• eddstarr88
    • 1 year 5 months ago
    • Posts: 6883
    		 What a story!

    Edward Snowden, the 29-year-old NSA contract employee ends up on assignment, stationed in Hawaii - ouch; and after a couple of months leaks to the world that a surveillance program called PRISM is capturing all our data from a variety of sources as part of The Patriot Act.

    Well a lot of people in high places are talking about this guy.

    Is he a good guy whistleblower or a traitor?

    I'm more interested in what you guys think.

    The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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    • Guild_Navigator
      • 1 year 5 months ago
      • Posts: 2009
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      • Ghost of Vapor
        • 1 year 5 months ago
        • Posts: 359
        		 My only concern is the constitutionality of it. From the information that I have so far, it doesn't sound constitutional. There are checks and balances for this sort of thing. Warrants for this sort of thing should be required, and only for specific instances. We don't offer general (blanket) warrants for this type of surveillance and so I don't see how it's legal. But, I'm not a legal scholar so... I just know it makes me uncomfortable. I say leave the guy be and let him live out his life free and clear in Iceland.
        signature The fun doesn't end here. www.retro-daze.com
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        • eddstarr88
          • 1 year 5 months ago
          • Posts: 6883
          		 In the days since I started this post my opinion keeps changing. There are times when the NSA feels like the start of "Big Brother". Other times I'm with Ghost of Vapor and I want Edward Snowden to get himself to Iceland and live free.

          There's lots of opinions on news talk shows and one storyline that seems to make sense to me is this:

          The NSA is within the bounds of the Patriot Act with the PRISM program receiving the approval of both the House and the Senate Intelligence Committees. The PRISM program was also reviewed by the special U.S. Federal Court authorized under FISA, (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act).

          While Edward Snowden seems like an honest young man, what he did was to supplant his personal judgement for that of our elected representatives and the Federal Court review process. Some members of Congress view him as a criminal instead of a whistleblower.

          Edward Snowden's mother works for the U.S. District Court of Maryland. If he had concerns about what the NSA was doing I'm sure Edward's mom could have arranged a meeting with North Carolina's 1st congressional district Representative in the U.S. House.

          Remember, members of the House of Representatives love to stick-it to the CIA and the NSA, especially Republicans, every chance they get. By going this route, Edward Snowden could have made his concerns public legally and received congressional protection, if necessary.

          This is my long-winded way of saying that I understand why Edward Snowden did what he did, but he had an opportunity to go about it another way.

          Now Edward's life will never be the same.
          The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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          • stake n sheak
            • 1 year 5 months ago
            • Posts: 1769
            		 Definitely a good guy. And I don't think he went about it the wrong way. Dangerous for him personally. But you don't get attention on something like this by following the rules. And this kind of effort by govt is going to keep happening if there is nobody like him trying to create scandals about it. We need outrage. The program may be legal, but I think most people would rather it were not. If that's true, the laws should be changed.


            eddstarr88 wrote:

            Remember, members of the House of Representatives love to stick-it to the CIA and the NSA, especially Republicans, every chance they get.

            I don't think so Tim
            wrote:
            House, Senate Republicans Demand Snowden's Arrest, Prosecution

            I googled 'snowden prosecution' and that was the second result under News.
            tangspot2 wrote:
            Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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            • eddstarr88
              • 1 year 5 months ago
              • Posts: 6883
              		 Ahhh, nice job S n S, but you've illustrated why I think Edward Snowden went about all this the wrong way.

              Had he "followed the rules" Mike Rogers (R), House Intelligence Committee Chairman, would have conferenced with the GOP leadership with yet another nail for the Obama Administration's political coffin - a real show for all the reporters and the TV cameras.

              But this is the path Edward Snowden is following. Now Mike Rogers has already said, "anyone responsible for leaking classified information should be punished to the fullest extent of the law".

              For Mr. Snowden, life has become very interesting.
              The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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              • stake n sheak
                • 1 year 5 months ago
                • Posts: 1769
                		 Yeah, I agree with what he did, and I've also always been on the side of the humanist, left-leaning, vocal, wild outsiders. So that might give me a little bias.

