The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence urged President Barack Obama on Thursday not to pardon Edward Snowden, concluding in an unclassified summary of a two-year investigation that the former NSA contractor was “not a whistleblower” — echoing what White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said during a press briefing earlier in the week.
“Edward Snowden is no hero — he’s a traitor who willfully betrayed his colleagues and his country. He put our service members and the American people at risk after perceived slights by his superiors,” said Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., in a statement about the report on Snowden’s disclosure of documents on NSA worldwide surveillance programs.
The entire panel — Democrats and Republicans alike — signed a letter sent directly to the president, asserting that Snowden is “not a patriot.” The unclassified summary of the report, disclosed alongside the letter, is just three pages long; the classified version is 36 pages with 230 footnotes.
The summary was released one day before the premiere of Oliver Stone’s movie about the NSA whistleblower.
The committee shared five conclusions, which it says were formed from speaking with “key individuals with knowledge of Snowden’s background and actions.” While the report ostensibly reveals some new information, several of its claims have been quickly challenged as misleading, dishonest, or opinion.
Among what is likely to be the report’s more controversial claims is the assertion that Snowden took some 1.5 million documents. The committee determined that his disclosures led to the loss of intelligence “that had saved American lives” and cost the country billions of dollars, but it doesn’t cite evidence of specific damages in the unclassified summary.
The majority of the documents, the authors also argue, “have nothing to do with programs impacting individual privacy interests.”
Ben Wizner, Edward Snowden’s lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, argues the committee’s calculation of how many documents Snowden took is actually a vast overestimate, judging from how many documents they think he may have had access to. “The assertion that he took 1.5 million documents is nonsensical,” he told The Intercept during a phone interview.
Moreover, to claim that the documents he did disclose aren’t “mostly about surveillance is bad faith on top of bad faith,” he said.
The committee also asserts that Snowden may not have been familiar with all the privacy protections baked into the intelligence collection programs, because he failed a test about Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a program up for reauthorization in 2017.
The report does not cite which parts of the test Snowden got wrong.
The report also fails to acknowledge the substantial changes that have taken place as a result of Snowden’s disclosures, including a global debate about domestic and foreign surveillance, the death of Section 215 bulk collection, which was ruled illegal, and increased transparency requirements for the entire intelligence community.
The report also attempts to attack Snowden’s personal credibility. According to the investigation, Snowden in mid-2012 had a “fiery email argument” with a supervisor, for which he was reprimanded. Then, two weeks later — eight months before the director of national intelligence testified falsely that the NSA does not collect information on Americans — he started downloading documents.
However, Snowden tweeted that the reason he downloaded documents was for a program called HEARTBEAT — which appears in Stone’s Snowden film, though hasn’t been reported on widely before. Snowden concluded that was where the figure of 1.5 million documents came from — though that program was authorized by management, he wrote in a tweet.
The committee cites a member of the Russian parliament who claimed that Snowden shared intelligence with the Kremlin, although that official actually prefaced his statement with “I think” — something Snowden noted on Twitter following the report’s release.
Snowden has maintained his assertion that he can no longer access any of the files he took.
While cautioning that he wasn’t representing the official position of the government, Chris Inglis, former deputy director of the NSA, said that it “doesn’t seem to me that a destination of China or Russia would be preferred. … I don’t think that he was in the employ of the Chinese or the Russians.”
The committee also concluded that Snowden failed to raise his concerns internally before leaking the information, and thus could not claim whistleblower protections. The committee revealed that it regularly receives complaints from contractors under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act of 1998.
However, the intelligence community’s top lawyer, Bob Litt, said himself last November that those protections are “complicated”, and that “the government doesn’t straight out have the authority to say whether that person can be fired.”
According to the investigation, Snowden exaggerated his experience and his level of access to classified files — and instead was able to access the information he took through his coworkers’ credentials and systems.
The report appears designed to directly refute some plot points in Stone’s movie, such as Snowden leaving the army after breaking his legs. Snowden “washed out,” the authors wrote, due to shin splits.
The committee notes he never obtained a high school degree, and claims he lied about being a “senior advisor” at the CIA while actually working as a lower computer technician. The authors of the report accuse him of “stealing the answers” to a test employees take before entering the NSA.
Snowden began to directly respond to the report’s personal characterizations of him as a “serial exaggerator and fabricator” on Twitter.
Army held me for weeks in a special unit for convalescence before separation. I left on crutches. They don't do that for "shin splints."
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 15, 2016
It’s unclear whether every member of the committee agreed with all of the report’s conclusions. “I can’t comment on discussions that take place in a classified setting,” Jack Langer, Chairman Nunes’s press secretary, wrote in an email.
The investigation’s conclusion, which coincided closely with the release of Oliver Stone’s new film, frustrated Snowden’s attorney, Wizner. In the movie, Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt, is portrayed as a patriotic American who grew disillusioned from his years working within the intelligence community.
“You wonder why Americans are cynical about the government,” Wizner said. “Who knew the [intelligence community] was so afraid of Joseph Gordon Levitt.”
Top photo: A sticker featuring an image of Edward Snowden and partially reading “asylum” is pictured on a Berlin street on May 26, 2014.
