This morning, a military judge sentenced Pfc. Bradley Manning, to 35 years in prison for Wiki-leaking some 700,000 classified government documents.
Manning originally faced up to 90 years in prison after being convicted last month on numerous charges, including violating the Espionage Act, embezzlement of government property and sharing the documents while serving as an intelligence analyst in Iraq.
The military had asked Judge Col. Denise Lind for a sentence of 60 years in order to “send a message to any soldier contemplating stealing classified information,” according to military prosecutor Capt. Joe Morrow.
However, Manning’s defense attorney David Coombs (successfully) painted the 25-year-old, baby-faced whistleblower as a well-intentioned soldier dealing with isolation and gender identity disorder. Last week, a picture of Manning dressed in a wig, wearing lipstick and women’s clothing surfaced on the internet.
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In an apology before the court earlier this month, Manning admitted that he was “dealing with a lot of issues” at the time, perhaps hinting at his attempts to come to grips with his gender identity disorder. Manning had confided in his superiors regarding his “problem”, as he described the photo of him in women’s attire, in April 2010 — he leaked the first documents in February of that year. Manning had said he hoped the military would effectively cure him.
While his mental state doesn’t completely justify his actions, Manning’s superior officer, Capt. Michael Worsley, acknowledged the lack of support Manning received and the pressure he must have felt being such a “hyper-masculine environment” — adding that it “would have been difficult to say the least.”
According to The Washington Post , Manning will “receive a credit of 1,293 days for the time he has been confined prior to the sentence, including 112 days of credit for abusive treatment he was subjected to at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va.” He will have to serve one-third of his sentence before he’s eligible for parole.
BJ McFrisky
A shame this kid threw his life away over something that never benefitted him.
balehead
35 years seems fair..he’ll be out in 10…..
2eo
Sad, so sad how far the government has fallen, for all the promises of protection, equality and fairness they resort to show trials, rendition and outright murder to stay in power.
Manning is one of the very few people in the military who acted out of conscience, to show what they are doing in our name, and he’s being punished by a kangaroo court for trying to make people accountable to the citizens of the nation.
A sorry indictment for America, yet another indication the once superpower is showing its age, the desperation of the machine to silence all critics marches on under the jackboot of the NSA, GCHQ and who knows what other shadow organisations treating us all as terrorists.
Kangol
A tragedy that he’s being punished for revealing the truth of what our government is up to.
Meanwhile the war criminals who lied us into the Iraq War, leading to the deaths of 4000+ US and coalition soldiers, 100,000+ Iraqis, many hundreds of thousands of injured US and coalition troops and Iraqi citizens, walk around freely.
Disgusting.
Kieran
2eo and Kangol pretty well nailed it. Nothing more to say except note that the average convicted murderer in the US gets less than 10 years in jail. Justice? Hardly.
2eo
@Kieran: The worst thing is the American troops who slaughtered children, and then attacking reporters trying to document their massacre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIvGhYQVPoQ
These people are immune and celebrated for murdering people.
sportsguy1983
It is a shame he only received 35 years.
B Damion
Jesus holy christ 35 years. I didn’t expect 35years omg…a slap on the rist or 3-5months in jail but 35. This is nuts. I have never felt sorrier for a white man in mylife. That poor thing.
Ottoman
and yet no Wall Street bankers in jail.
B Damion
The KKK must be going sick.
Kamuriie
You people saying “Oh, he was just a poor whistleblower” are full of shit, mind-bogglingly ignorant.
HE WAS NOT A WHISTLEBLOWER. You could have made the argument that the release of the “collateral murder” video was whistleblowing. However, his release of the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STATE DEPARTMENT CABLES contained NO WRONGDOING. He admitted he did it ONLY TO HURT AMERICA’S INTERESTS because he was bitter and resentful.
Manning is not a hero. You people are moronic.
B Damion
@ Kamuriie …mmmhhhmmm.mmm..mm..ok. ok. I see what ya sayin now. When you put it that way it seems the sentencing may be justifiable.
B Damion
Did I click into the wrong post? I guess what I am getting at is, what does any of this have to do with whats going on with Nick Gruber? I am confused is he gay? or?
mz.sam
@B Damion: Yeah, really….LOL!
Greg Garavani
@kamuriie Don’t fall too quickly on your knees to suck off Obama, Manning exposed the wrong doing of the United States and IS a hero. While you’re too busy worrying about what table ware you plan to register for at Williams Sonoma, our fellow member of our community risked his life for us in the military and is now sentenced to 35 years in prison for exposing war crimes. Obama/Bush should be prosecuted, not Manning, learn to show respect for your fellow gays.
hyhybt
@B Damion: Why do you care whether Nick Gruber is gay or not?
2eo
@hyhybt: I think it was more of a comment about the number of articles about Lester Braithwaites crush.
