Get stuffed!

Snowden made the ultimate sacrifice for the USA and its Constitution.

I was put in a similar situation at one time: I was read-into a top secret program and the only part that required that level of clearance was:

"We are intentionally breaking the law and going against expressed Congressional cancelation of the project by continuing to fund using a slush fund created from black project funding that isn't on the public record".

I was faced with the same situation Snowden faced: 1) whistle blow about it, 2) cooperate with it by aiding and abetting illegal acts that could easily be considered treason, or 3) quit and have nothing to do with it.

I took the last option which is almost as cowardly as going along but marginally more moral. I've never worked on any DOD program since and I will not help or work on any DOD program ever.

Snowden went above and beyond in what he did and he was right in a very SELF-sacrificial way. He's a hero for that.

The fucking CCP does not exist, clown! Russia is more of Christian nation now than either the US is now or than the CCP ever was! Giving sanctuary like this is far more Christian that what anyone would get for the US government in the last few decades.

He'd likely be killed before he makes it to trial if he comes back so honestly I don't blame him. I'm sure he sees the irony of this because CORRECTLY it doesn't make the US seem like the bastion of freedom, due process or good. Because if you haven't noticed, the country is not remotely living up to its own founding principles or Constitution particularly recently.

Yeah, "why worry; I've done nothing wrong". That's NOT how reality works - you can be prosecuted/persecuted even doing "nothing wrong." From my experience it's only a matter of time and sheep like you will be the first to be sacrificed.

> The fucking CCP does not exist, clown!

CCP = Chinese Communist Party. What does not exist was called CCCP ;)

Whenever somebody says "I don't care because I have nothing to hide", I ask how they'd feel if I secretly filmed them while they brushed their teeth in the morning. I usually get a long pause after saying that.

Snowden is a hero. It's terrifying how we all just shrugged our shoulders and demanded 0 accountability from the government. That was back in (2013?) and I'm sure that the survelance tools are leagues beyond what they had back then, and google/facebook/twitter are even more complicit than before.

Hell, people are begging for vaccine passports now, which would exclude people by default from society.

How many people prosecuted under the Espionage Act in the last decade were spies? One, maybe? How many were journalists, or people assisting journalists? All the rest?

These people imprisoned were the only ones obeying the law, by reporting violation of laws, as required by law. Meanwhile, all the eager participants in torture programs are walking around loose, still collecting paychecks.

How can we get them prosecuted?

Well, why do us idiots bother trying to counteract you, you surely already know everything better! /s

Snowden living a great life in Moscow? He's trapped in that country, maybe even that city, he can't go home to the US or travel anywhere because of the risk of getting arrested by America-friendly governments (or who knows if the CIA has worse plans). If what he wanted was the money, he was a well-paid consultant living in Hawaii, in your world of what you think his motivation is, he would've been better off shutting up and being a cog in the giant surveillance machine.

Yep, that's the argument that seems to feel correct until your GPS data gets correlated with a crime and you end up in jail for something you didn't commit. It's happened already, it'll happen again. Or, like in Afghanistan right now- a government changes policy or makes new laws and then all of a sudden you've been a criminal all along and need to be punished.

The overarching, primary use of surveillance is, always and everywhere, extortion. The person coerced is often not the person with a secret, or even the person harmed. "We know your son is doing X. Maybe in exchange for ruling on this case the way we ask, for awarding the contract to the party we suggest, by dropping prosecution of this person we designate, by firing the person we finger, we can let your son slide, this time."

Extortion is the key tradecraft of the FBI: "Testify [falsely] against this person and we will drop prosecution for this crime we have proof you did." Extortion is the key tradecraft of spies: "Get us these documents and we need not notify your daughter-in-law of your son's indiscretions." Extortion made Jeffrey Epstein a billionaire.

So you're entire counterargument is a "what if"... fail. None of this has ever happened in the US, or even came close. Because there would be an outrage if so.

Oh yeah, it totally happened in the us, just recently. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-shot...

He doesn't talk only about the US.

Regarding your PS, how do you know what is "bad" and will be considered "bad" in the future? This is blind trust in your privileges. Also, there is nothing "anonymous" about mass surveillance.

Also, not everyone will always be reigned by benevolent politicians. A malevolent politician could have interesting ideas on what to do with collected "anonymous" metadata.

Exactly. And even if you're doing "nothing wrong", that's not the point. It's all about how the surveillance data is going to be used and interpreted. Oh, you say you didn't commit $CRIME? Well, our data says otherwise, and computers don't lie, bye.

There's too many checks and balances in the US government. ex. The opposing party in congress has powers on the committees to investigate things, etc. State govs have powers etc.

You have to be kidding.

Snowden literally exposed the spooks lying to congress to cover up illegal spying on every US citizen.

Checks and balances, lol.

No, there are not. Intel services are abusing their power and will continue to do so.

Because all of those checks and balances have been working so WELL of late.

State governments disenfranchising voters en masse because they didn't like how the last federal election turned out sure shows how much power they currently have...

"Doesn't do anything bad"

Now, here's a man who's never read much literature.