Mr. President:
You have been petitioned to pardon Edward Sowden as a national hero, which is something that you cannot and will not do. Any yet, Soden's refuge in a Moscow Airport and pleas for asylum from any country that will take him are our mutual shame, as are our nation's actions to thwart his efforts.
Please, Mr. President, pardon Sowden to show us and the world that while we may act in secret, we do so with the same honor and integrity as when we act publicly. Show us and the world that secrets are kept when necessary, but that our actions do not need the cover of dark.
Let those of us who are claimed to be protected by these actions decide whether they are justified and should continue. Have the audacity to trust us. Bring Sowden home not as a hero, but as an American.