Edward Snowden
First of all, who the hell is Edward Snowden? Is he a spy working for the Chinese, the Russians, or the North Koreans? Is he trying to harm our country? Is he on some sort of ego trip? Has he gone completely mad? The answer is: absolutely none of the above.
I’ve never met Edward Snowden, but in watching the videos (Part 1 and Part 2) released by The Guardian and Mr. Glenn Greenwald, I know exactly who he is. Edward Snowden is nothing more than a Patriot. Yep, I just fucking said it—a Patriot. Disagree with that assessment? If you’re the average American, you might not know what to think about him or his actions. If you’re currently inside the beltway or your paycheck comes from the U.S. taxpayers, you’re almost certain to disagree and call him a traitor. There’s two possibilities for this:
The first is that you’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid too long due to the programming/culture within the U.S. government and actually believe there’s a need to record the world’s conversations. You actually believe that the NSA is protecting you from our enemies and keeping your family safe from terrorists. You’re part of the problem.
The second, which to an extent can be understood and rationalized, is that you agree with what Snowden did and are afraid to voice your true opinion. In doing so, you may violate your agency’s policy, bring scrutiny upon yourself from the IT department, and lose your job because you’re suddenly considered a security risk. Your primary concern is your Thrift Savings Plan, your 6-C Retirement, and your next step increase (pay raise). Patriotism comes in at a distant second place to your paycheck. Since you’re locked into a couple of mortgages, two car payments, and paying your kid’s tuition, you can’t afford to speak out and exercise your First Amendment Rights. There are many U.S. government employees who fall into this category with you. I understand your rationalization for going along with the rhetoric and staying out of the debate.
“…there comes a time when silence is betrayal.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Enemies of the United States
The U.S. government is claiming that Snowden has aided enemies of the United States. Before we get started on this, can anyone tell me exactly who our enemies are? Senator Levin asked the Pentagon to provide him with an official list because he didn’t know either. If a Senator who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee doesn’t know, then who the hell does?
China? Does the U.S. government really expect me to believe that China is a threat to the United States? That defies logic. Every time you go to Wal-Mart, you travel to China. Wal-Mart equals China. Everything that’s sitting on your desk, the computer you’re staring at right now, and probably the clothes on your back were manufactured in China. That would mean that most everything in America is made by our enemy. It just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. China is not our enemy. Don’t believe that shit for one minute.
Who does actually hate us as Americans and consider us to be their enemy? In my travels I can tell you that nobody hates the American people. They love us. They hate the assholes running the U.S. government. They hate those who have made the decision to bomb their village and interfere in their country’s civil affairs.
Brazilian Senators call on their govt to give asylum to Snowden, cancel state dinner in USA, in protest of NSA spying http://t.co/E43CCztNeh
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) July 8, 2013
Don’t believe me? Then find out for yourself. Go get yourself a passport, throw a dart at a map, and buy a ticket to whatever country it hits. Then, go sit in a bar and ask people what they think about America. If they’ve had a couple, they’ll open up and give you their true opinion.
Has Snowden really aided anyone? Not in my book. All he’s done is refresh everyone’s memory of what the world has already known. If we’re going to hang Snowden, then we’re going to have to indict old Gene Hackman, Will Smith, and all those involved with the making of the movie Enemy of the State.
Even the most remote villager in Iraq and Afghanistan knows that cell phone conversations are recorded. The entire world knows this. It’s been public knowledge.
Corporate Patriots
I spoke about this category of people in my book Killing Sheep: The Righteous Insurgent. The defense industry and its Corporate Patriots, wearing their U.S. flag lapel pins, are only concerned with two things. The first thing is making money. The second thing is keeping the American public in fear so that they can make money. Since the defense industry provided the funding to get the politicians elected, it’s merely a case of the fox watching the hen house. Or, what President Eisenhower deemed the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex. I call it MICC for short. I bring this up because all of these surveillance programs didn’t get put into place for free. They had to be funded. Who allocated the funds? Take a guess.
Your tax dollars are paying for your email and phone calls to be recorded. Think about that for a minute. Do you really want to pay government employees to do this to you? If you had cash money in your pocket, would you voluntarily give it to the government to pay for these programs? Hell no you wouldn’t. You’d tell them to screw off. The problem is that they take the money up front from your paycheck and call it income tax. Therefore, you don’t think about where the money goes. They don’t give you the chance to get pissed off and object.
The only thing we should be funding is the technology which prevents anyone from doing exactly what the U.S. government is currently doing to everyone.
