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Report: Snowden Stayed At Russian Consulate While In Hong Kong
cold fjord writes "The Washington Post reports, 'Before American fugitive Edward Snowden arrived in Moscow in June — an arrival that Russian officials have said caught them by surprise — he spent several days living at the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong, a Moscow newspaper reported Monday. The article in Kommersant, based on accounts from several unnamed sources, did not state clearly when Snowden decided to seek Russian help in leaving Hong Kong, where he was in hiding in order to evade arrest by U.S. authorities on charges that he leaked top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs. ... he celebrated his 30th birthday at the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong, the paper said — though several days earlier he had had an anticipatory birthday pizza with his lawyers at a private house. ... The article implies that Snowden's decision to seek Russian help came after he was joined in Hong Kong by Sarah Harrison, a WikiLeaks staffer who became his adviser and later flew to Moscow with him. Harrison, the article suggests, had a role in the making the plans. ' More at the South China Morning Post."
I want Russia to remain strong, and if this includes Russia befriending those who whistleblow the US for their advantage, so be it.
While I had little love for either the USSR or the Cold War USA, a world with only one military superpower is turning out to be worse - and all the proxy hot wars in developing nations are carrying on anyway.
It's interesting to learn about Snowden's eating pizza. It's exciting to know he's successfully evading getting caught.
But the NSA is violating the Constitution, the executive branch is stepping on the gas to increase it, the legislative branch is asleep at the wheel, the judicial branch is represented by a few rubber stampers appointed by a Chief Justice who I don't think has the public's interests at heart, the fourth estate is facing persecution like never before, and the citizens are so materially comfortable they don't do anything.
I feel like there's more of a story here than Snowden's pizza that might at least get the citizens a little less comfortable and a little more active.
You should be a porn writer.
Why is it that someone reveals exactly what we all had assumed was already going on for a long time... and people become obsessed with this person? Something isn't right about this who story.
It's as if... he's... a plant or something.
(flame suit activated.)
Brings potential new meaning to the term Russian reversal.
"It really concerns me how little this sort of corporate behavior bothers those outside of technology circles. Society really seems to have developed an unquestioning obedience towards spooky types." TheTrueHOOHA, Feb 2010
"I can authoritatively state that those specific question types absolutely cannot be asked without specific cause [i.e. reporting]. If you got asked this, there's a specific reason, creepster." TheTrueHOOHA, Nov 2008
AccountKiller
Business Insider
http://www.businessinsider.com/snowden-spoke-with-russia-in-hong-kong-2013-8
The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10266386/Edward-Snowden-contacted-Kremlin-before-arriving-in-Moscow.html
I'll be clear, that article was a bunch of bullshit. Unnamed sources, conflicting stories, over the top innuendos that come together to to a good job of discrediting the man, thus his motive and his data. The story is a hack job of low hanging dfruit to get other media outlets an opportunity to shape or spin the idea that Mr. Snowden was not acting in the greater interests of the People, but was really "working for the Russians".
" because Havana, under pressure from Washington, said it would not allow the plane to land."
Are you serious. Cube caving to pressure from the United States? That is laughable. Russia maybe, the US...right
"All I can say is that I have absolutely no idea about this," Ho said. "I was only his legal adviser and was not fully involved in his dealings." This from the local legal representative in Hong Kong. A person whom I would think likes to keep tabs on his very high profile client. Then this completely worthless statement
"A spokeswoman for the consulate in Hong Kong would neither confirm nor comment on the report.". So that lends what to the the legitimacy of the story? Nothing, but it does what it always intends, casts doubt. "What are they hiding, he really must have been there otherwise they'd say he was not".
The marketing department for the NSA and the US government is really starting to ramp up the spin. "Mr. Snowden must be a spy, he ran right to the communists.". "Mr. Snowden is a traitor for releasing secrets to our Russian enemies". Mr. Snowden is a terrorist because he helped them communicate better in secret" and the sad thing is the majority of the US (And world) population will buy the story hook line and sinker.
Then on the other side, even my supposed thoughtful reporting NPR station put out anotehr fluff piece, this time about the NSA LOVEINT activities. The two reporters made it seem like a joke, a trivial action taken by so "oh so naughty" analysts instead of what it was, a sever breach of privacy; an act that would put an average citizen in jail under arrest. The NSA violated the privacy rights of American citizens and it is reported as "shame on you, don't do that again"...sigh.
