The constitution is the "legal" document that ratifies the formation of the United States of America so it is far from symbolic. If you do away with it you woul

The constitution is the "legal" document that ratifies the formation of the United States of America so it is far from symbolic. If you do away with it you would effectively dissolve the Union. In pledging allegiance to the constitution Snowdens' actions are only illegal in the sense that the current government has laws against what he did and justify those laws based on its constitutionally granted power. On the other hand every citizen has a responsibility to uphold the constitution, so his actions while illegal under the governments' laws are supported by the constitution and its founding principles. Amnesty is coming from a different position where they are making their judgement based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which the United States is a signatory. Articles 12 through 14 make for interesting reading. http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a12 http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a12 EDIT: grammar