Congress Flips Out About 'Snowden The Traitor' As They Try To Pass Legislation To Stop The Program He Revealed

from the cognitive-dissonance dept

Mon, Aug 5th 2013 7:37am — Mike Masnick

Congress is quite incredible at times. Compare and contrast the following two articles. First, we've got the news that Congress is pushing very, very hard to roll back and limit the various NSA surveillance programs -- programs that we only really know the full details about because of the leaks from Ed Snowden to the press. Then, we've got a bunch of Senators calling Snowden a traitor and arguing that Russia has "stabbed us in the back" by taking Snowden in. It's as if they don't even realize what they're saying and how fundamentally ridiculous they look:

“Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife,” said Senator Chuck Schumer....

[....] “I think this is a troubling pattern,” Ayotte said, pointing to Putin’s support for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, his crackdown on adoptions and a string of other decisions in which he’s “basically just trampling on what we’ve expressed to him that we want to see happen … we’re not just talking about Snowden here.”

[....] “I think Snowden is a traitor, and Putin did a wrong thing."... Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told BuzzFeed.

[....] “Russia’s action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States,” McCain said in a statement.

So... he's a traitor, and Russia has "stabbed us in the back" by allowing him to stay in that country... and... oh yeah... we need to fix this whole spying thing that Congress really sorta kinda knew about all along, but didn't much care about until Snowden let the public in on it. Incredible.

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Filed Under: chuck schumer, congress, ed snowden, harry reid, john mccain, kelly ayotte, legislation, nsa, nsa surveillance, traitor

40 Comments

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The First Word

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Only a fool would condemn an umbrella for treason on a rainy day.

—Anonymous Coward

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Ninja (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 6:05am

Cognitive dissonance? Bi-polar disturb?

Ahem. I think it's explainable if you breakdown Congress into their respective members. Part of them think Snowden is a traitor and the other doesn't. Same with the support for the programs exposed by the leaks. And then you have the weird cases who think the programs are ok but Snowden is also ok because there was no transparency despite the programs being ok (?!?!?!).

There seem to be the cases that are indeed some sort of mental disturb and are fighting against the programs while condemning the very man who brought them to light. I'm inclined to think these are either clueless or the "go with the flow" ones regardless of how dumb it makes them look.
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Pixelation, 5 Aug 2013 @ 7:45am

Hello Congress
�Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife,� said Senator Chuck Schumer...

Unfortunately you aren't getting the message.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 7:48am

Re:
This isn't a partisan issue - this is a corruption issue. As in, the whole damn thing is crazy and needs to be put down.
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Greg (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 7:50am

Wow
It's almost as if congress was not one holistic body whose interests are pointed in one direction with laser like focus.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 7:58am

The guiltiest often points his finger and blames someone else for his crime.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 7:59am

�I think this is a troubling pattern,� Ayotte said, pointing to Putin�s support for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, his crackdown on adoptions and a string of other decisions in which he�s �basically just trampling on what we�ve expressed to him that we want to see happen � we�re not just talking about Snowden here.�

Since when did the US empire expand to include Russia?
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out_of_the_blue, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:01am

Amazing that you can spot this contradiction,
but cannot see the vastly more important similarities of NSA and Google, nor do you even appear to acknowledge their everyday collaboration after Snowden revealed that NSA has "direct access" to Google's servers. You can't logically let alone actually oppose NSA spying while supporting a major data source, Google.

When you think surveillance, think Google!
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:02am

Huh?
I am confused. Is America the country that embodied freedom, liberty, and the rights of citizens or are we the country that demanded compliance and secrecy and forced each and every person to live under a tyrannical regime that defines every aspect of our lives and allows no deviation from that?

Are we not the country that was founded by those that sought to lay off the restraints of a ruler and find the best way to live?

Have we gone so far from the ideals of our founding that we are now becoming the country and state that this country was founded to defy?

In are largess and fatness have we decided to become something lazy and fretful and allow others to rule us and define our lives as long as our narrow lives are not impinged.

