Mr. Snowden has now left Hong Kong/China. The Hong Kong, thus Chinese, government determined that the US provisional warrant was not sufficiently informative to make a decision on the matter. The question on many minds is, since Mr. Snowden's US Passport was revoked, what nation issued him a passport?
At this point, it doesn't matter. Mr. Snowden's "passport" is the intel he is carrying around in computers and his head. China...er...Hong Kong had no more need for Mr. Snowden. They received everything they needed.
Now Mr. Snowden is in Russia, likely provided them intel and is on his way somewhere else because Russia doesn't have to keep him, either. Because, like China, they must surely understand the propaganda value of leaving him free.
It suits them fine that Mr. Snowden is still in the wind. So long as he remains "free", without any country "claiming" him, the farcical act of "American Patriot striking a blow for freedom" goes on even as he provides unknown, damaging intelligence to various nations.
It has divided the US and many allies right along the fault line that has been brewing for awhile regarding our ideas about freedom and rights. The ideas that China and Russia believe, along with others, is our biggest weakness and hypocrisy. "Look," they are laughing loudly, "you are living a lie. How dare you question the lack of freedom in our countries when you do the same. Try standing up for freedom now. Suckers."
Here we are, many willingly playing along with this game, sucking up the propaganda and doing exactly as intended. We are now confused, dazed and reeling internally and globally. It has been an awesome blow and the current administration has no idea how to handle it even as the blow is struck again and again.
The worst aspect is that, yes, many people are buying into this propaganda that we have some how become a police state equal to that of China or Russia or Iran or any of the worst offenders. It is utter bull shit to put it bluntly.
We may need to discuss the parameters of our internal data collection and use, but no one has as yet been able to link it to the persecution or prosecution of any "dissidents" or "political enemies" beyond hyperbolic polemics about the possibilities. Or, some misbegotten idea that a disgruntled private releasing a gargantuan trove of state documents, including names of contacts necessarily, endangering the same, is a political prisoner. Spare me.
We are not China. China that has put political dissidents under "house arrest", persecuting, prosecuting and terrorizing not only the individuals, but their families. We are not China. China that has extra state political security organizations that freely and without fear of prosecution detain, torture and kill any "violators" of their party politics or just happen to run afoul of more powerful personages in the party.
We are not Russia. Russia who has arrested, persecuted and prosecuted an all girl band for having video taped a song against Putin and real political oppression. We are not Russia. Russia who has arrested, persecuted, prosecuted and murdered their own political dissidents and opposition. Russia that has persecuted, prosecuted and closed numerous NGO's dealing with human rights and civil society.
We are not China or Russia whose media must live in real fear of simply printing or saying anything that the government deems "injurious". That is not the same as discussing or even investigating methods by which our own media obtains information and whether it is really in the public's best interest to have or constitutes an abuse. In those countries, any media that dared to go to press with secret intelligence information would be deemed a real "enemy of the state" and find themselves dead or locked in some hell hole of a prison receiving extra special "state hospitality" after a short show trial and very little discussion of the right or necessity of a free press.
We have an unknown and vast quantity of political dissidents, NGO's, rights organizations and media that routinely and successfuly challenges the government, it's reach and it's authority. Routinely publishes pieces challenging the government and leadership's competency. Citizens every day do so with very little regard or concern for their safety or future freedom. Except in corners and pockets where fevered conspiracy reigns supreme. No, we did not kill Michael Hastings and the CIA did not assassinate President Kennedy.
We may and should discuss our freedoms, rights and the power we give to government and authorities. That is our right by God and by Law. We will not give that up to anyone, least of all nations whose ideas of "freedom" and "democracy" mock the very words.
Yet, here we are, naval gazing like puppets on command, sucking up the propaganda that is this entire fiasco from start to finish. Freedom is under attack globally. It is being pushed back at this very moment in China, Russia, Iran and many other places.
There are exceedingly few places which can compare to even this "flawed" state of freedom we live in. The idea that the United States and it's western allies equate to the authoritarian or tyrannical states currently flipping us the bird is unequivocally ridiculous, naive and damned near childish view of the world we live in.
