Look, just give us Snowden
sure, no problem, just give us Bout
America will hold high-level talks on political and military teamwork with Russia this Friday - despite the latter country's offer of temporary asylum to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel are due to meet their Russian counterparts in Washington to discuss " …
"sure, no problem, just give us Bout"
No comparison, Bout is an arms dealer responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions. Of course, if you wish to compare Snowden with him you'll have to run hard - apart from the fact that Snowden has effectively attacked his own government - inasmuch that Snowden has ethical pretensions, and Bout doesn't give a fuck. Perhaps, in the final axiological analysis, nothing really matters it's merely a game of claiming that things matter. Your choice. Quite literally and axiologically.
No comparison, Bout is an arms dealer responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands, possibly millions.
You missed the point. The US government invokes international law when it suits their needs, when it doesn't they don't break a sweat over it.
That they seem so hurt over Russia not giving away Snowden, when they themselves have protected far worse people, only makes their hypocrisy more glaring.
Do you mean like the US military complex that includes handgun manufacturers that KILL thousands and possibly millions of innocent people every year? You know those 'little incidents' like Colombine and Sandy Hook.
At least Bout doesn't sell handguns inside the US... we do.
"We would like to see Mr Snowden returned to the United States. I don’t know technically what that requires, but we know they have the capability to do that," she said.
Actually I'm pretty sure now that they've granted him temporary asylum they can't. I mean isn't the whole idea of asylum that they're granted protection from this sort of thing? Surely changing their minds afterwards would break some kind of UN protocol (they always have a protocol)
No. Article 12, section 4 of the Russian Federal law # 4528-1 of 19/02/1993 "On refugees" states: "A person who has been granted temporary asylum can not be returned against his will to the country of his nationality ( or country of his usual residence). Snowden has been granted temporary asylum under this law, so...
When it's a UN vote like 100 in favour, 30 against plus abstainers and the US is in the 100 it's a Great Day For Democracy(tm)
When it's something else which gets like 154 against, 1 for (yeah guess who) then it's more like 'very disappointed that good sense was cast aside (P.S. we'll do what the fuck we like anyway)'
I refer the honourable reader thusly: http://bit.ly/1cJ3ZYc (Google books page extract via bitly)
In fact start on the previous page, 86.
Actually the USA tends to ignore the UN on principal. There was a case recently when they (the senate I believe) refused to ratify a UN convention on disabled rights. The stunning thing was the US had already met all the conditions 20 years ago. So basically it was nothing more than acknowleding what was already law. The real issue was elements of the senate see it as ceding authority to the UN. It views the UN as a tool, not an equal or higher power, and to cede power would be to acknowledge it was a higher power. Depending on what area of government, the US will not acknowledge any higher power than the federal or state government, at least in recent times.
Rightly or wrongly, that is how it is :-)
When an American has to go to RUSSIA to be free and escape a rabid government persecution bordering on a mob witch burning, maybe that's the time to reflect and ask yourself 'Gee, is this really the path I want to take?'"
Hugs and kisses.
The rest of the civilized world.
No shit,
There was a time when ballerinas and KGB colonels used to defect to the US for a better life. Gave the US some moral high-ground to stand on and a nice rep for TJATAW too, Now it looks like the Russkis are getting a little payback. I'm surprised they aren't riding this whole thing harder.
WTF happened? Has whistle-blowing, forum chatting and leaking become the only form of civil disobedience left ? How long before that's gone too?
It's growing faster than the Ackermann function.
I will magnanimously include the rest of the political caste and their assorted sycophants in press and think tanks into this.
I hope some gigantic meteorite laden with cancer-causing chemicals but curiously exhibiting the form of an eagle coloured in blue, white and red flattens everything inside the Beltway.
Then we can plant beautiful trees on top.
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Really? You fell for the hype and promises?
Anyone that ignored that and looked at what the two did *before* they were groomed to run for POTUS would have found the only real differences between Obama and McCain was their stated political affiliation and skin tone.
