Snowden’s Berlin stop

[unhappycamper]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/opinion/2013/November/opinion_November39.xml§ion=opinion

THE TANTALISING prospect of Edward Snowden appearing in the august precincts of the Bundestag (German parliament) to explain the details of the US National Security Agency (NSA) spying scandal that has shaken countries across the globe arose when a member of the German Green party dashed off to Moscow and managed to meet the fugitive whistleblower and even posted a picture of himself with him to add credibility to the prospect.

Snowden’s Berlin stop
M.N. Hebbar (View from Europe) / 26 November 2013

The member, Hans Christian Stroebele, reportedly received an assurance from Snowden regarding his readiness to travel to Berlin and throw light on the surveillance on European governments, especially eavesdropping on the mobile phone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, an act that made an outraged Merkel explode, saying: “Spying among friends is not done at all.”

The Bundestag went into a special session to discuss threadbare the implications of the wholesale surveillance affair and saw a fierce debate among both opposition parties and the government benches. There was unanimity among the participants over the view that a befitting reply should be given to the US for daring to infringe on German sovereignty.

That said, Angela Merkel had much consultation to do at the last summit in Brussels where she called for a paradigm change in foreign and security policies of Germany as well as that of the EU. While the European leaders expressed their determination to resolve the issue the soonest possible, it was interesting to note the divergence of views on the subject, with President Francois Hollande of France describing the affair as “not political espionage but a covert war for commercial advantage”.

While the EU leaders were not prepared to support halting negotiations on a transatlantic deal with the US, Angela Merkel was at her pragmatic best when she stated that “when you leave a room you have to figure out how to get back in”. An apology from the US was not likely, of course. The most important thing now was to find a basis for cooperation in the future. France and Germany rooted for assuming responsibility for talking with the Americans in private with a view to settling matters by the end of the year.

[Laelth]

1. This is a positive development. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[ReRe]

2. Remember all those warnings...

... that European countries tried to convey to the US before 9/11? The ones that the GWB junta disregarded? Makes you wonder how many warnings we'll get if they hear something in the chatter again. Will they warn us? Who knows.

And here's another thing that just popped into my head. Where the eff was the NSA pre-9/11? They have been spying on the world since the effing VietNam War. It isn't because they didn't have the Patriot Act yet, either.

[RC]

4. Terrorism has never really been the NSA's prime calling.

Too many other people to gather information on and possibly black mail.

[ReRe]

5. Those spooks spy on anything that moves....

.... and has blood in its veins. They're like God Himself, or Santa Clause. Only catch, is they are REAL.

[RC]

6. Anything, except for what they were created for.

General Keith Brian Alexander needs to be stripped of his rank and imprisoned for his roll in guiding the NSA in wholesale violations of the US Constitution and international law.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also needs to spend some time in prison for lying to Congress and defending the unconstitutional actions of the NSA.

[ReRe]

7. Amen....

and Amen!

[Half-Century Man]

3. Who would have thunk it

That Germany who is most famous (blamed) last century for two massive wars of aggression; or Russia, who was the primary player in the 80+ year reign of the Great Boogieman, the USSR. These two would be the ones standing most firmly against this century's two aggressive war starting, Great Global Boogieman, the United States Of America?
The United States, who's proudest moments last century were being the driving force behind winning wars, both hot and cold.

The Irony Fairy knocked this one out of the park.