3 ms·

I continue to maintain that Snowden was one of the greatest American patriots in decades. There are many leakers that deliberately act with the intention to ha

by yarg 3y ago

I continue to maintain that Snowden was one of the greatest American patriots in decades. There are many leakers that deliberately act with the intention to harm the state; That wasn't Snowden - he threw away his life to stage an intervention. Why has he been left to rot in a dictatorship? I'd say sign a pardon for the man, but unless he can get out of Russia there's a damned good chance that things would only get worse for him.

ITB 3y ago
They would need a secret pardon agreement so he leaves at the same time he’s pardoned
0xDEF 3y ago
I am 99% sure Snowden is cringing at the term "American patriots". Snowden's primary motivation was most likely opposition to US foreign policy and control of the world. There is no other reason to contact Glenn Greenwald in late 2012. In 2008-2012 Glenn Greenwald was primarily known as one of the harshest opponents of US foreign policy and someone who didn't shy away from defending Russia, Iran and other geopolitical adversaries of the US. If it was about anti-surveillance/pro-privacy activism there are so many other ways Snowden could have leaked it and so many other people and organizations he could have leaked to. Snowden would probably be living in Vienna by now and not in Moscow if he was just an anti-surveillance activist. However his primary motivation for the leaks was to lower US influence and control of the rest of the world. Snowden is a world citizen who opposed what "American patriots" were doing to the rest of the world.
- lost_tourist 3y ago
  He has stated his primary reason was that he was pro-privacy and anti-surveillance. There is no reason to doubt this. He had a huge trove of info he could have sold to China or Russia and he didn't. He has given us no reason to not believe him, and if you're paying attention to Washington you'll see why he didn't go through those channels, especially in the era of shipping off people to be tortured in other countries and "water boarding" is just "coercive means".
- kelnos 3y ago
  > I am 99% sure Snowden is cringing at the term "American patriots". Perhaps for the current perverse use of the term "patriot", which to many Americans seems to boil down to "yes-man for the state". But in its purest form, I do believe Snowden to be a patriot, even if he'd object to the term.

by yarg 3y ago

ITB 3y ago

They would need a secret pardon agreement so he leaves at the same time he’s pardoned

0xDEF 3y ago

I am 99% sure Snowden is cringing at the term "American patriots". Snowden's primary motivation was most likely opposition to US foreign policy and control of the world. There is no other reason to contact Glenn Greenwald in late 2012. In 2008-2012 Glenn Greenwald was primarily known as one of the harshest opponents of US foreign policy and someone who didn't shy away from defending Russia, Iran and other geopolitical adversaries of the US. If it was about anti-surveillance/pro-privacy activism there are so many other ways Snowden could have leaked it and so many other people and organizations he could have leaked to. Snowden would probably be living in Vienna by now and not in Moscow if he was just an anti-surveillance activist. However his primary motivation for the leaks was to lower US influence and control of the rest of the world. Snowden is a world citizen who opposed what "American patriots" were doing to the rest of the world.

lost_tourist 3y ago
He has stated his primary reason was that he was pro-privacy and anti-surveillance. There is no reason to doubt this. He had a huge trove of info he could have sold to China or Russia and he didn't. He has given us no reason to not believe him, and if you're paying attention to Washington you'll see why he didn't go through those channels, especially in the era of shipping off people to be tortured in other countries and "water boarding" is just "coercive means".
kelnos 3y ago
> I am 99% sure Snowden is cringing at the term "American patriots". Perhaps for the current perverse use of the term "patriot", which to many Americans seems to boil down to "yes-man for the state". But in its purest form, I do believe Snowden to be a patriot, even if he'd object to the term.