Good NYT editorial on Snowden

So the NYT editorial board finally came down on the side of Edward Snowden. Better late than never. The editorial is called, appropriately, "Edward Snowden: Whistle-Blower".

Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service. It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community. 

Later in the editorial, they quote our president's hollow words:

“If the concern was that somehow this was the only way to get this information out to the public, I signed an executive order well before Mr. Snowden leaked this information that provided whistle-blower protection to the intelligence community for the first time,” Mr. Obama said at a news conference. “So there were other avenues available for somebody whose conscience was stirred and thought that they needed to question government actions."

In fact, that executive order did not apply to contractors, only to intelligence employees, rendering its protections useless to Mr. Snowden.

Nice of them to make that final catch. The president has been a monster to whistleblowers throughout his presidency. And his statement with regard to Snowden is an outright lie. 

Maybe 2014 will be the year of Snowden's vindication in America. He is already a hero to so many. This editorial gives me hope that the bravery and loyalty of his actions will finally be recognized in his home country. 

Wouldn't that be nice? 

The twisted Vatican butler trial

Holy Ghost and popey guy.

You knew it would get stranger, and it has.

Vatican Prosecutor Nicola Picardi, in seeking trial, quoted Gabriele [the butler] as telling his interrogators after his arrest that he thought that the role of whistle-blower in the church "belongs to the Holy Spirit, whom I felt in some way had entered into me." 

He was apparently trying to expose corruption at the highest levels of the Vatican hierarchy.

The indictment quoted Gabriele as telling investigators that he was "motivated by my deep faith and by the desire that in the church light is shed on everything." 

Vatican prosecutor Nicola Picardi quoted the butler as telling his interrogators that "seeing evil and corruption everywhere in the Church ... I was sure that a shock, even a media one, would have been healthy to bring the Church back on the right track." 

Ghosts: holy ones. This is what happens when you encourage people to believe in fairytales. Dog knows how this will turn out. I hope it creates a major ruckus. Let's hear more about that corruption at the top. Go, Gabriele (even though you're crazy).