“If I put my self in his shoes, regardless of whether I were a “hero” or a “traitor”, knowing the capabilities of those chasing me globally, I would certainly have such an elaborate, complext plan to confound them and keep my heart beating, or being overpowered and thrown into a van and immediately “hooded”.”
That is why Snowden has hooked up with Wikileaks, and Wikileaks, knowing what could happen to Snowden, has surrounded him with diplomats and representatives from Wikileaks to prevent any shennanigans on the part of the Chinese gov’t while in Hong Kong, and by the Russians on the layover in Moscow. These people are with Snowden to surround him with dimplomatic protection, eyes that will watch over him at each of the stops on his way to whatever country he ends up in. Very smart of Mr. Snowden; he’s doing exceedingly well outfoxing the various foxes (in particular Obama), wouldn’t you say, for a high school dropout (sarcasm). I’m enjoying the flight of the Snowden today immensely, and look forward to him reaching safety far away from Obama’s clutches.
Snowden has helped highlight the way that our government has devolved into an oppressive all powerful monster that is watching over all aspects of our lives. It does not take much imagination to envision how instead of ensuring our freedom all this technical advancement threatens to enslave of us all. I think that it has been a wake up call to many young people especially.
As far as damaging our national security... The NSA has been exposed as a multi-billion dollar government boondoggle that is collecting so much data that they are making it easier for terrorists to slip through the cracks. If the Israelis have taught us anything it is that there is no substitute for true intelligence when collecting intelligence... that means that if you are a middle aged tourist visiting Israel you don't get hassled at all. If you are a youthful Muslim loving community organizer you better bring some good ointment to ease the pain you are going to be experiencing after the cavity search.
May it eventually be someplace other than Venezuela or Cuba, hardly “democratic countries.”