Friday, May 29, 2015

Should Edward Snowden Speak Out About Secrecy in Russia?


Edward Snowden is a controversial figure in the United States, admired by some and despised by others. His supporters praise him as an honorable whistleblower with a conscience; his detractors condemn him as an amoral traitor without loyalty to his country.

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I frankly haven't made up my mind about Snowden, but I suppose he is neither an angel nor a demon. Like most of us human beings, he's probably somewhere in between.

What strikes me as odd, however, is that Snowden -- in voluntary exile in Putin's Russia -- has not spoken out about the latest measures of the Russian government that restrict free speech and transparency in politics.

"Odd" may be the wrong word here. In Vladimir Vladimirovich's motherland, too much free speech evidently results in unexplained mortal accidents. So Edward has, understandably, to be careful. After all, we only have one life to live.

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But one would think -- given how Snowden revealed tak nazivaemy secrets (my favorite Russian words -- "so called") about the USA -- that he'd have something to say about the latest Russian government decree, "Vladimir Putin declares all Russian military deaths state secrets."

But Ed hasn't commented on this, so far as I can tell from following the media. I stand to be corrected, of course.

So: Snowden -- God bless him -- is against governmental secrecy, presumably no matter in what nation.

Perhaps Edward Snowden could enlighten us on Putin's secretive military deaths proclamation -- "safely," via a Russian-government approved journalist.

Of course, expecting such a "disclosure" is pure fantasy.

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