How does Snowden get 0 in this equation? I'd give the US minimal marks here.

Zero diplopoints? LOL!
Hey who knows, one of us might be Snowden with some points to spare.

Yeah, NSA -10 pts, I'd say.

You're free to disagree, but I give Snowden because of his foolery. He was a stooge. How the f did he end up in Russia? The info he released publicly is nothing. Snowden has a butt load of info on how the NSA operates? Everyone is oh so upset that the NSA is doing this, but do we want to give Russia the technical step up to survey world communications?

Treason by stupidity IMHO.

^Well, of course they do, dirge!

That's why they've just passed anti-gay laws as well as a law agaisnt "offending others' religions," not to mention Putin's taking back the presidency in a move many scorned and jailing a rock band for "hooliaganism" and anti-government demonstrations!

Yep!

CLEARLY Edward Snowden has picked a bastion of humanism and goodness as his new home...why, between his new home in Russia, his stop off in China, and the offers he got for asylum from such nations as Venezuela, how could there possibly be any questioning Snowden's moral and political compass?

He stands for the Rights of the People...

And so it makes sense he'd actively seek asylum in a place where if you're gay, an atheist, agnostic, or non-Russian Orthodox Christian, or if you say one word against Putin you're locked away!

Maybe I'm not giving Snowden enough credit do you think?
If he has half a brain, he probably negotiated a selling price for that info and he'll be living the life of a Russian Oligarch.

If so, maybe he gets 15 pts. Enough to play again . . .

userID=31751 would beg to differ, he's got 100 .

Putin 10, Snowden 10, Obama/US -20

No...Snowden was never about Human Rights...he was about anti-US activism.

Well, I'll be damned.

Mod? Please add 15 pts to Mr. Snowden's acct.

Oh, cool...I didn't know morality and globalized political decisions boiled down to a game of points!

Hm...

Who here thinks that Snowden will cover the spread in his next match vs. the US Govt.?

(Anyone taking odds on whether or not he'll take that Russian super-spy's marriage offer seriously now that he's stuck there...the man's gotta keep warm in Russia somehow...)

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/scantily-clad-gay-putin-fans-stage-car-wash-201108034151

Somehow recent events make me think Putin might not want a butt buddy :D

You guys seem to be reaching incorrect conclusions. America's standing on human rights has declined so precipitously under Bush and Obama that our dissidents now must head to awful places like China and Russia. Since he can't pick a country which respects civil liberties, Snowden has to pick one of the bad governments, and he is reasonably selecting one which hasn't threatened to jail him for life.

So being prosecuted for breaking the law is not respecting civil liberties now?

I thought it was the other way around.

Rather than list the dozens, if not hundreds, of examples of prosecutions for technical lawbreaking which set back the cause of civil liberties in the 20th century United States alone, I will just say no, prosecution for breaking the law is not, in and of itself, indicative of respect for civil liberties.

Yes, fine, I don't dispute that. Still, it isn't in and of itself indicative of LACK of respect for civil liberties either.

I think it is rather expansive and sweeping to accuse any country that won't take him of lacking respect for civil liberties.

Yeah, he fled to russia (and well china) to protect himself, not human rights - i've no moral quams about a man doing what he thinks is right - even if dirge thinks it is treason; because disobeying direct orders in the name of human rights is one of the only checks on corrupt tyrannical rulers.

Whether the NSA snooping violates privacy of US and other citzens is a matter for the courts; but Snowden choose to avoid that fate by leaving US jurisdiction; which he is entirely entitled to do. And several political opponents of the US have supported him or offered asylum, not because they support human rights (though some of them may) but because they oppose the US administration (which the people apparently support, even when their own employees don't ie the ones doing the invasions of privact, with good money and reasons to keep doing their job)

So, like how the ten commandments are a good idea and the ten commandments came from God, are two statements which can have any combination of truth values. The 'Snowden is protecting US privacy' and 'Russia is protecting Snowden' statements can both stand as equally true, without contradiction.