Most of the documentary takes place in a Hong Kong hotel room, where Snowden spent eight days meeting with progressive journalist Glenn Greenwald. Together they plan both Snowden’s escape and how to publish the top-secret information collected while working at the NSA.

The journalists struggle to hide their surprise and horror as Snowden unloads revelation after revelation. One key point is that the government conspires with all the major telephone and Internet corporations to collect every phone call, text message and email in the U.S. Another is that U.S. intelligence agencies have an almost unlimited ability to hack into any personal electronic device and take whatever information is on it.

Perhaps the most chilling part of the film came when Snowden talked about the NSA/CIA program of drone surveillance abroad. Snowden described sitting at his computer in Hawaii and being able to scroll through a list of hundreds of live-streaming videos from U.S. drones around the world. By selecting one of them he could see live video from a drone spying on a man and his children for hours and hours, waiting for the right moment to send a rocket to kill him. The U.S. government targets people for drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, killing hundreds of civilians as well.

After the movie, Bruce Wayne Stanley of Occupy Miami gave a talked about the need for activists to develop better security practices. Given the recent increase in political repression – as in the cases of Rasmea Odeh and the Anti-War 23 – Stanley explained that is important that activists protect themselves and others, suggesting that some political conversations remain confidential.

Fortunately there are simple steps that activists can take to protect themselves from government spying and electronic eavesdropping. Stanley observed, “Security is no longer a problem of technology. We have the tools keep our communications confidential. What we have is a problem of culture.” Those in attendance resolved to build a culture of security so that we can better fight back against injustice and oppression.

People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism and Racism (POWIR) organized the event.

#FortLauderdaleFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Movies #PoliticalRepression #EdwardSnowden

The article also stated, “The unfounded charge against Chinese officers amounts to the same hypocrisy as a bandit calling for justice.”

Documents released by NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden revealed that agency has carried out extensive cyber operations against corporations based in the People’s Republic of China. On March 22, the New York Times reported that an NSA operation, going by the codename “Shotgiant,” involved hacking into the servers of Huawei – a large Chinese telecommunications company.

Snowden’s revelations also show that NSA is building the capacity to monitor all internet traffic.

#WashingtonDC #Washington #China #PeoplesLiberationArmy #EdwardSnowden #spying #espionage #Asia

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Despite a flood advisory and severe weather warnings, over 15 people gathered outside the U.S. Federal Building in downtown on July 13 for a vigil in solidarity with those who have fallen victim to U.S. drone strikes abroad. The vigil served as the conclusion to an Anti-Drone Week of Action organized by the anti-war group People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR).

Dressed in ponchos, activists stood with umbrellas in one hand and signs in the other, as different members of the South Florida anti-war community spoke out against U.S. drone policies. Alex Rosales, an organizer with South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice, spoke in opposition to the placement of drones on the border to be used against immigrants.

“Not only are drones tearing people and families apart in countries throughout the world, drones are also being flown at our borders to target immigrants,” Rosales said. “We must come together to tell Obama that we will not stand for military expansionism abroad or the militarization of our borders.”

After various speeches against drone policies, names of drone victims from Pakistan and Yemen were read off followed by a moment of silence. Activists stood in silence with lit candles that flickered under the constant drizzle.

The vigil came one day after POWIR's Rally in Solidarity with Whistleblowers. On July 12, about 25 people gathered in downtown Fort Lauderdale to show support for Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning and other whistleblowers who have come forward to reveal sinister U.S. policies. Snowden is being targeted by the U.S. government for coming forward and exposing the government's electronic monitoring of all Americans.

Pamela Maldonado, a lead organizer for POWIR, spoke to the group, explaining the importance of standing up for those being criminalized by the U.S. government.

“Today, we stand for all those being repressed by Obama and the government, including anti-war activists and community organizers,” Maldonado said. “There is a reason why whistleblowers and activists are being targeted. And that is because we dare to speak the truth to the public and we dare to challenge their system.”

The crowd shouted chants against the surveillance state and against government repression. They held signs that read: “Support whistleblowers,” “Snowden is a hero,” and “Hey NSA, can you hear me now?” Cars driving along the busy streets honked loudly in support and pedestrians joined the crowd.

