BitCoins for Edward Snowden.

[TomUnderSea]

i think the fact that he went PUBLIC and only revealed info that is damning to the NSA concerning blanket invasion of personal privacy laws in this country will save him in the end.

if they prosecute or assassinate someone for something that has clearly outraged the public sphere, and rightfully so, will be asking for trouble by the NSA.

I am concerned he ends up in the same place as Bradley Manning.

[cypherdoc]

i think the fact that he went PUBLIC and only revealed info that is damning to the NSA concerning blanket invasion of personal privacy laws in this country will save him in the end.

if they prosecute or assassinate someone for something that has clearly outraged the public sphere, and rightfully so, will be asking for trouble by the NSA.

I am concerned he ends up in the same place as Bradley Manning.

Manning was different.  he is a troubled young man from what i've read.  he also was indiscriminate in what he released; namely identities of overseas agents/informants which endangered their lives.  

Snowden is clearly no where near in the same category having been entrusted in a top position.  he's a clear thinking young man which comes thru in the video.  he simply has a conscience that American's can identify with and he's highlighting a violation of liberties we're all concerned with.

[marcus_of_augustus]

He has stood and faced down the dragon.  We should ask no more of him.  It is on us to hold the dragon down and kill it.  He deserves to ride off into the sunset.

I can agree with that. He's done his job ...

[acceptance2]

It will be interesting to see what sort of fiction the government spin doctors create to discredit and demonize him.

You can bet they're working on it now.

Hopefully the video will be viewed far and wide so that everyone can see how level headed the guy is.

+ 1 for honesty and integrity

[benjamindees]

It will be interesting to see what sort of fiction the government spin doctors create to discredit and demonize him.

Donated to Ron Paul therefore Libertarian / anti-government / terrorist.  It doesn't take much to set the left/right brain paradigm in motion.  You even see it in this thread.  "Bradley Manning was leftist / reckless / disturbed etc."

[TomUnderSea]

It will be interesting to see what sort of fiction the government spin doctors create to discredit and demonize him.

Donated to Ron Paul therefore Libertarian / anti-government / terrorist.  It doesn't take much to set the left/right brain paradigm in motion.  You even see it in this thread.  "Bradley Manning was leftist / reckless / disturbed etc."

Don't forget gay and suicidal.

[cr1776]

Guy is running from NSA.  He would be better served to go totally off grid.

Exactly.  He also said:
Once you go on the network, I can identify your machine. You will never be safe whatever protections you put in place.

[cypherdoc]

the NSA is going to have a hard time with Snowden.

he talks like one of them.  even given the situation into which he has placed himself, he talks with an air of confidence, arrogance, clarity, and righteousness that will serve him well.

if they touch him, the public will go "WTF?".  jailing him for telling all of us something we've suspected all along that the NSA is wiretapping everyone and their mother?

[runam0k]

if they touch him, the public will go "WTF?".  jailing him for telling all of us that the NSA is wiretapping everyone and their mother?

Am I the only one that thinks (a) he deserves to be jailed (rightly or wrongly, it's part of the job he signed up for), and (b) of course the NSA is gathering data!

I for one will never assume I have absolute privacy online or anywhere else.

[cypherdoc]

if they touch him, the public will go "WTF?".  jailing him for telling all of us that the NSA is wiretapping everyone and their mother?

Am I the only one that thinks (a) he deserves to be jailed (rightly or wrongly, it's part of the job he signed up for), and (b) of course the NSA is gathering data!

I for one will never assume I have absolute privacy online or anywhere else.

if you watch the video carefully, its clear he didn't expect the civil rights violations to go as far as they have.

he says he kept questioning superiors but the answers kept getting more obtuse as they went on.  what he finally saw was nowhere near what he expected.

which is why he quit.

"of course the NSA is gathering data?"  of course they are, but all emails, phone calls, texts, browsing habits (pages) of everyone domestic and intl?  c'mon.

[marcus_of_augustus]

if they touch him, the public will go "WTF?".  jailing him for telling all of us that the NSA is wiretapping everyone and their mother?

Am I the only one that thinks (a) he deserves to be jailed (rightly or wrongly, it's part of the job he signed up for), and (b) of course the NSA is gathering data!

I for one will never assume I have absolute privacy online or anywhere else.

People like you are part of the problem, not the solution.

There is a difference between right and wrong ... that is what the Nurenberg trials were about.

Just because you are following orders does not make it right.

Many of the US govt employees are now well outside constitutional law and they know it. So they are using secret courts and kept politicians heading the 'oversight committees' to cover it up. You should also be advocating for putting those people in jail, that is what THEY signed up for, to protect the constitution ... yet you want to persecute the whistleblower? .... wtf kind of person are you?

