Snowden agrees to asylum in Venezuela: Russian lawmaker

[jamhar]

Point, and counter point. Predictable.

The question is where will it lead from here?

Should U.S. Boycott Russian Olympics Over Snowden?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/07/should-u-s-boycott-russian-olympics-over-snowden/

No. Makes us look weak and childish. Kind of like a resentment, hurts us more than them. Also hurts our athletes devoting their lives to training and living their dreams more than Russia. Russia will just get more medals and know that they got to us.

Medal count was to be high to the Russians anyways. The host country can field more athletes and any traveling country. Thats not the issue.

Russia has spent BILLONS on this. They need every penny and every ounce of marketing they can get.

Altho I cant see it happening, it has happened before.

Its just an escalation of point counterpoint.

This may get messy, regardless of what Putin is saying.

Russia's Putin puts U.S. ties above Snowden

stranded-fugitive-snowden-seeks-temporary-asylum-russia

[F430murci]

Jamhar:

Good article. Lyndsey Graham called for boycott over Olympics due to Snowden. Time for voters in South Carolina to boycott Lyndsey Graham.

Initially, let me say:

I don't think we have any right to interfere with a country's decision to grant anyone asylum. That is the purpose of asylum. How many Russian spies and Russian military individuals have we grated asylum over the years?

US needs to move on, leave Snowden alone and let him get asylum wherever he can. Damage is already done and focus now needs to be on our own internal issues whether that be our policies he exposed or our failure to protect our own sensitive information.

That then bring me to second point:

Based on what you are saying and the article, an Olympic boycott by United States would do more to create tensions and harm relations between US and Russia than anything since end of cold war. US would be the one jeopardizing relations.

Why are we blaming Russia for anything?

Snowden is US's fault, not Russia's fault. We created Snowden by allowing someone like him a high security clearance and then did not adequately protect the information to which he had access. US, not Russia, then allowed him to leave US with that information.

So now we want to punish Rusisa for our problem that we and our citizen created.

[mania]

US needs to move on,

Why are we blaming Russia for anything?

Exactly & one more thing.....What kind of twisted country threatens to mix sport of the highest caliber

with politics?

The USA did it once already during President Carters term & it was wrong then too.Did we learn nothing at all?

Does the US give 2 shits about their athletes who have but one chance if their lucky in their life

to represent their country in the highest levels of non pro sports?

Does a Senator like the one suggesting this knee jerk reaction to Russia giving asylum even know what it is for these young

Americans to give up years of their lives training for this one event? To then be told nah we are not playing with them, we don't like them???

Sometimes I swear it is so embarrassing to be represented by such morons as we have in US politics today.

Sometimes I imagine a great many Americans want to tell the world that these fools are not representative of

the way the majority of the population of the USA thinks/acts

[F430murci]

Okay, wife back. That was crazy. She changed from Delta (bumped and no seats for days) to Aerflot. They kept canceling her ticket because it was 1 way and she has Russian passport. She has lived in US for 10 years . . . That's Russia.

Anyway, she mentioned getting her luggage out of storage at Snowden's airport last night at 3:30 am to change airports when she finally got a seat to JFK.

I asked, jokingly, if she saw Snowden. She laughed and said "right.". "He has not been at that airport since day one."

She asked if people in US still think he was there. She said everyone in Russia knows he has not been there including the media.

So . . . If media in Russia and everyone there knows he has not been at that airport, then what's with all these US media reports that he is???????

I will get scoop later. She is pretty tied. She is an investment banker in Global Corporate and Investment Banking for Bank of America and deals almost exclusively with Russia. Her clients are extremely tied.

[jamhar]

Before you get your panties in a bunch

It hasnt happend yet.

Sports and politics? you cant be serious.

Any event that mixes heroic figures, world press, and goobs of money, will be a prime target for political expression

Athletes, NGOs, and governments make use of it constantly.

So i really cant see what the outrage is about.

If it shouldn't be this way is another matter. But that hypothetical question is moot,

because it seems like its always has been that way.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/06/08/world.cup.soccer.politics/index.html

http://www.bl.uk/sportandsociety/exploresocsci/politics/articles/melbourne.pdf

Regarding the US present actions

I dont have the details on why's for the aggressive action against snowden

but considering all the careers that are on the line

I dont think its a cavalier, knee jerk reaction.

Could be, but i doubt it.

