2024-04-02 RFK Jr. renews pledge to pardon ‘American hero’ EDWARD SNOWDEN if elected: ‘I’m going to build a statue to him’. New York Post, Ryan King

Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Ladar Levison, Julian Assange, Wikileaks, Chelsea (Bradley) Manning, Arjen Kamphuis, Robert F Kennedy Jr Add comments

Apr 042024

Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has re-upped his commitment to pardon US accused spy and anti-surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden if elected.

The Kennedy scion rolled out a petition Monday calling for the pardon of Snowden — while hailing the now-Russian resident for exposing highly classified domestic government surveillance operations.

Demand the Pardon of Edward Snowden

When whistleblowers like Daniel Ellsberg, John Kiriakou, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange revealed government corruption–they weren’t betraying America–they were returning America to its democratic and humanitarian ideals. But instead of championing free speech and celebrating these truth-tellers, today our government actively persecutes journalists and whistleblowers–which is why I’m calling on every citizen to sign our petition calling for the pardon of Edward Snowden.

This isn’t the Soviet Union. The America I love doesn’t imprison dissidents. Our founders put free speech as the First Amendment because all our other rights depend on it. If you give a government license to silence its critics, it now has license for any atrocity.

What Snowden did for the American people was to restore at least some semblance of democracy. And the importance of the information he released is attested to by the fact that Congress passed legislation recognizing the disclosures he made and tried to ensure that kind of thing didn’t happen again. For this, Edward Snowden is a hero – not a villain.

On my first day in office, I’ll pardon Edward Snowden and investigate the corruption and crimes he exposed. I will also issue an executive order to end all attempts by federal agents and federal agencies to censor the political speech of Americans.

Attacking the messenger is never good policy. The government’s war against whistleblowers has turned national heroes into criminals and deterred others who might still come forward. Only if we stand together can we protect whistleblowers, which is why I am encouraging every American–regardless of political party—to sign our petition to demand Edward Snowden’s immediate pardon.

“Edward Snowden is an American hero,” Kennedy, 70, said in a video. “Instead of jailing Snowden, I’m going to build a statue to him and maybe to [WikiLeaks] Julian Assange somewhere near the Washington Press Club or perhaps outside the CIA headquarters in Langley as a civics lesson to the Republic.

“Snowden, who has been in exile for more than a decade, performed a critical public service by revealing that our government had been spying on millions of law-abiding American citizens, in violation of numerous laws and our fundamental right to privacy,” Kennedy said.

“The America I love doesn’t punish whistleblowers. Truth-tellers who champion free speech and try to return America to its democratic and humanitarian ideals should be revered, not prosecuted,” the candidate said.

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(Sandra speaking: A win by Kennedy with his views on Freedom of Speech and Govt Censorship is a win for Canadians.)

And now, back to Kennedy:

I am committed to ensuring that the voice of the people is never silenced!

Dear Sandra,

Our founding fathers deemed freedom of speech so paramount that they placed it at the forefront of the Constitution, understanding that all other rights hinge upon it.

A government that has the capacity to silence its opponents has the power to commit any kind of atrocity.

We witnessed the alarming beginnings of such power abuse during the pandemic when our government initiated and actively engaged in the censorship of social media speech.

This was a seismic shift in American governance. Once the powers-that-be realized the public’s complacency, and that there would be no media uproar, they brazenly violated other constitutional rights.

They shuttered countless businesses nationwide without due process or just compensation, a direct violation of the Fifth Amendment.

They trampled upon the remaining pillars of the First Amendment, curbing freedom of worship by closing down churches and synagogues across the country without scientific rationale or democratic procedure.

All the safeguards of the democratic process that I’ve spent four decades defending were discarded with impunity.

The abuses of power from the highest levels of our government continues to this day. The repercussions are dire, and the urgency cannot be overstated.

I am the only candidate in this race who has steadfastly championed the ideals of free speech, individual liberty, and the protection of constitutional rights.

Now, more than ever, it is imperative to elect leaders who will fiercely defend the principles that define our democracy.

However, the truth is that meaningful change cannot come without resources. Unlike my opponents, who benefit from automatic ballot access and government-funded Secret Service protection, our campaign faces daunting financial barriers.

We must raise tens of millions of dollars to secure ballot access and provide adequate protection.

And we are on track. With your continued support, I know we can level the playing field and win this election!

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Be assured, I am committed to continuing this crucial fight and ensuring that the voice of the people is never silenced.

Thank you for your unwavering support and trust in me as we strive to safeguard the rights and liberties of all Americans.

Sincerely,

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The Battles

2024-04-02 RFK Jr. renews pledge to pardon ‘American hero’ EDWARD SNOWDEN if elected: ‘I’m going to build a statue to him’. New York Post, Ryan King

Demand the Pardon of Edward Snowden

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