Snowden says 'significant threats' to his life

[bemildred]

Source: Chicago Tribune/Reuters

BERLIN (Reuters) - Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden told German TV on Sunday about reports that U.S. government officials want to assassinate him for leaking secret documents about the NSA's collection of telephone records and emails.

In what German public broadcaster ARD said was Snowden's first television interview, Snowden also said he believes the NSA has monitored other top German government officials along with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Snowden told ARD that he felt there are "significant threats" to his life but he said that he nevertheless sleeps well because he believes he did the right thing by informing the public about the NSA's activities.

"I'm still alive and don't lose sleep for what I did because it was the right thing to do," said Snowden at the start of what ARD said was a six-hour interview that was filmed in a Moscow hotel suite. ARD aired 40 minutes of the six-hour interview.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-security-snowden-germany-20140126,0,1904145.story

[lamp_shade]

1. He's full of shit.

[jaysunb]

4. +1 n/t

[riderinthestorm]

6. Full of shit about the threats? Because those are an undisputed reality

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024346812

[cstanleytech]

11. Just because some people might want to do it doesnt = a fact that its going to be done.

Furthermore imo I honestly dont think the US government would try it because it would just end up biting it in the ass especially since hes inside the borders of a major foreign power.

[riderinthestorm]

20. Oh so people who receive death threats should just discount them because they "may" not happe

Really?

The SS shouldn't worry about the death threats to Obama? Celebrities should just blow it off? Divisive figures like the Dixie Chicks are hyperventilating?

You're absolutely right that a death threat doesn't necessarily mean its a fait d'accomplis.

But to tell the threatened party to blow it off because you dislike that person is pretty shitty imho.

Cause people actually do receive death threats. And are killed.

[cstanleytech]

22. Never said he should ignore it rider just that imo

(which means in my opinion which last time I checked we are still allowed to have here on the DU) I dont believe he has to much to fear from such a thing being carried it out for a number of reasons.

[riderinthestorm]

27. You're responding in a subthread that Snowden is "full of shit" for being concerned

and appear to be saying that just because there's threats doesn't mean he's in danger.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you? You appear to be denigrating his concern for his life and safety.

I think death threats against anyone are pretty crappy. I even believe there were death threats against GW Bush and Dick Cheney, who I truly hate, that need swift and immediate response from protective powers. I'd never so cavalierly dismiss death threats against anyone as being ridiculous to "fear"....

[cstanleytech]

34. No he has a concern but how big of a concern is the question.

Last edited Sun Jan 26, 2014, 10:20 PM - Edit history (2)

After all there are a number of factors to consider from the insurance policy he has with those encrypted files which the government has no clue as to whats in them in the event that anything should happen to him to him being protected inside Russia which is a major global superpower.
All those together are probably more than enough to give just about any government pause including the US.

[George II]

25. Sorry, the "Booman Tribune" won't convince anyone with a brain that it's an undisputed reality.

[karynnj]

31. That article is based on a buzzfeed article by a new editor, who worked for Glenn Beck

In it he cites anonymous sources - ok, for a reporter who has built up credibility -- not so much for a person who did media for Glenn Beck.

[BenzoDia]

8. +1.

[cantbeserious]

12. Your Opinion And Your Opinion Only - Others See Things Quite Differently

eom

[Demenace]

26. Is this all you post on all threads?

The poster knows that is his or her opinion, he or she did not ask you to validate it!

[cantbeserious]

45. Your Opinion And Your Opinion Only

[Hissyspit]

52. You have a problem with knee-jerk repetitive substance-free responses?

Many people here don't seem to have a problem with them at all. They're the only reaction to Snowden they have.

[DeSwiss]

21. ....

[reACTIONary]

36. +10 My Reaction Exactly (nt)

[PatrynXX]

41. He's full of shit until he becomes an American again and comes back from Russia. I half expect him

to go to North Korea next

[cantbeserious]

46. Your Opinion And Your Opinion Only

eom

[Cryptoad]

43. Snowdy is such a drama junky,,,,,,

[Cha]

57. So true..

[treestar]

63. This ^^^^^^^^^^^

He's putting out a daily statement now.