Mr. Snowden, et al, along with their defenders, believe they have struck a blow for freedom. They have not. They have struck a blow TO freedom. Now, when we cast our gaze upon real violations of freedom and democracy, real persecution and prosecution of the advocates of those ideas, Mr. Snowden, et al have given these nations the cover of pretense. The pretense that we do not know, live by or practise those beliefs. That our nation of laws and rights is nothing but pretense that can be easily ignored or shuffled to the side. That we are no better than the least free of these nations.
Bull shit.
We are discussing these issues at this very moment. The fact that we can discuss these questions regarding our own government puts us far ahead of any would be detractors. We will continue to, but we should be aware and wary that we are under a, to date, successful propaganda attack. An attack that few want to recognize as we go careening around, throwing out hyperbolic denunciations, wounding ourselves inexplicably at the hands of truly authoritarian, unfree states.
That injury to global freedom, it's propagation and defense, is only the tip of the ice berg. Yet, it has potentially set freedom back globally for years and left untold numbers of real advocates for freedom dangling in the wind without the simplest or least cover in nations around the world. The very global freedom that Mr. Snowden et al were allegedly acting in the interest of.
We do not even know as yet what information Mr. Snowden is providing beyond systems, numbers and email addresses, possibly of these very same advocates we have been working to support or people working with them. How is that defending freedom, global or otherwise?
Even if, bizarrely and barely sustainable, Mr. Snowden only gives away such things, as one defender put it, "that we already knew" like hacking China (largely state owned or associated) corporations and "research" institutes, he did incredible damage to the defense of freedom, the idea of private property, the US and allied economy as well as defense. Ludicrous?
China has been hacking our corporations, banks, institutes, research facilities, private information, etc for years. Stealing research and plans that would have or should have been the private property of US individuals and corporations. Ideas and property that, had we maintained control, development and production of, would have resulted in jobs and improved the economy, thus, economic freedom of untold numbers of American citizens and many others internationally.
Through these systems and processes Mr. Snowden outed, in detail it should be noted, the United States was searching for and finding this stolen property, what it was and possibly how it got there in order to stop this outright theft of intellectual property that is harming our economy.
When the US economy is harmed, people lose their jobs, their homes and much more. When the US economy is harmed, so to is our ability to project political power. Power that is as often used to defend freedom globally as anything else.
What of matters of defense? Are we to presume, as Mr. Snowden suggested, that in this detailed data information, there were no institutes, research or programs that did not constitute "legitimate military targets"? Military intelligence that would keep us abreast of developments and help prepare defensive counter measures? What are "legitimate targets" when, for decades, "war" has become total to include economic, production, political and physical structures? Now to include electronics or "cyber".
In Mr. Snowden et al's myopic view, the US and allies, in the name of some misbegotten and misshapen view of "global freedom", should refrain from such activities. All the while, opposing states such as China, Russia, Iran, etc should be free to pummel, rape and dismantle us at will and without consequences. As surely they will be able to now that they know the ways and means by which they to can act. Above and beyond what they already know. Above and beyond what ways and means they were tracking their own dissidents through whatever devices they already had at hand.
This is but a few of the "damages" this entire debacle has and will inflict to "freedom". Some where amongst the tidal wave of destruction, is debate about our necessity for internal review of rights, freedoms and protections. About the proper use and limitations of authority. Some will claim that this discussion of Snowden's international circus of espionage is a distraction from this real and necessary debate. That some how, what Mr. Snowden is doing now has no baring on this issue and still suggests he and others are working in the best interest of freedom. Our freedom.
Bull shit.
Unfortunately, these are no longer separate issues. It was never Mr.Snowden's intent to bolster US or western freedoms, but to offer a dribble to distract as he went traipsing around the world, offering this information to anyone BUT free nations. Our alleged internal issue, long in debate, was a decoy, a smoke screen, so many have fallen for so easily and regurgitate without the slightest clue they are propagating propaganda. The contortions that Mr. Snowden's defenders, et al, must go through to justify this act are breath taking examples of obtuseness and ideology over coming common sense.
The utopian view of global freedom, lack thereof and the equivalency of states as equal oppressors is a juvenile comprehension of reality. It's this utopian "global freedom" that was meant to be propagated and has been, instead, struck an horrific blow.
What has Mr. Snowden et al done in reality for freedom around the world?
Not a goddamned thing.
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