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NSA Whistleblower Reveals Himself
"I realised that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good... The NSA routinely lies in response to Congressional inquiries about scope of surveillance in America. The NSA is intent on making every conversation and every form of behaviour in the world known to them.... What they're doing poses an existential threat to democracy."
- Edward Snowden, 29, PRISM Whistleblower
The US government will be happy to learn it will save several million dollars on the criminal inquiry into the identity of the NSA's PRISM whistleblower because moments ago in a lengthy profile by the Guardian's Glenn Greenwald, said whistleblower has decided to reveal himself to the world: he is Edward Snowden, 29 years old. Originally from Elizabeth City, NC, a Maryland community college dropout and former Special Forces trainee, the 10 year "veteran" with the NSA, most recently in its Hawaii office under the employ of defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, has just made history and joined the pantheon of such legendary whistleblowers of the US government' secret activities as the Pentagon Papers' Daniel Ellsberg and Wikileaks' Bradley Manning. Last but not least, Edward is currently residing in Hong Kong, out of harm's (read America's) way.
Who is Edward and how did he end up at the NSA? The Guardian has the full story.
By his own admission, he was not a stellar student. In order to get the credits necessary to obtain a high school diploma, he attended a community college in Maryland, studying computing, but never completed the coursework.
In 2003, he enlisted in the US army and began a training program to join the Special Forces. Invoking the same principles that he now cites to justify his leaks, he said: "I wanted to fight in the Iraq war because I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression".
He recounted how his beliefs about the war's purpose were quickly dispelled. "Most of the people training us seemed pumped up about killing Arabs, not helping anyone," he said. After he broke both his legs in a training accident, he was discharged.
After that, he got his first job in an NSA facility, working as a security guard for one of the agency's covert facilities at the University of Maryland. From there, he went to the CIA, where he worked on IT security. His understanding of the internet and his talent for computer programming enabled him to rise fairly quickly for someone who lacked even a high school diploma.
By 2007, the CIA stationed him with diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland. His responsibility for maintaining computer network security meant he had clearance to access a wide array of classified documents.
That access, along with the almost three years he spent around CIA officers, led him to begin seriously questioning the rightness of what he saw.
He described as formative an incident in which he claimed CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information. Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help, and a bond was formed that led to successful recruitment.
"Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world," he says. "I realised that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good."
He left the CIA in 2009 in order to take his first job working for a private contractor that assigned him to a functioning NSA facility, stationed on a military base in Japan. It was then, he said, that he "watched as Obama advanced the very policies that I thought would be reined in", and as a result, "I got hardened."
Why did he wait so long?
He said it was during his CIA stint in Geneva that he thought for the first time about exposing government secrets. But, at the time, he chose not to for two reasons.
First, he said: "Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didn't feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone". Secondly, the election of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him hope that there would be real reforms, rendering disclosures unnecessary.
That did not happen. So he proceed to reveal what he knows about the NSA to a newspaper which the NYT pejoratively referred to as a "British News Site." Well, he certainly did not go with any of the news sites on favorable terms with the current administration. Instead, "He purposely chose, he said, to give the documents to journalists whose judgment he trusted about what should be public and what should remain concealed."
Which of course brings up the question: now what, and why risk what was otherwise a "comfortable life" in a Hawaiian paradise?
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."
Despite his determination to be publicly unveiled, he repeatedly insisted that he wants to avoid the media spotlight. "I don't want public attention because I don't want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing."
He does not fear the consequences of going public, he said, only that doing so will distract attention from the issues raised by his disclosures. "I know the media likes to personalise political debates, and I know the government will demonise me."
Despite these fears, he remained hopeful his outing will not divert attention from the substance of his disclosures. "I really want the focus to be on these documents and the debate which I hope this will trigger among citizens around the globe about what kind of world we want to live in." He added: "My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them."
He has had "a very comfortable life" that included a salary of roughly $200,000, a girlfriend with whom he shared a home in Hawaii, a stable career, and a family he loves. "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."
That said, he has left the US and is now in Hong Kong, which in the New Normal is a safer venue for those exposing what until recently was considered a massive conspiracy theory.
Three weeks ago, Snowden made final preparations that resulted in last week's series of blockbuster news stories. At the NSA office in Hawaii where he was working, he copied the last set of documents he intended to disclose.
He then advised his NSA supervisor that he needed to be away from work for "a couple of weeks" in order to receive treatment for epilepsy, a condition he learned he suffers from after a series of seizures last year.
As he packed his bags, he told his girlfriend that he had to be away for a few weeks, though he said he was vague about the reason. "That is not an uncommon occurrence for someone who has spent the last decade working in the intelligence world."
On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since. He chose the city because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent", and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government.
Snowden's future is bleak to say the least, and if Bradly Manning's recent travails are any indication, a life in prison may be an upside option:
"All my options are bad," he said. The US could begin extradition proceedings against him, a potentially problematic, lengthy and unpredictable course for Washington. Or the Chinese government might whisk him away for questioning, viewing him as a useful source of information. Or he might end up being grabbed and bundled into a plane bound for US territory.
"Yes, I could be rendered by the CIA. I could have people come after me. Or any of the third-party partners. They work closely with a number of other nations. Or they could pay off the Triads. Any of their agents or assets," he said.
"We have got a CIA station just up the road – the consulate here in Hong Kong – and I am sure they are going to be busy for the next week. And that is a concern I will live with for the rest of my life, however long that happens to be."
Having watched the Obama administration prosecute whistleblowers at a historically unprecedented rate, he fully expects the US government to attempt to use all its weight to punish him. "I am not afraid," he said calmly, "because this is the choice I've made."
He predicts the government will launch an investigation and "say I have broken the Espionage Act and helped our enemies, but that can be used against anyone who points out how massive and invasive the system has become".
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.
