Maine GOP: Edward Snowden is a “Traitor”

[Keith and stuff]

Maine GOP: Edward Snowden is a “Traitor”
http://undercoverporcupine.bangordailynews.com/2013/06/25/politics/maine-gop-edward-snowden-is-a-traitor/

I like undercover Porcupine and am glad for Chris Dixon's column. It is great that it is published in a Maine newspaper. Even though ME isn't important to national politics, it is unfortunate that this is the official position of the MEGOP, especially since Ron Paul did well in Maine.


In the weeks since NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden sounded the alarm on massive spying programs within the United States Government, he has been a controversial topic in political discourse. Despite the clear violations of constitutional rights to privacy and oversteps of proper boundaries of government, some still feel the leaks were wrong.

The Maine Republican Party, via it’s official Facebook page, stated:
Snowden went to China and Russia. Those nations would love to get their hands on secrets Snowden has admitted he stole from our nation in order to release. He isnt a hero. He is a traitor.

Unfortunately, the Maine Republican Party has very little understanding of international relations. Keeping in mind that there is zero evidence he has had any contact with the Chinese or Russian Governments, it is necessary for him to flee to an unfriendly country. If Snowden hid in a country friendly with the United States Government, he would have been easily extradited and facing what many fear would be an “unfair trial.” Thus, going to places like Hong Kong (not China) and Russia, are necessary only for his safety. The implication that Snowden has communicated with either government regarding secrets is, in the absence of proof, false.

What Edward Snowden did do, however, is offer transparency that has lacked under President Barack Obama. Is the Maine Republican Party in the business of defending President Obama and his assault on the civil liberties of all Americans?

[Anti Federalist]

Snowden went to China and Russia. Those nations would love to get their hands on secrets Snowden has admitted he stole from our nation in order to release. He isnt a hero. He is a traitor.

LOL and next week they'll all swill beer and grill hamburgers and chortle about how "free" we are.

All under the watchful eye of a surveillance grid that the Russian Soviets and Red Chinese could only dream of putting in place.

Freedom is Slavery.

[2young2vote]

Traitor to the US government or American citizens? I think there is a big difference there that most people don't understand. Blind patriotism is an easy way to not have to think.

[kathy88]

That's a long way from our "Remember the Maine" folks at the convention...

[dannno]

Not surprising, the Maine GOP blatantly cheated Ron Paul in the 2012 election.

[LibertyEagle]

It was bad PR to go to China and Russia. I was afraid that people would get the wrong impression. Now, before you start screeching at me, I understand why he did it. He didn't have a whole lot of options. Nonetheless, a lot of people don't understand that and think he's giving secrets to who used to be our enemies.

Politics is 90% perception. It sucks, but it just is.

[Anti Federalist]

It was bad PR to go to China and Russia. I was afraid that people would get the wrong impression. Now, before you start screeching at me, I understand why he did it. He didn't have a whole lot of options. Nonetheless, a lot of people don't understand that and think he's giving secrets to who used to be our enemies.

Politics is 90% perception. It sucks, but it just is.

Trouble is, Snowden isn't playing politics.

He's trying to save his life.

[ThePenguinLibertarian]

Trouble is, Snowden isn't playing politics.

He's trying to save his life.
i'm ashamed. Hong Kong is good example of whats left of true capitalism. He did something noble, none of us here would have ever done it considering the fact that you die 99% odds

[torchbearer]

maine gop are traitors.
line drawn. stand with the security police state, or stand for liberty. can't have both.

[Anti Federalist]

i'm ashamed. Hong Kong is good example of whats left of true capitalism. He did something noble, none of us here would have ever done it considering the fact that you die 99% odds

I truly like to think that, given the chance, I would have done the same thing.

But then, I know that is a lie.

Every day we have a chance to be Edward Snowden.

[VoluntaryAmerican]

So one person who had access to Maine GOP's facebook means most of their party believes it?

Not buying it... didn't Maine have a huge RP faction?

[Keith and stuff]

So one person who had access to Maine GOP's facebook means most of their party believes it?

Not buying it... didn't Maine have a huge RP faction?

No one knows what most of the party beleive. We do know that this is the official position of the party via the leadership.

[VoluntaryAmerican]

It was bad PR to go to China and Russia. I was afraid that people would get the wrong impression. Now, before you start screeching at me, I understand why he did it. He didn't have a whole lot of options. Nonetheless, a lot of people don't understand that and think he's giving secrets to who used to be our enemies.

Politics is 90% perception. It sucks, but it just is.

Agreed. Also that Hong Kong newspaper said that he took a job at Booz on purpose, in order to take the information on the NSA. That is still unconfirmed, I have yet to hear Snowden say this. Could be the CIA put it in the paper, they've done it before.

[parocks]

I'm in Maine. I saw this article a day or 3 ago. I never saw the facebook post that Chris linked to. The Maine GOP facebook post is either gone, or wasn't linked accurately in the first place. I never saw that Maine GOP post. I don't know who writes the facebook posts for the Maine GOP, but I

You really can't say anything definitive about the "Maine GOP". The new Chair, Rich Cebra, has done some things that we don't like. Beth O'Connor was the Ron Paul pick, a small handful of Ron Paul supporters on State Committee - people who were elected by US, the Ron Paul delegates - broke ranks and voted for Rich, not Beth. Beth would've been better.

So, who exactly is the "Maine GOP" Rich? The State Committee members who voted for Rich? The Governor? The Republicans who voted with the Democrats to override the GOP Governors budget veto to pass the budget and raise taxes?

I posted here about the controversy surrounding the Rich vs Beth election when it happened.

