Federal prosecutors have charged National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden with multiple felonies. The charges include espionage, although several prominent lawmakers have questioned the legality of the intelligence-gathering programs revealed by Snowden, and whistleblower protections should shield him from retaliation if his disclosures expose illegal actions. Snowden is the seventh whistleblower indicted by the Obama administration under the Espionage Act.
The Government Accountability Project (GAP), the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization, which represents two of the whistleblowers charged with Espionage by this administration (NSA whistleblower Tom Drake and CIA/Torture whistleblower John Kiriakou) released the following statement regarding this latest development:
The Obama administration’s charge of espionage against Edward Snowden is not a surprise. This administration has continually sought to intimidate federal employees – particularly intelligence community workers – and suppress any attempt they might make to speak out against gross corruption, wrongdoing, and illegality.
In GAP’s view, Edward Snowden is a whistleblower. He disclosed information about a secret program that he reasonably believed to be illegal, and his actions alone brought about the long-overdue national debate about the proper balance between privacy and civil liberties, on the one hand, and national security on the other. Charging Snowden with espionage is yet another effort to retaliate against those who criticize the overreach of U.S. intelligence agencies under this administration. The charges send a clear message to potential whistleblowers: this is the treatment they can expect should they speak out about constitutional violations.
It is particularly noteworthy that Snowden spoke truthfully to the public about NSA surveillance after Director of National Intelligence James Clapper intentionally lied in his testimony before the U.S. Senate about these same activities. Clapper, however, has not even been admonished for his purposeful, deliberate deception of both the Senate and the public.
It must be emphasized that the channels internal to intelligence agencies for whistleblowers are neither effective nor confidential. Their gross inadequacy is best illustrated by what befell GAP clients and NSA whistleblowers Tom Drake, William Binney and J. Kirk Wiebe, all of whom suffered retaliation after they reported internally serious misconduct at the NSA. Like these three men, Snowden will face serious consequences for exposing the wrongdoing and crimes of others. At the same time, those who stretched their interpretation of laws to invade the private lives of Americans, while lying to the Congress and the public about their actions, will simply continue working.
GAP released a statement on Snowden and the NSA surveillance that can be found here.
Sunday, 07 July 2013
Friday, 05 July 2013
Do NOT ask "Who benefits?" (from Snowden's whistleblowing.) That's irrelevant (unless you're to point out the the cause of GOOD benefits), and a way to try and shift responsibility.
There is NOT a desire here to "...weaken America's superpower status...". There is a desire to bring to light the serious WRONGS perpetrated by the American 'superpower'. Only evil people and institutions dislike having their actions exposed to the light of day. If you're a good person/organisation, then having your actions exposed would not bother you in the slightest.
How evil are you to imply that it's bad to "...encourage other [potential whistleblowers] to follow suit?" We SHOULD be encouraging everyone to follow suit, if the suit you're talking about is exposing the WRONGdoings of people or organisations!
And if you're suggesting that Snowden's exposing of an evil regime is timed to influence the election, that's completely fatuous. There will always be some sort of election or important event about to ensue that you could say such revelations were intended to influence. But that's almost beside the point - maybe they should influence them? Perhaps an election issue should be 'We, the people, want to elect people who will not commit to letting evil and illegal programs run by the current administration to continue.'
Tuesday, 02 July 2013
Monday, 01 July 2013
First, "Snowden's whistleblowing initiated shock among the American people …" Excuse me, isn't that the point? We have the valiant but ultimately futile examples of Drake, Wiebe, and Binney — honorable gentleman all — to remind us how easily criminal acts slip down the memory hole. Now, directly as a result of the Snowden drama, we see Drake, Wiebe, and Binney everywhere, and welcome they are, too.
Second, "Oppressive regions [sic] such as China and Russia come to mind." Have the current scandals not sufficiently dramatized the oppressiveness of the US regime? Who benefits, indeed? How about US civil society, the rule of law, right to privacy, the Fourth amendment … things like that.
Third, "… desired goal to weaken America's superpower status and well-earned reputation …". Let's try this instead: "… desired goal to weaken America's declining superpower status and well-earned, no longer deserved reputation …". Your inference that weakening America has the appearance of being a "desired goal" of Snowden's whistleblowing suggests a superficial preoccupation with appearances. What would it take to move you to a deeper appreciation of the meaning of this game-changing event?
Fourth, let's hope that Snowden's example inspires a generation of similarly motivated, ethical, idealistic whistleblowers and nay-sayers. As for the girlfriend, irrelevant, no?
Fifth, "Snowden's disclosure, coupled with the AP crisis, the IRS crisis, etc., is occurring prior to the 2014 elections." Hmm … do I detect a special pleading for your preferred party? "Obama's a scoundrel, but he's our scoundrel." Right. As for the "2014 elections", so what? There's always a future election …well, so far, anyway.
Regards.
Monday, 24 June 2013
First, when dealing with propaganda, it is wise to assess one's initial gut reaction. Because said reaction is likely the goal of the propagated message. Snowden's whistleblowing initiated shock among the American people, as well as international audiences, about possible illegal actions conducted by a U.S.-generated program.
Second, when dealing with propagated messages, the key question is "who benefits?" Oppressive regions such as China and Russia come to mind.
Third, the ongoing, seemingly propagated crises suggest a desired goal to weaken America's superpower status and well-earned reputation as the world's "beacon on a hill."
Fourth, presenting a young, intelligent albeit impressionable Snowden as the courageous martyr encourages other young, federal employees to follow suit. Not insignificant is the fact that Snowden's girlfriend, with her Bond-girl looks, has become an Internet sensation. Time will tell what - if any - influence she had in Snowden's actions.
Fifth, Snowden's disclosure, coupled with the AP crisis, the IRS crisis, etc., is occurring prior to the 2014 elections. It could be argued such disclosures are, among other variables, designed to intimidate the electorate in order to affect election outcomes.
Bottom line, in our current geopolitical climate, every sensational crisis - especially those that tarnish the free world's image - should be considered from a chess master's perspective.