Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (Full Version)

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Lucylastic -> Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 10:12:47 AM)

A military judge Tuesday acquitted Pfc. Bradley Manning of aiding the enemy - the most serious charge the Army intelligence analyst faced for leaking hundreds of thousands of classified military reports and diplomatic cables.

Manning was convicted on nearly all of the lesser charges considered by the judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, in connection with the largest breach of classified material in U.S. history.

For more information... http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/bradley-manning-trial-verdict-94923.html?hp=bn
edited to give full link



Yachtie -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 10:15:35 AM)

My understanding is that Manning plead guilty to all the other lesser charges. YEAH! on his acquittal though.



Powergamz1 -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 10:54:26 AM)

I must admit, I am surprised. I would have figured that the Col. would be resistant to the whistleblower defense.



mnottertail -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 10:55:52 AM)

I expect he was, but I also think that he probably did not actually really AID the enemy in any material way.



Hillwilliam -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 11:17:15 AM)

I'm pleasantly surprised at the verdict.



DomKen -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 1:16:39 PM)

I'd wait for the sentencing before getting too happy. He's facing something like 120 years if the judge gives him the maximum on each count.



Fightdirecto -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 2:34:38 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: DomKen

I'd wait for the sentencing before getting too happy. He's facing something like 120 years if the judge gives him the maximum on each count.

IMO, his conviction on those charges was warranted and, if it turns out he gets a 120 year sentence, so be it.

But I think the Court was right to acquit him on the "aiding the enemy" charge. The prosecution's argument that if some bad guy read something in a newspaper or a book that might aid the bad guy, the journalist or historian and their source were all guilty of "aiding the enemy", would be dangerous for the freedom of the press.

Imagine "Tricky Dick" Nixon having Woodward and Bernstein jailed on the grounds that their newspaper reporting on Watergate might be read by the Communist Chinese or the Soviets in the old USSR and was therefore "aiding the enemy".

The reporters might have gone to prison and that asshole Nixon would never been impeached and forced to resign the Presidency,



tj444 -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 6:55:21 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: Fightdirecto

But I think the Court was right to acquit him on the "aiding the enemy" charge. The prosecution's argument that if some bad guy read something in a newspaper or a book that might aid the bad guy, the journalist or historian and their source were all guilty of "aiding the enemy", would be dangerous for the freedom of the press.

Imagine "Tricky Dick" Nixon having Woodward and Bernstein jailed on the grounds that their newspaper reporting on Watergate might be read by the Communist Chinese or the Soviets in the old USSR and was therefore "aiding the enemy".

The reporters might have gone to prison and that asshole Nixon would never been impeached and forced to resign the Presidency,


Isnt that pretty much what they tried to do to Rosen with the charges against him so they could get a warrant to listen to his phone calls and read his emails??? It stated in the warrant that Rosen was a co-conspirator of the leaker who was charged under the espionage act.. I was really pissed off by that, cuz the world needs truth-seeking journalists to keep govts honest and to expose their wrong-doing whenever possible..
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/157480111/20-1



kdsub -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 7:05:55 PM)

I hope the little toad rots in prison for at least 20 Years.. this is the sentence I expect and I believe he deserves.

As for the aiding the enemy I do believe he had no intention of putting American soldiers at risk by aiding the enemy and justice was served in this case. Otherwise despite all the rhetoric on these boards he got a fair trial.

Butch



DomKen -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 7:19:35 PM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: kdsub

I hope the little toad rots in prison for at least 20 Years.. this is the sentence I expect and I believe he deserves.

As for the aiding the enemy I do believe he had no intention of putting American soldiers at risk by aiding the enemy and justice was served in this case. Otherwise despite all the rhetoric on these boards he got a fair trial.

Butch

The part that bothers me is most if not all the harm he did was embarrassing the US. His leaks did not reveal any assets or any classified technologies or techniques. I'm not sure embarrassing us is that bad a crime considering the bad acts that his leaks did bring to light.



asyouwish72 -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 7:26:09 PM)

This was an example of the system actually working. What Manning did was irresponsible and illegal, but the idea that he was 'aiding the enemy' by leaking secret information was ridiculous from the start. Had that precedent been set, anyone ever revealing anything the government tried to keep quiet could have been charged with the same thing.

