Swedish professor nominates whistleblower for heroically revealing extent of U.S. government surveillance
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Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Tue, 2013-07-16 02:38
#1
Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Tue, 2013-07-16 02:40
#2
Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
A Swedish professor has nominated NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize for revealing the extent of the NSA's vast surveillance program "in a heroic effort at great personal cost."
In his letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Stefan Svallfors, a professor of sociology at Sweden's Umeå University, added that awarding the prize to Snowden would "also help to save the Nobel Peace Prize from the disrepute that incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision to award U.S. President Barack Obama 2009 award."...
Wed, 2013-07-17 02:22
#3
Snowden Nominated for Nobel Peace PrizeA Swedish professor has nominated NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize for revealing the extent of the NSA's vast surveillance program "in a heroic effort at great personal cost."
"...At great personal cost", like what happened to Malala Yousafzai, the girl who was shot by the taliban because she promoted education for girls? Was Snowden taking that sort of a risk?
... awarding the prize to Snowden would "also help to save the Nobel Peace Prize from the disrepute that incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision to award U.S. President Barack Obama 2009 award."...
No, I think not.
Wed, 2013-07-17 03:58
#4
sorry for the drift
A Mirage Called Malala
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/07/15/a-mirage-called-malala/
Wed, 2013-07-17 04:29
#5
..it strikes me that the online world, at the very least, will be able to tell the us exactly what it thinks of all this spying plus stuff. which may well in turn force some govs/politicos to speak out. this is a political hot potato for the americans and even they won't be able to keep it from going viral. this has already gone beyond whether or not snowden is saint or sinner. this is now a watch and learn how the world reacts event. this includes inside the empire itself.
edit
Wed, 2013-07-17 08:58
#6
As a NSA Intelligence Analyst for a number of years, I have to wonder how many deaths he is responsible for?
Wed, 2013-07-17 09:02
#7
The Nobel Peace Prize has become meaningless, if it ever had any meaning to begin with. At the least, it has a checkered record.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_Peace_Prize_laureates
Wed, 2013-07-17 11:01
#8
As a NSA Intelligence Analyst for a number of years, I have to wonder how many deaths he is responsible for?
I think this is a fair question. Also, who here was surprised by what Snowden revealed? If you're at all active online you must know someone or some organization is digging into some part of your life, be it a government agency, facebook, google, Bell, costco, visa... Electronic surveillance has become an unfortunate fact of life for so many of us.
Wed, 2013-07-17 11:08
#9
A Mirage Called Malalahttp://www.counterpunch.org/2013/07/15/a-mirage-called-malala/[/quote]
From the article: "As reported: 'Later in the show, Madonna performed a striptease, during which she turned her back to the audience to reveal the name Malala stenciled across it.'" Hahaha... we are a loose collection of sick fucks, are we not?
Wed, 2013-07-17 11:18
#10
As a NSA Intelligence Analyst for a number of years, I have to wonder how many deaths he is responsible for?
I think this is a fair question. Also, who here was surprised by what Snowden revealed? If you're at all active online you must know someone or some organization is digging into some part of your life, be it a government agency, facebook, google, Bell, costco, visa... Electronic surveillance has become an unfortunate fact of life for so many of us.
full spectrum dominance is the intention
Thu, 2013-07-18 20:29
#11
As a NSA Intelligence Analyst for a number of years, I have to wonder how many deaths he is responsible for?
..maybe this was his motivation. i don't really know but i'm sure glad he blew the whistle. i also think he needs protecting from the us military/gov/legal system.
Thu, 2013-07-18 20:31
#12
Glenn Greenwald: Growing Backlash Against NSA Spying Shows Why U.S. Wants to Silence Edward Snowden
(includes video & transcript)
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/7/18/glenn_greenwald_growing_backlash_a...
Thu, 2013-07-18 20:33
#13
So if he is responsible for hundreds of deaths you are okay with that? Just like Manning who is responsible for deaths in Iraq, I guess he gets a free pass too.
Thu, 2013-07-18 20:46
#14
..where did you get such a notion? by something i've written in the past? whistleblowers though do have rights and their place in our society. there is also world courts or platforms who are watching this. we as indidviduals have an opportunity to reflect on his behaviours unlike the non choice we had re spying. to attack snowden the way the us is, is criminal.