Ok so that was my rant in old speak. :-)
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That One Guy (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:03am

Re:
Didn't you know, the US Empire is world-wide, it's just those pesky other countries refuse to acknowledge it. /s
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:05am

Look at it from Congress' perspective
If it wasn't for the "traitor" Snowden, the American public would still be in the dark and we wouldn't have to fix these programs that we oversee which we know little to nothing about...
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:06am

Actually, that position is justifiable if you consider that Snowden revealed more than that we were spying on Americans. He also revealed that we were spying on our allies, if I remember correctly. So, maybe Congress is saying that they want the spying on Americans to end but the spying on our allies to continue?
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That One Guy (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:06am

I'd say it's like talking to a wall, but plaster and bricks would listen better...
You can opt out of using Google services/data gathering.
You cannot opt out of government services/data gathering.

Learn the difference.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:09am

Only a fool would condemn an umbrella for treason on a rainy day.
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RyanNerd (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:13am

Dissociative identity disorder
Congress has always had this disorder. The logic goes like this: We need someone to scapegoat for the problems but at the same time we need to fix the problems that our scapegoat revealed.
Yep, politics as usual.
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The Real Michael, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:37am

Even if Congress did "stop" the program, what's going to stop them from (secretly) restarting the same thing under a different name?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:40am

Have another report vote ootb. There's no Google in the article.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:40am

Congressional scaremongering

I bet they want a return to the bad old days of the Cold War, when people did whatever the government asked because there were Commies out to get you!
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Wally (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:47am

Re: Dissociative identity disorder
In my professional opinion....I wholeheartedly agree with that.

One thing should be noted. In spite of what Congress is saying about it, I still have severely mixed feelings about Russia. Diplomatic relations between the US, Russia, and China are like a three way chess game because we are all bitter rivals in the global community. I don't doubt Congress is quite insane...but in my own opinion, while as a whole it is good that Snowden has been granted asylum there...I cannot help but question Russia's motives in this situation. They still carry diplomatic ties to countries that would torture Snowden's information out of him.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:51am

Funny 'murikah. "Do what we tell you to, or else!!!11one".
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:52am

Re: I'd say it's like talking to a wall, but plaster and bricks would listen better...
Err, thinking you can and clicking the button does not make it a reality.

Learn the difference.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:53am

typical behaviour from politicians, especially the ones that have been caught out by the public, for not doing what they are elected to do, ie, represent the public! they all knew exactly what was going on, it's just that some were in the position of knowing more than others. their way of trying to look as if they are doing now what they should have been doing all along is to be very vocal, the main thing that politicians do best!! however, they still cant distinguish between the two things, being caught for not doing what they should have then and want to appear to be doing now or calling the person who has not betrayed them or the US in any way but made public the fact that in the case of the majority of politicians they have been too complacent, too content on turning the blind eye. now the facade is over, they dont like being exposed because it is going to compel them to start doing what their job actually consists of, REPRESENTING THE PUBLIC, not letting the government get away with treating their own countrymen like terrorists and criminals!!
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That One Guy (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:56am

Re: Re: I'd say it's like talking to a wall, but plaster and bricks would listen better...
And what button would that be?
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in_the_red, 5 Aug 2013 @ 8:59am

And wonder why everyone flagged your post
Either you're crazy or you're just attention starve.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 9:03am

It's not just congress, so many idiot Americans are saying it's an outrage that Russia is sheltering Snowden, while wanting the NSA basically shut down.

I'm starting to feel like the lone voice defending Snowden at sites like Politico, it's insane how many people are concerned about the NSA's spying there, but call Snowden a traitor. Nevermind how many times I point out that treason is defined in the US constitution and the US government doesn't have 2 or more witnesses against him.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 9:04am

"[....] �Russia�s action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States,� McCain said in a statement. "

This is a tacit admission that this whole wild goose chase has less to do with justice or national security and the public interest and more to do with being embarrassed.

These politicians have no clue what they are saying sometimes. With your very own words you condemn yourself.

Your decisions should not be based on avoiding embarrassment. That should not enter into the discussion. Your decisions should be about doing what's right. but apparently your reputation means more to you than the public interest.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 9:10am

Re:
Spying on allies is one completely expectable thing, spying on embassies and allies politicians before negotiations, now that is very unhealthy for any future negotiation. Since the political spying has been revealed, they have every right to fear that future treaties will be much harder to land with the same US-dominated results. That is probably one of the most important things they rage about. The other position is that the big tech companies cooperate with US intelligence service. That is, however, not news as far as european governments, even though the scale is surprising.

