America: Police State Ruthlessness Writ Large
Democracy’s more illusion than reality. Rule of law principles don’t matter. They’re systematically spurned.
“I don’t think he’s a hero. I believe he hurt or nation. He compromised our national security program designed to find out what terrorists were up to.”
America governs lawlessly. CIA hitmen operate everywhere. An unnamed State Department official said:
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Dissent’s increasingly targeted.
Freedom’s imperiled. Obama exceeds the worst of George Bush. He’s waging
war on truth-tellers. He targeted more whistleblowers than all his
predecessors combined.
Merrian-Webster calls a police
state “a political unit characterized by repressive governmental control
of political, economic, and social life usually by an arbitrary
exercise of power by police and especially secret police in place of
regular operation of administrative and judicial organs of the
government according to publicly known legal procedures.”
The Oxford dictionary calls it “a totalitarian state controlled by a
political police force that secretly supervises the citizens’
activities.”
America raised the stakes higher.
It did so with technological ease. It mass-spies everywhere all the
time on everyone. It does so lawlessly. Core constitutional principles
are violated. Foreign country statutes are defied.
Washington prioritizes state
terrorism. It commits global espionage. It does so on an unprecedented
scale. It’s lawless and unprincipled. It targets federal employees
exposing wrongdoing. Acting responsibly is criminalized.
Whistleblowers reflect duty above
and beyond the call. Legions more like them are necessary. Sunshine’s
our best defense. Washington demands darkness.
US-style realpolitik reflects New World Order harshness. Edward
Snowden’s more than an American hero. His revelations help everyone.
He fled security and prosperity for safety. He took temporary refuge in Hong Kong. On Sunday, he flew to Moscow.
Ecuador’s Russian ambassador
Patricio Chavez and other embassy staff met him. They did so at
Sheremetyevo Airport. He requested asylum.
Russia Today said Ecuador granted him refugee status. Expect he’ll get asylum unless he has an unannounced destination in mind.
Perhaps he’s granted safe haven
elsewhere. Maybe he did it secretly. Given the enormous risks he faces,
it makes sense to do so. He needs all the protections he can get.
Julian Assange said he’s “in a safe place and his spirits are high.
Due to the bellicose threats coming from the US administration, we
cannot go into further detail at this time.”
“Unfortunately we cannot reveal
what country he is in at this time.” Perhaps he’s in Russia. Maybe
elsewhere. He’s wise to keep his whereabouts a closely-held secret.
Washington revoked his passport. He’s wrongfully charged under
Espionage Act provisions. The White House asked Russia to detain him.
It wants him extradited. Moscow responded nyet diplomatically. It did so
by not complying.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden lied saying:
Snowden’s disclosures “suggest
that his true motive throughout has been to injure the national security
of the US, not to advance internet freedom and free speech.”
She expressed disappointment with
Hong Kong authorities. They let him leave despite Washington’s “request
to arrest him for purposes of his extradition under the US-Hong Kong
Surrender Agreement.”
Expect little sympathy in return. America’s waging political and cyberwar on China. Lawless spying and hacking were revealed. Beijing and Hong Kong aren’t pleased.“We have registered our strong objections to the authorities in Hong Kong as well as to the Chinese government through diplomatic channels and noted that such behavior is detrimental to US-Hong Kong and US-China bilateral relations.”
Xinhua is China’s official press
agency. It called ongoing US practices “troubling.” America’s “the
biggest villain in our age,” it said.
Hayden said Moscow’s decision to let Snowden travel to Russia further complicates bilateral relations.
Chuck Shumer (D. NY) calls himself Israel’s Senate “guardian.” Others call him US senator from AIPAC.
On CNN’s State of the Nation, he said:
“The bottom line is very simple:
allies are supposed to treat each other in decent ways, and Putin always
seems almost eager to put a finger in the eye of the United States,
whether it is Syria, Iran and now of course with Snowden.”
