Sometimes it seems like we are living in a massive upside down land. Snowden blew the whistle on massive and pervasive privacy violations by the NSA and our “representatives” refer to him as a traitor. Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, refused to answer an Ambassador’s request for security, put classified emails into a an unsecure server, and more…a lot more, really, and she gets to run for President. Maybe it’s just me, but it certainly seems like we don’t have very decent judgment in our “high offices” in this country.
Here’s an article about Snowden. I don’t want to look at any pics of Hillary tonight:
Europe just voted to drop criminal charges against Edward Snowden and offer him asylum
The European Parliament voted on Thursday to drop all criminal charges against Edward Snowden and offer him asylum and protection from rendition from third parties.
MEPs voted 285 – 281 to recognise the NSA whistleblower’s status as a “human rights defender” and asked member states to grant him protection from extradition to the US, where he is wanted under several Espionage Act charges.
In the resolution that was passed, MEPs said “too little has been done to safeguard citizens’ fundamental rights following revelations of electronic mass surveillance” the whistleblower alerted the world to after exposing the extent of the National Security Agency’s spying programmes in 2013.
The EU Commission is also being urged to ensure that all data transfers to the US are subject to an “effective level of protection” and examine concerns over surveillance laws in several EU countries, such as reported co-operation by Germany intelligence agency BND with the NSA.
It is up to individual member states to implement the resolution.
Snowden himself seems to be overwhelmed by the development. Calling it a “game-changer”, he tweeted:
This is not a blow against the US Government, but an open hand extended by friends. It is a chance to move forward.
The 31-year-old has been living in exile in Russia for two years and is still waiting on asylum decisions from 21 different countries.
Snowden’s lawyers have said in the past that the whistleblower is longing to return home since fleeing the US.
Barack Obama’s administration, however, has showed no sign of dropping the charges against him.
The USA Freedom Act passed by the Senate earlier this year quietly ended NSA collection of meta data and calling records in the most significant overhaul to surveillance policy since 1978.
In 2014 both independent and White House-funded studies analysed hundreds of terror cases and concluded that the NSA collection of phone records had had no discernible impact in foiling terror plots.
Truth Farmer 