Any smidgen of appreciate or sympathy I may have had for NSA leaker Edward Snowden (which, admittedly, was once little or no to begin with) dried up a long time ago, but his most latest statement, by way of Wikileaks, must certainly be trying out the persistence of even his admirers. Assuming he wrote the remark himself, the letter is so full of willful misinformation and self-pity that President Obama has vowed to keep the jets, and scramble a squadron of Wahhhmbulances to pick Snowden up.

Whether or not you trust Edward Snowden’s moves or now not, the American custom of dissent requires that you simply acknowledge his intent, which he and Guardian Glenn Greenwald compare to the spirit of civil disobedience embodied through the likes of Henry David Thoreau. Sooner than fleeing to Russia, Snowden mentioned that tradition via claiming that he did not intend to hide from justice. High quality, he pivoted from that promise to a quest for “asylum” as a result of he and Greenwald didn’t like the shape that justice used to be taking, which was once a felony indictment. Now, in his commentary by the use of Wikileaks, Snowden whines anew in regards to the form that justice is taking:

On Thursday, President Obama declared ahead of the world that he would not allow any diplomatic “wheeling and dealing” over my case. But now it is being reported that after promising no longer to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to power the leaders of countries from which I’ve requested protection to disclaim my asylum petitions.

This sort of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the previous, dangerous tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, no longer me, however individuals who would come after me.

For many years america of America has been some of the strongest defenders of the human right to are trying to find asylum. Unluckily, this proper, laid out and voted for via the U.S. in Article 14 of the Common Assertion of Human Rights, is now being rejected by way of the present government of my u . s .. The Obama administration has now adopted the means of using citizenship as a weapon. Even though I’m convicted of nothing, it has unilaterally revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person. With none judicial order, the administration now seeks to prevent me exercising a basic right. A proper that belongs to every person. The correct to searching for asylum.

As soon as again, I have no drawback with Snowden rationalizing his flight from justice as “asylum-in the hunt for,” however his childish screed depends on the United States adopting his delusion as well. That is actually simple. Revoking Ed Snowden’s passport isn’t “wheeling and dealing,” it’s the law. It’s how we maintain fugitives. Edward Snowden is a hero to Edward Snowden, however legally, he’s a fugitive. The President isn’t “rejecting the human proper to seek asylum,” he is following the regulation concerning fugitives. Snowden is still free to are seeking asylum, but the President has no responsibility to assist that effort, he has a duty to oppose it.

He’s proper about one thing, although. His present “exile” is not justice. Returning to the United States, facing a jury of his peers, and possibly getting a 12 months’s probation is what we call justice. If he doesn’t belief us to mete it out, that’s his industry, however he ought to prevent appearing like justice is a thing he will get to determine beforehand of time. The one factor extralegal about Ed Snowden’s “exile” is his refusal to face the music, which is the vital 2nd half of civil disobedence.