Edward Snowden support thread

[Gandalf]

Fugitive NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden fails to turn up on Moscow-Havana flight - Europe - World - The Independent

Edward Snowden in the words of Ron Paul has done a 'great service' to America. Snowden is supposedly on the run for 'espionage' and yet what the American and British governments have been doing is exactly that. They have been spying upon their own people in a way that is very much akin to the fictional world of 1984. They also make their own version of history and have secret service agencies that train people to kill and when push comes to shove will kill themselves.

Everybody knows the history of contemporary Britain and America and how far into the abyss they are. Everyone that cares about 'checks and balances' knows that in the West the system is broken and that the few 'checks' are the likes of Snowden, Manning and Wikileaks. Populations no longer matter as they are checked and immobile.

The sanctuary of Snowden will enable other whistleblowers to come out and tell the truth. This thread is for the truth sayers to defend the truth tellers and thus wish Snowden well.

[greynotsoold]

"Checks and Balances" is double speak for nobody is to blame for anything. I think that Nancy Pelosi coming out in support of these NSA intrusions should dispel the last lingering notion that 'liberal' has anything to do with liberty. In fact, the only thing, it seems, that she and the republican establishment can agree on is that the power of government is limitless.
just like the papers leaked during the Vietnam era- by Rosenberg? Senility is a cursed fate-the importance of what was leaked is being lost. Then we learned that we had been in Vietnam forever and sacrificed thousands (of Americans, countless others) to protect political reputations. Now, this government intrusion and violation of constitutional law will get swept under the carpet as this brave man is hounded.

[Gandalf]

Funnily enough, my Internet died half way through my post about Daniel Ellsberg who was the man behind the Pentagon papers. America is a long way fallen from even that sorry point in time. After all, post Vietnam there was a nation supporting a lunatic Cambodian deposed government, was committing lunacy in South America, and who who really liked South Africa, etc etc. Just horrible, nasty stuff at all times. And that is only a small portion of the stuff long ago. America has expanded upon the terror, that is American made terror and is fooling nobody that Snowden is the bad guy here today in the modern age.

[Gandalf]

Fuck you NSA too! Anyone working for you should quit now and tell the truth and hopefully have a shot in the world beyond.

Everyone is againt you. You only have illegality and lies to support you. Countries are starting to take sides on the US whistleblowers and there will be more.

[El Kabong]

Funny how the ever so liberal Feinstein and Pelosi have lifted the veil and shown they are TRULY in support of a totalitarian state.


Its time the citizens took a stern hold of the reigns of this government once we wrest them from the hands of those who are addicted to power.

[Gandalf]

Snowden is in a 'safe place' according to Assange and that is good to know. It is good to see more whistleblowers coming out and I can only imagine more and more coming out in the event of Snowden being given sanctuary.

My only concern is that for a country so into its guns, why aren't the Americans taking to the streets like in Brazil or Turkey and making their stand? It seems to be the same with the British too. Surely that time is coming?

[VictorCharlie]

I can't speak for the UK crowd but I think Americans are largely much more concerned with the comforts of life versus freedom. I have no doubt that most of my countrymen will sacrifice a tremendous amount (as if we haven't already) of freedom and privacy as long as they can get a big mac and play some game on their smart phone. Even fellow Libertarians are just a lot of talk. When it comes down to risking ones lively hood, freedom and possibly life very few people are willing to take a stand.

[El Kabong]

I can't speak for the UK crowd but I think Americans are largely much more concerned with the comforts of life versus freedom. I have no doubt that most of my countrymen will sacrifice a tremendous amount (as if we haven't already) of freedom and privacy as long as they can get a big mac and play some game on their smart phone. Even fellow Libertarians are just a lot of talk. When it comes down to risking ones lively hood, freedom and possibly life very few people are willing to take a stand.

Says a lot for how far this country has come....its quite sad too. You look at Liberty (what's left of it) and you look at people who basically refuse to work or people who live off the government....its just a real sad state of affairs right now.

[brocktonblockbust]

Ed Snowden is an American Hero.

Sorry guys but Alex Jones was saying for years that INternet surveillance is far more sinister than you can ever imagine and had inside sources about Tempora and Praxis6 Internet surveillance programs. Ed Snowden is a hero for leaking details of top-secret American and British government mass surveillance programs to the press.[3][4] Working primarily with Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian, which published a series of exposés based on Snowden's disclosures in June 2013, Snowden revealed information about a variety of classified intelligence programs, including the interception of US and European telephone metadata and the PRISM and Tempora Internet surveillance programs. Snowden said the leaks were an effort "to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."[4][5][6]
Snowden's leaks are said to rank among the most significant breaches in the history of the NSA.[7] Matthew M. Aid, an intelligence historian in Washington, said disclosures linked to Snowden have "confirmed longstanding suspicions that NSA's surveillance in this country is far more intrusive than we knew."[7]


Therefore all the criticism of conspiracy theorists is NULL AND VOID.

this proves that every kind of shit by the govt is going on behind our backs against our freedoms and without our consent or knowledge. Doesnt matter if its fucking IRS or NSA or what ever the fuck.

[Beanz]

The statement "Therefore all the criticism of conspiracy theorists is NULL AND VOID."is ironically a rather dictatorial one.



Snowden: Yes, I took the job at Booz Allen to gather evidence on NSA surveillance � Hot Air


http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/a...a-surveillance

http://www.salon.com/2013/06/11/is_e...tor_who_cares/

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...s-no-hero.html


Are China and Ecuador bastions of freedom and liberty now then? Is Julian Assange the new Jesus or is he Barabas ? Is the Ecadorian embassy Rome or only the London in which it has been allowed to exist? Surveillance is not the exclusive domain of the West and comments that seem to infer a Stasi like Eastern Germany or Police state operating in the UK and the USA are as ignorant as those painting Obama as the new Hitler. We are not living in Syrai or Egypt even, not in Turkey and not in Brazil. We have luxury and access to education, healthcare and a democratic process that they would love. Yes it is troubling but hardly surprising news that western Governments have overstepped their remit by intercepting innocent communications, but don't pretend for one moment that the US and UK situations are synonymous with other far less tolerant and privileged countries in the world.

