Edward Snowden Wins Ridenhour Prize: Prominent American Award for Truth-Telling /Daily Kos

[KoKo]

Last edited Wed Apr 30, 2014, 06:12 PM - Edit history (1)

Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:18 AM PDT


by Jesselyn Radack Follow

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/07/1290227/

National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden to receive Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling. The New York Times reports:

The Ridenhour prize for truth-telling will be given to Edward J. Snowden and Laura Poitras, the filmmaker and journalist who helped Mr. Snowden disclose his trove of documents on government surveillance.

The award, named for the Vietnam veteran who helped expose the My Lai massacre and later became an investigative journalist, is expected to be announced on Monday morning.

The Ridenhour Prize is validation for Snowden from the U.S. First Amendment, transparency and open government community.

While he has received some 25 international awards, the Ridenhour is only his second major U.S. award. (Snowden received the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence in October 2013). Snowden joins winners like Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, and fellow NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake.

Laura Poitras, a key journalist and documentary filmmaker who received Snowden's revelations will receive the Truth-Telling prize with Snowden, a deserving recognition of her courageous effort to report Snowden's revelations. Poitras, along with Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and Barton Gellman will receive the prestigious Polk Award for their reporting later this week.

Without Snowden, the NSA's mass surveillance apparatus would remain secret and unaccountable. Snowden and Poitras receiving the Ridenhour Prize should be a wake-up call in the US. Instead of calling Snowden "fugitive" or "leaker," the U.S. media should refer to him as "winner of Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling" and the term that has always been most accurate "whistleblower."

This is the second time in three years an NSA whistleblower has been recognized for Truth-Telling - Thomas Drake won the prize in 2011. The need to protect and encourage intelligence community whistleblowers has never been stronger, and the retaliation they are facing has never been more severe. Three years ago Drake accepted the Ridenhour Prize in the midst of defending himself against Espionage charges. (The government's criminal case against Drake collapsed under the weight of the truth in spectacular fashion months later.) Snowden receives the award under threat of Espionage Act charges and as an aslyee in Russia, unable to return home.

The Ridenhour Prize establishes that the U.S. First Amendment, journalist, and open government communities view Snowden as a truth-teller deserving recognition. Yet, as with Drake, the government seeks to imprison Snowden, or worse, considering the threats to Snowden's life from high-level U.S. government officials.

Snowden's recognition as a Ridenhour Prize-winner diminishes the government's false caricature of him, and provides an opportunity to turn the public's gaze appropriately to Snowden's revelations. The Ridenhour Prize validates Snowden as a truth-teller in the U.S. Thanks to Snowden, we know the truth about NSA, and the public can focus its attention on finally rolling back the surveillance state.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/04/07/1290227/-Snowden-Wins-Ridenhour-Prize-Prominient-American-Award-for-Truth-Telling

[indepat]

1. TPTB shan't tolerate the impertinence of its own malfeasance being exposed:

the national-security card will alway be played and those who expose its malfeasance will be treated as enemies of the state.

[KoKo]

2. Amazing ...this is up on "Daily Kos" and CRICKETS on DU?

What's up with that? Anyone have any ideas?

[hootinholler]

3. I don't think the ordres have gone out yet

Give it a day and the usual suspects will be by, if not in this thread in another one that fits the narrative better.

[ProSense]

5. It's from three weeks ago, and

was posted by his lawyer. The same one who tried to claim his participation in Putin's event was "brave" and "brilliant."

[uponit7771]

7. Is the award from his lawyer or just the press release?

[Dragonfli]

9. That doesn't really matter as via a transitive property assumption, exposing the security state

makes Snowden a poopy heard, being the lawyer of a poopy head makes the lawyer a poopy head, and any group that would give an award to a poopy head are collective poopyheads that never really loved the warm embrace of the police state anyway.

You should know all this by now.

