Oliver Stone Praises Ed Snowden as a Hero

Calls it a "disgrace" that Obama administration is chasing Snowden rather than fixing laws

Oliver Stone, never one to run scared from a controversy, yesterday waded into the ongoing NSA debate, defending the American whistlebower Edward Snowden and hailing him as a "hero" for exposing the US's mass surveillance programme.

"It's a disgrace that Obama is more concerned with hunting down Snowden than reforming these George Bush-style eavesdropping techniques," the Oscar-winning director told audiences at the Karlovy Vary international film festival in the Czech Republic.

Snowden, 30, is living in a transit zone in a Moscow airport where he is seeking asylum from federal prosecution in the US. He is believed to have applied for asylum in 20 countries - thus far without result. In the meantime, his revelations have sparked a diplomatic crisis. In the past few days both the German and French leaders have described the NSA's surveillance program as "unacceptable".

Comments

[Sevo]

Uh, not sure this is a positive.

[hvchronic]

Most people remain sheep, and there has been a surfeit of "Operation Mockingbird"-style character assassination from the government apologentsia this time around. They're trying even harder than they did with Manning and Assange, despite Edward Snowden's lack of a freak factor. Snowden may not be a "hero," but he did the most morally correct thing a human being can do under the ridiculous circumstances in which he found himself. This isn't an Alex Berenson novel where the protagonist is crafty, deadly and super-smart and supernaturally lucky enough to always make the right move. The kid (to me he's just a kid, anyway) has made some bonehead moves that aren't making him a lot of friends among the easily manipulated general populace. But really, whatever he does, he's toast, just like the rest of us. There's nowhere safe to run to or hide. The walls have eyes and ears, everywhere. Go watch Terry Gilliam's "Brazil." We're already there, and have been for some time. Anyway, since mere words don't seem to cut it any more, I've taken to editorializing with music. Here's one you can even dance to, about the crappy set of opportunities available to a young man these days. I'm sure Mr. Snowden sees himself in there somewhere. Maybe you do as well.
https://soundcloud.com/biff-thuringer/devils-cry