Olympics? I doubt that a boycott will happen.

The threat should be enough to send a message of how serious this mess is.

Could it happen? absolutely. It has happened before.

But whatever the reasons are,

The US SERIOUSLY wants Snowden.

So good luck to him trying to find asylum

[jamhar]

Okay, wife back. That was crazy. She changed from Delta (bumped and no seats for days) to Aerflot. They kept canceling her ticket because it was 1 way and she has Russian passport. She has lived in US for 10 years . . . That's Russia.

Anyway, she mentioned getting her luggage out of storage at Snowden's airport last night at 3:30 am to change airports when she finally got a seat to JFK.

I asked, jokingly, if she saw Snowden. She laughed and said "right.". "He has not been at that airport since day one."

She asked if people in US still think he was there. She said everyone in Russia knows he has not been there including the media.

So . . . If media in Russia and everyone there knows he has not been at that airport, then what's with all these US media reports that he is???????

I will get scoop later. She is pretty tied. She is an investment banker in Global Corporate and Investment Banking for Bank of America and deals almost exclusively with Russia. Her clients are extremely tied.

I had some russian electrical techs in my section in a company past.

Some of the hardest working, and best people I know.

Regarding if Snowded is at the airport or not

That thought had occurred to me too.

The last "conference" with "invited" people at the airport was just wierd

Not seen publicly but only by the invited guests, of which one just happened to record vid, in what appears to be without permission.

All this cloak and dagger crap looks silly to me

but he has managed to elude the NSA so far, no small feat.

If i were in his shoes, I'd control my environment as much as possible also.

Personally I think he is there.

I dont think those invited guests could keep that kind of secret

[Scott]

A post has been deleted. This thread isn't about the Olympics.

[F430murci]

Okay, wife back. That was crazy. She changed from Delta (bumped and no seats for days) to Aerflot. They kept canceling her ticket because it was 1 way and she has Russian passport. She has lived in US for 10 years . . . That's Russia.

Anyway, she mentioned getting her luggage out of storage at Snowden's airport last night at 3:30 am to change airports when she finally got a seat to JFK.

I asked, jokingly, if she saw Snowden. She laughed and said "right.". "He has not been at that airport since day one."

She asked if people in US still think he was there. She said everyone in Russia knows he has not been there including the media.

So . . . If media in Russia and everyone there knows he has not been at that airport, then what's with all these US media reports that he is???????

I will get scoop later. She is pretty tied. She is an investment banker in Global Corporate and Investment Banking for Bank of America and deals almost exclusively with Russia. Her clients are extremely tied.

I had some russian electrical techs in my section in a company past.

Some of the hardest working, and best people I know.

Regarding if Snowded is at the airport or not

That thought had occurred to me too.

The last "conference" with "invited" people at the airport was just wierd

Not seen publicly but only by the invited guests, of which one just happened to record vid, in what appears to be without permission.

All this cloak and dagger crap looks silly to me

but he has managed to elude the NSA so far, no small feat.

If i were in his shoes, I'd control my environment as much as possible also.

Personally I think he is there.

I dont think those invited guests could keep that kind of secret

I think he was at the airport for the interview, just not before or after. I will see what wife heard tomorrow.

If you recall, two black BMWs picked him up on the tarmac before the Hong Kong flight to the gate. His suit cases went into one and he went into the other. No one saw him again after that until the interview.

[jamhar]

I take your meaning F430. I stand corrected.

On the pissing contest update,

More escalation

Obama weighs canceling Moscow talks with Putin

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-weighs-canceling-moscow-talks-putin-220541915.html

[SinglePot]

Okay, wife back. That was crazy. She changed from Delta (bumped and no seats for days) to Aerflot. They kept canceling her ticket because it was 1 way and she has Russian passport. She has lived in US for 10 years . . . That's Russia.

Anyway, she mentioned getting her luggage out of storage at Snowden's airport last night at 3:30 am to change airports when she finally got a seat to JFK.

I asked, jokingly, if she saw Snowden. She laughed and said "right.". "He has not been at that airport since day one."

She asked if people in US still think he was there. She said everyone in Russia knows he has not been there including the media.

So . . . If media in Russia and everyone there knows he has not been at that airport, then what's with all these US media reports that he is???????

I will get scoop later. She is pretty tied. She is an investment banker in Global Corporate and Investment Banking for Bank of America and deals almost exclusively with Russia. Her clients are extremely tied.

