Should President Obama pardon Edward Snowden?

I apologize if you took any personal offense at my post. I merely made an observation that I didn't think your logic or expression of it was as squared away as the many outstanding Signal Corps officers I'd worked with over the years. You'd have to be pretty damned squared away to fit in that category, though, so it shouldn't be taken as too terribly disappointing that you're not in their company, I suppose. In any case, it's not like I accused you of falling out of a deuce and a half or something. Lighten up just a little bit - it's a serious discussion, but it doesn't all have to be humorless.

As to supporting information:
1. Waterboarding?
"We know they performed other forms of torture and abuse as well - against international law. But, I'm sure that those are only things they did in violation of the law. " What other forms of torture and abuse, where and by whom, on whom, and when? Was any of this conducted on Americans, as you claimed earlier? What are your sources for all this? Your insinuation of other, untold abuses and torture; what is it you are implying? What are your sources?
2. Extraordinary rendition flights? Okay, reportedly some prisoners were flown to other countries where those countries' conducted interrogations of the prisoners and shared the information they learned with us. Any kind of proof this was ever done on an American prisoner? Sources (reliable ones only, please).
3. Torture? What some people consider "torture" others don't. Who committed acts of "torture," under whose definition of "torture," where, when, upon whom? Sources please.
4. NSA Warrantless Surveillance? "We know that the NSA performs illegal warrantless searches and invasions of privacy every day. I have no reason to believe that US the rights of US citizens who may be suspected of terrorism are being protected by the government when it's been demonstrated that they are routinely violated." Please describe any instances of "illegal wireless searches" or other "warrantless surveillance" and "invasions of privacy" of American citizens "every day" by NSA, and the sources of your information. Please explain what rights an American citizen suspected of terrorism still has, which U.S. government agencies would be authorized to conduct any kind of surveillance of that American citizen (or green card holder or otherwise legal resident), and what the limits of that surveillance are, under the Constitution and current law. Then describe how those rights or laws are routinely violiated and by whom. Sources please.

Were any of these instances in 1-4 followed up by any investigative committees or agencies and, in fact, found to be illegal, factual, actual events that occurred as you have reported them? Were charges ever initiated against those responsible for these illegal acts? What were the results of these charges? If no charges were filed, why not?

Thank you very much.

Would you send Einstein back to Germany because he broke the law? Too extreme? What about North Korean escapees? They are breaking the law by fleeing.

SGM (Join to see) - Dear SGM. H.

I want you to know I've thought about this a lot. Mulling it over, as a soldiers first duty is to their conscience.

As a CIB holding infantryman, I've never had to be told who to shoot ever. I've always felt a clear understanding of the ROE, and who and why I'm engaging. I reflected on every briefing and op order.

I tried to narrow it down to when kills were the mission and reduced it to ambushes and raids. On an ambush, in our ao at least, we know who to shoot because their setting an ied up. Raid wise, we typically capture anyone who isn't shooting.

If I came across Snowden would he shoot at me? Would he even be armed? Maybe I'm copping out to policy here but I couldn't think of a situation were I'd feel endangered by him enough to not even take him captive.

At the end of the day I would like to think I wouldn't follow that order. I don't want to kill the enemy unless necessary. Maybe that makes me bad infantry. I don't see how killing this man accomplishes anything. Even if he broke the law, I think it was in the interest of the American people.

What if he had leaked the redacted pages of the 9/11 commission report? Would you still trust the same organization if you knew they let in the Hijackers after immigration denied them?

I guess I'd get kicked out again, or jailed who knows. I think it's a hard right over easy wrong scenario tbh. And yes I said again. I received a general under honorable discharge, which I know what that means in our community, that I am a shitbag.

However, I hope you know I gave this a lot of thought and consideration with the highest esteemed ideals of what it means to be an honorable and virtuous soldier. I will gladly follow up any response.

SPC (Join to see) that is a very well reasoned, thoughtful, and I believe accurate response. In an actual combat or live-fire situation, you wouldn't have time to think that all through, but it sounds to me like your situational reaction would take you to that very same spot. I believe your internal values, training, and instincts tell you that is the correct way. And that is exactly where you should be. I'm proud that your leaders have helped you get to exactly this point, young man! You are modeling the example we want our ideal fighting man to model. You display the moral character in those situations in today's tactical battlefield where it's critical to make smart decisions immediately. I have a great deal of respect for you.

MAJ Bryan Zeski - That is complete BS. On what basis do you believe he would have been killed?

CPT Jack Durish - They weren't. Ellsberg didn't flee the country and was in the end set free. Snowden didn't release similar information and has in fact hurt our national security without any understanding about what he was doing or what he was releasing.

Well said. If Snowden was a real patriot, he'd have hung around. Going over to the other side for sanctuary is NOT being a patriot. And same thing with current POTUS. At this point he has 121 days and a wake-up before we are through with him. The more golfing he does, the less damage he can do.

TSgt Frank Shirley - I don't think the President is to blame for everything. I prefer to hold people accountable for their own actions, not the actions of others. However, the President IS responsible for the expansion and continuance of the Patriot Act which is an affront to the ideal of personal liberty and privacy in the United States. The President IS responsible for the expansion of anti-protest laws that make it illegal to protest or disrupt events from within an area secured by Secret Service. He isn't perfect, but he's been pretty good for the last eight years. I'd vote for him again instead of the two people we have running now.

Another great idea, MCPO Roger Collins!

Excellent! If only there was a way to make that happen!

Maybe he can be given the same cell that John Walker was put in.

As with most issues related to the government, the public will never hear the whole story.

Maj McLaughlin, you are absolutely correct.

Most of the people that know are in Russia, because they got the information he stole...

