Response to Letter from Mr. Moll

Editor:
Like most Americans Mr. Moll has the right to express his views. This country, after all is a Democracy or is it! Is it also American to attempt to silence or to malign those courageous Americans as unpatriotic who speak out? America needs to celebrate active democracy, especially when speaking out, showing up and turning on the light of truth to power. Do we media readers have the facts about countries receiving information from Mr. Snowden or is the media duping us like so much of our daily news.?

There are many issues in America at this present time which bring disgust and outrage! Are enough voices out there bringing threats of imprisonment? Mr. Snowden, as an American, has the same rights as every other American and he demonstrated his democracy in action!

I wonder if it was Mr. Moll’s generation during the Vietnam war and the Nixon debacle who said ‘love it or leave it”? Mr. Moll’s refrain today is no different. And we all found out about the hypocrisy and lies from those years past and all the collusion to keep secrets!! Before anyone can attempt to identify who is a true patriot, it is essential to make clear who and what is believed and to ensure one’s clarity about world views, values and just who is the enemy of democracy!

Mr. Snowden was exercising the truths of what he had been taught and learned just like many Americans: know your freedoms in a true democracy — speak up, speak out, have impeccable integrity and exude the courage to identify the truth.

The float on the 4th identified in Mr. Moll rhetoric to the Sun was a public message to all: Bring some critical thinking to what was seen: why such a float? why a picture of Mr. Snowden? Why does he have to run around the world? What did he know? Why would he want to share what he saw and with whom? Who else knew or saw Mr. Snowden’s share? Who else failed to come forth? Was it fear, group think, or the belief that snooping and lying is democratic? I implore folks to unmask your voice, mind and recognize when hypocrisy and lies are shared as truth.

The pro-Democracy leader and Nobel Peace recipient who was detained under house arrest for 15-years in Burma stated the following recently:

“Freedom of thought, I think in many ways is a habit. You have to learn to think. You must learn to ask questions. You must not accept that things are just as they are. If you want to change things, you must get at the root of the trouble, and I think people are very quick to catch on to this”.

Are we Americans willing to catch on!

Talibah Chiku
Sonoma