Snowden Granted Extension of Asylum for 3 years with Right to Travel Abroad

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

It's good news but I can't say I'm surprised. These last minute breaking news events are mostly a controlled theater, because it's programmed and scheduled as such. They love to wait until the last minute to keep people on edge, waiting for the announcement.

If Snowden went back the the US, then what would happen? I don't think they want that liability

He should be given amnesty from the USA. Apparently it's a crime to expose a government agency for committing a crime!

a reply to: Bassago

Got any evidence Snowden is a Russian mole? Anything?

Yes.... he is in Russia. Land of the Free home of the Brave right? A place where Truth and Justice reign supreme... I'm not delusional, you are. This kind of thing has been going on for years. I'm sure Snowden was altruistic. Not all traitors are simply zealots secretly beholden to the opposition. Tradecraft seeks out people with doubts, they take those cracks in belief and widen them, sometimes without the person even realizing what was going on.

originally posted by: Variable
a reply to: Bassago

Got any evidence Snowden is a Russian mole? Anything?

Yes.... he is in Russia. Land of the Free home of the Brave right? A place where Truth and Justice reign supreme... I'm not delusional, you are. This kind of thing has been going on for years. I'm sure Snowden was altruistic. Not all traitors are simply zealots secretly beholden to the opposition. Tradecraft seeks out people with doubts, they take those cracks in belief and widen them, sometimes without the person even realizing what was going on.

Uh huh...

So I repeat my question. Do you have ANY proof he was a mole? That he was turned by the Russians? Anything other than an opinion? Real question as I would like to know and do not fancy supporting traitors or enemy moles.

However since I have seen no proof whatsoever that he is either I'll just have to go with what is known. He's a whistle blower on the run, remaining in the only place he can since the US canceled his passport.

Of course he could come home but as I said earlier the Pentagon said they would like him dead. I believe the exact words that were used were ‘I would love to put a bullet in his head.’ You can look it up if you wish.

a reply to: Variable

I think Variable has a valid point. Snowden might be a mole. It's a possiblity that should not be discounted just because Snowden's whistleblowing resonates favorably with so many people.

The fact that he was in CIA and DIA previous to his private sector work makes this possibility stronger (in my opinion).

It is not out of the realm of possibility that Snowden was approached by Russian intelligence before, during, or after his work in the CIA & DIA. He would definitely have been a target for foreign espionage.

Hey, he could be a legit whistleblower, upset by all the surveillance and big brotherish crap coming from the USA (and its Allies). I hope so, and that's how I tend to view him. I take Snowden at his word when he says he's not a traitor or a hero, just an American. But it is within the realm of possibility that he is lying, and that he is indeed a traitor.

In terms of military strategic intelligence, has Snowden weakened or stregthened the USA? I don't believe for one second that any data Snowden had/has, has somehow been kept from Russia (and possibly China). I could be wrong.

Personally I don't care if he is a mole. The point is that the government got caught with their hand in the illegal cookie jar. How they got caught is irrelevant. They can spin it how they want, and try to shift the focus. But the fact remains that they broke the law and no one has been charged for their crimes to this day.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

Gotta love those whistleblowers.

F&S&

Oh yeah, this isn't suspicious at all.

Sounds like they just want to draw him out into the open.

Tell you one thing, i wont be getting on any planes if hes on board!!!! (all this recent stuff especially)

originally posted by: theabsolutetruth
a reply to: the owlbear

I wouldn't be surprised if the whole Russian sanctions thing is an engineered US plan and all about Snowden.

Absolutely.

Avoid flying Malaysia airlines. When you do fly, make sure you are wearing some contact lenses (iris tech), some spray on face prosthetic and a wig.

If I were Snowden, I would not fly abroad. That would be idiotic.

US has been abducting Russian citizens from 3rd countries and Snowden is not even Russian.

Russia is largest country on earth so Snowden should have plenty of space and be with KGB guards all the time.

a reply to: victor7

I agree that he shouldn't fly abroad and given that he's intelligent he probably knows this.

He can sight see in Russia plenty, there is a lot to see, and as you said, he has KGB guards so is safe.

originally posted by: theabsolutetruth...he has KGB guards so is safe.

Today's equivalent of the KGB (it doesn't exist anymore, under that name) is the FIS (Foreign Intelligence Service) and FSS (Federal Security Service).

What makes you think Snowden isn't being held under duress by the Russian Authorities, and his communications to the outside world aren't scripted, doctored, and disseminated for Western media consumption? Snowden has ZERO leverage. The US authorities want him for treason. He is completely under Russian authority control. People need to understand this about Snowden now. If he doesn't comply with EXACTLY what Russian authorities dictate, he will be handed over to the USA in a heartbeat. That is the obvious threat held over his head, and that puts him in a very compromised position.

Or do you think governments (especially governments with organizations like the KGB) have too much integrity to operate threateningly like that? Do you know the history of the KGB? The KGB were masters of information gathering, information analysis, psychological operations, disinformation and propaganda. They were also masters at infiltration, and they were ruthless. The new incarnations are not any different. Heck, Putin himself is former KGB.

I like Snowden, and I want to trust that his motivations were pure. But he's not in good hands. He has no recourse to any mercy from anyone - not the USA, and certainly not from Russia. One can argue that he's safer there than in the USA, but I wouldn't be so sure. He is their absolute puppet now - they hold him, and they hold all the cards for his future. Snowden's in a deep world of hurt with nowhere to go.

That is, if he wasn't a Russian agent to begin with, and was tasked not only with stealing CIA/NSA secrets, but then staging a "defection" from the USA, and a "whistleblowing" of America's mass surveillance programs - all to weaken the integrity of our nation, sow extreme distrust of the USA geopolitically, and set the US government up to look like fools. All of these political consequences have resulted from Snowden's actions. The possibility of him being a spy/mole isn't irrelevant, nor remote.

