Unarmed civilians loitering with men who had weapons and had not been indentified as friendly by ground forces working the area

Light em up or die.

Yes, American school children in the terrorist mid-west.

Screw Bradley. He's a traitor. Drop him off a tall bridge.

I do consider him a whistleblower who didn't think of dangers to other people he outed with his release. That may have a penalty but that is about it. But if that has a penalty then get ready to prosecute Dick Cheney over Valerie Plame. Can't have the government using the Patriot Act or other laws intended to keep missions and contacts safe to be used to spare the guilty from prosecution or embarrassment.

Most everyone pleads not guilty, even if they are guilty. He is going to try and get the best deal he can. In the end he should spend the rest of his life in prison. He leaked the classified information, and that is a serious crime. Even if he thought his intentions were honorable, that is not his decision to make.

wasnt the video of the helicopter shooting unarmed civilians?

I think that was the doctored video from "The Running Man", where Schwarzenegger's character was "The Butcher of Bakersfield."

In order for our country to survive as the moral champions of the planet there are things we need to keep quiet. Shooting unarmed civilians is one of those things. When you open your eyes, trust me, reality will still be there.

Unarmed civilians including one of Iraq's leading reporters at the time.
His camera was mistaken for an AK.

An unarmed ambulance was also shot up while the driver attempted to tend to the wounded.

This would be considered an unquestionable war crime if it was not committed by Americans.

I'm just here for the comments...

There are things you really don't want to know about.

Only took him what 2 years to get a plea in on the charges? Most of that time spent in solitary confinement in a military brig.

So much for a speedy trial.

Lets hope Obama treat him better than Bush treated Lindy England and Charles Gardner. Remember the two that bush allowed to be jailed, even though water boarding is not torcher? The republican record of abusing troops is well documented, i hope this administration does better. Judging by some of these posts, the right wing no longer supports the troops. especially when they are in trouble.

Where is the DOJ in prosecuting those Administration officials who released information (some of it CLASSIFIED) on:

• The Pakistani doctor, now in jail for 30 years, who identified the location of Osama bin Laden ?
• The Yemeni double agent ?
• The location of the airfield Israel was going to use for an Iranian air strike ?
• The release of information to Bollywood for making a movie on the bin Laden raid featuring Mr. Obama just prior to the election ?

Nah, the DOJ has been ordered to NOT bring lawsuits against this administration's officials.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

george pauljohn....If yoou have not "served", I would be more than happy to go back on Active Duty for a day to sear you into your "select" branch of serice, however I would reserve the right to "select" your first tour of overseas duty.

Correction:

sear = swear

serice - service

Sorry, my 86 year old spell checker had a miscue.

When you get a clearance, they go over in great detail of the consequences of disclosing classified infomation. He knew the risks.

The other thing is that he released hundreds of thousands of documents. I'm pretty sure he didn't go through each one to make sure information that could be used by the enemy didn't get out. Wikileaks published names of informants which he supplied. He put people's lives at risk. He'll get what he deserves.

@Clotho.....bradley manning was in the "Running Man"?.....oh yeah played the computer geek.

Steve, in other words he was reading Facebook and Twitter posts too much.

That may have a penalty but that is about it. But if that has a penalty then get ready to prosecute Dick Cheney over Valerie Plame.

I guess you didn't know that Richard Armitage was the one who admitted to outing Valerie.....purely by accident.

But of course, let's not let facts enter into your argument.

How many of you know what the Vietnam Pentagon papers are? Look into that before you condemn Bradley Manning. Iraq was a war of choice thet the GWB admin LIED us into... should Darth Cheney, GWB, Donald, "somewat to the east, west north, south of tikrit" Rumsfeld, Karl " I outed Plame" Rove, Condi "Mushroom cloud" Rice not also be prosecuted in a court of law?

"Unarmed Civilians?" HAHAHAHAHAHA! My son witnessed firsthand that most "unarmed civilians" are combatants who simply drop their weapons and walk away. Voila! Civilians!

They cooked the books Fed up, you may want to stop reading ten year old news.

GB and DC should be hung for treason.

What if the crowd did have weapons? They certainly were not brandishing them or threatening anyone. Nobody was endangering US troops or anyone else.

Watch the video on YouTube. It was murder plain and simple.

We should never have gone back to Iraq in the first place. The whole operation was a crime against taxpayers as far as I'm concerned.

Hmmm evidently Pelosi and Reid thought we should... and killing Kurds with nerve gas is a bit more than brandishing...

And Victoria, you mean Pravda here lied??? I'm shocked!! Shocked!!!

He's going to be blowing a lot more than whistles for the next 50 years. Probably what he was shooting for.

I served in both the air force and army. I was disgusted by the way the Army taught soldiers to hate the enemy. At least in the air force they had some compassion.

This kid saw something very wrong going on and decided to blow the whistle on it. While I disagree with the way he handled it, I understand it and do agree that this is a whistleblowing case under the major charges. As far as the other charges, I had access to information I shouldn't have had many times while in the service. If anything, he proved that there was security holes in the present and past systems.

GB and DC were not presenting all the info they had to congress. They knew that the source of the information was unreliable and discredited at a minimum of 3 DAYS BEFORE presenting it to congress.

DC made 8 figures off the war in stock options from Halliburton. Follow the money.
GB made 7 figures off oil stocks. Follow the money.

How many american soldier lives were lost so that those two could make money? How many civilian lives were lost because these two men decided to ignore the Geneva convention?
GB and DC should be hung for war crimes.

Plus in response to an earlier post. Nerve gas used against the Kurds happened before the first war with Iraq. That was the primary reason for the first war. We won, destroyed the factories and stockpiles then moved out. After that there was no more attacks along those lines. Saddam's military was decimated and he had another country hanging on his back ready to invade (Iran) so he had to maintain a facade of military strength to keep them at bay. His sons were the major problem with his rule after the first war. They were murdering idiots protected by him. Just as our country is protecting GB and DC.

An advisor who knew the middle east reported directly to GB senior in the first war and outlined the problems that would happen if we decided to take over the country. Guess what? Everything he said would happen did because GB jr ignored that advice to line his own pocket more. 200k+ died because of it.

This was treason, plain and simple. The little twit should never enjoy freedom again. He was an IS, he may have chosen this occupation as part of a pre-meditated plan to facilitate what he did. It will be interesting if they dig into his pre-military life to see who he was in contact with. I have no sympathy for him at all, but I do feel very sorry for his parents or siblings.

These honorable intentions he is spouting now are revisionist history and an attempt to make himself look better. The reality is that he was upset about being deployed to Iraq and blamed the military for a recent breakup with his gay lover. He released the documents to get even with the military for what he perceived as their poor treatment towards him. He is a treasonous SoB whose actions aided our enemies and got people killed. He admits to illegally releasing classified documents which he knew full well would end up in the hands of our enemies. He deserved to be executed for his actions, but since that is not an option he should spend the rest of his life at hard labor in a military prison.

Marty in Moline:

Thank you for your service and choosing loyalty to your country and the Constitution of the United States over loyalty to the military.

You represent what America should be and are a true patriot.

