Secret US flight flew over Scottish airspace to capture Snowden

[davidthegnome]

18. To an extent.

As much as they can get away with, sure. - As much as they can get away with -. The US government gets away with a lot more. It's not just a matter of spying on other Nations, but of violating the rights of it's own citizens. A whole lot of this started with the Patriot Act, giving powers to the security apparatus, that, before 9/11, would have been unthinkable. The ACLU should have had a field day with that, heads should have rolled for such a betrayal of the American people and their civil rights. To call it the Patriot act is such an insult to any kind of sincere patriotism that it should make us all sick.

No one is (and I'm certainly not) suggesting that we should not maintain our information gathering network. What I am suggesting, is that there needs to be a check on big brother's power and over-reaching hand, even if that check is limited to people like Snowden giving us some clue as to what is going on.

You know... if my life was threatened, by my own Country, for doing the right thing... I think I myself might flee to any Nation willing to have me, and count myself fortunate to have survived. Particularly when that Country (the US, I mean) is, for all intents and purposes, the most powerful on Earth.

Where would Snowden be able to flee if the Russians wanted him dead or imprisoned? You think they would stop with him? No, they'd get him, his associates, close friends and/or family who were in the Country, maybe more. In the US, there remains some manner of keeping them in check through investigative journalism, the power of the masses, a President who isn't a complete authoritarian. Russia is a different kettle of fish.

Personally, I applaud him for telling the truth - for having the courage to do so and for having the courage to take on life in another Country so different from his own.

Why flee to Russia? Because, in our eternal pissing contest with Russia, the Russian government is highly unlikely to give him up, no matter how much the powers in the US want them to.