Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

reply to post by Avardan


Yes it's easy to grab the first and more emotional response and run with it. It's basically what we all wanted to see - someone come forward and point out the rats in the bin. However, I fear it may not be what it appears to be. As I said, he only confirmed what most of us thought was happening. Let's see if he has more juice in his story. I'd hate to see him just vanish off the scene at this point. It wouldn't help his cause.

reply to post by Maluhia


Mygawd, there are some brave young men and women out there. I truly must acknowledge this man's superiority as a human being. I wish I could say I would do exactly the same thing. Too definitive, so that would be a lie. Perhaps I could say then that I would hope that I would do the same thing under similar circumstances. Alas, it pains me to say that that, too, would be a lie.

Such courage is nothing short of astounding, particularly because he acted in a measured, thoughtful, and determined way--and without aid of a monumental boost of adrenalin which can readily serve to transform the average bloke into a hero.

It sickens me to know that he will be at the mercy of lesser --much lesser--men and women who willfully disregard the sanctity of all human life.

reply to post by Bilk22

Yes, since Sept. 14, 2001, the nation has been declared in a state of emergency and each and every year the current president has renewed that directive or what ever it is. Congress has signed off on it. In doing so, this gives the president powers he normally wouldn't have under the Constitution. However the Constitution grants him these powers when at war, which we have officially been at for the better part of 12 years.

If you tried to convince someone of that a few weeks ago I'm sure no one would believe you. But now it's not so hard to believe, I mean they wouldn't risk implementing something of this scale without a contingency plan.

Lets just say you are correct, that doesn't mean the public or the courts will agree that the surveillance program was legal and that the Constitution doesn't apply to it. Most US citizens clearly do not think it was ethical.

Just because the Government says it's ok doesn't really make it ok... if that were true the Government could do anything it wanted and then claim it's legal because they say it's legal, which is essentially what has happened here.

There comes a point where one must truly question the ethics of the Government and stop going along with everything they say. This is clearly not ok... yet you seem to be totally compliant and unwilling to oppose anything they do.

Your attitude is why they can get away with absurd stuff like this based on the flimsy argument that "we're at war with an abstract concept". Did you know peanut allergies kill more people than terrorists annually? Some how I feel sorry for you...

reply to post by watchitburn


Great video.

Thanks for posting the link.

He's as smart as he is ethical, the last couple minutes of the interview prove that - he knows exactly what to expect.

Manning tried to bring violations out in the open and we all know what is happening to him, but this guy is in a serious world of poo poo just for his expertise in systems control and spy logistics....he better live in a submarine under the Chinese junks in Hong kong the rest of his life, because he's now the "most wanted" on a global scale by every government in the world

he should have stayed anonymous instead of seeking a death wish

Since Hong Kong's ties to China may complicate his situation - Iceland may be willing to step up to provide asylum.

On Sunday evening Icelandic member of parliament Birgitta Jonsdottir and Smari McCarthy, executive director of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, issued a statement of support for Snowden.

“Whereas IMMI is based in Iceland, and has worked on protections of privacy, furtherance of government transparency, and the protection of whistleblowers, we feel it is our duty to offer to assist and advise Mr. Snowden to the greatest of our ability,” their statement reads. “We are already working on detailing the legal protocols required to apply for asylum, and will over the course of the week be seeking a meeting with the newly appointed interior minister of Iceland, Mrs. Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, to discuss whether an asylum request can be processed in a swift manner, should such an application be made.”

www.forbes.com...

reply to post by flexy123


Didn't you hear about Verizon and Prism?
Snowden hasn't leaked any intel that would be a national security risk, but exposed some of the unethical NSA operations (as I understand it.)

Originally posted by Maluhia
Since Hong Kong's ties to China may complicate his situation - Iceland may be willing to step up to provide asylum.

On Sunday evening Icelandic member of parliament Birgitta Jonsdottir and Smari McCarthy, executive director of the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, issued a statement of support for Snowden.

“Whereas IMMI is based in Iceland, and has worked on protections of privacy, furtherance of government transparency, and the protection of whistleblowers, we feel it is our duty to offer to assist and advise Mr. Snowden to the greatest of our ability,” their statement reads. “We are already working on detailing the legal protocols required to apply for asylum, and will over the course of the week be seeking a meeting with the newly appointed interior minister of Iceland, Mrs. Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, to discuss whether an asylum request can be processed in a swift manner, should such an application be made.”

www.forbes.com...

he'll never escape the drones

I've read through almost this whole thread now, and of course, because we can all speak for ourselves, and we all have a slightly different view point, I'd like to make this suggestion:

It has long been known that we are all watched. Mr. Snowden didn't share any new news with me. He's just an inside source who confirmed once again that I was right.

Do this for yourselves people, DON'T PUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE, COMMENTS AND EMOTION ON THE INTERNET! Not on FB, not in emails, not in photos, nothing! As Mr. Snowden revealed, there is a ginormous system that has every word you ever typed, every "click" you ever made. If they want to target you for something, and possibly twist your intentions around for their benefit, they WILL!

Is it right? No, of course not.

Even if they stopped tomorrow, and just stored what they've collected on you over the years...would you feel scared with what they have?

I do.

I'm a good person overall - harm to no one, but they could easily take things that I've said and turn the volume up 10 notches and make me look like a traitor.

