Snowden: being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is an honor |
So it appears Edward Snowden, who, like Bradley Manning, has done us all a favor by exposing the rotten nature of the regime in Washington, is somewhere between Russia and Cuba or Cuba and Ecuador.
The whole affair reveals the declining influence of US
imperialism on the global stage as bullying and threats have so far failed to
produce Mr. Snowden. Hong Kong
authorities allowed him to leave and Russia refused to hand him over. Ecuador
is harboring another journalist, Julian Assange in its embassy in London and
had indicated it will likely offer Snowden asylum.
This is all very embarrassing for US capitalism but it is
also part of the blowback from an arrogant global presence, violating the
sovereign rights of mostly poor former colonial countries and proclaiming
itself the cradle of democracy and democratic rights, the two million people in
US prisons notwithstanding.
An NSA spokesperson made it clear when he announced the
charges against Mr. Snowden that they, “send
a clear message……In the United States, you can’t spy on people.” It’s a bit like a Monty Python skit and gets
worse, “Only by bringing Mr. Snowden to
justice can we safeguard the most precious of American rights: privacy” said
the spokesperson. And as Andy Borowitz points out, it is all said with a
straight face.
The
affair also raises some serious issues about the nature of US intelligence
gathering, after all, unmanned drones have assassinated numerous figures (along
with killing hundreds of civilians). “Snowdens
unexpected flight to Moscow” , the Wall Street Journal points out today, “…exposed the apparent limits of America’s
diplomatic and intelligent gathering reach”.
Oh
dear, might it be the case that the successful “taking out” of suspected enemy combatants or “alleged” militants as they are often called, that are based on US
intelligence sources, might not be as precise and accurate as we are told? And
what about the Guantanamo inmates? We
know that the US offered so much a head to their thuggish allies in Afghanistan
to go find terrorists and sure enough, they found them. The level of deceit and
deception on the part of the US government with regards to its own population
is staggering
There
is no doubt that the whole affair is a big embarrassment for the US
intelligence gathering agencies, “I guess
we were so busy monitoring the everyday communications of every man, woman, and
child in the nation that we didn’t notice that a contractor working for us was
downloading tons of classified documents,” the agency spokesman said. “It’s
definitely embarrassing, for sure.” (The
Borowitz Report)
There is a scramble not to try and contain the damage and tough talk is abundant, “Jennifer Psaki, a US State Department spokesperson warns that Snowden, “Should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him to the United States.”
The US was “double crossed” by Hong Kong says one prominent extradition lawyer.
So
far Snowden has been charged with theft of US government property, unauthorized
communication of national defense information and willful communication of
classified communications intelligence information. The last two charges
according the media are espionage related.
The
US ruling class is very upset at the refusal of some nations to comply with its
requests. Little Ecuador is already
putting up Julian Assange at its embassy in London and it appears that Snowden
will find refuge there if he can make it.
As workers we will be asked as part of our patriotic duty to support the 1% and their political
representatives in Washington and call for Snowden’s head. But the US public is not so easily
persuaded. Liberal Democrat, Nancy
Pelosi, was booed by her own supporters when she defended the NSA’s spying at a
meeting in Silicon Valley. One man was
removed from the hall, “Leave him alone! Secrets and lies! No secret courts!
Protect the First Amendment,” the audience members shouted, according to
the San Jose Mercury News.
As workers we will be asked as part of our patriotic duty to support the 1% and their political
Nancy Pelosi |
And
we should stop and think for a minute about the activity of the US intelligence
and spy agencies around the world and how that effects what people think of us, from the retina scans they force on people
in countries the US occupies to the kidnapping of individuals around the world,
sometimes in other countries without the permission of their governments. Obama and the CIA have been bombing Pakistan
with unmanned drones violating that country’s sovereignty and refuses to even
acknowledge it despite pleas to halt the practice. This activity, the torture, renditions, drone
warfare from Somalia to Pakistan, is what is driving terrorist activity and
anti-American feeling. The l% and their
political representatives in the two Wall Street parties don’t care that we as
Americans can’t travel in numerous countries throughout the world due to the
activities of our own government, they are well protected and taken care of,
primarily through US taxpayer funds.
By
coming out in to the open Snowden may have made it more difficult for the CIA
to assassinate him but they would clearly like to take him out, but he has
considerable support at home and that will not happen without consequences, one
of them increasing the distrust and dislike of the folks in Washington among
their base at home. There is already a
lot of anger beneath the surface of US society at the bankers and politicians
for their role in the Great Recession and the bailout.
Snowden,
like Manning are national heroes. We
must not fall prey to this false patriotism and United We Stand mantra. We must defend these Americans from the wrath
of the US ruling class and their government.
As I wrote in an earlier piece, the leaders of the organized Labor movement continue their criminal silence on this issue. It is being discussed in bars, on the job, in the streets and the papers of the world yet the heads of the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win coalition say nothing, their websites write nothing. They should be organizing mass protests in the defense of Manning and Snowden. We know of course that they will do nothing of their own volition except assist the bosses’ with the austerity agenda. They abandon these heroic figures as they abandon their own members. We cannot rely on them, or the Democrats to lead a fight against the capitalist offensive and the elimination of our civil liberties that go along with it. We must organize and build for the American Spring. The bosses will not let up. They must make us more competitive globally as workers which means driving down wages and conditions even further which is something we naturally resist. The attack on our rights and civil liberties is to render this resistance harmless. The only protests or actions the bosses and their politicians accept are those that are ineffective.
As I wrote in an earlier piece, the leaders of the organized Labor movement continue their criminal silence on this issue. It is being discussed in bars, on the job, in the streets and the papers of the world yet the heads of the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win coalition say nothing, their websites write nothing. They should be organizing mass protests in the defense of Manning and Snowden. We know of course that they will do nothing of their own volition except assist the bosses’ with the austerity agenda. They abandon these heroic figures as they abandon their own members. We cannot rely on them, or the Democrats to lead a fight against the capitalist offensive and the elimination of our civil liberties that go along with it. We must organize and build for the American Spring. The bosses will not let up. They must make us more competitive globally as workers which means driving down wages and conditions even further which is something we naturally resist. The attack on our rights and civil liberties is to render this resistance harmless. The only protests or actions the bosses and their politicians accept are those that are ineffective.
Defend
our rights. Defend Edward Snowden. Free Bradley Manning. Defy anti-Union laws
and legislation through mass direct action.
Fight austerity.
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