Holy Guacamole!
Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance
The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.
The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,” he said.
Snowden will go down in history as one of America’s most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world’s most secretive organisations – the NSA.
In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: “I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.”
Shit, meet Fan.
Being a government whistle blower is like using a gun to defend yourself. You always run the risk that a jury might not agree with you about the necessity of what you did.
Regardless of what you might think of Mr. Snowden’s actions, life as he knows it is now over. He’s gonna get put through a wringer and run down a rathole. What kinda shape he’ll be in when this is over remains to be seen.
UPDATE: Video:
The Crawdad Hole 
I really don’t understand the concept that it’s okay to break the law if you don’t agree with it. Civil disobedience is still lawbreaking.
OTOH, Greenwald and his employer should not face criminal charges.
I’m surprised to hear you say that. Sometimes that is the only way to provoke change – Rosa Parks, Ghandi, MLK Jr. That to me is the highest form of courage, because they choose principle over self-interest.
To me, giving up a 200k salary is a form of courage too, especially in ObamaWorld 😉
Never saw such “sacriifice” in OWSworld 😀
To say it’s law-breaking is not to say it’s not deserving of respect. And plenty of those who’ve engaged in civil disobedience have had to face the justice system over the breaking of that law, including every single person on your list.
This. ^ The very fact that they had to break the law to be heard is often what led to the changing of those very laws. That’s the whole point of civil disobedience. It’s not consequence-free.
Before Omerica, we used to have laws protecting those who spoke out against government wrongdoing.
…because, as we all know, all laws are good and just. Corrupt politicians have never passed bad laws. So just shut up and buck up or else get f*cked up, I guess?
Wow. Just wow.
Wow. Courage. How refreshing.
I wonder if he realizes exactly what he is in for. His whole life is gonna get ransacked. The government will go after him and the Vile Progs will go after his reputation. His friends and family may get dragged into it too.
We’re here to help. No? Unless we find him on Snopes as a hoax, we can handle this. 😀
^THIS.
He may be the safest man alive right now. If he suffered a mystery death yesterday, the administration wouldn’t reveal his identity for months or years. If he dies now, Obama goes from being Nixon to Putin.
He seems to understand it perfectly. He said as much, and said the only thing he worries about is his family.
And rare as Hens teeth fif 🙂
Perhaps Mr. Snowden will enable others to come out. Starting to feel like “us” against “them” ?
“myiq2xu, on June 9, 2013 at 11:53 am said:
I really don’t understand the concept that it’s okay to break the law if you don’t agree with it. Civil disobedience is still lawbreaking.”
*******
“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”
*****
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
High treason was about as “lawbreaking” as it got in the 18th century.
They understood they were risking everything. Many of them lost that bet.
Nowadays people think you should be able to defy the government and not have to face any consequences.
Where there is no danger there is no courage.
From reading his interview, I got the impression that he knows better than we do what his future is going to be; made me think of the “signers”.
God bless him. He’s going to need it.
He’s gonna think he’s a chicken that got caught in a tractor’s nuts.
Hopefully a defense fund will be established so people can donate, show support and also give Obama/Holder/Clapper/Feinstein/Rogers/et.al, a FU.
Political pressure is the only thing that will save him. By his own admission he’s guilty.
Guardian even redacted some stuff within the document he did hand over. It’s pretty clear this wasn’t just a “Nyah nyah, screw the govt!” mindless document dump, who cares who gets hurt.
And BTW, this guy may turn out to be either very flawed (almost certain) or total asshole. That doesn’t make me any less concerned about what has been revealed about my govt.
Deep Throat had a petty grudge because he got passed over for the FBI post. He was a dick. I’m still glad he did what he did.
There’s stuff brewing at DHS too, trouble is nobody wants to give up their 6 digit salaries, most who live in the DC area with young families. Even if they’re RIGHT, they can’t afford the legal battle, so they sit, sit, keep their mouths shut and suffer.
If Mark Felt had been caught he would have been arrested and fired.
Yep. If you break the law for a moral purpose, you still broke the law.
God Bless Him for Standing Up and Shouting Out.
I am sure he will pay a heavy price for doing so. Our forefathers would be Proud.
I pledge my life, my fortune and my sacred honor are not just words
retwtd 🙂
Just came across my local CBS affiliate……
http://wtkr.com/2013/06/09/contractor-who-leaked-informaion-on-nsa-spying-program-comes-forward/
Loving it 🙂
yup. Frontpaged on cbsnews.com
So he says he’s done nothing wrong and Lois Lerner says she’s done nothing wrong. Who’s right?
