Snowden: NSA employees routinely pass around intercepted nude photos

[NanceGreggs]

64. Understood.

There is a bit of irony there.

I am not surprised that human nature being what it is, certain behaviour may - and often does - manifest itself. But by the same token, certain behaviour that is usually expected can often be surprisingly absent.

I've been a court stenographer for thirty years. I have socialized with lawyers who are unrepentant gossips about everything - except their clients' information. I have known medical professionals who will tell you everything they've witnessed about their neighbours' conduct - but would die under torture rather than reveal their patients' private information.

To say that passing around nude photos at the NSA should be accepted as a given as per human nature is not the same as saying that by virtue thereof, it actually happened.

"So, if you are not surprised about the nude photo story, why would you demand proof in order to simply come out and say "Oh well, it's probably true"?"

I wouldn't say "it's probably true" because I have seen no evidence that it is - just as I have seen no evidence that a lot of Snowden's allegations are true - or even "probably true", or even "possibly true".

Snowden has set himself up for being disbelieved by virtue of his many allegations that he has yet to support with proof. So this latest revelation comes down to: You haven't proven your other allegations - why should this one be accepted as the truth any more than the others?

I understand you've said "this allegation only" - but it is just one of many allegations that have yet to be supported by any evidence. It is impossible to say, "Well, yeah, this one might be different," when the boy who has repeatedly cried "wolf!" has yet to produce one.

Given Snowden's history of making allegations he can't back up with evidence, common sense dictates that this is yet another tale that gets thrown into the same bin with all of his other allegations that he has yet to prove. I didn't put him in the position of being viewed with skepticism - he put himself in that position.

Snowden's allegations about the NSA's conduct are - I think we can both agree - extremely serious. He has yet to prove the most serious of those allegations. So when he gets into "and the guys at the office passed around naughty photos", it smacks more of desperation than anything else.