Ron Paul Starts Snowden Clemency Petition

[Redfairen]

Source: Associated Press

Former GOP congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul has started a petition drive to pressure the Obama administration to grant clemency to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who is charged with espionage over leaks about the government's surveillance programs.

Paul's push for clemency would have to be granted by President Barack Obama. Earlier this week, Paul's son, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, filed a lawsuit against Obama and other top administration officials to stop the surveillance programs, which Sen. Paul contends are violations of 4th amendment constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.

Ron Paul said in a video post that he wants Snowden to return to the U.S. without facing prosecution before the accused leaker's amnesty in Russia is due to expire at the end of July.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=22516456&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fhl%3Den%26redir_esc%3D%26client%3Dms-android-att-us%26source%3Dandroid-browser-type%26v%3D133247963%26qsubts%3D1392396717338%26q%3Dsnowden%2Bron%2Bpaul%26v%3D133247963

[Zorro]

1. Ha ha ha

Thanks for the laugh.

[diverdownjt]

31. You also don't get amnesty...

I believe you meant asylum...............

[Historic NY]

2. How do you get clemency if you haven't been convicted yet?????

Apparently Ron Paul thinks Snowden is guilty.

[DonViejo]

9. President Ford gave Prez Nixon a pardon...

I'm thinking that's what would have to happen, Prez Obama would have to pardon Snowden.

[mimi85]

18. As if that would ever happen.

I'm sick of hearing about Snowden. I wish his 15+ minutes was up.

[Gerhard28]

44. That's too bad, because he's got a long run.

It isn't just fifteen minutes. Glenn Greenwald, bless his heart, will dribble those NSA documents out for a long, long time.

[mimi85]

57. Unfortunately.

I wish GG would take his narcissistic self and disappear as well. Sigh, I know it won't happen, but I (and many others) are tired of the whole fiasco.

[Tarheel_Dem]

60. Yeah, but have you noticed that each new "revelation" garners less & less attention?

[Gerhard28]

68. That's called 'stimulus accommodation."

It's normal.

[treestar]

69. Yes. Eddie is running out of steam

Julian already has. I'm expecting him to finally turn himself in to get another media storm.

Glenn is probably working on a new person to put to the forefront.

[Tarheel_Dem]

71. Julian Who?

Snowie & his puppetmaster fear irrelevance the most. I think the POTUS' speech on surveillance took a lot of "steam" out of Snowie's "revelations" and GG's upcoming book sales. Their biggest fear, at this point, is that the American people just really aren't that into 'em.

[Blue_Tires]

35. I think for a pardon to be theoretically feasible Obama needs confirmation

beyond the slightest shadow of doubt that Snowden didn't share the information with foreign powers...As far as I know, the answer to that question still remains unclear...

[itsrobert]

3. So Snowden is a hero fo the Teabaggers?

Figures. This is just an orchestra mess to embarrass our President by Snowden, Beck, Paul, and the rest of the teabaggers.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. Broken clocks and all. nt

[DonViejo]

10. I suspect it's also a maneuver to enlarge the Paul family's mailing list. eom

[1StrongBlackMan]

13. Actually ...

snowden is a hero to Libertarians.

[Tarheel_Dem]

22. They are indeed, HUGE fans!

[awoke_in_2003]

4. Fuck Ron Paul

and his Brillo headed ejaculate. This statement is not an indictment on Snowden, just a curse toward the Pauls.

[Gerhard28]

49. Do I have to?

These comments about sex with Ron Paul are a gross-out.

[awoke_in_2003]

50. Just metaphorically...

[another_liberal]

6. Our President really missed a golden opportunity . . .

When he chose to keep the NSA on a basically business as usual footing. He could have scored huge points with everyone who cares about the right to privacy by shutting down meta-data collecting entirely. Turning storage of our records over to the phone companies means nothing will change. A complete restructuring of our intelligence gathering systems is what was needed, not a whitewash.


Now Rand Paul (with his dad assisting) is going to ride this issue like a birthday pony all the way to the GOP's nominating convention, and beyond.

[underthematrix]

40. Keep watching because it is not what you think

Both Ron and Rand Paul are domestic terrorists. They are supporting a man, a foreign agent whose mission it was to disrupt our meta data collection capacity and disturb relations with friendly nation partners. It has already come out that Snowden had help just like I wrote when this story first came out. However, I said there were two people who helped Snowden. The second Snowden helper has not yet been identified.

[Gerhard28]

46. Complete insanity.

This is exactly how the charge of "terrorism" can used to stifle freedom and suppress the truth.

[another_liberal]

56. Well said, Gerhard!

Welcome to Democratic Underground. We need many more just like you.

[Tarheel_Dem]

61. You guys keep trying to make this a kitchen table issue that Americans give a shit about.

Good luck with that.

