Does anybody want this poor child?
Well, he's wanted in the U.S., but not for altogether happy reasons. He's in Russia on a temporary basis and is seeking asylum elsewhere. Apparently, Putin isn't enamored. Maybe China?
Let's look elsewhere. Brazil perhaps?
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jtes/will-anyone-welcome-edward-snowden (http://www.buzzfeed.com/jtes/will-anyone-welcome-edward-snowden)
All of this stuff is three jumps above my pay grade and I have no idea if he's caused the U.S. any irreparable harm. What do you think?
In .de there's support for granting him political asylum, even among politicians, although they're too afraid of the inevitable freakout from across the atlantic. I guess they'd rather have their phones tapped than to grow a spine for once.
Brazil says "no"?!
This must mean just one thing: Edward Snowden is not a criminal.
This must mean just one thing: Edward Snowden is not a criminal.
It's always a matter of perspective. Only a matter of perspective.
A statesman waging wars, destabilizing entire regions, responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of inocent lifes can be a worldwide 'respected' person. Same applies for a statesman having the blood of hundreds of innocent people on his hands. Such statesmen can even be hailed as leaders of our free world. At least as long as they represent an oligarchy backed by a mighty military force.
Not, it's quite obvious: if he were a criminal, Brazil would say "yes". This is how it works, here. >:(
I view Mr. Snowden as a hero.
In .de there's support for granting him political asylum, even among politicians, although they're too afraid of the inevitable freakout from across the atlantic. I guess they'd rather have their phones tapped than to grow a spine for once.
It's not worth all the BS that would follow. Snowden is the story of the day, but that's it. Not even Mr. Putin will put up with this for long. Brazil, perhaps? I doubt it.
North Korea! Perfect. Kim Jong Snowden.
I view Mr. Snowden as a hero.
Maybe, but the last shoe hasn't dropped yet. We don't know the extent of what he possesses and has shared with the redoubtable Russian Czar.
NSA created 'European bazaar' to spy on EU citizens, Snowden tells European Parliament (http://www.itworld.com/security/408585/nsa-created-european-bazaar-spy-eu-citizens-snowden-tells-european-parliament)
The NSA has been pressuring EU member states to change their laws to enable mass surveillance, according to Snowden. This is done through NSA's Foreign Affairs Division (FAD), he said, adding that lawyers from the NSA and GCHQ work very hard "to search for loopholes in laws and constitutional protections that they can use to justify indiscriminate, dragnet surveillance operations that were at best unwittingly authorized by lawmakers," he said.
My operatives around the world insist that everybody spies on everybody else, so all of this international turmoil is suitcase of blather.
“I work on assumption that 6+ countries tap my phone,” Tom Fletcher, the U.K. ambassador to Lebanon, said on a Twitter Inc. posting today. “Increasingly rare that diplomats say anything sensitive on calls.”
Denis MacShane, who was the U.K.’s Europe minister in former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s Labour government, said he was warned to expect that his mobile phone calls would be listened to while he was in France.
“In Paris, it was generally assumed that they wanted to know everything we were saying and thinking,” MacShane said in a telephone interview. “I sometimes made a point of saying things on the phone that I wanted my opposite number to hear, U.K. government positions and so on.”
And this from Senator Marco Rubio...
“Whether they want to acknowledge that publicly or not -- and every country has different capabilities -- but at the end of the day if you are a U.S. government official traveling abroad, you are aware that anything you have on your cell phone, on your iPad, can be monitored by foreign intelligence agencies including that of your own allies."
I vote that the UK/a-soon-to-be-Independent-Scotland grants Snowden amnesty and allows him to stay in Glasgow to keep an eye on the reputable Mr. Howie. :left:
I would be more than happy to meet him here and have lunch. A wonderful man that told his fellow citizens they were being shafted and the government sometimes acting illegally. Imagine that?! If Scotland was daft enough to leave (and I doubt it) then it would be peaceful Just look what happened yo you down in the South. when you got tired of being treated as you were and wanted out the club. Dear, oh dear.
Just look what happened yo you down in the South. when you got tired of being treated as you were and wanted out the club...
