Last Summer, Rand Paul announced intentions to file a class action lawsuit against the NSA for their spying program. On January 4, 2014, former Attorney General of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli announced on facebook that he would be joining Rand Paul in the lawsuit, “Join Rand Paul and I in asserting our right to privacy.” The irony is that anyone who signs the online petition is added to a mailing list for Rand Paul’s 2016 re-election campaign.
Then on January 5, Rand Paul told George Stephanopoulos, “I don’t think Edward Snowden deserves the death penalty or life in prison, I think that’s inappropriate.” Paul added that Snowden leaked secrets “and things that could endanger lives” and suggested that Snowden “would come home for some penalty of a few years in prison which would be probably not unlike what James Clapper probably deserves for lying to Congress.” Paul further suggested that Snowden and Clapper should serve time in a prison cell together.
I can not begin to fathom the cognitive dissonance that allows someone to initiate a lawsuit against the NSA for violating the privacy of millions of Americans, while simultaneously stating that the person responsible for bringing that information to light is a criminal who should be punished. It is a further act of mental gymnastics to claim that any of the information made public by Edward Snowden could have endangered lives. The US government admitted that nothing leaked by Private Manning endangered any lives, and that was information that exposed American war crimes in Iraq & Afghanistan. If nothing revealed by Private Manning endangered any lives, how could it be construed that Edward Snowden endangered lives?
The New York Times and UK Guardian both published editorials calling for clemency for Snowden, with The New York Times writing, “Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service.”
Exposing criminal wrongdoing by a government must never be a crime. Neither Private Manning, nor Edward Snowden, nor any other person who exposes government misdeeds should face any jail time. Private Manning should be given a full pardon, and Edward Snowden should have all of the charges against him dismissed. If anyone belongs in a jail cell, it is the people who have violated the rights of millions of people around the world, not the people who brought their crimes to light.
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In Peace, Freedom, Love & Liberty,
Darryl W. Perry
Darryl W. Perry is an activist, author, poet & statesman. Darryl is a regular contributor to The Bulverde Standard, The Canyon Lake Week and The Comal Beacon and writes a monthly article for The Sovereign. He hosts the weekly news podcasts Freedom Minute and Police Accountability Report and hosts the weekly radio show Peace, Love, Liberty Radio on the Liberty Radio Network.
Darryl is a co-founder and co-chair of the NH Liberty Party.
Darryl is the Owner/Managing Editor of Free Press Publications.
To schedule an interview with Darryl please send an email to [email protected] or call 202 709 4377
NSA, in this case.
Exactly!
Yeah, in order to commit treason you have to give aid & comfort to the enemy. Who is the enemy? Us? He only helped the American people by revealing secrets the government had no right to have in the first place. It is rare that we see genuine heroes. I am proud to have seen some in my lifetime, among them Aaron Swartz, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden.
Whuh? Snowden should be given a parade, he is a hero.
Should there be laws in the United States (or in any country) against treason? Should the clauses in the US Constitution that mention treason be abolished?
What I would do if I was President is notify Congress I was going to give Snowden a conditional pardon. I would then give a speech to the Nation announcing Snowden was being given a pardon under the conditions that he would lose his citizenship, be forbidden from employment for any National, state, or city body, and would be forbidden from employment for any private employer or nonprofit organization doing business with a National, state, or city body. Snowden would then be allowed to live in the United states in peace so long as he committed no non victimless crimes and he did not assist any nation such Cuba, North Korea, Peoples Republic of China, and Iran where people did not have basic human rights.
Spence is just generally cynical, but in this case he’s right.
Like Spence said, Rand is a politician, in every sense of the word.
He frequently does the double talk/two step.
This really is hard to believe Rand doesn’t see the inconsistently here.
His father, while of course not perfect, is significantly better.
What else can you expect from a politician?