...
As for his future, he is vague. He hoped the publicity the leaks have generated will offer him some protection, making it "harder for them to get dirty".
He views his best hope as the possibility of asylum, with Iceland – with its reputation of a champion of internet freedom – at the top of his list. He knows that may prove a wish unfulfilled.
But after the intense political controversy he has already created with just the first week's haul of stories, "I feel satisfied that this was all worth it. I have no regrets."
Now the great debate begins: is sacrificing it all in the name of ethical principles under a totalitarian regime now fully set on destroying you, worth it? And since we are dealing with one grand revealed conspiracy, another one will naturally emerge: is Snowden's explanation of his motives honest and accurate? Why now and why him? Surely at least one other person has worked at the NSA in the past decade whose thought process has been identical and who put the value of democracy over and above that of one's personal career development and safety.
Most importantly, the ball is now in Obama's court, and the constitutional scholar's every action will be studied under a microscope by civil liberty defenders (both real and paid for) everywhere while one Jon Corzine withdrawls millions of dollars from East Hampton ATM machines unhindered, and without any scruples.
Finally, we would like to thank Snowden for putting a nail into the coffin of all those who use the term "conspiracy theorist" pejoratively. Because whatever his motives, whatever the outcome of this dramatic escalation between the people's right to know and a government intent on hijacking all civil liberties one by one, Snowden has showed that the distance from Conspiracy Theory to Conspiracy Fact is just one ethical judgment away.
For those curious, here is the full text of the US-Hong Kong Extradition treaty.
* * *
Snowden's interview with the Guardian's Glenn Greenwald (produced by WaPo's Laura Poitras) can be seen after the jump.
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It's not a democracy, it's a democratic republic.
Meh,,,
No, just a republic.
+1 because your comment is a good reminder for people to not jump blindly to conclusions and look at different angles.
We tend to trust, but not verify what seems to be obvious at times.
M,
RUN WITH IT, AND SPELL THIS ONE OUT. HOW DOES THIS ONE PLAY OUT? WHAT ARE THE MOVES ON THE CHESS BOARD.
WHEN THE RIGHT HAND IS WAVING FURIOUSLY IN THE AIR, BECKONING FOR YOUR EYES TO FIXATE UPON IT, THE LEFT HAND IS FREE TO DO ITS WORK IN THE SHADOWS...
WHAT IS THE LEFT HAND DOING?
WHAT IS THE LEFT HAND DOING?
The amnesty bill. If that passes it is game over. They will easily get gun control later if they get amnesty.
We already have some gun control with almost no supply of ammo and the ammo companies say they are manufacturing and shipping.
Millennial poster boy, tortured morality, latent genius, available at short notice, hiding out from the CIA just up the road by staying in a hotel and spending shitloads on credit cards. Hero thrown to the outraged, a story to pluck at heartstrings, watch the master painters at work, brushstrokes on canvas. Soap boxes at the ready, clutching at hope, dance the merry dance. Keep them moving and off balance. No wonder it's so fucking easy.
13 pages of this shit, looking well overbought.
So Mr Maniplufation.
There are different types of bulls and different bullshits.
Which one are you really familiar with?
The message is what counts. Is it the truth?
Maybe it will be too late for you to check by the time you sift through the different bullshits.
Perhaps, but I actually watched the video two times. It's not too late for me I can assure you. I have known of the disinformation tactic for two decades now. This is simply soft disinformation. Sure, 99% of it sounds great but no one has yet to refute me on the democracy statements made by not only Tyler but also in the video. Besides, it is just not believable that this guy, much less anyone, would hold that many positions of authority. It is non-sequitur.
To argue against me at this point is to argue that the U.S. is a democracy. Would you, or anyone else, kindly address that assertion which is made in both the write-up by this Tyler and in the video?
The US is no democracy
It has been run by a cabal for the last 100 years.
All the World Wars and problems around the Globe have intensified.
If this is an intententional leak- then the self damage is immense. The damage in the US and in the World.
The self-damage is intentional.
Fascists capitalize on chaos.
Watch a move for even MORE control.
TO reduce the importance of this situation to whether or not the US is or should be a democracy, or a Republic like the failed Roman Empire, is absurdity beyond belief.
That's like arguing what fucking color tie the man might wear tomorrow.
It flat out doesn't matter.
If what this man says is true then your president is HITLER or STALIN and you're gonna get ass-raped with barbwire.
Nice split on the green/red arrows so far. The red arrow team has yet to refute what I said though. Because I like throwing gasoline onto the fire, I will posit that the red arrow team simply likes to hear what it wants to hear and then dismiss as problem solved because they are shortcut thinkers. Whether or not Snowjob is real or not is of no concern to those who wish to live on another world. The problem with that wish is that we all live here together and so must interact.
As for the red arrows, I will restate my policy: I rarely give a red arrow (I think four now in aggregate) and if I do, I have the decency to explain why I did so. I will never red arrow you and not explain why I did so. If you wish to red arrow me, I ask that you do the same.
I red arrowed you as I do not agree with your comment, but believe Snowden. He makes a compelling statement and for a young man without a college degree or formal education is articulate and seems to have thought this out. His motives in outing the intelligent services are patriotic in my view, although others in government and elswhere are quick to brand him as "traitor".
There are still many who claim they have "nothing to hide" and cite uncovering "terrorist" plots as enough justification to use the Constituion as toilet paper.
Either America lives up to its foundation, the Constitution or it does not. That is the choice Americans must decide on. If Americans decide their present course under Bush/Obama and others of that ilk, America will eventually become as despised as Germany in the mid 1900's.
As it is, the world is already aware that America is no longer land of the "Free" and home of the "Brave" as one excursion through customs and DHS pre flight checks make it painfully obvious America is a police state.
