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After Anti-Donation Executive Order, Bitcoin Donations For Snowden Jump

Posted by timothy on from the evading-injustice-is-more-like-it dept.

ZDNet reports that after a recent executive order from President Obama "said to have made it illegal to donate to Edward Snowden's fund," anonymous donations to the fund have soared -- at least ones as anonymous as Bitcoin makes possible. From the article: A new executive order signed into law this week by the president has one online community up in arms, after its loose wording effectively ruled out donating to Edward Snowden and others. In a post on Reddit's Bitcoin subreddit, members pledged to donate to the whistleblower's relief fund, despite the wording of the new executive order suggesting that doing so was illegal. In the new executive order, signed into law on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama declared cyber-threats aimed at the US a "national emergency." The order threatens sanctions against those (including US residents) who engage in cyberattacks and espionage activities that threaten US interests at home and abroad. The wording of the order specifically addresses any person whose "property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States." Redditors were quick to assume (likely correctly) that this includes Edward Snowden, who for more than a year-and-a-half has lived in Russia, evading US justice.

3 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Even worse. by CaptQuark · · Score: 0, Troll
    OK, I'll remind you again. Snowden is currently outside the United States. He is releasing information that meets the requirements "by persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States that are reasonably likely to result in, or have materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States..." The President is declaring it a "National Emergency" to be able to use economic means to block access of certain parties to donations.

    Section 4 also now blocks some people from entering the US. The President finds that the unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in section 1(a) of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of such persons.

    As usual, non-lawyers read something think it means something that makes them upset, and it spreads and no one actually sits down to read the actual law.

    Yes, you did.

    IANAL, but I think there is much more going on here than meets the eye. Why block people that contribute or materially represent "certain persons"? Is this to prevent Snowden from accessing funds or accepting payments from people wanting him to release specific information? Is this to prevent other parties from accessing assets for him? Much more in play here that I don't understand.

    ~~

  2. Re:FTEO by zapadnik · · Score: 1, Troll

    Leftism is not "liberal". Obama is a Leftist, which means he (and his political Party) feel they can regulate *every* aspect of your life - including who you donate to. They feel they can regulate how much soda you have have in one sitting, what kind of car you may drive, how much electricity you can use and where it is sourced from, what is "Politically Correct" for you to say on any subject (they dictate what you can say, or they'll shred your life and drive your name into the mud), whether you can agree or disagree with the unilateral redefinition of marriage, whether you agree or disagree that someone's 'privilege' is based on events from two hundred years ago, and their skin color.

    Leftism brought you National Socialism. Leftism brought you communism is dozens of flavors and the murder of hundreds of millions of citizens at the hands of their own government as they tried to enact their Leftist utopia.

    The Left is is no way "liberal". There are Classic Liberals, but they are slandered for opposing Big Government and promoting Individualism. The media do not want you to understand the Classic Liberals who are the equivalent of the Rebel Alliance. The small groups of moms and pops who rose up against government cronyism and started the "TEA" Parties around the US to restore the Constitution to legal primacy (and the Constitution was designed to protect citizens from Government - but the Big Government types and their media allies don't want you to think about this).

    Government is not your friend. It never has been, and it never will be. President Obama represents a political ideology that wants to expand Government into every aspect of your life - how come people don't get this. This fascism from Obama is exactly what one would expect from Statist Collectivists (which the Democratic Party unabashedly is, and the Establishment Republicans are moving that way too).

    If you want the Government to:

    1. Leave you alone
    2. Not to take your stuff, and
    3. in return you promise not to be a jerk

    The you citizens need to stand up for Indiviidualism. Now. Time is running out quickly as the Statist Collectivists shred the remaining tatters of your Constitution, while their propagandists in the media spin it as being for you own good.

    If you don't stand for Individual Liberty now, then it will be gone before you know it - and Obama is working his hardest to take a flamethrower to your rights (except for pseudo-rights he gives you, which he can just as easily take away too).

  3. Re:FTEO by Crashmarik · · Score: 0, Troll

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/n...

    http://www.thecommentator.com/...

    Right = Individual liberty even when it hurts

    Left = State control of the individual no matter what.

    The Nazis were the epitome of the modern left. Just remember that next time you think about what you can and can't say and which group has more rights than you do.