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What about a presidential pardon?
by awt 12y ago
What about a presidential pardon?
- downandout 12y agoIt would be politically controversial to do so, so I doubt it would ever happen. Definitely not from Obama, whom he exposed as a traitor to the very ideals that got him elected.
- awt 12y agoTrue. Pardons are usually only given to people actually did something wrong.
- Karunamon 12y agoNo matter what you think of Snowden, he did break the law. He did break his oath, he did steal government property. That aside.. this is the least significant piece of information here. None of this is in question. The most important one, and the question that should be the only one that matters, is were those actions justified?
- judk 12y agoNothing in your post is responsive to parent. Snowden broke the law and should be pardoned because he did it to fight far worse lawbreaking.
- Karunamon 12y agoParent implied that a pardon isn't on the table because Snowden did nothing wrong. Well, he did break the law. Hence pardon in the first place..
- ksrm 12y agoBreaking the law =/=> doing something wrong.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- rektide 12y agoWhat oath? The only oath he was required to sign AFAIK is the Oath of Office: one defending the constitution, not the corrupt inbred military-industrial-complex that's grown up. His oath read: "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God." Source: http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/did-edward-snowden-break-his-oath http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/did-edward-snowde... I don't know one way or another about a Medal, but this man has upheld his oath, and he did not allow reservation or evasion to deter him in it discharging it's duty. So help him.
- dllthomas 12y agoDo you consider dodging the draft during Vietnam to be "something wrong"?
- judk 12y agoThat was 40 years ago. We have had many pardons since.
- dllthomas 12y agoWe've pardoned many people before and since, but in terms of number of people pardoned I think that still dominates.
- ianstallings 12y agoYes. But that's just my opinion.
- dllthomas 12y agoNot a crazy opinion, just curious, since I think by number of people pardoned that is the bulk of them (though I could certainly be mistaken).
- rbanffy 12y agoIt would be possible between the next election and him leaving office.
- zak_mc_kracken 12y agoPardons are granted after someone has been found guilty. So far, Snowden has only been charged of treason and since he's not coming to the US to stand trial, a pardon is not applicable. "Dropping the charges" would be more accurate.
- gonzo 12y agoA presidential grant of amnesty would be the right thing. http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/edward-snowden-clemency-101675.html http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/edward-snowden-clemenc...
- Istof 12y agoMaybe a new constitution amendment could be created to protect legitimate whistle blowers... since you can't count on politicians/Obama to do the right thing.
- dllthomas 12y agoPardons are often granted before someone is found guilty. The most famous pardon in US history, Ford's pardon of Nixon, was before he was formally charged with anything. The blanket pardon of Vietnam draft dodgers also wound up pardoning many people who had not yet been charged. A pardon of Snowden would not be improper procedure. His accepting the pardon would be an admission that he performed the actions in question, but he admits that anyway.