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?397245-Ron-Paul-supporter-elected-as-Vice-Chair-of-Maine-GOP

The State Committeepeople in Penobscot County who were elected by Ron Paul supporters in Augusta in May 2012 who voted for Rich Cebra (The Maine GOP)
have since quit, because they were mad at Rich Cebra, the guy they supported instead of the Ron Paul pick.

[supermario21]

Susan Collins people probably?

[DamianTV]

I'd say the entire GOP are Traitors, but that would be redundant or to repeat myself twice.

[Keith and stuff]

I'd say the entire GOP are Traitors, but that would be redundant or to repeat myself twice.
In Maine, with the exceptions of Beth and and the Ron Paul delegates to the GOP National Convention, that is quit possible. Lots of horrible people there. If someone posted something like that where I live, heads would roll.

[Neil Desmond]

Anyone calling Snowden a traitor, without a good reason (and whistleblowing isn't one at all), is really just trivializing the meaning of the word "traitor." There are actual traitors, such as: Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, Jonathan Pollard, John Walker, Jr., Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and of course Benedict Arnold.

[lib3rtarian]

Is ME GOP all establishment still? I thought we made some headway last year into the party structure? Am I wrong?

[Occam's Banana]

So one person who had access to Maine GOP's facebook means most of their party believes it?

This is the first thought that struck me when I read the OP article.


No one knows what most of the party beleive. We do know that this is the official position of the party via the leadership.

Official in what way? Has there been some statement issued under the ME GOP "letterhead" or some such? Was some sort of resolution passed at a meeting or something? Don't get me wrong - I have little doubt that the establishment elements in the ME GOP would gladly say that Snowden is a "traitor." But that's probably true of the establishment elements in every state GOP organization. The OP article makes it sound like the Republican party of Maine has announced a formal position on the issue - when apparently, it was just some person with write permissions to the state party Facebook page.

Nevertheless, maybe the non-establishment elements in ME GOP ought to raise a stink over this - on the basis that such representations should not be made as if they reflected the attitudes of all ME GOPers or the "official position" of the Republican party of Maine.

[Keith and stuff]

Nevertheless, maybe the non-establishment elements in ME GOP ought to raise a stink over this - on the basis that such representations should not be made as if they reflected the attitudes of all ME GOPers or the "official position" of the Republican party of Maine.

Or maybe they shouldn't. Maybe it is best to just bit your tongue and stay low in Maine? The guy that exposed this info to the public thinks he was just removed from the Maine Androscoggin County Republican Party email list.
https://www.facebook.com/chrisdixonmaine/posts/10201353861999373

[Occam's Banana]

Or maybe they shouldn't. Maybe it is best to just bit your tongue and stay low in Maine? The guy that exposed this info to the public thinks he was just removed from the Maine Androscoggin County Republican Party email list.
https://www.facebook.com/chrisdixonmaine/posts/10201353861999373

I don't get it. What did he "expose?" :confused: He talked about something that was posted to a state GOP Facebook page.

That's not exactly what you could call top-secret "eyes only" stuff.

And if being removed from an email list (assuming this even has anything to do with anything) is sufficient reason to "bite your tongue and stay low," then why even bother? If it's going to be that easy to get people to "tuck tail and run," then there's no point in even trying.

[nobody's_hero]

Is ME GOP all establishment still? I thought we made some headway last year into the party structure? Am I wrong?

It's probably like in most places. Yeah, sure, we can move quick enough and swarm the meetings and vote our people in. But the ousted Old Guard just goes and whines to boobus Republicans and they come back all "derp derp" and push you out of your newfound seats.

We're like the SEALs making a tactical withdrawal. This movement is good at making it look like there are more of us than there actually are. We set traps, we lay cover fire, we shoot from all directions. (note to big brother --- that was a metaphor) But at the end of the day we just don't have the numbers to win the fight for the GOP.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roMIypAesAI

The good news is that the old guard will all die of old age in a few decades. And those who make tactical withdrawals do at least live to fight another day.

[parocks]

Is ME GOP all establishment still? I thought we made some headway last year into the party structure? Am I wrong?

You can go person by person, answering that question.

1) The Facebook post that this article is based on is gone. So, we really don't know what's going on there right now.

2) Who actually does the Facebook for the Maine GOP? Do we know this?

3) The Vice Chair, Beth O'Connor, is a Ron Paul supporter.

4) We didn't win the Chair position because Ron Paul supporters are often unruly cats who resist herding.

5) We have fewer seats on the State Committee now than we did a year ago, because some of our Committeepeople quit.

6) We've been losing more than winning in the last year.

7) Ron Paul supporters are unpopular in Maine.

8) If we have one more vote than the other side, we lose. Because they have discipline, and we don't.

[parocks]

I don't get it. What did he "expose?" :confused: He talked about something that was posted to a state GOP Facebook page.

That's not exactly what you could call top-secret "eyes only" stuff.

And if being removed from an email list (assuming this even has anything to do with anything) is sufficient reason to "bite your tongue and stay low," then why even bother? If it's going to be that easy to get people to "tuck tail and run," then there's no point in even trying.

In Maine, many have left because they didn't understand that the people they replaced weren't going to be happy. And that they'd continue to fight, use dirty tricks, cheating, or it just wouldn't go the way we wanted it to go. It just wasn't as fun as they thought it would be. So a good number of our people are gone, quit the State Committee.

[Keith and stuff]

In Maine, many have left because they didn't understand that the people they replaced weren't going to be happy. And that they'd continue to fight, use dirty tricks, cheating, or it just wouldn't go the way we wanted it to go. It just wasn't as fun as they thought it would be. So a good number of our people are gone, quit the State Committee.

Thank you for giving us your point of view on this issue. Ron Paul folks did well in MN, AK, ME, NH, IA and some other places. MN just passed massive tax increases, our people in AK don't seem to be posting on this forum. It's nice to hear what is happening in ME. Chris has also been invited to participate here.