He could have spent less to avoid debt. He could have gotten a job in the private sector. In a country like the US, there is no excuse for resorting to treason to get a pay check.
Easier said than done in most cases, not all people are 20 or 30 something above average IQs and can write some app or website and by the end of the year he would raise a couple of million from investors or get a job in some fancy startup, most lives are just pathetic and the need for money can make people do unimaginable things, the guy is 61 years old and he is jobless and in debt
>no excuse for resorting to treason
of course there is no excuse and it's totally a treason, I am just noting that how pathetic life can be
Take 100 people in a situation comparable to his and given the same opportunity, maybe 10 partake in treason. We should aim to lower the total amount, the rate willing to partake, or both.
I think peoples actions generally reflect their character, not their condition. It's why you'll find penny pinching billionaires, or people who can barely afford a loaf of bread insistent on sharing it with you. But spies... if somebody wants to go join an enemy force and fight against their home country - that's fine - though they should never expect to be treated as anything besides an enemy. But a spy, by contrast, exploits good will to try to hurt the people giving it to him. As the article mentions he was pressing former colleagues for information, with the aim of giving it to people that would likely use it to hurt them with. Spies are the scum of this earth and in no way whatsoever does this individual deserve even the slightest grain of sympathy. Whatever punishment he receives will be far too lenient.