Snoop-dogs ain’t no tiny wieners — in the Guardian yesterday:

But the documents reveal, too, the darker side of the NSA. It is indiscriminate in the information it is collecting. Nothing appears to be too small for the NSA. Nothing too trivial. Rivals, enemies, allies and friends – US citizens and ‘non-Americans’ – are all scooped up.
The documents show the NSA, intent on exploiting the communications revolution to the full, developing ever more intrusive programmes in pursuit of its ambition to have surveillance cover of the whole planet: total command of what the NSA refers to as the ‘digital battlefield’.

Seemingly makes the word, Orwellian, appear so quaint.

(Illustration found here).

The supplier of those above-mentioned documents, Ed Snowden, has now put together another document, this one his own, “A Manifesto for the Truth,” published today in the German news magazine Der Spiegel — Snowden put forth assertions in such form, there’s a plea for clemency.
Via Reuters:

“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.”
…
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”.
Society, said Snowden, could only understand and keep a check on these problems via an open, ruthless and informed debate.
He said some governments that felt exposed by the revelations had at first launched a “persecution campaign” to repress debate by intimidating journalists and threatening them with prosecution.
“At that time the public was not in a position to judge the usefulness of these revelations. People trusted that their governments would make the right decisions,” he said.
“Today we know that was a mistake and that such behavior does not serve the public interest,” he said.

One has to give the boy credit, he really did turn a shit wagon topsy-turvy.
The US government, though, keeps up the good front —  no mercy for the traitor. Dianne Feinstein blubbered: “He’s done this enormous disservice to our country,” she added, “and I think the answer is no clemency.”
Feinstein is way-two-faced to talk.
Marcy Wheeler keeps up with DiFi, the latest here.
And the White House blustered there has been no consideration of clemency for Snowden.

But the double-babble mouth of the day award goes to Republican Mike Rogers, asshole from Michigan and most-likely the NSA’s biggest power booster:

Rogers scorned European protestations over US spying as theatrical, saying US allies did plenty spying themselves: “I think there’s going to be some best actor awards coming out of the White House this year, and best supporting actor awards coming out of the European Union.”
He added: “Espionage is a French word, after all.”

Dumb-ass.

Snowden’s activities continue to sprout shit leaks from our own government. Interesting to watch how the latest shit folds out next week, and hung out to drip dry.

(Illustration out front found here).