(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)
I have just finished reading questions and answers that were put forth to Edward Snowden. Snowden’s answers are intelligent, most articulate and totally understandable/logical.
I urge you to do a read, as well.
Edward Snowden Q and A: “The US Government Destroyed Any Possibility of a Fair Trial at Home”
The whistleblower behind the biggest intelligence leak in NSA history answered questions about the NSA surveillance revelations.
June 17, 2013It is the interview the world’s media organisations have been chasing for more than a week, but instead Edward Snowden is giving Guardian readers the exclusive.
The 29-year-old former NSA contractor and source of the Guardian’s NSA files coverage will – with the help of Glenn Greenwald – take your questions today on why he revealed the NSA’s top-secret surveillance of US citizens, the international storm that has ensued, and the uncertain future he now faces. Ask him anything.
Snowden, who has fled the US, told the Guardian he “does not expect to see home again”, but where he’ll end up has yet to be determined.
He will be online today from 11am ET/4pm BST today. An important caveat: the live chat is subject to Snowden’s security concerns and also his access to a secure internet connection. It is possible that he will appear and disappear intermittently, so if it takes him a while to get through the questions, please be patient.
To participate, post your question below and recommend your favorites. As he makes his way through the thread, we’ll embed his replies as posts in the live blog. You can also follow along on Twitter using the hashtag # AskSnowden.
We expect the site to experience high demand so we’ll re-publish the Q&A in full after the live chat has finished.
11.07am ET
Question:
GlennGreenwald
17 June 2013 2:11pmLet’s begin with these:
1) Why did you choose Hong Kong to go to and then tell them about US hacking on their research facilities and universities?
2) How many sets of the documents you disclosed did you make, and how many different people have them? If anything happens to you, do they still exist?
Answer:
1) First, the US Government, just as they did with other whistleblowers, immediately and predictably destroyed any possibility of a fair trial at home, openly declaring me guilty of treason and that the disclosure of secret, criminal, and even unconstitutional acts is an unforgivable crime. That’s not justice, and it would be foolish to volunteer yourself to it if you can do more good outside of prison than in it. . . .
I cannot see Snowden as anything but a man with a “nagging conscience,” such that steered him to his decision to reveal certain of his knowledges concerning the NSA activities.
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Edward Snowden, for your deep sense of morality and extraordinary courage!
Author
For putting this up a little higher for ALL to see and, hopefully, read!
The “liberal” media now seems to have a line on Snowdon. The surveillance state is a bad thing but we already knew that (did we?) and he revealed nothing new, blah blah. But here’s the new term he is a “narcissist” which means what? That he was in it to glorify himself only.
I hope people listen carefully to what mainstream media people say–their spokesmen/women are political operatives every one, i.e., propagandists for various factions of the oligarchy. One side calls him a traitor and that he should be executed–catering to their bloodthirsty constituency who is happy to execute anyone for any reason just because and the constituency of weasel-like liberals who just want to increase their feelings of smugness.
Imagine a group of occasional millionaires and paupers, wild adventurers and sedate specialists, con-artists extraordinaire and total innocents, ultra-liberals and one ugly racist biker imprisoned a year or two for rape who somehow made it back off the streets, which helped clean up the streets.
That is a description of vendors at various antique shows and flea markets.
Once I watched a booth for two or three days for an English couple who had a family emergency. They had a rather notable collection of ladders. Not a single person asked about ladders [geez, they did kindao stand out] or the glassware or whatever.
But people were constantly asking where the gay guy was in the next booth with Christmas tree ornaments. He had stopped on his way from Fire Island to San Francisco. He would come back to his booth, do a land office business and then start his “boring, boring, boring” routine again when there was a break in the action. Then he would be gone again.
That biker I mentioned was obviously a stomach-churning creep who dressed the part but I guess he thought I was on his side. I was in no mood to disillusion him. He was very large and dangerous and I value my health on occasion.
Aside from that monster, I got along with nearly everybody one on one. Bizarre that my wife did not so much. She is the sweetest person you could meet. Had to be to put up with me through the years. But she often found the motley crews less than thrilling.
And yet I am no party animal. I tend to agree with Mark Twain saying any group that would have standards so low as to admit him was not worth joining.
Somehow we all find our way one way or another.
Thank you for your story. I am certain we could be friends. I like to think we are since this is a medium where there are not the usual interferences.
Best, Terry
Author
everyone should know that Snowden has been charged with the violations of the Espionage Act, amongst other charges. Very similar to the charges against Manning.
If WE don’t stand behind these courageous persons, then who will?
The ACLU has created this link to a letter to the President in re Edward Snowden! Please go there and sign this letter in a plea to him to act responsibly toward “whistleblowers,” etc.
I have terrible, terrible problems with persecuting, rendering the lives of “whistleblowers” “unlivable” because of exposure of war crimes, criminal behavior, multiple violations of the Constitutions in contravention to the rights of the PEOPLE, etc.
Read: Marjorie Cohn, Professor of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law’ following two articles. One on Edward Snowden, and the other on Bradley Manning. She is an expert International lawyer, and served as former President of the National Lawyers Guild.
http://www.marjoriecohn.com/20…
http://www.marjoriecohn.com/20…