Greenwald Asks: “Are There Any Meaningful Differences Between Ellsberg and Snowden?”
This afternoon the always loquacious Glenn Greenwald took to the Twitters to make one of those self-aggrandizing, absurdly overblown comparisons for which he’s well-known:
Are there any meaningful differences between the actions of Dan Ellsberg & Edward Snowden?
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 13, 2013
Since Greenwald has blocked me on Twitter, I can’t directly respond, so I posted a series of tweets instead:
I’d answer, but you blocked me. RT @ggreenwald Are there any meaningful differences between the actions of Dan Ellsberg & Edward Snowden?
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
Ellsberg may support Snowden, but the comparison is ludicrous. The Pentagon Papers revealed massive, illegal govt coverups of wrongdoing…
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
…leading to the deaths of many thousands of Americans in an unwinnable war. However you see the importance of Snowden’s leaks…
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
…there is just no valid comparison between the two cases.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
@BobSaietta Didn’t say that. But comparing legal program that has Congressional oversight with an illegal war that’s actually killing …
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
@BobSaietta …people by the hundreds of thousands is ridiculous.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
I guess I have to say it again - I am not defending NSA surveillance programs. They need much more transparency.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
I have massive respect for what Daniel Ellsberg did. I was just coming into draft age at the time. This had a very immediate importance.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 14, 2013
Edward Snowden may have brought issues out into the open that need addressing, but comparing his disclosures to Ellsberg’s is offensive.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 14, 2013
@TheBradBlog Ellsberg makes powerful points & I agree with a lot of what he says, but he didn’t make the absurd claim Greenwald did.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013
@TheBradBlog Greenwald asked a very specific question and made an offensively overblown comparison, & I’m answering that.
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) June 13, 2013