BJ McFrisky
@Greg Garavani: Manning’s sexuality is totally irrelevant and simply a distraction from the crimes he committed. Would you be defending him if he were a straight guy with 8 kids and an “I Love Jesus” bumper sticker? I’d say he needs to man up and accept his punishment, except the “man” part might be a bit ironic for this lad.
Let this be a lesson: If you hate your country, don’t betray it; just leave.
Teleny
Sigh… I see the Republican Tea Baggers are back today. Wonder which boy in undies they will jack off to after littering this thread with their nonsense.
Dakotahgeo
@Kamuriie: And may 1M+ MORE cables and news leaks be in store to get our USA Murder, Inc. back on the right track! Mr. Manning will forever be a hero in the eyes of those who have morals and values, something the dumbest citizens of this country know nothing about! Mr. Manning, may your 11 yrs. go rapidly and many blessings follow you!
Dakotahgeo, M.Div. Pastor/Chaplain
Greg Garavani
@BJ McFrisky Christ, you’re starting to sound just like that “straight guy who has 8 kids and an ‘I Love Jesus’ bumper sticker” yourself. If you don’t like ‘Merica, then get out!! Manning being gay gives ME more of a reason to support him, not shun him out. I’m glad he exposed the lies and secrecy behind our nation, same goes for Snowden, I hope more whistleblowers come out from the dark and expose lies were being fed. It’s okay to question authority, it’s our right. From what I remember, it’s ‘We the people…’, not ‘Them the government…’.
hyhybt
@2eo: Oh, is *that* why there have been so many?
robho3
he should have got life! what does his gender identity have to do with what he did?
tdx3fan
Manning managed to endanger troops during war time. He desereved life or death. For the rest of you anti-American fucks… if you do not like this country then please get the fuck out. Except, you really have nowhere to go where things are truely different!
Greg Garavani
@tdx3fan Except for Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, etc…
BJ McFrisky
@Greg Garavani:
So, if I read you correctly, you’re not only OK with espionage, but you’re especially turned on by it if it’s committed by U.S. citizens against the U.S. government. Well, good for you. The other liberal sheep would be very proud.
On another note: I can’t even fathom an existence such as yours, hating the ground you stand on every day. Seriously, it must be miserable, feeling such contempt for the society in which you exist. However, you do have the U.S. military to protect your ass every minute of every day from those who would wish you dead, so there’s that.
You’re welcome.
Fawkes
Just another nail in my country’s coffin. Where has our rule of law and respect for our founding principles gone? All you America-haters who support this conviction will get a taste of your own medicine when this criminal government turns on you, too. Endless government worship always turns out horribly. What sheep you all are to believe it will be any different this time.
@BJ McFrisky: Why do you hate this country and its principles of freedom, equality, transparency and republicanism so much? What happened to make you such a bitter, nasty person? You have so much hated in your heart that I truly feel sorry for you. It’s clear no one can debate reasonably with you as you refuse to let logic or facts get in the way of your government worship. Just another sheep for this government’s slaughter.
s312g
What he did was illegal, yes. BUT, The military wanted to make an example of him. Even though the military is beyond corrupt and they will let anyone get away with anything as long as it doesn’t get revealed to the public. So 35 years with the possiblity of parole in 11 2/3 years with over 3k already served could mean he’s out in eight years. And I don’t think they’re going to make him stay in for thirty five years. They wanted to make an example, they made one. They’re done with him now. He’s 25 now so he still has a chance to have a life, and a pretty full one if he gets out. He is not Snowden. What Manning did confirmed to America what we already knew. What Snowden did ruined a good way to track down terrorists and sex offenders. My brother is a career in the Air Force. He joined last year. He is getting deployed to the UAE within the next few months for six months. Snowden has put my big brother in danger. He deserves to get caught and he deserved to be locked up and have the key thrown in the Atlantic.
greyhound1954
I did my 3 years in the Army. Whenever some chicken hawk in Congress or the White House wants to send American troops somewhere, my first question is, “Do we really need to be there?” The answer is almost always, “No.” We didn’t need to be in Iraq, but Dubya ignored some facts, cherry-picked data, milked 9/11, and flat-out lied to get support to invade Iraq. Manning didn’t kill anybody and nobody died because of the documents he leaked to a legitimate news organization. Bush is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans and the mental and physical impairment of tens of thousands of other U.S. troops. And yet, Bush is walking around free, instead of imprisoned as the terrorist and war criminal he is. Manning is jailed and subjected to military prison hardship for reminding Americans that their government is not the enlightened force for freedom that we’ve been told it is.
Fawkes
@greyhound1954: Thank you for your service, and for continuing to be a true patriot, unlike the all the fake patriot trolls who troll these articles relentlessly. It’s truly sad how many of them there are.
hansalbin
Regardless of how anyone feels about a former or current commander in chief is not the issue.
