A Christmas Message From Edward Snowden

[ErikJ]

[JDPriestly]

1. Thank you, Edward Snowden.

Either the mass surveillance will end or people will begin to leave their electronic devices at home or meet in places where the surveillance cannot reach them.

Privacy is a basic human right. That has not been recognized in the past because privacy was a given. The borders between private and public spaces were evident. We all knew where they were. But today, our government is disregarding those borders. Our government is intruding into our private space. That is unacceptable to me.

I sewed the curtains on my windows. The space within my curtains is private. My phone, my computer, my television and my security equipment, all the electronic equipment in my house is behind my curtains. No one should intrude without my permission. The government should not intrude without my permission.

The phone company, my computer internet provider, all have the records of my phone and internet activity. They are entitled to it only because they bill me for their service to me. I have not given them permission to analyze my bills, to correlate the numbers I call with the numbers called by those who call me. That information is as personal to me as the space behind the curtains and windowshades and doors of my house.

I think that most Americans feel as I do. Even those who think that the NSA can do no wrong. They accept these spying programs only because they have not realized yet that the NSA is not just spying on the bad guys but on them, on the ordinary good Americans who go about their business, who have curtains on their windows, who believe that what they do behind those curtains is their own business and not the NSAs. People who believe that what they do in their churches, their synagogues, their mosques, their social clubs -- all that, too, is their business and not that of the government.

Privacy. It is precious. Our government has no right to take it from us.

[VanillaRhapsody]

4. the Internet by its very nature is not private....

just sayin' Time some people understand that once and for all...

[cantbeserious]

9. This Technical Opinion Is Not Justification For The Desecration Of The 4th Amendment

eom

[VanillaRhapsody]

14. Then my advice....don't use the Internet...

it is inherently NOT private...and it's built on databases.....your tracked everywhere and EVERYTHING is saved all over the internet too (ever heard of something called The Wayback machine...how do you think that works?)...he govt is secondary...databases that corporations keep are what the govt is interested in for a reason. That data is not going away...

[cantbeserious]

15. Ahh - Then You Are Saying That Because The Data Is There It Has To Be Abused

Besides the data, how do you justify the Government purposefully breaking encryption to make it easier to listen to real-time conversations?

[VanillaRhapsody]

16. th govt is NOT listening to your phone calls...

OMG....sigh!

Everything you say or do on the Internet...and I mean everything...is tracked and stored.

[cantbeserious]

17. The Government Is Listening - Please Keep Up On The Latest Developments

So, once again you are arguing that because the data is recorded it must be abused.

[JDPriestly]

26. By whom?

It's one thing if Google wants the information in order to improve their products and sell other products. It's quite another if some secret organization that has intimidated its way into our supposedly democratic government has our information.

Google can take my information and embarrass me or sue me, but Google can't declare me or anyone else a "terrorist" (is Snowden a terrorist? How about the guy that shot at Gabby Gifford? What is a terrorist anyway? Aren't they criminals subject to the same laws and entitled to the same rights as everyone else?) and put us in Guantanamo forever. Google cannot deprive me of my constitutional rights.

That's why the information that I sit in my living room and write in an e-mail is not something the secret arm of the government that never faces an election should be able to save and catalog and use as it likes.

[JDPriestly]

27. A secretive and very powerful clique within our government is tracking all our electronic

communications. And I do not think that is compatible with democracy. And I am right.

[JDPriestly]

29. I have the right to free speech. Free means without surveillance.

The internet is not private. But please explain to me why our government catalogs and cross-references our internet and other electronic communications if not to repress our freedom to express ourselves and communicate with others?

Do you seriously believe the "terrorism" thing? That doesn't fit with the surveillance of Angela Merkel's phone and other phones of other world leaders and institutions.

What is the purpose of the surveillance?

One certainly is intimidation of those of us who exercise our freedom of speech on the electronic media. Another may be surveillance of the technological developments in other countries. Another may be political control. Another may be to gain the ability to intimidate people and embarrass political or other rivals.

That is the question we should be asking.

We should also ask who, the names and positions and interests of all who have access to the databases that are being assembled.

