Goldy tossed this into the Morning News, but since this is news in itself and since we’ve discovered that the government is tracking every word you read, it’s good to show them you’re reading this again. Today the New York Times came out hard for the United States to grant clemency or a plea deal to Edward Snowden:
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. It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community…
In retrospect, Mr. Snowden was clearly justified in believing that the only way to blow the whistle on this kind of intelligence-gathering was to expose it to the public and let the resulting furor do the work his superiors would not.
This isn’t just a few hundred words of huffing and puffing—the editorial board lays out a detailed case for David and a damning case for Goliath. It’s probably the most important piece of writing in America today and among the most forceful editorials from the NYT I’ve read. Snowden is a national hero—taking extreme risk to serve the entire country while enduring horrible smears from politicians and media alike—so it’s great for such powerful, institutional voice to boom in his defense.