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Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance
GUARDIAN ^ | Sunday 9 June 2013 14.27 EDT | Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and Laura Poitras in Hong Kong

Posted on 06/09/2013 11:41:17 AM PDT by sunmars

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."

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government
KEYWORDS: 0bamariggingamerica; 4amendment; 4thamendment; benghazi; boozallen; dell; edwardsnowden; fastandfurious; impeachnow; irs; nsa; nsaleak; obamarigging; prism; snowden; threatmatrix; whistleblower
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To: GeorgeWashingtonsGhost

True, because if this was more like the Army physician who was court martialed for the principle of not obeying orders from an imposter commander in chief... then he would be someone they would have already found and “quieted”

Cloward Piven includes this type of direct action to distract and dismay and erode faith in our institutions, the military and intel for example. So this would fit that action by obamaumau


261 posted on 06/09/2013 7:25:25 PM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: Chickensoup
This is sort of like a family member outing an abuser or sexual predator. Some secrets should never be kept.

Agreed.

I've read all the posts ranging from - he's a hero to he's a traitor with a few conspiratorial ideas in between of how he's taking our attention off the real scandal which is the IRS, Benghazi, or ....

Like you said, some secrets shouldn't be kept. My take on Snowden after listening to his interview is that he is imperfect, nieve in his worldview, not a strict Conservative....but he is honest. His purpose was to give our and future generations the opportunity to have a voice in how much we want that boot on our necks.

He lays out the scenario of how this information is being kept in perpetuity. Eventually there will come a gov't, a set of circumstances in which those in charge of the information can use it to destroy their enemies. This is not liberty.

What he did took courage. He gave up everything.
262 posted on 06/09/2013 7:33:30 PM PDT by Girlene
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To: PieterCasparzen

They are an asset management corp./ private equity firm. Huge. Run by investment banker types and others high up in the food chain. Located at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave in DC. How convenient...


263 posted on 06/09/2013 7:37:23 PM PDT by seeker41 (Take back your country before it is too late-STOP islamic expansion in the USA remove zero)
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To: apoliticalone

Well put. We are citizens, not suspects.


264 posted on 06/09/2013 7:38:18 PM PDT by Anima Mundi (Envy is just passive, lazy greed.)
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Carlyle that is...


265 posted on 06/09/2013 7:39:23 PM PDT by seeker41 (Take back your country before it is too late-STOP islamic expansion in the USA remove zero)
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To: Bobalu

“To have risen so high and so fast in the intelligence field without any degrees just means he is so smart they could let him get away... some people are just so smart the normal rules don’t apply to them.”

Or he’s lying.

Some other things he said don’t add up. He sounds like an IT guy. Yet he claims he could perform collection on anyone’s email or phone calls. That’s highly unlikely if not outright impossible. It’s like a B-52 mechanic claiming he could bomb any target.

He also claims he could have revealed the names of all Intelligence personnel, covert operators and sources. This is just an out right lie. No NSA contractor in Hawaii would have access to such info, most especially the CIA info.

He also claims that he hoped the wrongs he saw would be stopped by Obama’s election in 2008. It’s 2013. It took him five years to realize that Obama wasn’t going to stop it?

Yea, he’s smart. </sarc>


266 posted on 06/09/2013 7:44:48 PM PDT by Henry Hnyellar
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To: BlueCat

What did Snowden mean when he said that they could get the “Triads” to take care of him?


We need a FAQ on this guy, nobody seems to operating with the same set of facts.

I get the impression he saw NSA literally acting like Jack Black in Enemy of the State and was just sick of it. We need more interviews with him.


267 posted on 06/09/2013 7:55:56 PM PDT by txhurl (RNC 'voter suppression': attempting to limit each voter to ONE vote!)
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To: sunmars

Yes, he admitted there were other documents in his possession but was careful not to release those that would damage people directly....so it would appear he could do so and said exactly that.... those, as himself, with access , could destroy people...there is no oversight.

So no doubt he has any who come after him in a sling.....they are going to be careful how they approach this...not to mention he’s in China...Obama sure as heck isn’t going to disturb the China thing he has going now...


