EU lawmakers nominate Snowden for Sakharov human rights prize

Members of the European Parliament have officially nominated whistleblower and former CIA employee Edward Snowden for the prestigious prize, which celebrates freedom of thought.

Edward Snowden "deserves to be honored for shedding light on the systematic infringements of civil liberties by US and European secret services," leaders of the parliament's Greens group Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Rebecca Harms said in a statement. "Snowden has risked his freedom to help us protect ours."

EU lawmakers nominate Snowden for Sakharov human rights prize

Snowden has been put forward for the Andrey Sakharov human rights prize. Named after the Russian Scientist Andrey Sakharov who developed the hydrogen bomb and later became a campaigner for the destruction of all nuclear weapons.

The winner for the prize will be held in Strasbourg this December. I hope he gets it. He has put his freedom on the line so that others may have freedom.

What is this? Seems like a hand off of power from US to Russia.

Russia protects Snowden (likely an operative of Russia), hence the protection and snub.

Russia stands opposed to US aggression on Syria. Now they stand up to nations against human rights. The nation who criminalizes being gay.

They are just setting up the downfall of US to jump start the One World Order. If not then I'm just in the twilight zone. Do do, do do. Do do, do do.

Rosinitiate
What is this? Seems like a hand off of power from US to Russia.

Russia protects Snowden (likely an operative of Russia), hence the protection and snub.

Russia stands opposed to US aggression on Syria. Now they stand up to nations against human rights. The nation who criminalizes being gay.

They are just setting up the downfall of US to jump start the One World Order. If not then I'm just in the twilight zone. Do do, do do. Do do, do do.

Oh dear, I think you might be on to something........geez.....oh but wait! They might want to wait until the movie debuts

reply to post by missvicky


Although I somehow doubt that The russians had no motives for accepting Snowden other than decency, I am grateful they did as he is a hero for his stand.

I hope he does get elevated to a price and hero status because it will encourage other people to stand up and be honest.

People are dreadfully compromised when they see officialdom acting in a wrong manner and should be able have a channel to expose this corruption. Many governments think corruption is OK and mask it behind all sorts of 'noble umbrellas' but corruption is not and if we are ever to have a society we can all be proud of, then this rotten way governments deal with each other and each other's peoples has to be exposed and changed.

Absolutely beautiful hopes he gets it..

reply to post by missvicky


I don't know. The whole thing is weird just like Assange although i always suspected Assange to be a Mossad operative. Here it seems Snowden is KGB. All that being said, here you find these two working together via wikileaks.

The worlds a stage.


To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

reply to post by Rosinitiate


I'm glad I'm not the only one looking to pass on the orgy of love for Putin. He's intelligent, crafty, cunning and media-wise. Basically everything OUR leader right now is missing. It's shocking to see how desperate Americans have become to look up to anything or anyone. Anywhere.

He's a politician...and a very skilled one at that. Something we're not used to seeing....but still, in the end, nothing more or less than a politician with a brutal and dark past career history.

I was starting to wonder if I should feel downright lonely about not feeling the love... lol

wrabbit2000
reply to post by Rosinitiate

 

He's a politician...and a very skilled one at that. Something we're not used to seeing....but still, in the end, nothing more or less than a politician with a brutal and dark past career history.

It frightens me to no end. The last person i want me or my country to be saved by is Putin. You said it above, he's a politician and before that, a very effective KGB operative. Rose through the rank and established a serious power base in a tough tough country to do that.

There are plenty of people we should be listening too and following. Putin is NOT it! I was listening to Democracy Now yesterday and Noam Chomsky was on. I love listening to him as much as I love reading his books. I even have him on vinyl lol .

He would be a more effective leader IMHO.

The question is, does he deserve to win?

What about all the people that slaved away for years in the ICC, trying to nail despots who hire and drug child soldiers?
What about Doctors without borders? What about all the others that elude the headlines that nobody knows about?

Yes It was Snowden who blew the whistle, but it could've easily been another spook that spoke up. And all he did was confirm what many people have long suspected; that we are being watched.

I appreciate what the guy did, but there are others who are more deserving of an award like this.

Recollections from the Church Committee's Investigation of NSA

In January 1975, I was offered a position as counsel on the staff of the Church Committee. I was 30, and Senator Sam Ervin, for whom I had worked since 1971, had retired and returned to North Carolina. While I had participated in Senator Ervin's inquiry into the domestic activities of Army intelligence elements during the Vietnam era, the foreign intelligence apparatus of the United States, which I now confronted, was, quite literally, foreign to me, as it was to many of those joining the Church Committee staff.

