<blockquote>'..American journalism began in earnest as a rebellion against the state, and just about the only people asking if its practitioners belonged in jail were those beholden to the British overlords. Or consider the pamphleteers, most notably Tom Paine, whose unsigned screed Common Sense “shook the world,” as Daly <a href="[
books.google.nl]; it.'
- Jack Shafer,
From Tom Paine to Glenn Greenwald, we need partisan journalism, July 16, 2013</blockquote>
'..She said that a comparison between the NSA and the Stasi is inappropriate, but she's wrong..'<blockquote>'America is sick. September 11 left it wounded and unsettled -- that's been obvious for nearly 12 years -- but we are only now finding out just how grave the illness really is. The actions of the NSA exposed more than just the telephone conversations and digital lives of many millions of people. The global spying scandal shows that the US has become manic, that it is behaving pathologically, invasively. Its actions are entirely out of proportion to the danger.
..
The German government has shown devastating weakness. Merkel should say, "You are manic, and what you are doing is sick." That's what friends do. Instead she weighs every word to avoid annoying the Americans. She said that a comparison between the NSA and the Stasi is inappropriate, but she's wrong. A comparison doesn't require that two things be identical. The Stasi destroyed families, the NSA probably not. But the use of technology, the careful nurturing of the image of the enemy, the obsessive collection of data, the belief of being on the right side, the good side: Is there really no resemblance?
Angela Merkel promised to defend the German people from harm. To have your phone wiretapped and accept the fact that every one of your emails could be monitored -- the violation of the private sphere -- that qualifies as harm.
- Klaus Brinkbäumer,
NSA Snooping: The War on Terror Is America's Mania, July 16, 2013</blockquote>
'..I object to the monumentally disproportionate campaign being waged by the U.S. Government against Edward Snowden..'<blockquote>Mr. Greenwald,
Yes. It was I who sent the email message to Edward Snowden, thanking him for exposing astonishing violations of the US Constitution and encouraging him to persevere in the search for asylum.
To my knowledge, Mr. Snowden has disclosed only the existence of a program and not details that would place any person in harm's way. I regard him as a courageous whistle-blower.
I object to the monumentally disproportionate campaign being waged by the U.S. Government against Edward Snowden, while no effort is being made to identify, remove from office and bring to justice those officials who have abused power, seriously and repeatedly violating the Constitution of the United States and the rights of millions of unsuspecting citizens.
Americans concerned about the growing arrogance of our government and its increasingly menacing nature should be working to help Mr. Snowden find asylum. Former Members of Congress, especially, should step forward and speak out.
Regards,
Gordon Humphrey
-
Email exchange between Edward Snowden and former GOP Senator Gordon Humphrey, July 16, 2013</blockquote>
Context 'Without the pen of Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain.' - John Adams (Source)<blockquote>
Property rights - Civil Liberties - The Criminal N.S.A. (The New York Times)'..The NSA, FBI and CIA have, with the new digital technology .. United Stasi of America.' - Daniel Ellsberg Edward'..a total surveillance of [global] citizens.'Thomas Paine, Liberty's Hated Torchbearer (
Volume 1 -
Volume II)</blockquote>