Bradley Manning JOINED the US Army, at that point he swore to support and defend the Constitution and to obey the orders of his superiors. He did not do that. He violated orders. He took classified documents and released them in a time of war. In my opinion he should be shot.
And to all of you that think this was the right thing to do because he was only telling the truth, A) You and I have no idea what was in the documents released. Have you read every one? B)You more than likely have a good job, a nice house, kids etc. Get out of your glass house and into the real world. Bad things happen and we need to protect ourselves. Bradley Manning, to his credit, stood up and said I will do my part to protect you, he violated that trust.
C) As we have taken on the role or the worlds policeman we need a strong military. His actions undermined that same military he was a part of. I do not care about how other countries run themselves up to the point that it affects the U.S. I care if a country tortures and kills it’s citizens. But I do not feel we need to stick our nose into it. A very simple question, do you want someone telling you how to run YOUR house?
So in the end Private Manning will be in jail, another wasted life, people will still bitch and complain it’s my right to know everything (no it isn’t)the sun will come up and nothing will change.
hyhybt
@hansalbin: It is very dangerous to accept “in time of war” as a special circumstance justifying greater limits and harsher penalties when the government has, essentially, arranged things so that we are never NOT at war.
Dakotahgeo
The only thing that warms my heart is that Ms. Chelsea Manning will be 37-38 years old when released and will still have a good chance to live a normal life into retirement when she is released. Most of the old military grifters will still be living on the ol’ American dole, and always in a bad mood as to how things have gotten sooo bad. Hopefully they’ll get even worse for you military murders of children, journalists, and innocent people!
Dakotahgeo
Correction: “… military murderers* of children,….”
hansalbin
Hyhybt do you think we are not at war? Do you think that there are groups that want Americans dead? Have you ever been in the military?
hansalbin
Dakotageo have you ever served in the military? I guess I fit your description of a old military grafter, 22 yrs in the Navy BRonze Star and 2 Purple Hearts. I guess that was my way of protecting your right to run your mouth.
2eo
@hansalbin: You again, remind me again how your military service has any bearing on the information pertaining to your opinion, which is flawed in the extreme.
You still don’t get a pass and respect because you demand it, you haven’t earned it, and given how you post you never, ever will either.
Manning is 20 times the soldier you are/were.
hyhybt
@hansalbin: All irrelevant. Yes, we’re at war… but the government (then under Bush, continuing under Obama) deliberately arranged for war to be never-ending; that’s why it was declared on an emotion in the first place. That means “but we’re at war” cannot rationally continue to be an excuse for things it could be were war something that only happened once in a while, an emergency.
Likewise, of course there are people who want Americans dead. There have never NOT been such people, so again, pretending it’s a temporary issue (which is the ONLY reason for adding “at this time” type statements) is at best deceitful.
And no, I’ve never been in the military, thankfully. Are you one of those people who likes to pretend that means I don’t know anything and that my opinion doesn’t count?
masteradrian
Sentencing someone who exposes illegal activities by the government is, in one word, absurd!
It shows how rotten systems can turn, how low on morals and ethics a system can become when it comes to trying to hide from the People that what is the responsibility of the people!
It are the People (by and through their tax-payers money) who subsidize the military, the intelligence services and organizations, and thus these institutions are not the ones to decide on or over what is told to the public!
They can classify as secret, top-secret, very-top-secret or whatever level of secrecy any material, but who is it to inspect that material, and put the question forward if it actually is what the military and the intelligence services and organizations says?
And what about the secrecy about and on spying on the People?
The People are the ones enabling the NSA to exist, not the military, not Congress, not the President, how? By supplying the money to let the people in and of the NSA do their job, they should be held accountable for every dime they spend (for whatever, even a paperclip should be accounted for as far as I am concerned, as with the current economic situation every dime is better sent then spending it on spying on Americans!).
Yes, there was a 9/11, and there were massacres, and people died, were wounded, maimed, and yes that is bad, very bad, and should be prevented, by those same creatures of the NSA…….
But there are also standards of moral, ethics, attitudes that we, Americans do value and hold dear and close to our hearts, and that we defend! Values and ethics that we give to others as example for greatness and being better!
If we allow our own intelligence orgs to spy on us we lower ourselves to the standards of values and ethics that are held by dictators in third world underdeveloped and backward countries, were such practices are normal, to keep the People under control!
Those standards and practices are not mine, they are un-American, and the exposure of such standards and practices is not un-American, that is patriotic and American!
If people are hurt or endangered by the exposure…….. so what? They were already involved in activities that were dangerous, they choose for the danger of being informants, spies and whatever. I have no pity on them, nor on those who feel entitled to spy on me and my correspondence! They are the ones that are un-American, and should be incarcerated and imprisoned, for life and the key trowed away!
My opinion!