To make matters worse, I was given the task (along with a staff colleague, Peter Fenn) of trying to crack what was perceived to be the most secretive of US intelligence agencies, the National Security Agency (NSA). Unlike the CIA and FBI, which were the agencies principally in the Committee's sights--thanks to a number of sensational press accounts--there had been no press exposés about NSA.

Our supervisor, in fact, seemed to take particular delight in pitting Pete and me against this mysterious Goliath. "They call it 'No Such Agency,'" he said. "Let's see what you boys can find out about it." It was the first time I had heard the agency referred to this way, and it was not long before I understood why.

reply to post by Rosinitiate


yeah I don't know about Noam.

I used to be very into him when I was in HS. Then I started to analyze him and found much of his speaking to be a performance. He will even fabricate an unseen "enemy" audience member as though he is being watched due to the nature of his revelations. Its his gimic, to act like he is some sort of pseudo revolutionary. Also he sometimes embellishes. He talks a lot about intelligence agencies, which is mostly speculation.

I find him to be an agitator. Calling impressionable youth "radical youth" because they read certain books and are told to have a certain mindset. This is pure programming. IMO.

as far as Putin, he is a great leader. We need someone like that here.
I am sick of frail little princes.




e

reply to post by purplemer

This makes it a more prestigious prize than the Nobel Peace Prize.... IMO.

The fact that Obama got one for doing nothing makes the Nobel meaningless.

reply to post by wrabbit2000


No Wrabbit, you're not alone. Putin is a politician and he has an agenda. But what is it? As far as I can tell he's using Obama's low approval rating in this country against him. Weakening his adversary from within...maybe causing dissention in the ranks. Sounds like a divide and conquer strategy. Is that the ultimate goal?

I too am fed up with Obama. As much as I like the sound of Putin's message I can't help but to wonder what he's really up to.

reply to post by butcherguy


I agree after the Nobel Peace Prize aware with given to Obama it does kind of make in meaningless... Sad but true...

wrabbit2000
reply to post by Rosinitiate

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one looking to pass on the orgy of love for Putin. He's intelligent, crafty, cunning and media-wise. Basically everything OUR leader right now is missing. It's shocking to see how desperate Americans have become to look up to anything or anyone. Anywhere.

He's a politician...and a very skilled one at that. Something we're not used to seeing....but still, in the end, nothing more or less than a politician with a brutal and dark past career history.

I was starting to wonder if I should feel downright lonely about not feeling the love... lol

What I fear we are seeing Wrabbit is the turning of Roles, its not that Putin is so "amazing" and Russia a bastion of freedom and truth.

Simply that America has degraded to the point that Russia is looking like the good guy.

Its all perspective, people are finally seeing the lie of American Exceptionalism Exposed, Russia is not the Bad guy we all thought it was.

We are and were the instigators of much of the "problems" the Us has had with the Soviets.

From WW2 and after FDR Died and the US went back on the Promises to Russia, who basicly with out them we would of lost the War. More russians died than anyone else, and so we back out on helping them rebuild and securing their boarders. What do they do? the Eastern Block and you get the raising of the Iron Curtain.

Remember the nuke Deficit to Russia we had? that was the Huge push to arm? Never happened, We always had more Nukes than Russia, so we Arm up and Put missiles on their Door step (turkey) because of an Imbalance that was a Lie. So what do Russians do? They put missiles on Our doorstep in Cuba, Enter the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Than Via the CIA, we proceed to Harass and depose any Ally we can of theirs through out the Cold war, Hell the current Rabid desire to invade IRAN comes from OUR FIRST ATTEMPT at overthrowing their Democracy.

The Us likes to Say they are the Proponent of Democracy, when History shows the Opposite of that, and now we are all just seeing the Lie for what it is.

We have all lived long enough to see the US become the Tyrant, the Enemy of freedom, We spy on our own, we Kill our Own with out trial. We topple governments for corporate Interest, We smuggle drugs, we Give Cartel Guns, we are arming Al Qaeda...

Really at which point do We all put a stop to it, See that the US we all were sold growing up is just an IDEAL that we all need to strive for, Because the Reality is so so much worse.

ETA hit submit to soon.

And Now we have a Nobel Prize winner, Pursuing a man who stood up for ALL OF OUR RIGHTS, and our HIstoric Enemy protecting the man who stood for the Constitution and the 4th Amendment...

reply to post by purplemer


This is interesting news information.. I would like to ask everyone something though, realizing
fully well that it is actually quite off- topic..


What has occurred to the interface and windows presentation of ATS???
Can someone please tell me how to cause my screen to return to the old ATS screen format??
I hope someone can help and answer my question!!!


Thanks so much if you can!