Thu, 2013-07-18 20:51
#15
full spectrum dominance is the intention
Nah, most of the snoopers just want your money, they couldn't care less about the other info they gather, they'll likely just sell it.
Thu, 2013-07-18 21:04
#16
No notion, just a simple question. This thread is about being nominated for Nobel Peace Prize, both Manning and Snowden have been mention for possibly receiving this medal. I just find it funny that these two people that are very likely responsible for killing innocent people (Manning for his actions in Iraq, and Snowden actions his actions in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq) by being intelligence analysts can receive such an award.
Thu, 2013-07-18 21:09
#17
..to me the nobel is based on the politics of the day. some winners can use the money though more than others. in this case it's a vehicle for sending a message re the spying. the world is pissed at the us and it's gone beyond the hatred that georgie boy stired up. people have obama's betrayal under their belt as well.
Wed, 2013-12-18 22:30
#18
John Baird is nominating Edward Snowden for... the death penalty?
[url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/baird-urges-snowden-to-surr... urges Snowden to surrender to United States and ‘face the consequences’[/url]
National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden should abandon his bid for asylum in Brazil and surrender himself to the United States, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Wednesday.Baird told The Canadian Press that Snowden’s actions have compromised global security.
“I think I probably agree with the Obama administration on this one,” Baird said. “I think he’s done significant damage to national security, of the free world.”
I hope my posts don't get lost again. We'll need some of these quotes for when Baird goes on trial.
Thu, 2013-12-19 12:33
#19
Re Baird, it is no surprise to see a fascist come out for fascism. But a pleasant change to to see a US judge admit it...
'Almost Orwellian' US Judge Indicts NSA Spying - by Bill Van Auken
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37155.htm
"While Judge Richard Lean's decision does nothing to curb the illegal and unconstitutional domestic spying by the NSA, this extraordinary description nonetheless stands as an official admission that the US government is guilty of methods appropriate to a police state..."
Sat, 2014-02-01 16:31
#20
Fascinating stuff.
The Guardian is in a journalistic league of its own, with even the New York Times and rhe Washington Post not even coming close. Unfortunately most North Americans don't even realize how depirved they are of good journalism.
How Edward Snowden went from loyal NSA contractor to whistleblower
He was politically conservative, a gun owner, a geek – and the man behind the biggest intelligence leak in history. In this exclusive extract from his new book, Luke Harding looks at Edward Snowden's journey from patriot to America's most wanted
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/01/edward-snowden-intelligence...
250
Sat, 2014-02-01 16:34
#21
CSEC used airport Wi-Fi to track Canadian travellers: Edward Snowden documents
Electronic snooping was part of a trial run for U.S. NSA and other foreign services
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csec-used-airport-wi-fi-to-track-canadia...
Sat, 2014-02-01 16:52
#22
radiorahim
The report says that CSEC was only collecting metadata.
Even if this is true, it's important for all of us to understand that this line of argument by the PR spin doctors of the world's spy agencies is total bullshit.
Metadata tells the spy who you were in contact with, when you were in contact with them, how long and how frequently.
It can tell a spy what webpages you visited, how long you spent on them, how you landed on the page and where you went after you exited from the page.
In some ways it's actually worse than just eavesdropping on your phone calls. And of course it's not just the spies tracking you. Corporations do it too. There's really no difference between corporate spying and spying by intelligence agencies.
Anyway folks, watch out for the "only collecting meta data" line of argument. Challenge it every time you hear it.
Sat, 2014-02-01 17:06
#23
Sat, 2014-02-01 18:19
#24
Sat, 2014-02-01 20:35
#25
Not seeing any smoking gun here. But hey carry on.
How FISA Dockets (Appear To) Work and Why Snowden Likely Got Few or No PayPal Documents
http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/12/13/how-fisa-dockets-appear-to-work-and...
Sat, 2014-02-01 23:45
#26
It certainly seems valid to raise questions about Snowden's pedigree under the circumstances. Naomi Wolf did.
Ryan follow-up article.
Sun, 2014-02-02 12:55
#27
jas
Not seeing much support for Wolf's view on Snowden in her comment section following her article. I was not expecting to necessarily like someone who has spent their career as a spook.