                I think your proposed "alternate timeline" shows hypocriticism on the part of the vocal, wild part of the GOP, though. Which is no surprise. As I've seen people say elsewhere, this surveillance stuff with phone and web records began in 2006, and GOP had no problem with it then.
                tangspot2 wrote:
                Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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                • eddstarr88
                  • 1 year 5 months ago
                  • Posts: 6883
                  		 And there's a groundswell of forces building up to protect Edward Snowden, some of which may be members of Congress that agree the NSA tried to pull a fast-one using both Intelligence Committees as covers!

                  I love listening to legal watchers debating which sections of the Patriot Act were poorly written and need to be revised as a result of Mr. Snowden's actions.

                  There's a lot more to this story, for sure!
                  The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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                  • stake n sheak
                    • 1 year 5 months ago
                    • Posts: 1769
                    		 About doing things through the proper channels. I was reminded of that by this article.
                    wired wrote:
                    ...these legal victories [marriage equality and marijuana legalization] would probably not have been possible without the ability to break the law.


                    For that matter, lunch counter sitdowns in the 60s. Where would we be today if desegregation had only been pursued through proper channels?
                    tangspot2 wrote:
                    Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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                    • stake n sheak
                      • 1 year 4 months ago
                      • Posts: 1769
                      		 Noam Chomsky on the matter:

                      Noam Chomsky wrote:
                      My own opinion is that Snowden should be honored. He was doing what every citizen ought to do, telling. He was telling Americans what the government was doing. That’s what’s supposed to happen...if you look at anyone who’s spent any time poring through declassified records...you find that overwhelmingly the security is the security of the state from its own population and that’s why things have to be kept secret...
                      tangspot2 wrote:
                      Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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                      • jfreakofkorn
                        • 1 year 3 months ago
                        • Posts: 45
                        		 he should be honored n getting a medal or 30 for what he has done ...

                        there is nothing constitutional about this administration nor the previous one. they out to ignore the liberties n rights of every citizen of any country esp. this one ...
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                        • stake n sheak
                          • 3 months 21 days ago
                          • Posts: 1769
                          		 Wired: The Most Wanted Man in the World

                          Excellent profile. I'd encourage anyone who doesn't understand Snowden's actions/reasons and execution to read this.
                          tangspot2 wrote:
                          Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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                          • eddstarr88
                            • 3 months 20 days ago
                            • Posts: 6883
                            		 I love the links on this thread, my opinion of Edward Snowden has eased now that he has received an extension to his stay in Russia. That's because he is receiving support from around the world given the documented way he has shared just a fraction of the information he has on surveillance.
                            The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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                            • bassman21
                              • 3 months 19 days ago
                              • Posts: 4553
                              		 I would say he's a good guy because he gave his freedom to protect ours. My only issue with him is his attitude about the country as a whole.
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                              • eddstarr88
                                • 3 months 18 days ago
                                • Posts: 6883
                                		 Yes, Edward Snowden has said things I disagree with, but I can't help but wonder exactly what the deal is with President Vladimir Putin. He has remained strictly hands-off with this young American in his country.

                                There must be a truck load of stuff happening behind the scenes that keep Edward Snowden unencumbered during his stay in Russia.
                                The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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                                • stake n sheak
                                  • 3 months 16 days ago
                                  • Posts: 1769
                                  		 I've wondered about that as well. The simplest explanation I can think of is Putin deciding "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
                                  tangspot2 wrote:
                                  Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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                                  • vkimo
                                    • 3 months 16 days ago
                                    • Posts: 2321
                                    • Forum Mod
                                    • Editor
                                    		 Isn't he at some ritzy hotel there too?
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                                    • stake n sheak
                                      • 3 months 16 days ago
                                      • Posts: 1769
                                      		 The photoshoot took place in a hotel of undetermined fanciness but that article gives me the impression it's not where he's actually staying. Whether or not that's in a hotel understandably isn't said.
                                      tangspot2 wrote:
                                      Mrs. stake you say some nasty on my threads. Dirty bitch
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                                      • eddstarr88
                                        • 1 month 18 days ago
                                        • Posts: 6883
                                        		 The documentary film "CITIZENFOUR", about Edward Snowden, is set for release on 10/24/2014.

                                        The Eldorado is dead. Long live the Eldorado.
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