[Kirkland Laing]

Ed Snowden is an American Hero.

Sorry guys but Alex Jones

This is an actual US gvernment logo from 2001/2.It's from some programme the NSA started called Total Information Awareness.

Information Awareness Office - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And this is just one of many Bush-era programmes that the government has been running ever since. You should try reading the paper along with the nutjob stuff you read. That's what nutjobs like Alex Jones do. They read what's actually happening and then make a living sensationalising it and marketing it to the nation's bedwetters. Read the paper for a decade or two and you'll get a much better grasp of things.

[El Kabong]

....and this is how you lose momentum with your causes

[Gandalf]

Greenbeanz, nobody is saying China and Ecuador are bastions of freedom nor that Julian Assange is Jesus. What we do know is that there is a man on the run for doing nothing more than reveal the truth about what his country is doing. They are spying on people in a way not too dissimilar to the Orwellian TV's that could monitor you. Snowden hasn't revealed information that is hurting anybody and most would agree that morally he is commendable, though legally in the shit. It is a problem when law and power trump being able to just do the right thing from time to time.

Obama has a hate on for whistleblowers and has taken the steps to go after them in a way that even Bush himself never did. This is the latest one to be going after and he is embarrassing the Obama administration in the process too. Most want Snowden to reach his island and if that means Russia, China and Ecuador are the ones to do it, then good on them. Nobody else was going to do it. Was he going to go to the UK or Canada or Sweden? Those fine noble upholders of human dignity and truth.

The UK and America are no bastions of freedom and truth either. As has been revealed these two countries are spying on their own people, they are stripping away their middle classes, and sell weapons to any regime that will take them. We are hypocrites and liars and are no moral compass. Sure we have education and health care. However, higher education is only there if you will take out a lifetime of debt to subsidise it and if you want any surgery then get on the waiting list.

People in Brazil were protesting in part because of the increase in the costs of public transporation. British public transportation is horribly expensive and getting around costs a fortune, but there has never been a million marcing on London and tearing the place up as a result of it. People in these nations have balls and take to the streets over things that matter. That kind of heart died in Britain in the 1980's where it was shown that you will get beaten up, arrested, and will lose your job anyway. You would have thought the costs of University education would have pushed people over the edge more recently, but they just take it after being kettled in, clobbered and put in a cell. That is not freedom either.

GB talks of democratic process, but the British electoral process is an antiquated one and you have the choice of 2 parties that have sold their nation down the river for 40 years on the trot. Next up? What will it be? Tory again or off the rails Labour doing largely the same thing. Blair was Thatcher in drag and Brown her frumpy sister. Cameron is the tubby offspring of Thatcher. It's largely smoke and mirrors and a fix. Democratic process, my arse.

People in the Arab Spring, Turkey, Brazil etc are tremendous for picking it up as Britain and America have shown what will happen if you don't defend yourselves. You get lazy, ideologically brainwashed, and don't even notice when you are actually living in 1984.

[Kirkland Laing]

Snowden and Assange aren't really relevant other than they've brought what our governments do into the open to a certain extent. It's just our lovely media doing the bidding of our leaders and making them the story rather than what they've exposed.

Democratic governments are our elected represenatives. They're public servants. They're not supposed to be a bunch of corporate/elite servants or use the powers of the states they serve (military, economic etc) to secretly advance the interests of moneyed groups at the expense of citizens of the country (and citizens of other countries.)

So when we get to hear parts of what they're doing in secret we should all support the whistleblowers and demand accountability from our elected criminals. Allowing them to make the whistleblowers the story is just helping the criminals get away with their ongoing crimes.

[brocktonblockbust]

Beanz sorry but your points make no sense. YOu have no normal reaction that you just found out from this Snowden thing all of this illegal shit they are doing to us all. That is kinda like the sheeple as they call them who, after being robbed and then isult to injury after being TOLD they were robbed, they just say its conspiracy crazies, and point out some other thing like how Ecuador or China are not the bastions of freedom, etc....who cares and who said China adn Ecuador were bastions of freedom? Freedom is in the eye of the beholder. If you were a criminal from America and Cuba took you in, that's freedom for you, while we all know Cuba is no bastion of freedom. Its a petty point if I may, and off-topic really.

All I am saying is LOOK goddamit---all the people who say conspiracy theories are just paranoia now are tongue-tied as this Snowden thing has really shown what has been being done to us by our "free, humanitarian, huamn rights championing" govts the US and UK. God knows what else they are doing and we will find out in a year or 2 when another whistleblower acts. Or maybe he will be droned to death by Obama after being put on Obama's Kill List.

Do you have no outrage then? No indignation of being droned to death without a trial, without legal representation? No outrage at your tweets or posts being read in real time by little fucking weasels working at the IRS or the NSA or the Pentaqgon or whoever? IN the name of freedom and to protect you from the evil alQaeda I presume?

What the fuck? So a whacko like Jones is bashed rather than give the guy some credit he is trying his best to expose the assholes who abuse power and take away our rights by stealth? This is a surveillance society now, 1984 Big Brother, and last year anyone who said that was a tinfoil hat whacko, but now this Snowden thing clearly shows it.

So why dont people post something criticizing the assholes who are doing this shit, rather than criticize some weirdo like Jones? Personally I think you got that backwards mate, no offense