I green arrowed you for your honesty and willingness to explain why you did so. Thank you for explaining why you disagree with me. Snowden's statements here do not pass the litmus test for the very reasons that I have already pointed out.
Your following sentence concerns me however for several reasons:
"His motives in outing the intelligent services are patriotic in my view, although others in government and elswhere are quick to brand him as "traitor"."
You are making me take a leap of faith to assume what you meant by that. I am not of the assuming type if you have not noticed. All the same, please consider the following in retort to your estimation on being patriotic. I really have no time for patriotism because that is bullshit too. Read, Comprehend, Learn.
Patriotism As A Threat
What I meant by "Patriotism" in this case is he seems to hold the Constitution dear and is willing to sacrifice much to defend it. The Constitution is the foundation of America and many have died to bring it to being and defending it through the years.
The Constitution describes what America should reflect as a society, not what it currently seems to be. Maybe "Patriotism" is the wrong word for defending the Constitution rather than country.
As of now and in the past, the Constitution appears the most humane and equitable document provding a map on how the republic it defines should allow its citizens to live. Without it, life could be intolerable for many if not most. I do not believe in nationalism and blindly following the commander in chief's dictates does not make a person patriotic. Standing for something like the Constitution in my mind is Patriotism to the ideals set forth in the document.
Round 2: My original post made no assertions or comments as to the Constitution. I have challenged all of the downvoters to discuss what democracy means. The term democracy is brought up in both the Tyler write up and the video. If you would like to discuss the Constitution, then I challenge you to point out anywhere in the Constitution that the term democracy is written. Democracy is never mentioned once in either the the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Not once. And if you think that the US Constitution is infallible then I have news for you. i.e. Where are we now? Perhaps that was not as good of document as we thought?
Yes, I know that this is some hard shit to swallow but read the fucking document and tell me that you can't see it's shortcomings with a straight face.
The original statement I made, which has garnered some ire, is that I doubt the credibility of this Snowjob guy. I got red arrowed, and I knew I would, because I don't believe bullshit and that I am stating that this guy is a fraud. Why are you so insistent on believing him?
Let's assume I don't believe him and think he is seeking his five minutes of fame. If he is, he is getting some politicians and government agencies pretty pissed off. I assume he provided the Guardian with evidence, otherwise Obama would not have been so quick to respond to his allegations. Pretty compelling, isn't it?
The Constitution is not about Democracy, I agree. The fact the electoral college is in existance is testament to that fact. We observed what happened with Bush vs Gore,
However, the Constitution is a foundation of rules which dictates the relationship between government and the people. It is an attempt to prevent government from becoming tyranical and abusive. That is why there is a Bill of Rights.
At this point in the ball game, democracy really does not exist anyway, probably never has. It is all about popular conceptions and what information is spread through the media to the people, who vote for candidates running on platforms, like Obama, and we realize after the public votes him in, he does not honor his commitments to the people who voted for him nor for those who did not vote for him. He is supposed to uphold the Constitution and has failed in his pledge. So have many in Congress.
The Constitution may not be perfect, but I daresay it would not pass in Congress today and what may replace it would not come close to the ideals set forth in that ancient document.
We are almost there between you and I cherry picker. The Constitution has it's shortcomings in that it grants powers that should not have been granted in the first place. Pretty much, the founding fathers fucked it up right from the get go. No one has the balls to say so it but it is true. Some of that group realized that they did fuck up and that is what the Bill of Rights is all about. All ten of those amendments are critically important.
Basically, the Constitution authorized the creation of the leviathan state and the Bill of Rights mitigates it's reach. Or not...mostly not anymore. But who pays attention to details anymore?
Your criticism can have validity ONLY in the intent of the man.
The actuality of what he's reporting actually has been confirmed; he's not the first to say so from deep inside. Binney perhaps is the most credible for being the maker of software & architecture which does the work described here.
watch his eyes in the video. then watch it again, and concentrate your attention on his adam's apple.
come to your own conclusions.
Symbolism : The Spy world has been described by spies as a forrest of mirrors.
Nothing is as it appears.
I see your point. Some kid, a highschool drop out, army drop out, gets a job a janitor and the NSA allows him access to their most comprehensive data mining program with more access than most after only 10 years working his way from a janitor spot, making $200k per year living in HI? This sounds more like a sneaky recruitment add. I been hearing the CIA adds on the radio and a local station just interviewed some fuking airhead woman who said she started at the CIA as a hairdresser and because she sucked so bad at dressing hair they made her a field agent. Who believes this crap?
+1 Money Squid. I knew I would take a beating here but I had to say it. I am not the only one. Time will tell.
So what is the angle for this story then? Who planted this fictional character if he is one?
TV and Hollywood, which I do not watch, have endless content about the amazing CIA, NSA, FBI and how they are so wonderful and scary plus SWAT teams and the weaponzied local and city police depts. Endless gloamorized gun play from TV/movie people who want to ban real guns.
This is all Operation mockingbird brainwashing to get the dumb sheep who watch TV and Hollywood's shit to accept the police state because it is cool. Like an MTV video and really geeky with great tech.
Is Snowden here just to get the sheep to accept our fate? For our "leaders" to stand up and say - well we just spy on your a little.
Or is he a plant to distract people from opposing the amnesty bill which is worse than Obamacare or any gun control bill? Why? Because the Obamacare and gun control are a done deal if amnesty gets passed.
Let's hope Snowden has some insurance dirt saved in a few places. I'm thinking Obama, Holder and Barney Frank in a airport bathroom together.
Thank you Mr. Snowden. You're a real Patriot.
His name was..........what time is the game on?
