Edward Snowden, Social Media & Stardom
Edward Snowden is at again. The American fugitive who intentionally spilled vital national security secrets to the USA’s enemies and made Americans less safe is mouthing off on social media. He’s also making “celebrity” public appearances via live streaming remotely from Moscow. It sure looks like Russian President Vladmir Putin has Snowden under his thumb.
But what’s Snowden’s endgame?
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It should be obvious to objective observers that Snowden is simply seeking to extend his stardom and celebrity status — which will now be historically eclipsed by the unprecedented leaking of the so-called Panama Papers. Snowden is simply using social media for more leverage with mainstream media to buttress his perceived god-like self-image.
Don’t be fooled by his superficial stance.
Snowden seems to be fishing for a lucrative book deal, movie or perhaps his own talk show (online or off) before his luster wears off.
The Friends You Keep
Let’s not forget that Mr. Snowden is still an American fugitive living and operating from his hideout in Russia with protection from Mr. Putin’s authoritarian regime. Also, a few other facts to consider about the friends Snowden keeps:
- Russia launched an unprovoked major military invasion of Ukraine — a sovereign nation — and annexed part of its territory, like something out of the World War II era.
- Russia has one the largest and most sophisticated spying operations on Western nations worldwide. In fact, Mr. Putin used to run the infamous KGB during the days of the communist Soviet Union — to which he would apparently like to return Russia.
And who aided and abetted Snowden before that? How about communist China, the sleeping giant that finally woke up. Let’s recall a few facts:
- Communist China that has launched devastating and massive cyberattacks against the U.S. government and private industry, in which personal data from countless millions of U.S. citizens was compromised. Additionally, what some experts call China’s “cyberterrorism” dealt a financial body blow to corporate America.
- Then, there’s China’s currency manipulation, child slave labor and an unflattering record on human rights in general, to put it mildly. There’s also China’s harmful record on environmental safety and pollution due to its massive size and growing mega-cities.
- Let’s not even get into foreign policy differences and China’s undue influence on communist North Korea — the sealed off nation run by a young hermetic dictator.
- North Korea reportedly has a handful or more of intercontinental ballistics missiles tipped with nuclear warheads, some of which are aimed at American population centers.
- Also, the USA maintains approximately 20,000 U.S. troops stationed on the so-called demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea to prevent an unprovoked attack from the North. This constant state of war between the two countries has been going on now for more than one half century, with U.S. troops standing guard each decade as bellicose rhetoric waxes and wanes from the North Korean regime.
Remember, that saying about judging people by the friends they keep.
15 Minutes of Fame
Mr. Snowden’s “15 minutes of fame” ran out a long time ago. Yet it seems like the fugitive Snowden had his “15 Minutes of Fame” well over 15,000 times already. Why is he seeking media attention now?
It may appear that Snowden simply doesn’t know when to shut up. But he uses the liberal global news media to suit his own purposes, sort of like a slick politician trying to shape and maintain his legacy.
In this instance and others, Snowden leveraged the news media and social media to elevate his persona and brand image as a historic whistleblower.
Now, with the release of parts of the Panama Papers, it’s clear Snowden’s leaking of top-secret intelligence information from the U.S. National Security Council (NSA) pales in comparison. So what does Snowden do? Latch onto this big news about the Panama Papers to capture more public attention for himself. Remember, this is a smart and savvy guy.
That’s why some patriotic and law abiding U.S. citizens are sick and tired of his outrageous antics, which have made America less safe through his leaking of top-secret national security information years ago — the dangerous repercussions of which are still being felt worldwide.
Let’s remember that despite the national outcry about the NSA, not one American has proven personal damage or injury in a U.S. court of law. The myth about the government listening to the phone calls of law abiding Americans was simply that, a myth perpetrated by overly exuberant privacy groups and a complicit national news media.
Please Note: This post is not an indictment of the coalition of international journalists reporting on the Panama Papers or the financial issues involved therein.
Rather, it’s the opinion of one American citizen who considers Snowden a traitor who carried out alleged espionage to the detriment of his country’s homeland security and that of its allies worldwide, especially our friends in Western Europe.
But who really benefited from Snowden’s leaks? America’s adversaries, of course.
Snowden’s illegal actions only served to benefit America’s enemies, including global terrorist groups waging war on the West. Thus, why is Snowden so desperate to stay in the news and enhance his brand image?
Field Day on Twitter
Rather than maintaining a low profile — which one might expect for a fugitive — Snowden appears to consider himself some sort of world savior whose advice we can’t do without. In addition to mouthing off on social media, Snowden is participating in public events remotely from, where else, Moscow. That, in and of itself, should speak volumes about whose side he’s really on.
The American fugitive prides himself on being a self-proclaimed omniscient authority on everything related to online and offline privacy, national security and a host of related and unrelated issues — including investment advice.
To wit: Snowden has been busy having a field day on Twitter, with his latest rants targeting another democratic government; that of the U.K.’s David Cameron. Snowden has a beef to pick with the British Prime Minister regarding personal family finances and personal investments. But consider this:
Snowden is a nimble narcissist who believes only he knows what’s best for the world.
Tuesday’s missives on Twitter include this gem: “With scandals in Russia, China, UK, Iceland, Ukraine, and more, perhaps a new rule: if you’re in charge of a country, keep your money in it,” tweeted Snowden.