Marty in Moline:

thank you for your service, however your partisan rhetoric and obvious hate for the previous administration commends me to advise you to 'pull your head out', and quit repeating MSNBC talking points. It's getting a bit tiresome.

@Marty - Saddam's troops were never devastated in the first Gulf war or in his war with Iran. He never committed his best troops into a fight that he couldn't win. Usually his front line troops were people pressed into service with no military skill, sent in to die while the enemy wasted ammunition and his best troops could get into position. This was known to the US during that first war with Iraq and those front line troops were ignored and/or captured with minimum loss of life. It was found out that some of them were even American citizens forced into those regiments.

I served in the military for 20 years under both Republicans and Democrats and have seen much. I no longer believe we live in a Democratic country or that there is a two party system. I think both parties tag-team us, putting on a good show, while they write laws and institute programs for the benefit of the wealthy and every once in a while toss the rest of us a bone and let us lick the water trickling down the walls.

Btw, I reupped into the Army for Desert Storm and had just gotten my orders to go over there when they were cancelle because we were already pulling out. They released me after two more months since there was no need for me to go over and I really didn't want to be in. I figured because of my TOP GUN experience as Battalion Commander for field artillery that was where I would have been most useful. I knew @!$%# about that war that most people did not know. I also maintained contacts with several navy seals I had met and during the search for Osama they had his location three times and GB did not authorize them to go in. At least Obama had the nads to authorize it the first time they found him again.

This kid, regardless of circumstances, is a whistleblower and should be protected from the major charges under those laws. Those of you who say he committed Treason need to check your laws under the UCMJ where it states that a soldier has the right to refuse and report any unlawful commands given... There is however a chain of command that should be followed under this code and the kid didn't follow it. That code is the reason that no one has been found guilty of refusing an order to go to Iraq. Afganistan yes. Iraq no.

notliborcon wrote: "How many of you know what the Vietnam Pentagon papers are? Look into that before you condemn Bradley Manning. Iraq was a war of choice thet the GWB admin LIED us into... should Darth Cheney, GWB, Donald, "somewat to the east, west north, south of tikrit" Rumsfeld, Karl " I outed Plame" Rove, Condi "Mushroom cloud" Rice not also be prosecuted in a court of law?"

I guess since you didn't include Bill Clinton, it was alright with you that he ordered the bombing of Iraq for four days in 1998, called Operation Firefox. Clinton ordered the bombings because "Saddam Hussein is hiding weapons of mass destruction".

As far as the helicopter shooting civilians, you people need to get the facts straight. The helicopter was just ordered to that location because there had just been a firefight there. They circled for several minutes trying to identify who was down there. They were in constant radio contact with headquarters trying to identify the target and deciding if they should shoot or not. The Reuters reporters were going in and out of the building loading things into a van. They had equipment slung over their shoulders that looked like weapons from the perspective of the helicopter. It was a tragedy, but it wasn't some crazy cowboys shooting the place up with no regard like some of the people on here are trying to make it look like.

War is not an exact science.

calmbeforethestorm:

...your partisan rhetoric and obvious hate for the previous administration...

Don't take it so personal. Both administrations could have never ending volumes written about their involvement in these senseless wars.

The way I read Marty's post was to discuss the beginnings of the war, which happened to be Bush and his co-horts doings. Now if you are in agreement with the war, you have reason, although outnumbered by the majority of the American people, to be so sensitive.

...but it wasn't some crazy cowboys shooting the place up with no regard...

You must have missed the hysterical laughter following the shoot 'em up. Disgusting.

And anyone not finding what they did disgusting, belongs in the same league.

Marty, as a former serviceman myself, what does the UCMJ say about aiding an enemy of the US? How about your responsibilites when you receive a security clearance? What about putting your fellow soldiers in harms way by releasing documents intended to stir up a population where you are serving? This kid is a common thief and performed treasonous activities during wartime. What were the unlawful commands given to him that he should have refused or reported? As for your conversations with the seals, I guess you can say or they can tell you whatever you want. Maybe they found Osama while they were destroying the cache of WMDs they found.

@Calm I did not hate GB sr authorization to go in for Desert Storm. I did not hate GB jr for Afganistan. Both were reasonable and miltarilly objective. I do believe that Iraq was only done for the money. GB jr broke the first rule of warfare by going into Iraq, do not fight a two front war. That is pure combat strategy and the only reasonable expanation I can see for GB jr to break that it is to follow the money trail. His actions in starting Iraq broke the constitution and the Geneva convention, get over it. It is true and it is a hanging offense both in the US and the UN.

@TheKhan - I agree with most of what you said but his frontline troops were killed in great numbers and surrendered, but his best troops were killed a bunch because the convoys pulling them back to Bagdad were destroyed by the Air Force. He lost around 1/3 of his Guard troops due to this. He also lost over 90% of his artillery and almost 75% of his Air Force equipment. He lost every factory that had the potential to make toxic war agents. He lost every stockpile of nerve gas through air strikes. The collateral damage during the first war was minimal, amazingly low. You cannot however say that about the second time around.

Debi, 

The way I read Marty's post was to discuss the beginnings of the war, which happened to be Bush and his co-horts doings. Now if you are in agreement with the war, you have reason, although outnumbered by the majority of the American people, to be so sensitive.

I don't dispute the beginnings of the war (although also authorized by a Democratic controlled Congress), I just question the second half of his post where he goes on the 'financial conspiracy theory' rant.

And for your information I'm not sensitive about my position on the war (didn't like the war, just wanted to support our servicemen and women), however I don't choose any of my positions because of what the majority of American people want. Seems to be important to you though.

@Calm What war? These are "military actions" by the way they were started and by the authorization given by congress (after being lied to by GBjr). You are correct in the point that he revealed information that was over 3 months old and realistically had zero effect on the war other than making a few faces in Washington red from embarassment. He also released information that he should not have had access to, but this information also exposed illegal activities done by superiors. (Whistleblowing ta da!) I read a ton of the info and most of it was garbage. I didn't see anything that would compromise any operations that were legal, there was some stuff that was illegal operations exposed however. Most of these were on the African continent.

Unfortunately, many here don't seem to realize that an elected government that says one thing in front of the cameras and does another behind the scenes is the true traitor here. This is our reality - morality turned upside down. Chest beating American patriots who have headaches when they think too much love good old American boys lighting up dark-skinned non-Christians. Call that into question, reveal it for what it is, and you've betrayed Mother America.

My dad taught me to always follow the money whenever something wrong was being done. It is common sense.

The true enemy of the United States soldier are the politicians handing down orders from their ivory towers. Bradley Manning violated a meaningless oath.

Anabanana #1.4, It was Richard Armitage who outed Plame, and as she hadn't been a covert agent for over 10 years, no charges were filed. Scooter Libby was charged and convicted for obstructing justice.

@ Jason Exactly!

Kill him with a drone like Anwar al-Awlaki, this traitor do not deserve to live.

Is he another hero for the left like the ex-cop that killed innocents people in California, in the name of "justice". Tyrants like Castro, killers like Che Guevara, anti-Semites like Staling and Anti-Americans like Moore.

notliborcon Go ahead and try it lib low life. Condi will kick your you know what. Dont mess with Condi she is one bad arse you know what. you need to be waterborarded. To get at thr truth. the truth will set you free.