[another_liberal]

55. By saying, " It has already come out that Snowden had help," . . .

Do you mean the other NSA contractor who gave him a password to use? That hardly makes a case for calling Edward Snowden a "Foreign agent." I personally think the man is a genuine American hero, forced into exile by his stance against the wholesale violation of our Constitutional right to privacy.

As to the father and son team of Pauls being domestic terrorists, that is much more accurate. I tend to think of them more as unprincipled, self-interested opportunists, but domestic terrorists fits pretty well too.

[Gerhard28]

45. Yes he did.

Moreover, President Obama didn't just keep the program. He expanded it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-administration-had-restrictions-on-nsa-reversed-in-2011/2013/09/07/c26ef658-0fe5-11e3-85b6-d27422650fd5_story.html

[Hekate]

7. This ought to be a helluva thread, so I'm kicking it while making popcorn

pass the butter

[RufusTFirefly]

8. IF you are against widespread violations of the 4th Amendment, THEN you are a Libertarian nutjob

QED

Look forward.

[1StrongBlackMan]

14. No ...

but, I you are a libertarian (right or left), then you are a "nutjob."

[Maedhros]

20. Principled civil libertarians are hardly "nutjobs."

You might want to walk that one back, given that a decent chunk of civil libertarians are likely responsible for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[RufusTFirefly]

23. Apparently they are. And besides, Maedhros, you're getting off message:

It's not about whether the Constitution, the document upon our entire country rests, means anything anymore. That's arcane stuff that only pointy-headed types care about.

It's all about Ron Paul and Edward Snowden. Or didn't you get the memo?

By the way, I think we should abolish the Environmental Protection Agency. It was proposed and signed into law under Richard Nixon, so it absolutely, positively must be the very incarnation of Evil.

[Maedhros]

25. Yes, that evil Nixon was responsible for endless abominations

such as the Clean Air Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Ocean Dumping Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Fuck all those Nixon-loving tree huggers!

[1StrongBlackMan]

27. No, I won't ...

libertarianism is a political philosophy, concerned with political relationships (i.e., how the government relates to the citizen); thos responsible for the Civil Rights Movement(s), were/are concerned with how people relate to people.

[Maedhros]

29. The American Civil Liberties Union doesn't care about people?

They are, after all, civil libertarians. It's right in their name!

[1StrongBlackMan]

30. No ...

YYou might want t look deeper into the ACLU, its history and the suits they have brought.

Individual members of the ACLU might care about people's relationship with other people (as most humans do), but organizational, the ACLU only cares about people's relationship to the government ... where the government is not involved, neither is the ACLU.

And, Libertarians (right or Left) couldn't care less that Black people couldn't eat at the Woolworth lunch counter, as Woolworth is a private enterprise; however, the ALCU brought suit I bus cases, because the bus companies were a part of government.

The ALCU couldn't care less that my neighbor yells daily racial comments; but cares deeply that the government not restrain the yellers voice.

[Maedhros]

33. Hmmm. You have a strange way of looking at the world.

Calling all civil libertarians "nutjobs" still doesn't make sense, though.

[1StrongBlackMan]

36. I agree ...

and shouldn't have made the nutjob comment.

But I stand by my comment that civil libertarianism had very to do with the Civil Rights Movement(s) and libertarians of all stripes are only concerned with the governments relationship to the people and couldn't care less of that same exclusionary conduct is performed by a private entity ... ask either Pauls about their libertarian stand on Civil Rights.

[Maedhros]

41. I think there is a distinction to be made between Right and Left Libertarians.

The opposite of Libertarian is Authoritarian.

Not Left. Left/Right is on a different axis. Thus, one can have LeftLibertarians (i.e.civil libertarians, concerned about civil rights) and Right Libertarians (e.g. the Pauls, concerned about property rights).

Just like one can have Left Authoritarians and Right Authoritarians.

[1StrongBlackMan]

42. I know ...

but therein lies there commonality, both abhor authority (i.e., Government infringement).

The Libertarian-right care that government not infringe on their property rights; libertarian-left care that government not infringe upon civil rights ... but neither care (ideologically) about private conduct between individuals.

[Maedhros]

47. Politics is not about private conduct between individuals.

It's about public policy.

In general, when politicians base their policies around private conduct of individuals very little good comes from it.

[AnalystInParadise]

39. Also thinks

75,000 dollar a year jobs are worth more than Constitutional rights. If being a civil libertarian puts me at odds with people, so be it. I seek to ensure freedom for all Americans, not just ones that agree with me.

[1StrongBlackMan]

48. Said the guy/gal with reading comprehension issues ...

I have said no such thing, ever.

If being a civil libertarian puts me at odds with people, so be it. I seek to ensure freedom for all Americans, not just ones that agree with me.

Have at it ... Bang away in your mission to make the world safe from you former and current employer.

[AnalystInParadise]

51. Says the "man"

that has no problem with jack booted thuggery.

[1StrongBlackMan]

53. Who responses to the guy/gal ...

that knows nothing about me.

