The Govt that jailed Pussy Riot has given Snowden a home

[Yavin4]

That's the world we live in.

[The Link]

1. And he is probably happy that the govt. that assasinates its citizens via drones...

will think twice before trying it there.

[blm]

3. Yes, now that he's surrounded by Russian intelligence that prefers to use poison to

'accidentally' kill off its political enemies.

[stevenleser]

47. Those that it doesn't shoot. nt

[Dawson Leery]

2. Indeed.

While Snowden's revaluations are important, Snowden is far from honorable.

[allin99]

12. Where else should he go?

[MannyGoldstein]

4. The US has far more people in prison than Russia

And, like Russia, we torture and deny due process.

Sorry, that may be wrong, I'm not sure if Russia tortures.

[Zorra]

5. It's hard to believe that US granted RW terrorist and mass murderer Luis Posada Carriles a home.

Go figure, huh? What a world we live in, for sure.

Venezuela’s Maduro: Unlike US Asylees, Snowden didn’t Blow anything Up, just said ‘This is not Right’

Maduro made the statement on Venezuela’s Independence Day, commemorating that country’s July 5, 1811 declaration of independence. A week and a half ago, Maduro had complained that the US routinely grants asylum to right wing Venezuelans who were guilty of terrorism and killings, and that it was a small thing to give asylum to someone who merely blew the whistle on government surveillance. Maduro pointed to the US allowing Luis Posada Carriles to live freely in Miami, even though he blew up a plane with 73 persons aboard and thereby nearly killed prominent American journalist Stephen Kinzer. It is thought that the US government protects Posada Cariles because he had worked for the CIA and could reveal many unsavory secrets if he were extradited abroad.

Luis Posada Carriles

Luis Clemente Faustino Posada Carriles (born February 15, 1928) (nicknamed Bambi by some Cuban exiles)[1] is a Cuban-born Venezuelan anti-communist terrorist, and former Central Intelligence Agency agent.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Posada has been convicted in absentia in Panama, of involvement in various terrorist attacks and plots in the Americas, including: involvement in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed seventy-three people;[9][10] admitted involvement in a string of bombings in 1997 targeting fashionable Cuban hotels and nightspots;[11][12][13] involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion; and involvement in the Iran-Contra affair.[14] In addition, he was jailed under accusations related to an assassination attempt on Fidel Castro in Panama in 2000, although he was later pardoned by Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso in the final days of her term.[15][16] Posada Carriles has always denied involvement in the airline bombing and the alleged plot against Castro in Panama, but has admitted to fighting for "freedom" in Cuba.[17]

In 2005, Posada was held by U.S. authorities in Texas on the charge of illegal presence on national territory before the charges were dismissed on May 8, 2007. On September 28, 2005 a U.S. immigration judge ruled that Posada cannot be deported, finding that he faces the threat of torture in Venezuela.[18] Likewise, the US government has refused to send Posada to Cuba, saying he might face torture.[17] His release on bail on April 19, 2007 had elicited angry reactions from the Cuban and Venezuelan governments.[19] The U.S. Justice Department had urged the court to keep him in jail because he was "an admitted mastermind of terrorist plots and attacks", a flight risk and a danger to the community.[13] On September 9, 2008 the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the District Court's Order dismissing the indictment and remanded the case to the District Court.[20] On April 8, 2009 the United States Attorney filed a superseding indictment in the case. Posada-Carriles' jury trial had been set for February 26, 2010 but it was announced on February 22 that it would be postponed for at least three months.[20][21] Posada-Carriles' trial ended on April 8, 2011 with a jury acquitting him on all charges.[22]

Peter Kornbluh of the National Security Archive has referred to him as "one of the most dangerous terrorists in recent history" and the "godfather of Cuban exile violence."[23] In Miami however, where Posada currently resides, he is considered "a heroic figure in the hardline anti-Castro exile community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Posada_Carriles

[HiPointDem]

6. +1. not to mention that the us refused to extradite orlando terrorist & mass murderer orlando

bosch.

Orlando Bosch Ávila was a Cuban exile terrorist, former Central Intelligence Agency-backed operative, and head of Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations, which the FBI has described as "an anti-Castro terrorist umbrella organization".[2] Former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh called Bosch an "unrepentant terrorist".[3] He was accused of taking part in Operation Condor and several other terrorist attacks, including the 6 October 1976 bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner in which all 73 people on board were killed, including many young members of a Cuban fencing team and five North Koreans. The bombing is alleged to have been plotted at a 1976 meeting in Washington, D.C. attended by Bosch, Luis Posada Carriles, and DINA agent Michael Townley. At the same meeting, the assassination of Chilean former minister Orlando Letelier is alleged to have been plotted.

