The private sector in Ecuador is bracing for a big hit in the event that NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden shows up to claim that asylum that's been promised him.
One of the more vulnerable industries is the fresh flower business, which is on the threshold of successfully negotiating a US tariff reduction that would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to growers.
Frankly, if America needs to import fresh-cut flowers via air-freight from thousands of miles away, that in itself is a searing indictment of how the demands of contemporary capitalism have trumped common sense, logic, and environmental concerns.
But it seems futile and vindictive to punish Ecuador for the actions of Snowden. With millions of people having access to "secret" files, and technology making it ever-easier to abscond with those files, there will be a steady parade of Snowdens crossing our screens for years to come.
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