Due process lol.

Too bad they can't execute this a-hole. Now the government will get stuck feeding and housing him for the rest of his miserable life. What he did was commit treason by aiding the enemy in a time of war. Unfortunately, since it is not a formal declared war on, he can not be executed. This sorry PoS was upset over getting dumped by his gay lover because he was deployed and decided to take it out on the entire military and government. While the military will not state it publicly, his action resulted in the death of at least one Afghani and his family who was helping the US military by providing intelligence on the insurgents. Because the military and the government do not want to admit to this publicly, he will not be tried for his role in their deaths. This is unfortunate, but likely will not make any difference in his sentence. He is going to spend the rest of his life in a military prison, which trust me, is nothing like civilian prisons. He is not going to have all of the rights and privileges that the civilian justice system has seen fit to grant to civilian criminals. He is going to do hard time, most likely at Ft. Leavenworth. I just hate thinking about what this a-hole is going to cost the taxpayers in addition to what the damage he has done has already cost. I just hope that the next step is for the US to file charges against his buddy Assange under the espionage act and lock him up as well.

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.

The one I'm agog about is the Fort Hood shooter. Why haven't they tried HIS sorry ass yet?

They completely could execute him. Its a court martial. I doubt it will happen, but these charges are completely appropriate. Want to be a traitor? Pay the price.

Why did it take so long for this decision?

Because it offends liberal proprieties.

He should be charged with treason. He's getting off easy. His alleged crime was committed in war time. The price should be hanging.

Hopefully he'll be put to death when everyone, including the media liberals, have forgotten about him.

"What he did was commit treason by aiding the enemy in a time of war. Unfortunately, since it is not a formal declared war on, he can not be executed."

Please explain how he "aided the enemy?" Also, the fact that the prosecution is not seeking the death penalty has absolutely nothing to do with the lack of a formal declaration of war. You are either misinformed or simply making things up.

"I just hope that the next step is for the US to file charges against his buddy Assange under the espionage act and lock him up as well."

Do you think that the New York Times should be prosecuted under the espionage act? They publish classified information all the time. That is how the government disseminates information nowadays. What do you think it means when it says, "The official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on X" means?

JToon: "Due Process" is the "process that is due to you" I think you have it a bit backward. Get a DJ.

They had to make him sit and wait until they could come up with laws to charge him with.

The enemy of the US are politicians outsourcing war in order to make profit. That is treason. Treason is lying to Americans while commander and chief. Treason is committing white collar crimes thereby condemning a wide swath of the American population towards economic death. Once again, you 'officials' are misrepresenting my taxes. Manning did what he deemed correct to right many wrongs committed under the banner of secrecy. Go after the real crooks.

He is entitled to due process. Protecting due process for him protects it for everyone, including the Duke LaCrosse players, the Cook County, IL, defendants who were just a death sentence betting pool for the Cook County prosecutors (yes, they really did that) and everyone else who would otherwise be threatened by some political hack prosecutor.

To convict of the crime of Treason, by Article 3 of the US Constitutional definition and its corresponding Title 18 statute, requires two witnesses to the same overt act, something not likely in this case. Under the UCMJ, the following can carry a death penalty for the act committed at any time:

Mutiny or Sedition
Misbehavior Before The Enemy
Subordinate Compelling Surrender
Improper Use of Countersign
Forcing A Safeguard
Aiding The Enemy
Espionage
Improper Hazarding A Vessel
Murder
Rape And Carnal Knowledge

Aiding The Enemy, the charge against this miscreant, can carry a death sentence. If it is not an option to the court, then the military may be choosing not to death qualify the case. Why in his case they would choose not to death qualify the case is beyond my understanding.

Over the past 30 years the US has become "...the worst of times."

.

He did not aid the enemy. He never gave the enemy any information. He merely showed the world how a sick military operates in the names of the American people. Kids thinking that an Apache helicopter is a video game screen and the civilians on the screen are just ones and zeroes do be annihilated. The military brass and politicians have been humiliated by private Manning and for that they want his skin. America should rethink how we use and abuse our military and the innocent civilians that fall under her feet.

BTW, If I were an Apache Indian I would be highly offended for naming a killing machine in the name of my people.

