<MSGID_1=3A387=2F22_51d6de18@fidonet.org>
From: alexander koryagin <koryagin@erec.ru>

Hi, Roy Witt!
I read your message from 05.07.2013 09:23

 RW>>> Iceland has offered him a welcome there and there's no
 RW>>> extradition treaty between them and the USA. In Iceland he'd be
 RW>>> able to walk the streets without fear of being picked up and
 RW>>> extradited. Now he just sits in a holding area while Putin thumbs
 RW>>> his nose at Obama.

 ak>> In Russia, theoretically, Snowden would have the same freedom of
 ak>> movement.

 RW> That Snowden is in a holding area, having been there for longer
 RW> than it should take to move on, says that he's now a political
 RW> pawn. However, Putin can't give him asylum because of the
 RW> relationship between Russia and the USA... right now we have a
 RW> stalemate.

   IMHO, some spy stories always happen between mighty powers. Just a
year ago there was a big scandal when a Russian spying slumber network
was betrayed by a stray KGB agent. May be you remember a smart Russian
girl, Anna Chapman that was extradited to Russia during that scandal.
Also I can remember an American guy jailed for spying for Israel. More
of that - neither the US nor Russia cannot hinder Snowden's activity.
His scandalous data is stored in a hidden place in the Internet, and he
can open it at any moment if he feels himself in danger. Well it is
blackmail, but Snowden has no other choice. His secrets are his the only
weapon.

<skipped>
 ak>> There are many KGB traitors who have caused great damage to Russia
 ak>> when they sold top secrets to CIA, and they were given asylum in
 ak>> the US.

 RW> Perhaps they were disgruntled spys with a bone to pick with the
 RW> KGB...

   "with a bone to pick with the KGB..." - what does it mean?

 ak>> The situation looks similar -- Russia has been wanting to suit
 ak>> them as criminals, but the US is not in the mood to extradite
 ak>> them. So, for Russia, Showden could be just a small revenge.
 RW> We've been there before. Most, if not all, former KGB agents
 RW> re-patriated to Russian seem to have disappeared.

   Neither Russia nor the US have never repatriated traitors. That would
be a bad sign for future traitors, won't it? ;-)) Can you give me at
least one example when Russian KGB traitor was repatriated to Russia and
disappeared there?

 ak>> As for Putin's words, that "Snowden could stay in Russia on
 ak>> condition that he stops to cause damage to the US" -- all
 ak>> politicians are liars and hypocrites. IMHO, it was just a formal
 ak>> statement, and after that Putin's spokesman had said that Snowden
 ak>> would no be extradited in any case (because there is a death
 ak>> penalty in the US).

 RW> Snowden's own publically spoken words convicted him before he was
 RW> charged with any crimes. This is what I meant when I said he was a
 RW> smart man, but not a very smart man.

   If he behaves himself correctly his secrets will guard him. And
probably the US will understand that it is better to leave him alone. If
Snowden has not opened another secrets so far he has no intention to do
it. He needs to keep something for his own safety. KGB also cannot get
access to them -- it cannot even interrogate him, because Snowen has
constant contacts with his friends (from Wikileaks, for instance).

<skipped>
 ak>> Well, as a rule guests are not unwanted. We say about our guests
 ak>> that stay very late, without thinking that the good time to leave
 ak>> had passed long ago. I remember as Winnie-the-Pooh was Rabbit's
 ak>> guest and got into a tight place. But all the Rabbit should have
 ak>> done was to ask the bear for some honey. ;-)

 RW> I haven't read Winnie the Pooh, but having some kind of lubricant
 RW> to help release someone caught in a tight place seems logical...

   It depends on how much honey the bear ate before trying to get out
from Rabbit's house hole. ;-) It had eaten too much then.

Bye, Roy!
Alexander Koryagin
fido7.english-tutor 2013
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