[tomder55]

So the defender of liberty Edward Snowjob has taken his pursuit of freedom to China ,Russia ;and is allegedly seeking to obtain asylum in that bastion of human rights ,Ecuador ;who's President Rafael Correa is a Hugo Chavez wannabee .

This is what The Atlantic reported when they learned that Jillian Assange was seeking asylum there.

International NGOs describe Ecuador as a country that is increasingly hostile to both journalists and transparency advocates, neither of which would seem to bode well for Assange. Reporters Without Borders has chronicled one shut-down after another. Last week, Freedom House issued its latest press release detailing the Correa government's ongoing crackdown on journalists: "The closure of another independent media outlet and numerous public comments made by President Rafael Correa attacking private media are an alarming illustration of Correa's growing attempts to silence critical media." The Human Rights Watch page for Ecuador warns, "Ecuador's laws restrict freedom of expression, and government officials, including Correa, use these laws against his critics. Those involved in protests marred by violence may be prosecuted on inflated and inappropriate 'terrorism' charges." Ecuadorian officials have attacked some of the critical NGOs. Wikileaks is not analogous to Freedom House or Human Right Watch, but if Assange were interested in predicting how a governmental transparency organization might be received in Ecuador, he might find some cause for concern.

Julian Assange Might Want to Think Twice About Seeking Asylum in Ecuador - Max Fisher - The Atlantic

So there you have it ,a guy who is a self appointed arbiter of what secrets the US should keep ;a man who is crusading for transparency... has fled across the globe to some of the least free nations on the planet.

[excon]

Hello again, tom:

So, I take it you didn't want to know that your government LIED to you. Personally, I want to know EVERYTHING about my government.. No, I don't want to know the nuclear codes.. I don't want to know the attack codes.. But, I DO want to know that my government is LYING to me. And, I don't much CARE from whom I learn stuff like that. The key is, I learn it.

Keeping your head in the sand is NOT a GOOD place to observe government, and make cogent commentary..

excon

PS> If our whistleblower protections actually WORKED, Snowden would be right here standing up. But, you and I BOTH know, if they get their hands on him they'll whisk him off to Gitmo never to be heard from again.

You guys talk about it all the time.. This is the most secretive administration EVER, and it has waged a relentless war against leakers and whistleblowers.

[excon]

Hello again,

Let me expand on my last post... I'm a BELIEVER that a government needs to keep secrets. The issue is WHAT secrets it needs to keep. It's FINE that our attack codes are secret. It's FINE that the location of our nuclear subs are secret. But, it's NOT fine that government keeps that which is EMBARRASSING, a secret.. It's NOT fine that it keeps it's LIES secret.

In short, if one exposes military secrets, he's a traitor. But, if one exposes EMBARRASSING facts and outright LIES, he's certainly not a traitor. Yes, he's a hero - just as Daniel Ellsberg was.

It's a shame that some people can't make that distinction.

excon

[talaniman]

I have a problem with a 29 year old guy deciding what right and what's wrong, but we do have to have a dialogue between all the people about what's acceptable and what ain't from the government we elect. I already knew they lie, cheat, and steal. That's no secret.

[tomder55]

Hello again,

Lemme expand on my last post... I'm a BELIEVER that a government needs to keep secrets. The issue is WHAT secrets it needs to keep. It's FINE that our attack codes are secret. It's FINE that the location of our nuclear subs are secret. But, it's NOT fine that government keeps that which is EMBARRASSING, a secret.. It's NOT fine that it keeps it's LIES secret.

In short, if one exposes military secrets, he's a traitor. But, if one exposes EMBARRASSING facts and outright LIES, he's certainly not a traitor. Yes, he's a hero - just as Daniel Ellsberg was.

It's a shame that some people can't make that distinction.

excon

Your messengers are the problem . Don't think for one moment that either Snowjob or Bradley Manning are the next Daniel Ellsberg (who by the way was also employed by a private contractor when he leaked the Pentagon Papers... the left forgets that today when they think that it's somehow some Republican outsourcing of government business that is the root of the problem) . I would also note that BEFORE Ellsberg went to the press with his classified docs ;he met with Senators and tried to convince them to reveal the content of the Pentagon papers because they could not be prosecuted for the disclosure.
After his disclosures ;he did not wisk off to America's enemies with a briefcase full of material to give aid and comfort to them . Instead he took his chances with the American legal system.
No don't equate this guy with an American hero whistle blower . More likely he was flipped by the Chinese while working in Hawaii. He certainly lived the life style of a person who had another revenue source.

[excon]

Hello again, tom:

More likely he was flipped by the Chinese while working in Hawaii

Nahhh... Selling the secrets to the Chinese is one thing... Releasing them for Americans is another...

Excon

[smoothy]

[NeedKarma]

Smoothy,
That started with Bush. But you may not be privy to that information like I am so I can forgive you.

[talaniman]

Snowden Took Booz Allen Job With Intent To Expose NSA | TechCrunch

Edward Snowden was a man on a mission: according to his latest interview, he took a private contractor position with the intent of exposing the National Security Agency. “My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked,” he told The South China Morning Post on June 12. “That is why I accepted that position about three months ago.”