Sun, 2014-02-02 13:07
#28
jas
ollowing one of the articles you quote above is this comment which I quite agree with. If they were all dumped at once the impact would soon be lost
Greg
says:January 13, 2014 at 7:23 am
I can’t cite it, but early on I thought Greenwald said he wanted to release documents slowly in order for the issue to remain front and center. Also, doing a dump of documents doesn’t allow the reporters to provide context and help readers understand their significance. I think he’s right. Or I think he was right at the time. I wonder why he didn’t list that reason above?
Sun, 2014-02-02 13:37
#29
A Press as Deadly as the State - by Arthur Silber
http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.ca/2013/12/a-press-as-deadly-as-state.html
"The ruling class loves dissent like this. It's not 'dangerous' in the smallest degree..."
Sun, 2014-02-02 13:49
#30
Sun, 2014-02-02 14:32
#31
You have to read this.
The day GCHQ came to call on the Guardian
In this exclusive extract from his book on Edward Snowden, Luke Harding gives the inside take on what happened when British agents ordered the destruction of Guardian computers
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/01/edward-snowden-gchq-visit-g...
367
Sun, 2014-02-02 14:42
#32
Edward Snowden warns about loss of privacy in Christmas message - video
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/dec/25/edward-snowden-christ...
Wed, 2014-04-23 23:58
#33
Good question as Russia certainly didn't let him in for altruistic reasons.
Is Edward Snowden a prisoner in Russia?
In the second exclusive extract from his new book, The Snowden Files, Luke Harding looks at the role of Russia's shadowy intelligence agency, the FSB, in securing the whistleblower's exile – and whether they have cracked his secret files
A recreated scene from
But as my colleague Elias Isquith recently observed, it’s easier to mock the Cliven Bundys of the world than to notice that in their own upside-down fashion they’re making a valid point. The no-big-deal attitude of disenchantment can also insulate us from further outrages; Snowden’s revelations about NSA surveillance are no big deal, as long as we believe we trust the people in charge. After all, I’m not a terrorist! What do I need a Constitution for? This cognitive dissonance is especially useful for Democrats eager to support a likable president with “progressive” social policies, who has greatly expanded the extra-constitutional national-security state he inherited from his reviled predecessor. Another film in the Tribeca lineup, James Spione’s documentary “Silenced,” explores the Obama administration’s use of the notoriously broad 1917 Espionage Act to prosecute at least eight government whistle-blowers, including former CIA agent John Kiriakou, who exposed the agency’s use of torture on al-Qaida detainees. (It’s the same law that has been variously invoked against Snowden, Manning and Ellsberg, and that led to the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.)
From a Leo Strauss political-science viewpoint, the Citizens’ Commission 1971 burglary of that sleepy FBI field office in Media, Pa., was a disastrous event, one that pried the lid off the delusions that held the American body politic together. J. Edgar Hoover, America’s diabolical secret policeman, certainly felt that way. Hamilton’s documentary may not be great cinema, but it makes unstintingly clear that the odious Hoover was more powerful than any 20th-century president (with the possible exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt), and that for decades he ran a rogue agency within the federal government whose primary mission was to stamp out anti-American dissent, entirely as defined by him. As Media burglars like Keith Forsyth and Bonnie Raines make clear, they loathed Hoover and everything he stood for – and managed to get under his skin like almost no one else.
I don’t know whether we should be happy or sad that the actual break-in was distressingly easy, and that nothing like it is remotely conceivable now. One of the group’s female members cased the joint, while posing as a Swarthmore coed eager to interview real live FBI agents. Forsyth, who had some mechanical skills, taught himself to pick locks. (Even in his mid-60s, he retains the vibe of a counterculture bon vivant: “It was a lot easier than learning to play guitar!”) They wore gloves, left no fingerprints and got away scot-free. Although seven of the eight wound up on the FBI’s list of suspects, that list included almost every antiwar activist in the Northeast, and the agency never got anywhere near enough evidence for a prosecution. There was a mysterious ninth conspirator – still unnamed, in this film or any other materials I have seen – who at one point felt pangs of patriotism and considered turning them in. In the end that person remained silent.