But whom others can read that I didn't say what you claim ... they can read that the only one talking about jacks, boots, or thuggery is that same person that wrote that he/she worked, and continues to work, for the IC (the Intelligence Community, as you explained to me) ... well at least until he/she gets a better paying gig.

IOW, others will say you for the situationally-ethical, false information providing (read: hypocritical liar), that the IC breeds.

[lark]

11. Even a broken clock is right twice a day

Must be noon or midnight?

[ucrdem]

16. A stopped clock is right twice a day, yes.

Unfortunately Chez Paul is making hay with their best Benghazi ever and have no reason to stop since the checks keep rolling in.

[onehandle]

12. Here's a photo of Ron Paul making news...

[IMG][/IMG]

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. This oughta perk up the Ron/Rand Paul faction of DU! They think they're pretty slick.

"Take a look on Democratic Underground

They have the gov't paid trolls out, trying to limit the outrage & rebellion on there.

If that is the reaction of hard core Dems to the news stories on the NSA, I want to stoke up some more of it.

Lots of traffic on DU.

It's the most popular Dem internet site, except for Huffy Po - where everything meaningful gets censored".

http://www.dailypaul.com/288556/clapper-and-feinstein-get-caught-lying-big-time#comment-3103138

[mimi85]

17. OMG - thanks for the laugh! Perfect. nt

[randome]

19. Too bad DailyPaul.com doesn't tally how many 'Fuck Rand Paul!'s are posted on a daily basis.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Everything is a satellite to some other thing.[/center][/font][hr]

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. Exactly!

[Blue_Tires]

34. yeah, I've seen that "government-paid trolls" epithet from several DUers...

Easy to see who's on what side....

[Tarheel_Dem]

38. It's a throwaway expression just like BOGgers. It's derisive, and intended to drive away Democrats.

[Whisp]

58. OMG! and see the next one:

Wow. I have not been to that site for ages. They pretty much black-balled me prior to the election.

Unless some of those folks are some of us, some of those folks actually think like us.

It is time to unite. For Freedom, for Liberty.

If you have an account and you are accepted there, can you sneak in some of Julie Borowski? I think that she will do the trick

FUCK the PAULS and their admirers! and double fuck GG and Snowden, just for good measure. The lying, scamming idiots.

[Tarheel_Dem]

59. My asbestos suit is in the shop. I don't dare go in there unprotected.

[TheMathieu]

24. ATTENTION FANS OF PAUL: The "broken clock" defense doesn't excuse your idiocy.

No sirree.

[Renew Deal]

26. Lots of people have been suckered by Libertarian ideology

It's not just the Snowden stuff. Bitcoin is another example. So is the one world government stuff being thrown around.

[RufusTFirefly]

28. Surely you realize that the "broken clock" defense people are not believers in Paul's ideology

It is possible to recognize and support a just cause even when it comes from an execrable source.

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

[Blue_Tires]

32. Paul is just smart enough to know that just mentioning Snowden

gets news coverage these days...

I'm guessing if someone went back to research all of Paul's legislation against the NSA, it would be a scant list...

[LeftishBrit]

37. Even a broken cuckoo clock is right twice a day!

[Cha]

43. Rand Paul filed a "plagiarized lawsuit" against NSA.. Fixed.

And fuck the broken clock defense of ron paul and his stupid clemency for the hacker-runner-leaker-putin puppet.

[VanillaRhapsody]

52. tooo funny I just suggest Rand Paul for someone yesterday

won't name names but the point was....if you hate ALL Democrats....perhaps you should look at Rand Paul.

[Thinkingabout]

54. Rand Paul has delivered another reason why he should not be president or even

considered for the position. Wonder how many more ties he needs with Snowden, looks like they approve of each other.

[NobodyHere]

62. I think you're confusing Rand and Ron here

The OP was about Ron.

Rand has said he wants Snowden to spend a couple years in prison.

Though I agree neither should be president.

[Thinkingabout]

64. Rand Paul and other Snowden believers has been pushing for clemency.

Rand will have a new story by next week. It comes with his brand, sorry, not confusing the two.

[NobodyHere]

66. Where did Rand Paul push for Snowden clemency?

He has said that Snowden and Clapper should share a jail cell.

[Thinkingabout]

67. Did you read the origional post? Rand Paul has started a petition.

I would guess since he has started a petition it just may mean he is for clemency for Snowden. Of course next month he may be wanting to sit down with Clapper and have a beer.

[geek tragedy]

63. Libertarian phishing scam. Enjoy your gold bug emails, petition signers. nt

[idendoit]

65. If I were Snowden, I'd disavow any knowledge of Paul.

[treestar]

70. Most of Eddie's supporters would say that it would be a fake out

Can't trust that Obama on anything - Eddie'll be disappeared as soon as he gets back. Bet on seeing comments like that before the thread is over.

[anasv]

72. here's the petition

https://campaign.ronpaulchannel.com/snowden/petition/

i was happy to sign it, although Ron Paul is a nut. Snowden is a hero.