HANG the @!$%#er like the traitor he is

jason and Marty that is why your generation has no values. oaths do matter honor and duty does matter. OMG I feel nothing but sympathy for y'all.

This kid needs to spend the rest of his life locked up.

Jason,

If the oath was meaningless why did bradley bother to make it?

People in this country have been handfed off the luxery of being American and thus have no spine and no fidelity. Your word is your bond and once given cannot be retracted just because you or another wishes a little slanted fame. I liked this country alot more when a firing line would have been the answer to the breaking of a sworn oath. But then, snout nosed children like you jason would actuallky have to know what real pain is and that I am afriad will not happen especially as you post behind the glass curtain. If jason, you believe the aoth so meaningless why not go to any military base near you and tell all the men and women they are meaningless fools and see how long you stay on your feet.

I guess for many you on here living up to your own freely given oath means nothing. If it serves your point of view you can lie, cheat and steal all you want. Manning took an oath when he enlisted, he gave his word and then broke it. But hey that's okay because it fits in with your point of view. He put peoples lives in danger, but hey that's okay because it fits in with your point of view. I remember back when an oath that you took actually meant something and there would be no one standing up for this guy for breaking it. People talk about how the morals of society have degraded so much, you are looking at one of the reasons why.

Maybe they found Osama while they were destroying the cache of WMDs they found.

Aren't you aware how many times in the past years Osama was in our crosshairs and were ordered to stand down?

I just question the second half of his post where he goes on the 'financial conspiracy theory' rant.

Aren't you also aware most wars are initiated by the powers that make those decisions due to the financial rewards? There is no conspiracy. It's just that when the Bush team got the country all riled up to attack Iraq, based on lies, people were blinded and lost sight of the administration's true goal.

I don't choose any of my positions because of what the majority of American people want.

Neither do I, as I learned just how unpopular my opinion of not going to war against Iraq became when the majority of the sheeple cheered blindly behind Bush and his war profiteers. Now though, the past majority warmongers have changed their tune and can recognize how they were deceived, and continue to be deceived.

I read a ton of the info and most of it was garbage.

That is true. The reason is because he couldn't cherry pick out the important information, so everything was downloaded, including the garbage.

Though most of the cables are boring, an interesting cable has to do with the U.S.'s knowledge of one their private contractor's operating in Afghanistan providing money for so called "bacha bazi" parties, or "Dancing Boys". There was a reporter who wanted to report his investigation and the Afghanistans were worried, but the U.S. basically said to ignore him and he'd go away. Here's the Frontline video:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/

Our taxpayer money was used to pay for adult, Afghanistan men having sex with young boys, and our government did nothing. That is despicable to me.

This country has veered so far away from operating as a Democratic Republic, that "of the people, by the people and for the people" should be redacted from the Gettysburg Address as it no longer defines this country; from the meaningless votes of the people, to the military sovereignty and its silent control (coup d' etat) of our government.

Loyalty to Constitution and country comes before loyalty to the military; otherwise, you are a true traitor.

Manning pled guilty to the lesser charges as he should have. He was honorable in doing so. The major charges do come under whistleblowing laws regardless of where he got the information. That is where the dispute lies.

Yes, he should serve time for the lesser charges. My guess is 4 years. But the major charges he will beat. Levenworth is not a cake walk, it is a B%$#H of a prison. Those 4 years will feel like 20 by the time he gets out.

If the oath was meaningless why did bradley bother to make it?

If asked to take two oaths, one for the Constitution/country of the United States of America, and one for the military, which one takes precedence?

If it's not to the Constitution, renounce your citizenship to the U.S. and sign on for citizenship with the sovereign nation called "the military".

@John QPublic - I was raised during the hippie generation by a hippy mother and a military father, taught to question everything, taught to follow the money, learned to be cynical of the government, learned to support the troops but always try to figure out why major orders were given, was taught military strategy by some of the best minds in the Army including Schwarzcopf whom I drove around many times and discussed military stratgy with, and read many books on various subjects dealing with both the government and military. What have you done? Where did you gain your knowledge from? Fox news? /sigh I have degrees in Computer Science, Sociology, and Pyschology. What knowledge do you have? I can take apart statistics and reform them using social dynamics and power wording to support any position given by any cause I support. What can you do besides blind obedience to a republican based platform?

Get realistic. This kid deserves jail yes, but for the rest of his life? No way.

"From the middle of 2004 to middle of 2005 an analysis found that Vice President Dick Cheney's Halliburton stock options have risen 3,281 percent. Over 8 million dollars in one year." - Quoting a Washington Post story.

This doesn't include 2002-2004 or 2005-present. FOLLOW THE MONEY.

This know it all PFC should be hung but America does not have the testicles to do what is right so at least let him spend his life busting rock.

Get him out of that uniform ASAP!

This know it all PFC should be hung but America does not have the testicles to do what is right so at least let him spend his life busting rock.

Get him out of that uniform ASAP!

Another brainwashed and propagandized military customer who seems to have forgotten his loyalty to the Constitution.

Let me remind you. When you signed your oath upon enlisting, the Constitution was named first, then the President and lastly the military. It was done so neither the President nor the military ever took top billing over the Constitution.

Here's the thing.... Manning did not limit himself to things that could be war crimes. Everyone seems to be forgetting that he took several thousand documents, many which had nothing to do with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If he had limited himself to only those documents that were about the war, he might have a leg to stand on, but Manning blew it.

And military justice is not just about punishment, it is about good military discipline. We simply cannot have soldiers behaving like civilians and disobeying legal orders. If this was an act of civil disobedience, then he should be willing to be punished. Obviously, he and his lawyers know the evidence is copious and clearcut against him - hence the plea deal.

Of all the thousands of Military Personnel handeling "classified info" you can only come up with a PFC on who to Dump On. They make it seem like he broke into the Pentagon and downloaded their golf scores. What secured top secret "keep this under your hat" did he reveal. Rest in Peace Pvt. Ed Slovick.

@Debi-1314897

...but it wasn't some crazy cowboys shooting the place up with no regard...

You must have missed the hysterical laughter following the shoot 'em up. Disgusting.

And anyone not finding what they did disgusting, belongs in the same league."

When you're on the front lines in a war where you shot at and see killings daily get back to us with your PC Bull@!$%#, until then STFU.

@Debi-1314897

This know it all PFC should be hung but America does not have the testicles to do what is right so at least let him spend his life busting rock.

Get him out of that uniform ASAP!

Another brainwashed and propagandized military customer who seems to have forgotten his loyalty to the Constitution.

Let me remind you. When you signed your oath upon enlisting, the Constitution was named first, then the President and lastly the military. It was done so neither the President nor the military ever took top billing over the Constitution."

Are you suggesting that Manny was doing something to protect the Constitution? Please enlighten us.

When you're on the front lines in a war where you shot at and see killings daily get back to us with your PC Bull@!$%#, until then STFU.

It gets real old hearing the excuses of people who lose their decency in order to justify behaving immorally and unethically, and you're a fine example.

Please enlighten us.

An impossibility.

