4 Cases of the U.S. Sheltering Vicious Criminals that Reveal Total Hypocrisy on Snowden

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/world/americas-total-hypocrisy-snowden-and-extradition

***SNIP

1. Robert Lady

After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration granted the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to snatch people off the streets and whisk them to other countries for interrogation and torture. With the help of 54 countries, CIA operatives around the world implemented what was known as Bush’s “extraordinary rendition” program.

***SNIP

2. Luis Posada Carriles

The U.S. has long seen Latin America as its backyard, and has carried out vicious policies aimed at stopping the region from carrying out economic policies that run counter to U.S. elite and corporate interests. And the U.S. government has long used Latin American operatives to do dirty work in the service of U.S. interests.

***SNIP

3. Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada

Up until the indigenous activist Evo Morales rode to power in Bolivia on an agenda for social justice and land redistribution, many leaders of the Latin American country had been U.S. allies. For instance, General Rene Barrientos came to power in a 1964 military coup that was backed by the U.S.

***SNIP

4. Roberto and William I saias Dass um

In 1998, Ecuador suffered through a economic crisis. The economic implosion came after a long period of International Monetary Fund-forced measures that led Ecuador to follow the neoliberal policies backed by the U.S. In the 1980s, Ecuador needed a loan from the IMF, and in order to get the money it needed to liberalize its financial system. In practice, this meant the deregulation of Ecuador’s banks, which in turn led to the banks taking on risky practices that contributed to the economic crisis.

[hobbit709]

1. You don't understand. When they serve our corporate interests they are NOT terrorists

They are respected illustrious freedom fighters.

[xchrom]

2. is that kinda like the Dictators we like too?

i get so confused.

[hobbit709]

3. Pretty much the same.

[sabrina 1]

33. Yes, we have a policy of 'do what we say, not what we do' when it comes to Dictators.

Eg, we have some very nice allies around the world who despite, in some cases, being guilty of genocide according to the UN, we send them tax dollars which helps them consolidate their power over their people, power meaning they have the weapons and facilities to torture and murder anyone who disagrees with them. Karamov of Uzbekistan comes to mind. In the Wikileaks cables we learned that the US knew who they were dealing with. 'He's not a nice guy (putting it mildly) but he allows us to build bases there'.

Not to mention Saudi Arabia, Bahrain (dissenters there being beaten, imprisoned and killed right now but we don't hear much about it here), Uganda, see their position on Gay Rights eg, promoted by Fundie Christians from this country).

I have searched to see if we ever support Democracies outside of our Western allies, but I couldn't find any.

[Scootaloo]

4. What, no Shah Reza Pahlavi?

A guy who rewards his "lovers" (i.e., rape victims) with labrador puppies, while personally running SAVAK certainly deserves a mention at least

[uponit7771]

5. Snowdens claim is bullshit, every male of color in the US..FOR GOOD REASON...should do what ...

...Snowden did when it comes to facing the justice system when charged with a crime if he's running to get away from being treated unfairly

Snowdens got what?! 5 examples at the most!?

Males of color have hundreds of thousands?!

BULL FUCKING SHIT...

He's a fuck up and so are the people advising him...

I'm supposed to believe the technical sophistry of a guy who runs to Russia to get away from being persecuted?!

That's laughable

[truebluegreen]

17. Buy yourself a clue.

Snowden is in Russia because the US revoked his passport, stranding him there in transit.

And yeah, maybe running away was the only way to avoid being persecuted.

[George II]

23. "IN TRANSIT" to where? He certainly wasn't in transit back home!

He's a freaking coward. If I've said this once I've said it a hundred times - those who willfully break the law to prove a point should go before a court of law to express their moral outrage with the law.

Martin Luther King, Jr. did it, as did hundreds of others who practiced civil disobedience.

Snowden doesn't have the guts to be a "man"!

[truebluegreen]

25. Since I'm not clairvoyant, I don't know

but I would guess Ecuador. Subsequent events tend to bear that out.

Civil disobedience only works against a government that can be shamed into correcting its own behavior. Without a working press and leaders who actually respond to public opinion it is pointless. So while we are judging levels of manhood, bear in mind that if Snowden had not run, the story--which he regarded as of primary importance--would most likely have died.

He will live in exile for the rest of his life. Bradley Manning will probably die in prison. These are not appropriate outcomes for individuals who call out state-sanctioned illegal and/or immoral behavior on the part of our government of laws.

[uponit7771]

27. Ad hominem noted and strawman deflected he ran for a bullshit ass'd reason

[truebluegreen]

29. Ciao baby.

[Civilization2]

19. "Snowdens claim is bullshit" Well, ok then, that proves it. Thanks for the "info."

Opinions are like a-holes, everyone has got one.

Facts are a little more difficult to dismiss,. but it is fun to watch the few here, that just can not face reality squarely, attempt to avoid fact after fact,. . Problem for them, is the facts just keep coming, and the majority of people become less interested in opinions about the "character" of this individual player or that,. and more interested in the overall reality; the rise of this corporate-military, that passes for a free democracy now, and its new mercenary domestic spying and manipulations of any active democratic debate.

[randome]

6. Why not statistics on Russia's hypocrisy?

Just to be fair. Or are we supposed to believe that Russia is pure as the driven snowden?

Deep deeply enough and you will find equal evidence of hypocrisy in every country's past. There is a reason that information is so easy to come by for America.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[uponit7771]

7. Yeap, that's what this stoking shit wants people to believe!! That Russia > US when it comes to huma

....rights and shit.

