Snowdon is a dummy

@izzythepush,

He was a bit more than a common diplomat, but anyway, got to go...

@revelette2,

It's de facto his defense, his justification for doing what he did. If he is not allowed to use it, then there is no possibility of a fair trial.

And I don't see why a judge must veto any defendant's legal argument... Why can't defendants chose their own defense?

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

Well yes, you need a lot more evidence to put someone through a criminal trial than to expel a diplomat. (A diplomat can be kicked out with no evidence whatsoever.)

The arrest warrant was issued for "sincere suspecion of working for a foreign intelligence agency".
The Federal Prosecutor Office ordered the Federal Criminal Police Office to do the investigations.

In my opinion, it is a "Non-Prosecution of Petty Offences" because the 'material' isn't thought to be "very sensible".

0 Replies

@revelette2,

revelette2 wrote:

He was a bit more than a common diplomat, but anyway, got to go...

Not according to the official list of diplomats in the US-Berlin embassy. ("First Secretary".)

0 Replies

@revelette2,

He had diplomatic immunity, but could still be expelled on a whim, regardless of how important a diplomat he was.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

And he wasn't expelled (= "persona non grata") but the Federal Foreign Office issued a "summons to leave the country".

2 Replies

@Olivier5,

It is your opinion not fact. You think him a hero[opinion], I think him a cowardly prick [fact] if you disagree prove I'm wrong. Don't cop out like this with some outrageous statement or other. You have made up your mind and if you think I am going to waste my time gathering evidence for a closed mind your crazy. This isent the first time I have been involved in this kind of discussion.

2 Replies

@Walter Hinteler,

Expelled and "summons to leave the country". What exactly is the difference here Walter. Isent this kind of nitpicking. Not trying to be a prick but in a previous post you wrote "very sensible" when what I think you meant was sensitive.

1 Reply

@RABEL222,

RABEL222 wrote:

It is your opinion not fact. You think him a hero[opinion], I think him a cowardly prick [fact] if you disagree prove I'm wrong. Don't cop out like this with some outrageous statement or other. You have made up your mind and if you think I am going to waste my time gathering evidence for a closed mind your crazy. This isent the first time I have been involved in this kind of discussion.

My response to your factual question was equally factual. He broke the law, but there are cases where this can be justified. I did not state in that particular post that he was a hero (though I agree he is one). Nor did I state that his acts ARE in fact justifiable though illegal. I happen to think so and this is indeed an opinion.

A coward would have cowed to and milked the system for all the millions in future income it was worth. Instead Snowden took a huge risk, with his death or life in exile (or in prison) as the only possible outcomes. I don't see that move as cowardly.

2 Replies

@RABEL222,

RABEL222 wrote:

Expelled and "summons to leave the country". What exactly is the difference here Walter. Isent this kind of nitpicking.

Well, might be that it is nitpicking. But it's regulated that way in the "Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations" (from 1815 onwards until today).

Persona non grata (= expelled) is the most serious form of censure which one country can apply to foreign diplomats.

0 Replies

@Olivier5,

Quote:

A coward would have cowed to and milked the system for all the millions in future income it was worth. Instead Snowden took a huge risk, with his death or life in exile (or in prison) as the only possible outcomes. I don't see that move as cowardly

A could not agree with you more and in MY opinion he placed the welfare of his nation ahead of his own welfare where there was only downsides to his actions for himself.

I question if the "brave" posters there that had called him a coward could come close to his bravery.

1 Reply

@Walter Hinteler,

If we're nitpicking (and why not,) I didn't say he was expelled, I said he could be.

0 Replies

@RABEL222,

Putting [fact] after an opinion doesn't make it factual.

0 Replies

@BillRM,

If he were really brave, he would have gave his documents to a US press, stayed in the country to face the consequences of actions. I would have at least admired him then even though I still would have thought he shouldn't have copied so many documents putting our troops and country at risk.

1 Reply

@revelette2,

revelette2 wrote:

If he were really brave, he would have gave his documents to a US press, ...

The Washington Post and the Guardian US were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting on the nature and breadth of secret electronic surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency, largely based on the revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden ... The Prize committee awards this Pulitzer to media outlets for their 'distinguished example of public service' ...
The New York Times, Spiegel and other (international) media published them as well.

2 Replies

@Walter Hinteler,

I thought he gave his documents to Glen Greenwald and newspapers are merely reporting from what Greenwald releases or something like that?

1 Reply

@revelette2,

Greenwald was at that period still a Guardian journalist.

1 Reply

@Walter Hinteler,

Ok, isn't the Guardian a British newspapers making it a foreign newspaper to an American?

2 Replies

@Walter Hinteler,

repeating this for revelette2

Walter Hinteler wrote:

revelette2 wrote:
If he were really brave, he would have gave his documents to a US press, ...

The Washington Post and the Guardian US were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their reporting on the nature and breadth of secret electronic surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency, largely based on the revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden ... The Prize committee awards this Pulitzer to media outlets for their 'distinguished example of public service' ...
The New York Times, Spiegel and other (international) media published them as well.

1 Reply

@Olivier5,

Snowden is no coward. Those who accuse him of being a coward wouldn't know brave if they saw one. He gave his all; his freedom, his country, and asylum.
Who amongst those who called him otherwise have done anything so brave?
What have they sacrificed for this country?

2 Replies

Snowdon is a dummy

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know