"NO CONTEST: EDWARD SNOWDEN IS PERSON OF THE YEAR"

[Logical]

In an effort to gin up a bit of publicity for its annual choice for “Person of the Year,” Time has released its list of ten finalists. They include Pope Francis, President Obama, Jeff Bezos, Miley Cyrus, Ted Cruz, and two Middle Eastern leaders: Bashar al-Assad, the embattled President of Syria, and Hassan Rouhani, the new President of Iran. Of these, Pope Francis is by far the strongest candidate, but even the radical new Pontiff can’t compete with another troublemaker on the list: Edward Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor who is currently residing somewhere in Russia as the guest of Vladimir Putin, Time’s 2007 honoree.

According to Time, its award, which will be bestowed on Wednesday, goes to the person who, in the opinion of the magazine’s editors, had the most influence on the news. By this metric, it’s no contest. In downloading thousands of files from the computers of the electronic spying agency and handing them over to journalists like Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Barton Gellman, Snowden unleashed a torrent of news stories that began in May, when the Guardian and the Washington Post published a series of articles about the N.S.A.’s surveillance activities. Seven months later, the gusher is still open. Just last week, we learned that the agency is tracking the whereabouts of hundreds of millions of cell phones, gathering nearly five billion records a day.

It’s not just here in the United States. Snowden’s revelations are still causing ruptures and generating headlines all around the world, including in Brazil, which has just said that it wants to question Snowden about revelations that the U.S. agency intercepted the communications of President Dilma Rousseff and her aides; in Germany, where the N.S.A. reportedly tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone; and in Australia, where the government was embarrassed by the revelation that it had been spying on the President of neighboring Indonesia. And there are almost certainly more stories to come. Last week, Alan Rusbridger, the editor of the Guardian, said that his paper has so far published only one per cent of the files that it received from Snowden. (The Guardian has already anointed Snowden its “Person of the Year.”)

More at: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2013/12/no-contest-edward-snowden-is-person-of-the-year.html

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

1. Yeah,

I'd buy that.

[questionseverything]

55. snowden is definitely man of the year

this op did not get enough attention.....the story it presents is chilling

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024153019

snowden gave us our last best chance to protect the 4th amendment,how we find our power i do not know

[zappaman]

2. I vote Miley Cyrus.

Did you see the "wrecking ball" video???

[Logical]

3. I liked it. Didn't see the big deal. n-t

[zappaman]

4. O M G !!!

she is like totally a role model to young girls everywhere.
totally has my vote!

[Logical]

6. Age showing? I remember my parents hating Madonna. n-t

[zappaman]

9. Shit...I hated Madonna. n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Indeed, it's too bad music doesn't have wholesome, tasteful role models anymore.

[zappaman]

10. fer sure!

totally!

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Shit

[NaturalHigh]

31. Okay, I just watched it.

The video is no big deal, but the song is just awful. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I've ever listened to one of her songs. Has she always been that bad? I could play that song on a loop to keep crows out of the garden.

[reformist2]

44. It's the "Feelings" of a new generation.

Personally, I like it for it's over-the-top-ness!

[rhett o rick]

14. I am not at all surprised. nm

[zappaman]

21. Of course you aren't

No mind is thoroughly well organized that is deficient in a sense of humor.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge


Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/samueltayl131320.html#emMc5G1eI1EtKuAZ.99

[snot]

24. Thank you; this at least provisionally redeems your earlier flippance toward something

too few here seem willing to accord its proper value.

(Although . . . the value of mental organization is debatable; though I personally like it a heckuva lot.)

[JDPriestly]

23. I vote for Edward Snowden. Hands down. Edward Snowden is changing the way our

government works and he is changing it for the better. Increasingly, people are thinking about the Snowden revelations and what they mean for our future as a democracy. At this point it is only the most intelligent, discerning people who understand what the meaning is of the NSA surveillance for the future of our country and democracy. But just wait, the Snowden revelations are a turning point. If the NSA surveillance continues, our country will descend into an oligarchic dictatorship. If we can get the NSA surveillance under control so that it is truly limited to what is needed for our defense, we will succeed as the greatest democracy in the world. So Snowden should win hands down.

[VanillaRhapsody]

27. Increasingly? Apparently not fast enough to make him Person of the Year hands down.

oh well...there's always next year.

[reformist2]

43. Her video inspired a parody that has brought joy to millions.

[snooper2]

45. I voted for Assange, Snowy and Miley are shit compared to him

Look at this GREATNESS!


