this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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I personally do, he actually risked his life to release information about the government spying on people. And there are for sure more advanced ways now. Even your phone is listening.

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[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 121 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

I consider him a true American patriot.

Nothing is more patriotic than wanting your country to do better.

Implementing drag net surveillance was a terrible decision, and exposing it was truly heroic.

Sadly, Snowden is now in the clutches of Russia who can and does use him as their pawn.

It is easy to say that this is where the EU should have stepped up and given him sanctuary, but that would have been less than ideal for him.

  1. Europe and the US have close ties with police and law enforcement, while no EU nation would hand their own citizens over to the US, they would absolutely hand over a US citizen to the US if requested.
  2. During the war on terror, Europe was complicit in plenty of illegal renditions of their own citizens to the CIA, they were then sent to illegal black sites and tortured, plenty of these persons have since been proven innocent.

Given the high profile of Snowden's leak, the US still want's him back, and back then even more so, had Snowden gone to the EU, he most likely would have been extradited, kidnapped or even assassinated.

By staying in Russia that was a far lower risk to him.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

He’s at lower risk from the US, but speaking out about Russia would probably be riskier. It’s an unfortunate situation for him to be stuck in Russia and not some other safe country.

I think the Swiss should have offered him assistance in an embassy or Vietnam or somewhere other than Putin’s Russia (which we knew was bad even back then).

Really though, Obama should have pardoned him.

[–] pucker4676@lemmy.ml 10 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

"The west should have protected him from the west."

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 8 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Eh, the EU makes a big deal of freedom, and has stood up to the US in the past, but here there are actual laws and regulations to follow, and if we stop extraditing US citizens to the US, the US would stop extraditing our citizens to us.

[–] pucker4676@lemmy.ml -4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Countries in the EU are still occupying Africa. Settler shitheads.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 7 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

It appears that I am out of the loop on this...

[–] oce@jlai.lu 2 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

You are answering to someone from a tankie instance, expect their views to be aligned with authoritarian left and take them with many grains of salt. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tankie

[–] pucker4676@lemmy.ml 1 points 47 minutes ago

I don't generally dwell on the libshits like yourself, some will never learn the art of thinking critically, but I would like to point out that the best way to control the population is to divide it. You're either a fed or unknowingly lending them a hand.

[–] pucker4676@lemmy.ml 0 points 2 hours ago

What exactly have I said that wasn't true?

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 hours ago

Hey, thanks for telling me, I know about tankies, as well as the instances they run, though I don't check every user to see where they come from.

I'll tag him accordingly.

[–] pucker4676@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

Here's one example: https://www.pulse.ng/story/7-ways-france-still-controls-its-former-african-colonies-2024072617033075753

Don't feel bad. Many are out of the loop. The west spends a lot of money ensuring most are clueless to what's actually going on in the world.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 hours ago

That article made me vigorously expel air from my nose.

What's the #1 way that France still controls its former African colonies?

"1. These countries must officially speak French"

Did you know England controls the United States? How? England makes the US speak English. I'm super serial! This isn't a laughing matter, so stop laughing at this matter.

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 4 points 8 hours ago

Oh, I had no idea about this...

The colonial tax seems especially evil.

[–] brachiosaurus@mander.xyz 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Nothing is more patriotic than wanting your country to do better.

Is being patriotic and wanting your first world country to do better something heroic?

[–] Rumo161@feddit.org 5 points 10 hours ago

Well that highly depends in what you deem good. If wantig to do better is stopping the support of any goverment that suppresses its people and/or invades other countrys and you put your life in the line for that goal, i think thats very heroic.