White House Petition to Pardon Snowden Reaches Goal of 100,000 Signatures

The White House petition calling for President Obama to immediately and unconditionally pardon Edward Snowden for informing the American public about the NSA’s surveillance schemes has reached its goal of 100,000 signatures today, and in less than two weeks.

The petition system normally gives you a whole month to get the signatures you need, and will oblige President Obama to at least make his position on Snowden’s prosecution public.

In the past President Obama has said we “welcomes” the public discussion on the abusive surveillance of everyday Americans, and such a discussion would’ve been impossible if Snowden hadn’t informed us about what the NSA was doing. A pardon seems like the least he could do.

Now just because the petition has reached its goal doesn’t mean more signatures aren’t welcome. More signatures means a higher profile for this issue, and that’s always a good thing.

12 thoughts on “White House Petition to Pardon Snowden Reaches Goal of 100,000 Signatures”

  1. A petition is a waste of time. Obama does what he wants not caring a bit about what the people want.

    1. Yes the idea is not to get Obama to magically change his behaviors due to a petition (and a unicorn!). The idea is to make it known that there are a lot of people out there to whom the issue is important and to force him to at least address the issue. He will address it with his usual empty bluster and apologetics for tyranny, we know that, but … people who signed the petition will see through that and maybe be peeved as will perhaps some other people who hear about it. That's important. The more people that come together in opposition to these policies the better.

      Of course if you just don't do whitehouse petitions period, that's totally cool, but if you do this one is worthy, lets take it over 100,000 just to make a point.

    4. I signed it. I did not sign it b/c I thought it would do any good necessarily. I signed it in great part b/c I could not pass up the opportunity to show/tell the government I do not support it. I do think Snowden a better person than the government slugs who are attacking him in the media, and, for that matter, Obama any individual in the presidential entourage. We all owe Snowden a debt of gratitude. Signing the petition is the least we can do.

  2. Signatures may not significantly change the final outcome for snowden, but the speed at which they where gathered tells you something about what America thinks and that is forcing the political elitists into damage control mode. This may break the Democratic Party in the next election it is something they have to get right and that will not happen by pssy footing around with pr statements.

    1. Yes, <hard irony> next victory of Republican Party will be The Change </ end of hard irony>.

  3. Please keep your RE-PUBLIKAN FALSE HOPE TO YOURSELF–THEY ARE THE OTHER SIDE OF THE 2 HEADED WARMONGER ZIONIST COIN–THINK FOR A CHANGE—JUST THINK!

  4. Snowden does not need any pardon; on the contrary, Obama and his thugs should beg for forgiveness.

  6. I'll sign, but like the comments above, it is a waste of time. NO-ONE, but NO-ONE has ever successfully petitioned for their freedom and got it handed (back) – they always had to take it back, usually by force. I learned that in fifth grade history (Nathan Hale, Paul Revere, etc.)

  7. Like Richard above, I signed but I also understand that beyond theatrics, nothing will come of it…unless people understand that as long as they (we) continue to elect people who have agendas that are not to the benefit of the majority (the real majority not the presumed majority) then nothing will get done because programs like PRISM and Tempora in the UK support their positions and desires for complete subjugation of the masses. And the fruitcakes the Tea Party are sending up are tainted with rightwing baggage they need to leave behind – and start thinking for themselves. But, that's just this old Curmudgeon's opinion…

  8. Pingback: White House Petition to Pardon Snowden Reaches Goal of 100,000 Signatures ~ Antiwar | Stop Making Sense

  9. This is like asking a rapist to forgive you for being raped? Pathetic Idea.
    100 000 people whole think grovelling to the chief rapist is going to mean something.
    Real Human Beings Don't Behave This Way.
    Real Human Beings Don't plead to only be rape 10 times today instead of 12.

  10. lol the country didnt want obamacare and we got it, suposedly the country wanted stricter background checks and didnt get it. want the banking and wall street tightly regulated we didnt get it. what we actually need is to eliminate the 2 party system and get rid of the re-election if the congressional nitwits

  11. Pingback: "Eric Snowden, A Modern Paul Revere" by J. Raimondo

  12. This petition is idiotic, worse than the voting charade. I’m sure those who instigated it have their hearts in the right place, but their heads are not. No grovelling for me, thanks.

  13. Sending this petition to Obama will likely accomplish nothing. Why not a petition to Putin not to give in to demands to extradite Snowden instead? It may be unnecessary but would give Putin cover in his dealings with Obama.

  14. anyone who thinks that the united states government would ever even consider a pardon would also believe that a hungry fox would not eat a chicken placed within an inch of his mouth. I fully expect that obama at the end of his second term will remove a mask to reveal that he is actually george w bush because I honestly don't see much difference between the two other than skin colour

  16. When a gov't becomes abusive & laws chip away at the constitutional rights of its citizens; people like Snowden are needed. He did what he felt was the "right" thing to do; & given the repercussions he knew would be coming he did it anyway; a person who did the moral thing over all else. So, yes, a person of high morality if not a hero. What can we say about the ever increasing, surveillance of people & brutal dominance of gov't/military in this country. The Constitution was a document brought about after a war/abuses of another gov't least we forget.

  17. Word of love and appreciation and greeting fulfillment and private
    Greeting fill all the meanings of brotherhood and friendship
    Greetings from the Heart to Heart
    Thank you with all my heart reuy

  19. It’s the sign of an ignorant person that he always says and does only what he wants to, but an educated person do not act in the same way but act differently. He listens either the other person is saying right or wrong.

  20. Signatures may not significantly change the final outcome for snowden, but the speed at which they where gathered tells you something about what America thinks and that is forcing the political elitists into damage control mode. This may break the Democratic Party in the next election it is something they have to get right and that will not happen by pssy footing around with pr statements.

  27. their should be 400,000,000 signatures…..the reason their is not is the reason this hole mess started with….Americans by in large are not educated enough. to understand what is going on and the implecations

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