It makes me want to run to Wells Fargo down the street and steal one of their file cabinets!!!

[Rex]

48. One of the few that can destroy the U.S.S Enterprise.

And as most know, that fucker is hard to destroy man! Yet Miley and her VMA performance did just that!

[zappaman]

52. That

Is genius!
I actually laughed out loud!

[Rex]

57. I watched it about a 100 times when it first showed up on youtube.

You know...I think Miley is just copying one of the GREATEST rock performers in history...yes, none other than BILL THE CAT!

[Kurovski]

53. OMG!!

I LOVE BALLS!!

THX4this!!

[DontTreadOnMe]

5. The fact that Miley is even on the list...

tells us all we need to know.

[Logical]

7. I 100% agree with that. Duck Dynasty proves it to me. n-t

[zappaman]

11. You are making a case for the Duck Dynasty guys as "person of the year"?

Hmmmm...I might have to rethink my choice...

[Logical]

13. LOL, no, just more dumbing down of people. Nt

[Art_from_Ark]

15. Well, I vote for YOU!

[Logical]

17. Damn, I thought you really meant me! nt

[VanillaRhapsody]

28. Your just so logical! Logically speaking of course!

[WillyT]

16. Yes He Is... Should Be The Person Of The 21st Century...

Because what we decide now... based upon his information... will affect the next hundred years.

At least.

[woo me with science]

18. Thank you, Edward Snowden.

And cue the smear brigade from the terrified authoritarian state.

[sabrina 1]

19. Definitely person of he year, maybe of the next century.

He shook up a world that badly needed shaking.

[VanillaRhapsody]

29. the next Century????

Wow.....just wow....that kinda says it all right there doesn't it? For the next 100 yrs....seriously?

You do know Nelson Mandela just passed away right?

[Cali_Democrat]

32. Snowden can drag and drop classified docs from one folder to another

He's the person of the next millennium.

Drag and drop, baby.

[VanillaRhapsody]

37. Yes because Snowden is JUST like Nelson Mandela right?

By the way, I am not saying that Mandela should be person of the year...just trying to put some perspective on your opinion of this Snowden character and the unfounded worshipping he gets. So here's some homework for you...

Mandela vs Snowden....compare and contrast!

[Cali_Democrat]

40. I was being sarcastic

The point I was trying to make was that people like Mandela really struggled while Snowden just copied classified documents.

I think we are in agreement

[NuclearDem]

34. And Mandella was already PotY, 1993.

People are named PotY when they're currently making news, not after their deaths.

[VanillaRhapsody]

36. It has nothing to do with the fact that he died...

its about the facts of his life....you might want to look into it to see what a person who stands up for his beliefs and DESERVES to be honored looks like...

My god...person of the next 100 yrs. What is he like equal to our Founding Fathers now? He is no George Washington....THAT is risking it all.

[NuclearDem]

38. Whoa, where'd that come from?

I'm not impugning Nelson Mandela at all. The fact is when Time puts out Person of the Year, it's always someone who's had a significant impact on the news that year.

Mandela had a lifetime of achievements, and he was honored with PotY in 1993. But Snowden has had a significant impact on the news and on governments around the world this year.

And if it'll make you feel better, PotY is not limited to all "good" people.

[SoapBox]

20. Oh great...

Comrade Snowden the Russian...why not just pick Putin.

[calimary]

22. I think I'd vote for Pope Francis.

His smackdown of trickle-down wins it hands-down, imo.

[snot]

26. I love the new Pope; but

Snowden has risked all, and has in fact sacrificed nearly all; and at an age when he still had a lot to lose.

And the amount of concrete change that has already taken place because of his actions is also greater, i.m.h.o.

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. Risked all what?

I have to ask again....you know Mandela just died right? THAT'S what risking it ALL looks like...

Risking it all....puleeze!

[great white snark]

39. Risked carpal tunnel by using his mouse.

Fuck undeserved jail time, Snowy could have had wrist discomfort! What a hero!

[anti partisan]

47. Snowden had more to lose

When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose. Try putting things in perspective a bit.

Snowden had a much more comfortable life than someone like Mandela living in apartheid South Africa. If Mandela was making a 6 figure paycheck at a comfy desk job, would he have been prepared to risk it all for the greater good? Just something to think about. The truth is that we will never know.

Mandela also had a rather dark past with associations to terrorism and senseless executions. I'd rather look to Tutu as the man with the strongest moral character in the fight against apartheid.

[CJCRANE]

51. Mandela risked his life. He could have capitulated or sold out at any time.

He could have asked for a pay off but he didn't, he kept to his principles.

