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More poignant still was a reading from Albert Camus beautifully rendered aloud by Jesselyn Radack, who related some of Camus writings to Snowden's testimony (earlier read on his behalf by Jesselyn) to the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on Sept. 30.
Snowden wrote: "The work of a generation is beginning here, with your hearings, and you have the full measure of my gratitude and support."
What follows is how Jesselyn Radack presented the quotes from Camus:
Edward Snowden, you are in good company. "The Wager of Our Generation" is how Albert Camus described what you have called "The Work of a Generation," when he spoke of a similar challenge in 1957, the year he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. And the similarity between Snowden and Camus does not end there. The official Nobel Prize citation praised Camus for "his clear-sighted earnestness illuminating the problems of the human conscience of our times."
In 1957, Camus expressed hope in "the quality of the new generation and its increased unwillingness to adopt slogans or ideologies and to return to more tangible values." He wrote: "We have nothing to lose except everything. So let's go ahead. This is the wager of our generation. If we are to fail, it is better, in any case, to have stood on the side of those who refuse to be dogs and are resolved to pay the price that must be paid so that man can be something more than a dog."
Camus rejected what he called the "the paltry privileges granted to those who adapt themselves to this world," adding that, "those individuals who refuse to give in will stand apart, and they must accept this. Personally, I have never wanted to stand apart. For there is a sort of solitude, which is certainly the harshest thing our era forces upon us. I feel its weight, believe me. But, nevertheless, I should not want to change eras, for I know and respect the greatness of this one. Moreover, I have always thought that the maximum danger implied the maximum hope."
In December 1957, the month he won the Nobel Prize, Camus strongly warned against inaction: "Remaining aloof has always been possible in history. When people did not approve, they could always keep silent or talk of something else. Today everything is changed and even silence has dangerous implications."
And concrete dangers -- like "turnkey tyranny."
A key figure in the French Resistance, Camus in July 1943 published a "Letter to German Friend," which began as follows: "You said to me: 'The greatness of my country [Germany] is beyond price. Anything is good that contributes to its greatness. Those who, like us young Germans, are lucky enough to find a meaning in the destiny of our nation must sacrifice everything else.'
"'No,' I told you, 'I cannot believe that everything must be subordinate to a single end. There are means that cannot be excused. And I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don't want for my country a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive.' You retorted, 'Well, then you don't love your country.'"
Edward, that may have a familiar ring to you. But, of course, the truth is the very opposite. Let us take one more cue from Albert Camus, who emphasized that, "Truth needs witnesses."
We are honored, Edward, to be here at this time and place to be your witnesses. You have the full measure of our gratitude and support.
End of Jesselyn Radack's presentation.
People have been telling me how eloquent Ed Snowden was in responding to the award. And although DemocracyNow! hosted us for 40 minutes on Monday, we four did not have time to point to small, but significant, things like the fact Ed's remarks were totally ad lib; he did not know he would be asked to give remarks until I whispered it to him right after Tom Drake presented him with the traditional Sam Adams corner-brightener candlestick holder.
One of the things that impressed me most was Ed's emphasis on the "younger generation" he represents -- typically those who have grown up with the Internet -- who have (scarcely-fathomable-to-my-generation) technical expertise and equally remarkable dedication to keeping it free -- AND have a conscience. My first personal exposure to the depth, breadth and importance of this critical mass of those often dismissed as "hackers" came at the OHM2013 conference outside of Amsterdam in early August.
The James Clappers and Keith Alexanders of this world simply CANNOT do what they see as their job of snooping on the lot of us on this planet without this incredibly talented and dedicated generation. They CANNOT; and so they are in deep kimchi. If only a small percentage of this young generation have the integrity and courage of an Ed Snowden, the prospect is dim that repressive measures in violation of citizens' rights previously taken for granted can succeed for very long without full disclosure.
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