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U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

washingtonpost.com

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Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#81
The non-print, non-mobile version:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-cha...

This actually seems to be a pretty big problem with the web right now. We've been balkanized into mobile and desktop versions of sites, to the point where sharing one with the other inevitably pisses someone off. This article is all but unreadable on desktop, and I suspect the same would be true in reverse.

The point of the web is to have multiple clients getting the same info from a single source. This doesn't work if mobile and desktop clients are served different versions of the same site, and in effect are barred from sharing with eachother.

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#82

We created a pro-Snowden collection of shirts, stickers, and hats if you want to show your support. There's a link to donate to his cause too. http://www.wishplz.com/product-collections/bDRzO6c7Stw0vSVh2...

Someone is already profiting off this?

All proceeds should go to his defense team, Goldberg.

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#83
post #41
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

you made a good point, but you never know unless you try. i'm happy to take an hour out of my time for this man.

I'd much rather buy a plane ticket and head to participate in a large scale event in Washington.

Parallel events in a few places, maybe? Requires a bigger turn-out, of course...

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#84
post #60
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually don't think charging him is inherently bad. If he in fact took 4 government property laptops with him, that's a crime, at the very least. Ideally, pre-trial investigation and a trial would be fair way to find facts. It's entirely possible minor crimes (violating classified NDA, taking laptops, etc.) would be non-conviction based on other information, but on its face, I don't really have a problem with init…

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Not if your a whistleblower. What if instead of a domestic spying program he leaked a secret program by his bosses to round up every red haired and freckled person and put them in a concentration camp? Then would you still have to charge him with a crime for revealing a 'secret' program before he could be pardoned and treated as a hero? Of course not, thats ridiculous and so is this.

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#85
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think putting pressure on the government to fire the prosecutor who filed the petition is likely to work. A poll earlier this week found that the majority of Americans want Snowden charged and disapprove of what he has done. You need to start with petitioning your fellow Americans.

Was it one of these polls where they only call landlines? Not sure this means anything without exactly specifying how the poll was conducted.

No. Most of the major polling organizations call cell phones now, except for automated ones like Rasmussen. This was from Pew. From http://www.people-press.org/methodology/our-survey-methodolo...:

"The typical Pew Research Center for the People & the Press national survey selects a random digit sample of both landline and cell phone numbers in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. As the proportion of Americans who rely solely or mostly on cell phones for their telephone service continues to grow, sampling both landline and cell phone numbers helps to ensure that our surveys represent all adults who have access to either (only about 2% of households in the U.S. do not have access to any phone)."

Here are the full results: http://www.people-press.org/2013/06/17/public-split-over-imp...

And just because it is interesting:

"People under 30 are the only age group in which a clear majority (60%) says that the release of classified information about the NSA phone and email data collection program serves the public interest."

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#86
post #73
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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> Someone needs to be charged with a crime before a pardon can occur. Incorrect, see Gerald Ford's preemptive pardon of Richard Nixon in 1974.

My understanding is that there've been other such cases, too, though obviously lower profile.

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#88
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was it one of these polls where they only call landlines? Not sure this means anything without exactly specifying how the poll was conducted.

No. Most of the major polling organizations call cell phones now, except for automated ones like Rasmussen. This was from Pew. From http://www.people-press.org/methodology/our-survey-methodolo... : "The typical Pew Research Center for the People & the Press national survey selects a random digit sample of both landline and cell phone numbers in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. As the proportion of Ame…

Though of course, people who are deeply concerned about their privacy are likely to be under-represented in any poll.

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#89
post #61
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There actually are whistleblower protections he could have taken advantage of... but it would have meant working within the system (for example, taking his concerns to Congress or the NSA's Inspector General rather than a reporter) and it only applies if he uncovered fraud or illegal activity. AFAIK there isn't any proof that he uncovered anything illegal .

The national security establishment is more or less exempted from the whistleblower statutes.

That didn't work out very well for Thomas Drake. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Andrews_Drake

Re: U.S. charges Edward Snowden with espionage

#90
post #61
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There actually are whistleblower protections he could have taken advantage of... but it would have meant working within the system (for example, taking his concerns to Congress or the NSA's Inspector General rather than a reporter) and it only applies if he uncovered fraud or illegal activity. AFAIK there isn't any proof that he uncovered anything illegal .

The national security establishment is more or less exempted from the whistleblower statutes.

Most of the regular statues, yes. But the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act specifically covers the national security establishment.

I will grant you that it's not the greatest law and I'm not sure I would avail myself of it if in his shoes. It does exist, though.

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