@BP - He was exposing those that WERE NOT upholding the Constitution to the detriment of our soldiers. This is called whistleblowing. Bringing to light crimes done by superiors.

He pled guilty to the manner in which he got the documents which is honorable and true. But exposing those that trampled the Constitution that you are so blatently trying say he didn't try to protect, he did something that cost a major portion of his life actually protecting. Hero no, but someone that who balanced the thought of his life being worth less than exposing those in power that did not believe in what this country was founded on.. Yes.

He knew he would be caught, he could not have made the position he did unless he was intelligent enough to know so. He did it anyway.

BTW. I thought about it for a bit on what I remembered about the part of the UCMJ right to refuse orders. If I remember correctly, you are supposed to report it to the next highest ranking officer. Now, what happens when there is no next highest ranking officer. I.E. the Pres. GB jr. gave the order. Everyone ranks below him but the American People. So the only way to report an illegal order by the President is to go public with it. Welcome to another out for the kid... in addition to the whistleblowing laws.

We also have the conflicts of civilian justice system vs. military justice system. Whistleblowing laws are civilian but federal laws. Now, will the whistleblowing laws supersede the military laws? I imagine if found guilty on even one of the major crimes, this one will be fought out in the supreme court. Interesting case.

When you're on the front lines in a war where you shot at and see killings daily get back to us with your PC Bull@!$%#, until then STFU.

ROFLMA! There are other places besice Iraq/Afganistan where you could see killings daily. Try being in South Central as a white guy in the late 80's early 90's. Had guns pointed at me nearly every day, few rounds occasionally also. Try doing stuff in Detriot in the mid 90's and seeing people shot everyday. Give it a rest. Police in any city in the US with a high mci see this crap daily and are probably in worse danger than the avg US soldier. (I did a statistical report on this using an analsys of Detriot vs. US military. Detroit won as the greatest chance of being killed)
Welcome to the front lines Detroit.

@Diffrent - have you ever done a hard drive dump? Writing the software to parse crap out is a mofo even if you know what you are doing. I cannot imagine this kid even beginning to understand how to do this, let alone trying to do it in any kind of rush. Then you have to optimize each pass to find the data you are looking for. Standard search software might be able to do some of what you might want, but what if you are mixing data types like docx, html, and pdfs? It becomes a total disaster.

Copared to the federal government what this boy did amounts to a fart in the wind.

men loitering with guns, hmm, sounds like a tea party rally, bythe way, Dick Cheney's Haliburton stock went up 3000% in 2005 from 1.2 million to over 120 million. Oh the sacrifices of public service that GB and DC made to serve our country (LMFAO). One other thing, why hasn't Darell Issa launched an investigation into Dick's war profiteering? Why did Dick escape prosecution for outing CIA operatives?

Tokenflame,

Obama's net worth has increased 10x to almost $10+millon, in the last 4+years...

Congress has INCREASED their net worth by an average of 5%, while the US Citizen's DECREASED by 38%, during this fiscal melt-down. Some people in Congress have DOUBLED their net worth...

Of the Top Ten richest Congress men/women, EIGHT are Democrats, with Kerry leading the pack...

BTY - 1. George Bush's oil company went BANKRUPT while he was in office...

2. It was Richard Armitage who outed Plame, not Dick Cheney...

Tie him to a post, last cigarette, blindfold, Ready! Aim! Fire!!! This traitor was a PFC, not a Commissioned Officer, none of these things were his call, what his duty was, is to follow the last order given, unless that order can be considered morally wrong. In the case of an incorrect order, he had the option to with all due respect to the Officer giving the order, appeal it to the next higher ranking Officer in his chain of command. That is what is in the AR's. Not being a Commissioned Officer, this individual would have not undergone intensive education on asymmetrical warfare, not understanding that in this type of combat, civilian populations can be considered a threat. In the Nam it was common practice for the opposing forces to employ children as weapons, approaching soldiers begging for food or candy, then when within effective range, detonate explosive devices. Not much has changed with that, except the age of the participants. In asymmetric warfare, all enemy resources should be considered infrastructure, including the population. That makes everything with the exception of civilian food supply, which is protected under the Geneva Convention as amended in 1977, usable supplies or weapons which can be utilized against an enemy. There are valid reasons for having the chain of command, and these don't include personal opinion. This makes that individual's personal opinion irrelevant, he knew protocol, and ignored it, placing his fellow soldiers in harm's way, which is inexcusable.

He wont last long in any military prison. Most of those guys dont take kindly to traitors.

Fed up....

Sadddam had NO WMDs!!! Do you really believe that "Saddam's WMDs" exist AND are showing up in syria? Don't you think that Georgy would have gone on EVERY SINGLE Fox news program to tout that he "found WMDs in Iraq"? I can't believe that you truly think Saddam had WMDs and if you truly do then every single thing you say is suspect.
Yes, the dems on Congress voted to go into iraq because they were given intelligence reports that were hand picked by the Bush inner circle. Don't try to pin Bush's war of revenge and OIL on the dems when it is VERY clear that GWB lied to the American people willfully and should be brought up on charges of treason and have all of his money and family's money taken to offset the cost to the American TAXPAYER.

AC Robertson-2414093

doesn't compare to Dick Cheney's Haliburton stock increasing in value by 3,000%. In 2005 his stock rose from being worth 1.2 million to over 120 million, not 5% not by 10, Bush's oil company did not go bankrupt while he was president, Armitage may have been the instrument, Cheney was the mastermind, along with Rove.

Marty, and that's the problem. He just took stuff willy-nilly, therefore, he knew what he was doing was NOT whistleblowing, it was a fit of pique.

Saddam haf WMD's and used them on his people. He was hung for that. REMEMBER?

How do you know how much money Cheney made on Halliburton stock or even if he had any?

Tokenflame - Do not let these FACTS get in the way of your beliefs...

07/25/00 — Dick Cheney sold 100,000 shares of stock in Halliburton, the oil services and construction conglomerate that he heads, last month for an estimated $5.1 million, according to documents he filed with the government.

Cheney, chief executive officer of the Dallas-based company, held options before the sale on 229,000 shares. His last Haliburton yearly salary payment was defered, into five equal yearly payments during the following years..

The Securities and Exchange Commission requires officers, directors and major shareholders of publicly traded companies to disclose when they buy or sell company stock, so the public can be informed of what company insiders are doing...

That still would leave the possibility that Cheney could profit from his remaining Halliburton stock options if the company's stock rises in value. However, Cheney and his wife Lynne have assigned any future profits from their stock options in Halliburton and several other companies to charity. And we're not just taking the Cheney's word for this -- we asked for a copy of the legal agreement they signed, which we post here publicly for the first time.

The "Gift Trust Agreement" the Cheney's signed two days before he took office turns over power of attorney to a trust administrator to sell the options at some future time and to give the after-tax profits to three charities. The agreement specifies that 40% will go to the University of Wyoming (Cheney's home state), 40% will go to George Washington University's medical faculty to be used for tax-exempt charitable purposes, and 20% will go to Capital Partners for Education, a charity that provides financial aid for low-income students in Washington, DC to attend private and religious schools.

