Everyone is under surveillance now, says whistleblower Edward Snowden

[NanceGreggs]

155. I consider people who take Snowden's "word for it" ...

... without evidence to support his assertions, to be gullible, yes.

It has nothing to do with high horses. It has to do with common sense.

Millions of people are "taken in" every year by hucksters, liars, schemers, due to misplaced trust. It's a usually as a result of giving someone the benefit of the doubt because they've presented themselves as scrupulously honest, having altruistic motives, etc.

Snowden has been dishonest from the beginning, his character is less than savoury, his conduct deplorable, and his motives highly suspect. His claims have been grandiose, to say the least - but he offers no proof to back them up, nor even an explanation of how the things he asserts are accomplished.

According to Snowden, he "could have" done this, or "could have seen that", or "could have accessed that" - well, "could have" doesn't do it for me, especially when he produces no evidence that he "could have" done any such thing.

There is one fact about Snowden that stands out above all else: he claims his 'mission' was to inform his fellow citizens of wrongdoing. Disseminating hundreds of thousands of sensitive documents to third parties without even knowing what they contain, what use will be made of the information therein, or the consequences of their disclosure, just doesn't square with the lofty idealism and concern for his fellow citizens that he wants to lay claim to.

Well-educated, well-informed, intelligent people are often the victims of flim-flam men. Saying that millions of people trust Snowden does not, in and of itself, make him trustworthy.