My Latin is very weak. Which is okay due to the fact all my Latin American friends speak Spanish. Some of their friends speak Portuguese or French. But I digress ... Latin is a very old language and the phrase I am most familiar with is "vice versa". According to the Free Dictionary (which surprisingly only cost me a laptop and wi-fi router and internet connection reasonably priced for the first 12 months and has gradually sky rocketed) the term "vice versa" is Latin and means "with the order of meaning reversed, conversely". What reminded me of this is the article I read in the local paper this morning. This is surprising due to the fact that most of the news I read from the daily paper is usually 12 hours or older from when I first saw it on the internet somewhere else. The news involved the present location and legal status of the man known as Edward Snowden. If you don't know who Edward Snowden is then here is a summarized summary of the man - formerly an employee of the CIA, and last employed by the NSA, he leaked classified details, top-secret actually, pertaining to mass surveillance programs conducted by the United States and Great Britain. Now he's just a man on the run. My country, the United States, wants him back to charge him with espionage. He is guilty. He knew he would be charged with treasonous crimes because he did leak information which was deemed classified to a national news source. With that being said, what charges will be brought against those in this country who conducted massive surveillance against the general population here? Warrantless wire taps basically? The ability of our government to access phone records under the banner of national defense? Who will defend us against the defenders of us? So, back to the story. Edward Snowden is on the run for a punishable offense. He knows he did it. A very public display of criminal treason.
But here's the "vice versa" that I thought of - many years ago this country (the United States) was the safe haven to foreign refugees trying to escape under the banner of political asylum. We were the last resort of those who were deemed enemies of their own government and often you would hear the stories of Soviet defectors seeking asylum in the United States. Now, after a dissolution of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics since the Christmas of 1991, the country of Russia stands as the place of sanctuary of a United States citizen being hunted down as a political enemy of the current leadership of the United States. What is happening to our country? What is happening to Russia? The interesting thing about this story is the asylum being offered by Russia basically boils down to two questions - What do you do with a guy trapped in an airport without a legal passport and why doesn't the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow have a shower and residential facilities for travelers such as Edward Snowden? Basically what I was thinking when I read the article, and after digesting the ongoing tribulations in the life of a NSA employee who likes to talk too much, was how different the world has become in twenty years. Russia is now the safe-haven and the United States is the oppressive regime? To summarize my feelings I would say that there has to be accountability on all parts. Edward Snowden knew what he was doing was illegal and there should be consequences. He cannot come back to the United States or any of her territories of sovereignty. If he does come back for a visit then charges of espionage and court proceedings should commence. The current administration, including the President of the United States, must suffer the penalties of their actions which culminated in the mass surveillance of the American people, including impeachment of Barrack Obama. The game being played is a dangerous one and should have consequences. Edward Snowden did not blindly accept his job and he did, in the end, do the right thing. But, if the case is made that he should not suffer charges than intelligence against one's enemies suffers at all levels. This country must know its limits but also be able to defend itself against all enemies. Including those within the top levels of government. My name is Rueuhy and I approve this blog.
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