There is a good reason the government is not going public with everything regarding the leak. They do not want potential adversaries to know what material they know to be compromised, know to not be compromised, and what they do not know if it was compromised or not. There is a lot more to the leak than what the media has been talking about. It is the material no one is publicly talking about that is the biggest cause for concern. That material is what has increased risk to those working in the military and intelligence communities. The leaker is not a hero.
To put this in context, I am no fan of the government and a proponent of transparency. I agree with a lot of what is published on this site and I am glad the reporters here discuss issues other places keep quiet. However, I think they are completely wrong regarding the leak. Unfortunately the information that would convince many people of this is best kept secret for the safety of those serving in the military and intelligence agencies.
I’m afraid we may have been looking at this the wrong way. Tell me if I’m wrong.
What the House Intel Panel actually did was to affirm Snowden’s reputation is solid as titanium. After years of “investigation,” and even the chance to fabricate “evidence,” the mighty government of the United States has come up empty handed in their effort to destroy Snowden’s reputation. All they have is petty name-calling that a (not very bright) 8 year-old might use (e.g., “traitor!”). This is fantastic! How many people could come out of this vetting process with such flying colors?
As a side bonus, these results make it very easy to identify those who come from the bottom of the gene pool, since they will be eager to merely repeating those accusations.
I may have underestimated Congress and the service they provide.
According to a poll commissioned from KRC Research by the American Civil Liberties Union, of the two-thirds of Americans who have heard of Snowden, just 36 percent support his actions. Only 8 percent of Americans are said to have a “very positive” opinion of him.
Snowden’s popularity is dramatically higher overseas, where 95 percent of Germans have heard of Snowden and 84 percent support him. That support was matched by the same percentage of Italians and 64 percent of Australians. Yet opinions are more divided in Canada and England, where he’s supported by 58 percent and 54 percent of the population respectively.
The figures in the U.S. reflect the success of the American propaganda campaign against the whistle blower. Political pundits and the media have repeatedly called his actions traitorous, demanded that he return to face a justice system almost guaranteed to treat him unfavorably, and questioned whether he is working in collusion with the Russians, even though he only remains in Russia because his U.S. passport has been cancelled.
Why Snowden wants to go back to a country where most people have their brains brainwashed, where most people don’t even know what he did and they don’t care; they are extremely ignorant people which priority is to survive in a corrupted society. Clinton and Kerry think he is a traitor like many Democrat leaders (Democrats are the “good ones”) imagine what the Republicans (The bad ones) think about him. The US, Mr Snowden is the most corrupted country on earth, you know that, the US is the Mother of the corrupted countries and you want a pardon from these people? Think, Mr Snowden, use your brain, you have a good one. The NSA, the most corrupted organization on earth, is waiting for you to make you a roast, a Sunday barbecue and you will bring the meat. Stay out of that country for good.
Yes, most people have their brains washed. That’s the work result of the medea, which is corrupt.
Well said. This country is without doubt the most corrupted on the planet with the most stupid electorate of all modern countries.
The humans that lead it, the multi-nationals, the government decision makers of the house, senate and administration are the most corrupt in the world. It’s condition confirms those facts. The fact that it is either clinton or trump is a testament to corruption of the elites and the blatant stupidity and ignorance of the us electorate.
From the report:
“… rather than interview Snowden’s NSA co-
workers and supervisors directly, Committee staff interviewed IC [Intelligence Community] personnel who had reviewed reports of interviews with Snowden’s co-workers and supervisors.”
So they got their info from:
>committee staff, who
>interviewed people, who
>read reports of
>interviews conducted by
>other people who interviewed
>actual witnesses.
This could be used as a textbook example of hearsay!
—————————
On another note, the report clams Snowden copied the files 8 months before Clapper perjured himself, which was 2 months before Snowden went to Hong Kong. If the report is to be believed, this would mean that the unauthorized copying of “1.5 million” highly classified documents from an NSA computer went undetected for 10 months!! Do they ever check their system logs??!!
And these corrupt, spineless fucktards are our “representatives”…
I think we all know who the real “serial exaggerator[s] and fabricator[s]” are.
It’s embarrassing that we allow them to speak for us.
They are an embarassment, but then again, look at the two major party candidates. We hit rock bottom well before they “won” their primaries. The worst injustice for all of us is having to pay the salaries of those cretins.
I get all the political commentary I need from comedian Jimmy Dore on YouTube (he often cite TI). The rest is bullshit.
The current election season exposed the deep corruption and uselessness of the Dem and Repub parties. I’m done with them for good–including Sanders who was a stalking horse for Clinton. But it appears that for most of the country, they get the reps they deserve.
I have notified my Dem senators and rep that due to their participation in the Democrat “super delegate” voter disenfranchisement system, that they cannot count on my future vote, and most assuredly will never get a donation, any campaign work, or even a simple bumper sticker with their name on it on my vehicle–ever. And if there is a progressive alternative, especially third party, that candidate will get my vote. And for the DNC, I of course will not vote for their selected, not elected Hillary Clinton, but if it is real close, maybe I’ll vote for Trump. I never vote Republican, but after the rigging and election fraud of the Dems, I want to see that party go down in flames as soon as possible.
??SNOWDEN??
Movie in theaters today!
https://youtu.be/QlSAiI3xMh4
In what parallel universe is Snowden a whistle blower? Snowden was a low level contractor at NSA. He felt he knew more than his position dictated and caused a problem with his superiors and when reprimanded downloaded documents. He used his co-workers security clearance’s and didn’t steal documents that even pertained to our individual privacy interests.