Bosch was given safe haven within the US in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush, who in 1976 as head of the CIA had declined an offer by Costa Rica to extradite Bosch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Bosch


oh, yeah, wotta world, wotta world.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. And?

One of the governments that prosecuted Nazi war crimes has engaged in torture of prisoners as a matter of "national security" policy. (That'd be the USA, by the way.)

[Cha]

37. Yeah, fucking bush.

[frylock]

8. and the US imprisons more people than any other nation on the planet

[sabrina 1]

9. The Government that tortured Whistle Blower, Bradley Manning, is trying to get him back.

That's the world we live in.

[ProSense]

10. The world we live in

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023386518

[sabrina 1]

13. Guantanamo Bay. Another part of the World We Live In.

Biggest incarceration population in the world, maybe in the history of the world.

Land of the FREE.

Death Penalty moratorium in Russia since 1996!

In the world we live in, this barbaric practice chugs along with Florida running out of the poison they use to kill people with.

Etc. etc.


Silly OP. Just thought I'd play along. And the more I play, the sadder I am about the World WE Lie in.

Maybe we should start worrying about the World We Live and stop pointing fingers at others which only draws attention to our world.

[ProSense]

25. So they murder whistleblowers, but

"Death Penalty moratorium in Russia since 1996!"

...have no death penalty? Why would they need one if disappearing people is the practice?

When It Comes To Extraditions, Russia Often Cooperates

by Susan Armitage

Russia so far has refused to extradite former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, portraying this as a principled stand to protect a whistle-blower.

But while the United States and Russia don't see eye to eye over extradition issues (the two countries don't have an extradition treaty), Moscow often cooperates with requests from governments in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia.

The human rights group Amnesty International says Russian authorities have unlawfully returned and sometimes forcibly abducted asylum seekers, sending them back to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, countries accused of widespread human rights abuses.

Many of the suspects are wanted on charges of belonging to banned Islamist groups or sharing extremist literature, claims that human rights groups say are often based on shoddy evidence.

- more -

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/07/27/205795904/when-it-comes-to-extraditions-russia-often-cooperates

Cynical subversion of justice in the name of security: Returns to torture in Central Asia
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/cynical-subversion-justice-name-security-returns-torture-central-asia-2013-

[sabrina 1]

31. Uzbekistan is one of our allies. This isn't helping. We give them money, despite knowing that

Karamov is one the real 'bad guys' in the region.

[Fumesucker]

11. It's probably not a good strategy to start comparing national levels of hypocrisy

Because your pointing finger means there are four others pointing back at you.

[sabrina 1]

14. Exactly. It invites comparisons and these days we stand up very well to those comparisons.

[LondonReign2]

15. Russia bad, therefore spying good

Thanks for the revelation

[GlashFordan]

16. The Gov't that Snowden fears

Tortures people, drops bombs on civilians, considers corporations people, practices indefinite detention and apparently runs guns.

So whats your point lol?

[okieinpain]

18. lol, i wonder if snowden plans on releasing anything the

Russians are doing.

[hobbit709]

17. And the government that jailed Bradley Manning in inhumane conditions

gave Luis Posada Carriles a home.

[Rex]

21. We still have Gitmo.

We still will not own up to what we did to innocent Iraqis in Abu Grab. Yet, our POTUS is still elected by the people and we have a free press...some will argue those last to points.

[Rex]

19. That is why most of us don't buy the bullshit.

Russia a free land? In what storybook?

[treestar]

20. For as long as they want to

There are no guarantees and he has no particular rights.

But he chose to give up those rights rather than face the charges.

[Rex]

22. I just hope he realizes that when they call Putin

President Putin, it is NOT because he was elected by the people of Russia. IMO, his life is in total danger 24/7, but I guess it better to be blissfully ignorant sometimes.

[reusrename]

28. That's turning reality on its head.

He spoke to the press over there. That would never happen here.

[warrior1]

23. yup

[Cha]

24. Yeah, you'll get a lot of people defending Russia over

the USA. 'Cause, you know.. Russia's so great now that snowden is bleeting his denouncement of the USA and singing the praises of Putin's Russia.

House Members to urge Secretary of State to protect LGBT people at Olympics


“We urge the State Department to determine the appropriate course of action to assure the safety and well being of LGBT and LGBT-supporting individuals involved in or attending the 2014 Sochi Olympics and Paralympics,” the letter to be sent to Kerry says. Rep. Jerry Nadler is leading the House effort."