I had some russian electrical techs in my section in a company past.

Some of the hardest working, and best people I know.

Regarding if Snowded is at the airport or not

That thought had occurred to me too.

The last "conference" with "invited" people at the airport was just wierd

Not seen publicly but only by the invited guests, of which one just happened to record vid, in what appears to be without permission.

All this cloak and dagger crap looks silly to me

but he has managed to elude the NSA so far, no small feat.

If i were in his shoes, I'd control my environment as much as possible also.

Personally I think he is there.

I dont think those invited guests could keep that kind of secret

I think he was at the airport for the interview, just not before or after. I will see what wife heard tomorrow.

If you recall, two black BMWs picked him up on the tarmac before the Hong Kong flight to the gate. His suit cases went into one and hex went into the other. No one saw him again after that until the interview.

If it had been Beijing it would have been 2 black counterfeit Buicks.

Same difference. Same driver.

[F430murci]

I take your meaning F430. I stand corrected.

On the pissing contest update,

More escalation

Obama weighs canceling Moscow talks with Putin

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-weighs-canceling-moscow-talks-putin-220541915.html

I may be totally wrong here, but Bama is showing weakness. Putin won't take threats well. He is liable to say cool, then we cancel. If Bama had any balls, he would just cancel if he was really serious about such a threat. That would have better chance at getting desired result.

If he is not serious about such a threat, don't make it to someone like Putin. If Putin responds to the threat by canceling, he really just made Bama and US look incredibly weak.

I dunno. I have seen nothing but weakness, silence and inaction from Bama lately. Very disappointing.

[SinglePot]

Understand what you say F430.

I have sympathy for Obama. The world has changed since the days of Lincoln etc.

Even changed since the Bushes.

An almost impossible job for any president at the moment.

[Rinrada]

@Rinrada

More Secrets to be revealed....could be history repeating itself......What were those last words of Mr Nixon....There are no....in the White House.....mm

[SinglePot]

and we drift towards the kind of leadership Russia and China have.

Hastened by Snowden, an advocate of democracy and human rights.

I'm confused.

[F430murci]

Understand what you say F430.

I have sympathy for Obama. The world has changed since the days of Lincoln etc.

Even changed since the Bushes.

An almost impossible job for any president at the moment.

For sure, I had high hope got him though.

We has good run of presidents, Reagan, Bush Sr and Clinton. I was think the other day that the last two have not turned out so well and the scary part was that their opponents were even more scary.

Heck the 60, 70 and Cold War almost went nuclear early 80s were extreme difficult times.

[Publicus]

How is anyone ever supposed to believe or accept that Snowden was genuine and serious when he took his oath of loyalty to the US Constitution at the time he became employed full time in the US's national security structures and organizations?

Snowden is disloyal and disrespectful of the United States. It's more than a naivete, it's treason. Snowden's actions against the United States are only to harm us and to cause to happen anything he can that is negative to the existence of the United States.

Snowden's Choice For Russian Asylum Reveals His 'Mind-Boggling Naiveté'

Following his request for asylum in Russia, it's become pretty clear that Edward Snowden is officially the most naïve person in the room.

Not only is he surrounded by members of Russia's Foreign Security Service (FSB) — the successor to the KGB — but he's loudly trumpeting the moral superiority of the Putin government, one of the most repressive, cutthroat regimes in modern history.

David Francis' Fiscal Times write-up digs into Snowden for his "mind boggling naiveté":

He is asking for asylum in a country that continues to openly squash dissent, often using violent tactics. Putin runs the country with an iron fist, has jailed people who oppose him, and has chased others out of the country. Opponents have been known to meet early deaths, often under suspicious circumstances.

Francis notes the untimely, often gruesome deaths of several political opponents to Putin over the years.

Snowden's statements about Russia's sterling Human Rights image come within days of the imprisonment of high-profile political opposition leader Alexei Navalny, on what some call trumped-up embezzlement charges.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/snowdens-asylum-request-insanely-naive-2013-7#ixzz2ZVSDVRJf

[Publicus]

Hang 'em high.

The United States is going to get this guy whatever it may take, no matter where he goes or stays.

It Is Now Abundantly Clear Why Edward Snowden Is The US Government's 'Worst Nightmare'

Thousands of documents that NSA whistleblower/leaker Edward Snowden stole from the NSA constitute "the instruction manual for how the NSA is built," Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald told the Associated Press.