"I hope some gigantic meteorite ..."
Careful there! You could be accused of Astronomical Terrorism!. And then you would be charged with 'Intent to Commit Astronomical Terrorism', 'Possession of Astronomical Terrorism Paraphernalia', 'Astronomical Terrorism on Mondays', 'Astronomical Terrorism on Tuesdays', and so on, like Manning!
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Wasn't it Obama himself who said whitleblowers should be protected and not procecuted? The US is a country of liars and backstabbers, who will only do the right thing, if it serves their purpose. The US like to point to other countries when it comes to human rights, but they themselves wipe their ass with human rights if they feel the need for it.
I'm finding myself cheering for Rusia, though i must admit that has a strange taste to it.
"Wasn't it Obama himself who said whitleblowers should be protected and not procecuted?"
Yup, so he's taken the ingenious* step of declaring him to not be a whistleblower and blame "cold war mentality" on the Russian's part, despite it being a cold war mentality that's led to the US spying on all and sundry.
* ingenious by a 9-year-old's standards
Hands up anyone who thinks that the US would return a Russian who bolted to the USA and started revealing how the FSB (KGB as was) monitors their population?
The current situation has to be the most spectacular own goal in the history of the US - what were they thinking? Frankly I think Obama could win reelection (yea, I know he's term limited) by simply issuing a Presidential Pardon to Snowden as an American who stood up for the principals in the US Constitution.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel are due to meet their Russian counterparts in Washington to discuss "strategic stability, political-military cooperation and regional issues", including Syria and Iran's nuclear programme, the state department said.
Syria has a nuclear programme?
Yes, I know what the sentence means really, however the way it is structured it could also mean that they want to discuss Syria's nuclear programme.
"Syria has a nuclear programme?
Yes, I know what the sentence means really, however the way it is structured it could also mean that they want to discuss Syria's nuclear programme."
Israel bombed the project into dust, but that does not mean that Assad has not started up another site.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/07/obama-putin-talks-canceled-snowden
In a separate announcement, the White House said Obama will visit Sweden instead, travelling to Stockholm the day before the St Petersburg summit. "Sweden is a close friend and partner to the United States," it said in a statement. "[It] plays a key leadership role on the international stage including in opening new trade and investment opportunities."
Speaking on Monday night, Obama said he was disappointed that Russia had allowed Swowden to stay instead of sending the former government contractor back to the US to face espionage charges.
In his first direct comments about Snowden since Russia's decision last week, the president said the situation reflected "underlying challenges" in dealing with Moscow. "There have been times where they slip back into cold war thinking and a cold war mentality," Obama said on NBC's Tonight Show.
"Obama is probably going to Sweden to sew up the deal to get Assange extradited the moment the Swedes get their hands on him.
Can't waste an opportnity to tidy up a few loose ends can he?"
As has been pointed out so many times, under the terms of the EAW Sweden cannot allow the US to extradite Assange from their jurisdiction without first gaining our permission. Since we are in any case more likely to bend over at Obama's request - ToniBliar signed a treaty that makes it very easy for the US to extradite people - it makes more sense for the US to address their requests to us; indeed, the Swedish government has already made it clear that they will stand aside and let the US have first fuck with Assange if they want to.
As you wait for your comet to fly by, why don't you peruse this link which will help you avoid those dodgy NSA beams: http://zapatopi.net/afdb/
" he should be returned to the United States as soon as possible where he will be accorded full due process and protections," press secretary Jay Carney said."
In other news Private Bradley Manning's prison sentence has been reduced to 90 years.
Is Carney stupid, or does he think the rest of the world is?
Back then when someone in the USSR did something like Snowden did and he managed to escape the country, we were happy to protect him as a "dissident" despite the Soviet Premier angrily demanding his return. I was proud of my country for standing on the side of right.
Now the dissident has to escape the US and take refuge in Russia, while our President angrily demands he be returned. What the hell happened to my country?