But only Snowden is arrogant enough to think that any world leader would waste their time listening to unsolicited and questionable advice from a self-proclaimed lawbreaker and alleged traitor.
- Let’s not forget that Snowden eagerly and recklessly put his own country’s national security interests in historic jeopardy, only to shine the international media spotlight on his over-sized ego.
- Let’s also not forget that instead of boldly facing the U.S. legal system to man up, plead his case and answer for crimes against his country, Snowden took refuge by fleeing to America’s arch rivals: communist China and authoritarian Russia.
Fame and Fortune
Could it be that Snowden is in fact a sinister spy who played the media like a fool to quench his personal desire for fame and fortune? It sure looks that way to a lot of incredulous Americans, at least according to various national public opinion polls.
Snowden surely knew his story had the potential to net him countless millions of dollars through a book deal, movie rights, public appearances, etc. Perhaps living in Hawaii on a $200,000 annual salary with a poll dancer girlfriend just wasn’t good enough for him.
Hasn’t sniveling Snowden caused enough damage already to satisfy his hero complex?
What’s evident is that Snowden committed an unlawful and egregious act by leaking highly classified information to The Guardian as well as to the Washington Post. This appears to be a crime against America, regardless of what one thinks about the merits and constitutionality of the U.S. Government’s clandestine surveillance program.
Suspect Journalism
In hindsight, it’s certainly suspect that Snowden chose to unlawfully disclose the top-secret intelligence information to Glenn Greenwald, a so-called “advocacy journalist” at The Guardian.
Greenwald has been widely known for championing privacy rights. He has written books highly critical of the U.S. Government and the post-9/11 period of proactive national security measures to prevent another massive terrorist attack on the homeland — one which may involve a crude nuclear device, a “dirty bomb” or chemical/biological weapons set off in a U.S. city.
Therefore, such an outspoken “advocacy journalist” like Greenwald was not the most objective source for reporting this story in the first place. Yet that’s exactly why Snowden hand picked him. It was the proverbial equivalent of handing candy to a baby.
But advocacy journalism is neither fair nor objective, as Snowden certainly knew.
It’s also interesting to note, in hindsight, that The Guardian was expanding its global operations when it broke the news about the top-secret NSA surveillance program illegally leaked by Snowden.
Coincidentally, it should be noted that the Snowden “bomb shell” fit nicely into the British newspaper’s strategic operating plans of expanding its reporting presence in the United States. In fact, Snowden helped to elevate The Guardian’s status on the international stage.
Violating Sacred Trust
What matters most here is that Snowden, through his illegal leaking of classified intelligence, appears to have violating the Espionage Act and other U.S. laws. Additionally, he violated a sacred trust with the American people by sucker punching the government and citizens he swore to serve and the Constitution he swore to uphold.
Thus, again, it appears that Snowden’s unlawful actions were arguably tantamount to treason. Therefore, a fitting punishment could still be life in prison, if legally applicable. That is, assuming he’s ever brought to justice rather than being above the law.
Remember, as Snowden previously admitted, he knew the risks of his illegal actions. Therefore, he should still face the American justice system because only a U.S. court can provide any finality on whether Snowden indeed violated the U.S. Constitution per treason.
To reiterate, not a single U.S. citizen has come forward with a legitimate legal case claiming personal harm or injury by the NSA surveillance program to safeguard the homeland, for which Snowden spilled the beans years ago. Meanwhile, the NSA meta-data collection program has since been curtailed, even though it successfully uncovered and stopped planned terrorist attacks inside the United States, as previously reported by the Washington Post.
To the contrary, many intelligence analysts and leading law enforcement officials say America is less safe today due to Snowden’s criminal activity. Less safe because we have less capacity to connect the dots and prevent another mass terrorist atrocity on the scale of 9/11 or worse.
Thanks for nothing, Mr. Snowden!
Eric Holder echoed these sentiments at the time when he was the U.S. Attorney General. Holder previously had this to say about the repercussions of Snowden’s crimes:
- “The national security of the United States has been damaged as a result of those leaks.”
- “The safety of the American people [and] the safety of people who reside in allied nations have been put at risk as a result of these leaks.”
Now, if someone wants to sacrifice some of their privacy in order to better safeguard the homeland and have the most robust national security to proactively prevent another 9/11, then’s that’s their choice. This is a highly volatile issue for which views vastly differ, depending on who you ask.
Some even believe that Snowden, if ever captured and extradited, should appear before a U.S. military court — similar to Bradley Manning in the WikiLeaks case — and perhaps prosecuted as an enemy combatant.
Remember, Snowden willfully sold out his own country to its geopolitical enemies. Snowden willfully caused irrevocable harm to his fellow citizens by allegedly aiding and abetting the enemy, whether unintentionally or by design — including global terrorist groups, like ISIS and Al Qaeda, according to top U.S. intelligence officials.
That sure sounds like espionage and treason to me.
What do YOU think?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I’m an independent writer and strategic communications advisor with over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, including work in the White House, Congress, national news media and elsewhere. Join me on Twitter, Medium, beBee and connect on LinkedIn.
Other blog posts I’ve written for LinkedIn Pulse since 2014 are available here. I’m also a contributor to Ragan’s PR Daily, Social Media Today, GovLoop (“Social Media & Knowledge Network for Government”) and beBee hiveBlog (Madrid-based global affinity social network).
NOTE: All views and opinions are those of the author only and not official statements or endorsements of any public sector employer, private sector employer, organization or political entity.
