Glenn Greenwald: the explosive day we revealed Edward Snowden's identity to the world

[Luminous Animal]

An excerpt from his new book in the Guardian:

The relatively lighter mood we had managed to keep up over the prior few days now turned to palpable anxiety: we were less than 24 hours away from revealing Snowden's identity, which we knew would change everything, for him most of all. The three of us had lived through a short but exceptionally intense and gratifying experience. One of us, Snowden, was soon to be removed from the group, likely to go to prison for a long time – a fact that had depressingly lurked in the air from the outset, at least for me. Only Snowden had seemed unbothered by this. Now, a giddy gallows humor crept into our dealings.

"I call the bottom bunk at Gitmo," Snowden joked as he contemplated our prospects. As we talked about future articles, he would say things such as: "That's going into the indictment. The only question is whether it's going into yours or mine." Mostly he remained inconceivably calm. Even now, with the clock winding down on his freedom, Snowden still went to bed at 10.30pm, as he had every night during my time in Hong Kong. While I could barely catch more than two hours of restless sleep at a time, he kept consistent hours. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay," he would announce casually each night before retiring for seven-and-a-half hours of sound sleep, appearing completely refreshed the next day.

When we asked him about his ability to sleep so well under the circumstances, Snowden said that he felt profoundly at peace with what he had done and so the nights were easy. "I figure I have very few days left with a comfortable pillow," he joked, "so I might as well enjoy them."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/11/glenn-greenwald-nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-book?CMP=twt_gu

[itsrobert]

1. Glenn keeps milkng that cow

after the milk has soured trying to make a buck.

[cantbeserious]

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

eom

[itsrobert]

6. Really? My opinon only?

I think many agree with my opinion. So there.

[Autumn]

9. Many agree with your opinion, many don't.

[itsrobert]

10. Exactly

[cantbeserious]

14. Exactly Correct - Your Opinion Is In The Minority

eom

[itsrobert]

16. And what is wrong being in the minority? n/t

n/t

[cantbeserious]

18. Absolutely Nothing - Enjoy Your Stay

eom

[itsrobert]

19. My stay?

What is that suppose to mean?

[cantbeserious]

21. Your Stay - A Member Of The Minority Opinion That Snowden And Greenwald Are In The Wrong

eom

[dionysus]

54. you just got accused of being a troll, in a coy sort of way.. ain't that a gas!

[Autumn]

15. Had to respond. The 'So there" cracked me up

[cantbeserious]

13. And A Minority Opinion At That - Enjoy The Delusion - History Will Record Differently

eom

[itsrobert]

17. Can't you discuss without resorting to insullts?

n/t

[cantbeserious]

20. No Insult Intended Or Implied - That Said - The Desecration Of The 4th Amendment Is At Stake

History will correctly record the facts - those facts will exonerate Snowden and Greenwald.

In fact, the facts already have.

[Progressive dog]

25. I agree you on this

Last edited Sun May 11, 2014, 09:44 PM - Edit history (1)

[Bobbie Jo]

26. Agree.

Proud to be in the DU "minority" (ie...popularity contest ) on this one.

[dionysus]

46. i don't even think it's a DU "minority".. most folks just avoid engaging the anti-dem contingent...

[Number23]

49. Yep. And even if it was a DU minority (which I don't think it is) it sure as hell isn't a minority

view anywhere else.

Edit: Actually, judging by the rec and posts in this thread, I think we were right about which side is in the "minority" here.

[Maedhros]

33. Yes, many people are indeed repeating the pro-NSA propaganda.

Sad, really.

[840high]

36. Many don't.

[rhett o rick]

24. And we must disparage the anti-authoritarians. Conformity is so comforting. nm

[cantbeserious]

4. The World Owes Snowden And Greenwald A Debt Of Gratitude - They Both Have My Profound Thanks

eom

[KittyWampus]

5. If Snowden didn't want to get stuck in Russia, why didn't he get to Iceland or wherever beforehand?

All this excerpt does is reveal Snowden's dishonesty.

[Cali_Democrat]

7. Greenwald's book has finally arrived? LMAO!

This guy is all about the dolla dolla bill $$$$

[Luminous Animal]

8. Yep. I remember you saying the same thing when he published his anti-Bush admin books.

[itsrobert]

11. +1

n/t

[elias49]

12. Thank you Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, et al...

[JDPriestly]

38. +10000

[randome]

22. "It was a dark and stormy night."

"The trees whispered sweet nothings to bored frogs..."
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[Octafish]

23. Gitmo is getting a makeover.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/08/4105667/congress-considers-69-million.html

$69 million. And half of Detroit's adults are unemployed.

[Vattel]

27. Greenwald tweeted about not using military force in Nigeria

and he didn't even mention the kidnap victims. Snowden left his girlfriend to fend for herself. Snowden is no MLK because he refused to spend decades in a supermax prison by turning himself in. Hillary Clinton mentioned Robert Kennedy's assassination when campaigning against Obama in 2008, implying that she wanted him assassinated. (An old favorite of mine from the Obama loyalist smear archives.) Snowden said he could see everyone's purchases on his computer screen, proving that he is a moron. Greenwald has earned money being a journalist and so is just out for the money. Snowden and Greenwald didn't become activists until the President was black, thereby proving their racism. I could go on but I think I have proven my point: Snowden and Greenwald and even Hillary Clinton are pure unadulterated evil!!!!!

