The Ridenhour Prizes for Truth Telling, Edward Snowden Wins

Staff Writer, R. Patrick Chapman

Human Rights / The Ridenhour Prizes
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Truth telling has been lost to this world. The American culture used to be "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." A notion Superman would be proud to own.

Instead another type of culture has been inserted into the United States configuration, one many do not recognize from our childhood musings. Hollywood has decided to manipulate the generations through programming and social engineering so most people do not see telling the truth as something special or correct, but something to be feared or ignored.

Luckily, there are still people and organizations who believe in Truth Telling. The Ridenhour Prizes are one such foundation:

The annual Ridenhour Prizes recognize acts of truth-telling that protect the public interest, promote social justice or illuminate a more just vision of society. These prizes memorialize the spirit of fearless truth-telling that whistleblower and investigative journalist Ron Ridenhour reflected throughout his extraordinary life and career.

Edward Snowden is the other. 

 "I don't want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded. And that's not something I'm willing to support, it's not something I'm willing to build, and it's not something I'm willing to live under. So I think anyone who opposes that sort of world has an obligation to act in the way they can," Snowden told Greenwald, Poitras, and Guardian journalist Ewen MacAskill in an interview for the Guardian in June 2013.

When Greenwald asked him why he revealed himself as the whistleblower, Snowden replied: "I think that the public is owed an explanation of the motivations behind the people who make these disclosures that are outside of the democratic model…. And I'm willing to go on the record to defend the authenticity of them and say, 'I didn't change these, I didn't modify the story.'"

Perhaps Superman can be proud of humanity after all. There are still people in this world who do not conform to or believe the notion that truth is untenable, unfathomable, or unremarkable, but something to be celebrated.

Maybe it is time people began telling the truth and showing the world what dark secrets hide away from public knowledge. 

Because evil takes root in the world when good men stand and do nothing.

Thank you, Edward Snowden, for speaking the Truth. We appreciate all The Ridenhour Prize recipients.

Source: The Ridenhour Prizes

Clapp On, Clapp Off... The NSA's Clapper! Switching on the Truth Light Never Felt So Good

Staff Writer, DL Mullan

News / Government

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March 12, 2013, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked questions in a Senate Intelligence Committee on warrantless geolocation surveillance and National Security Agency tracking: Wyden in Intelligence Hearing on GPS Surveillance & Nat'l Security. 

In this meeting, the Director of Intelligence, James Clapper lied to the committee under oath:

“Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions or hundreds of millions of Americans?” [Senator Ron Wyden's question to James Clapper.]

“No, sir,” Clapper shot back without a pause. “There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly.” Why so? Because “in the case of NSA and CIA, there are strictures against tracking American citizens in the United States for foreign intelligence purposes — and that’s what those agencies are set up to do.”

These lies prompted a young idealist, who was employed as a contractor to the NSA, to gather evidence to the contrary and with that, Edward Snowden proved James Clapper perjured himself.

This video summarizes how bad the government has gotten with snippets of newscasts put together to exhibit the lunacy of their National Security programs: 

After viewing that film, then it should be no surprise what James Clapper's next move has been. Free speech and free thinkers in journalism cannot be tolerated. To defend himself from his own ineptitude, Mr. Clapper shifted the blame to Snowden and the press in this outrageous claim last week:

Clapper called on “Snowden and his accomplices” to return the documents the former National Security Agency contractor took, in order to minimize what he called the “profound damage that his disclosures have caused and continued to cause”.

Who are considered "accomplices," exactly? 

When asked whether Clapper was including journalists as accomplices to Snowden, Shawn Turner, a Clapper spokesman, told The Associated Press that Clapper "was referring to anyone who is assisting Edward Snowden to further threaten our national security through the unauthorized disclosure of stolen documents related to lawful foreign intelligence collection programs."

So that would be a: "yes."  Journalists are accomplices in the eyes of James Clapper. That also means: you and I. Well, the American people have some news for you: we aren't accomplices. 

James Clapper's lies and assertions omit some very fine details, the information in question doesn't just belong to Mr. Clapper. It doesn't just belong to the NSA, its contractors, or the federal government. The "leaked" intelligence information belongs to every American.

If people pay their tribute to the Central Banks, called Income Tax, or not, irregardless of their position in life, the people of this country still own all the paperwork, information, budget, and secrets the United States government has hidden away. 

That means: Edward Snowden obtained and delegated the information about the NSA spying program lawfully because in truth, the information was his to begin with.

Chew on that.

Also if you want to get down to the nitty gritty, Edward Snowden was doing his Constitutional duty that he swore an oath to uphold. He was protecting the Constitution, liberty, and Americans. He did so at great personal cost, which makes him the hero, and the government a bunch of lying elitist dirtbags. 

Mr. Clapper, the American people do not owe you anything. We don't own you excuses. We don't owe you our papers. We don't owe you TSA pat downs. We do not owe you our Rights and we certainly do not owe you our Privacy.

In all reality, Mr. Clapper, you owe the American people. You take our money for your salary. You owe us an honest explanation. You owe us the restoration of our Rights. You owe us our Privacy. After all, We the People are your employer.

If the United States government was not harming Americans, stealing our data, stomping on our Rights, or creating a hostile life environment with secrets and lies and brutality, then you and the federal government would not have anything to "leak." 

If you were upholding the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights in the first place, then whistleblowers like Edward Snowden would not exist, or need to exist. 

So in fact, your [and the federal government's] irrational, secretive, and unconstitutional actions are the reasons your spying program was unveiled. It's not Snowden's fault. It's your fault.

In addition, other whistleblowers like Manning and wikileak's Julian Assange aren't your enemies. These people should be set free from the United States' government's wrath. It is insane to do anything else otherwise.

The only enemy We the People need to stand up against is the enemy of truth, justice, and the American way, which defines you, the NSA spying program, and federal government.

So did you just want to arrest yourself?

Source:Youtube, ABC News, The Guardian,