The files they took – remember, this all came from one low-intensity FBI field office in the genteel western suburbs of Philadelphia – revealed that the agency had agents and informants within the Black Panthers, the women’s movement and throughout the student antiwar left. Receptionists at Swarthmore, Temple, Penn and other Philly-area colleges had been paid to keep tabs on hippie-type pinko agitators; FBI agents had faked letter-writing campaigns from “concerned citizens” urging campus administrators to crack down on dissidents. One piece of paper taken from the Media office referred to an FBI program called COINTELPRO – which turned out to be an extensive universe of interlocking and frequently illegal secret campaigns against “subversive” elements of all stripes — although no one knew what that word meant at the time.
Even after the successful Media burglary, the Straussian secret-keeping culture of America in 1971 nearly prevented the information in those files from reaching the public. The Citizens’ Commission mailed anonymous packages to the Washington bureaus of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times – who immediately turned over the purloined material to the FBI and published nothing. Leading congressional liberals, including Sen. George McGovern and Rep. Parren Mitchell, D-Md., also wanted no part of these revelations, although Mitchell said on the House floor that he had read the files sent to his office and found them disturbing. Only Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger and her boss Ben Bradlee – in his blue-blood, Boston Brahmin fashion, one of the true American heroes of the 20th century – saw it differently. Yes, the material had clearly been obtained by illegal means, but what it revealed about the inner workings of America’s federal police force trumped any ethical qualms about its acquisition.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/02/is-edward-snowden-prisoner-...
Thu, 2014-04-24 00:01
#34
How sick our Canadian and American societies really are. I say societies, but it is actually our respective governmnets, however we are one of those bullshit democracies are't we!!!
Let’s break into the FBI! Before Snowden and Manning, there was “1971″
Four decades later, lefties who stole secret files and got away with it come clean on a heist that changed history
A recreated scene from "1971."
Long before Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, and even before Daniel Ellsbergand the Pentagon Papers (although only by a matter of months), there was the Citizens’ Commission to Investigate the FBI. Some well-meaning lefty nonprofit spun off from the ACLU? Not quite. This self-appointed commission comprised eight antiwar activists in Philadelphia, who committed a daring act of counterespionage in March of 1971, breaking into a small suburban FBI field office in the middle of the night and stealing every file in the place. That modest pile of papers turned out to be the tip of an enormous iceberg, providing mainstream America with the first solid evidence of something radicals and dissidents had known for years: The United States government devoted immense amounts of money, energy and manpower into spying on its own citizens.
That information surprises absolutely no one today, of course, but that in itself indicates how much Americans’ attitudes about their own government have changed over the last four or five decades. The collective cynicism or disenchantment of the current era, which reaches from Occupy radicals to Cliven Bundy, and almost everyone in between, is a double-edged sword. One journalist I talked to last weekend at theTribeca Film Festival shrugged off the impact of Johanna Hamilton’s rousing documentary “1971,” in which the members of the Citizens’ Commission come forward for the first time to talk about their history-making heist (long after the statute of limitations has expired). Big deal, my colleague essentially said — anybody who didn’t know that kind of stuff was going on was hopelessly naive.
No doubt that’s a realistic view of the inherently hypocritical, paranoid and Machiavellian nature of power. But part of the foundational myth of America was in fact hopelessly naive, the belief that we were a purer, better and freer nation than any other, a shining city upon a hill with a special dispensation from God. In the contemporary climate of permanent political derangement, that doctrine of American exceptionalism somehow manages to endure alongside intense and widespread distrust of government. Cliven Bundy waves the flag, but what it represents for him is something I can barely understand — apparently some mystical essence that’s totally unattached to the existing American nation-state
http://www.salon.com/2014/04/23/before_snowden_and_manning_there_was_1971/
Sun, 2015-06-14 15:54
#35
UK under pressure to respond to latest Edward Snowden claims
Sunday Times says Downing Street believes Russia and China have hacked into American whistleblower’s files, endangering US and British agents
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/14/russia-and-china-broke-in...
Sun, 2015-06-14 16:03
#36
America hates its whistle-blowers: The tortured legacy of Edward Snowden
On the second anniversary of his historic act of civil disobedience, we review what has changed (and what has not)
http://www.salon.com/2015/06/13/america_hates_its_whistleblowers_the_tor...