America Speaks: Petition to Pardon Edward Snowden Exceeds 100,000 Signature ThresholdKimberly Paxton The petition states: WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: Pardon Edward Snowden Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs. The petition required 100,000 signatures by July 9 in order for the administration to be obligated to respond to it. As of 9:20 pm EDT, June 22, it had received 104,962 signatures. Edward Snowden stepped into the spotlight earlier this month when he exposed a massive government surveillance operation that was secretly underway. The National Security Agency, with whom Snowden was employed, has been covertly spying on Americans for more than a decade, collecting communications and data unbeknownst to citizens. While the government frantically tries to cover up their actions, will they heed the entreaty of the people? Kimberly Paxton, a staff writer for the Daily Sheeple, where this first appeared, is based out of upstate New York. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 