
Text of letter to Edward Snowden from his father and father’s attorney - eplanit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/text-of-a-july-2-2013-letter-to-edward-snowden-from-his-father-and-fathers-attorney/2013/07/02/e62ff87e-e350-11e2-bffd-37a36ddab820_story.html
======
pvnick
Truly amazing and inspiring. I was worried that Snowden's father was going to
continue, through his attorney, to try and dissuade his terrified son from
persisting in his convictions; thus, I was preparing to be disappointed in his
father's loyalty. Instead, I was greeted with a well-thought-out letter of
encouragement to who I'm sure is a very scared 30-year-old. My spirits have
been lifted. Thank you, Lon Snowden, for making the right decision.

~~~
quackerhacker
It is absolutely great to hear these comparisons made and the support of his
father. I'm very glad the father went through an attorney in this situation,
instead of the possibility of some ludicrous claim (like interfering in an
open investigation, or some other charge that I know the FBI has done to
_break_ people[0]) if he supported him directly.

[0] [http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-
barrett...](http://www.thenation.com/article/174851/strange-case-barrett-
brown%23axzz2X9RMrDLN)

------
16s
Laws make things legal or illegal. They don't make things right or wrong. The
Declaration of Independence was illegal, and the men who signed it were wanted
dead or alive, but it was the right thing to do.

~~~
marcelsalathe
Re D of I: I'm honestly curious: is that true? Evidence?

~~~
RyanMcGreal
The assumption is that Britain regarded it as illegal in the same way that the
USA would regard it as illegal if, say, the state of Texas was to declare
independence today. That said, it's apparently a hot area of debate among
people who study law:

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15345511](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15345511)

~~~
prewett
Texas is the only state that joined by treaty as an independent county, so it
seems reasonable that Texas could maybe repudiate that treaty and leave. I
think the example would have been better if they had picked one of the other
49 states, which were created from US territories and were part of the US
before they were states. Clearly it is not legal for them to leave; there was
even a big war fought to decide that question.

On the other hand apparently the Supreme Court disagrees with me [1], and only
33% of people polled think that Texas can secede [2].

[1] [http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2012/11/constitution-
chec...](http://blog.constitutioncenter.org/2012/11/constitution-check-can-
texas-get-constitutional-permission-to-leave-the-union/)

[2]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_secession_movements](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_secession_movements)

~~~
ekianjo
This is not what I have read before about the US constitution. It was very
clear at the time the constitution was ratified by the States that they would
keep their sovereignty and therefore have a right to secede. Why would it be
otherwise, in a country that fought for its independence in the first place?

[http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/secession-its-
constitutional/](http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/secession-its-constitutional/)

It's not because there was the Civil War that the Civil War outcome was
Lawful. The Southern States had the right to secede and that right was not
recognized by Lincoln.

~~~
RyanMcGreal
At the risk of making an ad hominem attack, I seriously wouldn't take an op-ed
in WND as a credible analysis of US Constitutional law.

~~~
ekianjo
Well that's what I could find in 5 mins online, but I'm sure there are other,
better articles out there about that.

------
jgrahamc
The greatest "I love you" from a father to a son I will ever read.

~~~
res0nat0r
Unfortunately I think much of this story is going to be forgotten quickly when
the hunt for Snowden is over. I think the media is covering this so much just
because right now it is a big cat and mouse game. When that is over and
another more exciting soundbite comes up...that's that.

This type of spying has been known and approved and even published in the
mainstream press since at least 06 and it hasnt bothered the majority of the
public until now. Therefore I think the current uproar is just excitement
related to the chase and the press will forget and fall back in line to more
"if it leads it bleeds" content soon enough.

~~~
tmuir
European governments certainly have not known for very long about their
diplomats being spied upon. That story, in my opinion, could really have some
legs.

~~~
res0nat0r
I wouldn't think this is anything new...Cold War anyone?

------
jasonjei
Some of the comments on the linked article are ridiculous. To paraphrase some,
many seem to be blindly trusting Obama with all this data (I'm sure they'd be
asking for his pardon under Bush), while others believe this ``meta data" are
just call histories that couldn't possibly be abused.

It makes me wonder if Snowden thinks his sacrifice was worth it.

Mark Twain observed it best when he parodied the fickleness of the lynching
mob in _Huckleberry Finn_.

~~~
ianterrell
> _It makes me wonder if Snowden thinks his sacrifice was worth it._

I've always enjoyed Israel Regardie's metaphor that society is like a candle.
Only a tiny fraction, the wick, needs to be lit to say that the whole thing is
enlightened.

You can't change everything, and not all at once. But even a little bit of
light can do a whole lot.

~~~
bargl
I've never heard that quote before, but I'm going to use it often from here on
out.