The rally ended when Sandy Davies, of Progressive Democrats of America, read Snowden's statement from Moscow to the crowd. “Snowden risked his life and freedom to expose the truth to the American public, so now it's our turn to show our support for him by speaking out,” she said.

POWIR's week of action was co-sponsored by various anti-war groups, including Veterans for Peace, the Green Party, Occupy Miami and Progressive Democrats of America. The week was meant to act as a catalyst to help revive the anti-war movement in Florida.

#FortLauderdaleFL #AntiwarMovement #USImperialism #drones #EdwardSnowden #POWIR

The U.S. government has been placing intense pressure on governments around the world to deliver Snowden into U.S. custody. Earlier this week, the U.S. government sparked outrage when it prevailed on European countries to force down the plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales, on the grounds that he might be transporting Snowden from Moscow.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced the asylum offer, saying that the most powerful empire on earth was trying to persecute a young man who has done nothing but tell the truth.

Maduro then went on to say, Who is the terrorist? Governments like ours who offer humanitarian asylum to a young man like Snowden, or the U.S. government who shelters terrorists like airline bomber Luis Posada Carriles or sends bombs to the terrorist opposition is Syria?

Snowden has the support of progressive people across the globe for revealing massive NSA spying operations.

#Venezuela #NicholasMaduro #EdwardSnowden #NSA #Americas

By Prof. Jose Maria Sison Chairperson, International League of Peoples' Struggle

We, the International League of Peoples' Struggle, praise the heroic act of Edward Snowden in exposing PRISM, a secret national security electronic surveillance program operated by the US National Security Agency (NSA) since 2007. We applaud his noble and democratic purpose of making the exposure in order to defend the privacy rights of American citizens and the people of the world.

PRISM is covered by an unconstitutional blanket authority from the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) for the NSA to monitor the phone, email and other communications of US citizens and foreigners and require the world's leading technology companies to provide access to the electronic data. The antecedent of PRISM is the Terrorist Surveillance Program, implemented in the wake of 9-11.

In exposing PRISM, Snowden has provided copies of the classified documents about the program to The Guardian and Washington Post. The documents include 41 Power Point slides and identify the collaborating technology companies, such as Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, Paltalk, YouTube, AOL, Skype and Apple. The NSA intercepts all electronic data that pass into, from and through the US.

The whistleblower, Edward Snowden, is a 29 year-old technology expert and former technical assistant for the CIA, who has worked at the NSA as an employee of various defense contractors, including Booz Allen Hamilton and Dell. He was in a position to access and copy an enormous amount of intelligence documents from the NSA, the most secretive organization in the world.

He is now acknowledged as one of the most consequential whistle blowers in US history, together with Daniel Ellsberg who leaked the Pentagon papers and Bradley Manning who provided Wikileaks with the memoranda and cables to and from the US State Department. In fact, Snowden is now rated as the one who has exposed the most documents about the criminal and anti-democratic acts of the US government.

We admire his principled position and courage in exposing PRISM. He has declared that he stands for the right of the people to privacy and all related democratic rights against the unconstitutional and criminal acts of the state. By daring to fight the No. 1 imperialist power, he has sacrificed his relatively high salary and comfortable life and he is now in danger of being renditioned and even murdered by US covert operatives and their shady partners.

We condemn US imperialism for having laid the legal and electronic infrastructure of a surveillance state and a fascistic executive branch of government. In connection with PRISM, the US has arrogantly claimed that it is out to violate the rights of foreigners and not American citizens. This is a blatant demagogic lie disproven by the classified documents that have come to light.

We stand in solidarity with Edward Snowden and support him all the way in his fight for the democratic rights pf the people against the growing surveillance state in the US and against the criminal arrogance and hegemonism of the US. We are happy that the ILPS chapter and member-organizations in Hongkong and Macao have expressed support for Snowden. We call on all global region committees, national chapters, member-organizations and allies of the ILPS to do likewise and to act militantly in defense of Snowden.

#UnitedStates #US #JoseMariaSison #InjusticeSystem #PRISM #EdwardSnowden #NSA

Minneapolis, MN – About 25 protesters gathered in front of the Hennepin County government building here, June 11, to protest the massive National Security Agency spying program and to support whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Misty Rowan, of the Anti-War Committee stated, “Well you know what? Our Fourth Amendment rights are a matter of national security Mr. President. I don't feel safe in a country where the government is monitoring everything I say and do. I refuse to accept this as the new terms and conditions of living in a nation that's been 'terrified' for the last 12 years. Enough is enough!”