TSgt Frank Shirley - Since both parties are essentially the same party now, "what difference, at this point, does it make?"

SGT David T. - For me, there isn't a question. Moral/Ethical duty should trump legal obligations. Many people think that moral/ethical duties are somehow given by a higher power - I'm not of that ilk, myself - but I do know that legal obligations are absolutely dictated by humans - flawed humans, just like myself. For me, ethical or moral duties must be placed higher than legal obligations.

But, everyone makes their own choice about that.

Snowden made no ethical choices, that was a huge con facilitated by Libertarian politicians. He released foreign intelligence gathering capabilities with the help of Glenn Greenwald (Guardian newspaper) & Wikileaks. Wikileaks is a part of the Russian intelligence apparatus.

TSgt Frank Shirley - Doubtful. Right and Wrong are foreign concepts to the GOP these days. Everything is negotiable with that bunch of cowards.

Amen, PO1 Brian Austin!

Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin - I am aware. I also know that Snowden was aware. And that Snowden went through his available channels - and was rebuffed and told to shut up and get back to work when he did. When all published avenues are closed off or ineffective - where do you go then?

Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin - We also have to keep in mind that he didn't initially "flee to Russia." He fled to Hong Kong. He sought asylum all over the world - and the United States applied massive political pressure on "allied" nations to stop them from granting him asylum. The United States forced him to request - and receive - asylum from a non-allied nation - or go back to the US. The US didn't really give him other options. The US SHOULD have allowed, even supported, his asylum in a US-allied nation to begin with in order to maintain some element of control over where his information was. Snowden didn't CHOOSE Russia to hang out in - the United States forced him to it.

PO1 (Join to see) - and you're still only looking at a very small part of the 1.5 MILLION documents Snowden stole from the NSA servers and released to unauthorized persons, including the Chinese, Russians, reporters, Taliban, and who knows who else. The rest of that information was highly classified, sensitive information about legitimate intelligence programs we all expect NSA to run to protect US forces and our country from our enemies. The loss of this information on our sources and methods, the lives put in danger and lives lost, and the resources that will have to be replaced - if they ever can, will cost us and our allies BILLIONS of dollars, untold numbers of people, and YEARS of time to even begin to replace or repair.

That's the real price of Snowden's indiscriminate theft of highly classified material, of which he had almost no understanding of what any of it meant. He hadn't been at NSA long enough to even understand the programs for which he was stealing all the information and all the lives he was putting at risk. He didn't know the systems involved, the time or money it had taken to create them. He didn't know the judicial, executive, and congressional approvals that had already been gained for the one program he and the reporters eventually decided to make his freedom song about.

He was an egotistical young man with no real skills. He wanted to be important and saw a way to make a name for himself, so he did something very stupid. He got scared and enlisted the help of some reporters he knew helped people with classified government information - Wikileaks. Julian Assannge helped him find Glen Greenwald (a journalist) and Laura Poitras (a filmmaker)(Ask yourself why would he need or want a filmmaker when he's running for his life?). They figured out what information to use to make public for the big event, Greenwald took what he wanted for his Guardian articles, Poitras took what she needed for her movie, and they gave the rest to Wikileaks to publish as it saw fit. Snowden has been faking the rest of it ever since.

MAJ Bryan Zeski - Snowden "claims" he went to his supervisor and other figures. He did not attempt to use other channels such as the IG as the investigation has noted. No one has confirmed he spoke up either. Also, considering this man claims he set out to gather the info for the purpose of reporting it, why didn't he take a copy of the emails he claims he sent?

As for Russia... if you read all of my posts on this subject, you'd know I'm very much aware of where he went first. The fact still remains, he not only fled to China (which does not exactly give your arguement legs, as they are equally an enemy to us in the cyber domain) but he ultimately decided to end up in Russia. This was a choice too. By then we were all aware of what he was doing and coming home would not have affected his objective to report the issue. The fact is, he was wrong, he went overboard on releasing data, crossing into unrelated yet highly classified information.

What if the Federal Government has violated the Public Trust?

TSgt Frank Shirley - BINGO! Steel on Target!

Cpl Justin Goolsby - and Assage claims he did not do the hacking....the documents were given to him to put out to all of the public to see.

SSG(P) (Join to see) - That is exactly what HRC did...she violated the public trust by using a PRIVATE very UNSECURE server to send and receive TOP SECRETE, secrete and Classified documents. PO2 Robert Aitchison Cpl Justin Goolsby

No he won't. These are two entirely two different events. Ellberg also never fled the country.

As a member of the Army Security Agency, I once took the same oath Snowden took. That was more than 50 years ago, yet until specific events are declassified, i am not free to talk about them. This same belief is shared by ever former member of the ASA whom I know.

Snowden violated his oath. The best lawyers in the nation under BOTH George W. Bush and Barack Obama have declared the current activities of the NSA to be lawful under the Constitution. Snowden had no right to supersede these judgments unilaterally.

As far as I am concerned, being forced to live the rest of his life in Russia is punishment enough. Coming home to an American prison would be a step up. Make him stay there.

SP5 Lynn Circle - Federal Courts ruled that at least some of the NSA practices were unconstitutional... http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/nlj/NSA_ca2_20150507.pdf

So, regardless of what "the best lawyers in the nation" say, the courts still have authority.

MAJ Bryan Zeski SP5 Lynn Circle This court ruling did NOT rule on the constitutionality of the claims by the appellants. It also did NOT rule on the constitutionality of Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT ACT. It also did NOT rule on the legality of the metadata collection by NSA (on behalf of the FBI). It merely remanded the case back to the District Court with additional information on applicability of various federal laws to the case for the District Court to re-hear.