...so you could enjoy the fruits of your labors...well, somebody's labor.(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0JReb7fVPU-Z0pqDNgCPrdO9HkgtDP1LgJt31txV5mkIE-Mv6ng)
And what did the South get when forced back into the club? Carpetbaggers of the worst kind.
NSA created 'European bazaar' to spy on EU citizens, Snowden tells European Parliament (http://www.itworld.com/security/408585/nsa-created-european-bazaar-spy-eu-citizens-snowden-tells-european-parliament)
The NSA has been pressuring EU member states to change their laws to enable mass surveillance, according to Snowden. This is done through NSA's Foreign Affairs Division (FAD), he said, adding that lawyers from the NSA and GCHQ work very hard "to search for loopholes in laws and constitutional protections that they can use to justify indiscriminate, dragnet surveillance operations that were at best unwittingly authorized by lawmakers," he said.
Vorratsdatenspeicherung, anyone? :right:
I have a nagging suspicion that the BND knew about all this all along and sharing data with the NSA ( and the other way around ) was their way to get around the limits on data collection set by german law.
I have a nagging suspicion that the BND knew about all this all along ...
Of course they did. What do you think they are for? To count sheep?
And it came to Merkel's knowledge by reading our media :)
That was one of her funniest statement.
BTW, didn't she ask Obama to join the five ears?
Thankfully he said NEIN.
I have a nagging suspicion that the BND knew about all this all along ...
Of course they did. What do you think they are for? To count sheep?
Nah, they're for screwing up shipments of agricultural machinery to Israel :right:
And it came to Merkel's knowledge by reading our media :)
That was one of her funniest statement.
Now that's a very, very low bar :right:
BTW, didn't she ask Obama to join the five ears?
Thankfully he said NEIN.
They're already in bed with the NSA, so that's kinda redundant.
And what did the South get when forced back into the club? Carpetbaggers of the worst kind.
It took a while, but eventually it got this.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sfstractor.com%2Fassets%2FUploads%2FProducts%2Fimages%2F_resampled%2Fcroppedimage225150-7660CP.jpg&hash=c4811bcf52b97d4b0e4b74883c9e1a2e" rel="cached" data-hash="c4811bcf52b97d4b0e4b74883c9e1a2e" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.sfstractor.com/assets/Uploads/Products/images/_resampled/croppedimage225150-7660CP.jpg)
Had the South won the war, how would it differ today? Some think that the outcome would have yielded as many as five separate countries. How would those countries have responded to Hitler? Japan? Would Japan even have attacked Hawaii?
Had the South won the war, how would it differ today? Some think that the outcome would have yielded as many as five separate countries. How would those countries have responded to Hitler? Japan? Would Japan even have attacked Hawaii?
Some of them would probably have joined the axis.
I seem to recall that a certain someone found such grand American traditions as the Bellamy salute, the oath of allegiance, and segregation hella inspiring. :no:
I seem to recall that a certain someone found such grand American traditions as the Bellamy salute, the oath of allegiance, and segregation hella inspiring. :no:
Not to mention all those euthanasia programs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics_in_the_United_States#Euthanasia_programs).
I seem to recall that a certain someone found such grand American traditions as the Bellamy salute, the oath of allegiance, and segregation hella inspiring. :no:
I was there and NEVER did that. Nor did any of my classmates. We did do this one, however.
The Internet can make you post the most outrageous things. Still, the Bellamy salute was used in many places.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fundergod.procon.org%2Fimages%2Fsite%2Ftimeline%2F300x350%2Fnew-pledge-salute.jpg&hash=a8e3bf5d928ebad6d5494d7155a49a0b" rel="cached" data-hash="a8e3bf5d928ebad6d5494d7155a49a0b" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://undergod.procon.org/images/site/timeline/300x350/new-pledge-salute.jpg)
This just in from Belgium. Date 13.02.2014
Belgian lawmakers vote on euthanasia for kids
Belgium's second house of parliament is set to decide on legalizing active medically assisted suicide for children. The planned expansion of the euthanasia law for adults has been hotly debated for months.
It does look overly nationalistic. Is it the case that the stars and stripes are in every classroom? If so with respect it does I'm afraid look a bit over the top.