The agreement states that it is "irrevocable and may not be terminated, waived or amended," so the Cheney's can't take back their options later... see article - .factcheck.org/kerry_ad_falsely_accuses_cheney_on_halliburton.html

notliborcon,

Some of us were there and have friends that are still suffering from the destruction of Saddam's nerve agents. The US Army destroyed a munitions dump south of Baghdad and did not inform the USMC troops DOWN-WIND prior to the explosion...

Saddam was CONVICTED & HANGED for his part in gassing hundreds of thousands of people. You really think he ran-out prior to 2003???

@John Q Public-6353273 - Fine, that's how you see it, but I don't understand what version of American history you're reading, because the one that exists as objective fact is a broken record of our leadership betraying the very ideals that we are presumed to promote. Maybe you say, well, you fight for those ideals, the politicians come and go, but the ideals have to mean something. They do - until a nation decides that they're exempt from conforming to the substance of those ideals. The only way you can keep going 'rah rah go Team America' after reading Wikileaks and being awake for the last 40 years is, imho, by believing in American exceptionalism. There's nothing particularly special about us. Just another empire.

The values you are defending stop at the end of your nose. It's an illusion, a construct designed to keep you serving, blind, and quiet.

@Lore&Wisdom - Yes, I will do that right now. I will wade into a base full of people and tell them I think their purpose in life has no meaning. Of course, I wouldn't be on my feet right now. Thanks for the observation.

Can you tell me exactly what American soldiers have died and are dying for in the Middle East? Can you tell me how their senseless loss of life protects my way of life in any appreciable way? The last war this nation fought that it had ANY business being involved with was WWII. I won't honor the lie that we're all complicit in that says American soldiers are always fighting for the right cause and safeguarding our freedoms because it's. just. not. true. And if you can't honor my opinion, that's your problem and flaw, because you'll blabber all day about how great America is and then deny a dissenting opinion the most basic of our national rights.

I can attest to such a betrayal.

While serving in the Marines I was put into a position where my roomate was selling pot in the barracks and after allowing his to use my car to go home one weekend like I did many times for him he returned on a Sunday saying that someone in the barracks had bought some pot and had renigged on the deal. I told him to make it disappear and nothing would be said.

His only remark was "Possession is 9/10th's of the law."

I should have turned him in right there on the spot. But he was short and would be getting out in a month or so so I figured why ruin the rest of his life.

If he was stupid enough to be selling pot then life on the outside would eventually catch up with him.

I searched my car for about a week and found nothing but got pulled over and was charged with possession of marijuana and discharged with an other than honorable discharge, not the dishonorable discharge that the other idiots spread lies about after I returned.

My lawyer told me that if he didn't confess to the pot being his that I could face harsher charges.

Even though I bear the burden of the crime he and the others involved will always remember when they think back about when they first signed up to join the Corps that it actually meant something will always remember that their service meant nothing and that THEY will always wear an EGA with broken eagles wings and a non-existant banner in the beak of the eagle.

I can tell you to train hard for that EGA (Eagle Globe and Anchor) and then have it taken away by someone who you were told to entrust without question with your life and his with you does something to a person.

Private Manning should be hung because he has not only betrayed the confidence and trust of his commanding officers and the men and women of his unit but the entire American nation as a whole.

When Private Manning wakes up everyday he needs to feel that he has let every American down regardless of his motivations.

His releasing classified information is nothing short of spitting on the flag and wiping his ass with it while he wears the uniform of the Army.

A uniform that means Americans has entrusted him to protect them while they sleep....not release classified information that could lead to the deaths of military personel and civilians alike.

Men women and children didn't die fighting to free this country just so some traitor can make a name for him by sucking on the tit of the media.

So if you had evidence of crimes that violated the gineava convention, or that your superiors were in violation of the Constitution, you wouldnt stop it?

So if you had evidence of crimes that violated the gineava convention, or that your superiors were in violation of the Constitution, you wouldnt stop it?

Shut up. Hang the twerp.

There are many "safety release valves" available to a servicemember who believes he/she has information that should be reported.

This SOLDIER made no effort to use "proper channels" for his perceived wrongdoing. He KNOWINGLY released information to unauthorized personnel.

Period.

Take his plea, give him his Dishonorable, and be done with the scum. Let him apply for ANY position for which he is trained. Good luck.

In fact, I know he didn't do what he did to aid the enemy. He did what he did, because he was a NOW generation immature brat thinking of nothing other than making a point (and buying into the whole premise of Wiki-Leaks.)

Honor means not having to be watched.

Discipline means maturity, not stupidity.

Loyalty does not mean putting others in danger. (This is the "unforgivable" for us veterens.)

Bravery ALSO means standing up and being accountable for one's actions. (I speak from experience. :) )

Unfortunate that he had no concept and screwed up. Listen up, kids...it's time to grow up.

He did what he did, because he was a NOW generation immature brat thinking of nothing other than making a point (and buying into the whole premise of Wiki-Leaks.)

Bingo! Its nothing but immaturity, getting caught up in the whole "hacktivism" fad.

Dwighthuth, Marine Corp for me as well (early 80's). Plenty of stories somewhat similar for me, but never a blatant betrayal like this case.

Retired Corpsman here. Best years in the Navy were my years with the Corp.

dWIGHT: I was in the exact situation, but he never got caught...

And I hate to say it...your mistake is letting someone use your car, knowing his habits...

Still the RAWest deal I've heard in a while. And check this...(there are sooo many B.S. artists on the boards, I immediately wonder if a story is tru).

Your story is too real to not be true.

Sad, but true. Thanx guys for your service.

Simmons of course he wouldn't stop it if he didn't do it for a low level guy who was breaking the law he is not going to put his ass on the line to stop someone who could really do him some damage.

Honor means not having to be watched

too bad you don't apply that to the guys over there that are really breaking our laws.

Men women and children didn't die fighting to free this country just so some traitor can make a name for him by sucking on the tit of the media

we are also not suppose to be dieing just to increase the shareholders profits and that is a treasonous failure at all our highest levels and we should really be looking into that instead of this , he was a whistle blower and he should be falling under that protection.

Maybe some of you should go back to school???

TFNJ, STFU, You are not big enough to tell others to shut up... To be a bully on these vines, you have to have done something that give you credibility. You do not have it...

You shut up too. To be a bully on these vines, I have to know how to bully people. And I'm huge.

Look at travalers writing. Barely an education, but providing his opinion on such a deep topic. Can't even spell his name right. You are in real good company tex, real good company.

travaler- How could he be a whistle blower when he released around 400,000 documents. Do you really think he knew what was in them? It would have been different if he had taken the video of the Apache incident and pushed it up and if necessary, over, his chain of command to have action taken against those responsible. But leaking it to an outside organization without making an attempt to do the right things takes away any whistle blower protection he might have been entitled.

Tom, Manning DID contact the washignton post, new york times and Politico before giving the afghan & iraq war logs to wikileaks. Get your facts before you comment & MISINFORM

Tom, Manning DID contact the washignton post, new york times and Politico before giving the afghan & iraq war logs to wikileaks.

WHA?????? me thinks you miss the point... err... wow

oh please enlighten, me thinks

LOL dude, He doesn't mean inform a different news agency, he means inform his superiors. Dam man!!!

lol he did inform his superiors first

For those of you who say he should have gone through channels; Why would the military be any better at policing itself against war crimes as it is at policing itself against sexual assaults against solders?

