Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations

by Glenn Greenwald, Ewen MacAskill and Laura Poitras in Hong Kong UK Guardian June 9, 2013 (excerpt)

...He has had "a very comfortable life" that included a salary of roughly $200,000, a girlfriend with whom he shared a home in Hawaii, a stable career, and a family he loves. "I'm willing to sacrifice all of that because I can't in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they're secretly building."

Three weeks ago, Snowden made final preparations that resulted in last week's series of blockbuster news stories. At the NSA office in Hawaii where he was working, he copied the last set of documents he intended to disclose.

He then advised his NSA supervisor that he needed to be away from work for "a couple of weeks" in order to receive treatment for epilepsy, a condition he learned he suffers from after a series of seizures last year.

As he packed his bags, he told his girlfriend that he had to be away for a few weeks, though he said he was vague about the reason. "That is not an uncommon occurrence for someone who has spent the last decade working in the intelligence world."

On May 20, he boarded a flight to Hong Kong, where he has remained ever since. He chose the city because "they have a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent", and because he believed that it was one of the few places in the world that both could and would resist the dictates of the US government.

In the three weeks since he arrived, he has been ensconced in a hotel room. "I've left the room maybe a total of three times during my entire stay," he said. It is a plush hotel and, what with eating meals in his room too, he has run up big bills.

He is deeply worried about being spied on. He lines the door of his hotel room with pillows to prevent eavesdropping. He puts a large red hood over his head and laptop when entering his passwords to prevent any hidden cameras from detecting them....

read ... Snowden

Star-Adv: Snowden made $250 donation to presidential hopeful Ron Paul, worked 3 mos at Booz Allen offices, 733 Bishop St

AP: Hawaii real estate agent says source for reports on gov't surveillance left home on May 1

SF: If Edward Snowden Had Watched '60 Minutes' In High School He Could Still Be Living In Hawaii With His Beautiful Girlfriend

Booz Allen: Snowden is fired, was making only $122K

PHOTOS: For $555K You Can Own former Spy’s Home in Waipahu

Help Wanted Ad: Get Snowden's Old Job

Gawker: Photos of Snowden's Girlfriend ... and ... her blog: http://www.lsjourney.com/

Website: the hotel he stayed at in Hong Kong 

An Invitation: Putin Says 'we will consider' any Sanctuary Request by Snowden

LINK: The NSA Files

Guardian: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: 'I do not expect to see home again'  “A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party.”