[TippingPoint]

From what I have read, these are facts:

• He was not working for a foreign government
• He did not reveal the info for money
• He concluded that his agency was breaking the law
• He was selective about what he revealed
• He went public at a great personal cost

[srg007007]

From what I have read, these are facts:

• He was not working for a foreign government
• He did not reveal the info for money
• He concluded that his agency was breaking the law
• He was selective about what he revealed
• He went public at a great personal cost

...and he made public illegal activity by public officials ( breach of everyones 4th amendment rights ), so he is a whistleblower and should be protected. The senators that were briefed and approve of this should stand trial for conspiring to commit civil rights violations along with the NSA, FISA court judges, and the President.

[TomUnderSea]

From what I have read, these are facts:

• He was not working for a foreign government
• He did not reveal the info for money
• He concluded that his agency was breaking the law
• He was selective about what he revealed
• He went public at a great personal cost

...and he made public illegal activity by public officials ( breach of everyones 4th amendment rights ), so he is a whistleblower and should be protected. The senators that were briefed and approve of this should stand trial for conspiring to commit civil rights violations along with the NSA, FISA court judges, and the President.

There exists a classified whistle blower process.  Essentially, it allows someone inside a classified program to contact an investigative agency that has individuals cleared for access to the program.

Snowden does not appear to have used this process.  A claim to be a "whistleblower" will be difficult to sustain in the face of this.

The basic problem is that what he did _was_ illegal.  It was also morally the right choice.

The judicial branch is not well set up to handle that.  The executive branch will want to hang him high.  The legislative branch will run around in circles, as always.

Snowden's best bet is to become very hard to find and wait for the next US President to issue him a pardon.

[vokain]

From what I have read, these are facts:

• He was not working for a foreign government
• He did not reveal the info for money
• He concluded that his agency was breaking the law
• He was selective about what he revealed
• He went public at a great personal cost

...and he made public illegal activity by public officials ( breach of everyones 4th amendment rights ), so he is a whistleblower and should be protected. The senators that were briefed and approve of this should stand trial for conspiring to commit civil rights violations along with the NSA, FISA court judges, and the President.

There exists a classified whistle blower process.  Essentially, it allows someone inside a classified program to contact an investigative agency that has individuals cleared for access to the program.

Snowden does not appear to have used this process.  A claim to be a "whistleblower" will be difficult to sustain in the face of this.

The basic problem is that what he did _was_ illegal.  It was also morally the right choice.

The judicial branch is not well set up to handle that.  The executive branch will want to hang him high.  The legislative branch will run around in circles, as always.

Snowden's best bet is to become very hard to find and wait for the next US President to issue him a pardon.

When was the last time someone used such a service successfully? Sounds like possible psyops to me

[marcus_of_augustus]

There exists a classified whistle blower process.  Essentially, it allows someone inside a classified program to contact an investigative agency that has individuals cleared for access to the program.

I think you are being naive if you think such a process would have given him protection in this case. He was basically exposing systemic criminality by the intelligence agencies and you expect them to offer him protection for doing so?... Get real dude, these guys are playing for all the marbles, which is exactly what he is saying and exposed to be true.

[Ephebus]

Obama pressured over NSA snooping as US senator denounces 'act of treason'

Information chiefs worldwide sound alarm while US senator Dianne Feinstein orders NSA to review monitoring program.

World leaders seek answers on US collection of communication data

Data protection chiefs and analysts in EU, Pakistan, South Africa and Canada express concerns at revelations in leaks.

US lawmakers call for review of Patriot Act after NSA surveillance revelations

White House insists it welcomes 'appropriate debate' after Republican leadership questions implementation of security act.

[BTCLuke]

If you want to send him bitcoins, don't send it to him directly, send it to someone with a great little sailboat that can sneak him to Iceland.

Tom, you got the kind of boat needed? 

[TomUnderSea]

If you want to send him bitcoins, don't send it to him directly, send it to someone with a great little sailboat that can sneak him to Iceland.

Tom, you got the kind of boat needed?  

Yep, but I would have to take off work for a couple of years to make it happen.  You going to cover my salary?

I'm based west coast of the US.  I figure it would take the better part of a year to get to him in whatever East Pacific refuge he is hiding in.  From there, it is probably easier to reverse course and head around South America before going north to Iceland.

Of course, depending on global warming, it might make more sense to top off the diesel tanks and make a dash across the Arctic Sea.  I don't have any good data on sailing conditions there during the summer months so I would have to plan on motoring the full distance.  Couldn't make any port visits in Alaska or Russia unless I'm smuggling him.

Probably just be easier to buy a boat in the Philippines and start from there.

This Formosa / Peterson 46 Cruising Yacht For Sale looks like a good choice:
http://www.pgyc.org/sail-boats-for-sale.php

Arctic Sea Ice

[acceptance2]

From what I have read, these are facts:

• He was not working for a foreign government
• He did not reveal the info for money
• He concluded that his agency was breaking the law
• He was selective about what he revealed
• He went public at a great personal cost

...and he made public illegal activity by public officials ( breach of everyones 4th amendment rights ), so he is a whistleblower and should be protected. The senators that were briefed and approve of this should stand trial for conspiring to commit civil rights violations along with the NSA, FISA court judges, and the President.

+1