Insinuations about hypocrite Snowden seeking asylum in un-free nations take the big Cake of stupid

[cthulu2016]

Last edited Sat Jul 20, 2013, 03:25 AM - Edit history (2)

Snowden has not, to my knowledge, rejected all those dozens of asylum offers pouring in from Britain the Netherlands Canada and such.

I have seen no evidence to suggest that he has or would refuse asylum in a free nation because he just hates freedom so darn much.

I know little of the man's character, but I am pretty sure that none of the nations with the highest levels of personal freedom or lowest levels of intrusion/surveillance have offered asylum so it's not really his decision to make.

And the suggestion that if somebody really loved freedom he would opt to return to the USA to spend the rest of his life in prison is... what the hell is it? A Koan? A straight-line? "I'll take internally contradictory snark for $500, Alex."

I love freedom a fair amount and I would, given the choice, take the level of freedom afforded by living in Ecuador or Venezuela or Russia over the level of freedom offered by a life in confinement in an American prison.

Prisons, even at their best, offer a rather low level of freedom and an extraordinary level of surveillance.

A Russian prison may be worse than an American prison, but living in a Russian hotel or apartment is actually more free than living in an American prison. (The brochure almost writes itself... "The Moscow Airport Hyatt: Zagat rated less intrusive than prison!&quot

[iemitsu]

1. And our prisons are a far cry from a luzury resort.

They are over-crowded and designed for punishment, not rehabilitation.
The ones that are privately owned are the worst in the bunch.
I would rather take the "freedom" offered by any country than the restrictions imposed by an American prison.

[allin99]

2. that made me lol. :D.

[Kolesar]

3. It's like Lucy got Ethel into a big fix

But it's Glenn Greenwald as Lucy and Edward Snowden as Ethel Murtz.

[jaysunb]

7. +1 n/t

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Then I suggest you don't break the law, and your "freedom" should remain intact. You forgot that.

[denverbill]

5. Good points about the relative levels of freedom.

Given, also, that he was apparently a rather an ardent libertarian (and asshole) in his earlier years would also tend to disprove his hatred of freedom as well. Libertarianism is a crackpot religion, IMO, but it's true believers most certainly believe in freedom, there is no doubt about that.

[flamingdem]

6. It's pretzel logic you're proposing. Snowden took a risk, broke laws, leaked damaging

info so he has to live his choices. If he was heroic he'd take his chances in the USA. His dad has a lawyer for him.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Damaging info, ha!

I have had no patience with the idea of state secrets since reading "The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence" in the 1970s.

Most "top secret" material is designed to protect bigwigs from embarrassment or to hide government actions that people of good will would be appalled at.

[KittyWampus]

11. I wish you'd start an OP with this sentiment.

[Progressive dog]

8. I expect the offers of asylum from free countries to start pouring in.

Soon, very soon, or he could turn himself in to the US authorities, and stand trial. He's done so much for the American people that they could show their gratitude by setting him free. If he chose the right district, I'd expect he would be a shoo in for Congress.
He must think Americans are stupid and don't appreciate all he's done for us.

[randome]

9. A ticker tape parade would be nice!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[ProSense]

12. That

"Noting that Snowden seeks asylum in un-free nations takes the big Cake of Stupid"

...thread title is hilarious, but Snowden ate the 'Cake of Stupid" when he fled the country.

Had Snowden remained in the country, he would likely have been charged and released on bail.

WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury in Washington has indicted a State Department analyst suspected of disclosing top-secret information about North Korea to Fox News, the third time the Obama administration has filed criminal charges accusing people of leaks to the news media.

The indictment, dated Aug. 19 and unsealed on Friday, named Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, 43, of McLean, Va., a specialist in nuclear proliferation who worked as a contractor for the State Department. Mr. Kim, who has worked as a high-level foreign affairs analyst for a decade for various federal agencies, is accused of disclosing the information in June 2009 and of lying to the F.B.I. in September 2009.

Mr. Kim, an American citizen, pleaded not guilty on Friday in Federal District Court before Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and was released on $100,000 bond.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/28/world/americas/28leak.html

If Snowden's case as a whistleblower is so strong, why is he afraid to face the consequences?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023236549

[dsc]

15. I am surprised Kim is free

but I would be astounded if Snowden got bail I think he would have been treated more like Manning.

[woo me with science]

13. Kicking because yet another stupid OP requires this response. nt

[woo me with science]

14. kick