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Very impressive work by the NSA, if true. Both from a political and technical perspective. It's good to know that our intelligence services are doing what they'

Very impressive work by the NSA, if true. Both from a political and technical perspective. It's good to know that our intelligence services are doing what they're supposed to, and doing it well. However, as interesting as this revelation is, it's unfortunate that Snowden decided to defect to the Russians and share his stolen cache of top secret documents with them and China, using Western journalists as ideological cover. I look forward to the day when he is brought to justice for treason.

oaththrowaway 3y ago
[flagged]
jklinger410 3y ago
Shilling indeed.
Freestyler_3 3y ago
You can't hold it against someone that they don't want to be tortured/killed.
- empath-nirvana 3y ago
  Nobody was going to torture or kill snowden. His risk was prison, no more.
  - oaththrowaway 3y ago
    Nobody gets tortured or killed in prison? Regardless of your thoughts on the guy, nobody deserves what Assange has gone through in custody. Same with Manning.
  - wnoise 3y ago
    After Guantánamo, that's not a risk I'd like to take.
miguelazo 3y ago
Being stranded in Moscow because the State Department cancels your passport while you're en route to Ecuador = "defection"? Cute.
- phatfish 3y ago
  I doubt Russia cared much about a cancelled US passport. If they felt he was not worth something to them they would have made sure he was out of Russia. Personally I don't think it was intentional on his part to get stuck in Russia, just a bad error. But he is certainly living there by their "good will" now, and it shows in his public behaviour.
  - miguelazo 3y ago
    Russia may not care (doubtful), but the airline will not even let you board. Not trashing your host is probably wise, but given his experience with the US government, he probably no longer subscribes to the naive worldview that Putin (or Xi) are uniquely bad, just bad in their own ways and responding to the world with their nation's interests (and their legacies) in mind.
    - phatfish 3y ago
      This is a fun narrative that the US is just the same as the Russian or Chinese governments, i wonder who could benefit from pushing that... The fact Snowden is still alive pushing anti-US propaganda shows the difference, if the roles were reversed he would have been assassinated long ago.
      - mardifoufs 3y ago
        Oh no, not anti us government propaganda. That's a capital sin. Everyone who disagrees with the US government is obviously a sovi-i mean a Russian plant.
        miguelazo 3y ago
mullingitover 3y ago
This is the thing that rubs me the wrong way about Snowden - had he stayed and faced the music as a true whistleblower, he would've earned my respect for sticking to principles and acting as a loyal citizen acting in the interest of the country, even in the face of persecution. He did not do that. Instead, he's living a comfortable life in the bowels of a country that is committing vicious, daily war crimes. I don't hear him make a peep about kidnapped Ukrainian children, or the civilians that Russia tortures and kills. He's not a principled activist who's suffering for the cause of freedom at any cost, he's now just a loyal Russian citizen who opportunistically committed a massive act of espionage a long time ago.
- xcdzvyn 3y ago
  I think this is incredibly rich. Snowden is undoubtedly on the US' "really, really naughty" list -- would you, personally, sit back and be imprisoned for the rest of your life (and possibly be tortured), or live comparatively freely elsewhere? > I don't hear him make a peep about kidnapped Ukrainian children, or the civilians that Russia tortures and kills. Can you really not see why that would be a bad idea? He's kind of tied up here, if he doesn't want to end up dead by somebody's hands. > opportunistically committed a massive act of espionage a long time ago How exactly do his past actions go from heroic to a "massive opportunistic act of espionage" because of his actions in the present?
  - agent_788365 3y ago
    Snowden's past actions were never heroic, that is just spin manufactured by journalists with a vested interest in constructing a narrative. He's been arrogantly self-serving from the start, and it's rather disappointing that some people still haven't grown out of their juvenile phase of blind hero worship.
    - oaththrowaway 3y ago
      > He's been arrogantly self-serving from the start Maybe if he was as self-serving as you thought he'd continue to live a comfortable life while destroying the rule of law that we pretend to have instead of having to abandon his home and never again be able to see his country or friends again?

oaththrowaway 3y ago

[flagged]

jklinger410 3y ago

Shilling indeed.

Freestyler_3 3y ago

You can't hold it against someone that they don't want to be tortured/killed.

empath-nirvana 3y ago
Nobody was going to torture or kill snowden. His risk was prison, no more.
- oaththrowaway 3y ago
  Nobody gets tortured or killed in prison? Regardless of your thoughts on the guy, nobody deserves what Assange has gone through in custody. Same with Manning.
- wnoise 3y ago
  After Guantánamo, that's not a risk I'd like to take.

miguelazo 3y ago

Being stranded in Moscow because the State Department cancels your passport while you're en route to Ecuador = "defection"? Cute.

phatfish 3y ago
I doubt Russia cared much about a cancelled US passport. If they felt he was not worth something to them they would have made sure he was out of Russia. Personally I don't think it was intentional on his part to get stuck in Russia, just a bad error. But he is certainly living there by their "good will" now, and it shows in his public behaviour.
- miguelazo 3y ago
  Russia may not care (doubtful), but the airline will not even let you board. Not trashing your host is probably wise, but given his experience with the US government, he probably no longer subscribes to the naive worldview that Putin (or Xi) are uniquely bad, just bad in their own ways and responding to the world with their nation's interests (and their legacies) in mind.
  - phatfish 3y ago
    This is a fun narrative that the US is just the same as the Russian or Chinese governments, i wonder who could benefit from pushing that... The fact Snowden is still alive pushing anti-US propaganda shows the difference, if the roles were reversed he would have been assassinated long ago.
    - mardifoufs 3y ago
      Oh no, not anti us government propaganda. That's a capital sin. Everyone who disagrees with the US government is obviously a sovi-i mean a Russian plant.
      - miguelazo 3y ago

mullingitover 3y ago

This is the thing that rubs me the wrong way about Snowden - had he stayed and faced the music as a true whistleblower, he would've earned my respect for sticking to principles and acting as a loyal citizen acting in the interest of the country, even in the face of persecution. He did not do that. Instead, he's living a comfortable life in the bowels of a country that is committing vicious, daily war crimes. I don't hear him make a peep about kidnapped Ukrainian children, or the civilians that Russia tortures and kills. He's not a principled activist who's suffering for the cause of freedom at any cost, he's now just a loyal Russian citizen who opportunistically committed a massive act of espionage a long time ago.

xcdzvyn 3y ago
I think this is incredibly rich. Snowden is undoubtedly on the US' "really, really naughty" list -- would you, personally, sit back and be imprisoned for the rest of your life (and possibly be tortured), or live comparatively freely elsewhere? > I don't hear him make a peep about kidnapped Ukrainian children, or the civilians that Russia tortures and kills. Can you really not see why that would be a bad idea? He's kind of tied up here, if he doesn't want to end up dead by somebody's hands. > opportunistically committed a massive act of espionage a long time ago How exactly do his past actions go from heroic to a "massive opportunistic act of espionage" because of his actions in the present?
- agent_788365 3y ago
  Snowden's past actions were never heroic, that is just spin manufactured by journalists with a vested interest in constructing a narrative. He's been arrogantly self-serving from the start, and it's rather disappointing that some people still haven't grown out of their juvenile phase of blind hero worship.
  - oaththrowaway 3y ago
    > He's been arrogantly self-serving from the start Maybe if he was as self-serving as you thought he'd continue to live a comfortable life while destroying the rule of law that we pretend to have instead of having to abandon his home and never again be able to see his country or friends again?