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Showing Original Post only (View all)Greenwald discusses frenzied attempts to smear & discredit him since NSA stories began [View all]
The Personal Side of Taking on the NSA: Emerging SmearsDistractions about my past and personal life have emerged an inevitable side
effect for those who challenge the US government by Glenn Greenwald
Published on Thursday, June 27, 2013 by The Guardian/UK
When I made the choice to report aggressively on top-secret NSA programs, I knew that I would inevitably be the target of all sorts of personal attacks and smears. You don't challenge the most powerful state on earth and expect to do so without being attacked. As a superb Guardian editorial noted today: "Those who leak official information will often be denounced, prosecuted or smeared. The more serious the leak, the fiercer the pursuit and the greater the punishment."
One of the greatest honors I've had in my years of writing about politics is the opportunity to work with and befriend my long-time political hero, Daniel Ellsberg. I never quite understood why the Nixon administration, in response to his release of the Pentagon Papers, would want to break into the office of Ellsberg's psychoanalyst and steal his files. That always seemed like a non sequitur to me: how would disclosing Ellsberg's most private thoughts and psychosexual assessments discredit the revelations of the Pentagon Papers?
When I asked Ellsberg about that several years ago, he explained that the state uses those tactics against anyone who dissents from or challenges it simply to distract from the revelations and personally smear the person with whatever they can find to make people uncomfortable with the disclosures.
So I've been fully expecting those kinds of attacks since I began my work on these NSA leaks. The recent journalist-led "debate" about whether I should be prosecuted for my reporting on these stories was precisely the sort of thing I knew was coming.
MORE: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/06/27-0
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In the remainder of the article, Mr. G goes into some detail about the most recent attempts to smear him for alleged "tax evasion" (IRS back payments actually) and for his "2002-04 participation in a multi-member LLC that had an interest in numerous businesses, including the distribution of adult videos" somehow related to hotel chains, all of which happened a decade ago.
I find it laughable that THIS IS ALL THEY COULD FIND to "discredit" Greenwald??
Also, it couldn't be clearer that this kind of aggressive smear campaign happens. Remember the demonization of Valarie Plame? Now it's Assange, Manning and Greenwald who are being demonized and smeared, for simply revealing some "inconvenient" truths to We The People.
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Greenwald discusses frenzied attempts to smear & discredit him since NSA stories began [View all]
99th_Monkey
Jun 2013
OP
Snowden is being smeared because he tried to damage the U.S. to our adversaries, it is that simple.
still_one
Jun 2013
#1
I do not focus on the BS about Snowden. The spying on Americans is a valid focus.
still_one
Jun 2013
#100
I do not think highly of people who betray their country. Exposing the NSA spying on Americans is
still_one
Jun 2013
#106
What's the message you are delivering? All I saw you do was offer an opinion, and then someone else
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#48
See? You prove him right. He always had a knack for causing people to do exactly what he
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#31
Indeed, designed to stir up those with Authoritarian Personality Disorder. n/t
backscatter712
Jun 2013
#4
Yep. When facts and ethics aren't on their side, they start bullying and spamming.
backscatter712
Jun 2013
#7
all you have to do is forget to log in first (or deliberately look without a troll shield in place)
carolinayellowdog
Jun 2013
#17
Uh, you can open a window without signing in and see who is on your ignore list. Is that some kind
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#32
A sock puppet is a false identity and would require the puppeteer to log in under that false name
Dragonfli
Jun 2013
#58
No I don't think you're a sock, I just hate seeing what has become a new trend
Dragonfli
Jun 2013
#64
So, what do you think of the new documents released today? How about the way they got the
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#34
I really hope these threads still exist during the next Republican administration.
Marr
Jun 2013
#29
What Greenwald is writing about is the paid for smear merchants which were exposed already by
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#39
Well, you should look it up. Ever hear of HB Gary, Private Security Corporation eg?
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#49
It was a fascinating story which is hard to put together in a short amount of time. But it all
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#57
I know, sometimes I used to wonder about what seemed like focused attacks on certain Liberals
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#74
Really? You must not spend much time here if you think Matt Taibbi hasn't been
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#82
Yo Greenwald, still waiting on you and Snowden to release something we didn't already know
snooper2
Jun 2013
#9
The NSA and the administration seem to think what was released was important enough
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jun 2013
#16
Well, that bit of info that "everyone knew about" has certainly got them scurrying.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jun 2013
#22
Your exaggerated claims to being an "expert" of some kind is rather amusing.
99th_Monkey
Jun 2013
#91
So why did Clapper, former CEO of Booz Allen (don't you love those revolving doors we all used to
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#51
I'm going to link to this post, because I was just told that what he released was NEW and DANGEROUS
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#40
Fortunately, their utter incompetence in smearing has become laughably clumsy.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jun 2013
#20
Really? We thought is was 'all old news'. Have the talking points changed? Better go through
sabrina 1
Jun 2013
#44
When Snowden is put to trial, Greenwald will be right there with him. Just wait and see.
MjolnirTime
Jun 2013
#53
Your glee about criminalizing whistleblowers & dissenters is very unseemly. nt
99th_Monkey
Jun 2013
#88