Should Edward Snowden Be Pardoned

While whistleblowing is deemed as wrong and harmful, it is necessary in order to report the fraud and deceit that goes on behind our backs. Edward Snowden is one of the most known whistleblowers of our time, since his case happened so recently. Snowden didn’t release the documents for personal benefits, but for the citizens of the United States. He put his life on the line to expose what the government is doing behind our backs, and for that reason, I think his crimes should be pardoned. Edward Snowden’s sacrifice was noble and should be seen as a patriotic deed. He put his life on the line so he could expose what the government was doing and planning behind its citizen’s backs. He had to abandon his family and friends to escape from the government and ended up having to move to another continent. Even though he risked everything and still lives in fear of being captured and killed, he is still hated by many Americans because they see the crime and look over the reason for that crime. Edward Snowden was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in June 21, 1983. He is 33 years old and now resides in Russia, so the United States Government cannot arrest him since he is outside of the jurisdiction. The NSA says that Snowden stole 1.7 …show more content…
Edward Snowden released documents exposing what the government was doing and continues to do behind its citizen’s backs. Through the governments rhetoric and lies spread through media, most Americans believe that Snowden did all of this for personal benefit because he was either greedy, or because he hated his country. Even after he released information regarding the invasion of our privacy, nothing has seemed to change. The same things are happening as they did before; the only difference now, is that we are aware of it and doing nothing about it. We shouldn’t overlook his crime that he committed, but acknowledge the reasons behind