When you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. When you have the law on your side, argue the law. When you have neither, holler……………………………………….. Al Gore

Mack Simons of Wharton wrote a confusing letter this morning accusing the Democrats of following double standards on leaks. He thinks Democrats believe that President Obama is a messiah.

Mr. Simons doesn’t know that this matter is now is in the hands of law enforcement and when  and if the time comes, Snowden will be arrested for stealing state secrets, tried in a civilian court and not put to death because he’s being charged with espionage; not treason.

The open and transparency policy refers to domestic issues, such as putting the Affordable Care Act online for all to see as it was being voted on. This administration has also made the visitor's log available on-line. The White House has also established a website where 100,000 signatures on a petition mean that petitioners are entitled to an answer that addresses their complaint. Admittedly, they have a long way to go as far as being more open on national-security issues, but if they do, they will be the first administration to do so. I have to remind Mack Simons that the White House is a lot more transparent than the Ohio Republicans who added in an intrusive abortion amendment to a budget deal, without hearings or debate.

The condemnation of Edward Snowden is bipartisan but those calling his actions treasonous are coming from Republicans. Yes, this administration has been more aggressive going after whistle blowers, more than any other administration in our history, but I can remember Republican legislators condemning President Obama and for being soft on leakers. The administration can only go as far as Congress allows it to. Time after time, Democrat and Republican legislators have reauthorized the Patriot Act and the NSA surveillance systems.

Comparing Edward Snowden stealing state secrets to the actions of Sandy Burger at the National Archives is ludicrous. I remember several Democrats saying it was a stupid action by Mr. Berger, and that he was rightly punished for it and that includes this liberal Democrat. I believe that was just your opening to bring in your Clinton era conspiracies.

The actions of Daniel Ellsberg brought to what some consider the unjust war in Vietnam, to its eventual end. The Pentagon Papers was not favorable to President Johnson “They revealed that the government had knowledge, early on, that the war could most likely not be won, and that continuing the war would lead to many times more casualties than was ever admitted publicly. Further, as an editor of the New York Times was to write much later, these documents "demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration had systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress, about a subject of transcendent national interest and significance."

The anger, resentment, or pleasure that was taken when people found out what Edward Snowden had done was more about the tolerance of civil liberties more than anything else. The hypocritical stances have more to do with trust; the Democrats trust President Obama more than they did President Bush. Libertarians are the only group that does not trust government with their civil liberties, no matter who’s in power. Republicans are in favor of the NSA surveillance programs.

Unless the Republican candidate for president is Rand Paul (I’m praying for that) I don’t  think we’ll be hearing anything about Edward Snowden or NSA for that matter, in the 2016 presidential election.

I can see where Mack Simons might get his information. Unfortunately, I had to wait over two hours to see the doctor about my torn rotator cuff. I had to sit there and watch two hours of Fox News bad mouthing President Obama in every segment they had.