Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance

Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by blumkvist on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @07:22AM (#9575583)

I can't say what he should have done. I can say what I would do if I made the choice to whistleblow. I would stay and face the trial. Make a very big fuss about it. After all, I've decided to stand up for something. Something big. If I'm going to make that sacrifice, I will go all the way. I wouldn't risk casting shadows on my selfless act by going to an overly ambitious political rival of the US. Who also happens to have significantly worse practices in the very same domain. It's like exposing corruption in the police department and then only hanging out at the mafia's restaurant. How am I supposed at look at that guy now?

That's not to say the initial act has no value. It most certainly has. But everything he says afterward I just don't value at all.

I don't think you should desert to the enemy if you're trying to fix your battalion.

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Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by mlrtime on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @07:42AM (#9575643)

You would be locked in a cell and nobody would hear from you again. You wouldn't be able to communicate your defense to the outside world, you'd be much much worse off.

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[dead]

Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by hobs on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @08:09AM (#9575743)

I understand that you think it is more complicated than that, but I don't think it is.

Do you remember what happened with Chelsea Manning? Because that is what the GP is referring to. When you get put in military prison, they basically get to do whatever they want to you.

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Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by ikeboy on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @08:19AM (#9575791)

But Manning was in the military when he got access to the stuff he leaked.

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Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by jellicle on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @12:00PM (#9577198)

What are you trying to say? That Snowden wouldn't end in Fort Leavenworth? You are correct. Snowden would end up in ADX Florence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADX_Florence

I'm not sure how that is an improvement.

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Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by ikeboy on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @01:42PM (#9577889)

The point was that Snowden wouldn't be judged by military standards, which is what allowed them to do what they did to Manning.

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Re:Snowden Sees Some Victories, from a Distance by jules on Wednesday May 20, 2015 @09:31AM (#9576148)

Snowden has made a lot of powerful people very uncomfortable, so a fair trial and access to the media is unlikely.

> It's like exposing corruption in the police department and then only hanging out at the mafia's restaurant. How am I supposed at look at that guy now?

The whole point of staying in Russia is that he can't leave because the US made sure his travel documents were revoked, and Russia is unlikely to extradite him under political pressure from the US. If it was Snowdens goal to pass on information to Russia, he wouldn't have made such a big fuss about releasing that info to the media. So it's actually more like exposing corruption in the police department, and then seeking refuge from the wrath of those corrupt police, and the only safe place you can find is the maffia's restaurant.

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