Greenwald added that particular documents "would allow somebody who read them to know exactly how the NSA does what it does, which would in turn allow them to evade that surveillance or replicate it."

So now we know why Snowden could be Washington's "worst nightmare."

And in the sense that the 30-year-old ex-Booz Allen employee has "access to some of the U.S. government's most highly-classified secrets," he already is.

As we have previously reported, citing the book "Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry," the most closely held secrets by the U.S. "are what we know about everyone else's secrets and how we came to know them."

That type information is precisely what Snowden carried on four laptops while spending a month in China, and is presumably included in the 10,000 secret documents Greenwald is carrying around with him wherever he goes.

As Greenwald previously said, "Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/snowden-has-nsa-blueprints-2013-7#ixzz2ZVUWDRvt

[F430murci]

Hang 'em high.

The United States is going to get this guy whatever it may take, no matter where he goes or stays.

It Is Now Abundantly Clear Why Edward Snowden Is The US Government's 'Worst Nightmare'

Thousands of documents that NSA whistleblower/leaker Edward Snowden stole from the NSA constitute "the instruction manual for how the NSA is built," Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald told the Associated Press.

Greenwald added that particular documents "would allow somebody who read them to know exactly how the NSA does what it does, which would in turn allow them to evade that surveillance or replicate it."

So now we know why Snowden could be Washington's "worst nightmare."

And in the sense that the 30-year-old ex-Booz Allen employee has "access to some of the U.S. government's most highly-classified secrets," he already is.

As we have previously reported, citing the book "Deep State: Inside the Government Secrecy Industry," the most closely held secrets by the U.S. "are what we know about everyone else's secrets and how we came to know them."

That type information is precisely what Snowden carried on four laptops while spending a month in China, and is presumably included in the 10,000 secret documents Greenwald is carrying around with him wherever he goes.

As Greenwald previously said, "Snowden has enough information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/snowden-has-nsa-blueprints-2013-7#ixzz2ZVUWDRvt

I don't disagree with you at all about the damage is causing or potentially causing. I am not convinced he has much choice on where he goes at the present.

Let's just assume purely for hypothetical purposes that Putin has all of Snowden's information and extracted more out of him personally, perhaps even with some coercive tactics. Just hypothetically, why would Putin now turn him lose to another country so that he could blab to all of the world presses what all Putin did to him. I mean he blabbed on US, so why wouldn't he blab on Putin.

Putin said they did not take any information from him so would Putin want it all over the presses that he straight up lied. Putin does have a consistent history of shipping people off to not so fun camps when they are prone to say anything negative about him.

[Publicus]

I take your meaning F430. I stand corrected.

On the pissing contest update,

More escalation

Obama weighs canceling Moscow talks with Putin

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-weighs-canceling-moscow-talks-putin-220541915.html

I may be totally wrong here, but Bama is showing weakness. Putin won't take threats well. He is liable to say cool, then we cancel. If Bama had any balls, he would just cancel if he was really serious about such a threat. That would have better chance at getting desired result.

If he is not serious about such a threat, don't make it to someone like Putin. If Putin responds to the threat by canceling, he really just made Bama and US look incredibly weak.

I dunno. I have seen nothing but weakness, silence and inaction from Bama lately. Very disappointing.

Has Prez Obama said anything about possibly boycotting the Russia Olympic Games? Or izzit only Sen Linseed Hooplehead Graham who's carrying on about this?

Graham has been making a lot of extreme noises the past several months. It's no excuse, nor is it mitigating, but Graham is worried to death about a tea party primary opponent when he comes up for reelection in 2014. So Graham is loudly going to the farthest right position he can reach on every issue that comes along, and he is creating some issues to try to preclude a united tea party primary opponent, such as a boycott of the Olympics in Russia.

I haven't seen or heard of Prez Obama saying anything about possibly boycotting the Russia Olympics. It would be a mistake if the prez or the Congress decided to prohibit US athletes participating in the Olympics. When Carter did that, he looked weak and like cutting off his nose to spite his face. (Carter was weak.)

It anyway is the case that during the leadup to every Olympic Games, somebody in some country wants to boycott the country hosting the games for some initially good sounding reason, but always fails. I think this is only Graham taking the farthest right positions he can find due to his upcoming reelection in 2014 and the fact he's trembling over a possible tea party primary opponent.

