A: Snowden has enough information to cause more damage to the US government in a minute alone than anyone else has ever had in the history of the United States. But that's not his goal. [His] objective is to expose software that people around the world use without knowing what they are exposing themselves without consciously agreeing to surrender their rights to privacy. [He] has a huge number of documents that would be very harmful to the US government if they were made public.
Glenn GreenwaldThere are few things more bizarre than watching people advocate that another country be bombed even while acknowledging that it will achieve no good outcomes other than safeguarding the 'credibility' of those doing the bombing. Relatedly, it's hard to imagine a more potent sign of a weak, declining empire than having one's national 'credibility' depend upon periodically bombing other countries.
Glenn GreenwaldNobody has the right to shield any idea as so sacred it canโt be challenged. ... Almost all human progress is driven by people who stood up and said โI disagreeโ with this idea that society at the time considered to be the most precious.โ
Glenn GreenwaldThey're called 'facts', and my role is to amplify those, not cheerlead. And I don't care at all what you think of my motives.
Glenn GreenwaldThe ultimate test of a society's freedom is not how it treats its good, obedient, compliant citizens; it's how it treats its dissidents.
Glenn GreenwaldTerrorist', noun: 1. Someone my government tells me is a terrorist; 2. Someone my President decides to kill.
Glenn GreenwaldNo matter the specific techniques involved, historically mass surveillance has had several constant attributes. Initially, it is always the countryโs dissidents and marginalized who bear the brunt of the surveillance, leading those who support the government or are merely apathetic to mistakenly believe they are immune. And history shows that the mere existence of a mass surveillance apparatus, regardless of how it is used, is in itself sufficient to stifle dissent. A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.
Glenn Greenwald