The news about Nadler’s plans follow on Thursday’s announcement that Sen. Jeff Merkley will be leading an effort on a resolution seeking action from the International Olympic Committee regarding the Sochi Olympics — and on Friday’s announcement by Kerry that the State Department will treat same-sex married couples equally for visa purposes

h/t http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023393222

"Russia Grants Snowden Asylum, Implements SOPA on Same Day"

Edward Snowden, man of Liberty and Internet Freedom, afraid of losing access to a computer in prison, was granted asylum in Russia on the same day the country enacted it’s own version SOPA according to The Washington Post.

This is all very ironic and amusing given that, in The Guardian’s debut profile of Edward Snowden, he claimed to be a proponent of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and has denounced the United States’ supposed policing of the internet.

http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2013/08/russia-grants-snowden-asylum-implements-sopa-on-same-day.html

[Proud Liberal Dem]

26. Yes, Russia is truly the beacon of light for human rights and civil liberties

I know that the US isn't perfect, especially under the Bush regime but c'mon

[The Straight Story]

27. Have you seen some of the people we have given asylum to?

And we jail people for smoking pot.

[davidn3600]

29. We have no room to talk...

We are getting close to having 1% of our population in prison. We are killing people with drones. We have Gitmo still open. We torture. We are spying on everyone, including our own citizens. The government doesnt care about civil liberties. We have obvious race relation problems. We invade sovereign nations.

The Russians are more in your face with their issues. But its not exactly a utopian paradise of freedom in America.

[reusrename]

30. It would be wrong then, for the US to grant asylum to Pussy Riot?

Curious how you would view that.

[arely staircase]

33. So Singing Anti Government Songs = Theft of Government Computers and Intel?

pretty curious how you equate those.

[reusrename]

36. Both are political crimes.

I don't know of any other way to look at this question.

You would contrast "Singing Anti Government Songs" with "Theft of Government Computers and Intel."

Others might contrast "Religious Hate Crimes" with "Exposing Criminal Abuse."

For me, the thing to do is try and compare and contrast the two. I have to look at this question in its totality. I don't know of any other way to formulate an opinion.

When I look at these two "crimes" in their totality, I cannot just arbitrarily ignore the similarities. My conscience doesn't work that way. My moral compass is not so wishy-washy that I can overlook such obvious arbitrary inconsistencies.

Anyhow, the question remains unanswered. Would it be proper to grant Pussy Riot asylum?

[arely staircase]

40. In Russia they are, in the USA, not so much.

In the US singing anti-gov. songs is protected free speech. poaching secrets and sharing them with strangers in espionage - just like in every other country. so no real similarities to ignore.

And sure, I would grant Pussy Riot asylum.. Not sure that can be done. Don't know what the rules are. You probably have to be here to ask for it.

[reusrename]

45. Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree with you about asylum.

As to the criminality, I strongly disagree with you. Disturbing the peace is also a crime here in the US, our 1st Amendment notwithstanding.

They were never arrested for repeatedly singing anti-government songs in the public square. That's twisting facts to fit an argument or some other type of rationalization going on there.

They actually went on church property, without permission, refused to leave when asked, and that would be a crime in a lot of jurisdictions in the US. They might even get the book thrown at them here, if they did this same stunt somewhere in the Bible belt. No point in trying to fool ourselves about the facts. They intentionally and knowingly broke the law in order to get their day in court.

(Along these same lines, I've always supported efforts to criminalize flag burning. I think that there should always be a relief valve somewhere that allows the public to engage law enforcement in a non-violent manner.)

And if Snowden's foreign counterpart were to do exactly what he did, I would sincerely hope that you would be for granting him asylum here.

(Although the women never asked for asylum, there is no legal bar that I know of. It's not very practical to grant asylum to someone who is already in custody, but it wouldn't surprise me if it has been done before.)

[arely staircase]

32. It is certainly the one he lives in, at least for a year.

I guess the Russians figured it would take a year to do whatever they need to do to him and his computers.

[Scurrilous]

34. K & R

[Cha]

35. Tweet from Larry O'Donnell on snowden in Putin's Russia. lol

Lawrence O'Donnell ✔ @Lawrence

Has Snowden spoken out against Putin's anti-gay regime yet? Yes I'm ready for the avalanche of #snowdenisperfect tweets
.
8:26 AM - 2 Aug 2013

78 Retweets 31 favorites ReplyRetweet

[reusrename]

41. What a dumbass comment by O'Donnell.

Maybe he actually believes that Snowden would choose to stay there in Russia if the US were to let him leave and go somewhere else.

