Suivre
Daniel Hale, one of the great American Whistleblowers, was just moments ago sentenced to four years in prison. His crime was telling this truth: 90% of those killed by US drones are bystanders, not the intended targets.
He should have been given a medal. https://t.co/3i4IbkrfI3
@snowden Charging whistleblowers under the Espionage Act is a terrible new development in the US, betraying ideals that protect speech and its vital connection to self-governance, and supporting in practice a system of official secrecy with ineffectual mechanisms for transparency. Whistleblowing is a symptom of that ineffectiveness; people should not have to go to prison for the public to remain properly informed.
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@snowden "Prosecutors argued that ... Hale was acting not out of moral principle but a base desire to feel important, citing his own dreams of becoming a journalist: “He … chose to place his ego above his oaths.”
Whistleblowers risk job loss, prison time, injury, and death to reveal wrongdoing when official accountability mechanisms fail to inform the public. A 90% false positive rate should be in the news, but wasn't before Hale. His act was selfless, and important.
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