeit a very stubborn and persistent one — that could very well have gone unnoticed in the torrent of news.

It's thanks to a free press that this news is out in the open but the reaction seems inadequate from the public at large. Perhaps the public's reaction may even be divided along the lines of whether they support or oppose to Edward Snowden.

Those who consider Mr. Snowden to be a 'traitor' may well argue that in this instance too, the government — CIA, FBI — was within its right to do all that it did including the heavy-handed home searches and clear attempts to intimidate someone who sought to shed light on the CIA.

Most people will ignore this news as it does not impact their lives directly and they will argue that they are never going to get into difficulty with the government in the manner of this CIA officer.

But it's problematic if you don't mind the government harassing someone just because the government is not harassing you. At some point, you may be harassed by the government as well and others will argue 'oh, but the government is not harassing me, so it's cool.'