Why, didn’t he follow protocol set up to report what he says NOW was the gov’t impeding in our privacy interests. and the way this data was collected and how it was used to subvert our individuals freedoms in short. We are to believe that, Snowden, who downloaded at least 300,000-400,000 documents, a count that no one refutes, can’t even provide a cursory documentation of his whistle-blowing activity. What documents did he send to whom about what and when. Just the basic evidence that in fact he was concerned about the gov’t purposely taking away our rights or impeding them in any way.
You have NEVER had a whistle -blower come forward wether they were initially believed or not that only had his “word” for this whistle-blower narrative even though he was smart enough to download sensitive, classified documentation in various ways that he had no clearance for, he then fled to various countries. with documents in tow and finally found safety in Russia.
And oh the vast majority of the documents pertained to the military, defense and intelligence programs. Snowden in spinning his narrative, then says the testimony of the Director of National Intelligence , really brought this to an end for him, only his downloading “predated” the speech by eight months.
Colin Powell did not defend Snowden’s actions. What he said was that Snowden provided a “public service” by triggering a debate over surveillance techniques. He also said that Snowden harmed human interests, our agents were put a risk, relationships with other countries were harmed and in addition, our ability to keep the American people safe. What he did was not without consequences and he should return to the US to deal with the consequences.
Snowden has also lied from saying he had a G.E.D., to lying about his position at the NSA (I left out the issues that Snowden spoke to) and the type of documentation that he downloaded to whom he has shown it to.
What component of whistleblowing includes downloading secure US gov’t documents on defense (or anything else for that matter)
programs and fleeing to Hong Kong/China and Russia and sharing this documentation with our enemies? Isn’t that a spy? Whistleblowers stay and present their “evidence” within their own country. And even if they don’t trust the gov’t, the press is readily available as are a plethora of rights that are afforded to whistleblowers that are honestly trying to prevent or expose wrong doing.
Snowden was that employee at work that felt as though he should be listened to and allowed to work in positions at the TSA that he had no clearance nor education nor know how to perform. After numerous reprimands, he became angry, started downloading material that he always planned to take to other countries to share US intelligence with them. Things didn’t go as he planned and he got no further than Russia. He only changed the narrative in hindsight that’s why it doesn’t fit.
Regardless of what you believe about the honesty of the US gov’t, where’s Snowden’s proof of his whistle blower “hero” status? Why did he run to another country before even trying to present his case first? It’s amazing the status that
americans are willing to give this traitor without the first inkling of proof.
“It’s amazing the status that
americans are willing to give this traitor without the first inkling of proof.”
Hey, we just gave Israel $38 billion dollars when we can’t feed the elderly or treat the infirm.
You want to talk traitors – 6 million Jews get an average of more than $6 million each over the next ten years. Right out of the pocket of working Americans.
6 thousand times 6 million is 36 billion. You should go back to third grade to learn to multiply. It’s 6 THOUSAND per person.
@Deorah
You need to keep up. Your post is full of inaccuracies, and NSA propaganda. But don’t expect us to do your research for you. So boot up your computer and do some research and reading. Otherwise, you’re making a fool of yourself posting such drivel.
Your ignorance on the subject of whistleblowing, and Mr Snowden in particular, is mind-boggling. I actually pity you, pathetic person that you are.
The usa governance is deliberately obfuscating the difference between “executive order” that has no precedence in and of itself with that of “Statues” which are and shall (precede) take precedence, because -constitutional- STATUTES, to the uttermost, occur before, or lead the way, moses.
The usa governance unilaterally and deliberately perpetrated, and still perpetrates, the largest abolishment of Privacy domestically and abroad for the sake of the one world government while under the excuse of usa-patriotism and even democracy. At this rate is unequivocal that the annulment of personal privacy domestically and abroad remains in/at hopelessness while the corrupt establishment expects Snowden to return in order to obliterate his brain with toxic pharmaceuticals or high electromagnetic radiation because the corrupt establishment and their puppets do not cease to oblitarate anyone who exposes their secret tyranny that drives on plain falsehoods, propaganda and disinformation, not just against privacy, but democracy and the constitutional republic’s rule of law that while cloaked/dressed in democracy clothing are subverting it.
Since when the abolishment of privacy became a matter of national security? It is like saying that the natural ocean water (the way God created ti) is poisonous to the fish and the marine life organism living there need the waste of man made poison produced by monsanto and any man made contamination in order to save all living animals and organisms in the oceans.
Unless, the tyrants dressed/cloaked in democracy clothing and perpetrating surveillance/spying by abolishing privacy (bombing Doctors without borders, going to war based on propaganda and misinformation against nations) while call it defense and intelligence programs is inconsistent, which by definition are plainly exemplifying nothing more and worst than all the kosher bolchevist/ stalinist/trostkies/hitlerist regimes combined contrary and inconsistent to the tradition of the spirit of true democracy that the corrupt puppets in high public office and usa governance and chants/professes/declares publicly/ AVOWED to embrace.
