Snowden's collateral damage........

Internationally, we are falling further into the abyss of world unpopularity.

 

Much of the recent decline is due to the sympathy foreigners have for the position of Edward Snowden. He has exposed our fanatical quest for data collection on our own and foreign citizens, he has managed to escape the long arm of the law and he has ridiculed and embarrassed some of our mightiest security institutions in the process.

 

Snowden has become a folk hero not unlike our mobsters of the mid 1900's who enjoyed a massive popular following for evading the law. A contemporary Bonnie and Clyde whose guilt is known but who still harvests sympathy from the masses.

 

I find it curious that Snowden is so fickle over where he wants to spend the rest of his life. First China, or at least Hong Kong, was his Shangri La followed by Russia, followed by tropical paradises like Ecuador and Venezuela and then reverting back to Russia. With all of our technology focused on his person, it would be logical for Snowden to keep out of the air lanes and take a taxi from the airport to the nearest dacha.

 

However, the damage has been done. We Americans are being cast more and more like Cold War era Russians or Red Chinese than leaders of the free world promoting freedom, human rights, equality and world democracy.

 

We thought we were the proverbial good guys, but little by little, the scales are being lifted from our eyes as we witness exploits like that of Snowden's, as we watch our elected and non-elected leaders systematically lie to us and as we feel the loss of respect and favor among other peoples of the world.

 

It’s a lonely life.