Have We All Been Fooled By Edward Snowden?

[Galraedia]

At this point, the Edward Snowden saga seems to be running out of steam. The latest is that Venezuela and Nicaragua (out of at least 27 countries he asked) have offered him asylum so the story is almost at an end for now. The U.S. government will probably keep trying to extradite him so that they can prosecute but that may be years in coming. IF he manages to find asylum in the first place.


Through this whole business, I’ve remained of two minds about Snowden’s tale. While I am certain that what he has reported is true, I’m unsure of motivation. With what I have just read, though, I think I’m getting a clearer picture. One I will try to paint for you.

Snowden used to post on a website called Ars Technica: it’s a site for professional techies (“alpha geeks” is what the site says). He frequented the Internet Relay Chat rooms quite a lot, shooting the breeze with whoever happened by. This began when he was stationed in Geneva in 2007: an IT guy for the CIA in a foreign land, he probably enjoyed this little bit of home. His posts – under user name TheTrueHOOHA – from that time show someone who is decidedly unworldly: he complained about almost everything in Switzerland, from the price of food to the women. Over the years, he changed from an insulated, opinionated American into an opinionated, snarky ex-pat. One of the biggest changes in his opinions is what he thought of leakers. Back then, he was not a fan. In January of 2009, the following exchange took place in the chat room:

SNOWDEN: HOLY SHIThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/washington/11iran.html?_r=1&hp

SNOWDEN: WTF NYTIMES

SNOWDEN: Are they TRYING to start a war? Jesus christ they’re like wikileaks

User19: they’re just reporting, dude.

SNOWDEN: They’re reporting classified shit

User19: shrugs

User19: meh

SNOWDEN: moreover, who the fuck are the anonymous sources telling them this?

SNOWDEN: those people should be shot in the balls.

Read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/06/have-we-all-been-fooled-by-edward-snowden/#ixzz2YIIfR9rf

[villager]

1. Have we all been fooled by those in office sworn to uphold the Constitution?

[usGovOwesUs3Trillion]

2. That is the real, and much bigger question.

[backscatter712]

3. PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN! n/t

[woo me with science]

8. +4

[cherokeeprogressive]

15. Fooled by politicians?

Isn't that a little redundant?

[pecwae]

20. And we continue to be.

Some don't seem to mind as long as the fooler is of the same political party the foolee.

[madokie]

4. Some maybe but not me

I smelled a rat right from the start

[99Forever]

14. I did too.

That's rat spelled NSA.

[madokie]

16. Whatever

[99Forever]

23. Good to see you care so much ...

... about your fellow citizens Constitutional Rights.

You are so very patriotlike.

[Mojorabbit]

5. Why no, we haven't, or at least nothing has come up yet.

The story has not run out of steam so the article starts out with an untruth.
How many posts have we had with a similar title in the past week?

[HipChick]

6. I pointed this out before...plus I don't he will be able to cope for long in a foreign country

[cali]

7. sigh. do you care anything at all about the ever encroaching National Security State

and mass surveillance, or is this just all about Edward Snowden to you?

[Zorra]

12. I don't understand. You think mass surveillance by our National Security State is a problem?!?

Go figure.

[cthulu2016]

9. So the documents are all fake?

Unless that's your argument then you don't have an argument. How else could he have "fooled" me?

[Galraedia]

19. Some things that Snowden said are contradicted by some of the documents he released.

Example: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023137494

If Snowden was interested in the truth he wouldn't be making false claims and exaggerations.

[reformist2]

10. OMG, Snowden is not the issue, the NSA is!

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Have we been cheated by Booz Hamilton? Their employees seem to be problematic.

How can you, OP, be so crazed about the underling while unconcerned about the company that allowed him to do this? I find that to be a fully fragrant contradiction.

[think]

28. Perhaps the question should be: Have we been snowed by Booz Allen?

and Halliburton, Blackwater, Caci, Bechtel, The Carlyle Group....

[animato]

13. k and r

[CakeGrrl]

17. No, not all of us are fooled.

His "asylum" will end up being his just reward, while some of those supporting him sound like they're picking out a vacation spot for a job well done.

Short-term, non-reality based thinking prevails.

[Whisp]

18. apparently Ars Technica is not a reliable source

according to some here - Ars must have fudged in the copy or HOOHA was not Snowden - nevermind the pics of himself he posted! It's all the NSA trying to trick us! That cannot be true because it is not complimentary to Eddie the Great.

[villager]

21. Only NSA talking points are reliable. Better to dutifully swallow those whole, without question

n/t

[bvar22]

22. Fooled by Snowden?

NO.

Have some here been fooled by the Government LIES in its attempts to cover up the ever expanding Surveillance/Security State being constructed to protect the 1%
in violation of several Constitutional Prohibitions?



Clearly.

[allin99]

24. Sometimes you wake up to something and you change your opinion.

[Scurrilous]

25. K & R

[southernyankeebelle]

26. I don't know about anyone else but I'm sick and tired of hearing his name.

[Vinnie From Indy]

27. I hate pork rinds!

eom

[sibelian]

29. la la la la

[Rex]

30. Some people obviously are fooled and then some are just fools.

Nice hit piece.

[brush]

31. Snowden is whistle blower . . .

and a traitor.

That much is known.

I thank him for exposing NSA, but fuck him with the fleeing and turning over classified info to foreign countries.