Posted on 07/01/2013 8:08:44 PM PDT by SatinDoll
Statement from Edward Snowden in Moscow
One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth. My continued liberty has been owed to the efforts of friends new and old, family, and others who I have never met and probably never will. I trusted them with my life and they returned that trust with a faith in me for which I will always be thankful.
On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over my case. Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.
This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me.
For decades the United States of America have been one of the strongest defenders of the human right to seek asylum. Sadly, this right, laid out and voted for by the U.S. in Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is now being rejected by the current government of my country. The Obama administration has now adopted the strategy of using citizenship as a weapon. Although I am convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person. Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum.
In the end the Obama administration is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake. We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless. No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised — and it should be.
I am unbowed in my convictions and impressed at the efforts taken by so many.
Edward Joseph Snowden
Monday 1st July 2013
But you think it’s okay that the government agencies he is in charge of spy on all of us??? You are talking out of all sides of your ass on this thread.
Not a guy unless I was gay like you.
I agree with you, Jeff. To me, also, it matters little the details of his life. He did step up and tell us and sacrificed his good life and safety to do so. Most of us are on our cushy couches wringing our hands. He came forward and told us how far our government has left “of the people, by the people, and for the people” behind.
Privacy has always been a myth.
Snowden has awakened the naive to that reality, which I view as a valuable service.
Snowden must, however, pay for breaking the law, either through exile or jail time. Complaining about that detracts from his credibility.
Excuse me, but it was corrupt sick government, not Snowden who was bugging, monitoring, wiretapping, seizing phone records and hacking the Internet/emails of tens of millions of law abiding Americans, turning the Constitution and Bill of Rights on it’s head.
Excuse me, If he anything but a traitor he would come back to the US and present his case in a government court.
Ya, that would work out great for him!
if you cant accept the security of the Country comes first and you are unwilling to have this traitor make his case under the rule of law..
You demand he comes back to a corrupt government to try him in a corrupt government court? You're joking right?
National Security?
As a conga-line of millions enter the country illegally from God knows where during wartime, as your government winks and nods while aiding and abetting them?
You're joking again right?
Sorry... “privacy has always been a myth”.... happy horsh!t! My own Father and Mother had PRIVACY and my Grandparents had complete privacy... no one knew or cared about them. The only breach of my Dad’s privacy came from the vultures trying to steal his SS# after he died and it was posted on a govt website. You sound like the abused wife ready to take the next punch. Stand up and fight.
Really, when were you advised the U.S. govenrment was hacking your computer, reading your emails, monitoring and spying on millions of innocent law abiding Americans?
Why didn't you blow the whistle?
Is it OK with you the government is now using our Bill of Rights and Constitution as toilet paper?
Funny how “rule of law” always becomes important to progs when they want to sideline someone who is undermining their goals.
Thank you.
Some of these people on this site seem extremely suspect.
Apologists for NWO and Big Govt.
Be very aware of people making comments like, “It’s no big deal, we never had any privacy anyway”
As if that wasn’t already known by those who are informed.
I’m pretty much surprised that JimRob has not zotted them already. Amazing to see some of these progs are Freepers since 1998.
So what are YOU going to do about it, besides protecting the same corrupt government progs who the culprits?
You have a social security number ‘ON FILE’ with the Government and throughout your business history...they know.
and they have known how you vote...that’s why we get bombarded with robo calls and countless mail fliers...and have for years.
For a price, any information was always available to those who thought they needed to know. With the NSA it is now one-stop shopping for everything. Meet one of the half million with clearance for lunch and slip them a few hundred. That goes on with other agencies, so I am making an informed assumption. The scope and severity of the problem has therefore exponentially increased.
Snowden has done us all a great service, without revealing much of anything useful to America's enemies. He must take his medicine, however.
Those rights were gone the day you were stamped with a social security number. There is no such thing as privacy....especially today.
If you're on-line for any reason they can track you down and out. Your grocery tab, even your garbage leaves a trail to your door and tells them what you eat drink, buy, and where you go.
For years phone lines could be interrupted at will and heard...today cell phones are a piece of cake. They've been gathering information for years and years...
Heck now you can be talking in a diner with a friend and someone can be photographing you with their phone...without your permission! or even walking down the street...
We haven't lost rights....but we're definitely loosing privileges we've so long taken for granted...and those privileges are what has distinguished us from all other nations...we have ‘been’ a Privileged nation among nations...and it is that we are loosing and being taken away.
“I can’t stand the revisionist trash that comes from the Lost Causers”.
Name calling can’t answer this issue.
Remove the slavery from the discussion if you can. Today, can a state secede legally and peacefully? Was that issue resolved by Lincoln only because of the North’s armor, over a rural South, 150 yrs ago?
“He must take his medicine, however.” I guess he is indeed... hope he can retain the support of true patriots that can appreciate his sacrifice.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.