It appears that a powerful clique within our government, a clique whose personal histories and other information are unknown to us, certainly not an elected clique, have the access and control over these databases. Who are they? What are their interests? Who oversees them? Who checks their work? Do any elected individuals really supervise them?

Imagine playing a game of chess and knowing or being able to find out through some means only available to you what your opponent's next move will be? Now in warfare, it's great if the good guys have that capacity. That is what traditional spying was about. But here, our government has the means, the capacity to know and be able to find out what the next moves, the personal ideas of every citizen in America. Apply for a job as a newscaster on CNN and your e-mails and other data, the metadata in particular over the past how many years can be reviewed.

Whether or not this is the reality, it is a possible reality and judging from history the most likely reality that will assert itself before long. Americans need to think this through.

Speculation about Snowden's motivations is the biggest waste of time. He tells us why he did what he did. Apparently CNN is deaf.

[cantbeserious]

13. + 1,000

eom

[BelgianMadCow]

2. "asking is always cheaper than spying"

happy 5th rec

[SoapBox]

3. ...

[Hissyspit]

7. Snowden: "I already won."

"'For me, in terms of personal satisfaction, the mission’s already accomplished,' he said. “I already won.'

'As soon as the journalists were able to work, everything that I had been trying to do was validated,' Snowden told the Post. 'Because, remember, I didn’t want to change society. I wanted to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself.'"

[cantbeserious]

12. I Reject Your Snarky Point Of View - Long Live Snowden

eom

[iamthebandfanman]

5. lol

so now he can see the future eh ?
your children wont have any privacy anywhere...
they start putting cameras in our homes to watch us 24hrs and ill buy that...

im sorry but, he'll never be a hero to me.. he went further than being a whistle blower.
I appreciate the things hes revealed about domestic abuses, but other wise think hes a fool...

"asking is always cheaper than spying"...
because nobody ever lies.. as humans are incapable of deception..

[mimi85]

8. I totally agree! nt

[cantbeserious]

11. We Will Have To Agree To Disagree - I Reject Your point Of View - Long Live Snowden

eom

[cantbeserious]

10. I Totally Disagree With Your Point Of View - Long Live Snowden

eom

[JDPriestly]

28. It is pretty obvious. Our children will not have privacy anywhere.

It's very sad. Those who are now ridiculing the concern of the rest of us will be the first to scream when they realize that they are caught in the spying web.

Who do you think benefits from this spying? Do you seriously think they are worried about whether some gun nut is going to shoot one of us in the mall today? In my opinion, your safety and mine is the last of their concerns.

If your and my safety were the concern, they would let us know they are spying. But that is not the purpose of this vast net of surveillance. Too much money is spent on it to allow me to think that is the purpose.

The purpose of all the investment in this spying apparatus is what should be the topic of conversation. This elaborate network of spying equipment is not being bought and paid for to keep you and me safe. That is the puzzle that the Snowden detractors should be trying to solve.

Personally, I think this surveillance network is about gaining total control over the economic and political management of the US, possibly the world.

[dipsydoodle]

6. That's weird

Can't play your link in the UK. Not being shown on Channel 4 here until 4.15pm GMT which will follow the Queens Speech.

Alt. clip here for others in the UK :

[Festivito]

24. Can't play it here either. ahem-copyright-ahem. Thanks for the RT link. eom.

[Scuba]

18. Kick for this American patriot.

[cantbeserious]

19. +1

eom

[suzanner]

25. 2+

I should think everyone would be worried at the power it takes to successfully quash any defensive argument for Snowden. And the lack of any objective, fully informed public referendum.

[Douglas Carpenter]

20. As someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum as Mr. Snowden - I say

Merry Christmas Mr. Snowden and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. God Bless you and thank you for standing up for our freedom

[baldguy]

21. So, Snowden wants to be The Pope now? I thought he wanted to be Paul Revere?

[Coyotl]

30. OFCS! Get the facts, then speak. He was asked to give the response to the Queeen's message T-V 4.

[snot]

22. Go, Snowden!

[ancianita]

23. "Asking is always cheaper than spying..." Thank you, Ed Snowden. Much respect. Merry Christmas.

[20score]

31. He is showing some of the best of humanity. In stark contrast to his detractors.