Snowden didn't NEED to run to Russia to give them secrets. It's not the 1950s anymore. These days you can digitally compress, encrypt, and upload to a server right from your chair at home while in your underwear. Does anyone genuinely think our government is NOT already loaded with paid agents?

But, Snowden DID need to run to Russia for his physical safety or else he would have wound up mysteriously dead.

reply to post by benrl

From WW2 and after FDR Died and the US went back on the Promises to Russia, who basicly with out them we would of lost the War. More russians died than anyone else, and so we back out on helping them rebuild and securing their boarders. What do they do? the Eastern Block and you get the raising of the Iron Curtain.

Remember the nuke Deficit to Russia we had? that was the Huge push to arm? Never happened, We always had more Nukes than Russia, so we Arm up and Put missiles on their Door step (turkey) because of an Imbalance that was a Lie. So what do Russians do? They put missiles on Our doorstep in Cuba, Enter the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I'm kinda sorry here, because we normally agree on things, but we sure don't here. I don't recall that bit about agreeing to help rebuild Russia at the end of World War II. From anything. I have looked at the U.S. Budget and defense spending during the War years and we were running 80% spending on the war. That's overall budget spending. The movies that refer to bonds being needed to keep from degrading to wooden bullets at the end of the war ...as I understand Japan quite literally HAD...weren't entirely kidding. The US was spending flat out in a way this generation or mine for that matter, couldn't even begin to imagine in 100% TOTAL dedication.

More Russians died in World War II because Hitler attacked onto Russian Soil and was almost slash and burn brutal ...which, the Russians returned in kind on the way back to Berlin (Hitler had them hearing artillery from the suburbs of Moscow at one point). The U.S. and Australia were about the only primary powers of the war that didn't lose massive numbers because our civilian populations weren't directly under fire.

As for Nuclear? I'm not sure what you're talking about?? Russia has always had the U.S. outnumbered on Nukes. It's their doctrine and their way of compensating for how they operate. Quantity over Quality and it works well, actually. We popped Castle Bravo and said "Oh Crap!! Oooops!" They popped Tsar Bomba and said "Ahhh.. Just right, Comrade!". We spent trillions perfecting guidance systems...and they just built them big enough to literally not need one at the same level. Creative folks...and very very inventive.



I also read Putin's letter carefully...being as how he went to the effort of writing to us and all. I particularly read closely, his reference at the end to exceptionalism because to read it out of context, it really pissed me off. He was a Colonel in his nation's Security Services. He, of ALL people, understands nationalism and national pride.

If you read it carefully though, he isn't referring to America, but to policy. On that, he is right. Our Government has come to see itself and it's policies as exceptional, even in clear failure. That is how it's come to feed on itself and build fail upon fail.

America itself is pretty exceptional from where I sit in the Midwest though ..and I'll bet Putin feels no less so about 'Mother Russia' from where he sits. As anyone ought to, properly, in either position. Both are Great Nations. We have a crappy Government running ours at the moment.

wrabbit2000
As for Nuclear? I'm not sure what you're talking about?? Russia has always had the U.S. outnumbered on Nukes. It's their doctrine and their way of compensating for how they operate. Quantity over Quality and it works well, actually. We popped Castle Bravo and said "Oh Crap!! Oooops!" They popped Tsar Bomba and said "Ahhh.. Just right, Comrade!". We spent trillions perfecting guidance systems...and they just built them big enough to literally not need one at the same level. Creative folks...and very very inventive.

In 1978 was the first year Russia had MORE nukes than the US.

NRDC

Pre that, WE were the ones with a Huge nuclear advantage, and pre 1978 the US doctrine was the Missile deficit with russia, A lie, to Build up our Spending...

Next, Look up and read Franklins Letter to Stalin, it is clear FDR wanted the USSR a HUGE part of the future world building he was planing. He wanted the US and Russia to remain friendly after the war to ensure peace. Hell much of the Correspondence is more heated against Churchill and his war mad views of post war invasion of Russia.

Upon FDR's death that all fell apart when his VP lost the elections, a VP who wanted PEACE with russia and Nuclear disarmament.

Under Henry Wallace the Cold war would of never happened, he was Following in FDR's foot steps. HE lost to the much more Hawkish Truman, at least when Russia was concerned.

Truman Disregard all of FDR's post war plans in regards to Russia.

reply to post by tony9802


Thank you for your reply and yes it is an interesting topic. I would like to see him get the award and I would like to see Europe stop sharing cyber information with the US. This is something they may do.

In regards to your OT point. The old interface is now gone and you cannot get it back. This one takes a little getting use too but works fine too.

kind regards

purp)