A key purpose of journalism is to provide an adversarial check on those who wield the greatest power by shining a light on what they do in the dark, and informing the public about those acts. Glenn Greenwald More Quotes by Glenn Greenwald More Quotes From Glenn Greenwald As always with any discussion of elite immunity, it's crucial to note that what makes this development such a particularly warped travesty is that the very same elites who enjoy this immunity have created the world's largest, and the Western world's most oppressive and merciless, penal state for ordinary citizens. Glenn Greenwald citizens development ordinary Terrorism': the word that means nothing, yet justifies everything. Glenn Greenwald justify terrorism mean Whether a country is actually free is determined not by how well-rewarded its convention-affirming media elites are and how ignored its passive citizens are but by how it treats its dissidents, those posing authentic challenges to what the government does. Glenn Greenwald media government country Nobody has the right to shield any idea as so sacred it can’t be challenged. ... Almost all human progress is driven by people who stood up and said ‘I disagree’ with this idea that society at the time considered to be the most precious.’ Glenn Greenwald progress people ideas I think that - not just as a journalist but as a human being - I have the ethical responsibility to avoid actions that can harm innocent people. Glenn Greenwald responsibility people thinking All of the evidence highlights the implicit bargain that is offered to citizens: pose no challenge and you have nothing to worry about. Mind your own business, and support or at least tolerate what we do, and you'll be fine. Put differently, you must refrain from provoking the authority that wields surveillance powers if you wish to be deemed free of wrongdoing. This is a deal that invites passivity, obedience, and conformity. The safest course, the way to ensure being “left alone,” is to remain quiet, unthreatening, and compliant. Glenn Greenwald support challenges worry As a journalist, I think the only question that you ask yourself - once you've determined that the material is authentic - is what is in the public interest to know. And then you go about and report it. Glenn Greenwald determined now-and-then thinking Only In America can a renowned and devoted terrorism supporter like Peter King be the arbiter of national security and treason. Glenn Greenwald terrorism kings america A: Snowden has enough information to cause more damage to the US government in a minute alone than anyone else has ever had in the history of the United States. But that's not his goal. [His] objective is to expose software that people around the world use without knowing what they are exposing themselves without consciously agreeing to surrender their rights to privacy. [He] has a huge number of documents that would be very harmful to the US government if they were made public. Glenn Greenwald government rights numbers A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one. Glenn Greenwald citizenry fearful Snowden has enough [sic] information to cause harm to the U.S. government in a single minute than any other person has ever had. The U.S. government should be on its knees every day begging that nothing happen to Snowden, because if something does happen to him, all the information will be revealed and it could be its worst nightmare. Glenn Greenwald worst-nightmares government doe Why is one view permissible and the other criminally barred - other than because the force of law is being used to control political discourse and one form of terrorism (violence in the Muslim world) is done by, rather than to, the west? Glenn Greenwald political views law When you cheer for the erosion of Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs rights, you're cheering for the erosion of your own. Glenn Greenwald erosion cheer rights Fearlessness can be its own form of power. Glenn Greenwald fearlessness form What state surveillance actually is is best understood by the NSA's own documents and own words, which I think as you know I happen to have a lot of. Glenn Greenwald surveillance nsa thinking They're called 'facts', and my role is to amplify those, not cheerlead. And I don't care at all what you think of my motives. Glenn Greenwald roles care thinking We should not be comfortable or content in a society where the only way to remain free of surveillance and repression is if we make ourselves as unthreatning, passive, and compliant as possible. Glenn Greenwald surveillance should way Arming domestic police forces with paramilitary weaponry will ensure their systematic use even in the absence of a terrorist attack on US soil; they will simply find other, increasingly permissive uses for those weapons. Glenn Greenwald systematic police use Americans love to mock the idea of monarchy, and yet we have our own de facto monarchy. I think what these leaks did is, they demonstrated that there really is this government that just is the kind of permanent government that doesn’t get affected by election choices and that isn’t in any way accountable to any sort of democratic transparency and just creates its own world off on its own. Glenn Greenwald government ideas thinking There are few things more bizarre than watching people advocate that another country be bombed even while acknowledging that it will achieve no good outcomes other than safeguarding the 'credibility' of those doing the bombing. Relatedly, it's hard to imagine a more potent sign of a weak, declining empire than having one's national 'credibility' depend upon periodically bombing other countries. Glenn Greenwald outcomes country people
