Edward Snowden remains a man without a country.
His second request for asylum to Russia seems to be gaining more traction this time around, although its president, Vladimir Putin, is playing coy by insisting the U.S. citizen should cease and desist leaking top-secret memos about the United States.
The United States, meanwhile, is biting its tongue to have Russia lecture one of its own.
Snowden, 29, has been accused of espionage for sharing classified documents from the National Security Agency. Snowden worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a technology-consulting firm and was under contract with the NSA. He is thought to have leaked classified national defense information, including that of a far-reaching phone surveillance program.
Snowden is not without supporters, who view him as a whistle-blower of a government that has overreached its boundaries. He alleges the United States has a treasure trove of phone and Internet data from not only U.S. citizens but also from those around the world.
U.S. officials don’t deny the tracking systems, saying they are legal and have thwarted many a terrorist plot.
Civil libertarians respond that such surveillance without probable cause is not OK.
THE LAW is not on Snowden’s side. Today’s Patriot Act has emasculated our civil liberties. Ever since 2001, the U.S. government has had the open-ended authority to view our private and business affairs without our knowledge.
The United States would appreciate Snowden returned to face charges of espionage and other very serious charges. We are not looking kindly at countries sympathetic to his plight. Most allies do not wish to incur the wrath of the United States, and regard him as a “hot potato.”
Once home, Snowden would face a maximum sentence of 30 years, for now. The longer he remains in exile, the greater the chances the charges against him will find a way to multiply.
He’s certainly painted himself into a corner.
— Susan Lynn
Edward Snowden is now the world’s ‘hot potato’
