Snowden, Do you know that we are always spied on?.

[dreamblade]

1. Do you think that it's only the Americans that spy on people? Are you fucking kidding me...every country does it! They probably just find ways to silence people like snoden before the can spring a leak.
2. If you want the Americans in there with their dollars and military and blood every time there's an atrocity/natural disaster/tyrant/terrorist or whatever...you better be willing to give us some slack on how we gather intelligence.
3. Bring it...I'm not that worried about the talk of countries that stand by and let the USA take on the lion's share of policing the world when there's trouble and then complain about the way we do it. Feel free to re-enlist...but do it so you and yours can take the risks our soldiers are dealing with out there...do it so you can be ready to provide disaster relief to any part of the world within hours...do it so you can be called names while trying to help the oppressed. Don't do it because you want to go up against our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, intelligence agencies or even any run of the mill patriotic Americans...pretty much everyone who ever does....loses!

I'll answer point for point:

1) No, but spying on other countries does not entail eavesdropping on every citizen, and gathering detailed profiles even of people in friendly nations. Furthermore, your country has constitutional safeguards that the current and previous administration have bypassed in tapping THEIR OWN CITIZENS. You don't come from a country where that was a big thing, but I do. And when Homeland Gestapo come breaking down your door in the middle of the night because your surly neighbour reported you as a terrorist for playing your music too loud, then you might start understanding.

2) Nobody is asking you to. In fact, most countries resent US meddling in their affairs, because the execution of every military action is sloppy, laden with partizan agenda, imperialistic, and leaves the place worse off than it was in the beginning. See Iraq, Panama, Colombia, Somalia...

3) If you haven't noticed, many countries in the last 10 years have actually asked the US to back off. Case in point, look at Syria. It's no longer the US' job to police the world, never really was. That's what the UN is for, where Canadians commit more troops than the US does. The US is a faded glory, and as such is shouting loud about accomplishments that do not belong solely, if at all, to them. Relying on tech instead of training, enlistment has gone way down ever since the army stopped being a meal ticket through college and people have been asked to *gasp* die for their country. And those that go are ill equipped because your country is broke. The world says no thanks, please take care of your own problems, which the current administration is incapable of doing.

Your forces aren't even the best trained. Back in my day, our regular infantry won every wargame against your ROTC. You want best trained, rapid response, look at UK, Israel, France, and Canada.

Nobody is calling anybody names, it's just how everyone sees the US: An aging giant in faded, worn clothes, sitting in a corner shouting "We are the best", drunk on old, wrongly remembered victories, bullying those that don't agree with him.

America doesn't stand for freedom. It stands for oppression, privilege, plutocracy, while marketing freedom. Stop listening to the propaganda and look at the actions. Like an escort on Backpages, it's total bait and switch.

 

[Beef Jerky]

[h=1]NSA spied on the future Pope Francis before and during Vatican conclave: report[/h]

 

[Stoner]

What's the big deal. All governments spy on each other.

[h=1]Russia 'spied on G20 leaders with USB sticks'[/h][h=2]Russia used complimentary 'Trojan horse' pen drives to spy on delegates at G20 summit, it has been reported[/h]
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wo...sia-spied-on-G20-leaders-with-USB-sticks.html

 

[oldguyzer]

This has been going on for decades...check out the Echelon 2 program.

 

[User-E]

Snowden says intel leaks were justified

Snowden says intel leaks were justified

BERLIN (Reuters) - Fugitive U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden said calls for more oversight of government intelligence agencies showed he was justified in revealing the methods and targets of the U.S. secret service.

In "A Manifesto for the Truth" published in German news magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday, Snowden said current debates about mass surveillance in many countries showed his revelations were helping to bring about change. "Instead of causing damage, the usefulness of the new public knowledge for society is now clear because reforms to politics, supervision and laws are being suggested," the 30-year-old ex-CIA employee and NSA contractor wrote. "Citizens have to fight against the suppression of information about affairs of essential importance for the public. Those who speak the truth are not committing a crime."

In the manifesto published on Sunday, Snowden said mass surveillance was a global problem that needed global solutions and added that secret services' "criminal surveillance programs" jeopardized individual privacy, freedom of opinion and open societies. The existence of spying technology should not determine politics, he said: "We have a moral duty to ensure that our laws and values limit surveillance programs and protect human rights".

Society, said Snowden, could only understand and keep a check on these problems via an open, ruthless and informed debate. He said some governments that felt exposed by the revelations had at first launched a "persecution campaign" to repress debate by intimidating journalists and threatening them with prosecution. "At that time the public was not in a position to judge the usefulness of these revelations. People trusted that their governments would make the right decisions," he said. "Today we know that was a mistake and that such behavior does not serve the public interest," he said.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/snowden-says-calls-reform-prove-intel-leaks-were-114707696.html

 

[HOF]

Maybe Snowden could get the truth about Rob Ford too!:biggrin2:

 

[oldguyzer]

Criminals always try to justify their actions when they are caught. String up the bastard. He took an oath to his government. He broke it, and should face the consequences.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Criminals always try to justify their actions when they are caught. String up the bastard. He took an oath to his government. He broke it, and should face the consequences.

