Snowden applies for temporary asylum in Russia

Nice choice of countries. Champion of freedom and human rights - Russia.

Waterboarding isn't torture-he'll be fine (sic)

Doesn't Snowden realize Putin has an even worse human rights record than Obama?

Heck, one could argue that Obama was using the IRS to deny tax exemptions to political groups, but Putin actually puts oligarch opponents in prison for questionable tax evasions using show trials where press aren't even allowed to sit in.

I hope he stays there. They deserve each other.

He will slowly fade from view and be found dead by "accident or "suicide" someday. The notable thing about all this is how the noise around US intrusion into their own citizens and other countries data is quickly dissipating or being ignored.

It is also notable how the US is imposing, how do they call it, oh yes, "pressures" on sovereign countries to reach their goals and continue to spy on their citizen and the world. Very scary.

lostrune2Jul. 17, 2013 - 08:16AM JST

Doesn't Snowden realize Putin has an even worse human rights record than Obama?

Did you forget Obama wants him.. not Putin?

Dead man walking

Snowden has been nominated for the Nobel Prize. I agree with that one. Perhaps that will help diffuse some the "kill the messenger" mentality so prevalent at the moment.

" Snowden has been nominated for the Nobel Prize. I agree with that one. Perhaps that will help diffuse some the "kill the messenger" mentality so prevalent at the moment."

No, the small-brained statists will continue to mindlessly chant "Kill, Execute, Torture the Truth-Teller!"

All Russia wants him for is to coax whatever information he has out of him. My guess is that this romance will not last. Snowden will eventually find himself alone and wondering what it was he was fighting for.

Used to be that people fled Russia and sought sanctuary in the US. Say's a lot of how America has sadly declined.

"ending three weeks of uncertainty after he arrived from Hong Kong to escape the clutches of US justice."

Justice???

Where I come from we call it "retribution" or "revenge". T'ain't the same.

If you blow the whistle, the U.S. government is ready to protect you. Unless of course you blow the whistle on them!

And for all those naysayers, I see you don't use the word "blowback" so much any more. Its too bad you lot are trying to distance yourself from the reasons why instead of embrace them.

Scott Johnson, there are those who would also call the treatment of Bradley Manning as "justice" as well. All rather Orwellian, isn't it? They prefer to shoot the messenger rather than get the message.

Nice choice of countries. Champion of freedom and human rights - Russia.

Its a sign of how low the US has fallen.

Doesn't Snowden realize Putin has an even worse human rights record than Obama?

I don't think so.

Heck, one could argue that Obama was using the IRS to deny tax exemptions to political groups, but Putin actually puts oligarch opponents in prison for questionable tax evasions using show trials where press aren't even allowed to sit in.

Indeed, Putin puts crooks in jail, while Obama throws trillions of US-taxpayer dollars at the crooks. I kinda prefer the Putin way.

Snowden will eventually find himself alone and wondering what it was he was fighting for.

Much of the world loves Snowden.

Doesn't Snowden realize Putin has an even worse human rights record than Obama?

Did you forget Obama wants him.. not Putin?

Oh, Putin wants him......... for all his data so Putin can do the same to his own people.

And that's another thing: remember how this whole thing started because Snowden did this for the benefit of his people (remember it's about the US government spying on Americans). So if he did this for the American people, why is he running away from them? If Snowden is on the side of his people, he should not run away and instead stand with them. Guess the American people may not be on his side though.

Heck, one could argue that Obama was using the IRS to deny tax exemptions to political groups, but Putin actually puts oligarch opponents in prison for questionable tax evasions using show trials where press aren't even allowed to sit in.

Indeed, Putin puts crooks in jail, while Obama throws trillions of US-taxpayer dollars at the crooks. I kinda prefer the Putin way.

Oh please, you criticize Putin in Russia like people criticize Obama in America, and Putin will put you away too. In the eyes of Putin, being opponents automatically make criminals. It's not even close.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/russia-puts-putin-opponents-trial-032043973.html

White House wants Russia to violate its own rule of law on asylum, having become comfortable at violating the US constitution for the NSA. - Wikileaks

And that's another thing: remember how this whole thing started because Snowden did this for the benefit of his people (remember it's about the US government spying on Americans). So if he did this for the American people, why is he running away from them? If Snowden is on the side of his people, he should not run away and instead stand with them. Guess the American people may not be on his side though.

Indeed, it's about the US government spying on Americans. Snowden is running away from the US government, not the American people.

Most American people support Snowden, not their own government.