Anyone who wishes to do harm in the name of democracy while bombing doctors without border (a nobel peace prize winner) at kunduz, has perpetrated wost than harm to national security, that is, plain tyranny and to their chanting “national security” and of no concern to the lapdogs of the domestic and international media as well as to the usa governance for such to be consider a threat to national security. Bombing doctors without borders and chanting “”harm remains unknown” is worst than tyranny. The corrupt establishment would have been in a better position to continue their tyranny, should the snowden’s revelations (and other whistleblowers) had not expose the whims of executive orders exceeding the constitutional statues of the rule of law, so that the secret puppets of the corrupt establishment would continue their spying/blanket surveillance unmitigated and paid for by non-kosher nations, where the corrupt establishment and their puppets are adversaries of the spirit of democracy and while cloaked in democracy clothing are a threat to the world at large increasing their tyranny by manipulations, obfuscation, propaganda, disinformation and plain falsehoods together with with their hypocrisy.
The corrupt establishment and their high public office puppets who subscribe to(cloaked/dressed in) democracy and the constitutional statues of the rule of law, are usually overpraised, because they wish to convince their own populations that they have not (wasted)perpetrated nor cease to falter any tyranny domestically and abroad while under the color(spirit) of democracy nor cede to perpetrate, against the constitutional statues of the rule of law, subversion.
-Alejandro Grace Ararat.
Absolutely great lesson as to what journalism should be all about. For several months The Intercept has done an amazing piece of true journalism.
Glenn Viklund
Sweden
Excellent movie ! (Q) Hero ot TRAITOR??!! On June 08.2013. Pr. Obama LIED American people, by defending NSA : “NOBODY is listening to your phone calls”??? On December 04. 2013, WP reports that NSA gathers 5 BILLION cell-phone-location record around the world, EVERY day???
Now that we have seen the latest stage of the Snowden documents being commodified for the profit of those who have claimed exclusive right to them by dint of possession alone, how can we believe that the theft, and subsequent controlled release, of these documents was driven by anything other then desire for fame and/or personal profit? How much was paid to Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Bart Gelman, and Edward Snowden for the rights to their story? How else were these four able to profit from the commodification of their story? Were they used as on-set advisors for example? What value should the rest of us place on the profit driven actions of these “journalists”, or on their oft repeated claim that profit was not a motivating factor in the theft and highly selective release of these stolen classified documents?
Why is it that you are incapable of paying attention, so at to at least save you the disgrace of posting more and more and more ignorant questions which have already been answered ?
New York Times Magazine
Here are my thoughts on this “privatization” point from a couple years back:
2014: I hesitate to characterize GG’s efforts as commoditization or “privatizing” as Pando claimed months back. These documents have been given to several different organizations. I’ve seen in-depth analysis from the WP, Guardian, NYT, Pro Publica, Der Spiegel, NBC and probably others I am forgetting. If I had been GG (or more accurately: the Guardian who seemingly handled most the logistics), I probably would have done almost exactly the same thing, with the exception of promising new details in an upcoming book which I believe borders on monetization of the leaks. Bottom line is that Snowden gave Poitras and GG the documents and not the Guardian, so why should GG be expected to sit under the Guardian’s roof to report all this? Even though I strongly disagree with some of TI’s articles, their analysis of the records, and GG’s style of journalism, GG and Co. have done us all a service by revealing the information under the umbrella of The Intercept.
As of today, it’s more definitive: the “for profit” argument is absolutely baseless. TI has included too many entities and has published too carefully to conclude otherwise. Furthermore, the rate of publication has largely dried up. If TI wanted to monetize the publication, it would be clear. We’d have articles every damn day and there would be no sharing with other publications.
If Snowden has brought the involved parties fame and fortune, it has been a byproduct of the entire process. Judge them on their work first, not their income.
Of course you are entitled to your opinion. If you are predisposed to the view that nether Snowden, Greenwald, Gelman, or Poitras are concerned with fame or fortune, then you are simply blind to the basic realities of human nature and obvious fact. I say this with the understanding that we live in a world where physical wellbeing is virtually synonomus with financial wellbeing. Comodification of the Snowden documents is seen as a necessary mean by which various outlets are enticed to become middlemen for a very controversial product. I also understand the strategy of timing the release of certain documents in a way that maximizes their intended political affect. So, too, I appreciate the problems that naturally arise when one is positioned in opposition to the “system” but at the same time dependent upon its institutions to get ones dissenting opinions heard.
I have lived for a long time and seen a lot of change in my day. I have traveled the world and lived in a number of cultures that are radically dissimilar to that of America. Thus I am able to dispassionately stand in ideological opposition to certain fundamental aspects of American belief and the way that they manifest as policy both at home and abroad. I am not averse to the type of dissent that can acknowledge and preserve the good while taking issue with perceived evils. However, there is a huge difference between healthy dissent and violently irrational and wholescale hatred for all things American. Or, for that matter, extending that hatred to all things associated with western culture.
