Snowden finally leaves airport!
By Thom Hartmann A...
After more than a month of being stuck in a Moscow airport, NSA-whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted a one-year asylum in Russia. Snowden managed to slip out of the Russian airport unseen, and then fled to a secret location. When asked where Snowden would be going, a Russian lawyer representing the whistleblower told reporters, “He is the most wanted man on planet Earth. What do you think he is going to do? He has to think about his personal security. I cannot tell you where he is going.”
At this time, there are no reports of what Edward Snowden prepares to do next, however it's reported that he will travel to one of the South American countries that have offered him permanent asylum. International media outlets have stated that Snowden's case has caused tension between the United States and Russia, but a Kremlin official said ties between the two nations would not suffer over the “relatively insignificant” case.
International relations with several other nations, China, Brazil, and France, have, however, been strained since news of the NSA spying program broke. Even the European Union, a United States ally, has expressed serious concerns over the U.S. monitoring computer traffic. And, diplomatic discussions will continue between leaders who want answers from the U.S. about international surveillance. When Edward Snowden released classified NSA documents, he started a world-wide discussion about privacy, and the overreach of power by the United States government.
His journey to safety is far from over. With the news of Snowden finally being free from the airport, Wikileaks tweeted, “We would like to thank the Russian people and all those who have helped to protect Mr. Snowden. We have won the battle – now the war.”
Comments
#2
This governmental drama, which is only one of so, so many, makes sense only in a nation that literally has lost the ability to discern right from wrong. Here we have a person that has exposed major criminals and their criminal activites, domestically and world wide. And it is these same governmental criminals that twist and turn and use the so called law, to hunt this 'hero' who has exposed them, screaming in their forked toungue rhetoric: "treason".
These governmental criminals should have been taken from their elected and appointed offices and put on trial for their major malfeasance. But instead they utilize the 'law' to attempt to punish a man who's outstanding courage has informed this nation of how their so called government has now become a credible Police State. Up is down, right is wrong and this nation has lost it's soul.
As I have said so many times in the past 20 years,.."Where's The Outrage"?
#3
When I was young, I was taught that if a person witnesses another person committing a crime, the witness must report it or they would be as guilty of the crime as the person who committed the crime; and it didn't matter if the criminal was an ordinary citizen, a police officer, a goverment employee, or whetever - the crime must be reported...to someone.
Apparently, that has all changed now...if you witness a crime you should keep silent or risk being arrested or forced to flee the country. Humanity sinks to a new low.
Well, I need a new car, so, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go mug a billionaire; I'm sure none of the witnesses will say anything...if they know what's good for them. 8-)
#4
"Strained" relations with these countries come about because of the sour grapes of the administration. If these offending countries act like the issue no big deal, then the administration has two choices: It can take its ball and go home, or it can learn to let the disappointment go and rejoin the real world. These countries can exist perfectly well without the approval of the United States. A bully needs to learn that he isolates himself if he remains angry and petulant. He has to see that he doesn't own the world.
#5
I never thought I would see the day where "The Evil Empire" (Russia as described by Ronald Wilson [666] Reagan) would extend it's hand to save an American Hero from his own Evil Government. It just goes to show that We The People need to wake up and smell the coffee. Maybe there is something to the accusation that the USA is "The Great Satan." After all, if it quacks like a duck...
Just a voice crying in the wilderness--deep inside the belly of "The Beast!"
#6
Just as the rest of the world is right about single payer health insurance, it's also right about concern over the NSA spy program and our pursuit of a war crimes and money laundering whistleblower. You gotta admit, the Republican push for privatization really bit em on the ass this time. Snowden may be the most wanted at the moment, but could it be the info he has is going to place his pursuers in that very seat soon? Will we finally find out where that 18 billion in shrink wrapped buckaroos ended up?
#7
You ever been asked the question; "if you could have dinner with anyone who would it be?" For me my table for 3 just got bigger. Not only do I want to dine with M.Gandhi, and Jesus Christ...But also Edward Snowden, and Putin. For breakfast I'll dine with Mila Kunis and my 2nd grade teacher...she use to spank me for talking with out permission...talk about an early introduction to BDS&M!!! ;}
#8
MMmmNACHOS ~ Bless your heart! Add another three chairs please, for I too would like to dine with you and your choices as well. If you don't mind I would like to add Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy to that list too. I would especially like to dine on--that is--with, Mila Kunis. Please, don't forget her. As far as your 2nd grade teacher--bless her heart--I'd love to thank her for being so influential in teaching you to talk so much!!
