Edward Snowden A Manifesto for the Truth, Der Spiegel, More oversight of government intelligence agencies, Those who speak the truth are not committing a crime

“The existence of spying technology should not determine politics” “We have a moral duty to ensure that our laws and values limit surveillance programs and protect human rights”...Edward Snowden

“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”…Abraham Lincoln

“A Party member lives from birth to death under the eye of the Thought Police. Even when he is alone he can never be sure that he is alone. Wherever he may be, asleep or awake, working or resting, in his bath or in bed, he can be inspected without warning and without knowing that he is being inspected. Nothing that he does is indifferent. His friendships, his relaxations, his behaviour towards his wife and children, the expression of his face when he is alone, the words he mutters in sleep, even the characteristic movements of his body, are all jealously scrutinized. Not only any actual misdemeanour, but any eccentricity, however small, any change of habits, any nervous mannerism that could possibly be the symptom of an inner struggle, is certain to be detected. He has no freedom of choice in any direction whatever. On the other hand his actions are not regulated by law or by any clearly formulated code of behaviour. In Oceania there is no law. Thoughts and actions which, when detected, mean certain death are not formally forbidden, and the endless purges, arrests, tortures, imprisonments, and vaporizations are not inflicted as punishment for crimes which have actually been committed, but are merely the wiping-out of persons who might perhaps commit a crime at some time in the future.”…George Orwell “1984”

From the NY Post November 3, 2013.

“Fugitive U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden said calls for more oversight of government intelligence agencies showed he was justified in revealing the methods and targets of the U.S. secret service.

Snowden’s leaks about the National Security Agency (NSA), from its alleged mass scanning of emails to the tapping of world leaders’ phones, have infuriated U.S. allies and placed Washington on the defensive.

In “A Manifesto for the Truth” published in German news magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday, Snowden said current debates about mass surveillance in many countries showed his revelations were helping to bring about change.

“Instead of causing damage, the usefulness of the new public knowledge for society is now clear because reforms to politics, supervision and laws are being suggested,” the 30-year-old ex-CIA employee and NSA contractor wrote.

“Citizens have to fight against the suppression of information about affairs of essential importance for the public. Those who speak the truth are not committing a crime.”

Snowden is in Russia, where he has been given asylum for at least a year.

In an open letter to Germany last week, Snowden said he was counting on international support to stop Washington’s ‘persecution’ of him.

His revelations about the reach and methods of the NSA, including the monitoring of vast volumes of Internet traffic and phone records, have angered U.S. allies from Germany to Brazil.”

“The existence of spying technology should not determine politics, he said: “We have a moral duty to ensure that our laws and values limit surveillance programs and protect human rights”.”

Read more:

http://nypost.com/2013/11/03/snowden-justifies-leaks-in-a-manifesto-for-the-truth/