[BREAKING NEWS] Bradley Manning Acquitted...Sort of...

My remorse won't bring the "hundreds of thousands" back to life or free prisoners from their torture chambers. Yet people I serve with getting killed is not abstract, and their death can possibly be prevented/put in jeopardy by my ham-fisted and innefective windmill tilting.

If Bradley truly wanted to make a difference he would have kept any documented evidence of war crimes under lock and key and finished his enlistment contract. Play it cool, as it were. Then when he's a civilian he could bring all his evidence into light and get something accomplished. Also with the war winding down he'd be less likely to compromise any ongoing missions. Now he's in prison and can't accomplish shit.

He might have gotten other concerned people on his side, and gathered support for a truly well funded investigation. But by coming off as a disgruntled malcontent he throws all all credibility, sabotaging any efforts to bring the war crimes to light by tipping his hand.

So his morality aside, he is one dumb-ass fucker. Maybe a couple of decades in prison will smarten him up.

Bradley Mannings revelations have not been ineffective. There has been a significant effect on the US withdrawal from Iraq and in the overthrow of more than one regime during the Arab Spring, among other things.

Leaving it be until he's out of the army and until long after the fact prevents any attempt from being made to halt the ongoing criminal activity being carried out by your associates. That you prefer this is really just another sign that you don't really give a fuck and are more interested in preserving the reputation of the military-intelligence complex regardless of what it does. So fuck you and the fascist horse you road in on.

I didn't know Cheney and Rumsfield were still in charge. Damn what a puppet that Obama is. ;

Most of the material released was from before the time of Obama's election. But feel free to include him amongst those responsible.

Why is no-one calling for senior politicians to be executed? By the standards proposed around here, shouldn't Dick Cheney be hanged?

Or none of the above - just trying to earn a living and provide for my family. Anyway you're telling me that we managed our Iraq exit around Bradley Manning versus having it already planned before his revelations?
That kid's pretty important. He needs a raise! Just high enough so his feet can't reach the floor would be fine by me.

And no, I don't want to "preserve the reputation of the military etc.etc..."
because I don't care how we are viewed. People are either going to do business with us/fear us/mock us based on their preconcieved notions anyway.

I suppose it's better to be a hypocrite than a hypocrite and a coward. It took a lot of balls to do what he did.

Right, because the only reason you are looking down on him is because he violated a contract, it has nothing to do with you thinking that his actions might have put other people in danger. So how long is he supposed to sit on it? Until it will no longer make a difference? Because so long as it will make a difference, lives will be at stake.

Falling back on the usual banalities, I see. Your family don't require you to adopt fascist political positions.

I'm telling you that the revelations affected Iraqi public and political opinion and led directly to their rejecting US proposals for continued involvement in their country - for example with regard to their being to operate outside of Iraqi law while there.

Because people could not possibly have their opinion affected by all of the tortuting, murdering and lying you're doing.

Because we're called racist for even daring to disagree with the current administrationn.Couldn't imagine the uproar if we started asking for hangings .

I think you misunderstood me. His actions may have indeed put lives in danger - American military lives. The information he revealed was damaging to our mission. Sitting on that wouldn't have endangered his comrades. Sitting on information that would expose war crimes or whatever could have very well waited. Matter-of-fact if he could have found someone with legal savvy he could trust while he was waiting, he would have a leg to stand on to protect himself and expose the war criminals. By blowing the whistle himself he tipped his hand. As for time eroding any evidence that ship sailed. Right now soldiers are in limbo with VA claims because situation reports, manning reports, personnel files, etc. can't be found. So imagine what kind of "evidence" would be lost if you know someone gunning for you just blew the whistle before they were in a position to strike legally. Manning should have "had his ducks in order" before he flipped out and gave away a bunch of secrets. I guess he has more idealism than brains, which often seems to be a trademark of whistle-blowers.

No it didn't. It took a lot of stupid.

Manning didn't reveal all of that info out of some noble effort to end the war or stop any atrocities. He revealed it because he was opposed to DADT: a policy he knew was in place when he enlisted. DADT was repealed while he was in prison awaiting trial.

The idiot threw away his life, career, and future for nothing.

Fuck him. Let him rot and die behind bars.

HA! I didn't know DADT was repealed while he was imprisoned. There's some karma for his ass. Also, Manning knew he was gay when he joined The Army, and knew their then current policy. Why did he join knowing he couldn't live up to the standards required? Nothing wrong with being a gay man, but realize you are on thin ice and "man up" and don't take your disgruntlement out on everyone else. Like smoking weed - you want to do it in the military, you take your chances or get out when your contract is up. Sorry, no matter how you slice it Manning is an idiot shit-bag.

You mean, the US government. Strange there are those who want it to be bigger.

Only because you don't give a shit. You've already been told of the very significant effects that it had.

This is contrary to everything he has stated about the matter.

Manning Gets 35 Years


Well, that's that.

No noose?

The craven "defense" may see this as a victory, but it is an outrage that those who commit the crimes walk free, whereas those who expose them go to prison.

35 years? When he gets out he'll still be able to cruise the gay bars as a power-bottom hungry papa bear/sugar daddy!

Not that there's anything wrong with that!