Who would bother with killing him? Nobody has any motive.

[cvoogt]

48. Only because he just ate

/nt

[dawn frenzy adams]

55. INDEED!

A big, fat, stinking, running, oozing, boatload full.

[another_liberal]

71. When you come right down to it . . .

Isn't everybody?

[AtheistCrusader]

77. “I would love to put a bullet in his head,” one Pentagon official told BuzzFeed.

http://www.rationalskepticism.org/news-politics/i-d-love-to-put-a-bullet-in-edward-snowden-s-head-t43586.html


So, who's full of shit now?

[Demeter]

79. You know, there's a lot of interesting connotations with your non de guerre

"lamp shade" evokes the stereotype drunk at a party, plus the dimming of light or "shady business".

[Indi Guy]

2. Here's to you Mr. Snowden

[1000words]

3. .

[TwilightGardener]

5. Those Buzzfeed leaked "threats" from supposed Pentagon/CIA officials were an interesting

psychological tactic. He probably doesn't sleep all that well.

[bemildred]

19. That's an interesting point.

I still have not seen any source but Buzzfeed for that. (Other than a few bloviating Congresspersons and the abstract musings of bureaucrats).

[Ash_F]

7. Yeah right wing totalitarianists will do that. /nt

[allinthegame]

9. Gee

He is turning into the Paris Hilton of "I have to be in the news"
Must be the weather

[last1standing]

10. It always amazes me when people ask to be kept in the dark.

I guess ignorance really is bliss for some.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

18. Indolent subserviience is the new black...or dark that supposed democrats are buying in bulk.

Question: Would the same crowd which reviles that Snowden blew the lid off of the NSA cheer if he was assassinated by a drone/hellfire strike?

[last1standing]

23. Quick answer: Yes.

Long answer: With bells on.

[blkmusclmachine]

38. last1standing, the "in the dark" phenomenon is also known as the

It's
O
K
If
A
Democrat
Is
Doing
It

=

IOKIADIDI

[last1standing]

40. Yep. A phenomenon just as shameful as it's IOKIARIDI counterpart.

From this point on, I'll support Democrats who support democracy and the people. I will not support anyone merely because they're on Team Blue.

[Titonwan]

51. I second that. n/t.

[cantbeserious]

13. Your Opinion And Your Opinion Only

eom

[Demenace]

28. I see, this is your standard reponse to anything you do not understand...

[cantbeserious]

44. Your Opinion And Your Opinion Only

eom

[cantbeserious]

81. The Reply Was To A Poster That Could Not Distinguish Between Their Opinion And Others

eom

[tofuandbeer]

86. Oh. But I saw it about 6 times in the post. Maybe it was to the same person. Apologies, then.

[PatrynXX]

42. Paris Hilton usually isn't in the news

maybe Miley or Sarah Palin after the Republicans went after her in 2008 I don't think she has all that much reliable loyalty to the Right

[WatermelonRat]

14. What point would there be to assassinating him?

The genie's already out of the bottle, killing him would only make him into a martyr and make the backlash against them worse. In fact, his death would so extensively be to the NSA's detriment that Snowden should be more worried about third party groups.

[bemildred]

15. Well yeah, and then there is the dead-man's switch he set up.

But logic won't take you very far when the subject is politics.

[davidpdx]

16. In fact his death would likely result in another investigation

How many are going on already? I've lost track.

[Ash_F]

17. People get mad. Kill people.

Not everything in politics is realpolitik.

[Thinkingabout]

32. Big K & R watermelonrat, why in the hell would we kill him, as I have heard before,

He is not worth the lead it would take to kill him. If he is sleeping well at night then the death threats is probably just another fictional movie going off only in his head. The Russians will probably be the ones to kill him.

[Ed Suspicious]

70. Just to show you don't mess with the powers that be in the US of A, maybe.

[Demeter]

78. I don't think that would stop Drone Boy, frankly. He doesn't need a point, just an excuse.

He practically shit in his pants on prime time over Snowden. He disgraced himself. No drama became a has-been.

[DeSwiss]

24. These clowns obviously haven't considered the idea......

...that he may have made arrangements for the full release of ALL documents in the event of his untimely death.