And you obviously don't know that Mandela was a qualified lawyer. He could have had a cushy life somewhere else but he risked it all instead.

[anti partisan]

58. Where could he have had a cushy life?

He would have had to completely abandon his social network in order to even have a chance of doing so, and even then, you think an African lawyer would be making the big bucks in the mostly white countries where lawyers tend to prosper? Come on. Think this out a bit more. He was nowhere near as privileged as Edward Snowden.

[CJCRANE]

59. Maybe not as privileged as Snowden but I don't agree with your thesis.

Mandela faced his own captives in his own country. He was arrested and could have been sentenced to death but he remained defiant. He could have accepted his captives' conditions at any time and been released but he held out for 27 years.

And to somehow insinuate that being in prison is good because you are near your family is nonsense. Mandela was only allowed to see his wife once every six months and his children once a year.

He was in solitary confinement with a bucket to do his ablutions.

Mandela was highly educated and could have had a comfortable life so your dismissal of his achievements rings hollow.

Edward Snowden hasn't faced anything like that. He still has some measure of freedom within Russia and I'm sure his family could visit him. That's not to denigrate Edward Snowden - I think he did a very good thing but nowhere near the stature of Mandela.

[VanillaRhapsody]

69. He could have just run away and hid under Putin's skirt tails apparently....because

you seem to think that's "risking it all".

[VanillaRhapsody]

70. So its about risking your "priviledge"? So snowden is suffering more than Mandela

by working as tech support in Russia?

[Number23]

66. Thank you for perfectly encapsulating the thought processes of FAR too many of Snowden's fans here

If Mandela was making a 6 figure paycheck at a comfy desk job, would he have been prepared to risk it all for the greater good?

I'm not even a Catholic but Holy Mary, Mother of God. There are not enough face palms in the WHOLE DAMN WORLD to describe my reaction to this post.

You're right. Mandela didn't risk much. That jail cell at Robben Island probably had excellent views! And even though at the height of Snowden's revelations over the summer, he was only able to muster up mid-50's support from Americans, hell he was only able to muster low 50s support from Russians even AFTER he did his love fest with the Russian government (that probably explains his tepid support from Russian citizens, actually), you guys are absolutely right. Mandela hasn't done anything as brave, noble or selfless as Snowden.

Why, I can only imagine the world wide response when Snowden passes at 95. Will make Mandela's state funeral attended by tens of thousands and viewed by literally millions of mourners of all colors and races all over the world and attended by heads of state the world over look like nothing.

[VanillaRhapsody]

67. Are you freaking shitting me? You really feel good about saying that?

[former9thward]

63. Mandela died of old age.

Is that now a risk?

[VanillaRhapsody]

72. because he was a tough old coot...

with intestinal fortitude....Snowden...Meh...not so much!

[calimary]

35. Good point. However, Pope Francis ripping trickle-down will create its own trickle-down -

but a rather volcanic trickle-down at that. Will have reverberations across the globe through the one billion-plus Catholics and everybody they (we) touch. I'm hoping it really wakes some people up - and shakes a lot MORE people up. I dunno - maybe they're tied. But I'd go with His Holiness. This is a pope we've been longing for, for a long time. AGES, in fact.

[Jesus Malverde]

25. kick..nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

33. I would have to agree. Although Pope Francis certainly has the potential of having an even greater

impact than Edward Snowden. But certainly Mr. Snowden has raised an issue and pushed it to the center of public debate that no one else has even come close to doing. As Alex Pareene of salon.com put it in the title of the July 22, 2013 article, Crazy traitor leaker got Congress to notice vast surveillance state http://www.salon.com/2013/07/22/crazy_traitor_leaker_got_congress_to_notice_vast_surveillance_state/

[AverageJoe90]

41. Snowden? The coward who gave state secrets to Beijing & Moscow? Aw fuck. =(

In any case, even though I greatly respect Pope Francis, and of course, our President, as well as a developing respect for the new leader of Iran.....I feel that this reward ultimately should have gone to none other than the recently departed Madiba. Now *he* was a *true* hero; Snowden has nothing on him. Nothing.

R.I.P. Nelson Mandela, aka Madiba. You were a true inspiration to us all.

[jsr]

42. Recommend

[Rex]

46. Ruh roh...

[KamaAina]

49. I'd say it's between him and Pope Francis.

Both have ruffled quite a few feathers. But Francis has more of a broad-based appeal. Outside DU there are still millions of folks who think Edward Snowden is Frosty's brother.