The only thing that should be "sparked" is the chair he sits in. If charges were/are to be brought against anyone for a war crime (which Manning claims), then proper channels ARE available to go through. However, leaking thousands upon thousands of documents, some as ordinary as toilet paper, others as damning as the alleged videos, to outsiders, is not in his venue, nor did he have the rights or permission to do so. It's treason. The information has endangered our people, even if it's only through rumor, and Manning knew it. He did it for his own reasons, and it took him this long to dream up an excuse. Spark that chair with him in it.

Hummmmm ...Does anyone else get the distinct impression that many of these post are from paid "puppets" here to promote a particular purpose?

I do ... and who do you think is paying them?

I can attest to such a betrayal.

While serving in the Marines I was put into a position where my roomate was selling pot in the barracks

I'm sorry, but I fail to see any comparison between your situation and that of a man who saw innocent civilians being killed. Not having the courage to report your roommate to your superiors and, in fact, covering for him is like hardly comparable. Manning saw innocent people being murdered and did have the courage to speak up, albeit, perhaps through the wrong channels. I consider him to be a whistle blower and, as such, he is entitled to certain protections from prosecution. I, for one, believe a courageous man with a conscience is admirable.

I have to agree with wolf, you let someone you knew was dealing in illegal substances use your car, you knew they were selling it on base (am thinking you make up wild tales for popularity, too bad you made yourself the ass) and didn't turn covers. The oath to protect each brother and sister in the Corps is not to cover up and those whom you knew were buying were in jeapordy. Whetehr I agree with pot being illegal or not, the law still does and you allowed your fellow marines to purchase their way into harm and did nothign about it. Seems you are a traitor to the oath of fidelity.

As for this soldier being considered by some a hero, you idiots probably don't know that there are several dozen congressional commitees trying to put the other half of the goverment into the noose, those channels are open to soldiers who have proof of rampant misconduct and yet bradley used anonymous postings to spread vital information where foreign enemies could obtain it. Why do americans have to be so ignorant as to wait until it is one of their own blood killed to despise treason.

For those above who describe the Washington Post and other news outlets as proper channels....never been in the military, have ya'?????

And for those who think using the chain-of-command first is useless, obviously also not military.

If the chain is used and soldier is not satisfied...the Chain of Command goes all the way to the Commander in Chief. Every soldier has a family, a state of residence and senators and congressmen.

Those are the appropriate alternate methods....people who have a concept of classified information; unlike news sources who care less about who may get hurt....so long as they get their story.

Well, where did that "like" come from in my comment above?! Apparently, I am not, like, very good at, like, editing my comments on here. It's, like, time for bed! Oy vey!

chain of command doesn't seem to be working very well for rape victims in the military, wonder why? While we're on the subject of chain of command issues, how did that chain work in reporting the actual circumstances of Pat Tillman's death? Chain of command, I've seen it up close and personal, and its design allows criminals to escape justice.

Tokenflame--Did Manning even try to use the chain of command? Or did he just do his own thing and just let the chips fall where they may? I believe the latter. The chain of command is not perfect, but it is the first resort, and it is REQUIRED to be used. It's not an OPTION. Since Manning believes himself to be in total command, hence his actions, and his actions were his own decision, then the consequences of his actions should fall squarely on his shoulders, not diverted to "what ifs" and "what could have been."

Zapper, still doesn't change the fact that the chain of command is a procedure that defies justice, commanders quite frequently squash any forwarding efforts because they don't want a negative to be reflected on their "command" performance, "oh no, we don't have a (insert here) Rape, Discipline, Drug, etc. problem.

The rapes that are taking place in the military are unacceptable and the fact that these cases are silenced at the sources demonstrate that another procedure must take its place, when commanders do not follow through on these cases the whole organization is shamed.

There are channels outside the chain of command. Even so, he should have gone the right way first. He could have always chosen a different route later. He chose to raise as large a @!$%# storm as he could. He acted like a child.

or he acted like a responsible adult and reported the crimes being committed. Its amazing to me that the only war crimes ever committed are by the forces opposing the U.S. Take George Bush and Dick "the war will pay for itself" Cheney, they grab intelligence that puts a positive face on an international crime they are about to commit and viola, they were only moving on the credible intelligence they had on hand. Their actions were against international law, their invasion a war crime, over 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives during the invasion and immediate follow up and for what?

id rather give him a medal and use the firing squad for those who really put American troops in harms way for no good reason.

Yeah, Hillary and Obozo come to mind with Bengazi

Rontron,

That might not be a bad idea, but he will probably get off now with just 50 years in prison instead of 100 years. 50 years plus a dishonorable discharge when he finishes his time. He'll get off light now that he pleaded guilty.

Mickey,

Do not be so sure, firstly he has opened the path for heavier convictions by pleading guilty without any conditions and thus will be a far easier target for convictions on higher level crimes. Plus, in good military traditions, the absolute outcome will not be for general populace, as it should be. Spoiled weak spinned americans really have no need or right to know what the military does seeing as you all cannot even rationalize the thousand innocent people this crass bastard's postings put in jeapordy, including places like benghazi. Maybe you might begin to realize why your goverment doesn't trust idiots like 'Fed-up' with sensitive information.

If there had been a Private Manning during President Johnson's administration, there would not have been a Vietnam War where 58,000 good Americans died.

and our UCMJ is in a serious need of updating and overhaul. as long as article 134 is still in there, our soldiers have no real justice.

Umm, to what version of the UCMJ are you referencing? Article 22 discusses who may convene a General Court-Martial (as compared to Special or Summary Courts-Martial under Articles 23 and 24 respectively).

If you're going to charge someone criminally under the UCMJ, you would cite to one of the "punitive articles" running from Article 77 (Principals) through Article 134 (the "General Article").

no he was protecting them by trying to inform the rest of the citizens in this country of crimes committed in our name.

A better question I've wanted answered is why a private had access to secret diplomatic communications. Yeah he shouldn't have done what he did, but he shouldn't have had that kind of access to begin with.

No he wasn't travaler. He was pissed off at the military because he's gay and the military came between him and his boyfriend. He did it to strike out. He only claimed to be a whistleblower later.

If he were a true whistleblower, he should have used the channels provided for military whistleblowers. He didn't. He went straight to the press. Most of them realized they didn't want to touch his info. Wikileaks felt they were sufficiently protected from our court system to publish he stuff. Everyone else knew it would be wrong to print this stuff.

Yeah, anyone in the military can go talk to the Inspector General... it's the military's version of an Ombudsman

Pragmatic- He was a Specialist (E-4) when he did his deed, but that really doesn't matter. I know many Privates that have security clearances and their jobs require them to have access to SIPRNET. What I don't understand is how he had access to diplomatic cables. I've spent many hundreds of hours on SIPR and have yet to come across any diplomatic/State Department items. I wasn't aware the State Department operated on SIPR, I figured they had their own network or used special encryption for this very reason. I wouldn't want my dirty laundry floating about on a network that a bunch of bored Soldiers were surfing, because they WILL find it.