Just something to keep it real.

reply to post by ChaoticOrder
I don't think you read my posts correctly. I'm not in favor of any of this. However the same document that we, the people place so much faith in to protect our rights, give the these powers to the president as CIC during wartime. The reason we're still in Afghanistan, well besides it enriching a lot of DoD contractors and ex-generals, is this very scenario - the president has these powers available to him just so these measure can be implemented. That is the conspiracy. It's why the war on terror will always be there.

Remember what Obama said about these things before he was president? Close GITMO, end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, end these intrusive programs, etc. What has he done? Certainly not what he said he would do. Now he's justifying them just as Bush did. You see it's still Bush's fault.

Let's see what Congress does. Let's see if the courts get involved - only way they will is if either Congress or some other entity such as the ACLU bring a case against it. Unfortunately I don't see that happening.

The only time he became emotional during the many hours of interviews was when he pondered the impact his choices would have on his family, many of whom work for the US government. "The only thing I fear is the harmful effects on my family, who I won't be able to help any more. That's what keeps me up at night," he said, his eyes welling up with tears.

What an extraordinary person!

Originally posted by Pleiadianwaves
I've read through almost this whole thread now, and of course, because we can all speak for ourselves, and we all have a slightly different view point, I'd like to make this suggestion:

It has long been known that we are all watched. Mr. Snowden didn't share any new news with me. He's just an inside source who confirmed once again that I was right.

Do this for yourselves people, DON'T PUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE, COMMENTS AND EMOTION ON THE INTERNET! Not on FB, not in emails, not in photos, nothing! As Mr. Snowden revealed, there is a ginormous system that has every word you ever typed, every "click" you ever made. If they want to target you for something, and possibly twist your intentions around for their benefit, they WILL!

Is it right? No, of course not.

Even if they stopped tomorrow, and just stored what they've collected on you over the years...would you feel scared with what they have?

I do.

I'm a good person overall - harm to no one, but they could easily take things that I've said and turn the volume up 10 notches and make me look like a traitor.

Just something to keep it real.

This!

It's why I believe they orchestrated this release. It places further controls on everyone (we're being watched so better be careful what you say) - well anyone that's paying attention will understand this. Most of the Jersey Shore crowd will have no clue about any of this and that's a good portion of the population. However eventually they'll get it too. Happened in Germany, Russia and other places at various points in history.

reply to post by Maluhia


I predict an involuntary suicide for this man in 3...2...1...

The Govt. is good at making people go away...

reply to post by Bilk22

That is the conspiracy. It's why the war on terror will always be there.

Ok I see we are on the same page, I just got the impression you were attempting to justify these actions as acceptable just because the Government says it's ok. But I think we can both agree that this never ending war on terror is ridiculous and so is their justification for this extensive surveillance program.

From what the 'news' just said on channel 8 news is that this guy is still in his room in Hong Kong. Tsk, tsk .....he should have run. An imminent "car accident" my happen in his near future. Unlike Icke,Jones and company he didn't get this cleared up the chain. He surely will be hunted.

It's all an illusion anyway.

Originally posted by Pleiadianwaves


I'm a good person overall - harm to no one, but they could easily take things that I've said and turn the volume up 10 notches and make me look like a traitor.

Just something to keep it real.

This is exactly what he pointed out in the interview, VERY smart man. He is correct with his concerns and what he said even if he didn't *reveal* anything really "new", at least for me.

It is really like that, the FACT ALONE that all your or my data are stored, likely in-detail and in-depth spanning back YEARS AND YEARS (think about the crazy data capacities...) can make *anyone* into a suspect/criminal...all it needs is the the "right" view at these data and you could likely turn ANY person into a criminal, "potential terrorist", child molester or whatever....rest assured chances are you will find *something* which will fit any type of accusation.

Originally posted by ChaoticOrder
reply to post by Bilk22

 

That is the conspiracy. It's why the war on terror will always be there.

Ok I see we are on the same page, I just got the impression you were attempting to justify these actions as acceptable just because the Government says it's ok. But I think we can both agree that this never ending war on terror is ridiculous and so is their justification for this extensive surveillance program.

edit on 9/6/2013 by ChaoticOrder because: (no reason given)

Bingo! Now couple this with The Affordable Care Act and see where it leaves us

The tinfoil hat crowd, of which I was always being accused of being a member, now don't appear to be so foolish. This man was put into place for a reason. It was near impossible to call him out on policy without being called a racist. That was purposeful - having the first black president in place when this stuff was to go down. Let's see how things move forward. I really hold no hope that the media will generate the requisite pressure to force anything to change. They were/are complicit AFAIC. We'll know which way is up after we hear the talking heads on this matter.

Personally, after I heard Lindsey Graham (yesterday I think) I knew we were snookered.

reply to post by flexy123

It is really like that, the FACT ALONE that all your or my data are stored, likely in-detail and in-depth spanning back YEARS AND YEARS (think about the crazy data capacities...) can make *anyone* into a suspect/criminal...all it needs is the the "right" view at these data and you could likely turn ANY person into a criminal, "potential terrorist", child molester or whatever....rest assured chances are you will find *something* which will fit any type of accusation.

Or, they may simply decide your views are different than theirs and sic the IRS on you as punishment, or any other governmental agency capable of wreaking havoc on your life.

reply to post by Pleiadianwaves


Do you think they are going to stop with the internet? Of course not - facial recognition software, cameras going up everywhere.....they will be prying in every part of your life.