A few days ago we told you about Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower who let us all know that our favorite companies were providing our personal information to the government.
The 29-year-old, being heralded AND criticized as the man behind the most significant security leak in U.S. political history, fled his Hawaii home and has been hiding in Hong Kong for the past three weeks.
And while we’ve provided you with some interesting facts about Snowden (he was a high school drop out who was making over $100,000 with the NSA), there’s so much more to learn about the savior…or U.S. traitor (as House Speaker John Boehner has called him). Your pick, but we’d rather the American people know what their government’s been up to.
In any case, here’s what’s been going on since he outed himself.
Snowden’s Girlfriend Revealed:
When Snowden left, he said this:
“I’m willing to sacrifice all of that because I can’t in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.”
But we didn’t know he was also sacrificing his relationship with a 28-year-old dancer in Hawaii named Lindsay Mills.
Mills graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art and reportedly worked as a ballet dancer before moving to Hawaii. Buzzfeed and Inside Edition released pictures of the dancer, identifying her as Snowden’s girlfriend. In response, she posted this on her blog:
For those of you that know me without my super hero cape, you can probably understand why I’ll be refraining from blog posts for awhile. My world has opened and closed all at once. Leaving me lost at sea without a compass. Surely there will be villainous pirates, distracting mermaids, and tides of change in this new open water chapter of my journey. But at the moment all I can feel is alone. And for the first time in my life I feel strong enough to be on my own. Though I never imagined my hand would be so forced. As I type this on my tear-streaked keyboard I’m reflecting on all the faces that have graced my path. The ones I laughed with. The ones I’ve held. The one I’ve grown to love the most. And the ones I never got to bid adieu. But sometimes life doesn’t afford proper goodbyes. In those unsure endings I find my strength, my true friends, and my heart’s song. A song that I thought had all but died away, when really it was softly singing all along. I don’t know what will happen from here. I don’t know how to feel normal. But I do know that I am loved, by myself and those around me. And no matter where my compass-less vessel will take me, that love will keep me buoyant.
As we reported, Snowden had told Mills that he was leaving for a few weeks, but didn’t specify why. She didn’t find out the real reason Snowden was away until he revealed his identity on Sunday.
Here are more pictures of Mills:
Other Countries Are Willing To Help Snowden Hide:
It’s believed that Snowden is still in Hong Kong, although he checked out of the plush hotel where he was hiding. But his options remain slim. According to the State Department, the United States has bilateral extradition treaties with 109 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe. And Hong Kong might have not been his best choice; they were returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and have a rendition treaty with the American government.
But Iceland seems to be a safe option. So does Russia. Vladimir Putin said it would entertain a request for asylum from Snowden, a spokesman told a newspaper in the country.
And while there are some countries that are willing to give him asylum, moving around may prove difficult. The government’s goal right now is to make sure that Snowden is detectable…no matter his whereabouts.
American Leaders Are NOT Happy With Snowden:
One of those leaders? House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
On Tuesday, the politician talked about the “enemy of the state” on “Good Morning America.”
“The disclosure of this information puts Americans at risk. It shows our adversaries what our capabilities are. And it’s a giant violation of the law.”
Watch what else he had to say about Snowden and Americans’ privacy above.
This story is developing. We’ll keep you updated on the latest.
SOURCE: Washington Post | Buzzfeed | NBC