#9
Truth, justice and liberty ; if the government does not honor this within itself and its citizens it cannot honor it internationally. There are fringe elements within and without the government that are in control. Our challenge is for all of us to recognize the danger in that.
#10
If civil lawsuits must show damages to be considered for adjudication, the government should be required to show damages in the cases of both Manning and Snowden before the charges should be tried. The projected, publishied as far as I know, of the NSA installation is somewhaere around $15B. Since 2007 the annual costs are above $1.2B per year. I haven't heard of any benefits above a few hundred dollars U.S for all those expenditures. The costs to society in the killilng of innocent victims by either intent, blood lust or accident does much more harm to the American image than the damages to the military used as an excuse to keep such criminal offenses secret or even confidential. The perpetrators or authorizers, regardless of their official position in governement, should be prosecuted in International courts for Crimes against Humanity for each person killed in these disclosures. I have seen such abuse of the power to declare letters or communications confidental or higher merely to protect some influential individuals from embarrassment. This abuse of such power is more damaging than the publishing.
#11
DANNEMARC, I'll make the reservations...8 o'clock okay with you!? I'll have Mrs. Watts bring her switch, she'll keep everyone in check, and from talking out of turn!!! ;)
Why isn't anyone talking about Pvt Bradley Mannning???
#12
I hope that Eric Snowden finds work in Russia and then, quietly, leaves to go to another country where he will be able to make a comfortable and safe life for himself. I do hope that he DOES NOT come back to the US because we all know that what he has waiting for him here is the same type of inhumane treatment to which Bradley Manning has been and will continue to be subjected. DO NOT COME HOME, ERIC.
As for Bradley, I wish that he had done the same thing. And for all of the luddites who think Eric should have come home to stand up for what he did, get a life. We all know what happens to whistleblowers in this country and it ain't pretty. Go to the "proper authorities?" Give me a break. He would immediately been taken into custody, placed incognito and subjected to inhumane treatment for his honesty and NOT treated as a whistleblower SHOULD be treated. We have see it too many times when someone comes forward with invaluable information for we, the people, only to be fired from their jobs, humilitated and generally - even in civilian life - found trumped up charges placed against them after which they go to jail for some trumped up charge and their lives are ruined.
Eric has a chance now to begin life our of this country and start again. I am sure that he can do so and hope that he will take advantage of that opportunity. Good on ya, Eric.
#13
Bradley Manning was inhumanely treated and should have done as Eric Snowden did. This country - the alledged humane, great nation - is known to be not so and poor Bradley suffered the consequences. Proof positive of what would have happened to Eric Snowden.
#14
Edward Snowden is the real deal and this explains the MSM vitriol - he had the evidence thus, unlike previous NSA whistle blowers, the MSM cannot afford to ignore him.
I notice Thom Hartmann does not mention that it is a Democratic President who is cracking down on whistle blowers using "anti Spy" legislation. There is no difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. The corporatists are in charge and they have two colours - the Red and the Blue.
#15
NSA Spying ~ My math isn't too good so please correct me if I'm off a tad. The way I see it, we have in the USA a population of roughly 314 Million people. Now around 12 years ago we lost 3000 people to terrorists. How many since then? Lets say a generous estimate of another 1000. (Actually, I'm sure that's an exaggeration. But lets go with it anyway;-) So we have 4000 victims in 12 years. The percentage of the population that has been victimized by terrorists then comes to 0.00127%. But that is over 12 years! If we then divide that by 12, we get 0.0001058% of the population casualties of terrorism average per year.
I don't know, maybe my calculator needs batteries or my numbers are off. This just doesn't make any sense. If I understand my calculations correctly, the logic our Government is presenting us with, is that we have to abolish our Constitutional Right to Privacy for 100% of 314 Million citizens in order to improve the chances of saving roughly 333 lives a year? Thats less than 1 person a day! Who are these people and why are their lives more important than the Constitution? Where were these important people when we fought the Revolutionary War, or any war ever since. Obviously, they are more important than anything this country stands for. More people than that die every day from crossing the street!
440,000 people each year die from cigarettes. Why is the Government protecting their Constitutional right to chose to smoke? Each year roughly 32,000 people are killed in car crashes and over 2,000,000 are injured. Why is the Government protecting their Constitutional right to chose to own and drive a car? In the US roughly 30,000 people each year die of gunshot wounds. Why is the Government protecting their Constitutional right to bear arms?