I think Prez Obama might be wise to say a few encouraging words to Graham just to get Putin's attention, without making any effective statement to support Graham's statements.

The government is determined to get Snowden, but boycotting the Olympics in Russia isn't going to do it.

[DaffyDuck]

If the tweet is retracted, then it isn't valid is it?

Good luck on trying to get to Maduro land. The TPAC route is too dangerous which means having to try a European route. He'll have a difficult flight as the Daily Mail reported today; Snowden could avoid US-influenced airspace by flying north to the Barents Sea, through the Denmark Strait, head south while avoiding Canada's Newfoundland, until getting to the east of the Windward Islands, then squeezing through between islands.

Not likely. That airspace is tough to get through as both the UK and Canada would act to intercept and force the plane to land if Snowden got anywhere close. The USAF practically has free reign in the Carribean. He certainly can't take a flight to Havana on Aeroflot since the plane has to go through Canadian and then US airspace.

I have a feeling Putin is about to make trade with the Americans: Snowden in return for a player to be named later, most likely a favourable early release of Viktor Bout..

If he receives asylum and the appropriate papers, then other counties are not allowed to intercept him. It's how the game's rules work.

He could also have the Venezuelan embassy pick him up in a consular vehicle, and transport him on a consular flight. Either way, once he is granted asylum, he can't be touched or intcepted without it provoking an international incident - even if he broke the law.

[F430murci]

I take your meaning F430. I stand corrected.

On the pissing contest update,

More escalation

Obama weighs canceling Moscow talks with Putin

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-weighs-canceling-moscow-talks-putin-220541915.html

I may be totally wrong here, but Bama is showing weakness. Putin won't take threats well. He is liable to say cool, then we cancel. If Bama had any balls, he would just cancel if he was really serious about such a threat. That would have better chance at getting desired result.

If he is not serious about such a threat, don't make it to someone like Putin. If Putin responds to the threat by canceling, he really just made Bama and US look incredibly weak.

I dunno. I have seen nothing but weakness, silence and inaction from Bama lately. Very disappointing.

Has Prez Obama said anything about possibly boycotting the Russia Olympic Games? Or izzit only Sen Linseed Hooplehead Graham who's carrying on about this?

Graham has been making a lot of extreme noises the past several months. It's no excuse, nor is it mitigating, but Graham is worried to death about a tea party primary opponent when he comes up for reelection in 2014. So Graham is loudly going to the farthest right position he can reach on every issue that comes along, and he is creating some issues to try to preclude a united tea party primary opponent, such as a boycott of the Olympics in Russia.

I haven't seen or heard of Prez Obama saying anything about possibly boycotting the Russia Olympics. It would be a mistake if the prez or the Congress decided to prohibit US athletes participating in the Olympics. When Carter did that, he looked weak and like cutting off his nose to spite his face. (Carter was weak.)

It anyway is the case that during the leadup to every Olympic Games, somebody in some country wants to boycott the country hosting the games for some initially good sounding reason, but always fails. I think this is only Graham taking the farthest right positions he can find due to his upcoming reelection in 2014 and the fact he's trembling over a possible tea party primary opponent.

I think Prez Obama might be wise to say a few encouraging words to Graham just to get Putin's attention, without making any effective statement to support Graham's statements.

The government is determined to get Snowden, but boycotting the Olympics in Russia isn't going to do it.

Uhm, this was not about Olympics. This was about canceling important summits or meetings with Putin which will have huge implications on how things are dealt with in Syria, national security and our economy.

Not Olympics. Keep up.

[jamhar]

Actually there has been no cancelations of anything..... Yet! Just the threat.

I dont think POTUS is orchestrating any of this,

but the US senators are hinting and suggesting measures that could be taken.

Gives obama a bit of separation from the threats with Putin.

Not a bad strategy. But all those measures are on the table.

The summit is more important to the US, but I bet in Putin's eyes, the Olympics are VERY important. He wants to showcase the NEW Russia with all its freedoms and modern economy This is to be Russia's coming out party every bit as much as the Beijing Olympics was for China. He does not want his north of $50B party spoiled by some intelligence turncoat weasel.

Putin should have kicked the weasel out the moment he stepped in the airport.

[SinglePot]

Actually there has been no cancelations of anything..... Yet! Just the threat.

I dont think POTUS is orchestrating any of this,

but the US senators are hinting and suggesting measures that could be taken.

