Edward Snowden. This is a name that will remain in the history books for centuries. He will be labeled a traitor or informant depending on where you look. Many Americans believe that Edward Snowden is a traitor who sold US secrets with the aim of harming the nation. Others believe he was simply a citizen of the United States who exercised his right to sue the government for its unconstitutional actions. It is important to not only know both sides of the friend or foe argument, but also know the facts. My goal in this article is to present the facts without bias and adequately represent both sides of the issue. To give the full picture of Edward Snowden I must start before his role in government. Edward Snowden never graduated from high school, nor did he graduate from community college (Yann 1). In 2003 he briefly enlisted in the US Army until discharged when he broke both legs in a training accident (BBC 1). His first job at the NSA was as a security guard, until he took a job at the CIA doing cybersecurity (Yann 2). Edward's last job, the one that gave him access to the leaks, was in Hawaii with a six-figure salary (BBC 2). Snowden was a systems administrator, meaning he had the responsibility of examining the NSA database and moving highly sensitive documents to a secure location (NPR 1). His location was the perfect place to leak all the secrets the NSA was keeping hidden. Edward Snowden's activities were monitored by the NSA the entire time, he didn't have to hide that he was taking the documents because it was his job (NPR 2). Mr. Snowden left for Hong Kong after leaking his information, but once there he flew to Moscow because Hong Kong had a treaty with... middle of paper... Those who think the NSA has the right to act in the way they do so would tend to label Snowden a traitor. Those opposed to the NSA's national security tactics believe Snowden was a hero and consider his current situation a worthy sacrifice. Works Cited • Gjelten, Tom. “Officials: Edward Snowden leaks were disguised as job duties.” NPR. NPR and Web. January 22, 2014. • "Profile: Edward Snowden." BBC News. BBC, 16 December 2013. Web. 22 January 2014.• Stone, Geoffrey R. “Edward Snowden: “Hero or Traitor”?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, June 10, 2013. Web. January 23, 2014. • Cassidy, John. "Why Edward Snowden is a hero." The New Yorker. Np, nd Web. January 22, 2014. • Yan, Barbara Starr and Holly, CNN's Matt Smith and Holly Yan. “The man behind the NSA leaks says he did it to safeguard privacy, freedom.” CNN. Cable News Network, January 1, 1970. Web. January 20. 2014.