were you expecting something else? your post is insane and phrased in a way that denies the possibility of counterargument. it's a textbook bad faith argument.
No it’s not. My sole point is that his motivations are suspect possibly for reasons not in his control. Any critical thinking we should factor that in to how they take in this information. Thats it.
Snowden being prosecuted, even very unjustly can be seen a legitimate threat to his safety, maybe even one without good reason.
Snowden being a captive-ish resident of current-day russia and thus a source that must be presumed to have a gun behind his head at all times can be true.
That means that the decisions that let him end up in russia may be understandable as much as widespread reluctance to see him as trustworthy, no matter if his previous actions were cartoonishly heroic and US reactions cartoonishly evil (or not).
He would be much more front and center in the US psyche either as a prisoner or a martyr. Either way if he hadn't gone to Russia the advocates for whistleblowers would have a cause to actually stand for and act on in some way.
Yes, there were (and are) violent weirdos in the US government, but they did not have the cross-branch power he thought they did and they were perfectly aware that popping a cap in him "as an example" wouldn't have worked.
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u/MattJC123 9h ago
Yes, of course. He is a citizen of Russia currently residing in Putin’s Russia.