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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsStatue That Cast Edward Snowden As A Hero Removed And Held By New York Police
New York: For one morning, a statue of Edward Snowden, the former US intelligence contractor and whistleblower variously regarded as a dissident hero and national traitor, stood high atop a hill in New York City.
Hours later, the unauthorised sculpture was shrouded in plastic, removed by the city's Parks and Recreation Department as the media and locals watched on, before being transported to the local police precinct.
New York City Parks workers work to remove a covered large molded bust of Edward Snowden at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn.
New York City Parks workers work to remove a covered large molded bust of Edward Snowden at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn. Photo: Reuters
But two of the artists behind the sculpture, who spoke to Fairfax Media on condition of anonymity, hope that its presence, however fleeting, will help spark conversation about Snowden, surveillance and the American ideals they say he was fighting for.
"We were both dismayed that Snowden and the ideals that his actions represent haven't gotten more traction in mainstream media," one of the artists said.
"It's not just Snowden, it's Bradley [now Chelsea] Manning and every other whistleblower whose fighting for the ideals this nation was founded upon. Snowden is an easy representation to use, so we used his visual."
more...
http://www.smh.com.au/world/statue-that-cast-edward-snowden-as-a-hero-removed-and-held-by-new-york-police-20150407-1mfjyl.html
2naSalit
(86,767 posts)too bad. It sure looks better than that scary thing that was supposed to be Lucy Arnaz.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)Even if you personally don't think of Snowden as a traitor, I hope you'll acknowledge that the majority of those whom the memorial is intended to honour probably would have done, and would have been grossly insulted.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)as anyone's.
randome
(34,845 posts)As I said in a thread last night, the 'conversation' that Snowden wanted to occur has come and gone. He just didn't like the result. I suppose you don't, either.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)not tolerant of those who approve of Snowden. And yes I approve of Snowden's outing of the NSA's violations of several provisions in the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution.
As I understand it, Obama promised to remedy the most egregious of those violations and require warrants based on probable cause as required by the Fourth Amendment in order to obtain the contents and information about our private electronic transmissions including e-mails and telephone calls. If I am wrong, then Obama is wrong, wrong, wrong and in violation of the Constitution.
dolphinsandtuna
(231 posts)"Prison Ship Monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn, which commemorates the lives of American prisoners who died on British ships during the Revolutionary War. "
In the early days of this country, people paid a lot more attention to liberty and the effect of corrupt government actions. If we're in the business of trying to support our views by claiming others who can't speak for themselves would support them, I think I have an equal degree of reason in saying they'd think he also was a hero.
Rex
(65,616 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)No doubt metro rode their high horses in to bring Snowden down. I hear he didn't udder a single word to the cops.
Savannahmann
(3,891 posts)I only ask because it seems like everyone that the NYPD says hello to is charged with Resisting Arrest.
randome
(34,845 posts)It kept mumbling "Vladimir? Laura? Where are you? Why is everything so dark?"
[hr][font color="blue"][center]If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]
boston bean
(36,223 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)Snowden would have benefited if he'd been stoned much earlier in life.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]
dolphinsandtuna
(231 posts)What an excellent idea.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)brooklynite
(94,713 posts)People could visit it on pilgrimages...
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)It was also placed by the artist unknown to the city and not permitted. It was also removed by NYPD and impounded. Public sentiment returned it to the street, and while I have not updated on the story for years, the piece has always been a problem for NY, as the city does not own it, it is very famous now, and so forth.
It's an interesting story, and one that springs to mind with this piece. A very nice likeness of Snowden, beats the hell out of that Jamestown Lucy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charging_Bull
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)brooklynite
(94,713 posts)...to the Rush Limbaugh bust in the Missouri Capitol? You wouldn't be making exceptions just because you like one and not the other?