Dear Editor:

Edward Snowden is not only a traitor, but he is a selfish man. What he has done is detrimental to the U.S. government and military. He has now given away and exposed our many secrets on how we spy on the rest of the people in the world. If someone were to ask an American, “Do you believe the government is spying on the work?” the answer might be yes.

Everyone is quite aware of what the government can find out. Things only become a huge deal when clarified. The movies, TV and other media give us a good insight on what the FBI or CIA can do and how they watch civilians. So when Snowden exposed the U.S. government secrets it was not shocking. It is now detrimental, however, because the suspicion of the U.S. spying on the rest of the world is now a fact.

The movie 1984, based on the novel by George Orwell, sends a message of how the government will one day control the world and make everyone conform.  The characters took spying n other people to a whole other level. They made decisions for people and invaded their privacy. People wore the same jumpsuits. This is somewhat how Snowden felt about what the government will become. In the movie and the novel, characters were even put on trial for thought crimes against the government. Snowden went well beyond a thought crime.

What the government is doing or was doing was not really bad. It only became a problem when it was shown to be true. Now, because of Snowden, we have to revise how we collect information and find terrorists. Hopefully, Snowden will be brought to justice.

McKenzie Lowry is a Southfield, Mich., resident and a graduate of Southfield High School’s Class of 2014.