Mr. Jacobs, before you spout off again please, PLEASE, use your head. First of all, Pvt. Manning DID aid the enemy, he released classified information that he knew would be placed on the internet and in places that were known to be frequented by enemy informants. Second, the Apache Nation was proud to have the attack heicopter named after them, they were a warrior tribe. Third, use and abuse our military? Are you out of your damn mind? The only ones that can be called the users and abusers of the United States Armed Forces are the pansy nations of the United Nations. If it weren't for the UN, there would not have been as many wars, fights and rebelions that the United States would have to send troops to (being that we have always been the strong arm of the UN). Since the forming of the UN, there have been more wars and more death in the last 80 years than in the previous 300 years. Finally, as a man that has put his life on the line for this country and @!$%#s like you that all they do is talk but never had the guts to actually make a difference, I tell you: If you don't like it here get out of my country!

BTW, if you were an Apache, you would have been banished or killed for not having a warriors heart.

Mr. Jacobs, before you spout off again please, PLEASE, use your head. First of all, Pvt. Manning DID aid the enemy, he released classified information that he knew would be placed on the internet and in places that were known to be frequented by enemy informants.

He released it to the World and not to 'enemies'. By your definition we should be prosecuting gwb and dick as well for lying and outing an agent.

You can keep your warrior's heart. I have a lovers heart. One not utilized for killing. Ten commandments and all. It is an individual and conscience choice. I guess some of us are Christians, Jewish, Muslim, etc. when it suits us.

Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually have.^[1] Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie.^[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocrisy

Used and abused by our politicians to further private interests and entitlements. Not one war since the civil war has been fought on our home soil. Isn't the military supposed to be utilized for home defense. What is this crap of preemptive strikes and exporting war. Are we using our military correctly...

BTW welcome to the Vine.

Finally, as a man that has put his life on the line for this country and @!$%#s like you that all they do is talk but never had the guts to actually make a difference, I tell you: If you don't like it here get out of my country!

It was your choice to go that route. A difference can be made without making war. It takes more guts not to resort to violence and brute force. There is quite a difference between force and power. I have every right to be where I want to be and you can not do anything about it. Read the COH regarding respect for other viners.

I am not Christian or even religious, so I don't care about that BS.

Manning, if proven guilty, is a traitor. Its black and white. Regardless of potential overclassification, regardless of your feelings on the legality of the wars themselves, what he did violated federal law as well as the UCMJ he had sworn to uphold.

And as a servicemember, if he was convicted and sentenced to death (I know he won't, but this is a point to make), I would be willing to stand in the firing squad, eyes open and knowingly with the real shell.

I just wonder why the State Department can't have better security than to allow access to basically everything by everyone and allow that data to be downloaded to any computer and copied to flash media. Who the hell is running the Department of State that would allow such incompetence? Oh - that would be Hillary Clinton wouldn't it. Oh well. Never mind then. Leave the story as a story about a dumb-ass private that downloaded files to his computer and gave the information to the world. Let's not go into how he was able to do this or who should be held accountable.

One, he didn't work for the State Department.

Two, a lot of people should've been fired for lax security. But it doesn't excuse him.

If I remember correctly, this guy could get $10,000.00 fine and/or 10 years in jail PER offense. Gonna be staying at the cross-bar hotel for a long, long time.

Just imagine if the dweeb had shared information you had access to.

I hope part of his sentence is that he not be allowed any KY supplies. He will just have to tough it out then.

Why he had access?? Because all the 'O's are needed for important stuff - like kissing butt and politckin' for promotion....

Its called computers and he didn't have access to it, he gave an open door to it by intentionally installing a program on his computer that bypassed the security. Just like the hackers that break into other secure systems.

Not to mention that every government agency, including the military, is fanatics about duplication and documentation.

He was an intelligence analyst, from what I understand, know any Major's that are intelligence analysts? I don't see how rank plays any role in this however, anyone in the armed forces makes oath's and are accountable to the UCMJ.

"Not to mention that every government agency, including the military, is fanatics about duplication and documentation."

Not every government agency. The CIA seemed to have no problem mysteriously losing track of all of their torture footage.

Rank has nothing to do with access, level of clearance or need-to-know. Unlike Hollywood's portrayals, almost all actual work in the military, including some of the most sensitive, is done by large numbers of low ranking enlisted personnel. The clearance process and determination of need-to-know for really sensitive or highly classified material is very thorough. However, regardless of how good that process is, a disaffected person with enough access can do a lot of damage. In his case, Manning deliberately and premeditatedly circumvented access controls to get that much material and put it in a form where it could leave the facility.