[ProSense]

12. The DK post. The award:

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

[uponit7771]

14. wow....they are nearing pathetic...Stupid Snowden

[Luminous Animal]

19. What are you talking about? Poitras and Snowden won the award. He accepted the award TODAY.

You can listen to his acceptance speech here:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/listen-edward-snowden-defend-whistleblowers

He is in good company. Past winners:

2004: Joseph Wilson
2005: Kristen Breitweiser
2006: Rick S. Piltz
2007: Donald Vance
2008: Matthew Diaz
2009: Thomas Tamm
2010: Matthew Hoh
2011: Thomas Andrews Drake
2012: Eileen Foster and Daniel Davis
2013: Jose Antonio Vargas

[Whisp]

53. Snowden and Poitras got the award - kind of surprised Greenwald isn't mentioned.

Wonder what the story is behind that, because there sure is one!

The Ridenhour Truth-Telling Prize

2004: Joseph Wilson
2005: Kristen Breitweiser
2006: Rick S. Piltz
2007: Donald Vance
2008: Matthew Diaz
2009: Thomas Tamm
2010: Matthew Hoh
2011: Thomas Andrews Drake
2012: Eileen Foster and Daniel Davis
2013: Jose Antonio Vargas
2014: Edward Snowden and Laura Poitras

[Luminous Animal]

15. He accepted the award today. You can listen to the audio here:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/listen-edward-snowden-defend-whistleblowers

[sabrina 1]

39. Thanks Koko, I hadn't seen this until someone linked to it in another thread.

Great to see Whistle Blowers and truth telling Journalists continue to receive awards from all over the place.

[Jefferson23]

4. Good. K&R

[uponit7771]

6. Cause he was really honest when he said he went through proper channels before

...giving us secrets to the Chinese

[G_j]

11. cause they don't give out prestigious awards

based the opinion of an anonymous person on the internets.. sorry

[uponit7771]

35. strawman, he bold faced lied... and continues to herald a LBGT hating leader.. not good company IMHO

[sabrina 1]

40. Link please to Snowden giving 'us secrets to the Chinese'. Even that moron Republican Rogers

backed away from that particular right wing smear and went into hiding after even our own Corporate media asked him for proof. He had none, we haven't heard from his since other than to say he 'will not be running for Congress again next term'. Good thing, we don't need liars in Congress.

But if YOU can do better than Rogers please post a link to some credible source as you appear to be quite certain of the allegation.

[Dragonfli]

8. The defenders of the security state hate it when people are grateful for whistle blowers

And they appear to hate with a dripping passion the whistleblowers themselves. I expect the usual hatred to be expressed soon as an alternative to discussing the police state realities that were exposed.

Perhaps I will be proven wrong.

[sabrina 1]

41. That seems to depend though. Eg, the Left LOVED Whistle Blowers when Bush was occupying

the WH despite the fact that back then most of them were Republicans as it was they who had access to the information. Bush supporters hated them. Now it seems a few on the left have changed their minds.

[Dragonfli]

44. I don't disagree that some in the party do 180 style gymnastics regarding this and other matters

I do however disagree on them being "the left", in fact often I find those that were against such things under another party's tenure and yet support them now, are merely partisan and far from left as can be evidenced by posts from the same group calling out "the left" in derogatory terms.

I often wonder how they rationalize using the left as an insult while proclaiming themselves members of what is commonly considered the left party in US politics, until I realize that most of them are actually right wingers that started registering in the party in the late 80's, Democratic Conservatives and Authoritarians only agree with the left on some social issues, that does not make them left, merely right in left clothing so to speak.

There is also a small group that doesn't know or care about "left or right" but rather view politics the same way teenagers view idols in their magazines, infatuation with personality alone appear to drive them, they do not care what their idols do or believe in but will agree simply out of infatuation with the idol of their desires.

Another observation I have made is that those that call very middle ground ideas "far left" have no idea whatsoever what Communists are or that Communists are the far left. Democratic socialists are really just left, regular Democrats are really just Centrist, those that call themselves Centrists are really the right, and the right in this country is very nearly now "extreme right" or fascist. The rest is a game intended to give words new meanings that match dishonest narratives.