The Fourth Amendment
At this point, you can basically wipe your ass with the Fourth Amendment. It’s not worth the paper it’s written on. I do believe that it still lives at the state and local level—at least for now. At the federal level, it has been trampled upon to the point that it no longer applies to the decision-making process of those in Washington.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
National Debt
This is the true enemy of the American people. The national debt is nearing 17 trillion U.S. dollars. It’s climbing every day. We are going to leave our children and grandchildren in so much debt that they’re going to owe money to the entire world. Do we really need to be borrowing money to finance programs such as the NSA’s efforts to record the world’s phone calls? I think not. I’m not willing to put PRISM, BOUNDLESS INFORMANT, or any other programs like this on our kids’ credit card.
Snowden and the Nixon Tapes
What the hell do the Nixon Tapes have to do with Edward Snowden? Well, during a conversation with a friend of mine over a few beers, we began to discuss the real reason the U.S. government is so scared of Snowden. During the drunkenness, I formulated a theory.
When WikiLeaks released cables (secure emails) from the U.S. Department of State, it was quite embarrassing for them to have their official reports posted for the world to see. However, all cables are sanitized, edited, reviewed, approved, and polished, as is any U.S. government document before it gets sent out. Most of those cables contained the typical dog and pony show which government employees are known for. Simply put, they contained whitewashed bullshit to begin with.
Here’s the difference with what Snowden may or may not have: If Snowden had the capability to access everyone’s selector (phone number) as he claims, then it’s possible he has raw audio of some very incriminating telephone conversations. He made a reference during the first video that he had the capability to wiretap even the President of the United States.
“Any analyst at any time can target anyone—any selector, anywhere… But I, sitting at my desk certainly had the authorities to, to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge, to even the President if I had a personal email.” – Edward Snowden
Was that a subliminal warning or was he just exaggerating? If he in fact had that capability, we should assume that he downloaded every phone call that every congressman, every director of every government agency, and every governor has made within the last ten years. This is the danger of the program in the first place.
Americans don’t really value what they read or what people report. But what will piss them off is hearing an actual phone call of the players involved. Nixon learned this the hard way during the Watergate Scandal. The “Smoking Gun Tape” between Nixon and his Chief of Staff Haldeman left no doubt that Nixon was involved in criminal activity. Nixon is still kicking himself in the grave for installing those damn taps in The White House. What he initially used for his own benefit came back around to bite him in the ass. Now, the NSA has taps installed on everyone. Can you see the train wreck coming?
I think what Nixon was trying to do was emulate J. Edgar Hoover. Old J. Edgar held the United States government hostage for decades. Why? Because he had incriminating audio or photographs on damn near everyone. That racist asshole used blackmail to silence anyone who opposed him. How else do you think he retained his position as director for forty-eight years?
Imagine what would happen in the United States if the American public was suddenly able to listen to a conversation between Senator X and his mistress, or to Director X using repeated racial slurs during a conversation, or to Governor X negotiating with a high-priced call girl while is old lady is out of town. Or, the possibility of hundreds or thousands of these types of conversations being released at one time. Americans aren’t prepared for that reality.
There would be a plethora of resignations to say the least. Just ask old Anthony Weiner about the subject. Could this be the reason that President Obama has predominately remained quiet during this situation? Even though it’s obvious the U.S. is hunting Snowden, why make it personal? If I were President Obama, I certainly wouldn’t give Edward Snowden any further reason to dislike me.
True Patriotism
Edward Snowden is a Patriot. Why? It’s because he has sacrificed his livelihood, a six-figure salary at an easy job, his freedom to travel, his freedom to pursue happiness, and the ability to spend time with his family, all for his country. I wrote a book which ended my career making six-figures in the defense industry. I’d do it all over again if I had the chance because I love my country as well.
Mr. Clapper and General Alexander, you’ve both worked for the U.S. government for many years. I’m curious as to how far you’re willing to go to defend the U.S. Constitution and what you believe in? Are you willing to sacrifice your career, your paycheck, and your freedom if you disagree with the masses or become privy to criminal activity? I don’t think so. You don’t have the courage to do what Edward Snowden did. It’s much easier for you both to keep towing the party line and telling your lies to the American people. You both should be indicted for lying to Congress, by the way. Last time I checked, government employees are supposed to be subordinate to the elected leadership. It’s what’s called a democracy. Apparently, you’re both unfamiliar with the concept. Keep shredding the Bill of Rights which our forefathers fought and died to create. Just know that there are some of us who are not afraid to speak out and are capable of seeing through your line of bullshit.
Conclusion?
I think most Americans agree that the NSA and these surveillance programs are out of control. It’s time for the masses to object to this course of action. Make an appointment with your senator, sit down and ask him/her blatantly about their involvement and position on these programs. Your hard work pays their salaries. They work for you so remind them of that by showing up at their office. Don’t know how to contact your senator? Click here and I’ll show you the way. Tell them that I told you to call.
And oh, if anyone has the courage to comment on this blog post, I salute you. The NSA is watching.