Fri 15 Jun 2012
Today’s NY Times supporting Snowden. January 2, 2014
Posted by belisarius under Ranting and Ramblings of an Old Man
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The ethics that I learned made it clear that being right in retrospect does not give an individual the right to break the law. That would be anarchy with everyone putting his own take on things above the common consensus (law). When one sees a wrong he has a right – in some circumstances a moral duty – to speak out against it; but with the understanding that the society will protect itself. One accepts that he will face punishment when he does so and cannot complain that he is being abused. The best he can hope for is a pardon but he has no right to be held innocent just because his actions had a positive outcome.