Why Can't Snowden come home?

[DearAbby]

If it was for his physical protection he has it. US cant so much lean on him without the Global community watching. Out of sight too long and the world would start asking questions. So I would say he has the protection he was seeking right here at home. Then he could man up and tell us what we need to know, legally.

[KittyWampus]

1. He's been out of sight since the beginning. Maybe there is no Snowden. Or the entity

that's been presented throughout this whole story is very largely fabricated.

[99Forever]

2. Yeah... sure...

... what could possibly go wrong for him?

I mean the NSA and it's apologists have SO upfront and honest in the past.

[DearAbby]

4. that really doesn't tell me much...

is he a patriot or not? Why cant he come home? Unless he wants to become that TOM HANKS character living on vending food for the duration. Why not come to the country you love and tell us what he feels is so important. For that matter, who is stopping him from telling us everything right now, and do have evidence.

[99Forever]

9. Sorry, not buying it.

It has been explained a multitude of times, not just on this site, but many other places. I'm not going down the rabbithole for you. I don't care what your or anyone else's opinion is of Snowden, not in the least.

I do care about the NSA spying on citizens in a clear violation of the Constitution.

Do you?

[99th_Monkey]

27. *C*R*I*C*K*E*T*S eom

[cali]

24. Who cares if he's a patriot and what's so fucking great about being one?

He could come home, but the odd are great that he'd be ill treated by our government.

btw, I'm glad to say I am not a patriot. it's bullshit and largely nationalism or meaningless pageantry and mumbled recitations at sports games.

[marions ghost]

37. Is he a patriot?

Depends on your meaning of the word. Some don't think so. And the ones that don't think so would not treat him well if he came back here.

Next question?

[Thinkingabout]

5. Honest like Snowden was when he applied for the job, I guess he put on his job application I want to

Spy and Lie and give any information to foreign sources. I don't care if he ever makes it back to the US. He needs to be officially deported.

[99Forever]

11. An authoritarian apologist...

... ranting about "honesty?"

Bwahahahahahahahahahaha.


Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!

[Thinkingabout]

21. A great answer from those who hasn't any other reason to validate the actions of the patsy

Snowden or his puppeteers. I don't care what name you give the results are the same, spy and lie all grouped together.

[99Forever]

32. Sorry...

... me no grok authoritarian gibberish. Or weasel words. Which describes everything you have.

[Thinkingabout]

34. Now just why do you think it is necessary to start calling names, is this the best you have got to

Offer?

[99Forever]

36. Names?

People who carry water for their authoritarian masters are still authoritarians.

Don't like being called an authoritarian, do you? Then I suggest you stop doing their dirty work for them.

[Thinkingabout]

38. Does that mean the same as weasel, but guess being called an authoritarian is a sign of a law

Abiding citizen and this is good but don't get on the weasel street.

[99Forever]

40. Weasel WORDS.

That means WORDS that are tailored to HIDE truth.

IOW, a disingenuous pile of hoo ha.

[Thinkingabout]

42. I dont think you can be helped

[99Forever]

47. I don't recollect asking for help.

Yours, least of all.

[Hugabear]

3. Because he'd be spending the rest of his life in a Supermax prison?

He'd be safe, no doubt...But that's about it

[LuvNewcastle]

6. Because he isn't an utter fool.

"Home" now is a place where he would likely be tortured and imprisoned for the rest of his life. He's got to find a new home now.

[DearAbby]

14. what if all great reformers did that...

they just ran off to live in Bolivia. Then what? he grows wheat? When is he going to tell us what it is we need to know, do we have to pay him or something? Is this greed or patriotism?

[LuvNewcastle]

18. Up until now I've done pretty well at staying out

of these troll threads. I don't know why I chose to answer your disingenuous question to begin with. Lesson learned. Forget I said anything.

[Warpy]

7. He knows about Gitmo. He knows about lifelong solitary.

He knows about waterboarding (and worse). He knows what they've done to Manning. He especially knows about rendition.

I doubt the international community would be motivated to do much in his favor.

If the government wants to know why he's not coming home to face the music, maybe they'd better check the kind of tune their orchestra has been playing.

[DearAbby]

10. We Snowden has his choices of Prisons

be a man without a country unable to leave, or come home and face up to the task, he claimed he was ready for, when he started this whole chain of events. You got our attention, and you got protection, the world will be watching, so I see no reason to delay, come home and tell us what was so important.

