3 Powerful Quotes Which Prove Why Edward Snowden is a True Hero

Impact

Follow @policymic

National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden may not have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but that doesn't mean his efforts at national security transparency have gone unnoticed.

Snowden received this week the Integrity Award from the Sam Adams Award Associates for Integrity in Intelligence. The videos from the award ceremony, which took place in Moscow on October 9, are the first showing Snowden in a public appearance since he was granted asylum in Russia. 

Snowden received the award from Ray McGovern, an ex CIA officer, who said, "Sam Adams Associates are proud to honor Mr. Snowden's decision to heed his conscience and give priority to the Common Good over concerns about his own personal future."

WikiLeaks journalist Sarah Harrison, who followed Snowden from Hong Kong to Moscow and helped obtained his asylum, was also present in the ceremony. 

Watch the three key excerpts from Snowden's acceptance speech below. Regardless of how you feel about the NSA leaker, these quotes resonate with with today's America in more ways than one. 

1. "If we can't understand the policies and the programs of our government, we cannot grant our consent."

2. "We have an executive [...] who will stop at nothing to persecute someone who told them the truth."

3. "These programs don't make us more safe. They hurt our economy. They hurt our country. They limit our ability to speak, think, live, and be creative."