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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAmy Goodman: Edward Snowden and the Architecture of Oppression
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/13-3Published on Thursday, June 13, 2013
Edward Snowden and the Architecture of Oppression
by Amy Goodman
Edward Snowden revealed himself this week as the whistleblower responsible for perhaps the most significant release of secret government documents in U.S. history. The former CIA staffer and analyst for the private intelligence consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton spoke to journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Barton Gellman in Hong Kong, providing convincing evidence that the U.S. government, primarily the National Security Agency, is conducting massive, unconstitutional surveillance globally, and perhaps most controversially, on almost all, if not all, U.S. citizens.
(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
The chorus of establishment condemnation was swift and unrelenting. Jeffrey Toobin, legal pundit, quickly blogged that Snowden is a grandiose narcissist who deserves to be in prison. New York Times columnists chimed in, with Thomas Friedman writing, I dont believe that Edward Snowden, the leaker of all this secret material, is some heroic whistle-blower. His colleague David Brooks engaged in speculative psychoanalysis of Snowden, opining, [t]hough obviously terrifically bright, he could not successfully work his way through the institution of high school. Then he failed to navigate his way through community college.
Snowdens educational path has attracted significant attention. U.S. senators oh-so-gently questioned NSA Director Gen. Keith B. Alexander and others at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, including liberal Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, echoing Brooks incredulity that someone with a GED could possibly hoodwink the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus. Alexander confessed, In the IT arena, in the cyber arena, some of these people have skills to operate networks. That was his job for the most part; he had great skills in the area. The rest of it youve hit on the head. We do need to go back and look at the processes - where we went wrong.
Legendary whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg countered the criticism, writing, In my estimation, there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowdens release of NSA materialand that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago. Snowdens whistleblowing gives us the possibility to roll back a key part of what has amounted to an executive coup against the U.S. Constitution.
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Amy Goodman: Edward Snowden and the Architecture of Oppression (Original Post)
G_j
Jun 2013
OP
"Snowden’s whistleblowing gives us the possibility to roll back a key part of what has amounted to
liberal_at_heart
Jun 2013
#1
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)1. "Snowden’s whistleblowing gives us the possibility to roll back a key part of what has amounted to
an executive coup against the US Constitution."
My thoughts exactly.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)2. Amy Goodman is nothing but a ratfucker.
I read that right here on DU a few days ago.
Love me some Amy -- one of the very few I trust completely.
Puglover
(16,380 posts)3. Honest to God?
Someone said that? Really? Wow.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)5. Honest to god.
It floored me when I read that. Here. Unflippin' believable.
Puzzledtraveller
(5,937 posts)4. k&r