4 ms·

Obama is saying "You broke the law. We want you back. We won't wheel and deal for you with any country who wants to use you iike a pawn to win some other conce

Obama is saying "You broke the law. We want you back. We won't wheel and deal for you with any country who wants to use you iike a pawn to win some other concession or just enjoy sticking it to us. Take him in at your own risk" Nothing new here or deceitful. Pretty standard operating procedure.

brown9-2 13y ago
Exactly. Does Snowden honestly expect to not be charged with a crime that he has admitted to, even if he disagrees with the morality of the crime?
- baddox 13y ago
  > Does Snowden honestly expect to not be charged with a crime that he has admitted to What on Earth are you talking about? It's abundantly clear that he expects to be charged with a crime (or at least to be treated as badly or worse as someone charged with a crime). Why do you think he left the USA and is seeking asylum?
  - jusben1369 13y ago
    Then why start with this sentence? "One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth" Wouldn't it be more accurate to say "I went to HK because I thought my freedom and safety would be under threat if I revealed the truth in my home country" I agree with you that's he's known it all along. So this feels like he's manipulating his supporters as he's not really being very honest.
  - brown9-2 13y ago
    His confusion over being denied a nonexistent "right to asylum".
- codeulike 13y ago
  Whistleblowing is protected, so the debate about whether he's a whistleblower or a spy is also the debate as to whether he has committed a crime
dreamfactory 13y ago
You missed out the bit where they were making ham-fisted public threats to any country who even so much as thought about taking him in.
- Kapura 13y ago
  I missed that part too. Source?
  - marvin 13y ago
    Threats to cancel trade agreements if Equador grants asylum to Snowden: http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/26/sen-menendez-threatens-ecuador-trade-cuts-over-snowden/ http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/26/sen-menendez-threatens-ec... Snowden's claim that the Vice President of the US is involved in similar political pressure against multiple of the nations Snowden has requested asylum from: "Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions." This is obviously political "wheeling and dealing" to interfere with Snowden's right to request asylum.
    - brown9-2 13y ago
      This is how relations between countries work. They need to be bilateral by definition. Agreements are weighed on a cost benefit ratio. What country wants to continue to be friends with a country that harbors their fugitives?
      - dreamfactory 13y ago
        You're fudging the world of difference between not friends and active enemies. US has been using the threat of stick, not removal of carrot.
        mpyne 13y ago
        Apparently it was a carrot, as Ecuador spit it back out, didn't they?

brown9-2 13y ago

Exactly. Does Snowden honestly expect to not be charged with a crime that he has admitted to, even if he disagrees with the morality of the crime?

baddox 13y ago
> Does Snowden honestly expect to not be charged with a crime that he has admitted to What on Earth are you talking about? It's abundantly clear that he expects to be charged with a crime (or at least to be treated as badly or worse as someone charged with a crime). Why do you think he left the USA and is seeking asylum?
- jusben1369 13y ago
  Then why start with this sentence? "One week ago I left Hong Kong after it became clear that my freedom and safety were under threat for revealing the truth" Wouldn't it be more accurate to say "I went to HK because I thought my freedom and safety would be under threat if I revealed the truth in my home country" I agree with you that's he's known it all along. So this feels like he's manipulating his supporters as he's not really being very honest.
- brown9-2 13y ago
  His confusion over being denied a nonexistent "right to asylum".
codeulike 13y ago
Whistleblowing is protected, so the debate about whether he's a whistleblower or a spy is also the debate as to whether he has committed a crime

dreamfactory 13y ago

You missed out the bit where they were making ham-fisted public threats to any country who even so much as thought about taking him in.

Kapura 13y ago
I missed that part too. Source?
- marvin 13y ago
  Threats to cancel trade agreements if Equador grants asylum to Snowden: http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/26/sen-menendez-threatens-ecuador-trade-cuts-over-snowden/ http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/26/sen-menendez-threatens-ec... Snowden's claim that the Vice President of the US is involved in similar political pressure against multiple of the nations Snowden has requested asylum from: "Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions." This is obviously political "wheeling and dealing" to interfere with Snowden's right to request asylum.
  - brown9-2 13y ago
    This is how relations between countries work. They need to be bilateral by definition. Agreements are weighed on a cost benefit ratio. What country wants to continue to be friends with a country that harbors their fugitives?
    - dreamfactory 13y ago
      You're fudging the world of difference between not friends and active enemies. US has been using the threat of stick, not removal of carrot.
      - mpyne 13y ago
        Apparently it was a carrot, as Ecuador spit it back out, didn't they?