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Secretary of State John Kerry belied his statist tendencies, despite a reliably liberal veneer
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer also had harsh words for the Russians. "What's infuriating here is Putin of Russia aiding and abetting Snowden's escape. 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."
Schumer continued with a popular administration talking point, the idea that Snowden's whistleblowing has somehow been de-legitimized by his refusal to subject himself to America's notion of what passes for justice. "Let's look at Snowden here. You know, some might try to say that he's a great human rights crusader. He is not at all like the great human rights crusaders in the past, the Martin Luther Kings or the Gandhis who did civil disobedience because he- first, he flees the country. A Daniel Ellsberg, when he released the Pentagon Papers because he thought it was the right thing to do, stayed in America and faced the consequences." Schumer went on to call Snowden a "coward."
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Democratic Senator Charles Schumer assumed a leading position in the government's smear campaign against Snowden
What Schumer and others fail to acknowledge is that America is a very different country than it was in Ellsberg's era. Ellsberg did not face mandatory minimums, draconian sentencing guidelines or rules of criminal procedure heavily skewed in favor of the prosecution. His prosecution ended in a mistrial because of gross governmental misconduct and illegal evidence gathering. In today's legal environment, these types of violations have become routine and would almost certainly be seen as "harmless error."
Schumer's assertion also calls into question the acts of others who have battled against and ultimately fled from repressive regimes. Would he similarly label as cowards those who escaped from Nazi Germany or Stalin's Russia? The idea that Snowden's claims carry less weight because of his failure to avail himself to a certain conviction and likely life or decades long sentence at the hands of Obama's repressive justice system is laughable.
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Fleeing repressive regimes, like Nazi Germany or Stalin's Russia, is now a de-legitimizing factor and constitutes cowardice according to U.S. government apologists
Kerry, Schumer and other American officials commenting on Snowden appeared singularly fixated on what they perceive to be the failure of other nations to assist the U.S. "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, Ecuador, as we've seen," said Press Secretary Jay Carney. "His failure to criticize these regimes suggests that his true motive throughout has been to injure the national security of the United States, not to advance internet freedom and free speech." Carney's statement completely misses the point that the world no longer perceives the U.S. to be the bastion of freedom it claims to be. The idea that a U.S. citizen needs to seek sanctuary in China or Russia from American oppression is a shocking reality. Like sociopathic criminals, administration officials see no fault within themselves or the regime they serve and can only respond by lashing out at any nation with the temerity to defy U.S. hegemony.
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Press Secretary Jay Carney refuses to acknowledge the causes of America's diminished stature among nations
Russian officials claim there is no authority under which to hold Snowden as there is no extradition treaty between them and the U.S. Part of the irony of the situation is that it was the U.S who refused to enter into an extradition treaty with Russia. The issue was raised by the Russians as recently as 2012, but the U.S. feared that Russian dissidents seeking asylum in the U.S. would be subject to the treaty. Now it is an American dissident who is the seeking, and evidently receiving, protection from the Russian government.
America's wrath has also been leveled against Honk Kong and the Chinese government. Media myrmidons seeking to score points with the administration offered wild and irresponsible speculation about Snowden's "relationship" with the Chinese government. Wholly unfounded suggestions were made that Snowden was working with Chinese security services and was possibly a Chinese spy.
China responded to these accusations through its news agencies. The South China Morning Post says documents and statements by Snowden show the NSA hacked major Chinese telecom companies to access text messages and targeted China's Tsinghua University. The official Xinhua news agency says that the U.S. government owes the world an explanation.
"These, along with previous allegations, are clearly troubling signs," said the Xinhua news agency in a commentary following the South China Morning Post report. "They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age. It (America) owes too an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on. It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."
China's reference to the U.S. as the "biggest villain of our age" is most telling. This, perhaps better than any other explanation, reveals exactly why so many nations are lining up to defy America's perversion of justice. While the media harps on about other countries "thumbing their nose" at the U.S., they refuse to acknowledge America's shortcomings as a factor. There is very little offered in the way of meaningful reflection as to why the U.S. has grown so unpopular. Instead, all that is reported is America's steady stream of threats, name calling and pathologically hypocritical calls for justice.
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Attorney General Eric Holder has greatly expanded the Bush-era domestic spying programs and significantly eroded protections afforded by the U.S. constitution
Perhaps the most bizarre comment came from President Barak Obama. He and Attorney General Eric Holder have arguably done more to destroy constitutional protections afforded to Americans than any of their predecessors, yet told other nations involved with Snowden to make sure that the "rule of law was observed." The problem for Obama is that the world now recognizes his and Holder's flagrant disregard for the law, thus rendering his demands irrelevant. A nation whose idea of justice is self-serving expediency cannot seriously position itself as an arbiter of what is just. As Obama and others within the federal regime seek an all-knowing, omnipotent state possessing total control, a newfound appreciation may be found for those nations displaying the courage to recognize and act upon the American illegitimacy highlighted by the Snowden affair.
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