I can appreciate the work of Snowden et al in so far as it acts as a healthy counterbalance to the self serving excesses of those in power. I can even tolerate the fact that those who claim to stand in ideological opposition to capitalist values, habitually enjoy its fruits with relish; such is human nature. But don’t ask me to put these people on a pedestal in the process. History is replete with examples of social progressives tearing down political systems in a way that allows their own excesses to flourish once they acquire the reigns of power. Thus it is necessary to critically evaluate the character of those who sing the praises of political change that reflects their own values, or more importantly, the lack thereof. If an individual cannot habitually control his or her own passions on a personal level, then he/she is ill suited to more broadly advocating for the common good. Take Anthony Weiner for example. Glenn Greenwald publicly defended Weiner in the immediate wake of him being exposed as an online exhibitionist. Greenwald argued that the man’s private life was his own and that such behavior should have no bearing on how the potential political efficacy of his public persona should be weighed. To those of us who took pointed exception to Glenn’s defense of Weiner, the latest episode of him laying beside his infant child while engaging in the same compulsive behavior does not come as a surprise. The same principle holds true for Assange, Barney Frank, Jessie Jackson Jr., etc. More directly, if someone routinely engages in unprincipled behaviors as a mean to purportedly affect outcomes commensurate with the express aim of affecting the ommon good, can they be trusted? If ones personal posture stands in stark opposition to that which is publicly projected, then Is it unfair to challenge such hypocracy as a possible indicator of hidden motives or self serving aims?
“I am able to dispassionately stand [sic]…”
Your word salad needs some dressing and you over-did the croutons, too.
Oh Mona, you like the phrase “word salad” don’t you? Maybe that is why you feel compelled to keep coming back for more of my healthy perspective eh? Albeit in a different guise each time – but such is the nature of liars and cowards.
It is a shallow strategy to elevate the question of motivation by those who reveal a truth above the far more important question of what that (undenied) truth has revealed. Play the ball, not the man.
Looks like all branches of American government have fallen into the trap of just making things up, which invariably make them look stupid and expose them as liars. The men and women in government aren’t even on the same planet when it comes to the patriotism and courage displayed by Snowden. The men and women in government don’t even come close. The fact of the matter is apparently everyone in our government have failed to honor their oaths to protect the constitution and bill of rights, and that’s not to mention they don’t even obey their own laws.
I have no comment the author and comments deliver the sermon, amen.
To Mr. Snowden. Whether you stay in Russia or get a way home, your have many friends and protectors, count me as me as one of them.
I believe God also loves Rights. ACTS 19: 9-10. “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
Eric Holder actually came out and defended Snowden after he left office.I wonder how many members of the Committee will suddenly have the same opinion of Snowden that Eric Holder has, once they leave office.
EVERY member of Congress accepting bundled campaign contributions from lobbyists has sold their soul, sold out OUR country and knows in their heart when it comes to oaths taken to defend OUR Constitution they have far less integrity than Ed. No wonder then they’ve guilt enough to produce small-minded garbage like this bs “report.”
Thank you, Jenna, I dug your report report!
The entire federal government is controlled by traitors to our Constitution and People. Expelling the anti-American fascists comprising the House Select Permanent Committee on Intelligence is far too good for them! May swift and terrible justice overtake each and every one now!
I could hardy expect less…..To blame the messenger for the message they are delivering. Put lives as risk George W. Bush – Afghanistan/Iraq based on lies – –
B-U-T don’t talk about his humanitarian aid to North Korea to develop NUCLEAR WEAPONS ……RepubliRAT Garbage – is not to be discussed any more than speaking the TRUTH…..
TRUTH…JUSTICE…. and when are the hearing for a new JUSTICE for SCOTUS – stacking the deck of FRAUD….or just more blocked legislation?.?
The most powerful country (and most democratic, wonderful, best, etc.) resorts to petty smearing campaign … Truly and utterly pathetic.
But also laughable, so thanks. :-)
Sounds like two bit, ad hominem propaganda. Indicates Congress has not turned this dark corner of history.
Words and meanings.
The word “intelligence” comes from the Latin word(s)
for the ability to pick up things. It can mean the ability and
it can mean the action itself and the degrees of quickness.
Its opposite is found in “stupid”, which comes from words
meaning stunned, dazed, numb….
Where the two words seem to overlap or parallel each other
can be found in the word “ignorant.”
There is willful ignorance and there is the ignorance of simple
unawareness. Both of which can have many sources.
So, then the problem becomes
trying to figure out the degree to which the obvious ignorance
is based in intelligence or in stupidity.
The biggest problem with making that determination is that
the quickness of intelligence may be determined through a
greater degree of stupidity which only makes a degree of
willful ignorance look as if it is a form of intelligence
when it is actually just a greater form of stupidity.
Now wave the flag vigorously and chant “USA, USA, USA…”
Repeat as needed.
I was briefly interrupted and ended on a bad note above.
…… So,
Each of us has to find our own unique form of ignorance in this world.
I happen to want to believe that,
despite all of the overwhelming contrary evidence of human history,
it is possible for humans to grow beyond the stupid ignorance
of predatory imperial desperation and repudiate the current
corporate capitalist imperial stupidity and actually
work toward that elusive notion of democracy and egalitarian
justice. This is what I believe Edward Snowden was trying to do,
but those with “intelligence” insist that I am wrong.
I must still embrace my lack of their intelligence.
BINGO, do or die.
(continued) the least truthful James Clapper , and this waste of taxpayers money for this garbage report.
I’m willing to bet that all of those on the House Intel Panel are financially connected to violating our rights/privacy industry..
“Snowden a traitor…”
What other conclusion could they come to? Just look at who they work for. If they had gone to bat for Edward, they would have been on the very same shitlist as Snowden. Nearly every person reading this post believes Snowden is a hero, and he is.