Thank you for sharing that.

It made me think of a quote by Theodore Roosevelt.

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though
checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy
nor suffer much, because they live in a _gray twilight_ that knows not victory
nor defeat."

Success isn't always measured by accomplishing the goals you set out to do,
but instead in the journey and experience. I think the USA needs this
experience and only time will tell if this falls into the failure category.

~~~
gaelian
Your quote reminds me of another from Theodore Roosevelt and one of my
personal favourites, which has come to be known as 'The Man in the Arena'[1].
Not sure which TR quote came first, but one likely influenced the other by the
look of it.

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenship_in_a_Republic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizenship_in_a_Republic)

------
smoyer
They did an amazing job of describing him as a patriot - the references to
Paul Revere and Thomas Paine were brilliant. I hope the U.S. government
actually realizes what they've unleashed.

On an unrelated topic, how can the AP claim copyright to this?

~~~
senorprogrammer
Most likely boilerplate provided by the CMS and attached to every article.
Don't read too much into it.

~~~
CyberDroiD
Someone or something is claiming copyright to the content. Period.

"Don't read too much into it" is a smokescreen. They are claiming copyright,
are you trying to change the facts?

~~~
biot
The Associated Press wrote the following:

    
    
      "Text of a July 2, 2013, letter to Edward Snowden from his father and
       father’s attorney
    
       Here is the text of the open letter Lon Snowden, along with his attorney,
       Bruce Fein, wrote to NSA leaker Edward Snowden. The letter was provided
       to The Associated Press."
    

The inclusion of Mr. Snowden's letter to the Associated Press's original title
and introduction makes this a derivative work for which copyright protection
is available[0].

Even without that (or if my understanding of a derivative work is incorrect)
you are construing mechanical output of boilerplate CMS content as a specific
_intent_ to claim copyright, an assertion which lacks supporting evidence.

[0]
[http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf](http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf)

------
ynniv
Some of these open letters are so oddly worded that I have to wonder if there
is a hidden message... and how fitting that would be!

------
UVB-76
Just a heads-up on the latest development for anyone interested:

[https://twitter.com/AP/status/352190291882676226](https://twitter.com/AP/status/352190291882676226)

~~~
josemrb
That's speculation.

The pilot requested assistance and permission to land due to problems with
fuel indicator. You can listen to the radio exchange in the link below.

[http://audioboo.fm/boos/1482009-bolivia-air-force-fuerza-
aer...](http://audioboo.fm/boos/1482009-bolivia-air-force-fuerza-aerea-
boliviana-fab001-flight-precaution-landing-vienna-austria)

~~~
mzs
That's so strange, the FM expressed displeasure towrads the actions of
Portugal and France in quotes from the AP. I wonder if it was simply an excuse
the pilot used to not make things more complicated at that point.

------
phildeschaine
Interesting that it was written by his father's lawyer on behalf of his
father. Makes me wonder if this is the first contact his father has had with
him since this whole thing began.

~~~
mydpy
It also contains hardly any emotion (I argue that the rhetoric used in the
letter indirectly appeals to Edward). I was shocked by this.

~~~
EthanHeilman
I read an enormous amount of emotion in the letter.

------
dfc
The last paragraph reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from The West Wing:

 _" Men died for us. We had a responsibility to live our lives with integrity
and honesty to honor their sacrifice."_ McGarry to Bartlett, An Khe, S05E14

------
FrankenPC
"hugely suboptimal political culture of the United States"

LOL! Well that's one way to put it.

------
j2d3
Wow. I cried a bit.

~~~
jorgeseagull
Someone loves you just as much. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Everything
will be OK.

~~~
nitrogen
Crying doesn't necessarily mean sadness. Some (all?) people might cry for any
emotion if the emotion is intense enough.

~~~
j2d3
Thanks for clarifying. That was the case. I shed a tear due to the incredible
emotion conveyed in such a brilliant manner, and agree it is just a beautiful
"I love you and am proud of you, son" type of letter... and historic, too. I
was not sad or "sorry for myself."

~~~
jorgeseagull
OK. I was wrong. I apologize.

~~~
nitrogen
Just in case English isn't your first language, "Feeling sorry for yourself"
carries a derisive tone. When someone says, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself,"
it's basically like saying, "Stop whining, weakling!"

I have to assume that's not at all what you meant. I don't think you deserved
to lose all your karma over a misunderstanding.

------
Kapura
>We encourage you to engage us in regular exchanges of ideas or thoughts about
approaches to curing or mitigating the hugely suboptimal political culture of
the United States.

This is what I want. Snowden has not acted like he's doing these things for
the greater good of the U.S.; on the contrary, he seems determined to demonise
the government. I am in no doubt that the government has done some shady shit,
but you must have a path forward. If Snowden were willing to engage in
"approaches to curing or mitigating the hugely suboptimal political culture"
then I would be more willing to be on his side.

