Thread by @MintPressNews

SPECIAL ANALYSIS: “There is an unquestionable contradiction between #Snowden’s opposition to Assange’s arrest and the rhetorical games he plays with #Assange’s character in his memoir, "Permanent Record," by Patrick Anderson. A thread: mintpressnews.com/edward-snowden…

On the one hand, both #Assange and #Snowden are perceived as dangerous enemies by the US government but on the other, they clearly disagree when it comes to the means of achieving government transparency and accountability.

In his book, #Snowden appears willing to use #Assange for personal gain, deliberately distorting the truth and perpetuating the imperialistic propaganda that threatens not only Assange’s health but also his very life.

For instance, Snowden's explanation of his online handle, "Verax" ("speaker of truth") which was chosen in direct opposition to Assange's "Mendax" ("speaker of lies") not only implies that Assange is and intends to be deceitful but that Snowden is somehow more trustworthy.

But as #Assange himself explained the real meaning behind "Mendax" is that he "liked the idea that in hiding behind a false name...I could somehow speak more truthfully about my real identity." A far cry from the insinuation left behind in Snowden's book.

#Snowden also takes a swipe at #WikiLeaks' publishing practices including redactions -- or lack thereof -- but say or imply or give the impression that WikiLeaks has never redacted any documents is simply not true. Furthermore,

There's a reason #Assange doesn't like redactions that again, Snowden simply glazes over in his book: He looks at them as a form of censorship which is the problem with corporate media today -- he also feels redactions should be left to the whistleblower.

Snowden, on the other hand, takes pride in having never revealed "a single secret," stating that his belief is that it's up to journalists to decide what the public should or should not know.

But if #Snowden really accepted journalists as the supreme gatekeepers of information, he would have supported the decision of former @nytimes editor Bill Keller's decision to cover up the NSA spying program STELLARWIND back in 2004. But he doesn’t.

@nytimes He appears to use #Assange as "a foil in a rhetorical attempt to position himself as a responsible, honest, and humble figure." If he truly believes #Assange's persecution is a risk to #FreePress, why does he offer an image of Assange used by the corporate media to persecute him?

@nytimes #Snowden does not need to disparage #Assange to appear responsible, honest, and humble—unless, of course, his audience is not the millions of his supporters but instead the same national security state functionaries he exposed six years ago.