Rowan continued, “In the AWC we've known about the ugly turn this war on terror has taken for a few years now. In 2010, the FBI raided our office and the homes of several of our members and others across the country, calling them to a grand jury in Chicago under investigation of material support for terrorism – just because we organize to end this war based on lies, and carried out against the will of the American people.

“The Occupy Wall Street movement also learned of the conduct of these agencies and became familiar with the snitches, infiltrators, wire tapping and raids. But this goes beyond the regular repression of political movements. What we are talking about is every single person, every single phone number, every transaction. It's as if the entire country, in fact the world, is under investigation by the U.S. government. People, you need to realize that this isn't about terrorists anymore. This is about you. How your government is treating you – supposedly for your own good.”

#MinneapolisMN #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #NationalSecurityAgency #EdwardSnowden

These surveillance scandals come just weeks after the Associated Press announced that the U.S. Justice Department had secretly obtained two months worth of their reporters’ and editors’ phone records.

“There is a massive apparatus within the United States government that with complete secrecy has been building this enormous structure that has only one goal, and that is to destroy privacy and anonymity, not just in the United States but around the world,” said Glenn Greenwald, who broke the story for The Guardian, speaking on CNN. “That is not hyperbole. That is their objective.”

While many Americans are trying to figure out what these revelations mean for their Fourth Amendment right to privacy, at least 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists have already been dealing with this for quite some time. In 2010 the FBI subpoenaed the Anti-War 23 to testify at a secret grand jury in Chicago about their activism and their fellow members of peace and justice movements. Some also had their homes raided and it was apparent from their search warrants that the government was starting to listen – and maybe already was listening – to their phone conversations and reading their emails and social media communications.

Fight Back! asked activists involved with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, “As someone who the government has been spying on since at least 2008, what do you have to say to the majority of Americans who just realized that they are also being spied on?”

Joe Iosbaker, an activist with the Chicago Antiwar Committee answered, “The FBI raids and grand jury subpoenas that we were hit with taught us that we have to defend our democratic rights to organize and to protest. The U.S. government is in crisis as a result of losing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus their system has an economic crisis that is not solvable. The corporations and the politicians are making the people pay for the crisis by cutting services, and the fight back is growing before our eyes. Some examples are the Occupy movement, the march against NATO and growing public worker strikes, like the teachers in Chicago. President Obama fears the prospect of even greater unrest, so the government gathers information, and when a movement gets going, tries to stop it with intimidation and threats of prison. People should stand up and say no to spying and intimidation! Don’t be afraid. Speak out!”

Tom Burke, an organizer with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, agreed with Iosbaker, “People are rightly upset that the secretive National Security Agency listens to their phone calls and spies on them. People are angry that President Obama made promises to end spying at home and then acted worse than President George W. Bush did. People feel violated that their private phone calls and emails are being recorded and observed by U.S. government spies. It makes more people question the FBI raids and repression targeting anti-war activists, Arab-Americans and Muslims.”

Dave Schneider, an activist with SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) in Tallahassee, Florida, has done organizing to defend the Anti-War 23. He sees these news revelations coming to light as an opportunity for organizing. “This is an important moment for activists in the U.S. Despite overwhelmingly voting against the repression and surveillance that defined the Bush administration in 2008 and 2012, activists today find themselves at the mercy of an expanded national security state turned inward on the people. The U.S. makes a habit of criticizing other governments for supposedly spying on their citizens, but this practice goes completely unchecked by courts or laws in this country. If there is one lesson activists can learn from these revelations, it's that some words written on a piece of paper over 225 years ago doesn't guarantee you the right to free speech or to protest. We have to fight for it by organizing a broad based people's movement against government repression in the U.S.”

Edward Snowden reported to The Guardian that the scope of the surveillance on Americans is incredibly widespread and is violating the right to privacy of everyone. When asked why he was revealing that he was the whistleblower he said, “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sorts of things.” He added, “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong.” Snowden is at risk for significant punishment from U.S. authorities for leaking this information. It is now up to the American public to use his information to challenge the government’s expanding security state.

#UnitedStates #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #NationalSecurityAgency #PRISM #EdwardSnowden