[DesMoinesDem]

50. The BOG is going to freak out when Snowden wins.

[Blue_Tires]

54. At least Time didn't make it someone really despicable like Peyton fuckin' Manning

[zappaman]

60. Peyton Manning is "despicable"?

I'm confused.
What did he do?
I must have missed it...

[Blue_Tires]

61. Well, for starters he's Volunteer scum

and if that wasn't bad enough, he's now Bronco scum so he deserves the double death...

[zappaman]

62. Lol

Got it.

[hrmjustin]

56. I doubt he will get it but it would be an interesting choice.

I really am not sure who I would pick.

[Tveil]

65. Malala Yousafzai nt

[Number23]

68. Second.

[wildbilln864]

71. yes! n/t

[4bucksagallon]

73. Okay so they just change the title to "Traitor of the Year" and problem solved.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

74. I agree. And I think he's a spineless douchebag

it's how big of an impact someone had. Not a lionization of the person.

[NuclearDem]

79. Finally someone who gets it.

[gulliver]

75. Snowden did cause a noteworthy amount of damage.

I just don't think Snowden's crimes rise to the level of fiendishness needed to "out-impact" the good of Pope Francis. Worldwide, I'm thinking Time will likely go with Francis. They can fill their pages with his travels, his photos with the needy and physically ailing, and quotes from his speeches and writings. Francis is looking like a serious game changer in world religion. Snowden's 15 minutes are pretty much up.

[BeyondGeography]

76. Until Pope Francis ramped it up, there was actually a case for Snowy

Mostly because of weak competition. But global inequality and the destructive tyranny of the uber-rich is a much bigger issue than the state-abetted loss of privacy in the digital age, which inflames cushy couch potatoes more than anyone.

And he's the Pope, fercryinoutloud, meaning he has the potential to change the direction of an institution that still matters in the world, and change it for the better. It's really not much of a contest. Snowden's revelations will re-calibrate policy in mostly imperceptible ways; Pope Francis is Occupy Wall Street with a global platform.

[MADem]

77. What? No al-Sisi?

He had better backing on the net than Miley Cyrus did!

How Egypt’s Gen. al-Sisi Won TIME’s Person of the Year Poll


...
When TIME announced on Thursday that Egypt’s Defense Minister, Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, had topped TIME’s 2013 Person of the Year poll with more than 440,000 votes his supporters were triumphant. Ahmed Abu Hashima, an Egyptian steel magnate and Sisi supporter, was one of the first to publicly congratulate Sisi on Twitter. Writing in Arabic, he called the victory an, “appreciation for (Sisi's) national role and the love of Egyptians towards him.”

Sisi’s success reflected the genuine popularity of a man who led what was essentially a military coup in July against the democratically elected government of then President Mohammed Morsi. Sisi remains the most powerful political figure in Egypt. The win was driven by hundreds of thousands of votes from inside Egypt; the country of about 85 million provided more votes than more populous nations like India and the United States. Many of those voters came via websites like Alwafd.org, one of the several Egyptian news portals that drove voters to the poll. These included youm7.com and el-balad.com. These sites tracked the voting throughout the week and informed readers when voting would close and how close the gap was between Sisi and the person who came second, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

TIME’s Person of the Year is chosen by the magazine’s editors and will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Part of the Sisi vote may have been driven by a desire among his supporters to sway the editors’ decision. An article earlier this week in El-Balad linked to the online poll page and asked, “Would (the editors) listen to Egyptian votes and select their Defense Minister as the man of the year for 2013 so his picture could be printed on the cover of the world’s most famous magazine in its annual issue?”.....“This doesn’t tell us anything that Egyptians did not already know. But perhaps it is a good time for the whole world to see it clearly,” he said.

In less than a year Sisi has become a household name with his face appearing on T-shirts, banners and chocolates. But the true level of his popularity can only be tested at the voting booth. Speculation as to his intentions has been a media obsession in Egypt for months. The elections are set for sometime in the first half of 2014, pending ratification of a new constitution.........




Read more: How Egypt’s Gen. al-Sisi Won TIME’s Person of the Year Poll | TIME.com http://poy.time.com/2013/12/06/how-egypts-gen-al-sisi-won-times-person-of-the-year-poll/#ixzz2n7pH2pgz

[moondust]

78. I doubt they would give it to Snowden.

Because as a person he's a one-hit wonder, a flash in the pan. All he did was steal a bunch of other people's work and publicize it.

[Cali_Democrat]

80. Pope Francis named Time person of the year. n/t