world

Military hearing resumes in Manning WikiLeaks case

14 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

14 Comments
Login to comment

This is no hero. This is a thief who stole stole from a government while he had an agreement with them. He should spend a lifetime in prison or receive the death penalty.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Geez, terrible things happening in a war situation?? What a surprise! Not! If this guy, gay or not, blew the whistle, well then maybe he can be called a hero, people coming in from all over the USA just to support him?? WOW!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

You cannot steal from a thief. The only criminals here are the ones who kept the truth from the American people. Manning is a hero. Whistle blowing is an act of bravery and heroism. And when its the government orchestrating cover-ups, patriotism. Anyone condemning Manning thinks the American people are just a team of pack animals you feed on cheap oats and leave in the cold barn at night.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

The United States is not at war. When did congress declare war and against whom? As for the information while embarrassing was it really secret?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

tinmaddog

Manning is a hero. Whistle blowing is an act of bravery and heroism.

He is traitorous scum. He admitted the leaks were done out of spite. He didn't like the war he signed up for and was depressed after he had been dumped by his boyfriend.

Read up on matters before you comment. Defending the indefensible as part of some big tough nihilist schtick still doesn't impress...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

He is traitorous scum.

Traitorous to the government, but not the people of America. It think its clear which each of us values more.

He admitted the leaks were done out of spite. He didn't like the war he signed up for and was depressed after he had been dumped by his boyfriend.

Your obfuscations are lame. He did the leak because he felt, in his own words, May 23, 2009 1:12:02 PM "it might actually change something" and yes that is an actual quote down to the second concerning his motives. And you would know that if you "read up on matters before you comment.", to quote you.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

TinMadDog,

First off, who says you can't steal from a thief? I'm sorry, you don't get to make the rules.

Pfc Manning signed a contract. He did honor that contract. As a Pfc, he had been in the military long enough to know the Uniform Code of Military Justice and he chose to act outside that code.

If he truly believed that material should have been released to the public, there would have been records of him going to his chain of command, doing the right thing, which there are none.

Pfc Manning could very well be charged treason. Personally, I don't think he was smart enough to commit treason. I don't think he was fully aware of what he was doing at the time and I'd wager he didn't think the consequences would be this severe when he did it.

This was an act of stupidity in my opinion, not treason. However, stupid doesn't excuse you from the law. Pfc Manning should see the inside of a cell at Leavenworth for a very long time because he chose to act outside the Uniform Code of Military Justice and because his actions put his fellow servicemembers at risk. He simply must pay a penalty for that. Again, my opinion.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I wonder if all these "all american heros" calling Manning a traitor for not following orders regardless of what these orders were, also defended the nazis who said "they were just following orders " during the holocaust. America is a nation built on hypocracy.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Excellent post at 1:46 pm from The Truth Matters.

Pfc Manning signed a contract. He did honor that contract. As a Pfc, he had been in the military long enough to know the Uniform Code of Military Justice and he chose to act outside that code.

Read those three sentences, tinmaddog. You try and come here with "Manning is a hero. Whistle blowing is an act of bravery and heroism."

Manning was no 'whistle-blower'.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'm sorry, you don't get to make the rules.

Neither do you.

Pfc Manning signed a contract.

Honorable men break dishonorable contracts. Cowards obey them to the letter.

because he chose to act outside the Uniform Code of Military Justice

Just because the word "justice" is in the name does not make it actual justice.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

TinMadDog,

I never claimed to make the rules of the UCMJ. I just did my best to follow them. Again, if Manning thought the information should be released, why didn't he go through his chain of command? There is a right and a wrong way to do things and Pfc Manning chose to act the wrong way. He should have taken this information to his chain of command, if he didn't get satisfaction there, he would have had the option to go higher in the chain or to inform his chain that he was contacting his Congressman.

As far as Pfc Manning's contract being dishonorable, there we'll have to agree to disagree. Have you ever read an enlistment contact or are you just judging because it sounds good? I'll wager the latter.

Honorable men break dishonorable contracts.

Here, you and I truly disagree and I have to really wonder what honor means to you. That statement made zero sense to me. An honorable man doesn't break a contract in my opinion. You can throw the Nazi analogy at me and I'll use the exact same explanation as before back at you. You use your chain of command. If you cannot resolve the matter that way, you honor your contract and then don't re-enlist. But you honor your commitment and the promise you made to the people of your country and the citizens of the world. You do not turn your back on them.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

TinMadDog, Perhaps if I offered you a personal example, you would better understand what I am talking about. I was an LPO, Leading Petty Officer and one of my guys was up for orders. He was lazy and a dirt bag but regardless, he wanted to go to the east coast to be with his fiance and so I was trying to make that happen for him. Unbeknownst to me, a Senior Chief came in during the middle of the night and negotiated orders for the Sailor to go to a carrier on the west coast because he didn't like the Sailor.

I was an E-6 and he was an E-8 but I eventually got him fired from his job because I went continually up my chain of command until I got justice. I had to go all the way to my commanding officer.

I could have gone to a liberal news organization and they may have ran with the story which would have really given the Senior Chief a black eye and got the Sailor's orders changed.

As is, his orders got changed anyway and we got rid of a real douche bag for 6 months (they sent him to supervise the base auxilliary security force and he was so hated that every command on base complained about him and he got fired from that job too).

Do you see my point. I just wanted to illustrate how you work inside the chain of command to accomplish your goals, even when it looks like the odds are against you.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Whistle blowing is one thing, releasing everything you can get your hands on, most of which involves no crimes at all, then turning it over to a megalomaniac is something entirely different. Stop painting this guy with a fantasy brush. He's not your hero no matter how much you are able to ignore what you're really looking at.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I do not think he is a "hero" but what the American military did to him was shameful. In treating him he should be presumed innocent until being found guilty. They tortured him as a form of punishment. Depriving him of his basic human rights. If he is so guilty why did it take a year and a half to go to trial? The worst of it so much of the trial will be closed for "security". I think after his confinement and punishment, he should be found guilty, reduced to an E-1, dishonorably discharged. Oh America is not at "war" again when was a declaration of war done and against whom?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites