USA today: NSA whistle-blower hero or villain? Our view

….as Mandela discovered, the price of standing for principle can be tortuously high. Sometimes, it comes without any reward other than the satisfaction that comes from doing the right thing.

Snowden proclaims that’s enough for him, and if that proves true, his actions might indeed be proved heroic. But he faces many trials — literal and figurative — between now and then.