I stand by what I said even after the downvote :)
I don't like what NSA is doing and I applaud Snowden for exposing their activities. However, people like Putin is why we have to have the NSA in the first place
I am not defending the NSA or claiming that we should not curtail or better monitor what they are doing. What I am saying is, being a freedom fighter and then seeking asylum in Russia which is the place that heavily curtails personal freedoms of all kinds is kind of ironic don't you think? especially in light of the fact that Snowden allegedly has these 4 laptops with him
Do you honestly believe a trained KGB agent like Putin would give Snowden asylum in Russia without getting something in return ( I mean other than publicity )? Possible, it is also possible he got something in return from Snowden
this hypothetical if seems irrelevant to our discussion. US and the rest of the western world have a much better track record on supporting individual freedoms than Putin's government, which violates them whenever it sees fit or whenever it's politically expedient. That fact is hard to argue with