Aaaand the neocons are now working hard on the tribal feelings of the sensible cons. See, he was an Obama voter, so likely up to something nefarious, so now all your outrage is moot.
*eyeroll*
please, where are you seeing that? i’d love to read it myself.
thanks.
Ace of Spades is freaking over the fact that he went to China.
It was in my Twitter stream, hard to find it now, since Tweets are a mile a minute!
thanks.im on twitter and the tweets are flying!
retwtd
Well my Grandma used to say about a stain.
It will all come out in the Wash. 🙂
Uber Liberal Gothamist:
http://gothamist.com/2013/06/09/obama_can_stop_looking_for_the_nsa.php
But there will still be a pogrom to root out the disloyal. They have the infrastructure set up so it would be a shame not to use it.
POST UPDATED WITH VIDEO
Kill the messenger is still the first impulse of the Vile Prog.
Sooper is da bomb:
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/17538462/source-of-us-intel-leak-outs-self-despite-probe-threat/#
and the spinning begins
They should form a “tribe” with Glenn Greenwald….#safestbet
I tweeted this & took a nap, woke up to this story. Poor WH.LOL
OMG!!! What next??? 🙄
Snowden’s motives are irrelevant. What he did was choose the time he was revealed and took away the investigatory club the White House uses to spy on reporters. When the administration goes harder than anyone ever has, the leakers get smarter and more powerful.
Superheroes create supervillians.
. . . and maybe vice versa – as possibly in this case.
Rep. Elijah Cummings: NSA case closed. We found the guy.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/06/that-was-quick-nsa-whistleblower-already-has-a-facebook-support-page/
Ed Snowden support facebook page
http://www.cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/ironic-wh-boasts-hosting-hackathon-amid-reports-administration-snooping
and in the imperfect timing department we have
I guess we can now look forward to Snowden being accused of rape and that will give many people a reason to dismiss his revelations.
THIS QUOTE from Snowden is chilling ” “they are intent on making every conversation and every form of behaviour in the world known to them”.
WTF????
That’s not surprising at all. Most of the government doesn’t believe in mental rights, only physical ones. They’ll offer you free houses, health care and entertainment all day long, but self expression and self determination is dangerous because it’s unpredictable.
That’s chilling and unfortunately, true.
OT Barry lets the Chilean Pres sit at the Oval Office desk for giggles
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/09/chiles-pinera-finds-himself-in-hot-seat-after-sitdown-at-obamas-oval-office/
No world leader would have had the balls to do that to Kennedy, or Clinton, or Reagan, or Bush. They know he’s weak.
Obama probably thought it was hilarious. He has no respect for any of the symbols of America.
Just don’t stand behind the Obama seal. He takes that really seriously.
I’d say she just about covered it all.
Tonys tonight, see you guys on the other side 😀
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/06/09/tony-awards-2013-expect-the-unexpected/
I can’t believe how amazing Neil Patrick Harris is!!!!!
I read that Snowden broke both of his legs in a training accident in the military.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_snowden
btw The Guardian is showing NSA surveillance, as told through children’s books (covers):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/gallery/2013/jun/09/nsa-kids-books-twitter-pictures?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-4%20Pixies:Pixies:Position1:anchor%20image
LOL
Don’t think this will make the scandal category but it sure is an embarrassment…although I think my girlfriend might want one for her bathroom…
http://weaselzippers.us/2013/06/09/president-obamas-gift-to-visiting-chinese-president-xi-a-pink-bench/#disqus_thread
empty bench, anyone?
“I really don’t understand the concept that it’s okay to break the law if you don’t agree with it. Civil disobedience is still lawbreaking…”
You surprised me with that too, myiq. I guess I believe that there are morals, ethics…. and then there is the law. It’s lovely when they all mesh together, but in real life it doesn’t always work that way.
I admire the people who break the law as a matter of conscience, knowing full well there will be a price to pay. The OWS crowd was shocked when they intentionally broke the law and then got arrested.
there is a difference between the Law and Justice
I am just throwing this out there bc I really admire what this man did. It is odd, though, that he sounds significantly more articulate than I would expect a tech guy with only a GED to be. Additionally, he sounds like he originally had a Texas accent — not at all like he is from New Jersey. Strange.