If Snowden had been Russian or Chinese . . .

[markpkessinger]

. . . and it had been the Russian or Chinese government, respectively, whose conduct he had exposed. pols of both parties would be falling all over themselves to grant him permanent asylum. And we would be collectively congratulating ourselves for standing up for "human rights." Tells you something.

[geek tragedy]

1. It's impossible to expose Russia and China as totalitarian police states

since they really don't pretend to be anything else.

There's a reason there's no whistleblowing in those countries. Either you keep your mouth shut or you arrange to defect somewhere else.

[Gregorian]

2. Undeniably true.

I have to remember that kind of logic. It's used in engineering, and it worked here.

[frylock]

4. he'd probably be sitting next to the first lady at the next SOTU

[markpkessinger]

5. (!) n/t

[Igel]

6. Yes, but Snowdens are much less likely in those countries.

You'd need permission to leave China--just hopping on a plane is hard to do.

Moreover, their background checks are more thorough, they more quickly report suspicious intelligence workers, they ensure a higher degree of ethnic and national loyalty, and, finally, the Snowden daddy would suddenly find himself in a fair amount of distress if he were a Russian or Chinese citizen living in his home country.

Zey have vays of makink you loyal.

China, especially. Russia, not so much these days.

[usGovOwesUs3Trillion]

7. Excellent point, and they would ALL be tripping over themselves offering assylum

the hypocrisy knows no bounds with the partisan totalitarians.

But it is always good to call them out on it, so they don't inadvertently fool someone.

[Cha]

8. Everyone knows about Russia's "conduct" except apparently snowden.. Putin's puppet

Excerpt from Statement by Edward Snowden to human rights groups at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on July 12, 2013

"These nations, including Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador have my gratitude and respect for being the first to stand against human rights violations." "bad USA "

(Moscow) – The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society in the year since Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency that is unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/24/russia-worst-human-rights-climate-post-soviet-era

Dead Lawyer, a Kremlin Critic, Is Found Guilty of Tax Evasion

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/world/europe/russian-court-convicts-a-kremlin-critic-posthumously.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Oh yeah, it goes on and on..

"Russian Mayor, an Opposition Figure, Is Arrested"
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/world/europe/russian-mayor-an-opposition-figure-is-arrested.html?_r=0

Russian police detain dozens after clashes during gay rights march


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/29/russian-police-gay-rights

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/18/1224634/-Ironies-Abound-Snowden-Russia-Human-Rights

[markpkessinger]

9. Somebody should have told that to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn n/t

[jmowreader]

10. Not quite...

If Snowden had been Russian or Chinese and did these things to his government, he would have magically appeared in a courtroom for a huge show trial, soon after which his demise for reasons of ill health (lead poisoning) would have been reported.

[Cha]

11. thank you for some reality, jmowreader.

[markpkessinger]

12. So people expect Snowden to return to the U.S. for a show trial here . . .

. . . How much intellectual yoga does it require for one's brain to assume that pretzel shape? Just wondering ....

[jmowreader]

18. Back to the Russian/Chinese thing...

Russian and Chinese security services have a long and proud history of convincing you to return by grabbing you off the street, giving you an injection of "bliss" and loading you on an airplane going to the motherland.

[usGovOwesUs3Trillion]

13. Not if he was smart, like Snowden, he'd be sit'n next to Harry Reid at the next SOTU!

Edward Snowden is a modern day Paul Revere with a thumb drive full of news that Tyranny is coming!

Edward Snowden's Dad Calls Him 'Modern Day Paul Revere'
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/edward-snowdens-dad-calls-modern-day-paul-revere/story?id=19554337

Hmmm... who knew how influential a DU meme could be

[JackRiddler]

14. What if Snowden hadn't left the US before releasing the docs?

We wouldn't be talking about him. He'd be disappeared in the bowels of some dungeon for a loooooooooooooong time before ever appearing before a court for charges.

It hurts when your own country is like that, doesn't it? It's better to always have foreign countries to project it on.

Which one has the highest proportion of the population in prison, by the way?

[markpkessinger]

15. Thank you -- now THERE's a does of reality! n/t

[randome]

16. The same kind of hypocrisy shown by Russian politicians.

They demand the release of their own spies but say about Snowden, "Hey, there's nothing we can do! {wink}"

Politicians are politicians on either side of the ocean.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]