No one cared as they were led to slaughter laughing all the way. If the poor guy was smarter he would have realized no one cared about what is happening to them and he would be back in Hawaii pullin in some nice cash and banging his girlfriend.
this information has been readily available to anyone who wanted to pick up a book, or god forbid listen to coast to coast once in a while. There have been other wistle blowers. Even Daneil Ellsberge admitted essentially no one read the newspaper articles. Ending the vietnam war had nothing to do with the the release of the pentegon papers, it was walter kronkite saying the war could not be won and the all the young hippies who simply did not want to fight. Ask any 100 random people on the street "who is Daniel Ellsberge" and maybe one person will have heard the name - if so, ask them what was in the pentegon papers and now way will they have a clue. If Ike's warning to the nation, if Kennedy's warning to the nation, if Daniel Ellsberge's release of the pentegon papers did not sway the people to take action then, fuck them they deserve what they are getting now.
Whos your favorite my little pony?
Nathan Hale rebourne?
Just remember, Obama was supposed to prevent shit like this from happening. The democrats, they weren't like the repubs, remember, you just trust them.
And remember when everyone tried to tell you this fuck was evil as the day was long.
Just remember, when you can't get ammo...oh, wait, you can't.
I remember a time, a short time ago, when I didn't have to worry about any overreaching government. Time to realize both sides suck. Time for millions to march on washington, peacefully, but march.
Fuck these bastards
His name...was Edward Snowden
And Yossarian finally got his question answered.
Note to NSA- No more hires of people with epilepsy or other illnesses that might enable nothing to lose actions. Why wasnt his girl one of yours? If this is real. If I was a gambling man Id give it 20% chance of being real, whatever that is nowadays, the left hand is wiggling that means the right hand is about to place a shiv in your gut.
This is an important comment and the down arrows are unfair. While I want to believe this is a good story that will FINALLY break the government illness that corrupts all of DC, I fear he or she may be right.
TOO MUCH has been coming out...too many problems with the system, with the government...I believe they are TRYING TO BREAK THE SYSTEM, so they can put a new one in place.
I truly hope Snowden is real, that this actually goes somewhere and some of these fucks are actually punished for treason and high crimes, Obama and hOlder chief among them, but in the history of what has been happening and how they always skate, I hold a bit of money in reserve...not until they swing from the yardarms will I'll fully believe, and nt low level people, I'm tlaking people like the prez, congress people, senators, judges, and the like...not until we let them know that we are fucking serious, will this end.
Snowden delivers the coupe de grace to Obooba when he states that his motive was to bring 'transparency':
"I carefully evaluated every single document I disclosed to ensure that each was legitimately in the public interest," he said. "There are all sorts of documents that would have made a big impact that I didn't turn over, because harming people isn't my goal. Transparency is."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/06/09/icelandic-legislato...
If this spreads in Iceland, they sure like to cause all sorta ruckus don't it?
Iceland took Bobby Fischer who had been held in detention in Japan. Fischer had been an American hero when he pretty much singlehandedly beat the Soviet chess machine.
We must not forget Bengazi, IRS, or the other spying issues.
Still not enough to get your Hopes up for some Change.
When will Americans get fed up?
Oh Gee, what a noble fellow.
If he really wanted to solve the problem and protect the country without revealing sources and methods Snowden could have recorded a few random conversations of key House and Senate leaders, a Supreme Court Justice or two and maybe a few top business leaders for grins. Then send out a few thumb drives of the compilation with a note that the NSA has been lying about its capabilities and its actions. (If I understood Snowden correctly, he had the abiity to do this) Of course a plan B for fuldisclosure might be appropriate if those contacted failed to act.
Any one who has been paying attention should have know the NSA has had this capability for sometime and has long engaged in covert action on domestic soil.
The problem I have, if Snowden is correct, is the lying by the NSA to oversight authorities in a systemic manner.
The world is a nasty place, I just want to make sure all our guns are pointed in the correct direction.
Correct. It is hard to believe that people think electronic communications have not been monitored since.... well... electronic communications began. Wire fraud anyone?
NO, there would be no way to distinguish that CONTENT from an internal leaker of some sort. THIS blows the whole story wide open.
Since nmewn has already thrown down the conspiracy debunking gambit, who am I to disappoint?
I don't buy it, you see, I am rather old-fashioned and would like to review some evidence before passing judgment ... But there is no evidence. Forgive me for believing that the claims of a veteran government cyber-spook should probably be taken with a shaker of salt.
What does he gain from revealing himself? Adding credence to clams no one with one eye open could begin to doubt? Surely someone with his background would not be naïve enough to expect fair and just treatment... though judging from that Obama quip ...
How long until I'm junked for not blindly heaping praise and adulation on the latest in a very, very, very long line of suddenly famous whose only actual effect is to FRAME THE DISCUSSION in a very specific way, providing a suspiciously convenient underdog-hero (who is actually a pied piper knowingly or unknowingly serving the interests of his enemy by providing the basis for a media-created personality-cult the express purpose of which is to distract and placate people by furnishing a ready-made set of thoughts, feelings, opinions, and attitudes along with a name and face with which to identify them ... This is brand marketing 101, and it works).
Apparently you havent reviewed the list of violators he made public and compared it to the list of acronyms found in your Anrroid or iPhone devise, I did, many are represented in my personal phone. Use this tool to look inside your own.
http://androidsecuritytest.com/
Well stated Totent. You have been junked already but no matter. I +1 you one to counter.
"What does he gain from revealing himself?"
A safer world to live in, just not today.
When we reject the outright treason of government agencies and defund them by refusing to pay taxes or even ALLOW food to ship to their facilities much less PERMIT them in grocery stores, restaurants and we regard them as true arm-band Nazis on the street INTENDING to destroy us, the world WILL be one step away from a safer place.
We can't get there without a fight.
We can't get that fight without the truth.
Here it is.
