I know what Snowden’s feeling right now

[bemildred]

As a State Department whistleblower, I think a lot about Edward Snowden. I can’t help myself. My friendships with other whistleblowers like Tom Drake, Jesslyn Radack, Daniel Ellsberg, and John Kiriakou lead me to believe that, however different we may be as individuals, our acts have given us much in common. I suspect that includes Snowden, though I’ve never had the slightest contact with him. Still, as he took his long flight from Hong Kong into the unknown, I couldn’t help feeling that he was thinking some of my thoughts, or I his. Here are five things that I imagine were on his mind (they would have been on mine) as that plane took off.

I Am Afraid

Whistleblowers act on conscience because they encounter something so horrifying, unconstitutional, wasteful, fraudulent, or mismanaged that they are overcome by the need to speak out. There is always a calculus of pain and gain (for others, if not oneself), but first thoughts are about what you’ve uncovered, the information you feel compelled to bring into the light, rather than your own circumstance

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/01/i_know_what_snowdens_feeling_right_now_partner/

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Snowden has created his problem, he may have thought he was going to be a hero but is a zero.

He "revealed" what was already known. Did he have fear when he was stealing the files? Perhaps if all the files were released then the information would not be damaging to the US.

[truth2power]

3. This is getting tiresome. 'He "revealed" what was already known.' Why do you keep saying that??..

If it was already known, then it couldn't have been secret and why would the US govt be trying to extradite him to face charges?

DeSwiss, on another thread, said it better:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014523042#post15

<sigh>

[Thinkingabout]

4. Guess you did not see the quotes, apparently he thought he was revealing something new but the

Wiretaps was occurring without warrant by order of Bush under what he considered his war powers. Maybe you was not keeping up with events during the preceding years. How did he think he was revealing anything new when it was already a known fact is something needs to be answered by Snowden. The secret, don't know what you are referring.

[Ash_F]

5. No the Bush administration created this problem.

It's time to cut his lingering cronies loose from the executive branch.