6/22(Sat) Snowden: Hero or Traitor?(Host:Michael)

[Michael-liu]

Members of Congress from the Left and Right have lined up, armed with the self-assurance that comes from access to classified information, and declared themselves firmly in the "traitor" camp.In a contrapuntal movement, Left and Right-wing members of the commentariat have rushed to the young man's defense, proclaiming him the most heroic defender of civil liberties since Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers at the height of the Vietnam War.

The reported revelations are explosive – evidence that the US Government is collecting massive amounts of private data from citizens via mobile phone records and the internet. Facebook announced that it had received at least 10,000 requests for data from federal, state and local authorities in the last six months of 2012 alone, adding to the litany of apparently compromised companies.Old notions of privacy have been shattered by new technology, with which people both willingly and unwittingly reveal indelible details of their lives to the world.

The unwelcome coincidence of post-9/11 security imperatives has snowballed into wholesale dragnets of democratic society.
We are now all living in an ill-defined legal environment where the physical world and cyber-space collide and someone – or something – is always watching.But put anxiety and hyperbole aside for a second. We are not a police state (see North Korea if you really need a point of comparison). And the heated debate over whether Snowden is a hero or a traitor almost misses the point.The real question is freedom versus security – and in this eternal civic debate there are no easy answers. Like the one-time constitutional law professor turned Commander-in-Chief (意指歐巴馬), we are confronted with competing imperatives. Vigorous citizens try to seek the right balance between the two.

Here's what we do know.

First, the threats are real. At least 45 jihadist plots against the USA were blocked in the 10 years after 9/11 and data-mining techniques appear to have been essential in foiling more than a few.

Second, the growth of what President Eisenhower presciently called "military industrial complex" in his 1961 farewell address has expanded to an unwieldy, expensive, opaque and unaccountable state.According to the Washington Post's "Top Secret America" investigation, there are 1,931 private companies working on counter-terrorism with the government, including Snowden's former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton. Some 33 massive new buildings have been constructed in the Washington DC area since 9/11 to house homeland security and intelligence operations. And 500,000 private contractors have top security clearances.

Given the size of this particular leviathan, it's a wonder that more leaks haven't occurred. There are Ed Snowdens potentially everywhere.But this national security scandal actually provides an opportunity for light as well as heat if we can resist the temptation to climb up on our respective barricades. Because there is little question that many Democrats who are now searching for ways to defend the Obama administration would have been among the first to scream tyrant at President Bush if this information had come out while he was still in office.

Likewise, Republicans who want to reflexively paint Obama as a shadowy, big government, would-be dictator don't want to confront the fact that these programmes began under Bush. The commonalities between the two administrations on national security is evidence that the responsibilities of the Oval Office change the man more than the man changes the Oval Office - no matter what candidates might say in campaigns.
We are overdue for a serious civic conversation about privacy rights in our brave new digital world. Advances in technology have outpaced our laws and the absence of clarity leads almost inevitably to abuse.Likewise, the staggering complexity and cost of the military industrial intelligence complex needs a disinfecting dose of sunlight and subsequent simplification.

Finally, this revelation should serve as a wake up call about the very real dangers and vulnerabilities of cyber-security.Governments and businesses are being hacked every day from countries like China, which makes Snowden's search for refuge in Hong Kong raise at least a few more difficult questions which will need to be confronted in the coming weeks before we can answer the hero v. traitor question with any objectivity.The bigger question – the proper balance between freedom versus security – will never be answered conclusively. But there is no doubt that we can come to a more durable modern understanding - and restore some of the broken trust - if we approach the question with facts rather than with fear.

Session 1
1. Do you think Snowden is a hero or a traitor? Why?
2. Are you willing to sacrifice some of your privacy in exchange for greater security from terrorism?
3. Do you think Snowden blew the whistle purely for justice or he may have other motivations?

Session 2
1. Have your parents or lovers ever invaded your privacy? (ie. read your diary, email, or phone text) Please share your experience
2. Do you think there should be any “privacy”between wife and husband? Why and why not? If your answer is yes, what personal information you don’t want your spouse to know?
3.“Governments and businesses are being hacked every day from countries like China, which makes Snowden's search for refuge in Hong Kong raise at least a few more difficult questions which will need to be confronted in the coming weeks before we can answer the hero vs. traitor question with any objectivity.” What does the author imply here?

Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 5:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
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