[Warpy]

12. The world will watch and do nothing.

You don't think they want to encourage their own whistle blowers, do you?

[DearAbby]

15. I don't think so Warpy

America will know she is being watched...we have a reputation to worry about. I believe Snowden would have the best by the book trial you will have ever seen. Imagine the ratings.

[cali]

25. seriously? our reputation is pretty sucky after Abu-Ghraib and Gitmo

not to mention our barbarous death penalty figures and the huge numbers of people we imprison.

you suffer under a delusion about our reputation on human rights.

[bobduca]

13. "Be a man"

oh brother, you are going to resort to challenging his manhood? Here's a clue your outburst toward Snowden won't ever be read by him, so why the play-acting drama ?

[DearAbby]

16. touche, my apologies

that was totally uncalled for.

[Thinkingabout]

8. Even Snowden has not released the "information" to his followers. It is time for the patsy to come

Clean and tell the real reason behind his cause. He did a Spy and Lie on the NSA, now it is time to SPY and LIE on his puppeteers.

[Downwinder]

17. He has no valid passport. He is on the no-fly list.

[Savannahmann]

19. Except that he would be locked down and denied access to anyone who wasn't his lawyer.

Then of course, there is the famous Government trick of denying the lawyer Top Secrete Clearances so they can view the evidence against their client. Then there is the insistence to inspect the defense materials constantly to make sure no Top Secret material goes out. Doubt me? It's going on right now in Guantanamo Bay. http://consortiumnews.com/2013/07/06/gitmos-kafkaesque-kangaroo-courts/

The attorney-client privilege is the oldest privilege for confidential communications in the common law. Yet defense attorneys are prevented from bringing written work product to client meetings without revealing the contents to the government, unless they are signed or written by the defense team. Counsel are forced to rely on their memories to discuss complex legal issues.

Because of the government’s ongoing interference with the attorney-client privilege, bin ‘Attash had not received written privileged communication from his defense counsel from October 2011 until May 2012, when counsel filed a motion barring invasion of attorney-client communications. This caused “profound damage to the relationship between Mr. bin ‘Attash and his counsel.”

In addition, prison authorities established a “privilege team” to screen items prisoners could have in their cells to prevent their possession of “informational contraband”(which is given such a broad definition it could include media reports on efforts to close Guantánamo). But the review team includes intelligence agents, and they need not keep the information confidential.

Then there is the trend of denying the Defendant access to his own hearings, because the Defendant doesn't hold Top Secret Clearance. http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/military-court-holds-session-so-secret-defendant-cant-attend-130628?news=850420

The U.S. military commission trials at Guantánamo recently held a pretrial hearing for the man accused of masterminding the October 12, 2000, bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen. What made this legal event noteworthy was the fact that the defendant wasn’t even allowed to attend because prosecutors insisted the information being revealed was so secret that the hearing had to be completely closed.

That is if the Lawyer is allowed to travel. Assange's lawyer was delayed at Heathrow because her name was on the Secret Watch List. You know, that list where we put Terror suspects. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2197003/Lawyer-Assange-detained-Heathrow-told-secret-watch-list.html

Now, I know, you'll say that this has nothing to do with Snowden, because he's a Civilian, and not in the Guantanamo Bay thing right? That would never happen in the United States. That would be illegal right?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-12-20/news/0112200224_1_terry-hillard-clients-fatal-shooting

Snowden is much safer where he is. The Russians won't rough him up, or hold him incommunicado, it serves their purposes to have him talking. It diminishes the fantasy that America is this great beacon of right and wonder and laws. The United States, in their infinite wisdom, is doing everything possible to reinforce this image as a rogue nation.

Why aren't they treating him like any other wanted man on the lamb? Why haven't they just sighed and waited until he turned up? No, We're busy violating more international laws, pissing off an entire CONTINENT, and that is just to get one guy. Tell me how, if we are willing to start a war to get this guy, he'll be safer in Federal Custody? Because I see a black site prison in his future.

[Laelth]

43. Great post. Thanks. n/t

-Laelth

[NoPasaran]

20. He has several overdue library books in his carryon luggage

The fines would bankrupt him.

[Motown_Johnny]

22. 7 laptops worth of overdue library books to be exact

[roamer65]

23. We could end this right now if we wanted.

Our government needs to offer him a clemency agreement in return for his future silence amd cooperation. If he ever breaks it, off to jail he goes. He also cannot leave the United States for 20-30 years.

