July 7, 2013

Russia Official: Venezuela Last Chance For Snowden

MOSCOW (AP) — An influential Russian parliament member who often speaks for the Kremlin encouraged NSA leaker Edward Snowden on Sunday to accept Venezuela’s offer of asylum. Alexei Pushkov, who heads the international affairs committee in Russia’s parliament, posted a message on Twitter saying: “Venezuela is waiting for an answer from Snowden. This, perhaps, is his last chance to receive political asylum.”

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The Moscow-Havana flight goes over Europe and the United States, which could cause complications. Some European countries refused to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales to fly through their airspace on his way home from Moscow last week because of suspicions that Snowden was onboard his plane.

Pushkov joked that if Snowden does not find shelter in Venezuela, “he will have to stay and marry Anna Chapman,” the redheaded Russian spy who was among 10 sleeper agents deported from the United States in 2010. The 31-year-old Chapman proposed to Snowden, who just turned 30, on Twitter last week.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/russia-official-venezuela-last-chance-for-snowden.php?ref=fpb

July 7, 2013

registered lots of young hispanic voters today.

most were very aware of what the GOP thinks of them and where they stand on immigration. The others soon will. We are motivated and we are mobilizing. Texas is turning.

July 6, 2013

Information wants to be free: question for the 'no government secrets' crowd

Is there any release of secret government information you would not support? For exmple, say a leaker wanted to share the launch codes for America's nuclear missiles with a North Korean newspaper? Would you be OK with that?

July 6, 2013

Protester photographed napping with gun (AR15) near Gabby Gifford's house

Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) held an event in New Hampshire Friday urging the state's political leaders to fight for an expansion of background checks on gun purchases, the Associated Press reported. Giffords, 42, survived an assassination attempt in January 2011.

Associated Press reporter Steve Peoples posted this photo on Twitter, which he describes as showing a protester at the event holding an AR-15 and taking a nap:



wow, just wow

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/photo-protester-with-ar-15-naps-near-gabby

July 6, 2013

MLK and Gandhi on Breaking Unjust Laws

“There are just laws and there are unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that an unjust law is no law at all… One who breaks an unjust law must do it openly, lovingly…I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law.”
Letters from the Birmingham Jail

“An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.”
Non-violence in Peace and War 1942-49

July 6, 2013

I think Snowden has a way out now

I have already stated what I think of the guy and I hope he ends up in the US to answer for his crimes. But realistically, I think he has a way out now (other than accepting Ana Chapman's marriage proposal, which is what he ought to do.)

Anyway,Nicaragua and Venezuela have offered asylum. But like most countries they require the applicant to ask for it on their sovereign soil. This, however, includes embassies. Putin has already said a diplomatic car from the airport to an embassy would still allow him to continue to say he didn't let Snowden enter Russia. If the Nicaraguans send a car for him, take him to their embassy, grant him asylum and then issue him a passport, then fly him directly to Managua (which I think is logistically possible), he's made it.

July 5, 2013

Greenwald vs Assange vs Snowden's Dad (priceless)

Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson rejected suggestions made by Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald that the statement Wikileaks distributed on behalf of Edward Snowden Monday was not genuine. "I can confirm that, as far as I know, this is from Mr. Snowden," Hrafnsson told TPM.

Hrafnsson said he is not in direct contact with Snowden, but his "colleagues" at Wikileaks are. On MSNBC Tuesday, Greenwald, who wrote the first story based on documents leaked by Snowden, said the statement from Wikileaks was "flavored with some person who isn’t Edward Snowden."

Bruce Fein, an attorney for Snowden's father, has said he received a call from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on the weekend saying Snowden wanted his father to stop speaking publicly about his situation. Hrafnsson declined to discuss that call. "I don't want to comment on that, it's a private conversation," Hrafnsson said.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/wikileaks-spokesman-insists-snowden-statement-is-genuine?ref=fpblg

July 2, 2013

Greenwald vs. Snowden

Greenwald: NOTE: Snowden’s leak is basically done. It’s newspapers – not Snowden – deciding what gets disclosed and in what sequence.”




Snowden: I remain free and able to publish information that serves the public interest.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/01/us-usa-security-snowden-text-idUSBRE9601AP20130701


Greenwald: He gave us all the documents he provided to us weeks ago. That process is done. And we – not he – are the one deciding which of those gets published and which don’t, and in what order.



Snowden has been used by a lot of people; Greenwald, Assange, the Chinese, the Russians and who knows who else. I'm not saying, and I do not believe, it is some giant conspiracy between all of them. But they have taken advantage of this guy's gullibility, ego, emotional instability or who knows what. And one by one they are setting him adrift, now that they are done with him.
Edited to say I do not believe he is the victim in all this, just that he has allowed himself to be a pawn.

July 2, 2013

Snowden and the Chinese

Edward Snowden shared classified US intelligence secrets with the Chinese. Regardless of your thoughts on the rightness of his actions in leaking the NSA, FISA court warrant, should he be prosecuted for giving that info to the Chinese?

July 2, 2013

Web of Lies

In his opening statement, prosecutor John Guy said that the most damning evidence against Zimmerman would be the web of lies that came from his own mouth. Today we got to hear some of it.

George Zimmerman trial: jury hears his own words

He originally told police he was not following Trayvon, that he got out of his truck because he was trying to find a street sign to pass along better location information. But in an interview three days later, Zimmerman said something different and was challenged: "I wasn't following. I was just going in the same direction." "That's following, man," said the case's lead detective, then-Investigator Chris Serino of the Sanford Police Department.

...

Zimmerman also told police that after he shot Trayvon, the two changed positions, that Zimmerman climbed on top of him, spread his arms and pinned them to the ground. But the first person on the scene, neighbor Jonathan Manalo, and the first officer on the scene, Tim Smith, both testified that Trayvon's hands were beneath his body.

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Zimmerman also described a very short exchange of words with Trayvon before the fight started, something that does not match the accounts of several neighbors, who testified that they heard a confrontation that stretched over several minutes.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/trayvon-martin/os-george-zimmerman-trial-day-16-20130701,0,7223584.story?page=2

And let's not forget that Zimmerman first said it didn't sound like him on the tape screaming. But then later said it was, even though supposedly Martin was covering his mouth (and somehow also slamming his head in the ground.) He also changed his stories about what Martin said to him - all of it sounding like it came out of a bad Hollywood screenplay as the sentinel story points out. The detective also said he didn't believe Zimmerman was knocked to the ground with one punch because his injuries just weren't severe enough.