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I'm a United States citizen that usually roots for my country. In this case our government is so obviously wrong that it is not surprising to me in the least t

by 300bps 13y ago

I'm a United States citizen that usually roots for my country. In this case our government is so obviously wrong that it is not surprising to me in the least that other countries are not bending to our will. The Whitehouse petition to pardon Snowden surpassed 100,000 signatures in no time. Why is our government not realizing that this is a big issue and they need to stop what they're doing?

lukifer 13y ago
There is a lot invested in these programs: time, money, careers, political capital, probably even some level of genuine belief in their efficacy/righteousness. I'd actually be more concerned if they started walking it back and dangling out some "bad apples" for the cameras. The fact that they're sticking to their guns means there's a fighting chance for the whole apparatus to be crushed by a finally-outraged-and-united public. > it is not surprising to me in the least that other countries are not bending to our will While the level of spying is still technically nebulous for U.S. citizens, the leaks describe extremely clearly that all non-Americans are fair game. That the home of some of the largest internet companies has been pro-actively snooping on every single world citizen is not going un-noticed.
CWuestefeld 13y ago
For Snowden's sake I hope he's able to escape to asylum. But for our sake, I also hope that he's caught. If Snowden gets away, the public will forget about this whole issue pretty quickly (remember, we've known or strongly suspected this whole thing for quite some time). But if he's prosecuted, he becomes the martyr to spark dissidence and protest. If the government lets the story end, they'll probably win. If the story is continued for additional chapters, then we have some chance to make the pendulum start to swing back the other way.
- visarga 13y ago
  You can't kill an idea. Assange showed how it can be done. Now we see other people whistle blowing. It will go on forever. They can't scare the totality of a population who believes it's righteous to make the disclosures.

by 300bps 13y ago

lukifer 13y ago

There is a lot invested in these programs: time, money, careers, political capital, probably even some level of genuine belief in their efficacy/righteousness. I'd actually be more concerned if they started walking it back and dangling out some "bad apples" for the cameras. The fact that they're sticking to their guns means there's a fighting chance for the whole apparatus to be crushed by a finally-outraged-and-united public. > it is not surprising to me in the least that other countries are not bending to our will While the level of spying is still technically nebulous for U.S. citizens, the leaks describe extremely clearly that all non-Americans are fair game. That the home of some of the largest internet companies has been pro-actively snooping on every single world citizen is not going un-noticed.

CWuestefeld 13y ago

For Snowden's sake I hope he's able to escape to asylum. But for our sake, I also hope that he's caught. If Snowden gets away, the public will forget about this whole issue pretty quickly (remember, we've known or strongly suspected this whole thing for quite some time). But if he's prosecuted, he becomes the martyr to spark dissidence and protest. If the government lets the story end, they'll probably win. If the story is continued for additional chapters, then we have some chance to make the pendulum start to swing back the other way.

visarga 13y ago
You can't kill an idea. Assange showed how it can be done. Now we see other people whistle blowing. It will go on forever. They can't scare the totality of a population who believes it's righteous to make the disclosures.