Please do note the sarcasm. Those who sincerely make such attacks parody themselves.

[JI7]

28. does this mean there is nothing else to be revealed ?

[Bobbie Jo]

34. But wait!

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[arely staircase]

29. meanwhile

Snowden is a prisoner in some sort of Kafkaesque Russian hell, forced to fellate Putin on TV.

[msanthrope]

30. Indeed...Snowden won't get a dime. But Glenn will get paid. nt

[JI7]

31. that's what it's always been about for Greenwald

it's probably in his best interests that snowden stays away but even that is causing some problems with snowden getting involved in pr for Putin .

[Electric Monk]

37. If Snowden were getting paid that'd make you happier? I somehow doubt that.

You'd just use it as another reason to attack him.

[arely staircase]

39. i assume his kgb handlers use payment and threats both

neither affect my happiness

[msanthrope]

50. Snowden has been paid...by China and Russia. What he won't get, however,

is a dime of Greenwald's royalties.

[Thinkingabout]

32. Snowden was set up by Greenwald and others, guess who cashed in?

Sent the patsy to Moscow, (on advise I might add) he has his passport revoked before the flight, convenient I might add. Why would Snowden jump up and admit he was one responsible? He has been hanging himself from the start. Now there is video of admitting to the crime from his own mouth. Talking about getting set up, he has gone further than most dumb crooks. I expect to see him soon on the dumbest crooks show. Now GG can keep the take without sharing, some kind of a friend, huh.

[JDPriestly]

40. So in your opinion how did Greenwald find Snowden in order to set him up.

I'd like to read your theory about just who found whom and what transpired. I can't picture it working that way. So what is your theory, please?

[Thinkingabout]

44. Does it matter who found who? It is the results, who is free to travel, who isn't.

[JDPriestly]

47. Does it matter who set who up? It's all conjecture. It's all irrelevant.

[Thinkingabout]

48. So you say, it is not what I said.

[struggle4progress]

35. Greenwald here says "We were determined that the world would first hear about Snowden, his actions

and his motives, from Snowden himself," whereas Greenwald in his earlier discussion with Rolling Stone indicated

... Snowden ... explained to Greenwald that he'd set up a website and written a manifesto ... He'd intended to post the roughly 1,000-word essay on the website ... But the manifesto, as Greenwald says, "was a little Ted Kaczynski-ish." He and Poitras advised Snowden it might be misinterpreted by the public. "It was pretty melodramatic and overwrought, which makes sense, because you've got to think in pretty extreme terms if you're going to throw your life away to fight against these injustices. But to the average person you want to reach, it might sound creepy." Snowden ultimately let it go ...
Snowden and Greenwald: The Men Who Leaked the Secrets
December 4, 2013 9:00 AM ET
By Janet Reitman

That is, Greenwald chose, at the very beginning, to shape and control carefully exactly what the world heard from Snowden himself about Snowden's motives -- because Snowden's actual self-explanation somehow reminded Greenwald of the Unabomber!

[JDPriestly]

41. So? Big difference. Snowden revealed facts. He didn't commit any violent acts.

Snowden obviously felt passionately that he was revealing a serious crime. In my opinion, he was. We will differ on that, but enough of the conspiracy theories about Greenwald. He's just a civil rights advocate and journalist trying to infomr the public of the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less. Someone may disagree with the fact that he has helped Snowden reveal information that the US government wanted to keep secret. But there is no point in making up lurid details that are not backed up by what we know thus far. If Snowden objects to Greenwald's methods, Snowden will let us know. I'm pretty sure of that. Until then, I for one have to assume that Snowden has taken and is taking responsibility for the revelations he has made and that Snowden's passion about setting off a discussion about the surveillance and that Greenwald did not push him to that action. If I am wrong, Snowden is the one to point it out.

[struggle4progress]

42. My post concerned whether Greenwald really wanted Snowden himself to explain his own motives

to the world -- and the answer seems to be that once Greenwald realized what Snowden wanted to say, Greenwald had very little interest in allowing Snowden himself to explain his own motives to everyone, because Greenwald thought Snowden came across as nutbar

[elias49]

43. Are you Sherlock Holmes in reality? nt

[struggle4progress]

45. My closest connection, to that fictitious cocaine addict, must be those Baskerville ancestors

of mine, who (on migrating to the Americas) brought with them from England some family legend of a cursed hound that haunted them, though you need not ask whether I myself have ever heard it bay at night, since I should be entirely unable to answer such a question for you

[shehasmoxy]

52. That's ridiculous

Snowden wanted the information to be filtered by someone from the press. He wanted an independent lens to look through to see what would be appropriate to release to the public. That's usually how its done. You appear to be making up some story about how greenwald thought he was a "nutbar"

[struggle4progress]

53. ... the manifesto .. Greenwald says, "was a little Ted Kaczynski-ish" ...

That's from the Rolling Stone article on Greenwald's meeting with Snowden. It might actually have been helpful to the public to hear, directly from Snowden himself, exactly what Snowden thought he was doing, but Greenwald concluded everyone would say say, Ye gods! This dude sounds like the Unabomber!, and so we actually heard, not how Snowden would have explained himself, but rather how Snowden explained himself after being coached by Greenwald

[WillyT]

51. K & R !!!