Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Violating Bolivia's Sovereign Rights

Earlier today the plane carrying the President Evo Morales, of Bolivia, was illegally detained and searched by Austrian authorities for fourteen hours in the search for US fugitive Edward Snowden, the man responsible for NSA leaks that show a covert, and illegal surveillance of US citizens by the NSA (National Security Agency) and other Federal Law agencies.
When I read this I immediately responded with the following:

"A Head of State's plane was searched?

What happened to Diplomatic protocols? How would the US Govt respond if a nation decided to search Air Force One on suspicion of espionage or whatever else? There would be outrage! It would be a major international incident. But because it is just the President of Bolivia, it's OK? Seriously?!

How is searching the plane of a Nation's President any different? Protocols were breached, basic respect of a Head of state was missing, the Sovereign rights of Bolivia were violated, and the commenters on here can only make fun of Bolivia and condemn Snowden. President Obama went way beyond his Office by seemingly strong-arming other governments into joining this witch hunt and ignoring the sovereign rights of another country.

How does Congress stand by and watch this abuse of power and not say a word?

I just don't get it."

I posted that commentary earlier this morning and hours later, there isn't a single comment to what I wrote. How can people fail to understand what happened today? If I were the Bolivian Ambassador to the United Nations, I'd be throwing a fit to any other Ambassadors who would listen. This breach of Sovereign rights is outrageous! President Obama has gone too far in his ridiculous quest to "bring to justice" the man who revealed to the American people that they were being implicitly spied on by order of the current Administration.

I am appalled that Congress says or does nothing to reign in this President from his constant abuse of Constitutional protections and international law, let alone international diplomatic protocol.

We have no right to violate the sovereign rights of any other nation. The President has numerous diplomatic tools at his disposal in order to find and detain Snowden. Strong-arming other nations to commit unlawful searches definitely isn't one of them.