~~~
jsmcgd
Has the path forward not been made clear by Snowden's revelations? It's
crystal clear to me.

~~~
embolism
Clearly the US should unilaterally stop all signals intelligence and trust all
other nations to do the same.

~~~
jsmcgd
Clearly the American intelligence services should act within the American
constitution.

~~~
embolism
Clearly some of Snowden's revelations are nothing to do with that.

------
denzil_correa
In some ways - it breaks my heart. For a moment, I imagined myself in Lon
Snowden's shoes and though I am not a parent; it took me some time to sink in
the emotion. After reading this, I do miss my father.

------
bas
How DARE he compare this to Omaha Beach, even obliquely! Many of the men in
this picture, fighting one of the greatest land armies ever assembled (the
Wehrmacht), died on this shore, never to return home:
[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Into_the_...](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit.jpg)

Snowden's obstacles are a revoked passport and the charges he faces upon his
inevitable return to the United States.

~~~
jaekwon
Calm down, the letter speaks of paying homage to the sacrifice of Omaha Beach.
As in, if we don't act now and stop the injustice, we aren't worthy. He's
talking about you and me, not Edward.

------
mongol
I may be dense but I think this letter conveys a deeper meaning that I can't
comprehend. Can someone describe the intent and meaning it carries?

~~~
glasz
read the us constitution and the bill of rights. both shorter than the bible
and for more worth the read.

~~~
flyinRyan
Wow. I've seen some stupid things in my time but this really takes the cake.
The constitution and bill of rights aren't that big of a deal. The US style of
government isn't even that great so the "great minds" of the founding fathers
didn't manage to produce a system of government even as nice as the land they
rebelled against (e.g. at least 3rd party has _some_ meaning in the UK system,
even if the system is damaged by FPTP).

The bible, on the other hand, has inspired untold millions throughout the
entire world, regardless of your stance on religion.

~~~
glasz
the united states of america is supposed to have a government for the people,
by the people - like lincoln said in gettysburg, 1863. it is a republic. and
that republic requires YOU to take care of it. EVERY SINGLE ONE of you
citizens over there.

the constitution and bill of rights were never intended as paper to regulate
every single aspect of your lives. quite the opposite. and here's the problem:
most people just sit in front of the tv and bend over licking boots. or at
least they forgot what your country is all about.

------
ChikkaChiChi
Beautiful and made me miss my father. I am glad Lon Snowden can see how
difficult this must be for his son.

------
glasz
us congress is full of cowardly assh+les. this is not about sections 215 and
702. get the f+ck rid of the entire crap as fast as you introduced it!

------
webwanderings
Incredible.

------
rfnslyr
Beautifully written. This is the time that will make or break America. I hope
we are not complacent.

------
diminoten
Someone explain to me the practical reason this letter needed to exist,
besides page views. I am struggling to see why this couldn't be sent directly
to Snowden, considering we know _exactly_ where he is.

~~~
UVB-76
It's an open letter, intended to be read by a wide audience, to publicly
express Lon Snowden's support for his son.

------
CyberDroiD
It's ironic that Snowden has no fear in blabbing about Top Secret information,
and no fear in claiming the moral high ground, but is fearful and scared of
getting apprehended at this point in time.

Sounds like his so-called fearlessness has worn off? Nah, he's just a
troublemaker who is now on the run.

~~~
resu_nimda
What do you mean "no fear" and "fearlessness?" Yes, he "blabbed" information,
and yes he may claim the moral high ground, but he has clearly been quite
afraid of what the government could do to him in the US. And with good reason,
IMO.

I just don't get this argument, that he's a coward or a traitor for leaving.
Are you required to martyr yourself for your cause to be worthy? He wanted to
get this information out, and he also felt like he shouldn't have the rest of
his life ruined for it (which is a reasonable prediction if he had stayed).

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter whether he was fearless or a troublemaker
or anything else, this shouldn't be about him as a person.

~~~
lttlrck
He has already martyred himself. The question is why? Why did he feel he had
to attach his personality to the leak? It's actually become an immense
distraction from the core issue: PRISM

~~~
markdown
> The question is why?

Well Manning did things your way, and he was discovered and locked away,
tortured. Maybe Snowden knew there was no way to hide that it was him that
leaked the data.

Rather than just disappear (thereby letting the NSA control the story and
write his motives), he chose to make the first move.

In my opinion, he couldn't have done it better.

> Why did he feel he had to attach his personality to the leak?

Don't be obtuse. He chose to speak out, and still the NSA managed to tar him
as an enemy spy. Had he simply disappeared, he would have made their work even
easier.