It does look overly nationalistic. Is it the case that the stars and stripes are in every classroom? If so with respect it does I'm afraid look a bit over the top.
It's damned stupid. I found this when I checked online. Our Republican friends initiated it.
"The bills require public schools to display a United States flag in each classroom or other site in which students say the Pledge of Allegiance. Starting next school year, an
opportunity to recite the pledge must be provided to students each school day."
"
Students could not be forced to say the pledge against their will."
My guess is that the pressure applied by other students would make that difficult.
I don't remember if flags were present in the schools I attended, but I suspect that they weren't. WWII might have affected that later.
They weren't in classrooms when I taught, nor are they now. A flag is displayed outside each school.
"The bills require public schools to display a United States flag in each classroom or other site in which students say the Pledge of Allegiance. Starting next school year, an opportunity to recite the pledge must be provided to students each school day."
Talk about unfortunate implications. Not even eastern germany had flags in each class room or required nationalistic rituals every day ( heck, where I grew up they barely did it once a year )
"Students could not be forced to say the pledge against their will."
My guess is that the pressure applied by other students would make that difficult.
That's the idea. Pretend it's voluntary while everyone knows it's not. More unfortunate implications.
I don't remember if flags were present in the schools I attended, but I suspect that they weren't. WWII might have affected that later.
They weren't in classrooms when I taught, nor are they now. A flag is displayed outside each school.
Same at the school my little girl's attending. The one I went to put up the flag on some select holidays and that was it.
Talk about unfortunate implications. Not even eastern germany had flags in each class room or required nationalistic rituals every day ( heck, where I grew up they barely did it once a year )
I don't know what the implications are. I don't like it, but don't see it as significant. There's a growing movement to back off of our bad habit of international meddling.
My grandboys don't strike me as dangerous stormtroopers.
Talk about unfortunate implications. Not even eastern germany had flags in each class room or required nationalistic rituals every day ( heck, where I grew up they barely did it once a year )
I don't know what the implications are. I don't like it, but don't see it as significant.
Well, the people who ran the place before were kind of big on flags, oaths of allegiance, nationalistic rituals, oppressing minorities, warmongering etc.
My grandboys don't strike me as dangerous stormtroopers.
There's a bunch of idiots that would like them to be.
I think jimbro is on the right direction. Why it is felt a dedicated requirement to have the national flag in every classroom seems a wee bitty ludicrous. The children and youths know their flag and sticking it everywhere is a bit over the top and overly nationalistic. You can respect a flag without having it stuck in your face everywhere and equally everywhere you go in a classrom. As I say it is one thing having a basic flag respect but it is overdone in this matter.
The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording “100 percent” of a foreign country’s telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former contractor Edward Snowden.
At the request of U.S. officials, The Washington Post is withholding details that could be used to identify the country where the system is being employed or other countries where its use was envisioned.
source (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-surveillance-program-reaches-into-the-past-to-retrieve-replay-phone-calls/2014/03/18/226d2646-ade9-11e3-a49e-76adc9210f19_story.html)
Only pariah countries and criminals are frightened by U.S. surveillance so I see no reason for the request of U.S. officials to withhold details about the country where the system is being employed or other countries where its use was envisioned.
Eh - only pariah countries need be frightened (Merkel for example, etc) ? For goodness sake what right does the US have to do this on such a wide scale. It always falls back on the 2 old hoary ones such as "security" and " defending our interest." There is no God-given right for this at all and is a nonsense. It is highly imperial and dictatorial and wants to think it has a right to run the planet and stuff everyone else. Unbelievable supremacists ideas and immoral.
Angela Merkel is in good company according to a top secret chart of the NSA. :left:
(https://prod01-cdn01.cdn.firstlook.org/wp-uploads/sites/1/2014/03/merkel-nymrod.png)
source (https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/03/29/der-spiegel-nsa-ghcq-hacked-german-companies-put-merkel-list-122-targeted-leaders/)
Angela Merkel is in good company according to a top secret chart of the NSA.
She'd be in good company in DnD.