As an Air Force E-3 (Airman First Class), I ordered an Air Force General (four stars, General Roberts, the commanding general of my Major Air Command) off of a computer system when his access was in violation of my standing policy orders. I did so with a lot of circumspection, and through one of his junior staff officers, an Air Force Captain. Nevertheless, I made it very clear what I was telling him to do, by when (five minutes), what would happen if he didn't and why. He complied, made a discrete inquiry as to who I was and realized I was doing my duty for which I was later quietly commended.

Manning had appropriate opportunities open to him to report any and all illegal or suspect activities of which he had any knowledge. He chose not to do so. Instead, he chose to inflict the maximum damage he could on his country, extremely grave damage, the extent of which will probably never be publicly or really known. Information Manning leaked could lead to wars, armed conflicts between countries and armed groups, result in casualties and cause long term damage to diplomatic and intelligence operations. If convicted, he has earned a death sentence.

He should be. However I guess the devil is in the details.

Yes, the devil is in the details... or the Constitution, which clearly states that, "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

None of these apply in these circumstances.

He was not a whistle blower. Just a smug pathetic dweeb who betrayed his country that he took an oath to serve. I guess in your mind a common thief is not a criminal, just a "Share the Wealth" Community Activist.

What would the term "whistle blower" possibly mean if it doesn't describe Pvt. Manning?

He is not a whisle blower! He was in the military and doesn't have the same rights as a civilian. I was in the military and trust me you don't have the right of freedom of speach

Agreed.

To qualify as a whistleblower he would've had to send specific information to higher authorities outside his chain of redress.

Manning (proportedly, I will not preemptively convict) sent everything he could get his hands on, regardless of relevance, to a foreign national with a known hatred of the United States and the vendetta to take them on. None of that qualifies as a whistleblower.

He had several options to remain a whistleblower. He mooned the system and now he's getting his ass reamed for it.

This guy signed an agreement to not divulge any information, it has nothing to do with whistleblowing. He is a traitor.

I'd love to know what harm you think this person inflicted on anyone, Martha, that would justify that response?

I completely agree. I myself am a retired vet and was also privy to sensitive documentation and troop movements during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. I went thru extensive background checks to get my top secret clearance as I am sure this POS did also. I would never give that information away to the enemy or make it public to where they could easily get their hands on it.

He should be convicted and sentenced to die for the act of treason. What he did was to put thousands of lives in jeopardy.

"What he did was to put thousands of lives in jeopardy." Explain how? And by the way: do you have the same opinion about the Marines who have are being investigated for urinating on the corpses of their enemies? Because I've heard military brass claim that lives have already been lost due to that action.

Bush outed a CIA agent just to discredit her husband and he is still free. You right wingers are just blood thirsty.

Here's how I "coat it." According to the Constitution, "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

That doesn't describe this situation at all.

Congratulations, you've shown you know absolutely nothing about the situation beyond the media spin.

I don't fear what's in the released information for myself, but for others.

I am angry at people like you who have no idea what the world is like and think an action like this would be perfectly ok.

In the end, I don't care why the wars were started. All I care about is getting my people to the end alive. If there's even a 0.01% chance this leak compromises that, fry him.

@allswell: Yeah well. People like myself actually served. I was in Vietnam for 16 months. B Troop 7/17 Air Cavalry 3rd 506th 101st Airborne. 67-69.

The equipment used to type the cables was paid for by US taxpayers, as were the people who gathered the information.

If truth, disparaging or not, is allowed to be hidden from the people, then the democracy you claim you wish to protect will be ripped from your grasp.

Truth is never the enemy.

I thank you for your service, particularly in such times, but I still believe you are willfully blinding yourself.

Nothing Manning released illegally could not have been filtered through the correct whistleblower channels. Nothing released actually proved anything except that events happened. Mistakes get made, but to show the world everytime one is made is to invite the constant reinforcement of enemy recruitment efforts.

@allswell: I do understand your point. And on its value, I also agree with your premise.

But if I may, I shall stand with my belief that, "Truth is never the enemy."

Deception is a threat to democracy.