Just my 2 cents.

[sabrina 1]

45. Excellent post, I completely agree with your assessment.

One very important outcome of the exposure we have witnessed over the past several years, is that the social issues generally USED to supposedly draw a line between 'left' and 'right', ie, women's rights, Gay Rights, minority rights, are no such thing. The cynical use of those issues is despicable, imo.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Bravo.

[bvar22]

13. KUDOS to a Patriot and protector of our Demopcracy.

I can only hope I would have his courage in the same situation.
Its MUCH easier to keep you mouth shut,
don't make waves,
and keep collecting that Pay Check.

"While he has received some 25 international awards, the Ridenhour is only his second major U.S. award. (Snowden received the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence in October 2013). Snowden joins winners like Ambassador Joseph Wilson, Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, and fellow NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake.

Laura Poitras, a key journalist and documentary filmmaker who received Snowden's revelations will receive the Truth-Telling prize with Snowden, a deserving recognition of her courageous effort to report Snowden's revelations. Poitras, along with Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and Barton Gellman will receive the prestigious Polk Award for their reporting later this week."

*Rampant Government Secrecy and Democracy can not co-exist.

*Persecution of Whistle Blowers and Democracy can not co-exist.

*Government surveillance of the citizenry and Democracy can not co-exist.

*Secret Laws and Democracy can not co-exist.

*Secret Courts and Democracy can not-co-exist.

*Our Democracy depends on an informed electorate.

You either believe in Democracy,
or you don't.
It IS that simple.

[sabrina 1]

42. He's in very good company. Truth telling appears to be a dangerous occupation in the world we live

in, and kudos to those who chose to give him, and the others who have received it, this award. Joe Wilson paid a heavy price when he chose to tell the truth also.

[bvar22]

46. I had forgotten Joe Wilson & Wife.

Scott Ritter was also a truth teller.

William Scott Ritter, Jr. (born July 15, 1961) was a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, and later a critic of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ritter stated that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities. He became a popular anti-war figure and talk show commentator as a result of his stance.

In 2001, Ritter on two occasions was detained and later arrested on charges of soliciting minors for sex on the Internet that were both dismissed. He was arrested on similar charges in 2010 that led to a conviction and sentence of one and a half to five and a half years.

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

That smells like a Set Up more than ever NOW.

[sabrina 1]

48. Yes, Wilson, truth teller, Scott Ritter, well we know what they did to him. And Manning, tortured,

isolated, convicted in a 'military' trial. Sure, we have the utmost faith in 'military' trials. He was silenced, and Snowden and the new generation of Whistle Blowers have learned, 'seek political asylum elsewhere IF you have the courage to reveal the corruption of the US Govt and its various agencies.

Hey, 'democracy'!! USA! USA! FREEDOM! and all that.

The truth is no one who tells the truth can safely remain in the US anymore.

We have sunk so low and it couldn't have happened without partisan collaborators on both sides.

[Luminous Animal]

16. Mother Jones has the audio of him accepting the award here:

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/listen-edward-snowden-defend-whistleblowers

A snip:

"A year ago there was no way I could have imagined being here, being honored in this room," Snowden said to open his remarks. "When I began this, I never expected to receive the level of support that I did from the public. Having seen what happened to the people that came before, specifically Thomas Drake, it was an intimidating thing." Drake is a former high-level employee at the National Security Agency who was vigorously prosecuted after revealing waste and mismanagement at the agency. "I'd realized that the highest likelihood, the most likely outcome of returning this information to public hands would be that I would spend the rest of my life in prison," Snowden said. "I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do."

