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German president says whistleblowers like Snowden merit respect
- northwest 13y ago> Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has assured Washington that Berlin would not shelter Snowden. The evil creature. (Sorry, there is no other word for this.) EDIT: I happily welcome any and all downvotes. There is no excuse for this behavior by European countries.
- adamnemecek 13y agoYeah, politicians always say that until something like that happens to them.
- northwest 13y ago> until something like that happens to them. Right, that's when they lose their balls. Even if they didn't have any to begin with (genetic reasons included). EDIT: On the other hand, it's only a plus when those who only have a "moral" authority, not the real one, make that statement. There's nothing to lose, only to gain. Even if it's a very small pressure, it's better than zero pressure.
- simonsarris 13y agoFor those unaware, the German President is the baby-kissing, ship-christening figurehead, with largely ceremonial duties. His or her job is to sympathize with the people, save for a few real "reserve powers" in case of emergency. The German president is the one that gets to say all sorts of things that career politicians cannot say, and because of this its essentially a end-of-career political position. The chancellor, currently Angela Merkel, is the position comparable to the United States president.
- s_q_b 13y agoWhen the Germans stop hosting NSA facilities, and end their own version of internet surveillance programs, their opinion on these issues will carry more weight with me.