- I know that's what I'd do.

K&R

[Demenace]

29. Then, why is he worried about the possibilities?

Play in the big leagues, expect the big league drop kicks, no?

[DeSwiss]

30. You've obviously been watching too many Hollywood movies. n/t

[Laughing Mirror]

82. You are hearing things

and what you are hearing is the opposite of what Snowden said.

How does Snowden's saying "There are significant threats but I sleep very well" translate into him being "worried about the possibilities"?

[dawn frenzy adams]

58. Frankly!

I don't think he has shyte. What has he told us that we didn't already know? If he revealed something of importance about an incident like 9-11, or some intelligence about our elections, perhaps he would be more believable.

[DeSwiss]

75. Yes, of course.

That's why he was charged under the Espionage Act. He has nothing.

- Sometimes if you say things out loud first you can avoid embarrassing yourself. Just an idea......

On edit: Oh, so you knew that the NSA was putting backdoors into computers and servers and routers at the plants, did you? Fancy that.

[ronnie624]

84. How did you know

that the DEA was using NSA data to prosecute drug crimes, and then retroactively covering its investigative trail, before it was revealed by Snowden? Do tell.

If this doesn't send a chill down everyone's spine, I can't imagine what sort of abuses by authority would.

[Demenace]

33. People, I would have thought Snowden, his enablers here and in South America would have seen this...

Wait for it, ... coming! So, just going by his reasoning, he would expose National security secrets of a host of countries anytime he wants and decide whose live he puts at risk since there are people who are working loyally for their country out there, whose lives Snowden holds in the palm of his hands but somehow he did not see the possibilities that some nation, some where whose secrets he is exposing weekly will not have a desire to bring this to an end?

I would have thought that would be the first item on my list of issue to take into consideration, right next to knowing how to properly work the asylum process and not traveling east only to be stuck in Siberia while trying to head south like the birds of summer!

Heck, he could have done better visually following the migrating birds to his intended home in south America and this is the dude, people celebrate as some wizard!

[blkmusclmachine]

35. Well, DUH. He's a dead man if he comes back.

[msongs]

37. the current adminstration has a long list of people killed because of its policies nt

[blkmusclmachine]

39. They could just Drone him. That's why BHO asked for 30,000 armed Drones to patrol your neighborhood.

I think they expect to be looking for a lot of people in the future. Why??? Only the G0V"T knows ...

[onehandle]

47. If we were planning to make him dead, he would be dead.

His 15 minutes are up.

[Mr.Bill]

49. The Russians

will probably kill him once he is of no value to them.

[Titonwan]

54. You don't know Putin

He's dearly holding onto Snowden to show the world just how hypocritical the U.S. is. And how arrogant a declining empire shows it's vanity.
Ed knew this going in- that his life would be in peril. He didn't just realize this.
His is a tale of bravery and patriotism, personified.

[Demeter]

80. Fascinating!

Hosting a political refugee doesn't get old...it always gives a government street credit with other nations.

In fact, there's a certain nation that used to be famous for providing refuge to the politically persecuted. France sent a statue of Liberty to honor that nation.

Of course, that was before our time....

[Zorro]

50. The Russians are a much bigger threat to his life than the US

I think they're much more inclined to pop off Fast Eddie once they get all the useful intel data out of him they can, and then sit back and watch all the ensuing brouhaha with the US catching the blame.

I seriously doubt that Putin has much respect for him.

[randome]

56. Putin, I would think, respects strength.

Snowden is whiny and childish. "Please let me go back to America!"

He threw his entire, unfinished life away to tell us that the NSA spies on other countries. What a waste of everyone's time.
[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]

[Titonwan]

66. And yet every time he opens his mouth

the world pays attention. The whole world. You? Me? Not so much.
Edward's revelations are still coming out. You can't stop them. I suggest you get used to your new Edward Snowden world. It's not going away.
Resistance is futile.

[SummerSnow]

53. Didnt his daddy tell him to stop talking?

[dawn frenzy adams]

59. He can't!

He's a narcissist.

[SoapBox]

60. No shit Sherlock!

DUH!

