Not the Boy Next Door

Despite his angelic countenance that looks like a subject for mothering, Edward Snowden is not the boy next door. He is a transgressor. He has put himself in the path of the Chinese and the Russians. He has broken his secrecy agreement with the CIA, which is a lifetime thing, and he must pay for it, if the United States can manage to bring him into custody.

Nicolas Maduro, the new president of Venezuela, as he seeks to out-Chavez Chavez, has called Snowden a "persecuted young man", but this he is not. If he lives happily in Bolivar-land (though we doubt he will be happy) and is not brought to justice, this will lead other potential Snowdens to think they can get away with breaking the law in this manner.

Now that Snowden has accepted asylum in a gringo-averse Latin American country, the U.S. Government must continue to bend every effort to bring him to justice in this country.

The United States is a country of laws, and laws must be obeyed. Otherwise the fabric of society becomes frayed.