NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Is Now A Registered Russian Taxpayer, RFE/RL Finds
NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Is Now A Registered Russian Taxpayer, RFE/RL Finds
Whatever he's doing now, he still did the right thing as an American by honoring his oath to uphold the US Constitution when he exposed the abuse against our rights. He deserves a pardon so he can return home.
It's crazy how he's not a national hero.
It's really sad the way he got captured in Russia during his escape. I think he rightly believed that was somewhere the US couldn't likely get to him, and he was right, but his understandable fear of US persecution blinded him to the fact that the danger from enemies of the US was just as great.
Putin captured him to use as a pawn against the US and to try to extract any remaining information he could from him and I'm sure at this point he's mostly accomplished that goal. I feel like at this point he is basically a political prisoner and he has to play along and cooperate with the regime to survive, I don't think Putin would ever let him leave even if he was pardoned, he's too useful to keep under his thumb. I hope to be proven wrong and that he escapes someday, whether released legitimately as being past his usefulness, or by fleeing and finding somewhere else to hide, but I'm not optimistic with the state of the world these days.
The cost of whistleblowing can be very high and very permanent, as they are in this case, and no amount of protection will ever make you totally safe from consequences, and that's the way the powers that be like it despite what they may say.
If there’s one person who is 100% justified in accepting Russia’s help, it’s definitely him.
I wouldn't say justified, buuuuuuuuuut where else could he have gone? China is about the only other possibility.
To be clear, I think he should be pardoned, and thing USA-Patriot act should be overturned.
it was also unclear he has in fact paid any taxes to the Russian government
Seems like a Captain Obvious moment. You work somewhere, your employer pays taxes to the government without even asking if you like it. I'm fully certain that even hardcore anarchist partisans who burn shit at night, pay taxes to the RF government on their day job - to look more like a normal citizen.