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From Amnesty International:
The reports that Edward Snowden has been living in Russia with precarious "temporary leave to remain" rather than under any formal asylum protection is further evidence he must be allowed to travel to and seek asylum in the country of his choice, said Amnesty International today.
Russia's one-year permit for the whistleblower and former US intelligence analyst to stay in the country is now reported to have expired without confirmation that it will be extended.
"Edward Snowden is cornered in a legal limbo, without a passport or asylum protection from any government," said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, Deputy Director of Global Thematic Issues at Amnesty International.
States should fully consider any asylum application from Edward Snowden, taking into account the massive human rights violations that he exposed, and noting the US government's repressive actions against him.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ancientt on Wednesday August 06 2014, @07:14PM
Thanks for that response, I like the phrase "the government itself is not patriotic" and shall reference it myself from time to time.
A lot of the replies I've gotten are quibbling about the definition of treason. I know that the legal charge is different from a definition and that there are a variety of definitions available. I actually spent some time reading about the meaning of the words when I first came across the concept of "treasonous patriot" and am convinced it is an accurate description despite the rejections I've seen in reply.
Treason is a description of the betrayal of a government's trust. That's not the definition that you use to convict someone, but treason is something that can be descriptive where there is no king and doesn't require witnesses. That means that MW's definitions and the legal definition are not the only proper uses of the word.
So in answer to your question, yes, the man is a traitor and a hero. Being a traitor isn't necessarily the evil thing we treat it as. Betraying the trust of an evil government can be a noble thing. I don't believe the US government is evil, but I certainly don't condone every action by every part of it. Does that mean it is worthy of betrayal? Perhaps, or perhaps just those organizations within it which do something evil.
But is the NSA actually guilty of doing something evil? I'm still on the fence about that. I don't like the idea that they should need to gather information on innocent people, but the IRS and Census do that too, if not to the same extent. People are upset because they believe that our Constitutionally protected freedoms are being eroded... but I'm sorry to say, you're too late for the party. We gave up pretending the Constitution had actual authority years ago and we've just been paying lip-service for over a century now. There is no going back, no matter how much I might wish otherwise, and I'll contribute to your campaign if you look like you have even a miniscule chance of reversing that truth. So, without pretending that the government and laws we have are based on Constitutional right, I'm prepared to accept reality. The reality is that we have to work with the government we have in the courts that we have or plan a revolution and people who won't bother voting won't bother revolting.
So back to the question: is the NSA actually guilty of doing something evil? In light of the reality of what our government is and what our society accepts, I'm growing apathetic. I cared a lot, a whole lot, when I first heard. I couldn't believe that people could finally hear on the prime time news the things I'd been fretting over for years. But you know what? The majority of the public doesn't care. They honestly don't have any passion about it at all. They're fine with the idea that the NSA can listen to every call they make. And you know what? That means that it's okay with the people who determine what our government is going to be.
A government of the people, for the people and by the people. I used to be proud of that.
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