:beer: (https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Feconomictimes.indiatimes.com%2Fthumb%2Fmsid-21949198%2Cwidth-300%2Cresizemode-4%2Fangela-merkel-toasts-with-beer.jpg&hash=7c99734e630749c1dd0be0a5f5089c03" rel="cached" data-hash="7c99734e630749c1dd0be0a5f5089c03" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/thumb/msid-21949198,width-300,resizemode-4/angela-merkel-toasts-with-beer.jpg) :drunk:
And she has got on well with Putin. She is also a very clever cookie by all accounts. I would phone here but I don't want what we chat aobut to be broadcast everywhere.....
BWA-hahahaha!!
Excuse me, this is too good.
(rolls on floor, holding my sides)
Weeeeee!! I don't know when I've seen such a "Pot calls the kettle black" headline
After Edward Snowden revealed that our spook agencies are collecting reams of data on friend and foe alike, citizen and stranger, I now come into possession of an article where the US actually has the gumption to accuse another nation of spying. In this case, the other nation is Israel.
Now, anybody who has spent any time reading the spy novels will know that Israel has a well-deserved reputation for spying, and not always being too careful in differentiating between friend and foe. They're pretty good at the game, so good that sometimes our own agencies collaborate with them when they need info on Middle Eastern affairs amongst other things.
What makes this a howl is the idea that the US, after being caught with its pants down this badly over the Snowden business (which, incidentally, that business is still not over) would dare accuse another nation of overstepping the bounds where spying is concerned. We have agencies that have tried to learn more about everybody than even God is supposed to know, and they would dare to say somebody else is going too far.
Well, here's the article that gives rise to my attack of mirth, enjoy:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html)
Well, here's the article that gives rise to my attack of mirth, enjoy:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-accuses-israel-of-alarming-even-terrifying-levels-of-spying-9341264.html)
quoting Obama administration officials, these activities have “crossed red lines”
Uff, another red line crossed!
Spying isn't uncommon. I don't know if this list is exhaustive, but it isn't a short one. It includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Germany, France, Zimbabwe, Syria, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan.
According to Russia Times (rt.com),
Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and several other EU countries were named among “third party partners” in the NSA-led global signal intelligence program, a new leak submitted by journalist Glenn Greenwald to Danish TV reveals.
According to the document, obtained by Swedish TV program ‘Mission: Investigate’, that has been probing Sweden's participation in global spying operations, nine European countries were added to the list of NSA accomplices.
The "third party partners" to the Five Eyes nations has now grown to include nine states - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
I don't trust my country's politicians, so why would I trust the leaders of other countries, including those of the Vatican?
BWA-hahahaha!!
Excuse me, this is too good.
(rolls on floor, holding my sides)
Weeeeee!! I don't know when I've seen such a "Pot calls the kettle black" headline
That's a good one indeed :insane: :lol:
What makes this a howl is the idea that the US, after being caught with its pants down this badly over the Snowden business (which, incidentally, that business is still not over) would dare accuse another nation of overstepping the bounds where spying is concerned. We have agencies that have tried to learn more about everybody than even God is supposed to know, and they would dare to say somebody else is going too far.
Weapon grade hypocrisy. You know, when we do it it's fighting terrorism, when others do it we throw a fit of faux outrage. Then again, Israel of all places could probably make a far more convincing case of fighting terrorism if they wanted to.
Spying isn't uncommon. I don't know if this list is exhaustive, but it isn't a short one. It includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Germany, France, Zimbabwe, Syria, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan.
We
know the german spooks are in bed with the NSA. We
know they have access to at least part of the NSA data and provided some software to dig through it. We strongly suspect that this cooperation happens at least in part to get around constitutional limits on domestic spying in .de.
It is a shame he has to find somewhere else to live even though he has indicated he would love to be in his home country. Trouble is that the political system in his homeland is not as honest as it should be and much of what he imparted was a disgrace by the DC brigade.
Spying isn't uncommon. I don't know if this list is exhaustive, but it isn't a short one. It includes Russia, Iran, North Korea, South Korea, Bahrain, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Germany, France, Zimbabwe, Syria, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, Japan.
Spying is one thing, mass surveillance of everyone, whether suspected of criminal activity or having valuable information or not, is something slightly different.
A fair point there by any reasonableness with that reply. When a country gets to the almost fanatical zeal of such widespread control and intrigue something very basic has been lost.