“The NSA looked at Nacchio the same way it looks at Edward Snowden — as a no-good traitor who wouldn’t defer to the supreme authority of the national-security state. After all, the other telecoms were going along with the illegal surveillance scheme. Why couldn’t Nacchio? But since they were asking Nacchio to commit a felony, they couldn’t exactly go after him for saying no. So, first they began punishing him for his recalcitrance by reducing federal contracts with Qwest. And then they proceeded to do what Putin does to Russian businesses who don’t play ball with the Russian government. They began looking for violations of economic regulations and tax provisions.”
http://fff.org/2013/10/03/hero-joseph-nacchio-is-released-from-jail/
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