Hmm. So since the US is 73% white you were only taking about a 1 in 4 risk. What a ballsy prediction!

Listen up, you'll here it here first: the next Pope will be an unmarried Catholic under 80!

John-2316748: I've got a news flash for you and everybody else- this countries government was sold many years ago,and continues to be to this very day. And that includes most all republicans and democrats and yes even our presidents. You all better start doing some serious searching for the truth,yes its out there just behind the trees and bushes. all you're doing is wasting your time here on gov. bought and payed for media sites like msn and all major media ! START with a search on Illuminati or the two richest families in america or conspiracy zone. I'm not a conspiracy nut but have read some very interesting articles there that my gut feelings tell me are more true than what the national media are reporting . What have you got to loose if you're already wasting time here? I DARE YOU TO, COME ON GET SOME GUTS, BALLS ,BRAINS AND VENTURE AWAY FROM GOVERNMENT MEDIA SOURCES

like Reagan did with our satellites or Clinton did with our subs. leave the little fish alone and go after the whales who do the real damage.

Our government is not corrupt. Individuals who are corrupt do corrupt things. And when people decide to write their own rules you get chaos not order. It concerns me that young people think rules are made to be broken and they can do anything they want if for a good reason. IMO that is a terrible attitude to have. No one could ever be trusted with that attitude and who wants to deal with a country that no one can trust? There is a right way to proceed and this was not the way. Unless you want to go straight to jail. And what did it help anyone?

Obama is half-white;maybe that's why he's only doing a half-A$$ed job of it.

actually he upheld his oath by protecting us from some domestic criminals who were way out of line.

article 78-“Any person subject to this chapter who, knowing that an offense punishable by this chapter has been committed, receives, comforts, or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial, or punishment shall be punished as a court-martial may direct

actually he upheld his oath by protecting us from some domestic criminals who were way out of line.

article 78-“Any person subject to this chapter who, knowing that an offense punishable by this chapter has been committed, receives, comforts, or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial, or punishment shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

Pretty obtuse interpretation... he broke the UCMJ... knowingly...

If his intent was to protect anybody, he could have gone to the IG.. instead he committed felonies...

i disagree he was a whistle blower

article 78-“Any person subject to this chapter who, knowing that an offense punishable by this chapter has been committed, receives, comforts, or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial, or punishment shall be punished as a court-martial may direct

No, he was a whiny little crybaby who threw a tantrum and decided to strike out at his tormentors. He acted like a 4 year old.

no he was protecting the country by reporting the real bad guys.

By endangering numerous intelligence agents? You're an idiot...

Oh yes.... by leaking diplomatic cables and confidential informants alike... hes such a good guy for reporting the 'real bad guys'.

No, this guy is NOT a Whistle Blower... He was a coward who got his hands on files and shared them. He's a treasonous dog and needs to be taken care of lick a sick, diseased animal.

Hope he rots in Jail at Leavenworth, he deserves nothing less.

Almost ALL Military Officers have a Secret Clearance. Most receive this when they are 23 years old...

Most technical SNCOs have a Secret Clearance after their Advanced MOS training, they become SNCO around mid 20's...

The average age in the US Military is around 20. Different MOSs have different security requirements due to their access to needed equipment/publications...

He VIOLATED his Oath and his security regulations... Let him spend a LONG TIME in JAIL...

There are LEGAL ways to bring attention to VIOLATIONS, available to EVERYONE...

BTY - 26+USMC & held a clearance for decades...

finally a intelligent comment.

Speaking of intelligent, what does travaler mean?

It means traveler was already taken, douche!

or.... he is as 'ignert" as he seems. Look at his posts above. douche. If you had let him answer, maybe you would have his answer. Dummy. He would have said "cause I am a travaler from many couties and landses"

i agree Ricardo

discorodeo and TFNJ are just a couple of self supporting LGBT trolls high five'n each other

Ricardo is absolutely right. The main stream media long ago abdicated its responsiblity to inform the public. If they had simply challenged the B.S. emanating from D.C. the country may not be in the current mid east quagmire. But what the heck, war is good for ratings. We love to see things being blown up.

only troll here i see is the one trying to call someone a troll im stating an opinion ._. im not a troll just saying what im seeing

LUKE WAS RIGHT traveler was taken lol

Yeah, that makes sense.... NOT!!! Make yourself look dumb because a word was taken, as if that word is so important to have??? Do you think I was born yesterday?? LOL

I'm not as naïve as some of your buddies posting here. You could have obviously thought of another name, or just reached for your nearest thesaurus is traveler was so important. DUHHHHHHHH

and Regan selling our satellite tech to china or Clinton selling our sub tech to china

go after the whales who do the real damage.

Well Reagan is dead, but we could still string Mr "I did not have sex with that woman" up

All branches of the armed forces teach these men and women to fight and kill, they are protecting us and our country. That said, our military needs to teach these young people better, a week of training will not do. To much time and money is being spent training the enemy.

Travler- - No one put our Americian troops in harms way. Our wonderful, heroic men and women, choose to enlist to protect us, not the enemy. All of you so called supporters for Manning who think he did the right thing will end up in the same hole with a sign, "traitors".

Where is Bev? I'm pretty sure I know!

Have you seen the entire video? Because after the helicopter ground troops arrive and evac the children. Here's the thing. If you allow your family to be with you while conducting terrorist operations, you are the one responsible. Oh, and the incident was already under investigation.

Twisted Left - there were no terrorist operations, just a Reuters photog and then some good hearted locals who were trying to evac the wounded.

The children lost a good man - their father. And you have the gall to call them terrorists?

If the children weren't "terrorists" before we killed their father I would expect that they are now. And support that.

What is that, homegrown logic? Sorry, your logic has no bearing upon reality except in your own mind. Manning is not in the same league as Bush and it is not odumbo prosecuting him, it is the US Army. Bush was not and is not subject to the military justice system, Manning is....

AND, Pelosi and Reid voted to spend the money to go to war based on the same intel briefing that Bush got... and moron, there's documented proof that Saddam's brother, "Chemical Ali" nerve gassed Kurds in northern Iraq... so no false pretenses... except in your tiny little mind....

Am I to believe that none of you people calling for his death are christians?

In my case, you'd be correct. Hang the fool.

So he should be lynched because he released government secrets?

Why should a government need secrets at all? If we didn't have our military tentacles spread across nearly every continent in the world, if we didn't decide to overthrow other governments, if we would only act peacefully we would have no secrets to hide. In calling for Manning's murder you are supporting this very system, and how can we possibly be an informed electorate if the government is keeping secrets from us?

I served proudly, and was involved in things that I'm not supposed to repeat. Do I need to tell you what they were? Does that change anything in your life? No, it doesn't. I took an oath, raised my hand, and fulfilled my mission.

Not everyone has enough of a backbone I guess. He gets what he deserves. Manning isn't an electorate, he is a government military employee.

It should be documented and made public any time civilians are killed in by the United States.

TFNJ,

I thank you for your service, but you're part of the problem.

Blind loyalty without understanding purpose, morals, and integrity is wasted, and ripe for ill use.

