Coworker calls Snowden "genius among geniuses", says "he’s sure as hell no traitor.”

[BobStackFan4Life]

Coworker calls Snowden "genius among geniuses", says "he’s sure as hell no traitor.”

:thumbsup:

Perhaps Edward Snowden’s hoodie should have raised suspicions.

The black sweatshirt sold by the civil libertarian Electronic Frontier Foundation featured a parody of the National Security Agency’s logo, with the traditional key in an eagle’s claws replaced by a collection of AT&T cables, and eavesdropping headphones covering the menacing bird’s ears. Snowden wore it regularly to stay warm in the air-conditioned underground NSA Hawaii Kunia facility known as “the tunnel.”

His coworkers assumed it was meant ironically. And a geek as gifted as Snowden could get away with a few irregularities.

“That kid was a genius among geniuses,” says the NSA staffer. “NSA is full of smart people, but anybody who sat in a meeting with Ed will tell you he was in a class of his own…I’ve never seen anything like it.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/12/16/an-nsa-coworker-remembers-the-real-edward-snowden-a-genius-among-geniuses/?goback=.gde_3131037_member_5818379784106844163

 

[sailordeac]

Let's just call him a dissident for the time being, shall we.

 

[Underrated]

That is a very enlightening article, straight up hero in my book.

 

[ONW]

Hero? Really?

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

Hero? Really?

Yes.

 

[ONW]

Yes.

We have different definitions of hero then. Probably not as far as you think or that my post implied btw.

 

[RJKarl]

Let's just call him a dissident for the time being, shall we.

A dissident doesn't steal over 1M files and threaten to give them to our enemies if he's arrested.

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

A dissident doesn't steal over 1M files and threaten to give them to our enemies if he's arrested.

We don't know how many documents he's taken. The numbers government officials give regularly changes- I don't think they even know. I also know of no quote from him where he's threatened to give them to our enemies.

 

[RJKarl]

http://rt.com/usa/snowden-doomsday-classified-documents-294/

Doomsday Documents....hmmmm

This passage that he is a thief and put innocent co-workers' jobs in jeopardy. Heroes don't do this:

". At times, Snowden used unwitting employees’ passwords and access keys to reach documents and information he did not have permission to see."

 

[sailordeac]

A dissident doesn't steal over 1M files and threaten to give them to our enemies if he's arrested.

I'm sure you have heard of Daniel Ellsberg.

 

[RJKarl]

Daniel Ellsberg was piker compared to Snowden. He didn't do his thing and then go Hanoi to live. He didn't threaten a "doomsday package".

 

[sailordeac]

When he gave it to the NYT, he gave it to Hanoi. And Hanoi certainly drew strength from it.

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

http://rt.com/usa/snowden-doomsday-classified-documents-294/

Doomsday Documents....hmmmm

This passage that he is a thief and put innocent co-workers' jobs in jeopardy. Heroes don't do this:

". At times, Snowden used unwitting employees’ passwords and access keys to reach documents and information he did not have permission to see."

Intelligence officials used the term "doomsday documents"- he never has. Don't you think some of these people have an incentive to try and paint him in as negative a light as possible? He was asked about this in the recent Washington Post interview, if he had a "deadman's switch", something that in the event he is killed everything will be released. He said it sounds more like a "suicide switch" to him- if this existed there would be nothing to stop the people who want all the documents released from killing him. Also, in the article linked above his co-worker says he didn't steal any passwords.

The anonymous NSA staffer’s priority in contacting me, in fact, was to refute stories that have surfaced as the NSA and the media attempt to explain how a contractor was able to obtain and leak the tens of thousands of highly classified documents that have become the biggest public disclosure of NSA secrets in history. According to the source, Snowden didn’t dupe coworkers into handing over their passwords, as one report has claimed. Nor did Snowden fabricate SSH keys to gain unauthorized access, he or she says.

Instead, there’s little mystery as to how Snowden gained his access: It was given to him.

 

[BobStackFan4Life]

Also, Daniel Ellsberg has been unwavering in his support of Snowden.

 

[RJKarl]

"The cache supposedly contains documents with names of US and allied intelligence personnel, seven current and former US officials and other sources told Reuters."

If he has these documents, it's a huge and evil crime. These documents could cause deaths.

Taking such data is a horrible thing to do. If he has these, there is no way to consider him a hero. Taking this information is not about "starting a discussion" or "helping". It's only about retribution and harm.

There is absolutely no legitimate reason for him to take these lists.