I think if justice existed, Snowden could get political asylum in Germany. But then he’d be too easy to pick-off there.
I’m pretty sure Germany is where Jacob Appelbaum has taken refuge now.
When it comes to pissing off our allies, doesn’t the State Department get a say? Or are they only called in for damage control?
I don’t see that as exactly the same thing. He hasn’t been categorized as a traitor although he has been harassed.
what exactly happened that Merkel thought or knew her mobile had been compromised?
Basically.
You know, one of the big takeaways from the Manning leaks was that our State Department is staffed by highly competent insightful people (unfortunately, quite a few lost their jobs over the revelations of their insightful commentary). If I was emperor of America I would take the military budget and the State Department budget and swap them.
Being pissed is relative.
She declared what’s being called “the NSA spying affair” over here to be over and the discussion to be finished ehen citizens were complaining about being stasied upon.
Now it’s her phone and that’s supposed to be something oh so different.
I see, so she’s willing to help the US fuck with the rest of the world, but upset when they fuck with her.
This is the same State Department whose go-to contractor for protection jobs in Iraq was the-entity-formerly-known-as-Blackwater. I’m not sure I’d trust them to do avoid not pissing off our allies on their own.
The Germans should be pissed. I’d actually like the see the US become a pariah state in light of this and its other excesses, only to be welcomed back into the community of nations when it:
-gets serious about dealing with climate change
-removes all of its military apparatus from abroad
-gives equal rights to all of its citzens
-stops this surveillance bullshit
-et. al.
Just last night I was wondering about what might happen if the rest of the world decided to embargo the USA. No more shitty Hollywood blockbusters and crappy pop music for them? Oh the horror. How could they ever go on?
It’s obviously vile; but it’s not a huge surprise: she thought she had a deal with Uncle Sam, concerning their mutual treatment of the little people, and cooperation on the same. Uncle Sam went and treated her like one of the little people, while calling her an ally to her face, that stings, man.
I still believe our politicians in Europe don’t get a grasp of the potential danger here.
If the US is spying for less tangible aspects as for what a representative will vote at the UN, who is not to say that the US is passing collected phone/email information from Airbus negotiations strategies to Boeing?! Or Total’s oil exploitation deal offer to Angola… These are well seem in the US as of National Interest, therefore justifiable.
The US needs to tread lightly here. Wars have been started over less.
It’s a trust issue. Merkel and her cronies saw themselves as close allies to the USA and trusted the US Gov/Obama. Don’t forget when Schröder was Chancellor and refused to stand with the US in Iraq she was one of the few german politicians standing with Bush, she even flew to Washington back then. Now she starts to realize Germany is in the “dirty foreigners” group and feels betrayed
I don’t now what’s worse: My own head of government blindly trusting the US Gov or the USA spying on and therefore aggravating one of their closest allies
That’s exactly how this works, bad as it is. But when not even that agreement is honored, then everything is up for grabs.
In my mind, and I say this as an American, if what you say is true, then we have been pursuing all-out economic war…
…
…wait for it…
…
…on our own fucking allies.
I am ashamed of my country, so much so, that while on vacation last week in Europe, I seriously considered applying for asylum as a political refugee from a surveillence state. I probably would have if my son had been with me.
Actually, Germans are not that pissed. Those who were pissed before feel pretty vindicated and let lose a barrage of snarky comments. Those who were not pissed before probably still do not care about it.
Actually. lots of the “pissed before“ group are glad that Merkel and her cronies can’t easily ignore that affront and hope for some more distance between our “transatlantic partners”. (You can have the UK, though, with compliments.)
Just last night I was wondering about what might happen if the rest of the world decided to embargo the USA. No more shitty Hollywood blockbusters and crappy pop music for them? Oh the horror. How could they ever go on?
The only exports from the US relevant to the rest of the world are $$$. Of course exporting Dollars and importing goods is not a sustainable model, but for now it is working out for everybody.
That the US tapped Merkel’s phone is not surprising. What is surprising is that Merkel wasn’t tapping US phones (at least not that we know of).
