mcgrew's Journal: Edward Snowden vs President Alan Richmond

The cries of "Snowden is a traitor!" by traitors like Dick Cheney bring to mind a movie that sits on my shelf: Absolute Power, starring Clint Eastwood as a jewel thief named Luther Whitney and Gene Hackman as President Alan Richmond.

In this movie, Snowden; er, Whitney is robbing a very rich man's house. So rich, in fact, that Walter Sullivan can buy the Presidency for Obama; er, Richmond. Sullivan is actually a "good guy". Well, except for wanting to kill the man who murdered his young wife.

Sullivan and his entourage had left on vacation, and Whitney breaks in to rob his house. Unknown to Whitney, Sullivan's wife feigned illness to have an affair with the President. Whitney hides in a vault with a one way mirror watching the foreplay, which gets a little rough, then a lot rough, and it looks like Richmond is going to strangle Mrs. Sullivan. She gets the upper hand and stabs Richmond with a letter opener. Richmond screams "Help!" and secret service agents rush in and shoot Mrs. Sullivan.

The chief of staff and secret service cover up the murder. There's a chase and Whitney gets away, with evidence of the murder.

Whitney is set to run when he sees Richmond on TV with Sullivan and gets pissed. The rest of the movie has the SS chasing Whitney. No spoilers here, see the movie, it's very good.

At any rate, at one point Obama; er, Richmond, calls Whitney a traitor who "betrayed his country". Just like Cheney and the other government criminals call Snowden. And make no mistake, the NSA's spying on innocent Americans is criminal. I would call it treasonous.

Snowden did, in fact, betray his employer. He did not betray the United States. The government should not be spying on its own citizens; it is unconstitutional and therefor illegal. This was a criminal act, treason against the populace and a violation of the oath they swore to uphold and protect the Constitution.

The United States isn't the Federal government, it's US, we Americans. Snowden reported a crime, knowing it would cost him everything (and he had a lot of "everything") and knowing that there was no way he was going to come out ahead.

I'm disgusted by this whole affair. I joined the military during the Vietnam war despite there being no chance of being drafted (my birthday was the last on the lottery list; only lottery I ever won, and I gave the winnings away).

Now that we're in an Orwellian surveillance state I'm sorry I ever served. Well, except for it making it possible for me to get an education.

REPEAL THE GOD DAMNED PATRIOT ACT. NOW!

Next election, please vote either Green or Libertarian; the Republicans and Democrats are traitors to the American people.

Green, Not Libertarian

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Greens are better in the sack, and go there more often. Libs are all "me, me, me..."

I'll vote for a libertarian when I see one

[damn_registrars]

I can't stand the paullowers who call themselves libertarians. The government they yearn for is even worse yet for individual freedoms. A Ron Paul government would just take everything bad about this country and turn it up to 11.

As for the greens, I'm OK with them for the most part. I just don't see pot as being an important enough issue to warrant establishing an entire political party around it.

I want to see some people grow a spine and actually establish a socialist party; I would vote for tha

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[fustakrakich]

So, in the meantime you will just keep voting for democrats, eh? Well, good for you, you know what they say about being part of the precipitate. The good thing is that when somebody asks what's wrong with the country, I have an immediate answer.

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[damn_registrars]

Well right now we generally have a choice between incompetent democrats and republicans who want to ensure that I lose my job. Even if the democrats don't get anything done of their own initiative, I'm better off with them in power if I can keep working. If I vote for someone else and the republicans win then I'm much worse off instead of just treading water.

Although on that matter, I've never seen a libertarian present a platform that would help my career prospects either (and in fact I've seen some

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[fustakrakich]

Even if the democrats don't get anything done of their own initiative, I'm better off with them in power...

Yes, my point exactly. How empathic of you.

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[damn_registrars]

If the choice is between one bucket of shit that promises few job prospects, and another bucket of shit that promises me none at all, I will choose the earlier bucket of shit. I accept that neither bucket of shit will give me the government that I want but at least one bucket of shit offers me a very slim chance of being able to keep a job .

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[fustakrakich]

Like I said, you only think of personal benefit, and completely ignore of the consequences suffered by others. You're no different than the logging (or similar) industry, telling us we need to clear cut millions of acres because it creates jobs... Nope sorry, you're just like the people you condemn, just as conservative, or maybe reactionary is the better word. More evidence of the similarities amongst the bickering factions, peas in a pod.

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[damn_registrars]

You can try to tell yourself that, but it doesn't become true just by virtue of your own will. My work is in scientific research; my work saves lives. If it isn't funded here in the US, our country loses a lot more than just jobs.

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[fustakrakich]

...my work saves lives...

Yeah, Okay, Col. Jessup.... and the rest of us poor schlubs just clean toilets. Fuckin' hoity toity, self important, arrogant bullshit. A fine example of why people still vote republican... Damn near convinces me to do the same. You actually make stupid look attractive.

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[mcgrew]

Logging is sustainable, so long as the trees are replanted and it isn't done in old growth forests or in an area that would endanger species; we're going through one of the largest mass extinctions the Earth has seen, mostly from habitat destruction, and man is almost 100% responsible.

But there's nothing whatever wrong with tree farms.

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[fustakrakich]

Replace 'logging' with coal mining, or sloppy oil drilling. It was an example of how little people care about the consequences of their actions. And he's doing just like the people he complains about. It's about shifting the suffering, not trying to eliminate it. If you are going to continue voting for corrupt authority in order to curry favor with it, then you are just as corrupt as the authority itself.

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[mcgrew]

I've been voting "third party" for quite a few elections now.

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[mcgrew]

I think you're misunderstanding him. When he says "my job prospects" I think he means "our job prospects." Meanwhile, I'm out of the job market next year. I'll be echoing MLK: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty I'm free at last!"

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[mcgrew]

As for the greens, I'm OK with them for the most part. I just don't see pot as being an important enough issue to warrant establishing an entire political party around it.

Actually, I think the Greens' main platform is the environment.

I'll even go so far as to say that the first presidential candidate in 2016 who declares universal single-payer health care as a part of their platform will get my vote as long as I don't have to write them in.

We had a Congressional candidate last election, a medical doctor,

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[damn_registrars]

Actually, I think the Greens' main platform is the environment.

It may just be the ones that I see mouthing off then who are obsessed over pot.

I'd like to have a labor party here.

I would as well. Unfortunately labor is another one of those cursed words here in the US, and much like with socialism the meaning that our country has come to accept doesn't much reflect on what it actually means.