Staff Writer, R. Patrick Chapman
Human Rights / The Ridenhour Prizes_____________________________________
Truth telling has been lost to this world. The American culture used to be "Truth, Justice, and the American Way." A notion Superman would be proud to own.
Instead another type of culture has been inserted into the United States configuration, one many do not recognize from our childhood musings. Hollywood has decided to manipulate the generations through programming and social engineering so most people do not see telling the truth as something special or correct, but something to be feared or ignored.
Luckily, there are still people and organizations who believe in Truth Telling. The Ridenhour Prizes are one such foundation:
The annual Ridenhour Prizes recognize acts of truth-telling that protect the public interest, promote social justice or illuminate a more just vision of society. These prizes memorialize the spirit of fearless truth-telling that whistleblower and investigative journalist Ron Ridenhour reflected throughout his extraordinary life and career.
Edward Snowden is the other.
"I don't want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity or love or friendship is recorded. And that's not something I'm willing to support, it's not something I'm willing to build, and it's not something I'm willing to live under. So I think anyone who opposes that sort of world has an obligation to act in the way they can," Snowden told Greenwald, Poitras, and Guardian journalist Ewen MacAskill in an interview for the Guardian in June 2013.
When Greenwald asked him why he revealed himself as the whistleblower, Snowden replied: "I think that the public is owed an explanation of the motivations behind the people who make these disclosures that are outside of the democratic model…. And I'm willing to go on the record to defend the authenticity of them and say, 'I didn't change these, I didn't modify the story.'"
Perhaps Superman can be proud of humanity after all. There are still people in this world who do not conform to or believe the notion that truth is untenable, unfathomable, or unremarkable, but something to be celebrated.
Maybe it is time people began telling the truth and showing the world what dark secrets hide away from public knowledge.
Because evil takes root in the world when good men stand and do nothing.
Thank you, Edward Snowden, for speaking the Truth. We appreciate all The Ridenhour Prize recipients.
Source: The Ridenhour Prizes
