What is your stance on the actions of Eric Snowden?

[bUU]

Because the whole wide world, at least the major players, is mostly rather totalitarian power blocks (very much including the U.S.).

Mostly? Please list those major players that are non-totalitarian as compared to the United States, in your estimation.

Welcome to the world, 2013 edition.

2013? Please list thos major players of the past that were non-totalitarian as compared to the major players in 2013.

But it's the U.S. he's escaping, so into the arms of another one of those power blocks, that may be worse in some ways sure, but it's not after him.

He hasn't betrayed an obligation he made to them - yet.

Though he might really prefer somewhere in Latin America - remember he's not being allowed to leave!

Let's stick to talking about major players.

To blame him for his choice of Russia when his choices are so constrained is kind nonsensical.

Good point: There's more than enough blame for him stemming from his betrayal of the commitments he made.

His choices are so constained that Amnesty International BEGS the U.S. to allow him to seek asylum (as a basic universal human right).

Amnesty International is assuming that his crime is political. They have a vested interest in taking that biased perspective. The reality is that he simply violated the law, and a law he explicitly promised not to violate. Amnesty International is not a world court. They represent their client like an attorney. They're wrong this time.

He might not face death but I don't doubt he faces life imprisonment.

He faces the punishment that existed for the crime he committed as of when he explicitly promised not to violate that law.

However, yea sure I'm not a lawyer, but it sure seems to me that the legal groundwork for killing whistleblowers has been laid IF they wanted to, even though it hasn't been used.

A ridiculously inflammatory claim that has no basis in fact. I'd believe you more if you claimed that Snowden would actually be safer in a US jail than loose (in Russia or Latin America) where he could be picked off by some covert operative.

The "aiding the enemy" charge is a capital offense, though this of course depends on the prosecution being willing to go there.

I haven't seen much credible arguments that he'll be charged with any such thing - unless of course he's been feeding information to Russia (or China) that we don't know about.

[Bartleby]

Don't see why people find it ironic that he is in Russia. It is about the only country with the power to stand up to the US Govt.'s strong arming, and sounds a lot better to me than doing hard time in a US prison for the rest of his life.

[bUU]

Perhaps - if he can just keep his mouth shut and nose clean there. If he's really doing what he's doing as a matter of principle (at least in his own mind), then Russia is just a remote prison, one no American taxpayer has to fund, so perhaps justice is done.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Kind of ironic that a person purportedly opposing government spying would take asylum in Russia, no? Looks increasingly like his only option.

I couldn't agree with you more.....Of all the countries in the world, Snowden ends out trying to get asylum in Russia.....It's a total 180 from my youth (in the 80's) when the image of the Soviet Union was spies and intrigue and people ("dissidents" I think they were called) wanting to defect to the US. Now here we have someone getting a fair amount of media coverage and more than 15 minutes of fame - in his own way trying to defect. Life is full of irony. One of the great things about being middle aged is now I can enjoy it. Rob

[bUU]

And Vladimir Putin is freedom's best friend, right?

[dmc]

And Vladimir Putin is freedom's best friend, right?

And the USA is any different these day's.

[Gregg]

And Vladimir Putin is freedom's best friend, right?

Russian Patriot Act or just a way to keep their PRISM from being exposed? Either way, that dude knows how to get $#!* done!

[bUU]

And the USA is any different these day's.

47	United States of America

142

Russia

http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-inde...2012,1043.html

[Gregg]

Interesting index, thanks buu. I'm not entirely convinced that coming in #47 is something we should be proud of...

[ApatheticNoMore]

It's a country, it's no more a prison than the U.S. which I do often think of as an open air prison (only it's not all open air, Putin can't compare to the percentage of our population in prison - we're #1! USA! USA! USA!). The thing about the Russians is they strike me as a deeply down to earth people (that is a very positive assesment incidently). This is life and that's what it is. If they live in a corrupt dictatorship, I doubt they pretend otherwise, and pretend they live in the free-est greatest country on earth. Information control is the U.S. is mostly more subtle than overt censorship.