[smoothy]

Smoothy,
That started with Bush. But you may not be privy to that information like I am so I can forgive you.

Are you really that clueless? Or just being willfully ignorant? Because contrary to what Libtards believe... Bush isn't responsible for everything.

But then you are Canadian... you really aren't as clued in to all things American as you might think you are.

[NeedKarma]

But then you are Canadian... you really aren't as clued in to all things American as you might think you are.

You have no idea, stuck in your own little world LOL!

NSA warrantless surveillance (2001

Russ Tice, Bush-Era Whistleblower, Claims NSA Ordered Wiretap Of Barack Obama In 2004

CNN.com - Bush says he signed NSA wiretap order - Dec 17, 2005

[smoothy]

You have no idea, stuck in your own little world LOL!

NSA warrantless surveillance (2001

Russ Tice, Bush-Era Whistleblower, Claims NSA Ordered Wiretap Of Barack Obama In 2004

CNN.com - Bush says he signed NSA wiretap order - Dec 17, 2005

Yeah... we got another one that believes everything they are told. I can provide links that Alien Abductions are real... would you believe those too?

All links to left wing hacks...

I got a heck of a laugh out of those propaganda links... CNN for one is a joke... they report what they are told to report... I saw that every day during the First Gulf war.

It might escape your capacity to grasp... but this sort of thing has been going on internationally in one form or other since the first transoceanic cables were laid. Bushes FATHER wasn't even born when that was going on... And its been going on in many OTHER countries as well... Bush didn't have a hand in that either.

[NeedKarma]

Yeah... we got another one that believes everything they are told.

Oh dear, the denial is strong with this one.

[smoothy]

Oh dear, the denial is strong with this one.

Well... very much unlike you.. I've actually spent decades working closely with the US government.

And very unlike Snowden... I take the agreements I signed seriously.

But don't worry... word has it your emails and Phones calls bore the NSA guys to death.

[NeedKarma]

I've actually spent decades working closely with the US government.

No you haven't, it's a delusion you enjoy sharing with us for self-aggrandizing purposes.

The sad part is that the stuff you admonish me for can be directly applied to yourself, but you can't see that.

[smoothy]

No you haven't, it's a delusion you enjoy sharing with us for self-aggrandizing purposes.

The sad part is that the stuff you admonish me for can be directly applied to yourself, but you can't see that.

Really.. you know this exactly how... you read it in your toilet bowl this morning when you took a dump?

Seriously... its time you stuck with things you actually know a little about.

[Tuttyd]

of course the premise of this OP is faulty . Both the Patriot Act and the FISA reauthorization have specific parameters. When you can show me that Bush violated them then I'll agree. Unitl then,your's and Huffpos melding of Bush and the Emperor is a faulty analysis . So far all I know of is this most recent disregard of the law of the land .... of which a disturbing pattern of disregard has been established with this adm.
I certainly don't understand the left's outrage. They support data bases for gun owners .They support the government database of our healthcare . You would think they would just as quickly not care about data mining of everyone's phone and electonic communications .

A shortcut not often tried soon becomes a path well worn. And probably well worn into the future.

[tomder55]

Snowjob told the Chinese that the only reason he went to Booz Allen was to conduct espionage . It is probable that he already had the files about NSA domestic datamining already . More likely he went the Booz Allen to pilfer information primarily about foreign places in which the United States was conducting hacking operations.
He also probably lied the Booz Allen about his backround.
There will be a complete separate investigation about how he was able to fool so many backround screeners . However ,it's unlikely that your average Geek Squad type could pull that off without deception training.

[smoothy]

I do believe Snowden was a mole... and I hope they take him out... if then can't get him into a courtroom in the USA to convict him...

He claimed he can't get a fair trial... hogwash... He's already admitted he did it to the world so he has his own big mouth to blame.

He was hired to do a job... not inject his opinion. I have less than NO sympathy for him.

And I also really would not want to be in his shoes. He'll be looking over his shoulder and sleeping with one eye open.. for the rest of his life... however short that might be.

[speechlesstx]

OK, so who is heading the precrime division?

Obama Administration Anti-Leak Scheme Shows Precrime and Total Information Awareness Go Hand In Hand

Under the program, which is being implemented with little public attention, security investigations can be launched when government employees showing “indicators of insider threat behavior” are reported by co-workers, according to previously undisclosed administration documents obtained by McClatchy. Investigations also can be triggered when “suspicious user behavior” is detected by computer network monitoring and reported to “insider threat personnel.”

Federal employees and contractors are asked to pay particular attention to the lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors – like financial troubles, odd working hours or unexplained travel – of co-workers as a way to predict whether they might do “harm to the United States.” Managers of special insider threat offices will have “regular, timely, and, if possible, electronic, access” to employees’ personnel, payroll, disciplinary and “personal contact” files, as well as records of their use of classified and unclassified computer networks, polygraph results, travel reports and financial disclosure forms

.

What could go wrong?