But this “report” is just for: 1) public consumption by idiots [the same morons that will vote for Hillary or Drumpf ], 2) to stem the onslaught of criticism of invasion of privacy, 3) to attempt to punish a defector of “the club”, 4) to send a chill down the spine of ANY future whistleblower that would ever think to do the same.
Of course the pawns that wrote the “report”, neglected to mention things like ending the mass collection of emails -that never would have happened, or even been known about had Snowden not told us.
The majority of the U.S. (not you TI readers) are completely stupid! They are totally happy with electing a rich white liar from New York. It is fitting that they have a liar as a president, (the least truthfull
Do you really believe most Americans are stupid when we are biologically identical to other humans? Saying so kind of make you seem like the stupid one.
Embrace diversity of opinion, don’t shy from it.
Yes C3 we are biologically similar, not biologically identical, don’t be idiotic. The word “stupid” comes to mind with the names Trump or Clinton being the next president.
I shudder with the thought of either being the next commander in chief.
Stupid majority of the U.S. not even knowing who Edward Snowden is, what a sacrifice he has made for the rest of us, and having the will to vote for the democratic or the republican nominee.
Yes charliethreeee -stupid!
Diversity of opinion does not equal lack of knowledge of current events.
?.? “Snowden a traitor…..”?.? for exercising his right of freedom of speech?.? For telling the people the government is spying on them?.? The B.S. ( being polite I generally spell it out completely) Placing lives as risk?.? George W. Bush’s Afghanistan/Iraq WAR BASED ON LIES?? or humanitarian aid to North Korea – so they could develop NUCLEAR WEAPONS…. ya wanna throw in WMD’s or our DRONE WAR on innocent bystanders?.?.?
Sorry Willie, I was making a shortened quote from the “report”.
Poorly -I admit.
Snowden is as good a patriot probably as I’ll ever see in my lifetime.
Please accept my apology.
Ah, good to see the ol’ discussion about the number of records Snowden purloined is back in the mix. It has been awhile!!
You know who can help answer this question: Glenn Greenwald.
But he sure as hell isn’t going to shed light on the matter because it could damage Snowden, or as he has said in the past “effectively and voluntarily testify against my source.”
Your fly is still open …
but that’s a beverage stain, right?
Yes, exactly. Very good, Nate.
Do you know what we call investigative journalists who effectively and voluntarily testify against their sources?
“Unemployed assholes.”
Doug,
Maybe you can be the one to explain how providing the number of documents is testifying against Snowden?
What damage does it cause at this point when Glenn and Co. are saying that the government’s estimates are garbage?
Good luck answering!!
So it was all because of a petty workplace resentment.
I believe you r a good worker with a brain function suitable for the system
Emmanuel kunt, the phylosopher talks about the use of private wisdom and rational and general form of it , the “Public wisdom/rational”. He says :”there is a differences between being a good student, a successful worker, a good president/soltan who uses his wisdom to further his own interest and helps system that he is serving to become more established , and the one who uses his wisdom and expertise to serve the interest of the society and starts something that is just for corrupt elites “., and To bring society into decision making process.
A good government tolerate “publicly used wisdom and rational, where a bad government just encourage privately used wisdom. A bad government says “be good for urself and us, be trump, be Paul Ryan, be that Harvard graduate who serves us , but do not question anything and anyone as I your president, soltan, committee of congress are thinking and deciding what is right” for you the people. As such If u enter this field and question us we consider that an act of betrayal.
These corrupts forgot that this world is our house. We have every rights to talk to this household ,freely. We have every right to deliver this internationally owned house to the next generations with our own hands and give them opportunity to start and create a new start for those new commers. . To say NO to those whe encourage us to be silent, to be good worker, good student,good colleagues and obedient. They say “We are up and we are thinking and planning , you just need be a “good patriot”.
And yes, to them Snowden has betrayed the country belong to corrupt elites. He dared to say NO.
“While the report ostensibly reveals some new information, several of its claims have been quickly challenged as misleading, dishonest, or opinion.”
The logic in that quote is almost comical.
You don’t think they are challenging you as being misleading and dishonest? When they say that is that evidence that you are wrong?
I am not siding with them by saying this. I am just pushing the writers here to up their game.
You are well-known to regulars here as a wingnut troll who makes innumerable and stupid errors of simple fact. Most regulars don’t take you seriously and no writer here should care one whit what you think about their “game.”
lol Mona… I love you too.
“The logic in that quote is almost comical. ”
Glad to see you are still able to laugh at everything …
Jill Stein was on Brett Bair last night; she bitch slapped George Will and Charles Krauthammer…
Brett asked her if she’d put Snowden in charge of the NSA.
It’s great that Fox is giving air time to 3rd party; but they are passively demeaning them…
Twas fun to watch Jill hand them their assholes and make them lick.
How could we expect this group of corrupt, self-serving corporatists to arrive at any other conclusion? They are so inept, they do not even know that the framers of the Constitution deliberately defined treason in such a manner to delegitimatize their application of the term. Congress has not declared war on anyone, and thus we have no enemies, in the sense of the Constitution. Therefore Edward Snowden is not a traitor, because he did not give aid and comfort to our enemies.
