Heroes or Traitors

Tom Poteet was watching the evening news and saw a preview for a forthcoming evening-news special. The preview portrayed a popular evening news anchors speaking with a young man who had stolen secrets from the U.S. government and had given them to a foreign news outlet. The young man was no longer living in the United States. He was being shielded by another nation. In the preview, there was an inference that this young man might be a hero . . . might have done something worthy and heroic in giving away how this nation collects its intelligence. Tom turned off the news. The implication that a traitor could be a hero was more than he wanted to hear. Poteet's thoughts turned to the following questions: 1. Who should be considered a hero? What behaviors are we looking for in our fellow citizens? 2. Why does the government not explain how it develops the offensive and defensive capabilities needed for current and future conflicts with our adversaries? There are no secrets related to how we, as a nation, develop our offensive and defensive capabilities in order to protect and defend our citizens and warfighters. The processes and philosophy are a matter of public record. 3. Why are we not more concerned, as citizens, with weapons of mass destruction over systems for mass intelligence? Who do we think are watching over all of these offensive and defensive capabilities; or do we think anyone is watching over them at all? 4. Why do the media make us think the government is listening in on everything we say? Is that even possible? 5. Is there a better way for an individual, who truly believes they are a patriot, to get the attention they feel they deserve in presenting what they believe is unfair? Poteet decided to answer each of these questions in the following treatise . . . based on his experience working at the Department of Defense (DoD) and at NSA. His answers are short . . . with the hope that they will spur further conversation. Poteet does not expect all to agree with his answers . . . He simply prefers to get a different conversation started.