Overflight, 102

«I feel the modern media has a big focus on personalities, and I’m a little concerned the more we focus on that the more there it is that is a distraction.» Edward Snowden, commenting with Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill
«For me, it all comes down to State power against the people’s ability to meaningfully oppose that power. I’m sitting there, every day, getting paid to design methods to amplify that State power, and I’m realizing that if, you know, the policies, which is, there are the only thing that restrain these States, were changed, there, you couldn’t meaningfully oppose this. I mean, you have to be the most incredibly sophisticated [… undiscernible expression, author’s note] in existence, I mean, I’m not sure there’s anybody, no matter how gifted you are, who could oppose all of the offices, all the bright people, even all the mediocre people out there with all their tools, and all their capabilities.» Edward Snowden, commenting with Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill
«I’ll come out just to go, Hey! You know, this is not a question of this talking around in shadows, these are public issues. These are not my issues, you know, these are everybody’s issues. And I’m not afraid of you. You’re not gonna bullying me into silence as you’ve done to everybody else. And if nobody else is going to do it I will. And hopefully when I’m gone, whatever you do to me, there’ll be somebody else who will do the same thing. It will be the sort of Internet principle of the Hydra: you can stop one person, but there’s gonna be seven more of us.» Edward Snowden, discussing with Glenn Greenwald
«I think it is powerful to come out and be like, Look, I’m not afraid, and I don’t think other people should either. I was sitting in the office, right next to you last week; you know we all have a stake in this, this is our country, and the balance of power between the citizenry and the government is becoming that of the ruling and the ruled, opposed to that of the elected and the elector. … I didn’t try to hide the footprints because, again, I intend to come forward. … I want that to be … the fearlessness and the fuck you to the bullying tactics that have completely pervaded everything we do. … It’s inverting the model the government has laid out where people who were trying to say the truth skulk around and they hide in the dark, and they quote anonymously, and I say, fuck that, let’s do it.» Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald, discussing”
Laura Poitras, CITIZENFOUR documentary film