Gives obama a bit of separation from the threats with Putin.

Not a bad strategy. But all those measures are on the table.

The summit is more important to the US, but I bet in Putin's eyes, the Olympics are VERY important. He wants to showcase the NEW Russia with all its freedoms and modern economy This is to be Russia's coming out party every bit as much as the Beijing Olympics was for China. He does not want his north of $50B party spoiled by some intelligence turncoat weasel.

Putin should have kicked the weasel out the moment he stepped in the airport.

Why didn't he?

[F430murci]

We need to keep things cordial with Russia if for no other reason Syria, Iran and China. Not saying we kiss butt, but we don't need to drawings in the sand with someone like Putin unless we are dang sure about those lines. Bama, his line with Syrua and then inaction when that line was crossed hurts him when dealing with someone like Putin. I really, really hope he is in control, knows what he is doing and will not be driven by pride. I may be wrong, but Snowden is insignificant now compared to stakes in Syria, Egypt and that whole region more or less. Dage has been done as far as what Snowden had so we need to focus on bigger picture.

[F430murci]

Actually there has been no cancelations of anything..... Yet! Just the threat.

I dont think POTUS is orchestrating any of this,

but the US senators are hinting and suggesting measures that could be taken.

Gives obama a bit of separation from the threats with Putin.

Not a bad strategy. But all those measures are on the table.

The summit is more important to the US, but I bet in Putin's eyes, the Olympics are VERY important. He wants to showcase the NEW Russia with all its freedoms and modern economy This is to be Russia's coming out party every bit as much as the Beijing Olympics was for China. He does not want his north of $50B party spoiled by some intelligence turncoat weasel.

Putin should have kicked the weasel out the moment he stepped in the airport.

Why didn't he?

Information he can extract and to irritate US. I will try and get scoop if there is one tonight when wife and I go out. She slept most of the day.

I have no clue if would have made a difference, but I wonder if Putin would have sent his butt to US if not for Graham and the maniacs freaking out so bad. Putin probably enjoyed the rise he caused. Just hypothesizing here.

[Jingthing]

Asylum in Russia.

Not so nice.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/us-asylum-seekers-unhappy-in-russia/2013/07/18/ced32748-eee8-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story_1.html

Savodnik predicts that if he stays, he’ll be hustled out of Moscow, sent to an out-of-the-way city and given an apartment in a khrushchevka — one of the now-crumbling five-story buildings hurriedly put up during the era of Premier Nikita Khrushchev more than half a century ago.

“From the Kremlin’s point of view, Snowden has already served his purpose,” Savodnik said. “He embarrassed the White House. If he had any data to share, they would have obtained it by now. At this point, if you’re [President] Vladimir Putin, you want Snowden to disappear.”

No doubt he would be given work, but the Russians wouldn’t trust him near anything sensitive, Savodnik said. The young man who might have thought he was changing the world can now expect to be a welder, or a janitor.

[SinglePot]

It's 8 am. I'm in Mochit bus station and the whole place is stood while they play the anthem.

Long live the King.

[F430murci]

Asylum in Russia.

Not so nice.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/us-asylum-seekers-unhappy-in-russia/2013/07/18/ced32748-eee8-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story_1.html

Savodnik predicts that if he stays, hell be hustled out of Moscow, sent to an out-of-the-way city and given an apartment in a khrushchevka one of the now-crumbling five-story buildings hurriedly put up during the era of Premier Nikita Khrushchev more than half a century ago.

From the Kremlins point of view, Snowden has already served his purpose, Savodnik said. He embarrassed the White House. If he had any data to share, they would have obtained it by now. At this point, if youre [President] Vladimir Putin, you want Snowden to disappear.

No doubt he would be given work, but the Russians wouldnt trust him near anything sensitive, Savodnik said. The young man who might have thought he was changing the world can now expect to be a welder, or a janitor.

This sound strikingly familiar and several called me clueless for suggesting such weeks ago. He is in for a rude awakening compared to Hawaii, girl friend and a well paying job.

[Scott]

--Oh, and the weather in Russia is quite different from Hawaii as well.

[F430murci]

--Oh, and the weather in Russia is quite different from Hawaii as well.

Poor guy. I don't like the food either. Pickled herring, crap caviar and cheap marinated flank steak. Dang Ribeye cost like $ 50 US there.