Ron Paul Praises Edward Snowden

Reason

Former Congressman Ron Paul praised NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Piers Morgan's show last night, saying that President Obama should send Snowden a "thank you letter." Paul added that, "When you have a dictatorship or an authoritarian government, truth becomes treasonous and this is what they do if you are a whistle blower or you're trying to tell the American people our country is destroying our rule of law or destroying our constitution, they turn it on and they say oh, you're committing treason."

From Politico:

President Barack Obama should send Edward Snowden a "thank you letter" for bringing transparency to the administration, former Rep. Ron Paul says.

"Finally we're getting the president to fulfill his promise about transparency so that's pretty exciting to me," he told CNN's Piers Morgan on Monday night.

Paul said Snowden has "done a great service for telling the truth" about the government surveillance program.

Watch some of Paul's comments below:

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Comments

[Archduke Pantsfan]

ST. PAUL (WCCO) ? US Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., says he's not surprised by revelations that federal security agencies collect phone and computer data on American citizens.

The National Security Agency secretly gathered personal data on Americans since 2007, including their internet use and cell phone service. It's something Franken says he "was very well aware of."

"I can assure you, this is not about spying on the American people," Franken said.

[Monkey's Uncle]

"I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me." /Stuart Smalley

[Sevo]

"I can assure you, this is not about spying on the American people,"

Uh, it's about checking to make sure the American people don't forget their shopping lists? Is that what it's about?

[Fist of Etiquette]

AND THIS GUY THOUGHT HE COULD BE PRESIDENT.

[PS]

Former Congressman Ron Paul praised NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Piers Morgan's show last night, saying that President Obama should send Snowden a "thank you letter."

Conor Friedersdorf ?@conor64
I wonder what else President Obama hasn't told us that he simultaneously thinks it would be healthy for us to debate.

The important thing is that Obama is going to weigh this all heavily in his mind before he has the guy disappeared or locked up for a few years in solitary to await trial.

[Warty]

"Finally we're getting the president to fulfill his promise about transparency so that's pretty exciting to me,"

Ron Paul is really good at this kind of insult, isn't he?

[Monkey's Uncle]

I agree. I think the phrase is 'damning with faint praise.'

[Let Me Ride]

Inadvertent tongue-twisters FTW!

[Sevo]

And I'm having fun imagining the slow burn Obama goes through when someone lands a zinger like that.

[PS]

Those zingers aren't allowed into the soft womb of purity that Obama is ensconced in. It might distract him.

[Bones]

Wow, it sure didn't take long for talking heads to forget about the AP scandal. Now they're back to fellating the powers that be. I was hopeful the media were finally going to take the gloves off. I'm afraid Edward Snowden might have unintentionally put them back on. They found out he contributed to Ron Paul's campaign and suddenly remembered TEAM is most important.

[Juice]

Ooh, good call. Well spotted.

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