I'm personally hoping that sentencing turns out to be fairly lenient. The culture of secrecy developing in our security services is unhealthy and needs to be stopped.



kdsub -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 7:36:21 PM)

Ken why have oaths if they mean nothing? If all he released just embarrassed the US was it worth doing? Is embarrassing someone whistle blowing?

He broke an oath to his country that hundreds of thousands of men and women died honoring. He is a worthless piece of shit that deserves everything he gets.

There were and are many ways to of let his voice and displeasure with his country be known without giving away secrets...many of which were not controversial in any way.

Butch



TheHeretic -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 7:50:44 PM)

Given the contempt President Obama and his administration have displayed for free expression and a free press, it is probably best that it came down the way it did.

I just hope the judge uses the word, "consecutively," when the sentence comes down.



Powergamz1 -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 7:55:07 PM)

I don't know what oath you took when you served, but when I was in, it wasn't to 'defend politicians, corporations, or higher ups'.

Merely slapping a 'secret' label on something (like the Pentagon Papers, or Norman Schwarzkopf's weight when he became too obese to be on active duty) is not what they mean by defending the Constitution.

Having said that, Manning should have figured out a way to shine the light, without exposing himself to all those charges.


quote:

ORIGINAL: kdsub

Ken why have oaths if they mean nothing? If all he released just embarrassed the US was it worth doing? Is embarrassing someone whistle blowing?

He broke an oath to his country that hundreds of thousands of men and women died honoring. He is a worthless piece of shit that deserves everything he gets.

There were and are many ways to of let his voice and displeasure with his country be known without giving away secrets...many of which were not controversial in any way.

Butch




kdsub -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 8:03:32 PM)

I believe they will be more than fair with him.

Butch



kdsub -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 8:07:19 PM)

The fence you are setting on has sharp points...be careful...remember Obama is listening.

Butch



SadistDave -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 8:24:33 PM)

Frankly, I think Manning and Snowden should both be shot as traitors.

Governments classify information for a reason. I'm not a big government guy by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes the most seemingly insignificant pieces of information are valuable to an enemy.

It is inconceivable, in this day and age, that Manning believed that Wikileaks was only available to American citizens, or that enemies of The United States would just choose not to read anything that might be useful to them. He knew the documents were secret when he downloaded them and put them on Wikileaks. Whether he knew the importance of those secret documents is irrelevant. His actions were treasonous, no matter what the contents of the documents were.

-SD-



Powergamz1 -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 8:24:44 PM)

I'm not a mugwump, I'm an iconoclast... an old iconoclast. [;)]
Survival is job one.
quote:

ORIGINAL: kdsub

The fence you are setting on has sharp points...be careful...remember Obama is listening.

Butch




Powergamz1 -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 8:26:49 PM)

Interesting that those actually *in* the military... the prosecutors etc., didn't see it as treason. Maybe they know something about the matter?


quote:

ORIGINAL: SadistDave

Frankly, I think Manning and Snowden should both be shot as traitors.

Governments classify information for a reason. I'm not a big government guy by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes the most seemingly insignificant pieces of information are valuable to an enemy.

It is inconceivable, in this day and age, that Manning believed that Wikileaks was only available to American citizens, or that enemies of The United States would just choose not to read anything that might be useful to them. He knew the documents were secret when he downloaded them and put them on Wikileaks. Whether he knew the importance of those secret documents is irrelevant. His actions were treasonous, no matter what the contents of the documents were.

-SD-




kdsub -> RE: Pfc. Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy (7/30/2013 8:32:33 PM)

I agree... and some on these boards are claiming that nothing he released will aid the enemy... I wonder how they could have possible read all 3/4s of a million separate documents he leaked? Now maybe none will aid the enemy...I don't know ...but neither do they. And they are full of shit it they do claim to know.

Butch



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