Former President Jimmy Carter Backs Snowden, Blasts NSA Spying
August 7th, 2013
Since leaving office, former US President Jimmy Carter has taken some controversial stances, particularly when it comes to foreign policy and the protection of some civil liberties. During his presidency, he governed as a devout statist, with disastrous policies like price controls on fuel that drove the US economy into the ground.
However, after he was driven from office by Reagan’s ascent in 1980, he embarked on what has become a lifetime of humanitarian work, leveraging his personal influence to promote peace worldwide, particularly in controversial hot spots like Palestine and North Korea. He is the only US president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for activities carried out after leaving office. Now, Jimmy Carter’s maverick side is at it again, as The Huffington Post is reporting that the former US executive recently defended whistleblower Edward Snowden for leaking information about the National Security Agency’s controversial email and cell phone spying programs.
Carter Says Snowden’s Leaks Are Beneficial
According to the German newspaper Der Spiegel, Jimmy Carter was quoted as saying that Edward Snowden’s leaks are beneficial and that “America does not have a functioning democracy at this point in time.” As newly-hired contractors at the National Security Agency now likely have access to Americans’ private data, the Fourth Amendment has been decimated. In fact, post 9/11 policies have crippled most of the crucial liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights.
Jimmy Carter, unlike most former presidents, often speaks out against these abuses. He vocally opposed the Iraq War and wrote an op-ed calling for an end to the War on Drugs. Since leaving office, he has used his notoriety to lend credibility to controversial and important political movements.
Jimmy Carter Supports Asylum for Snowden
Though Jimmy Carter did acknowledge that Edward Snowden violated the law in exposing the NSA’s spying program to the public, the former commander-in-chief characterized the leaks as beneficial and indicated that other nations have the right to offer political asylum to Snowden. Russia just so happens to have in recent days. It seems based on his comments that Carter would also support pardoning Snowden. Barack Obama, on the other hand, has canceled talks with Russia over the nation’s decision to grant political asylum to the NSA leaker.
Ultimately, Jimmy Carter feels that deteriorating civil liberties are the true threat to American national security, not Edward Snowden. CNN quoted the ex-president as saying, “I think the invasion of human rights and American privacy has gone too far.” Few major politicians have demonstrated Carter’s courage on this issue, as many have even called Snowden a traitor for exposing the leaks, despite the fact that none of the leaked pieces of information have led to any national security problems.
Though Jimmy Carter might have been one of the worst presidents in US history (his gas price controls probably rank among the most foolish economic policies ever attempted), his post-presidential efforts have often been cutting-edge and helpful to liberty. For supporting Edward Snowden and slamming the NSA’s violations of the rights of Americans, Jimmy Carter is this week’s Silver Circle Rebel of the Week.
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