He’s “aiding and abetting Snowden’s escape.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R. SC) told Fox News Sunday:“I don’t think he’s a hero. I believe he hurt or nation. He compromised our national security program designed to find out what terrorists were up to.”
“So, the freedom trail is not exactly China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela. So, I hope we’ll chase him to the ends of the earth, bring him to justice and let the Russians know there will be consequences if they harbor this guy.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) told CBS Face the Nation she doesn’t believe Snowden’s a whistleblower.
“Whatever his motives are – and I
take him at face value – he could have stayed and faced the music. I
don’t think running is a noble thought,” she said.
Washington wants him arrested
wherever he goes. It asked Ecuador not to admit him. It wants him
extradited. It wants him silenced. It wants him brutalized like Bradley
Manning.
It wants other potential
whistleblowers warned. Hopefully they’re emboldened to tell all. It’s
more than ever a national imperative.
On Monday, an unnamed senior administration official said:
“Mr. Snowden’s claim that he is focused on supporting transparency, freedom of the press and protection of individual rights and democracy is belied by the protectors he has potentially chosen: China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador.”
“His failure to criticize these
regimes suggests that his true motive throughout has been to injure the
national security of the US, not to advance internet freedom and free
speech.”
On Monday, Russia Today
said Snowden left Moscow at 14:04 local time (11:04 GMT). He’s
traveling on Aeroflot flight SU 150. He’ll fly through US air space
briefly en route to Havana.
A follow-up report said he wasn’t seen on board. Two seats (17A and C) were reserved in his name. RT correspondent Egor Pishunov’s aboard.
“(S)omething out of the ordinary
is definitely happening,” he said. An unnamed airport security team
member said Snowden remains in Sheremetyevo’s transit zone.
What’s ongoing isn’t clear.
Perhaps SU 150 is clever deception. Maybe Snowden’s airborne on an
unannounced flight. Perhaps he will be later. Maybe he arrived secretly
at an undisclosed destination.
Given Washington’s intensive targeting, traveling secretly makes
sense. Snowden’s safety demands extreme precautions. He’s not entirely
safe anywhere.America governs lawlessly. CIA hitmen operate everywhere. An unnamed State Department official said:
“The United States has been in touch via diplomatic and law enforcement channels with countries in the Western Hemisphere through which Snowden might transit or that could serve as final destinations.”
“The US is advising these
governments that Snowden is wanted on felony charges, and as such should
not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other
than is necessary to return him to the United States.”
Washington’s going to
extraordinary lengths to get him. Jean le Carre couldn’t have written a
more riveting espionage thriller. He’s 81. Perhaps he’ll do one on
Snowden.
His 1963 novel titled “The Spy Who Came In from the Cold” remains his best know work. It was an international best-seller.
Snowden’s no spy. The
Whistleblower Who Came In from the Cold might be a suitable title.
Sub-plots could include others doing the same thing. Le Carre might have
another winner.
Spanish jurist Baltasar Garzon advises WikiLeaks. In 1998, he indicted Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
He said “what is being done to
Mr. Snowden and to Mr. Julian Assange – for making or facilitating
disclosures in the public interest – is an assault against the people.”
Snowden’s not safe anywhere. Disappearing entirely won’t help. When America’s long arm goes all out, targets remain vulnerable.
Assassins “R” Us reflect official
US policy. Abductions and disappearances are commonplace. Capture and
eliminate are prioritized. Covert operatives are experts at finding
people.
Techniques include bribing,
pressuring, threatening, and otherwise intimidating targeted officials
to comply. America can exert enormous coercion.
It’s hard resisting strong-armed tactics. They’ll be exerted full-force against Snowden. He knows and said so.
“I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, and that the return of this information to the public marks my end,” he said.“There’s no saving me. I do not expect to see home again.”
Some things matter most, he added.
“The great fear that I have regarding the outcome for America of these disclosures is that nothing will change. (Ahead they’ll be) tyranny.”
That and harmful effects on his family worry him most. “That’s what keeps me up at night,” he said.
It should give everyone sleepless nights!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book is titled “Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.htmlVisit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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