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The idiom "blow the lid off" means to publicly expose something which was previously secret or hidden. As you said yourself, evidence for these types of program

The idiom "blow the lid off" means to publicly expose something which was previously secret or hidden. As you said yourself, evidence for these types of programs has existed for decades. Therefore, Snowden did not blow the lid off anything. What he did, instead, was to present corroborating evidence which added much needed detail in regard to such programs. I'm not trying to devalue his effort, just pointing out that he isn't some lone ranger. And the fact that so many people payed attention this time around had a lot more to do with the criminality of his actions rather than the information he presented.

Nomentatus 10y ago
Alas it this knowledge was hidden from the vast majority of people who rely on TV news for a long time. "Blow the lid off" doesn't mean the first person to reveal something, it refers to an explosion that can't be ignored. Kudos to the rest, but he was the one who really rang the gong. Many revealed the Holocaust to the Allies during WWII, but very sadly, no-one managed "to blow the lid off" until Germany collapsed. "The Nazis attempted to keep the Holocaust a secret, but in August 1942, Dr. Gerhart Riegner, the representative of the World Jewish Congress in Geneva, Switzerland, learned what was going on from a German source. Riegner asked American diplomats in Switzerland to inform Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, one of America’s most prominent Jewish leaders, of the mass murder plan. But the State Department, characteristically insensitive and influenced by anti-Semitism, decided not to inform Wise. The rabbi nevertheless learned of Riegner’s terrible message from Jewish leaders in Great Britain. He immediately approached Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles, who asked Wise to keep the information confidential until the government had time to verify it. Wise agreed and it was not until November 1942 that Welles authorized the release of Riegner’s message. Wise held a press conference on the evening of November 24, 1942. The next day’s New York Times reported his news on its tenth page. Throughout the rest of the war, the Times and most other newspapers failed to give prominent and extensive coverage to the Holocaust. During World War I, the American press had published reports of German atrocities that subsequently turned out to be false. As a result, journalists during World War II tended to approach atrocity reports with caution." http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-response-to-the-holocaust http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-response... So I thank Edward Snowden, even more than I thank the rest.
- msimpson 10y ago
  > ...this knowledge was hidden from the vast majority of people who rely on TV news... They seem so much more enlightened now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEVlyP4_11M&t=1336 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEVlyP4_11M&t=1336 > "Blow the lid off" doesn't mean the first person to reveal something... Which is probably why you remember Riegner, yet give no mention of Leon Feiner. > ...it refers to an explosion that can't be ignored. Sure, or an artful twist to facilitate some hero worship.
  - Nomentatus 10y ago
    Just credit where it's due, effective action is praiseworthy, and perhaps even more praiseworthy than relatively ineffective but noble actions. I don't understand your willingness to pick out one actor to knock. Why not at least praise them all, as I do? Because that's the difference between us, I praise them all and you want to knock one. Your blasts don't reveal much about your motive for that - do you perhaps want to argue against "Great Man Theory" and in favor of the "historical power of the masses", and somehow think any individual achievement anywhere in history would disprove the latter, or something? The "artful twist" is built-in to not just that idiom but also "blow wide open." It's not a coincidence, it's central to the meaning.
    - msimpson 10y ago
      > I don't understand your willingness to pick out one actor to knock. I'm not, and I don't understand your necessity to pick out one above others. > Why not at least praise them all. Easy, now. Don't forget that was my argument. > Your blasts don't ... (unintelligible) ... or something? Ugh, no. Let's not digress, again... > The "artful twist" is built-in to not just that idiom but also "blow wide open." It's not a coincidence, it's central to the meaning. That idiom is overused. That "artful twist" lost its impact a long time ago and "blow wide open" is just a variant. These days both are highly subjective (as illustrated above). No, the impact from Snowden's actions are useful but no more explosive than what was, and is now becoming, known to those of us who were paying attention all along. Which is the entire point of my original comment. Would you criticize the WSJ for not name dropping Trump in an article on political stupidity? Or did he blow that wide open, too?

Nomentatus 10y ago

Alas it this knowledge was hidden from the vast majority of people who rely on TV news for a long time. "Blow the lid off" doesn't mean the first person to reveal something, it refers to an explosion that can't be ignored. Kudos to the rest, but he was the one who really rang the gong. Many revealed the Holocaust to the Allies during WWII, but very sadly, no-one managed "to blow the lid off" until Germany collapsed. "The Nazis attempted to keep the Holocaust a secret, but in August 1942, Dr. Gerhart Riegner, the representative of the World Jewish Congress in Geneva, Switzerland, learned what was going on from a German source. Riegner asked American diplomats in Switzerland to inform Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, one of America’s most prominent Jewish leaders, of the mass murder plan. But the State Department, characteristically insensitive and influenced by anti-Semitism, decided not to inform Wise. The rabbi nevertheless learned of Riegner’s terrible message from Jewish leaders in Great Britain. He immediately approached Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles, who asked Wise to keep the information confidential until the government had time to verify it. Wise agreed and it was not until November 1942 that Welles authorized the release of Riegner’s message. Wise held a press conference on the evening of November 24, 1942. The next day’s New York Times reported his news on its tenth page. Throughout the rest of the war, the Times and most other newspapers failed to give prominent and extensive coverage to the Holocaust. During World War I, the American press had published reports of German atrocities that subsequently turned out to be false. As a result, journalists during World War II tended to approach atrocity reports with caution." http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-response-to-the-holocaust http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-response... So I thank Edward Snowden, even more than I thank the rest.

msimpson 10y ago
> ...this knowledge was hidden from the vast majority of people who rely on TV news... They seem so much more enlightened now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEVlyP4_11M&t=1336 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEVlyP4_11M&t=1336 > "Blow the lid off" doesn't mean the first person to reveal something... Which is probably why you remember Riegner, yet give no mention of Leon Feiner. > ...it refers to an explosion that can't be ignored. Sure, or an artful twist to facilitate some hero worship.
- Nomentatus 10y ago
  Just credit where it's due, effective action is praiseworthy, and perhaps even more praiseworthy than relatively ineffective but noble actions. I don't understand your willingness to pick out one actor to knock. Why not at least praise them all, as I do? Because that's the difference between us, I praise them all and you want to knock one. Your blasts don't reveal much about your motive for that - do you perhaps want to argue against "Great Man Theory" and in favor of the "historical power of the masses", and somehow think any individual achievement anywhere in history would disprove the latter, or something? The "artful twist" is built-in to not just that idiom but also "blow wide open." It's not a coincidence, it's central to the meaning.
  - msimpson 10y ago
    > I don't understand your willingness to pick out one actor to knock. I'm not, and I don't understand your necessity to pick out one above others. > Why not at least praise them all. Easy, now. Don't forget that was my argument. > Your blasts don't ... (unintelligible) ... or something? Ugh, no. Let's not digress, again... > The "artful twist" is built-in to not just that idiom but also "blow wide open." It's not a coincidence, it's central to the meaning. That idiom is overused. That "artful twist" lost its impact a long time ago and "blow wide open" is just a variant. These days both are highly subjective (as illustrated above). No, the impact from Snowden's actions are useful but no more explosive than what was, and is now becoming, known to those of us who were paying attention all along. Which is the entire point of my original comment. Would you criticize the WSJ for not name dropping Trump in an article on political stupidity? Or did he blow that wide open, too?