268 posted on 06/09/2013 7:59:30 PM PDT by caww
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To: Tainan
I would guess he has more material that could politically damage this administration. Maybe clear evidence of crimes. That may serve as a shield for a time. The public, most of Congress and the news media haven't yet grasped the totality of these revelations. When they do it could go either way for Snowden. A prosecution and trial will be problematic for the government.
269 posted on 06/09/2013 8:02:17 PM PDT by Brad from Tennessee (A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.)
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To: EDINVA

So how long can he continue to support himself....I suspect the Guardian is offering him some dollars...but eventually he’s going to have to leave Hong Kong...the Chinese have several options on how they can play thier hand with him in it.


270 posted on 06/09/2013 8:06:09 PM PDT by caww
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To: Cementjungle

<....”I’m willing to bet he has a ton of “insurance” in his possession”....>

That may very well be why they will take him out sooner rather than later...and let the chips fall where they may...rather than allow him to sustain a “slow drip” of damaging their agenda and plans.

I’m beginning to think the US won’t be the only ones after this guy...after all he was privy to International Communication.

Question is will he have a safe place anywhere? I think he even mentioned Iceland.


271 posted on 06/09/2013 8:09:26 PM PDT by caww
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To: seeker41

Do you see the list of current and former partners and advisors ?

Ex-Presidents, CIA, Saudi, Diplomats, Prime Ministers, etc.

Lefties willl say it’s right-wing/defense/bush, etc.

Righties will say it’s just a well-connected private equity firm.

It is what it is; it’s not so much right or left, it’s loaded with financial oligarchy types, where their career focus is on government, diplomacy, defense, etc.

This is a firm with ties to the financial oligarchy that can profit from defense spending and has a tight relationship with U.S. intelligence.

To put it into better perspective you’ve got to read the bio’s of all those top heavy hitters, and in cases like GHW Bush, back a few generations.


272 posted on 06/09/2013 8:12:34 PM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
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To: seeker41

For example...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfield_Bank


273 posted on 06/09/2013 8:20:52 PM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
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To: RugerMini14

I don’t disagree but it sounds like your blaming Reagan for NAFTA.

While Bush started a limited project the liberals opened it wide open to what it is.

Reagan started NAFTA with a 100% different set of rules and was changed by Clinton to do the reverse.


274 posted on 06/09/2013 8:23:43 PM PDT by edcoil (If you can't change the rules, then ignore them.)
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To: caww

Excellent question. Living in a hotel with room service sure can eat up one’s resources.

Ironic, Obama just met with the Chinese president over issues like hacking. I suppose Snowden could try a new ID, doing minor jobs in areas where he has expertise but his visa would run out at some point, and he likely doesn’t have a work permit. So the Chinese would have to be supporting him.

Of course the US Gov says it will prosecute him. It wouldn’t take much to find and arrest him, just given the info in this article. So room/board/health care would be taken care of for a while. IF the Chinese will release him.

At this point, it may be in this Administration’s best interest to let him stay in Hong Kong, let the Chinese take care of him, and let the story die down at home.


275 posted on 06/09/2013 8:31:55 PM PDT by EDINVA
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To: John S Mosby

Wouldn’t surprise me if the girlfriend is Chinese.


276 posted on 06/09/2013 8:38:44 PM PDT by lodi90
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To: pollywog

I think only an IG can grant that.


277 posted on 06/09/2013 8:39:32 PM PDT by firebrand
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To: seeker41

Oh, notice in Butterfield the reference to HSBC.

Ding,ding,ding... money laundering alarm bells.

http://www.butterfieldgroup.com/About/corporate_governance/board_of_directors/Pages/Brendan-McDonagh.aspx


278 posted on 06/09/2013 8:39:49 PM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
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To: sunmars

Hong Kong will be handing him over to China? Is this guy a spy for China? Yikes. I wonder what 0bama and that Chinese official talked about?


279 posted on 06/09/2013 8:51:58 PM PDT by GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
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To: lodi90

Maybe that’s how China recruited him, if indeed he’s working for them.


280 posted on 06/09/2013 8:53:13 PM PDT by GeorgeWashingtonsGhost
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