Bush’s Warrantless Wiretapping Program Inspired Snowden to Become a Whistleblower

So now we have a bit more knowledge over what makes Snowden tick, or at least blow the whistle and destroy a promising career. You know I still think that the NSA should be disbanded and everyone associated with it taken to trial. And this includes both Bush and Obama.

Another interesting bit of information was also found out in the interview. Snowden does not have any of the leaked documents in his possession in Russia and never did. he dispersed all of his documents to journalists in Hong Kong. So it looks like the US governments concerns are either unfounded or made up to make Snowden look bad.

In the recently published interview, which took place in the past week, Snowden says during a “dirty word search,” which is what systems administrators do when checking the computer system “for things that should not be there in order to delete them and sanitize the system,” he discovered this report that was “too highly classified to be where it was.” He opened the document to be certain it did not belong and “curiosity prevailed.”

He read about the program that had been developed to operate outside the law and understood someone needed to act. “You can’t read something like that and not realize what it means for all of these systems we have,” he said. Also, “If the highest officials in government can break the law without fearing punishment or even any repercussions at all, secret powers become tremendously dangerous.”

Bush’s Warrantless Wiretapping Program Inspired Snowden to Become a Whistleblower


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He also asserted that he was able to protect the documents from China’s spies because he was familiar with that nation’s intelligence abilities, saying that as an N.S.A. contractor he had targeted Chinese operations and had taught a course on Chinese cybercounterintelligence.

“There’s a zero percent chance the Russians or Chinese have received any documents,” he said.

American intelligence officials have expressed grave concern that the files might have fallen into the hands of foreign intelligence services, but Mr. Snowden said he believed that the N.S.A. knew he had not cooperated with the Russians or the Chinese. He said he was publicly revealing that he no longer had any agency documents to explain why he was confident that Russia had not gained access to them. He had been reluctant to disclose that information previously, he said, for fear of exposing the journalists to greater scrutiny.

Snowden Says He Took No Secret Files to Russia

Well you wouldn't expect him to admit he handed them over if that's indeed what he did now would you?

But I do agree that Bush deserves as much blame as Obama for all this stuff we've been under since 9/11.

Neither man will be remembered very well in 100 years when they write the history books.

reply to post by Spookybelle


But who has told the American people the most truths, the government or Snowden? I would put my money on Snowden's integrity.

These guys have been operating outside of the law for a long time, and the public even knew it at one point but it was after the war on terror began, when people were giving up liberties left and right to have a sense of assurance/security.

The NSA is a department of defense agency. They were implemented a long time ago when they found wiretapping could help them listen to the enemies plans during times of war. When they militarized us - with this spying on citizens it was still illegal to do so but Bush looked the other way - justified with the war on terror. It was being done before then too - it just came to the attention of some concerned people, who backed off of going full blown public when Bush said he would do something - but then did nothing. Then...we have what we do today. It's one of those things like "finders keepers - no one complained so it became ours and we made it ok to keep". If you don't claim your wallet after being told someone has discovered it - it becomes much more difficult to get it back 12 years later.

Unless this bill being proposed passes, which begins to get us back to a non militarized citizenship it won't stop unless people protest. Its a lot of work - a lot of effort for people who feel more hopeless and helpless (on average), than ever given the size and power of one group over the other.

elouina
So now we have a bit more knowledge over what makes Snowden tick, or at least blow the whistle and destroy a promising career. You know I still think that the NSA should be disbanded and everyone associated with it taken to trial. And this includes both Bush and Obama.

Another interesting bit of information was also found out in the interview. Snowden does not have any of the leaked documents in his possession in Russia and never did. he dispersed all of his documents to journalists in Hong Kong. So it looks like the US governments concerns are either unfounded or made up to make Snowden look bad.

In the recently published interview, which took place in the past week, Snowden says during a “dirty word search,” which is what systems administrators do when checking the computer system “for things that should not be there in order to delete them and sanitize the system,” he discovered this report that was “too highly classified to be where it was.” He opened the document to be certain it did not belong and “curiosity prevailed.”

He read about the program that had been developed to operate outside the law and understood someone needed to act. “You can’t read something like that and not realize what it means for all of these systems we have,” he said. Also, “If the highest officials in government can break the law without fearing punishment or even any repercussions at all, secret powers become tremendously dangerous.”

Bush’s Warrantless Wiretapping Program Inspired Snowden to Become a Whistleblower


Additional source:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

He also asserted that he was able to protect the documents from China’s spies because he was familiar with that nation’s intelligence abilities, saying that as an N.S.A. contractor he had targeted Chinese operations and had taught a course on Chinese cybercounterintelligence.

“There’s a zero percent chance the Russians or Chinese have received any documents,” he said.

American intelligence officials have expressed grave concern that the files might have fallen into the hands of foreign intelligence services, but Mr. Snowden said he believed that the N.S.A. knew he had not cooperated with the Russians or the Chinese. He said he was publicly revealing that he no longer had any agency documents to explain why he was confident that Russia had not gained access to them. He had been reluctant to disclose that information previously, he said, for fear of exposing the journalists to greater scrutiny.

Snowden Says He Took No Secret Files to Russia

Go figure it takes a real man to show transparency.