If you saw fellow servicemen killing unarmed civilians and your superiors deemed it 'classified' and you said nothing to uphold your 'oath', I'd ask for your hanging first infront of the men directly responsible.

Your actions are more of a danger to a nation and to your fellow human beings then anything perpetrated by evil people. The way you portray your 'oath' is amoral by your own words. Civilization can withstand the evils of men, because it can identify those evils and actively fight against them. Civilization is decayed and destroyed by amorality, because it loses the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Try reflecting on that a while before you wrap yourself in the flag and your prior service. The men who founded this country pleaged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. The way you view your 'oath' craps all over that honor.

There is a BIG difference between reporting a war crime or crime and disclosing classified information. As a former Army Intelligence Specialist I can tell you we got hours and hours of training to know the difference and how to report crimes... Had Manning just released the tape, he might be okay, but he leaked a lot more. He betrayed his country and should be hung. Stupidity is no excuse.

Good post CNIHT!

I can make up a story too, but it doesn't make it a good post. He held his hand up and took an oath. He later changed his mind cause he was gay.

I'd like to see someone like you in a battlefield situation, where you are counting on your fellow serviceman for backup and support. You'd change that silly story really quick. Or you will be killed soon after.

Bunch of pansies living with mom claiming the government is out to get them. Get out of the house and pay bills and go to work. Stop believing internet bull@!$%#.

Twisted,

In part I agree with you. There were probably somethings that should not have gotten out. However, those 'diplomatic cables' and that video are not 'those things'. The first mentioned just makes everyone realize how big of an ass our diplomatic corps people really are, the second should have lead to criminal charges filed against people.

You will notice no one responsible for either the classification of that video, nor the people who knew of the video or were responsible for the direct actions that happened on that video have been brought up on charges. This is where the government's case rings hollow, and why Manning's release of said video, the most 'damning' of things he did release, starts getting a lot of weight toward being justified. The military is not cleaning its own house, so he had to go 'outside' the house. I assure you that argument is going to come up in the trial, and given the recent documentary this year about sexual assault in the military based on true stories and accounts (which is of itself directly unrelated to this case) it's going to be real easy for people to see a pattern of bad behavior by the brass of our armed forces.

tfng, YOU can make up a story and you haven't had a good post. His being gay has NOTHING to do with why he released this material. IT WAS HIS CONSCIENCE that motivated him..

i prefer to stick to facts

Disco*****

Read the original things he stated. He was upset because his boyfriend had broken up with him and the military wouldn't let him come to America to try to fix things.

That's the facts.

cunicle, please provide the source of your statement because that seems that is just your opinion

Dear god discordeo, can't you just research yourself???

"He was by all accounts unhappy and isolated. Because of the army's "don't ask, don't tell" policy (known as DADT and repealed in September 2011), he was not allowed to be openly gay, though he apparently made no secret of it; his friends said he kept a fairy wand on his desk. When he told his roommate he was gay, the roommate responded by suggesting they not speak to each other. His working conditions – 14–15 hour night shifts in a dimly lit secure room – did not help his emotional well being.^[25] On December 20, 2009, after being told he would lose his one day off a week for being persistently late, he overturned a table in a conference room, damaging a computer that was sitting on it, and in the view of one soldier looked as though he was about to grab a rifle from a gun rack, before his arms were pinned behind his back. Several witnesses to the incident believed his access to sensitive material ought to have been withdrawn at that point. The following month, he began posting on Facebook that he felt alone and hopeless.^[26]

Army investigators told a pre-trial hearing (see below) that they believed Manning downloaded the Iraq and Afghan war logs around this time, in January 2010. WikiLeaks tweeted on January 8 that year that they had obtained "encrypted videos of US bomb strikes on civilians," and linked to a story about the May 2009 Granai airstrike in Afghanistan. During the same month, Manning traveled to the United States via Germany for a two-week holiday, arriving on January 24, and attended a party at Boston University's hacker space. It was during this visit that Manning first lived for a few days as a woman, dressing in women's clothes, wearing a wig and going out. After his arrest, his former partner, Tyler Watkins, told Kevin Poulsen of Wired that Manning had said during the January visit that he had found some sensitive information and was considering leaking it.^[27]

[edit] Loss of rank and recommended discharge

Manning told Lamo he passed the Baghdad helicopter attack ("Collateral murder") video to WikiLeaks shortly after this incident, in February 2010. In April, just as WikiLeaks published the video, Manning sent an e-mail to his master sergeant, Paul Adkins, saying he was suffering from gender identity disorder and attaching a photograph of himself dressed as a woman. Captain Steven Lim, Manning's commander, said he first saw the e-mail after Manning's arrest – when information about hormone replacement therapy was found in his room in Baghdad – and learned that Manning had been calling himself Breanna.^[28] Manning told Lamo that his commander had found out about the gender issue before his arrest, after looking at his medical files at the beginning of May. He said he had set up Twitter and YouTube accounts in Breanna's name to give her a digital presence, writing in the Lamo chat: "i wouldn't mind going to prison for the rest of my life, or being executed so much, if it wasn't for the possibility of having pictures of me ... plastered all over the world press ... as [a] boy ... the CPU is not made for this motherboard ..."^[29]

On April 30 he posted on Facebook that he was utterly lost, and over the next few days that "Bradley Manning is not a piece of equipment," that he was "beyond frustrated," and "livid" after being "lectured by ex-boyfriend despite months of relationship ambiguity ..." On May 7 he seemed to spiral out of control. According to army witnesses, he was found curled into a fetal position in a storage cupboard, with a knife at his feet, and had cut the words "I want" into a vinyl chair. A few hours later he had an altercation with a female intelligence analyst, Specialist Jihrleah Showman, during which he punched her in the face. The brigade psychiatrist recommended a discharge, referring to an "occupational problem and adjustment disorder." His master sergeant removed the bolt from his weapon, and he was sent to work in the supply office, though at this point his security clearance remained in place. He was demoted from Specialist to Private First Class just two days before his arrest on May 26.^[30]

Ellen Nakashima writes that, on May 9, Manning contacted Jonathan Odell, a gay American novelist in Minneapolis, via Facebook, leaving a message that he wanted to speak to him in confidence; he said he had been involved in some "very high-profile events, albeit as a nameless individual thus far." On May 19, according to army investigators, he e-mailed Eric Schmiedl, a mathematician he had met in Boston, and told him he had been the source of the "Collateral Murder" video. Two days later, he began the series of chats with Adrian Lamo that led to his arrest.^"

This is wikipedia source. Anybody can edit the text. Is this all you know about Manning, from Wikipedia?

Again, you are just trying to discredit him by throwing out that he is gay, like that has anything to do with his motivation for releasing war logs.

He will be explaining why he did what he did today to a judge. Will you feel like an ass if he repeats that he felt cornered because of his gayness?

There is also a book stating the same thing.

Discorodeo - search NBC's archives. Their early articles covered this. It's just like everyone else has been telling you but you refuse to believe and refuse to check. A clear sign that you have your head firmly planted in the sand.

He was a whiny little crybaby who was angry at the military for DADT, had a fight with his boyfriend and decided to lash out. Whistle blowing had nothing to do with what he did. He threw a tantrum - plain and simple.