You know the country where they out gay people on YT, beat them up and then call the cops to arrest them because of what Pooty Poot wants to happen to the gay population.

Reminds me of other societies where the government pushed the persecution of certain people and then slowly becomes OK among the populous to treat said people with disdain.

Fuckin sick, America has its issues but I'd take America's issues over Russias any day

[randome]

13. And as many dark secrets in America's past...

...we still air our dirty laundry to a much greater extent than any other country on the planet will ever do. You don't need to be an American cheerleader to recognize that basic fact.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[ljm2002]

38. And yet your position on this entire NSA affair...

...is wishing to silence those (Snowden and Greenwald) who are airing our dirty laundry.

[joshcryer]

9. It was hilarious when Lithuania handed over Dmitry Ustinov.

Or the Dominican Republic handed over Aleksander Panin.



edit: I forgot about Ecuador's Aliaksandr Barankov. Remember, Assange has asylum in Ecuador. If I were him I'd never leave the embassy.

What people don't grasp is that the reason the US completely owns extradition is that the US has lots of political and economic sway on the entire planet. If we want someone, we'll get them.

In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Russia themselves gave Snowden over if it was politically expedient.

[randome]

14. And Obama is treating this entire 'adventure' with restraint.

Revoking Snowden's passport is hardly the mark of a country out to bully the rest of the world. It's a simple given for an admitted thief.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[joshcryer]

15. The US could trade SDI for Snowden in a heatbeat.

So the US must not want him that badly.

[zeemike]

21. Oh yes, restraint.

Forcing down the plane of a head of state to try to get him...shit, if there was no restraint I guess they would have shot it down then.

[randome]

26. No one forced any planes down.

Morales tried to make the most of the limelight and exaggerated like hell for as long as he could. You may choose to believe that Obama is a thug but I saw nothing in this incident other than confusion, disarray and politics. Plus a very excitable ambassador who overstepped his bounds.

I guess you believe that Kerry admitted this and threatened Venezuela as was posited by another baseless post.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[zeemike]

28. It sure is easy to dismiss anything you want.

Just re interpret things in the much less offensive way...like his plane was not forced down it just had no way forward until it ether ran out of fuel or found a place to land...but no one forced them to....they could have crashed of violated air space...there were options open to them.

I don't know, perhaps somewhere they teach this rationalization it a school, because it sure is consistent and always follows the same pattern.

[randome]

30. I can't state with final conviction that there was no conspiracy.

But with the fact that Morales' pilot did not report their revised flight plans until after take-off, it seems to me to be more of a confluence of errors and misinterpretations.

That's just how it looks to me.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[zeemike]

32. Well if you know anything about aviation

You don't take off without a flight plan, and if something happens in the air to where you cannot proceed as planed you file a revised flight plan with the FAA...in this case they were denied Clarence though airspace and had to revise it in the air...which happens due to some emergency or bad weather, but never just because some ambassador tells them to.
And France apologized for it and they should have.

[merrily]

20. Cutting against the prevailing knee jerk vs. going with it.

When you try to cut against the easier argument, you have to work harder if you want to have any impact at all.

The above is not in reference to this thread, just a general observation.

[ljm2002]

36. "Deep deeply enough"...

...I think you meant to say "Derp derply enough".

You're welcome.

[blkmusclmachine]

8. Same Sh!t, Different

Administration

[joshcryer]

10. If you're in the US it's extremely hard to be extradited.

This is either a blessing or a curse. But ironically, the US is the almost the safest country to be in if you don't want to be extradited for crimes outside the US. It's a criminal playground.

[ronnie624]

34. Especially if you have close associations with the US political establishment

and the CIA, like the terrorist, Luis Posada Carriles.

[joshcryer]

39. Posada used the double jeopardy clause.

After getting off with a shitty Cuban right wing packed jury.

[merrily]

11. Adminstrations before (and after) that of Bush 43 engaged in "extraordinary rendition."

As far as we know, according to wiki, Reagan began the program. Clinton engaged in it. According to Amnesty Internationa., so has Obama.

Bush 43 was, however, the first to admit it.

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

[cantbeserious]

12. No It Can't Be - My Government Would Never Be Duplicitous

eom

[marmar]

16. k/r

[Civilization2]

18. Do what we say not what we do,. the hypocrisy is epic!

Protecting the perpetrators of crimes against humanity,. while calling for the extradition of a whistle-blower ti be gulaged like Manning? Locked naked in a cell in solitary for years is not torture right? Only in america.

[chervilant]

24. Epic, and chronic.

You might be interested in LaFeber's "The American Age." Grim overview of US Foreign Policy -- worth a read.

[1StrongBlackMan]

22. It's NOT about snowden, remember? n/t

[ronnie624]

35. Many of us

would like to focus our attention on reforming our severely compromised system. Unfortunately, reality forces one to deal with the swirling cloud of chaff, as well.

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.-- Mark Twain

[Octafish]

31. Poppy Bush and CIA sheltered Posada -- probably since Dallas.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3767767

I know at least since 1976 when Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffit were murdered and the Cubana Airliner was bombed in mid-air:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2418621

[WillyT]

37. K & R !!!

[RetroLounge]

40. kick

RL

[cascadiance]

41. We helped Great Britain shelter "corporate person" BP from nationalization when we put in the Shah..

... in Iran after helping overthrowing their democratically elected government lead by Mohammed Mossadegh.

BP in my book is a corporate person murderer now that should be given the corporate person death sentence.