General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNorm Solomon: A Portrait of the Leaker (Snowden) as a Young Man
A Portrait of the Leaker as a Young Manby Norman Solomon * Common Dreams
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Why have Edward Snowdens actions resonated so powerfully for so many people?
The huge political impacts of the leaked NSA documents account for just part of the explanation. Snowdens choice was ultimately personal. He decided to take big risks on behalf of big truths; he showed how easy and hazardous such a step can be. He blew the whistle not only on the NSAs Big Brother surveillance but also on the fear, constantly in our midst, that routinely induces conformity.
Like Bradley Manning and other whistleblowers before him, Snowden has massively undermined the standard rationales for obedience to illegitimate authority. Few of us may be in a position to have such enormous impacts by opting for courage over fear and truth over secrecybut we know that we could be doing more, taking more risks for good reasonsif only we were willing, if only fear of reprisals and other consequences didnt clear the way for the bandwagon of the military-industrial-surveillance state.
Near the end of Franz Kafkas The Trial, the man in a parable spends many years sitting outside an open door till, near death, after becoming too weak to possibly enter, hes told by the doorkeeper: Nobody else could have got in this way, as this entrance was meant only for you. Now I'll go and close it."
Thats what Martin Luther King Jr. was driving at when he said, in his first high-risk speech denouncing the Vietnam War: In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity.
Edward Snowden was not too late. He refused to allow opportunity to be lost. He walked through the entrance meant only for him.
When people say I am Bradley Manning, or I am Edward Snowden, it can be more than an expression of solidarity. It can also be a statement of aspirationto take ideals for democracy more seriously and to act on them with more courage.
The artist Robert Shetterly has combined his compelling new portrait of Edward Snowden with words from Snowden that are at the heart of whats at stake: The public needs to know the kinds of things a government does in its name, or the consent of the governed is meaningless. . . The consent of the governed is not consent if it is not informed. Like the painting of Snowden, the quote conveys a deep mix of idealism, vulnerability and determination.
Edward Snowden has taken idealism seriously enough to risk the rest of his life, a choice that is to his eternal credit and to the worlds vast benefit. His decision to resist any and all cynicism is gripping and unsettling. It tells us, personally and politically, to raise our standards, lift our eyes and go higher into our better possibilities.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/07/18-0
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)they have the answer. Ignorance is bliss.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts).. You never know the influence you are having or not having, as
it's all becoming a non-local highly potentiated field, subject to sudden
changes.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)avaistheone1
(14,626 posts)Gregorian
(23,867 posts)I voted for him. I helped fund his campaign.
As usual, he hits it right on the head.
dreamnightwind
(4,775 posts)Also did a little volunteering for his campaign.
I think he'll run again, if so I plan to do more next time. This district deserves to be represented by one of the most progressive people in Congress, there are few districts farther to the left.
Gregorian
(23,867 posts)It was such a shock that he was thankful, and took the time to personally do it.
What a great person. Unlike the barrel scum we seem to collect in Congress.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)easily as they were in the past. The party won't back true progressives, it's true, but more and more people are going to refuse to back any Third Way candidate pushed on them by the leadership. We want Democrats now, enough with slapping a 'D' on some right winger and calling them a dem. We've done that. Not any more.
We need people like him to run and keep running until we fill Congress with real Democrats.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)personally and politically
So well said.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Hell. I am NORMAN SOLOMON! Thanks, 99th_Monkey for posting this essay.