"FRAME THE DISCUSSION" Exactly. Once that is established the narrative is defined and the range of the discussion is contained or expanded . When looking to avoid bringing the truth to light it is often more useful to focus the flashlight beam too wide (rendering the truth a bit one of many) than too narrow (excluding the truth). The cognitive dissonance WILL generate energy and paths are prepared for that energy.
I hope the people of the world always remember what this young chap has done in the name of freedom. I wish him well.
Did Obama give himself the power to murder Americans overseas yet?
I think Breitbart has a story covering that on their site...
Yes, here and abroad, codified in the NDAA 2013 backed up by the MIC submission to Con-gress placing them on notice that they are no longer needed for fiduciary means or war approval / oversight in the future. ... and I quote a statement from MIC at the Congressional submission of their new war doctrine.
. "From Boston to the Fatah, where ever the enemy is found, were there"
As Lindsy Grahm damn near nutted his trousure in glee, it wasn't recieved very well by other members. Basically, MIC is privatised now with allegance to no flag, just policy and orders and subsequently shreaded what ever was left of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution all in one fell swoop..
"America to be considered a Battlefield"
is stated in the NDAA follow up of the Treasonist 2012 bill doubling down and reaffirming the shock doctrine NDAA 1867 of 2012 rolled forwards into 2013 with just minor tweeks.
Here is the link.
http://sgtreport.com/2013/05/sgt-report-unbound-proof-the-u-s-govt-has-f...
RIP USA...
And our children barely knew ya..
I can hear the drones warming up.
Where is the ACLU when it really matters?
And to think martial law would come first in the final days. No need for that now, the gov has bypassed the constitution, the courts and the people with Prism.
I guess he has 'fundamentally transformed America' into the bannana republic he always envisioned-Mission Accomplished. How's that "Hope and Change" working out for ya AmeriKa?
ZDNet.com:
PRISM: Here's how the NSA wiretapped the Internet
patience grasshoppers, time will tell, the NSA does not have anything on several million active intertube snoops. Sooner or later a hole will appear or Mr. Snowden gets a visit from Digger Odell. The soviets were great at allowing open dissent only to find out who their enemies were and then swoop in and march them off to a roadside ditch. The Magic Negro is no different.
In the legendary words of the Rain Man: "There's lots of 'em" (Snowdens)
On another note:
Being the ~700 comment on this thread, I'm curious to know what the ZH record is.
Something does not seem to be right about this whole thing. I bet the government is behind this guy. Maybe to diverge the media from Bradley Manning trial or something else. Something just don't feel right.
"and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"
Freud
Don't bring Clinton into this. He did not have sexual relationships with that woman!
To me it comes down to this: the NSA and the entire national security industrial complex violate the Constitution in order to protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. When the government dictates what your rights mean and, more importantly, what they don't, when they tell you must relinquish freedom in order to obtain security which they define, when they actively attempt to circumvent or impede the exercise of your rights, you have tyranny.
A matter of national security; the age old cry of the oppressor.
You've gone too deep. Those are complicated questions.
Leave them to the constitutional scholar in chief and his right hand Eirc Holder.
Dear F. Nietzsche,
God now exists. He is a computer program. He is omniscient. You had better not do anything bad or....
This is red pill VS blue pill if I ever saw it.
He probably prolonged his life, at least till we find out who the next American Idol judges are.
Feel like I am watching a badly scripted movie though. War coming with Chinese?
This was obviously never about preventing a bomb from going off, it was always intended to be about the individual debt that it creates as we give away all our personal lives unwillingly to the NSA, word for word, to have stored forever in a government hard drive paid for by your own labor.
"The real value of a conflict, the true value, is in the debt that it creates. You control the debt...you control everything...to make us all, whether we be patients, or individuals...slaves to debt."
Welcome to Hell
A Tomb of the Unknown Whistleblower is needed. How many before Mr. Snowden came forward to the MSM but picked the wrong newspaper and ended up "disappeared" before the crimes they knew of were reported to the American public?
This guy has given me hope for the future. The world needs more men like him.
"I really prefer the government to just ignore me, which is why I begin every phone call by screaming Allahu Akbar."
"If you really want to hide from Obama, you should just hang with Chechen extremists in Boston." - Will Antonin @Will_Antonin
This guy has Jupiter sized balls.
Fuck the NSA
Comin straight from the underground
Young nigga got it bad cuz I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority
O shit now its everyone....
Fuck the NSA and every criminal Souless Alphabetmutherfucker
Way to go Snowden!
This is what Obama gets for throwing the CIA under the bus on Benghazi?
Hillary has no problem with Obama going down in flames so long as Obama is connected to the flammable material.
I want the movie rights!
Nothing but respect for him, and sadness for how quickly the american people will abandon him. The american people are ingrateful bastards that are clueless what this person did for them.
That's a red arrow from me. I believe that is only the fifth red arrow I have ever given out. Why? Abandon whom? We knew about Echelon over a decade ago. How fucking stupid do you actually are?[sic]
Nothing but respect for him, and sadness for how quickly the american people will abandon him. The american people are ingrateful bastards that are clueless what this person did for them.
They get all the information in the world, and still fail to
stop Ft. Hood, Ft. Dix, Time Square, Arkansas, Boston....
"Cuz it's politics, man...politics."
-Junior
Platoon
It has little to nothing to do with protecting Americans.
I wish they would stop Fort Lee (where CNBC's studios are). I don't watch TV or Hollywood.
What is his ZH screen name? WB7?
The Soul of Humanity strikes back!
I LOVE this guy. He is the hero, and Obama is the bad guy. He is the patriot, and Obama is the traitor. How can we help him?
This is exactly what I have been expecting. Whereas, many of us would have done the same thing, we would have been filtered out up front. However, they have grwon so large that they need so many people, that they cannot filter out every potential whistleblower. HAHA!
Unfortunately - I doubt many of us would have had the courage he has.