As a final point to the spin, Congress, coming back from break will not be able to investigate any violations to the Constitution by the NSA for the American public was just made aware the the Government "miscalculated" when we need to raise the debt ceiling and it needs to happen soon...let the hilarity begin. If that is not enough the President wants to shoot exploding objects into Syria which certainly means the media will be quite focused on anything but the NSA travails.
Right now, everything said about Syria is close to a dup for Iraq before the war. Obama, the man who voted against action in Iraq now ponders whether to attack Syria. If Assad bombed his own people with gas then he is despicable, disgusting, and immoral and worthy to be brought to justice for war crimes and crime against humanity. Syria, like this article is just a tool to divert attention away from the systematic destruction of privacy in this country. Sad times. Sad times.
Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
I have seen nothing to confirm this, independently of Kommersant, in any of the flood of stories based on the Kommersant article. It certainly might be true, but it smells like disinformation to me.
Note that if he stayed at the consulate, it would have been easy for him to get travel documents from the RF. He could have made it to Cuba and on to where-ever before anyone knew he was moving. The Russians, I hardly need point out, have experience moving people and things around in the face of hostile interest from the USA. Now, he might not have known to insist on this, but Sarah Harrison sure should have.
It's interesting that the best slur campaign the US can come up with involves Snowden eating pizza while trying to figure out where to run and hide. I don't give a flying f#ck if he lied, cheated and stole everything he turned over. The root of the matter is the NSA, and US government got caught with their hands full of illegal sh#t and many people in high place need to be held accountable. And that's not happening. In the meantime, the media is either trying to figure out how to spin this into reality tv for ratings. I can remember a day when the network news would have had a field day ripping apart all three branches of government over something like this. Instead, they carry on like a bunch of drama starved crack whores.
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All judges are also appointed not by the Chief Justice, but by the President (and confirmed by the Senate). All the Chief Justice appoints are law clerks, staff, and having an influence on who is "admitted to the bar" and able to argue cases before the court.
Perhaps if FISC were a Constitutional court, it would be better. Oh, but a Constitutional secret court is an oxymoron, like 'limited government'.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Has he published it anywhere? (no, I don't want yours ;-)
$25 Vision Cruise Control DIY
Well, isn't Snowden planning a sex change?
Not too long ago, this is the sort of revelation that would be in the public 30 years later.
Its not just heros like Snowden who are leaking, the trend seems to be moving strongly towards the inability of large organizations to keep any real secrets at all. Nobody is giving up missle codes or anything legitimate, but.... lies told to the public seem to have a lot less staying power than they used to.
I like this trend. May it continue for all of these orgs and may they have to eventually come to the conclusion that dealing honestly with the public is the only viable option in the future.
I don't expect it but....I hope for it.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Well, isn't Snowden planning a sex change?
Well, first they have to capture him, then torture him for awhile, then they will tell us he wants a sex change.
Be seeing you...
Are you Americans so thick that you do not know Hong Kong = China. Let's re-edit the headline so it removes the bias always inserted by the owners of Slashdot...
"Report: Snowden Stayed At Russian Consulate While In China" Now what do you thing of the story. Would you expect Snowden to be in danger of arrest by CHINESE authorities? Of course not. To answer the filthy shills, while Hong Kong is given a 'light' 'independence' by the Chinese mainland, this is no different from the status of Wales within the UK. But is Wales British? Of course. And would being in Wales give you a different political situation from being in England? Of course not.
So, are you Slashdot readers so thick you'd fall for a standard 'Edward Bernays' ploy by this site? Are you so VERY VERY thick, you watch films like "Die Hard 5" and "G I Joe 2" and actually believe American authorities operate in Moscow. ARE YOU REALLY THAT THICK? The film-makers, pushing Washington propaganda clearly think so.
"in hiding in order to evade arrest by U.S. authorities". US authorities in China. You Yanks seriously believe there are US authorities in China arresting people? No wonder Obama thinks he can take the American sheep to war with Syria, then Iran, then Russia and China. Unlike the thickies that Slashdot targets with its propaganda garbage, Snowden was actually clued in to the geopolitical reality of this world. Could that be because as a former intelligence operative, he felt self-deluding idiocy serves no purpose?
So true. They sure knew "Chelsea" wouldn't go down good in a religiously conservative USA, perfect cooties against anyone to see him as a hero and not mature enough to se him for his actions only, and of course the best catalysator for spreading propaganda against him.