The politicians are doing their normal raindance to avoid looking like soft socialists. The things they say are to affirm that none of their own has gone soft and if they have, that everyone else in the community knows and can help to freeze them out of the good company.
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Mr. Applegate, 5 Aug 2013 @ 9:24am

"So... he's a traitor, and Russia has "stabbed us in the back" by allowing him to stay in that country... and... oh yeah... we need to fix this whole spying thing that Congress really sorta kinda knew about all along, but didn't much care about until Snowden let the public in on it. Incredible."
What is incredible is you think that they are actually interested in shutting these NSA programs down. They will all be issued 'new identities' and will live on in perpetuity until the people rise up and get rid all current politicians of ANY political party.
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Jasmine Charter, 5 Aug 2013 @ 9:42am

Traitor!
Yes... how dare he reveal that the government is doing something illegal! That is traitorous.

Riiiiiigght!
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Chaserx (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 9:50am

Re: Re:
I know, right? Clearly our present leadership needs to hit the international campaign trail again and apologize even more on behave of the U.S. evil empire. Since terrorism is supposed to be over over now - well it was in the end of 2012 anyway- we don't need these "pesky" programs either.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 10:21am

And I think USA is fascist.
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Bengie, 5 Aug 2013 @ 10:23am

Why I side with Snowden
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with *liberty and justice for all*."

Notice that bit at the end? That's what I stand for.
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Anonymous Coward, 5 Aug 2013 @ 10:24am

Re: Amazing that you can spot this contradiction,
Why was this flagged?
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in_the_red, 5 Aug 2013 @ 10:40am

Re: Re: Amazing that you can spot this contradiction,
Because porn is a moronic delusional troll
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Bergman (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 11:16am

Re:
I noticed that too. Russia is a sovereign nation. Our wishes mean just as much to them as their wishes mean to us: A fart in a hurricane.

But the way some Congresscritters are talking, it's like they think the Russian Federation is the 51st state, and the state is on the verge of rebellion.

Acting in accordance with that viewpoint will have nasty consequences. While the current incarnation of Russia isn't quite as much of an international heavyweight as the USSR was, it's well above the weight class of Iraq or Afghanistan.

Have the leaders we elected grown so overconfident from trampling on midgets, that they've forgotten that there are full size bodybuilders around?
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Mike-2 Alpha (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 11:22am

If sheltering Snowden counts as a stab in the back, then all I can say is "sic semper tyrannis".
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derplord, 5 Aug 2013 @ 11:40am

�Russia�s action today is a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States,� McCain said in a statement.

As If being caught with your hand in the data jar wasn't Embarrassing.

Still finding the Anti US statements flying around , Makes me laugh the UK has it's version of Prism, it's called Tempora every nation in the world has at one time or another spied on it's people ...crack open your history books and quit making excuses for your ignorant uneducated remarks
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John Fenderson (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 12:18pm

Re: Re: Amazing that you can spot this contradiction,
For spamming.
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Uriel-238 (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 1:23pm

Huh.
Our constitutional framers saw this, and spoke of it many times. This is the direction that even the freest most well-meaning governments go: Those in desperation invoke the exploits that serve their needs. Once exposed, that exploit gets used for every other purpose it serves until it is the norm.

Lather, rinse, repeat until total government failure

The branches of government don't represent us anymore, but not all of us recognize that, and so long as we're distracted by the circuses (and have enough bread) we won't be inclined to do anything about it.
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John Fenderson (profile), 5 Aug 2013 @ 3:42pm

Re: Re: Re: I'd say it's like talking to a wall, but plaster and bricks would listen better...
Maybe he misunderstood the purpose of the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button.
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Mike P, 5 Aug 2013 @ 10:14pm

Re:
Any time John McCain opens his mouth, I just know he is going to be on the wrong side of the issue. I can basically double check my "logic" and "reason" by making sure I am on the opposite side of the issue as him.
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