Some are skeptical that he is not the real deal. Somebody tell me what the angle is if he is a fake?
Obviously, the game is always to keep us confused and fearful.
If the NSA had someone else who is not the real whistleblower come forward and say that he is the whistleblower, then that would hurt them overall, but it would let them punish the real whistleblower and his family while everyone mistakenly thinks that the real whistleblower is alive and well. It is not rational, but then, that is how psychopaths think. It would be vey satisfying to them.
If he were not the real whistleblower, he could claim that he was wrong later, to discourage future whistleblowers. He could also be bait to expose any network that helps whistleblowers. He could also do lots of disreupatble things in the future to make whistleblowers in general lose public support. His real job may be to become leader of the resistance, only to betray them at the most critical juncture. He could even be the US President someday with a little help from his NSA buddies - only to betray America at the most critical juncture.
Therefore, it is never wise to get too wrapped up in personality cults. That's how Obama got elected in the first place.
Of course, the real whistleblower could come forward to try to stop all that, but maybe he can't because he is already dead or in a cell.
To help eric is to help him disappear
Soon they will put an app on our smart phones that require us to actually plug into our brain in order for the phone to work. Since there is no sense trying to hide what we are currently saying/reading/typing/texting/viewing why try to hide what we are ACTUALLY thinking.
FUCK YOU...
Obama, Congress, NSA, Dick Holder, IRS, FBI, CIA, NSA, DHS (Dick Holder Servants).
I apologize if I forgot to tell any other ABC group to GO FUCK OFF!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxgTOXfgQ-Q : the open-source cell phone
also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spLdxYWaiLQ
Alahu silverbar - silver jihad!
:D gotta trigger something while I'm at it
.
Plug into my brain? That's pure evil.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWq15lDh8yM
havent you heard the latest buzz, is the iLid.
close your eyes and welcome to fullon VR.
real world can suck it bitchez.
Thank God we have Snowdens in the world who know what it takes to get the ball rollin over the proverbial cliff. Hang on folks, its about to get real bumpy.
Just what if...
Whistleblowers start coming out of the woodwork like crazy. A tsunami of govt secrets.
Dare to dream
Who knows how many have ALREADY TRIED, but failed.
Snowden may simply be the the first one who succeeded in getting to a reliable arm of the press before he got "rendered".
The only hope left for this country is a full blown military coup. When the suckers get tired of being sandbags maybe they'll put their training to good use. This pencil neck computer nerd has more balls than 3/4 of the soliders I know. God Bless this dude.
whadya think prism is for? ..... (re: military coup)
or PROMIS?
http://atrueott.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/the-promis.doc
Donated to Ron Paul 2012: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/content.php?1925-NSA-whistleblower-Edward-S...
Ron Paul = Rosicrucian, bought-and-paid-for controlled opposition, aka pressure release valve. Gives us the illusion we have any representation whatsoever. Pure hogwash.
cue freddy.....
Philidelphia shutting down schools and replacing them with prisons.
Philadelphia adopting 'doomsday' school-slashing plan despite $400 million prison project
Philadelphia schools are like prisons and most of the "students" will end up in prison unless they make it as an "aspiring rapper."
or clocker.
a) Petition to pardon Edward -
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/pardon-edward-snowden/Dp03vGYD
b) DOnations to him for his courage -
https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/reward-edward-snowden-for-courageous...
DrudgeReport Headline:
NSA sucks in data from 50 companiesThe NSA computer noticed:
NSA sucksWill Matt Druge get a visit from the Secret Service?
Wonder if we should ask the NSA if they deliver pizza?
I commend your bravery and commitment to the truth.
However, your life, as you've known it, is no longer worth a plug nickle. Your government and your fearless leader in the big white house will make sure of that. I wish you well and hope you don't get the Bradley Manning treatment. The best of luck!
yeah well.... just to have the last statement (for now).
that is why hollywood in their best attempt at commercial branding insists-
" i am bradley manning" ala tiger woods bernaise/bono nike branding...(even tho' greenwald
and taibbi participated)
and that is why this forum, all of us tyler durdens, have insisted-
"HIS NAME IS ERIC SNOWDEN!" ...... i.e let our heros names be on our lips and greatful for their inspiration.
I long for the good ole days when the biggest scandal in the country was the stain on the blue dress!
the steak was delicious may i please have some more blue pill.
His Name Was Edward Snowden.
His Name Was Edward Snowden.
His Name Was Edward Snowden.
depends on what your defintion of is is.
http://www.itanimulli.com <-- warning takes you to the NSA site.
nsa = necrophiliac satanists of america
this... is a chemical burn...
Your point eludes me?
look up the word "martyr" in your dictionary.
His name still IS Edward Snowden :-)
All praise to Ed Snowden.
I can unequivocally say that I would have done the same myself, had I been younger (I am 70) and in a similar position ... because I did my share of protest during the Vietnam War and, more recently about five years ago, I got a visit from the Australian Federal Police, because I firmly protested against Australia being a de facto NATO member in Iraq and Afghanistan + Canberra (the Federal Government) being a slavish follower of Zio-centric Washington and Tel Aviv, though the majority of Australians neither favour the Washington Empire, nor Israhell.
No I am not blowing my own trumpet - after all I achieved little or nothing. I'm just saying that I really understand where Ed Snowden, Bradley Manning and all other whistle-blowers are coming from.
They deserve ALL support possible.
All the senior fuckers in Obamacide's NSA/CIA spying and hit squads willl be thunking-up ways tonight to threaten and deter other unPatriots from revealing even more about what they've been getting up to, in the name of gawdnosefeckinwot.