What a dumbass thing to say.

Maybe he really believes that Snowden's requests for asylum in 26 other countries were just another hoax.

What a dumbass.

[Cha]

44. No, it's a perfect Tweet from Larry O'D.. snowden has a big dumbass mouth

whining about the USA. When's he going to speak out on Russia's Civil Rights' abuses?

Oh, because Snowden snuck off to China before he started bleeting about the USA? And, now he's hiding behind Putin's pants to do some more whining about the USA. And, he's afraid to speak out about Russia?

LO'D is pointing out poser snowden's Hypocrisy very nicely, thank you very much, Mr O'Donnell!

Yeah, he Putin's Puppet now.

[reusrename]

46. Right, I get it. Let's blame Snowden. I get it.

The US revokes his passport so he can't leave the country, and idiots want to blame Snowden for not leaving.

Perfect. I'm so used to this blame the victim crap from the right wing, why should I even notice when the same bullshit is spewed from the left.

YEAH, CHA, SNOWDEN LOVES PUTIN AND WANTS TO LIVE IN RUSSIA!

Keep telling yourself that.

Pathetic is what it is.

[Cha]

49. No, don't you get it.. st snowden is fucking "perfect".

The USA revoked his damn passport because he broke the law. this is all on Snowden. just because he doesn't want to take responsibilty for anything. Doesn't mean he's not responsible.

Poor little whiny eddie.. snowden's in Putin's Russia now

[reusrename]

50. No, you don't get it.

And you no desire to understand anything about this issue.

O'Donnell, OTOH, should really know better than to be so stupid.

[Cha]

51. I get it just fine. Snowden is a Propagandist for Russia now

Snowden drains his 4 laptops for Russia's FSB & GRU, gets freedom & a new job. Does Glenn Greenwald get the Hero of The Soviet Union medal?

@JeffersonObama Aug 01, 2013 19:00:18 GMT Follow @JeffersonObama

http://inagist.com/all/363011323472261120/

[rug]

38. If pole dancing girl friends don't work, throw in Pussy Riot and see if it sticks.

[cherokeeprogressive]

39. So a year of temporary asylum is considered "giving Snowden a home"?

[arely staircase]

42. I guess that is how long the Russians figure they need

with Snowden and his hard drives.

[olddots]

43. what if we trade the Butt Hole Surfers for Pussy Riot

Snowden goes to Albania and Greenwald gets free tickets to a Celtic's game ?

it is a very odd world indeed .

[bluestate10]

48. But the far Left is ok with that because Snowden is a whistle-blower and hero to them.

Meanwhile, a group of women that bravely fought for political freedom and self-determination rot in prison. Such purity of thought.

[David Krout]

52. Where should Snowden go?

In your opinion?

[Yavin4]

53. Don't know and don't care.

Just pointing out that a nation that jailed two women because they started performing a song in a church is giving Snowden an asylum. I find that very odd.

[Scurrilous]

54. 6 Human Rights Violations in Russia Where Snowden Has Asylum

<snip>

"To the chagrin, and the anger, of the U.S., Russia — quite likely with the direct approval of President Vladimir Putin — has granted temporary asylum to Edward Snowden. The former NSA contractor who exposed extraordinary government surveillance of metadata for cell phone calls and online communication has spent over a month in the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after leaving Hong Kong, where he had first gone public about the leaked files back in June.

Snowden’s U.S. passport has been cancelled and Anatoly Kucherena, his lawyer in Russia, said that he now has a temporary document with which he can cross the border into Russia. Kremlin officials say that immigration officials, not Putin, were involved in the decision “though it is widely assumed here that any decision with such potentially severe diplomatic consequences would require approval from the Kremlin,” comments the New York Times.

Snowden is now at an undisclosed location. Via Wikileaks, he released a statement thanking Russian authorities and accusing the U.S. of acting illegally:

“Over the past eight weeks we have seen the Obama administration show no respect for international or domestic law, but in the end the law is winning.”

“I thank the Russian Federation for granting me asylum in accordance with its laws and international obligations.”

Russia did not seem to have warned the U.S. in advance about its decision. While some have speculated that the Russian government had been hiding Snowden, Kucharena denied such and said that Snowden will choose his own place of residence."

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/6-human-rights-in-russia-where-snowden-has-asylum.html#ixzz2b28O6uXz