Top "Ten" Low Down, Stab in the Back, Rat Fink, Traitors!

A Brief History

On May 10, 1865, President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, was captured by Federal troops in Georgia. Many Americans in the North consider Jeff Davis to be the worst kind of traitor, while many Americans in the old Confederacy drive around with bumper stickers that read “My President is Jeff Davis.” Whether someone is a freedom fighter or a traitor is relative depending on the perspective of the observer, which is why JD does not make the list. Others have been accused and even executed as traitors, such as Mata Hari, who turned out to be patriots that were framed. Back on August 26, 2008 Top Tenz listed a list of the top 10 traitors. Almost 6 years later, we at History and Headlines think it is time for an updated list.

10. Lebron James, 2010 (redeemed in 2014!).

When Lebron announced his defection from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat, the manner in which he did so marked him as a traitor in the eyes of Clevelanders and also much of the country. Holding a specially televised program to make the announcement that he would be “taking my talents to South Beach” after refusing to even speak with Cleveland management during the months leading up to the “decision” seemed less than gracious, especially since the Cavaliers did everything they possibly could to make his career with them as rewarding and comfortable as possible. The icing on the cake was his failure to acknowledge or thank Cavalier fans for their avid support during his stay in Cleveland. The fact that James was born and raised in nearby Akron made him a “home town hero” to the Greater Cleveland area. The worst part of all? The Heat has won back to back NBA championships!

UPDATE: He is back to Cleveland and so all is forgiven!

9. Jane Fonda, 1972.

This spoiled rich kid making millions of good old capitalist dollars in the movie business was a critic of the US involvement in Viet Nam and went so far as to travel to North Viet Nam where she berated American POW’s, calling them liars and war criminals. She famously was photographed manning an NVA anti-aircraft gun with a steel helmet on. Instead of being arrested and sent straight to jail on her return to the US, “Hanoi Jane” continued to make gobs of money in the movies and on a workout video.

8. John W. Lindh, 2001.

Known in the press as “The American Taliban,” Lindh was fighting against the US military in Afghanistan when captured. In an attempted prison break in which he participated, at least one American CIA agent was killed. Lindh is serving a 20 year prison sentence.

7. Bradley Manning, 2010.

This misguided young man (now demanding to be referred to as a female while he sits in prison the rest of his life) turned over some 700,000 documents regarding top secret US Iraq and Afghanistan war logs to WikiLeaks in 2010 while stationed in Iraq, making him the biggest source of US secrets ever leaked. He/she is now known as Chelsea Elizabeth Manning and had been diagnosed with gender identity disorder before the release of military secrets. Despite his/her desire for hormone therapy and sexual reassignment surgery, it is not likely that the military prison system will comply with those requests any time soon.

6. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, late 1940’s.

This husband and wife team turned over US atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union, allowing the Soviets to develop a nuclear bomb much more quickly than they otherwise would have been able to. They supposedly did this to create a balance of power so that the US would not go around nuking other countries with no threat of retaliation. Many people have complained over the years that the Rosenbergs were unjustly executed in 1953, but in 2008 their fellow convicted spy, Morton Sobell, admitted the guilt of himself and the Rosenbergs.

5. Marshall Philippe Petain, 1940.

Put in charge of a chaotic France reeling under the Nazi invasion, it was naively hoped that this World War I hero would somehow save France. Instead, Petain promptly surrendered the country and announced that he was now a collaborator with the new German masters. The word “collaborator” instantly became the rottenest word you could call someone in an occupied country, and that is how Petain is remembered, even though he did not mean it in a negative way. Sentenced to death after the war, he was given a reprieve due to his age and previous service to the country.

4. Edward Snowden, 2013.

A computer geek employed by the CIA and then the NSA as a contract employee, Snowden left the US for Hong Kong where he released thousands of top secret documents to reporters. Not welcome back to an outraged US, Snowden was indicted for espionage and is now “enjoying” Russian hospitality having been awarded asylum there. Unlike the top 3 traitors, there are those who consider Snowden a patriot for revealing what they consider to be unconstitutional activities by American spy agencies, notably the monitoring of computer and telephone communications of Americans.

3. Vidkun Quisling, 1940.

Quisling became a puppet of the Nazi’s about as quickly as he possibly could have after Germany occupied Norway in 1940. Just as “Benedict Arnold” means “traitor” in the US, in Europe saying someone is “a quisling” is the same as calling them a traitor.

2. Benedict Arnold, 1779.

One of the more competent officers in America’s revolutionary army, Arnold ruined his legacy by attempting to gain command of West Point (an army fortress at the time) and turn it over to the British. Luckily, his plot was foiled, but he is remembered in the United States as the Number 1 Traitor in the popular opinion.

1. Judas Iscariot, about 33 CE.

One of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, Judas sold out the one he should have been most loyal to for 30 pieces of silver. Judas reportedly could not live with his treachery and hanged himself after Christ was crucified. Ever since, Judas has been synonymous for a person who betrays a profound personal trust.

Question for students (and subscribers): Who are your “favorite” traitors? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

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