They hate him because he defends our freedom. Want to help him? Do this: https://freedom.press/donate
Interesting point on the def. of “enemy”.
I like when the Select Committee on Intelligence gives a definite opinion on a movie. I may not agree with it, but it provides a framework under which I can organize my own reaction to the movie and identify the things I like and dislike the most.
From popular opinion polls on the performance of Congress, I realize that not many people agree with me and are likely to simply reject The Committee’s opinion out of hand. That is too bad. Congress may become discouraged and just as they have stopped confirming Supreme Court justices, stopped approving budgets, and stopped exercising their constitutional duty to declare war, they may also stop doing movie reviews. These guys must be capable of doing something, but the American public needs to give them more encouragement.
ROFL
It is unbecoming of you to try to portray the congress as
if they “must be capable of doing something” when they work
so hard to prove again and again that they are merely/meekly
the residue fingerprints of the awesome invisible hand of
the sacred capital’s economic divinity. How dare you smudge
the evidence of their righteous pushing of buttons!
They go to corporate communion every chance they get and
you dare to doubt the thoroughness of their devotion!
Have FAITH man, their strength is their lack of integrity!
Got to hand it to you Clark. Keeping up with Il duce is not a task which should be taken lightly and not without its hazards but you managed to do so, quite admirably.
Both are really good comments; only not laughable. Clark’s point is a keeper: “their strength is their lack of integrity”
If Samson’s strength was in the length of his hair and he could be destroyed by cutting it… then how do you destroy the strength of politicians? By cutting their lies/deception through honest investigative reporting.?
Snowden volunteered to join the U.S. Special Forces after 9/11 to risk his life in the most dangerous hotspots on Earth – not during peacetime but knowing we were at war. Snowden turned down a six-figure salary working in Hawaii to be faithful to his supreme loyalty oath to defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies – including domestic enemies to the U.S. Constitution [a wartime charter].
How many members of Congress or other critics has the integrity or backbone to risk their life for their nation in the most dangerous places on Earth – knowing we are at war? Snowden’s critics also swore a supreme loyalty oath, oath of office, to defend the U.S. Constitution from all enemies – including “domestic” enemies to the U.S. Constitution.
There’s not even the slightest chance that Obama, or any future president, for that matter, will pardon Snowden, so keep breathing on that one.
Edward Snowden is a hero!
#ESIAH
Imprison Obama. Imprison all those Congress traitors. Imprision all the true NSA traitors. Pardon Snowden.
The actual criminals self identify by putting out this report.
Snowden is a HERO and 0Bama should pardon him!
The question should be , why aren’t Politicians, Judges & Bureaucrats being prosecuted ? Only after the members of our 3 branches of Government are prosecuted should there be a trial for Mr. Snowden, after all they committed
their crimes long before he blew the whistle on them ! ! !
UNITED STATES CODE
TITLE 18 – CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I – CRIMES
CHAPTER 13 – CIVIL RIGHTS
§ 241. Conspiracy against rights
If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any inhabitant of any State, Territory, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured – They shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results, they shall be subject to imprisonment for any term of years or for life.
§ 242. Deprivation of rights under color of law
Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any inhabitant of any State, Territory, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunsities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such inhabitant being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results shall be subject to imprisonment for any term of years or for life.
“For the purpose of Section 242, acts under “color of law” include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within the their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official’s lawful authority if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties,.
Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim. ”
Torture is also a crime under International law, the US has signed Treaties to that effect !
Time to hold these CRIMINALS to account, so lets take back America people, it is up to us FOR THE SAKE OF OUR CHILDREN & GRANDCHILDREN !
Wake up people, Democrats or Republicans,Tories or Labor. Liberals or Conservatives it’s two sides of the same evil coin it’s called Fascism. So the next time a politician asks for your vote, support or money just say no & vote for an independent candidate. Send a message they can’t ignore & will understand ! ! Both parties have been complicit in this criminal activity. Democrats & Republicans don’t decide elections Independent voters do so now is the time to elect independent candidates ! !
Money in politics equals corruption, reduce the money you reduce the corruption ! We don’t need the worst politicians money can buy, we need politicians that money can’t buy ! It’s time to remove the Corporate Congress from office & take back America !
The whole point is to expose this Election Shame for what it is . We need to divide & conquer Democrats & Republicans instead of them providing the American public with false choices, Its time to remove the Corporate Congress ! !
If you take away their power then you can take away their toys !
The Government will continue its PR & propaganda campaign using the following tactics as quoted by Joseph Goebbels during the 1930’s & 1940’s.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” AND
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over”
The following link is a must read ! This is not the Future. This is the here & NOW !
http://1933key.com/US-Empire/US-Patriot-Act-Compared-to-German-Enabling-Act
See also : http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/05/spying-meant-crush-dissent-terrorism.html
The supreme law of The USA is the Constitution, not the Patriot act the FISA act, or any other such acts that have unconstitutional provisions,are invalid & it matters not how many public officials say it’s legal, it’s NOT for the Constitutional Amendments say otherwise ! ! To say it is legal only shows the public their betrayal of the Constitution, their oath of office, and the American people.
No more lies, excuses rationalizations,or justifications, the public needs to hold these officials to account to the fullest extent of the law under Title 18 sec. 241 & 242 So any future traitors will know there will be consequences to such behavior. I hope the other five eyed nations have equivalent laws, but if not maybe it’s time to get some. Better late than never.