When asked what advice he would give to the next potential whistleblower who wants to expose wrongdoing in the intelligence community, Snowden said that there needed to be systematic changes; otherwise that whistleblower would be forced into exile like him. "Thomas Drake showed us that even if you're a real classic [whistleblower revealing] waste, fraud, and abuse in a program… there's a very good chance the FBI will kick in your door, pull you out of the shower naked at gunpoint in front of your family, and ruin your life," he said. Instead, Snowden suggested that Congress needed to add safeguards to encourage people to come forward. "Work with Congress in advance to try to make sure that we have reformed laws," he said, "that we have better protections, that all these shortcomings and failures in our oversight infrastructure are addressed so that the next time that we have an American whistleblower who has something that the public needs to know, they can go to their lawyer's office instead of the airport. Right now I'm not sure they have a real alternative."

[KoKo]

28. Thanks for the link...

's

[KoKo]

29. Thanks for the link...

's

[QC]

17. He's still a poopiehead!!1!!

[Capt. Obvious]

21. The KOSbaggers love him

[QC]

25. They're meanies!!!1!11

[Douglas Carpenter]

18. the Daily Kos is a Paulite libertarian rag!! Fuck Ron Paul and all of his followers!!

[Capt. Obvious]

22. KOSbaggers

[zeemike]

20. K&R...

And he deserves that award.

[DeSwiss]

23. K&R!!!

- The ''Snowdonts'' screaming bloody murder about how this award is another example of how he is just begging for more attention in 4, 3, 2......

[center][/center]

[woo me with science]

24. Huge K&R. Thank you, Edward Snowden.

[UTUSN]

26. Oh, please. n/t

[840high]

27. k rx100

[elias49]

30. The Snowden haters are nowhere to be found

They remind me of Republicans having a tantrum about the ACA...."repeal and replace" "repeal and replace"
and the Snowden haters "bring him back and string him up"

In 6 months when the Republicans lose in the midterms, maybe then the Snowden haters will see the folly of their ways as well.

[JEB]

37. There are a few feeble attemps at distraction.

As for Snowden haters seeing the folly of their ways; I wouldn't count on it. Not in their DNA to learn from their mistakes.

[sabrina 1]

54. Lol, I wouldn't count on them 'seeing the folly of their ways' either.

Unless there is a Repub in the WH. Then you will see a sudden 'concern' for civil rights. These past few years have been very instructive regarding the 'left'.

[gulliver]

31. Another "prize" throws itself under the bus.

They aren't lifting Snowden. The prize-givers push upward on Snowden, and he moves upward relative to them. But it's just them moving down.

[stevenleser]

33. And he used the award speech to again try to make Russia and Putin seem better than the US

He seems to keep going back to that agenda.

[uponit7771]

34. That's what's disgusting about this support of Snowden, don't see how an LGBT hater like Putin can

... ever be heralded as anything but an asshole

[sabrina 1]

49. Lol, our closest allies make Putin look like a liberal when it comes to LGBT rights. Got any

objection to our alliance with one of the worst abusers of LGBT rights, Saudi Arabia? How about Uganda which the US Govt is supporting FINANCIALLY? And the Ukraine? Know their record on LGBT rights?

I could go on, we have a long list of Allies who are brutal to Gays yet I never see much on DU from the people who claim to care about those rights regarding our alliances with these bigots. That makes me wonder, 'do they really CARE about Gay Rights, or is this just political. And the answer is clear.

Snowden was forced into Russia by the US Govt. He did NOT want to be there, he was on his way to Latin America where he had sought political asylum. The US Govt forced him to remain in Russia. Got any idea WHY the US Govt forced Snowden to remain in Russia when he did not want to be there? Enquiring minds have been asking, but so far, no one is answering.

[uponit7771]

50. Snowdens not saying SA is a leader in aspects of human rights like he is with Putin...

... and no one in their right mind believes Snowden didn't give Putin a mad pass recently

[sabrina 1]

51. This issue is not about Snowden. YOU raised it. Where are you posts slamming this Government for its

support for some of the most brutal, anti-Gay regimes on the planet? If you want a list, I can provide it. But I would think that someone who CLAIMS to care about Gay Rights would have that list and would be demanding that this Government STOP supporting them.

