Report: Snowden Stayed At Russian Consulate While In Hong Kong 107
cold fjord writes "The Washington Post reports, 'Before American fugitive Edward Snowden arrived in Moscow in June — an arrival that Russian officials have said caught them by surprise — he spent several days living at the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong, a Moscow newspaper reported Monday. The article in Kommersant, based on accounts from several unnamed sources, did not state clearly when Snowden decided to seek Russian help in leaving Hong Kong, where he was in hiding in order to evade arrest by U.S. authorities on charges that he leaked top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance programs. ... he celebrated his 30th birthday at the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong, the paper said — though several days earlier he had had an anticipatory birthday pizza with his lawyers at a private house. ... The article implies that Snowden's decision to seek Russian help came after he was joined in Hong Kong by Sarah Harrison, a WikiLeaks staffer who became his adviser and later flew to Moscow with him. Harrison, the article suggests, had a role in the making the plans. ' More at the South China Morning Post."
Re:The NSA is violating the Constitution (Score:4, Informative)
It's interesting to learn about Snowden's eating pizza. It's exciting to know he's successfully evading getting caught.
But the NSA is violating the Constitution, the executive branch is stepping on the gas to increase it, the legislative branch is asleep at the wheel, the judicial branch is represented by a few rubber stampers appointed by a Chief Justice who I don't think has the public's interests at heart, the fourth estate is facing persecution like never before, and the citizens are so materially comfortable they don't do anything.
Except for the last part in regards to the citizens, I agree with you.
Note also that the Chief Justice has very little actual authority except deciding very minor things that can also be overturned by the other justices... he is just the "first among equals" and his only real additional authority is to preside over the U.S. Senate in cases of impeachment of the President or Vice-President of the US.... and even that doesn't give him a vote since it requires a 2/3rd vote to accomplish anything in that situation other than for minor procedural and parliamentary rule issues. The Chief Justice also has the privilege by custom of being able to write the concurring or dissenting opinion (depending on his vote) for rulings made by the court. Then again, any justice can write such an opinion even if the the Chief Justice writes one too, so that is even minor. All judges are also appointed not by the Chief Justice, but by the President (and confirmed by the Senate). All the Chief Justice appoints are law clerks, staff, and having an influence on who is "admitted to the bar" and able to argue cases before the court.
As for why citizens are apathetic about what is happening to the American government, it has nothing to do with the luxury lifestyle (or lack thereof) they are enjoying. The problem is that citizens no longer have any influence on their government and even elections themselves don't matter. The whole thing with regards to elections is that the whole system is corrupt. A video I saw recently (it isn't that new of a video) sort of explains the problem here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik1AK56FtVc [youtube.com]
I don't know if the solution presented here will work, but it is an interesting idea by itself. I certainly come from a different political perspective than the presenter, but completely agree with his conclusions on this particular matter.
Re:Good. (Score:5, Informative)
The Cold War was a terrifying time. It is not surprising that the Baby Boomers, who grew up during the worst of it, are such a screwed up generation. However, half the planet did not live like North Korea. North Korea has always been an extreme case. Much of the communist world, while far worse off than the west was, was better off than much of the third world at the time. That is one of the reasons that communism was appealing to many people in the third world. As hard as it may be to imagine, it was an improvement.
Re:Good. (Score:2, Informative)
Mod up. People forget what it's like for the world to be so close to armageddon that was not cooked up by the movies. A person getting a diplomatic message a few hours too late, a false sensor reading, any number of things could've started nuclear war.
I was alive during the cold war. The world was never in trouble. No one was going to let their nukes go, anymore then any country today with nukes are going to let them fly.
But America is scared that one of those countries without nukes is going to get a nuke and decide to let if off in America because the American Government has been abusing them for the last century or so. And there is a lot of various countries that are NOT happy with the USA. And I don't blame them, tbh.
Back then it was the "Red Menace" Communist. Now? It's terrorist. Tomorrow? Probably protestors.