The answer is obvious. The Government isn't the least bit concerned about the lives of any of its people or the Constitution. The Devil is in it's inconsistency to do anything logically, keep it's word, or hold fast onto any values. The very idea that our Government would ask us all to sacrifice the one aspect of the Constitution meant to protect us all from the Government to maybe save the lives of 333 of us a year, when it allows hundreds of thousands of us to kill ourselves for completely preventable reasons shows beyond a doubt that there is a nefarious influence at work that must be identified and removed from its position of power at all costs. This is the real enemy of our Democracy and our way of life and Edward Snowden knows this and is leading the charge to do something about it. We must all support his cause. If Snowden fails, we all fail.
Of course, this is a very conservative, hypothetical analysis!
#16
~ Cont ~ This is a much more practical analysis. Consider the fact that the Bush administration was warned in advance, in writing, about the 911 attacks from legally obtained intelligence and did nothing about it. That means that logically we cannot really consider 3000 of the victims above to have actually died from a legally non preventable terrorists attack. If you look at it that way you are left only with the inflated estimate of 1000 victims that have fallen since 911.
Since the NSA used the Patriot act to abolish our right to privacy shortly after 911, we have to acknowledge that these following 1000 victims fell during a period where there was no Constitutional protections on privacy. Therefore these victims also do not belong in the equation as to how many people the Government is trying to save by attacking the Constitution because they fell anyway and were not saved. Therefore, we are left with the figure of 0.0 victims that the NSA spy program has protected in the last 12 years. That means that the Government is stripping 314 Million US citizens of their Constitutional rights in order to save 0.0 lives. That is the true fact of the situation!
#17
I definitely consider myself to be a liberal, but the blog and comments are great examples of "bleeding hearts" whining on Snowden's behalf. I think one of the important things to consider here is whether you really want piss-ant, impulsive people like Snowden, who does not have the breadth of knowledge nor the sufficiency of judgment to make the determination, dumping US secrets out into the world. I know when I was 28 I thought I knew everything, too, and Snowden clearly thinks of himself as superior in knowledge and judgment. I might feel a bit more charitable toward him if all he did was reveal to the US citizenry what was happening re the NSA's spying. Where he lost my sympathy was when he decided it was appropriate to tell other countries they were included in the spying -- although I don't think they were really surprised because I believe they're doing it too -- and then fleeing to a communist country and then Russia. His ideals seem a bit skewed, if you ask me. Rat out the US, then run away to countries with horrific civil rights records. So, since he went as far as he did, he took himself out of the whistle-blower category for me, landing him more squarely in traitor territory. And, if he really had the courage of his convictions, he should have stayed and faced the music. Since he did not, that also lands him in the coward category. The fact that there are people on this page mentioning his name with the likes of Jesus, Martin Luther King, etc., is nauseating. Those genuine heros spent their lives in the pursuit of human rights and never ran from anything, even when they knew when they were in danger. To mention Snowden's name anywhere in the context of those others is ridiculous, shameful, and disrespectful to their legacies. Get a grip!
#18
kuriouskat ~ The Constitution was written in simple English for everyone to easily understand. Also, you don't have to be a wise old person with a high level of education to know the difference between right and wrong. Even a child can tell when someone does something wrong. Snowden stood up for what he believed to be the right thing to do. He stood up against the most powerful and feared Government on the planet. He had a better understanding of what they are capable of than any of us. He sacrificed paradise, wealth, and all the pleasures the world had to offer a young man and risked his life to improve the world for everyone else. Just how is that not like Jesus or MLK? Remember, neither Jesus or MLK were further tempted by living in paradise with a six figure salary. They were poor, unemployed, and lived in ghettos. You forget, Snowden stands to lose much more than just his life. It is not for you to judge Snowden's character. Besides, you do a very poor job of it. That is for God and history to decide. As far as I am concerned I would be honored to dine at his table. Let Jesus and MLK decide for themselves if they want to accept that invitation. Just because he's still alive doesn't make him any less of a hero. Besides, I prefer my hero's to be alive, don't you? It gives us all someone to thank!
King James Holy BibleQuote The Book of Matthew quoting Jesus Christ:Matthew 19:16 ¶And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 ¶Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Better brush up on your scripture, my friend. Sounds to me like Snowden is starting to resemble Jesus description of a PERFECT PERSON. Verily, I say to you, with God all things are possible: Behold the Camel that passes through the eye of a needle.
