By Will Brown
This morning, the
New York Times delved deep into Edward Snowden’s past.
The article questioned whether communication between
the CIA and the National Security Administration four years ago would have
prevented the former contractor from accessing information beyond his security
clearance.
The Times’ report also provided a link to a June
commentary written by one of Snowden’s friends that provides insight to what
type of man he is, and the internal questions that led him exposing programs
within the American government that can track cell phone calls and collect
material including the content of emails, file transfers and internet search
histories.
One’s opinion on Snowden and his actions are
immaterial. My question is how many of us would follow our conscience? More
specifically, how many of us would follow our conscience if we stood to lose
our livelihood, have our character assassinated or much worse?
I’m just a journalist who covers sports for a
living. Nonetheless, I learned about one Voltaire quote the hard way while being
a little too honest in South Texas. “To learn who rules
over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”
At the time, being blunt about the people and events
I covered is what I thought was right. Certain segments of the community
disagreed, and got editors at the paper to believe the same thing.
In the six months since leaving Texas, I have come
to realize my actions pale in comparison to two heroes. One, Snowden, received
recognition nearly immediately after listening to his conscience. The second went
unrecognized for nearly 35 years, despite the fact their impact on their
community was immeasurable.
The former’s actions are well documented. The latter
person, S.E. Sanders, was among a quartet who filed a federal lawsuit against
the City of Sarasota in 1979 to force the city into single-member voting districts
for its city commission. That lawsuit, filed “because I did not think it was
fair that three neighbors represented the entire city,” led to changes in local
laws, and the city’s first African-American city commissioner in 1985.
S.E. Sanders is my mother.
She and Snowden are the living embodiment of another
Voltaire quote: < color: #181818;">“it is dangerous to be right in matters on which the
established authorities are wrong.”
In
mom’s case, the authorities appealed the verdict, and attempted to delay the
implementation of single-member districts. Those efforts failed, and there has
been minority representation at the municipal level in Sarasota for the last 28
years.
Last week she was recognized with the Community
Service Award by the Sarasota County branch of the NAACP for her role in the
lawsuit. It’s an honor given “to the person or group that has demonstrated by
their volunteer work in this community a commitment to improving the quality of
life for all humanity without regard to race, creed or color.”
The local newspaper, the Sarasota
Herald-Tribune wrote a column about her, calling her one of the city’s heroes.
For four African-Americans to file suit against a municipality in the 70s — and
winning — was unprecedented, just as a NSA contractor sharing state surveillance
secrets and earning asylum in Russia.
“I think Ed already
may be a symbol of something much bigger than himself,” wrote Snowden’s friend Mavanee Anderson in
the June essay referenced in today’s Times. “As a friend, I
admire his courage — this strength of purpose is a very real aspect to his
character — but I fear for him. Quite selfishly, I would have told Ed that he
didn't have to take this burden on himself.”
Interestingly, Snowden also
received an award this month. The Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence,
a group the Washington Post describes as an organization of former intelligence
officers, honored the 29-year-old for his truth-telling.
It
took conviction for Snowden to expose a program he thought pilfered the privacy
of Americans. Whether you agree with his methods, or not, none of us should
down that Snowden listened to his conscience. As a result he lives in Russia,
in secrecy, away from his family and the woman he loves.
Voltaire
was a French philosopher and author who has been dead for 235 years. But one
more quote of his sums up the difference between those who listen to their
conscience — like my mom, Ed Snowden as well as countless others — and the rest
of us. “Our wretched species is
so made that those who walk on the well-trodden path always throw stones at
those who are showing a new road.”
Which path are you
willing to take?
Laughs and
liveliness,
-Wb
