Should Snowden be Granted Amnesty?

Recently a federal judge has ruled that the surveillance carried out by the NSA is unconstitutional. Naturally, this takes us back towards the controversy surrounding the Snowden case. Many are asking themselves right now, should he be granted amnesty? While I agree that what the Government is doing is overreaching its authority, I do not believe that Edward Snowden should be granted any sort of amnesty or pardon.

To make any sort of decision regarding this case, we must go back to what Snowden actually did. As most of you probably know, Snowden has released thousands upon thousands of classified documents, put the United States out of favor of many global powers, and is believed to be in possession of highly sensitive military and surveillance details. I do concede that his overall intent seems to be generally positive, however, I do not believe that he went about this manner in the right way. In the eyes of many, he is viewed as a patriot, a savior of American Freedom. However I do not understand how Edward Snowden has helped his country one bit. He has been leaking these documents to reporters, and has the means to seriously damage American integrity. Therefore, taking this into account, we must make an educated decision. Do you truly believe what he did is right? Like I said before, I do think that his actions and intents were truly positive. He believed that what the Government and National Security Agency were doing was wrong. And he's right. Everyone knows it. It was confirmed by a federal judge! But if he truly wanted to do the right thing, and further our country, he would have only leaked documents concerning domestic surveillance, and accepted the ensuing punishment. Right now, he is holed up in Moscow, with a laptop containing files that would utterly decimate our American integrity.
Take a look back, Mohandas Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, they all stood for their beliefs. They were willing to accept the punishment, and were regarded as pioneers in their respective fields of work. This stands in stark contrast to Edward Snowden, who is holed up in Moscow, and putting the credibility of his country at stake.

There is no right or wrong in this case. If you ask me, both sides are wrong. Snowden absolutely did not take the right route in furthering his cause. Yes he has revealed this outrageous spying, but at the cost of American credibility. On the other side, the NSA has no business spying on its own citizens. This is absolutely appalling and deplorable, and has no place in our nation. So I leave it up to you to decide which side is right. And with that, I'd like to state a quote by the great French philosopher and activist, Voltaire. "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it"

Take Care,
Political Police