Comrade Eddie, Media Whore, you plot and plan your way to steal National secrets (whether they be right or wrong), you run off from your girlfriend, family and country to a couple of skeezy countries, yapping your flap none stop (aka, putting a knife in the back of the United States at every chance).

And you might wonder why there are threats?

What a stupid fuck you are.

[jaysunb]

62. +1 n/t

[micraphone]

76. "steal National secrets" ?????

The whole world (ask Angela Merkel) is up in arms about the the industrial strength spying on citizens of the WORLD that Snowden gave us the absolute truth about.

You seem to think this intrusion on you, my and everyone elses privacy is just fine.

There may indeed be "stupid fucks", as you put it, around here - but Ed Snowden is NOT one of them. Welcome to ignore.

[4now]

61. Delusions of grandeur

Among other mental problems.

[Maedhros]

74. I bet all 26 of your posts are variants of this one.

Did you draw it from the hat?

[colbertforpresident]

64. He be

Suicided.

[StoneCarver]

65. Snowden told us

Snowden told us what we already suspected. So now it's up to us to suck up the truth and make the US of A the place we want it to be. I don't know if he's in it for the media attention or not. But he's taken a great risk to show us the facts. Many of you laptop jockeys are ready to throw him under the bus. I'm not. I wish you were as patriotic as you pretend to be. Patriotism is pretty easy when you're sitting in your warm leather chair -Typing a bunch of letters. None of you probably lifted more than a beer for your country and freedom. Go the people! -The USA of Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt.
Stonecarver.

[hrmjustin]

67. I hope he remains safe.

[Ed Suspicious]

69. I see the hatred of him here and find myself thinking he doesn't stand a chance with the FOX viewing

public.

[riderinthestorm]

83. +1. The seething rage on this thread alone is disquieting. nt

[ronnie624]

85. Definitely NOT a product of progressivism. n/t

[another_liberal]

72. I hope he is very careful.

I want to see him live to receive his Medal of Freedom in person.

[snot]

73. People like Snowden are our country's main hope.

And I'm pretty sure many 1%'er's would like to wipe him and his genes out of existence.

[Whisp]

87. Idiot Jackwagon Speaks again. n/t

[LiberalLovinLug]

88. Of course he must have death threats.

If even posters on a so-called liberal website like this want him strung up. The goose-stepping authoritarians in here that are in fear of information, are pathetic and their desperation is showing.

He should be executed by drone or brought back here to face the gallows, and many public figures have said as much

.......

Yet if Snowden himself admits he is in fear of his life from threats....well then its all in his head.



He revealed State secrets, mostly multinationals (with no American loyalties) industrial spying and besides he has embarrassed our dear leader.

......

Yet he revealed nothing new, and no one has died....nothing to look at....move along.


He is an egomaniac and craves to be famous, and this fact negates any "good" he has done in spurring conversion on the NSA

......

Yet it has nothing to do with a 24/7 news media who is the actual vehicle that creates celebrity whether they want it or not. That somehow Snowden himself is directing the world's media to talk about him.


And do you ever notice that in threads like this its usually the first onslaught of posts that are represented by these poor frightened individuals that would trade in their hard fought liberties for the comfort of a warm chain. And then they slowly disappear as the thread grows and they realize they have nothing to stand on. Snowden represents to them someone that they could never have the courage to be themselves. Someone that pokes a hole into their cocoon. And rather than being thankful for that ray of light, they scream and whine and insist the hole be patched up so they cannot see out anymore.

[bemildred]

89. Comments:

1.) It has been clear as long as I've been here that this site attracts all sorts, and a variety of paid or unpaid minders who will attempt to get a lick in at the top of the thread in the vain hope that it will color what follows it. This probably works sometimes, people often do not spend the time to read the whole thread before commenting (very often).

1.a) Sounds like a job/hobby guaranteed to turn your brain to mush in short order.

2.) I expect the government would like to try and punish him, make an example of him, so to speak, so as to discourage copycats, not kill him. They would not be freaking out near as much if he was "under control".

2.a) On the other hand, freelancers can be expected in his case, jobs and careers are threatened by his actions. As you note, there are very angry people over this.

Obama's apostasy over cannabis seems to be arousing a similar dynamic in Drug War(tm) LEOs.