Don’t blame Snowden or the Press for the actions of NSA & GCHQ & our Governments, they are the ONLY ones responsible for the crimes they have committed ! ! ! See USC Title 18 Sec. 241 & 242 (Above). So why no arrest
warrants for high crimes, but only for misdemeanors ? ? ?
High crimes = NSA + GCHQ + PUBLIC OFFICALS OF THE UK & US ! ! !
Misdemeanors = Snowden, Manning, Assange, lAVABIT
REMEMBER: POLITICIANS, BUREAUCRATS AND DIAPERS SHOULD BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME REASON.
Some words of true Patriots are as follows, as opposed to the words of false flag patriotism of bought & paid for professional politicians and bureaucrats of today.
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
Benjamin Franklin
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.
Benjamin Franklin
Experience hath shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.
Thomas Jefferson
Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.”
Thomas Jefferson.
Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.
Thomas Jefferson
In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.
James Madison
Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power.
James Madison
The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.
Patrick Henry
“We the People are the rightful masters of BOTH Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution”
Abraham Lincoln
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln
We should not forget the warning of President Eisenhower . It has become the here & NOW !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLqWfWxqh_0
The NSA is controlled & operated by the DOD & the MIC (Military Industrial Complex) Private Corporations.
“The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of
excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it.”
President John F. Kennedy
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
April 27, 1961
As a reminder Hermann Goering said at the Nuremberg Trials .
“The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the
same way in any country.”
As is said in the law, falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus. (“False in one thing, false in all things” is an instruction given to jurors: if they find that a witness lied about an important matter, they are entitled to ignore everything else that witness said.)
Time to start removing the corporate Congress from office & defunding the NSA to pre 9-11 levels & force them to comply with the law & impose jail time for non compliance under USC Title 18 Sec. 241 & 242 (Google it) or see
above .
So VOTE just don’t vote for a Democrat or Republican, send them a message they can’t ignore and will understand ! ! ! They are the problem not the solution !
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein
“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.”
Benito Mussolini
The short version of the above is as follows:
Any Government or Party that doesn’t abide by the Constitution does not deserve our respect or support ! ! ! They are traitors !
Unaccountable power is absolute power, & is absolutely corrupt !
Disclaimer: Be advised it is possible, that this communication is being monitored by the National Security Agency or GCHQ. I neither condone or support any such policy, by any Government authority that does not comply, as stipulated by the 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Our hacking Grandmasters are not able to catch or prevent a single Chinese or Russian or North Korean or Iranian or Paki hacker from hacking all our servers, including those belonging to our national parties and Secretary of State. This is really very shameful, and this is the primary reason why we cannot officially accuse the Putin since these superblokes have to admit their incompetence.
I find General Colin Powell a blot on not just BLM but on humanity as a whole, which partially includes the ISIS clowns. This fellow can give Crooked Hillary a run for her money if there is a Lyin’ Olympics.
The only good thing about this House Intelligence report is that it is so transparently fictional that it boggles the mind.
The spook gang pawns opposed to privacy and transparency and the ones who cannot be trusted.
.JC! It took two years for NSA, CIA, and Committee to come up with this, I would love to know what the price tag on this report was!
“Edward Snowden is no hero – he’s a traitor who willfully betrayed his colleagues and his country. He put our service members and the American people at risk after perceived slights by his superiors,” said Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif
Typical deflection of any accountability on our “representatives” part, trying to steer the conversation back to making Edward Snowden a traitor. In all reality one could make a really good argument that most of these policy makers and executive branch members are indeed traitors, afterall, they do not represent the people of this country anymore.
On another note, I hear there’s a debate coming up, but they’re all sold out.
Edward Snowden is a Hero. The idiots who say otherwise have not done the research. Your government violates your rights and you blame the one who gives you proof of it. Insanity. Complete insanity.
There’s no point in saying “you” at this site. Most people reading here support Snowden. The Nazis who run the government on the other hand, well …
There’s nothing Congress can do about the very positive review of “Snowden” in the NYT: Review: ‘Snowden,’ Oliver Stone’s Restrained Portrait of a Whistle-Blower.
And speaking of restrained, multiple Pulitzer-winner Barton Gellman, formerly of The Washington Post — and one of Snowden’s chosen journalists, in addition to Glenn and Laura Poitras — is not amused by the House Report. Gellman is generally a mild-mannered, but just tweeted:
Can Glenn be far behind? ;)
Why no mention in the Report that Snowden exposed that Director of NSA, retired three-star General Keith Alexander, lied under oath before Congress. The head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, General James Clapper, lied under oath before the Senate committee appointed in 1976 to ensure NSA did not surveil American citizens. Their testimony available on youtube. Nothing happened to them.
It’s ok to lie if you’re breaking the law, but it’s a crime to expose it.
Read good summary and sign petition on change.org – Pardon Snowden #PardonSnowden
Re: Mona
Indeed, stating that this assemblage of political dissembling is “aggressively dishonest” putting it very mildly.
For my part, I very much look forward to Glenn, Laura, Barton, and Jeremy taking this slanderous distortion apart piece by piece.
“Work is love made visible.” KG
As Usual,
EA