For years, I wrote about our despicable support for dangerous regimes whose homophobic practices should have caused this government to cut off all ties to them. I felt like a voice in the wilderness. I have read and supported Russia's Gay Rights activists who have stated over and over again that the US latest supposed concerns for their rights, had done NOTHING BUT HARM THEM in a country where they are not condemned to DEATH for being who they are, and respected their request that WE NOT USE THEM for our own selfish, political purposes.

Just stop. If you have not condemned our alliances with the most brutal, anti-gay regimes WHICH THIS GOVERNMENT supports, you have zero credibility on this issue and are confirming Russian Gay Activist Charges that this is nothing but a political ploy and is HARMING THEM. I respect their requests that we NOT USE THEM for our own selfish, political purposes.

I expect to hear from you regarding our Government's support for some of the most brutal, anti-Gay Rights Governments who ARE OUR ALLIES from now on. Otherwise, I will have to agree with Russia's Gay Activists, that this is nothing but a deceptive political and cynical use of their lives for our own selfish reasons.

[sabrina 1]

43. Actually, no he didn't. If the US continues to persecute Whistle blowers, no one has to

make them look bad. Odd you would interpret this as anyone BUT those responsible for making the US look bad, being responsible for making ALL of us look bad. I personally resent The US being represented by people who torture and persecute other human beings, most of them innocent. I certainly can't blame those around the world who see the US as 'worse than Putin' or anyone else.

I guess you like the image being created of this country where Whistle Blowers are tortured and humiliated and the Perps, the War Criminals are treated like Elder Statespeople.

If you don't want the US to 'look bad', then attack those responsible. No one can MAKE you 'look bad' unless you actually are doing something to earn the reputation.

I just want the world to know that not all Americans will defend this horrendous policies.

Snowden is actually improving the image of the US by demonstrating that not all Americans support war crimes and massive spying etc. It gives people hope that some day the US may rid itself of leaders who invade other countries, kill and torture innocents, spy on their own people and then persecute their good citizens who try to stop all these crimes.

[WillyT]

32. K & R !!!

[snot]

36. K&R'd!

[Blue_Tires]

38. That's what I don't quite get:

All this time people have been screaming at me that this whole thing was "never about Snowden," and ordering me to "stop making this about Snowden"; but all the awards, the high-profile interviews, the televised appearances everywhere, the Hollywood movie rights, "Snowden's Pulitzer", and everyone chirping about how Snowden has been 'vindicated' (lalz) makes me wonder...

And as an aside, this quote just tears it:

"Do you think it's right that the NSA is collecting more information about Americans in America than it is about Russians in Russia?" Snowden said. "Because that''s what our systems do. We watch our own people more closely than we watch any other population in the world."

Did Snowden REALLY have the stones to just go there and make another implied 'Worse-than-Russia' comparison in light of recent events?

Maybe Wizner needs to start picking up the awards in Snowden's name, since he can at least sound halfway coherent when making public comments....

[KoKo]

47. Wasn't sure if your post was saying Snowden's Lawyer is just a Shill Making Money off Snowden

OR...that you'd suddenly realize that what Snowden revealed is REALLY IMPORTANT to ALL of us Americans but that you didn't like his lawyer?

I go for: "Snowden revealed is REALLY IMPORTANT to ALL of us Americans" and those who want to trash him...are really like those folks who thought "Invading Iraq" was a Great Idea...because Bush II said so.

I know that sounds harsh but the "Anti-Snowden" stuff on DU has been so OTT....it's hard not to really kind of wonder where folks come from who "WANT SPYING ON THEMSELVES" ......and the rest of it.

[sabrina 1]

52. I found that comment puzzling also. But in the end, yes, Snowden like all the Whistle Blowers before

him, has revealed very important information for the American people and anyone who tries to deflect from that is no better than those Bush supporters who tried to defend Bush when Whistle Blowers exposed HIS spying on the American people and we condemned THEM as nothing more than blind partisans who were harming this country.