Naturally, they'll have to try to mince-up the guy, in order to deter others. That's what treating Manning like shit is all about. And of course, when that still does not work, and it won't, and it hasn't (just the reverse) they'll then resort to tactics like taking-out their family (not to Dinner either), destroying all their material assets, imprisoning associates and freezing and confiscating bank accounts of anyone even connected to them (and yes, the gutless Australian Govt will bend over backwards to assist them in doing that too).
by the bible, by the ballot, by the bulllit.
the youth of ellington .... (sumpin'sumpin'sumpin' .... their remmingtons!)
as regards your link...let them fuck the dead. just keep them away from our kids.
HIS NAME IS ERIC SNOWDEN.
Bingo!
This guy deserves the congressional medal of honor...
http://www.youtube.com/embed/dEizHF-NRYs
His name is Eric Snowden!!!
The beginning of Chaos and Creativity.
What a story! You have to give it to 'americans': they love their story.
Your typical 'american' middle class member, white kid, not a stellar student, wanted to join the military to provide himself with opportunities to better his life; kickstarting his life living off blood money.
Onto that, he found out he had been conned by the big bad government: the war against Iraq was not about freeing people, it was about killing arabs in a payback for 9,11. What a delusion for our your typical 'american' middle class member, white kid, not a stellar student.
Fortunately, he broke one leg and was discharged. He did not have to participate to the fun fair and kill his share of arabs, 'american' style.
Unfortunately,as the consequence, he did not get his piece of the loot. And his 'american' entreneurship spirit resented it. But the US is the land of opportunities, he turned himself to another 'american' institution the NSA to eventually obtain a fat paycheck 200k per year.
It took that 'american' middle class member, white kid, not a stellar student ten years of cosy life to come to terms with the reality of his job.
Out of remorse, the newly turned pentito fled to China for protection from his former hirers where he can spill the beans freely.
Cant wait for the moment this 'american' middle classer sells the rights to his story to an 'american' cable network or even a Hollywood tycoon.
"The story you are about to watch is a true story. It is the story of Eric Snowden"
AnAnonymous, driveling the cheapest propaganda, said:
Another blatant example of how Chinese citizenism citizens want to paint everything as US 'american' citizenism. With them, everything is US 'american' citizenism then it is sure that they do not miss their propaganda effort.
Projection is a nasty thing for Chinese citizenism citizens. Insulting people? Sure, sure...Gib mockery? Sure, sure.
Never think to actually read the article? Guy's name is Edward, not Eric.
But hey, Chinese citizenism citizens are unable to assess actions without looking at the actor. The actor makes it all.
This is symptomatic of what's fundamentally wrong with the 'collective-insanity' of western geopolitical thought, and military and security affairs. I foresaw this situation developing decades ago, so did many others who are much more informed than me. If you want to understand the --> LOGIC OFFERED <-- (not to be confused with the real purposes) for why the US, NATO and Israel keep sanctioning, starving, assassinating, as well as cyber-attacking, arming and supporting terrorist-backed revolution, and generally starting war with any upstart state that even looks like it may become able to realistically defend itself against or deter a Western attack, or who may also one day be able to launch heavy missiles and satellites - then read on.
This is what Western "Democratic Constitutional Govt" in the USA, and also in European NATO states have decided to actually try to do. This is how counterproductive, arrogant and suicidally-insane it's day-to-day rhetorical rationale has become, the graveyard-spiral of international relationships. Here is a quotation from a recent US Govt report, it shows the agenda of the present crisis atmosphere being co-opted and entrained into an even greater facade of "security state" utter madness, and the erosion of basic "checks and balances" (remember those?)
--
Source: Report of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack, Volume 1: Executive Report, 2004.
--
Note in the first sentence the word "terrorist activity" is flagrantly and deliberately utilized, or rather, incited. There are no "enemies" any more!, Absolutely all resistance to conquest or violent US imposition on other people, or even within the US itself, must be branded strictly as a "terrist activity". Apparently the less emotionally-loaded word, of being a mere "enemy", is insufficient today - but why? Why is terrorism so necessary, as a conceptual narrative, for these quite insane and untrustworthy 21st century 'Govts'?
It's because an 'enemy' is nowhere near sufficiently fear-inducing or hate-arousing, as an excuse for what Govt wants to get away with doing, to us. The German 'enemy' can become a 'friend' (as they have) once Govt-induced warfare is put aside. But a "terrist" can never become your 'friend', they remain an object of abiding hate and fear, so you can't make peace with them, thus the 'crisis mentality' of endless malevolent nebulous 'threat', and of warfare and pre-emptive attacks are the only 'logical' responses remaining, or even permitted to be iterated.
Which is the whole purpose of the verbal and visual 'terrorism' narrative which is so avidly promoted and repeatedly spoken-of daily, by weapons manufactures videos and press-releases, their lobbyists, the 'Think-Tank' publications, and the co-opted war-promoting political hack, in Washington, and other Capitals.
Thus the term 'terrist' has become the ultimate divider, the preferred de-humanizer, the arouser of unlimited unthinking hatred, used daily as a tool for grand deceits by all major western Govts. And the disgusting and actually non-objective western mass-media love the 'terrist' word. That absurd meaningless catch-all label is another core signal of how dangerously demented and dishonest all Western Constitutional Government and lick-spittle media is now, and how all institutions are progressively corroded. It's the verbal 'Berserker' they unleash, specifically to destroy effective checks-and-balances against fascist tyrannical criminal Govts, and the sniveling self-promoting mass-media has generally actively assisted this political agenda at every turn.
And notice the sentence above, "The current national strategy for War on Terrorism already contains all of these elements.", so they're openly proposing to utilize and co-opt the convenient terrorism narrative mania of 2004, to serve and promote the geopolitical and geostrategic WMD agenda of Washington, to extend their total dominance paradigm over the possession and use of weapons of mass destruction. i.e. to try and make sure Washington can monopolize a free-hand for military actions, and to be in a position to bully, bombard and invade any other independent state at will, and without recourse, or for any other state to defend themselves effectively, or to deter Washington militarist whims. "The current national strategy for War on Terrorism already contains all of these elements." ... yes, indeed it does, and that's the larger-part of that narrative's allure, to endless war and unlimited impositions upon captured and co-opted mere 'citizen' cannon-fodder.
