Posted on 06/09/2013 11:41:17 AM PDT by sunmars
The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.
The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. "I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong," he said.
Snowden will go down in history as one of America's most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world's most secretive organisations – the NSA.
In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: "I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions," but "I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant."
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Now if we could find out what really happened to Breitbart.
Manning was a traitor.
I have a funny feeling this guy is smart enough to have put some other documents the Gov dont want released stashed away....i would hope he’d have the sense to have a bargaining chips.
The guy just shortened the distraction mileage the regime was going to get from this story. Now back to Benghazi and the IRS....
Wow. My new hero. I hope that there are more people out there like him. I know that my son who is in IT is really freaked out about this story. He’s been telling us for some time that its true.
How would they protect him?
so you think this whole NSA thing is just another DISTRACTION from the other scandals ,they already said the NSA broke no laws
See right there is the problem. ..”this world that I love”...not this country that I love or its Constitution ..or even liberty.
What a mess.
Regardless - we are in his debt no matter his politics.
WOW! A big “hope and change” believer. Good for him.
If I were Snowden I wouldn't want to be named in the same sentence as Manning. Manning simply downloaded all of the classified data he could and gave it away. There was no challenged conscience for Manning. He was angry at the Army because he is a homosexual. He is going to prison.
Snowden will still get jammed up because of the way he divulged this information. He should have blown his whistle to the correct member of Congress. Not that there are more than 5 of those.
I’m guessing the Chi-Com’s will be excellent host to a former NSA employee who want’s to talk about his day’s on the job.
Well it helps him that he is a contractor and not a direct government employee.
I’ve said repeated that the RNC needs to start a whistleblower defense fund. I bet several people like Trump would contribute the first few million dollars.
First, he said: “Most of the secrets the CIA has are about people, not machines and systems, so I didn’t feel comfortable with disclosures that I thought could endanger anyone”. Secondly, the election of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him hope that there would be real reforms, rendering disclosures unnecessary.
Even though it has reverted to China I think the extradition treaty between the U.S and Hong Kong is still in effect. It is a weird case but I think is part of the British turnover and the Chineese desire to keep Bong Kong the financial and international center it was.
Would he ever be free from certain retribution regardless?
People are starting to realize, finally...the regime actually doesn’t care about the scandals or the hearings or any of the stuff we keep demanding.
He knows we won’t impeach him because we’d rather live with tyranny ....than with Biden... we are such fools!
Maybe pass some sort of special legislation specific to him?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_bill
Even if Snowden is at variance from what we might regard as our cherished attitides and beliefs, I hope the US grants him immunity to expose abuses in the system
He will be stoned in the Square, and if that doesn’t kill him, there will be a public beheading.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.