@ Barry: Unfortunately, the Armed Forces, are not a democracy. As an enlisted man, you should be aware of that. Manning most certainly, was aware of that. And while it's real easy for us civilian's to have an opinion, bottom line is Manning violated UCMJ, you should also be aware of that.

Personally, I think the information should've been released after the War, after our soldier's are out of harms way, so that they would be safe from any backlash that could possibly occur because of such a leak. I also think Manning should've been a bit more careful with the names of informants, and people who actually helped our forces do their job in active military zones, at their own risk.

But bottom line, Manning broke the UCMJ, and he should face the consequences of that. Nothing is more important in War, than being able to implicitly trust those around you. And I hope what happens to him, is a deterrent to all those thinking about, or already in the armed forces, from doing something to damage that trust.

@B Murphy: Yes, the armed forces are not a democracy. However, the armed forces exist to uphold and protect democracy.

Bottom line, Manning broke the UCMJ? The UCMJ also has provisions to ferret out lies and deception.

Nothing is more important in war than to implicitly trust those around you? And what if there are some who are untrustworthy, or are engaging in War Profiteering?

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his farewell address to the American people, on his last day of being president, warned of the Military Industrial Complex. Manning is not the one who should be on trial here.

Barry,

He had so many options for getting his greviances out, but he spat on them all and chose to take the most illegal way.

The MIC is not what I'm worried about. I'm more worried about the people who think two wrongs equals a right.

@ Barry: Fellow soldier's participating in War profiteering? Really....I'd like to see how that happens. Usually those involved in War Profiteering aren't even in active combat, they're sitting in office's yucking it up with their colleagues. I'm talking about soldier's on the ground, and knowing several active service members, I don't really care for your assertion that some of them are untrustworthy.

Out of the hundreds of thousands of stolen documents Manning allegedly took, how much 'lies and deception' were uncovered? Hmm? Or was it all just raw intel/data? If he had specifically provided details on some lies or deception, that's fine...but he simply dumped a massive, massive load of stuff to another party, who then posted it all online. Very little of it was reviewed, and no care was taken to redact any names of people whose lives could be put in jeopardy.

Either way, he took oaths, he broke those oaths and will hopefully pay dearly for it. That the Armed Forces are there to protect Democracy is irrelevant. The Armed Forces are there to protect America and it's interests. The US just happens to be a Democracy, the form of Government the Armed Forces protects is irrelevant to the argument, they function under different rules and different laws.

I don't know. I suspect the military would like to make a point to others not to do this. They may very well push for the maximum or close to it.

John Walker and his sone were both in the Navy and provided information to Russia on our missile carrying subs for 20 years. John got life in prison in a court martial and his son was in prison for only 6 years. The information they gave was a lot more serious than the embarrassing information this clown leaked out.

Yes, and daddy got life. Also this is new territory in the fact that he gave it to a website to publish. I would assume the military wants to make it clear in no uncertain terms that they will not accept this as appropriate behavior and set an example of what's waiting for the next man thinking of doing something like this.

He will be tried by officers of the military. I don't think they can help but be thinking about what this guy did and could have done. They will want no more of this to happen.

If he were to be tried in a standard federal court of law it would be a completely different matter. But it's not. He may get a lighter sentence, but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't spend the rest of his life behind bars.

10 to 15 max.

I'm curious how you knew the Iraqis killed were innocent from just the video.

Omniscience?

Chances of reduction in time while serving it.

Correct. They have no comprehension of the scale of it or damage it inflicted either. Manning didn't set out to be a whistle blower. He had appropriate military and political means to inform a JAG and or congressmen, all of which is protected. Instead, he set out to inflict the maximum damage he could and, through cold, calculated and thoroughly premeditated means, he wilfully did so. His case should be death qualified and he should, if convicted of Aiding The Enemy, a UCMJ crime that can carry a death sentence, get a death sentence for this.

Written by a person who's never been in the military or comprehends just how much damage this miscreant did. There is absolutely no excuse for what Manning did. Military members, especially lower enlisted ranks, have all kinds of ways, protected ones, to blow a whistle, not the least of which is to the US Congress and his JAG. Manning knew how to blow the whistle, it's part of his military training. Given what he knew, he probably should have gone to his JAG and/or Congressmen.

Doesn't matter how baloney the wars are.

He broke everything he vowed to uphold, and spat on every avenue he was given to be a whistleblower.

does the t in your name stand for tuerd,misspelling intentional.