Posted on 06/09/2013 12:16:55 PM PDT by sheikdetailfeather
A 29-year-old former CIA worker and current defense contractor employee has come forward as the source of the National Security Agency leaks to The Guardian newspaper:
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.”
Read the full report in The Guardian.
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
I'm willing to bet this is the cause for a lot of inexplicable behavior by many politicians... Boehner, McCain, Romney, and many others.
The difference about this guy from others did he expose crimes under the color of law and government officialdom, or other wrong doings by classifying them secret under the National Security Act, 1947, which have blanketed cover by presidential executive order?
What was the very first thing that Obama signed on January 21st, 2009 right after he was sworn in as pResident?
He signed Executive Order 13489 to hide his personal records from public scrutiny? We all know why.
Yes, please let us all know, so we can go there.
See post 200.
Not only that, but they can pick which businesses win or lose, they have access to marketing strategies, technological development.
This is the establishment of a permanent ruling class.
True, but before he/she/it is elected, that's not the case.
Musta been some 60’s hippy - look at that hair! :0)
A different president is, but I’m not usually in the business of blaming George Bush ~
Hopefully he will get a bag full of dough, get plastic surgery and some materials for a disguise. Maybe he will be like Bogart and meet a cool chick like Laren Bacall as in Dark Passage.
Boy, it’s not like it was a hundred or even fifty years ago when people could find some place in the world to hide. I wish this guy all the best.
“To be a “good German” did you have to be a whistle-blower?”
excellent example
Better to be moral and God fearing, than to be a good citizen
But that was his point, if you watch the video. He couldn't believe it, either; and thinks it is so wrong that he had so much access as a young person of no particular consequence in the scheme of things. He believed he had to do something to get others to understand just how fragile their security is in this house of cards.
I agree. The guy has to go down because rules are rules. But exposing the information means that the regime can be seen for what it is: a one party state without any regard for the 4th amendment. This is not about "privacy" of conversations but the danger and stupidity of gathering vast amounts of data that can never be used for public safety purposes. There are two good reasons not to do it: it will be abused and it will not and did not stop incidents like the Boston bombing.
he's a liar and a thief and you can't make me respect him, or those who speak highly of him.
he had options
The jury is still out for me on whether this was a good move or not. But it certainly is a ballsy move, and I have to respect his courage, if it is entirely of his own devising, that is. Waiting for more detail, assuming we will be able to get the truth. But yes, I thought of Ellsberg immediately as well, not of Manning or Assange.
The original location is huge, literally under a very huge pinapple field.
That you gave an oath doesn’t really matter. What matters is who you give it TO.
He was working in the field before Obama was elected. You simply want to ‘blame Bush’ again. That’s such an old, tired, overworked piece of nonsense.
Surely you don’t expect that we’ll get the truth from DC?
In Bengazi, we have our Watergate. > No arrests.
In Syria, we have our Vietnam. > No press outrage.
In Snowden, we have our Deepthroat. > No future accolades.
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