The truth on Snowden remains to be discovered. I have high hopes his motivations for doing what he did were pure and uncompromised, but the "jury's still out" for me on this one.

Obviously he was aware of the risks before going public.

He is high profile and still has rights. He was interviewed by the Guardian recently and is reportedly ''working in IT'' in Russia.

Russia has more to gain from keeping Snowden alive and yes there could be deals between Snowden and Russia for intel or bargaining for securing his residency.

The US seems to be doing a good job of ruining their own global reputation and didn't need Snowden's input in doing so.

Obviously he was aware of the risks before going public.

That's not obvious to me. I got the impression he was reacting (to pressure or threats from NSA/CIA? From Russia?), not simply acting. Watching what little video there actually is of him since all this, there are little giveaways for me - mannerisms, body language, etc. - that give me the sense that he is under duress. But I could be wrong - it is just conjecture.

He is high profile and still has rights. He was interviewed by the Guardian recently and is reportedly ''working in IT'' in Russia.

Yes, there are all kinds of things "reported" about him. But what is known? We know he is physically in Russia. At an address? In a comfy sweet apartment in Moscow? In a prison underground?

Does he really have a "job?" It was alleged to be so (from his lawyer), but unable to be independently verified. We just don't know. Everything we know about Snowden's actual current situation is controlled. In fact, there is some downright silly and contradictory stuff being "reported" about his situation and finances. I'm skeptical.

We know his vague location and his message, and that's about it. We know his dad went to visit him in Oct 2013. Snowden's dad has exactly the same story as his son, speaks well of Russia, and slightly denigrates the USA. (This would also be the result if Snowden were actually under extreme duress.)

No, he really doesn't have any rights. Russia lets him live there because he's somehow useful to them. It certainly gives them a "card" in their game with the USA... Snowden is Russia's "tool" now - if he wasn't always, and that remains to me a viable option.

That's how it seems to me, but I hope I'm wrong.

Russia has more to gain from keeping Snowden alive and yes there could be deals between Snowden and Russia for intel or bargaining for securing his residency.

Agreed, except I don't think Snowden's the one driving the bargains.

The US seems to be doing a good job of ruining their own global reputation and didn't need Snowden's input in doing so.

I can't argue with that. The US definitely has problems. But these incidents don't inspire Americans to work on fixing the problems (as difficult and complicated as that may be). These incidents tend to inspire Americans to completely reject and mistrust their own government, and even inspire people to subversion.

I don't know - it's all pretty weird, and I can't figure it all out. I have lots of questions and suspicions on this whole Snowden thing, and no adequate answers.

a reply to: Stuyvesant

You might be aware of this already but it's a start in understanding at least the NSA part and it's implications from the ground up.

It affects every day people all around the world, everywhere connected to the US and UK with fibre optic cables, in the UK GCHQ (our own spy HQ) data is NSA shared. Phone calls, emails, everything. Everybody, everywhere is on the list and being monitored.

That is a big deal. If there ever was a case for actual war then that could be. So while the US is throwing accusations at Russia as the bad guy, there's the ISIS thing, Israel etc, it all looks like distraction, making the 'other guys' look worse.

There is major distrust and the US has played a major part of that, other nations also.

I don't want to live in fear. I have been accused of being a Russian spy before. I have experienced odd sudden illnesses and suspicious 'accidents' before. I am intelligent. But not a spy. I am sure there are plenty others thinking something similar of their own lives. Nothing to hide per se but still deserving of privacy.

I know for a fact that some sort of satanism has been practiced in certain behind the scenes organisations. Never a part of it but there are things I have seen and heard that I know it's true.

IMO those satanists behind it need stopping, that is the answer. The top of the pyramid trickles down. The top of the pyramid has to be good. As above so below.

Article

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

I totally agree it is a big deal. What Snowden stole was HUGE. The curious part of me wants to see it all divulged now (or at least, in my lifetime).

My guess is, there is way more in those files than just mass-surveillance stuff, and all this global surveillance is just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe even some "top of the pyramid" stuff that you mention is in there.

Those files are protected, controlled, and only s l o w l y being released. To protect whom? The top of the pyramid? Edward Snowden? The public?

a reply to: Stuyvesant

Snowden wasn't privy to the higher levels of security clearance so no doubt there is a lot more that even he doesn't yet know about.

Perhaps there is a higher level security clearance agent willing to divulge.

Chances are, that's where the real juicy stuff is .

My guess is that perhaps there are hints of it in Snowden's leaks that are yet to be released and the hints that are being released from various sources about it being major are referring to those.

There seems to be distraction techniques at play.

a reply to: Bassago

Exactly. Let's face it. No matter what people think of Snowden. He will never get a fair, transparent and unbiased trial in the US. I knew Russia would extend his stay. I didn't think they would extend it to that length of time. It shows that politics between Russia and the US in some ways have served Snowden in this case.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

Russia has more to gain from keeping Snowden alive and yes there could be deals between Snowden and Russia for intel or bargaining for securing his residency.

Snowden knows a ton and infact several tonnes about the secrets of other countries too. Both Mr. Snowden and Russian government can become very rich by making mega million deals with other governments on how much US and NSA know about them and similar other crucial points.

Great news. A true world hero getting some great news.

Funny though that the one person doing more to stop the threat of oppression in the US has refuge in a country with a history of some of the most oppressive governments, ever. We've flipped...the KGB has become the NSA.

a reply to: theabsolutetruth

I applaud the man. But Russia wasn't his first choice. Putin is keeping him around to defy Washington and to trade him off for something he will desperately need in the future.