What he said.

 

[User-E]

Maybe Snowden could get the truth about Rob Ford too!:biggrin2:

No shit - I'll bet somebody was tapping into his calls, texts and emails somewhere.

Criminals always try to justify their actions when they are caught. String up the bastard. He took an oath to his government. He broke it, and should face the consequences.

What he said.

The article mentions that he just got hired by a Russian website. I wonder what kind of confidentiality clause he'll have to sign for them?!

 

[DonCorleo]

He will one day wake up without a heartbeat.

 

[ShowmeThemoney]

Why does a traitor deserves his own thread?.

 

[BigBoner]

Why does a traitor deserves his own thread?.

Bad news sells.

 

[dreamblade]

I am sincerely appalled by the comments here. Yes, he broke he confidentiality agreement, but ... *draws a breath*


The US Government is spying on civilians, its own and abroad without a judicial ok.

Can someone please tell me how this is an ok thing to do? Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Roman]

I am sincerely appalled by the comments here. Yes, he broke he confidentiality agreement, but ... *draws a breath*


The US Government is spying on civilians, its own and abroad without a judicial ok.

Can someone please tell me how this is an ok thing to do? Maybe I'm missing something.

Dreamblade, have you been living in an hourglass home?. Yes he is a traitor and yes he broke the confidentiality agreement.

I see the humor on the members' replies. Not to make this one a long story.


Anything dealing with politics equals they all lie.

Got that ?.

Have you ever asked a politician if it's OK?.

 

[dreamblade]

Dreamblade, have you been living in an hourglass home?. Yes he is a traitor and yes he broke the confidentiality agreement.

I see the humor on the members' replies. Not to make this one a long story.


Anything dealing with politics equals they all lie.

Got that ?.

Have you ever asked a politician if it's OK?.

Doesn't answer my question in the slightest. When the government breaks the law who do they answer to? Calling Snowden a traitor is like calling Ghandi, MLK, Walesa traitors as well. They all saw their leaders behaving badly and called them on it. How is this different?

I understand cynicism, trust me, I'm a Gen Xer, but am I the only one here completely aghast at this kind of blatant removal of fundamental freedom by a supposed democratic country? Just blindly accepting that politicians lie, and going back to your own affairs is only going to make things worse. Any oversight is a joke, electing a leader, no matter what group they identify with, changes nothing, we are constantly paying more and more taxes for less and less services.

Where's the outrage?

 

[TINY]

Doesn't answer my question in the slightest. When the government breaks the law who do they answer to? Calling Snowden a traitor is like calling Ghandi, MLK, Walesa traitors as well. They all saw their leaders behaving badly and called them on it. How is this different?

I understand cynicism, trust me, I'm a Gen Xer, but am I the only one here completely aghast at this kind of blatant removal of fundamental freedom by a supposed democratic country? Just blindly accepting that politicians lie, and going back to your own affairs is only going to make things worse. Any oversight is a joke, electing a leader, no matter what group they identify with, changes nothing, we are constantly paying more and more taxes for less and less services.

Where's the outrage?

We are no longer a democratic country. Not sure what to call it but for sure not a democracy. This doesn't apply to us anymore.

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

 

[dreamblade]

Indeed, TINY, the US is a plutocracy and Canada isn't far behind.

 

[Willy]

We are no longer a democratic country. Not sure what to call it but for sure not a democracy. This doesn't apply to us anymore.

Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

Remember this one. He then got fired.

 

[McGuinty]

Look who's the front-runner for 'Time' person of the year

Look who's the front-runner for 'Time' person of the year

This is sad.

Yes, Miley is ahead of Edward Snowden and Pope Francis right now.

It's that Time of the year.
Time magazine will soon unveil its person of the year for 2013.
But editors want readers to have input. You can cast your vote for the person you think "most influenced the news this year for better or worse."
Guess who's leading the pack? Miley Cyrus.

She's got more than 28% of the vote. Right behind her are Narendra Modi (Hindu nationalist and chief minister of the Indian state ofGujarat) and Edward Snowden.
Cyrus is among celebs who are listed by Time as candidates, along with Angelina Jolie, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, baby Prince George and Jimmy Fallon

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 4, and the combined winner of our reader polls will be announced Dec. 6. Time's person of the year will be announced Dec. 11.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...ntrunner-for-time-person-of-the-year/3766497/

 

[TINY]

This has to be a joke.