#19
Quote kuriouskat:...if he really had the courage of his convictions, he should have stayed and faced the music.Now that would not have been a very intelligent thing to do..."stay and face the music"?...from the world's largest criminal terrorist organization that not only murders millions of innocent civilians but tortures people, frames them, constantly lies to them, spies on them, drives them into poverty while propping up (foreign aid) other ruling despots (US puppets) around the world?
Some people have just not yet realized just what kind of corrupt and ruthless country they are living in. Lots of Germans fell for Hitler too and believed in him and what the Nazis were doing. They were patriotic citizens too who would also have thought that anyone who showed the world just how criminal and evil Hitler and his Nazi regime was should have had to stay and "face the music" from the Nazis. Wake up, people! The United States of America has been hijacked by evil criminals that have no problem committing mass murders of innocent civilians and torturing others as well! No one can really expect or trust that they would be treated fairly under such a corrupt system.
#20
DAnneMarc's comments in #16 and #17 were right on!
Snowden is a HERO! And so is Manning and Assange and all the other whistleblowers that have been persecuted by this and the previous administrations. This country is being ruled by criminals who do not want their crimes exposed. Anyone who condemns those who try to expose those criminals are either aiding and abetting the criminals or are too stupid to know any better...perhaps...just uniformed..too propagandized....or too stubborn to accept anything but the entrenched status quo. Every citizen of every country goes through the process of suffering their government's propaganda.
To this day, there are those in Germany who will not admit that what Hitler did was wrong. To this day, many Japanese will not admit that they committed atrocities and war crimes in South East Asia. To this day, many USians will not admit that it's government has done anything wrong in South East Asia (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) or in the Middle East...or South and Central America.
It is really hard for many to actually see their government for what it is...sans the lifelong propaganda campaign against them. Psychologically, it is too much of a burden to have to accept something that is so radically different from what we have been made to believe all our lives. So many people refuse to see the truth. Their governments commit atrocities yet the citizens continue to believe their government's psychological warfare they have been waging against them and so the people continue to swallow the government lies and propaganda. And eventually, they will discover that they have fallen into the trap and it is too late to save themselves...to change things.
#21
kuriuskat -- Those other guys never pushed the 113th congress to write 20 bills.
#22
Quote Palindromedary:Now that would not have been a very intelligent thing to do..."stay and face the music"?...from the world's largest criminal terrorist organization that not only murders millions of innocent civilians but tortures people, frames them, constantly lies to them, spies on them, drives them into poverty while propping up (foreign aid) other ruling despots (US puppets) around the world?
Palindromedary ~ Excellent point, my friend! I might also add what about indefinite detention? Who in their right mind is going to "face the music" in a country where you no longer have the right to a speedy, fair trial by a jury of your peers? The right to be confronted with all evidence and witnesses against you? The right to be treated humanely and being legally represented? We're not still living in the early 1970's when it was possible for a Daniel Ellsberg to release something like the Pentagon Papers and still have a snowballs chance in hell of defending himself in court. Today, if the Government even suspects someone of pissing it off it can legally make them disappear. No justification, no charges, and no bail. Indefinitely is a long time. That's what they can do legally now. That's not even including what they can illegally do with their black ops! (ie. Michael Hastings) Of course, that is a relatively new reality in this country. They have been doing that in other places for some time. If anyone thinks for a second that staying and "facing the music" would have been a wise noble gesture on the part of Edward Snowden then they are either out of touch with reality, in serious denial of what is really going on, or seriously need to back off of on their meds.
Bottom line: No fair trial = No "music" to face. Given the current state of affairs Snowden acted wisely and appropriately!
#23
Quote DAnneMarc: Who in their right mind is going to "face the music" in a country where you no longer have the right to a speedy, fair trial by a jury of your peers? The right to be confronted with all evidence and witnesses against you? The right to be treated humanely and being legally represented?
So, so true! It is only the people who do not yet realize how crooked and illegitimate their government has become who constantly harp that Snowden should have stayed and faced the music.
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NSA efforts get snowed in by Snowden once again! I'm optimistic that this current episode of our specie's ever going 'evolution of sophistication' reveals a naturally occuring check and balance: No matter how big any government or agency gets, it is still dependent upon living creatures containing a conscious as well as a soul. Hear hear this particular democrat's rare two word confession, "Thank God!" Now if only corporation execs would sprout a conscious and soul we'd really be getting somewhere!