The latest news about the surveillance scandal, which somehow came as a surprise, was Hong Kong’s part in the whole Edward Snowden story.  Apparently this issue is becoming larger than predicted. As you probably know, very soon after the leak, Edward Snowden left to Hong Kong, where he stayed up until now. The reason for which he chose Hong Kong is because of its well respected independence, freedom of speech and independent judiciary – which, as we have witnessed, are no longer valuable in the US. It was expected that Obama would ask for the extradition of Snowden; meanwhile, many Hong Kong citizens have rallied to support the guy.

Now, the unexpected came when Hong Kong issued a statement saying that Snowden has left the country to go to Moscow, through a legal channel. The US government has required the Hong Kong government to extradite Edward Snowden, but in this statement, Hong Kong declares that some legal requirements were not fully fulfilled and they had to let him go. Basically, they are saying that because of some bureaucratic issues, the request of the American government was ignored. Moreover, it is obvious from the statement that Hong Kong doesn’t approve of the US surveillance practices.

Now I don’t know what you think of this, but from my point of view, the reason invoked by Hong Kong is just a manner of defying US. I have a deep respect for this country that managed to keep its integrity and independence and is willing to jeopardize its relation with such a powerful country like USA in order to protect what it believes in: freedom and privacy. Hat’s off, Hong Kong!

Now, we, as American citizens, should feel worried about how the world looks upon us. Hong Kong was definitely backed by China in this matter, which has publicly wished Snowden well. Of course, other important countries in Europe are not pleased with what the leak revealed either.  Obama has stepped into a very dangerous territory and has brought us all with him.

As you can see, no one is afraid of defying US anymore after this whole scandal. Where does this leave us? I would say US has had enemies in the past, and it still does, but it has been backed by a few pretty powerful allies. If they are withdrawing their support because of the shaky democracy we turned out to have, where does that leaves us?

This brings me back to the same point I am trying to make every single time, and you’re probably sick and tired of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love America, but you have to be realistic about it: trusting the government to look after you ain’t cutting it anymore. I’m not trying to get you to freak out or anything, I’m just saying – what’s the harm in learning how to live independently of the government, in case you should ever need it?