[KamaAina]

26. Because there'd be a prison cell waiting for him

and no bail.

What would you do?

[Scurrilous]

28. No Pepsi in prison. n/t

[Th1onein]

29. You know what? I'm TIRED of hearing this "man up" $hit!

He's already "manned up." You'd never have known what your government was doing to your privacy without Snowden having stepped forward. Enough of the "man up" bullshit.

He's not an IDIOT. He's not coming back to a nation that has waged a war on whistleblowers and that TORTURES people. Use your head.

[MjolnirTime]

33. Whether he has the guts to face the music or not, it's going to play. He will go to prison.

Now he can only choose what to do in the little time he has left to make his own decisions.

[Th1onein]

52. No one should be subject to torture. NO ONE.

And I hope he gets away and lives a full and happy life, OUTSIDE of prison.

[99th_Monkey]

30. Exhibit A: Bradley Manning <--that is why. eom

[noamnety]

31. because he's not scooter libby, or ari fleischer, or cheney.

protections are for the 1%.

[marions ghost]

39. gotta second that

right, he has no "special protections"
That's for the 1%. Absolutely.

[Cleita]

35. They didn't have a problem dishing out cruel and inhumane treatment to Bradley

Manning while the Global community was watching or the American Taliban,John Walker Lindh before him. So it's no wonder some are suspicious that he won't be treated well either.

[davidn3600]

41. Since when has the US given a shit about the global community?

Many international human rights groups have bashed the US over its treatment of Bradley Manning. We completely ignore such comments.

The government would do to Snowden whatever they want. They don't care how they look in the eyes of the world. We have become a very arrogant country.

[Blackford]

44. Because he is a cowardly traitor. n/t

[baldguy]

45. Because he's a coward.

[arely staircase]

46. he's a coward nt

[CakeGrrl]

48. He CAN - he won't face responsibility for the laws he's broken.

People are in jail all over this country for breaking laws. But he should be an exception...why?

[Savannahmann]

49. Do we really want to get onto those who are falsely imprisoned?

I have a long list of the types of offenses that I and many others feel should be freed. Starting with people who were convicted of having drugs in the house, when it was a boyfriend/girlfriend/room mate/renter. The Prosecutors often admit that they have no evidence that the defendant is involved, but the law is the law, and the law says if you have it in the house, you go to jail.

Then there are those who practice things like BDSM. the law is pretty simple there too. If physical contact has been made, even if it is part of a game/scenario/lifestyle. The participants go to jail for domestic abuse. So if you spank your significant other, and get caught, then you're going to jail. Kinky lifestyles are apparently a violation of the law.

Or how about people who are victims of Domestic Violence getting fired/dispossessed because they had to call the police and the police rule that the occupants are a nuisance?

Or how about the people doing long time for possession of Marijuana?

Or how about the people who are doing time for crimes they never committed?

We have the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world, and you act like this is a good thing. Facing responsibility? For alerting the citizens of this nation, and the fellow human beings that the United States Government is conducting immoral, and unconstitutional surveillance on everyone?

55% of the nation's voters think this man is a Whistleblower. Rand Paul is jumping to the top of the potential Republican Candidate list in polling, and guess what, he claims to oppose this illegal spying. Now, are we going down with the ship? Or are we going to see which way the wind is blowing, and figure out that this unpopular crap needs to be dumped into the dustbin of history. Because if we aren't a damn sight more careful than we have been, we're going to have President Rand Paul to contend with.

Because the young, the kids born in the mid to late 90's, who are now coming of age, and totally technologically wired in will vote for the guy who promises to protect their privacy online. Now, I may think this particular generation has no clue what privacy means when they post every damned move on Facebook, but their opinions are what will help drive the next Presidential Election.

So think about that my friend. Because we are in danger of stubbornly driving this party right into the abyss.

[LuvNewcastle]

51. +1000

People are fed up and getting angrier by the day. They're sick and tired of the same old shit and they really despise the people who are telling them one thing and doing the opposite. Will the Democratic Party take advantage of this feeling and become the party of reform or will it follow the 3rd Way over the cliff? There isn't much time left to decide. Whose side are you on?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

50. He can tell us what we need to know from anywhere. Preferably from whereever he chooses.