When life imitates art

We blogged earlier in the week about "whistleblower" Edward Snowden (who isn't actually a whistleblower at all), and his possible plight about being stuck in transit. Well, that is exactly what has happened; the Herald reports:

Edward Snowden, the United States intelligence whistleblower, could remain stuck in limbo in a Moscow airport for weeks or months.
Russian media reported a source "close to Mr Snowden" saying that he could be forced to stay in Russia indefinitely because US authorities had annulled his passport.
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the former CIA and National Security Agency technician was staying legally in the transit area of Sheremetyevo Airport after flying in on Monday from Hong Kong, where he leaked details of widespread surveillance by US security services of American citizens' emails and telephone calls.
There appeared little urgency over his departure. The Daily Telegraph and other media scoured Sheremetyevo's three southern terminals yesterday but airport staff, receptionists at a capsule hotel, policemen, Russian consular officials and passengers all claimed they had not seen the American.
It seemed likely the whistleblower was in a closed area of the airport and WikiLeaks, the organisation that has been supporting Snowden, said he was safe and well.

Snowden's plight is right out of the movies; check this out:

For Tom Hanks' character, there was a happy ending. For Snowden however, the ending is likely to be far from happy. His US passport has been annulled, he cannot enter Russia or any other country, and the transit lounge at Sheremetyevo Airport is going to lose its novelty after a few days.

Still, he has no-one to blame but himself.

Now the truth about Snowden emerges...

The Left loves to portray Edward Snowden as a whistle-blower, sticking up for the little guy. It makes his actions seem somehow heroic.

Unfortunately, the reality is somewhat different; the Herald reports:

Edward Snowden took up a position at a US government defence contractor specifically to gather evidence on Washington's surveillance programs, he has told the South China Morning Post.
He joined Booz Allen Hamilton to collect proof about the US National Security Agency's secret programs with the aim of releasing the details to the media, he said in the interview on June 12 which has been published on Tuesday.
The publication of the admission comes after Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow, with US officials angrily demanding that Russia hand him over for trial, and slamming China for letting him go.
"My position with Booz Allen Hamilton granted me access to lists of machines all over the world the NSA hacked," he told the Post.
"That is why I accepted that position about three months ago."
The newspaper said when he was asked if he specifically went to Booz Allen Hamilton to gather evidence of surveillance, he replied: "Correct on Booz."
The company sacked Snowden after he leaked the details of the US internet and phone data surveillance programs to the press, saying he had violated the company's code of ethics.
Snowden was employed by Booz Allen Hamilton to help maintain the NSA's secret computer networks in Hawaii, and left with what he says was a large quantity of classified documents related to its surveillance programs.

So let's put aside the fantasy of Snowden being some sort of caped crusader, fighting for truth and justice; he is anything But. He made a deliberate and conscious decision to take up a job with the pre-meditated intention of stealing data and releasing it publicly.

We reckon that this will harden people's attitudes towards Snowden. He is a spy, just like those that he is trying to vilify. He has certainly forfeited the moral high ground.

It has been reported that the US Government has cancelled Edward Snowden's passport, so that he cannot legally enter Russia, nor can he go anywhere else legally. Perhaps 10 years "incarceration" in the transit lounge of a Russian airport might give Snowden the opportunity to reflect on his treachery and deceit.