But let's get something entirely straight: "Checks and Balances" aren't there to make Govts better, nor to serve Govt's needs, nor to be convenient for them - precisely the opposite! Checks and balances were put into legal preeminence over Govt desire to act, to protect the people from our own Govts acting like ruthless war-mongering dictatorial spying Stazi-like murdering thugs.
The hysterical language of "terrorist" seeks to induce mass-hatreds of anonymous bogeymen as excuse, as a considered pretext to remove and eliminate any effective checks and balances from govt. Perhaps they should have just instituted a daily two-minutes-of-hate session as well, as George Orwell wrote about, as I suspect the MSM would really enjoy participating in that. They would happily promote and enable such a proposal if it were put to them, they've supported every other brazen gross abuse and undermining of civil society so why stop now? "You can't have too much security folks!"
Clearly, you can. So the sick 'logic' of terrorism is being used to undermine that which actually matters to people in the western world, to debase our society, to confuse, corrode and eliminate our basic values, and diffuse our purposes, and especially, to sweep-aside the essential checks and balances which were designed to provide real national security against criminal Govts. Well that 'future' is now, this is the very time and purpose that those checks and balances were designed for - now is the very time they were supposed to address.
And if this does not occur, effectively, now, then such govt has no reasons, and no legal right, to exist for a moment longer.
Washington DC and the White House and NSA/CIA have sought at every turn to render checks and balances ineffectual and non-existent, so that there are no effective checks and balances anymore, for any power-usurpers. There are no more protections against the criminal behaviors of the current Govt, or any 'future' Govt.
And let's also get this very straight; the 'future' isn't some mysterious 'location' for a potential 'problem' due to this stuff as various mainstream media commentators keep trying to assert. The 'problem' is right here, and right now. 'Now' is a continuum with 'future' which means that what we do now, will inevitably strongly affect the future. Thus now effectively is part of the future. So now is therefore the place and time in which our actions will have the greatest effect and affect on this not becoming an even larger problem for a 'future', to also NOT deal with, openly, honestly or adequately. NOW is the time to act, to insist on imposing stringent, no-exception "checks and balance" hard-rules on any criminal Govt actions - now is (1) the time to stop it, and (2) the time to punish all detected offenders and offenses.
How hard is such a basic thing to grasp, for all the 'expert' MSM pundits and lobbyists? Those who somehow always seem to want us to do no such thing in the face of these outrageous criminal behaviors being papered-over with a mere fig-leaf of outrageous Oval-Office dictate or edict, designed specifically to undermine, sidestep and ignore all legal due-process. The narrative of 'terrorism' is the mantra they use. That's what is destroying all basic personal and societal security, to 'justify' what they themselves have done, to wreck any real National Security. That's how they destroy public debate and derail and eliminate all rational civil discussion, or render toothless correcting actions via due-process.
The Epitaph of Western Civilization will read: "A sense of proportion - it's much overrated."
This guy has balls as big as coconuts man, as does Bradley Manning.
True American heroes.
When the sun rises on America again these guys will get a presidential pardon for their "crimes" and an award ceremony with the same setup and music as the end of the original Star Wars.
...and they will richly deserve it.
Obama should be impeached for breaches of the constitution.
The America government is rapidly turning into a fascist corporatocracy before our very eyes.
Conflict, profit, self interest and oppressing the general public would appear to be the business model.
"Pardon or impeachment"
That is the short form/bumper sticker argument for all those that want the best for America and even those who want to give Obama one last chance to prove he isn't a simple Chicago thug.
Rumour has it he is holed up in the Ritz Carlton on the dark side (Kowloon). Closer to the cross over and no wet back if things go hot.
Congrats to the guy for confirming what we (well most of you reading ZH should have by now) already knew, too bad the gag prize will be a box made of pine but still, bravo. :)
Special greetings, salutations and a gtfo of here to the local PRISM chapter members at Pine Gap, Northern Territory, Australia.
<This post stored in triplicate>
Edward Snowden...patriot
In New Zealand a Gov't minister (outside cabinet) has just resigned for leaking deetails of illegal spying on NZ citizens by our 'security apparatus'. I think he's a patriot. Fuck John Key and fuck Oblama....two guys who fuck each other at illuminati knees ups.
They only way to break these trends is to break the source: Starve the beasts of financial support. This includes our behemoth federal government via a crooked IRS, Verizon, Google, Wastebook, etc.
Operation starve the beast begins at home and requires nothing in unison other than a firm and stable commitment each day to slowly starve all things global...
Great article, Tylers. I particularly liked the last paragraph.
Hero
Perfect now we can start again where we have left off last night only having more time to consider implications. I've listened and as much as I can about so far about this whole story but still have a ways to go before I can reach a conclusion. I am still as suspicious as I was last night about the Snowden guy because somethings just aren't balancing the ledger so to speak. I am going to do some more reading and observing before I draw a conclusion about what's really happening here.
However, I do NOT need any more time to come to a conclusion on the shit rag that is The New Yorker. Check out this hit piece on Snowden published 20 minutes ago. Check out the comments. Surprisingly, the douchebag who wrote it is getting lit up by the commenters. Gotta love it when they start fighting amongst themselves. If that is any indication of what is going on then Snowden did really accomplish something good.
Thanks for putting this back up at the top Tyler. There is a lot more that needs to be said and read about this. Could it finally be the straw the breaks the proverbial camel's back? I have held hope for such things before only to never see anything come to fruition.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/06/edward-snowden-nsa-leaker-is-no-hero.html