http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/12/08/how-to-write-a-letter-of-support-to-bradley-manning Comments On: How to Write a Letter of Support to Bradley Manning by Christopher Frizzelle en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Wed, 22 May 2013 05:45:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Preschool in Agoura Hills


Posted by Jon carter111]]> Sun, 14 Apr 2013 06:15:43 -0700 The Stranger
When I was in France last year there was quite a bit of punditry discussion about the unexpected details in the leaked diplomatic cables that was picked up by the democracy movements in Egypt and Libya.

What the cables said was the US State Department had become totally frustrated and fatigued by Bush era policies and fuck ups and that basically if all our pocket-dictators in the middle east were over-thrown most of the high level US diplomats would cheer and argue against US interference. The kids running what was going on in Tahir square read THOSE leaked cables and took heart. Despite all the stuff about torture and what not the Arab Spring saw that at least some people in the US government believed in their ideals.

And guess what? That's exactly what happened. It's fascinating. But nobody in the US talks about it.

As for Manning. His treatment is deplorable. Shameful, in fact. And we should see that he gets a fair trial and humane treatment.

But he knew what he was in for in terms of consequences of the leaks. UCMJ is pretty clear. You can say he's a hero all you want but those laws are there for a reason and there can be no exceptions even for somebody who is doing the right thing. And he, he admits this, was not very mature or prudent in what material was released.

Undoubtably some of that material cost not only US military lives, but probably the lives of a few innocent and crucial informants throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. We'll not know for years what the fall out really is.

But you have to ask yourself this: Is it worth it?

The war in Iraq itself was immoral. The war in Afghanistan is just fucking pointless. Both are costing innocent lives no matter what. The moral calculus is not easy.

Do you believe that releasing this information may save lives in the long run? Maybe. Hard to say. But he has to live with the consequences and shouldn't just be set free. It's the deal HE made joining the US military in a time war with the laws in place he agreed to obey. There are no whistle blower protections under the UCMJ. He's free to exercise his conscience and violate those rules. But he's got to face the consequences.

He needs a fair trial. He needs to be treated humanely. But his heroism is really for history to decide. All the facts simply are not in.

We have laws. They may not always be just or hold the right people accountable. But you can't ignore them out without very dire consequences. What you can do is change the laws.
Posted by tkc]]> Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:08:42 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Breanna Bottomsup]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:35:47 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Some liberal pissed off guy]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:31:07 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Chris in Vancouver WA]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 07:43:16 -0800 The Stranger
He'll have to adjust his tinfoil hat so he can receive the answer beamed to him by the Masons.

So is "Breanna" going to wear a frock to his/her/its execution?
Posted by Wanna die in style ladies!]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:43:56 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Ken Mehlman]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 14:08:34 -0800 The Stranger @19, Frizzelle--- the only stand you ever took in your life was on butt sex, and we'd just as soon as not heard of that one, kiddo!!!!

Thanks to Spindles for his highly intelligent and thoughtful comments, as usual....

http://iam.bradleymanning.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZx_UYoYm…

http://www.alexaobrien.com/timeline_us_v…

Posted by sgt_doom]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 13:21:20 -0800 The Stranger @10, CHZA --- ever you ever read any frigging news the last four effing years, moron??????

All the stories which came out from those WikiLeaked cables --- you illiterate idiot????

Ever heard of the "Arab Spring" --- a bunch of stuff out about Monsanto and the oil corps?

Ever heard of "Collateral Murder" --- you complete and total halfwit?????
Posted by sgt_doom]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 13:18:09 -0800 The Stranger @60, the usual dipshit, Manning clearly stated his time in the US Army had been a learning experience for him, and he hadn't fully realized exactly what was what until then.

Ya know, like we were supposed to have been "attacked" on 9/11, douchetard, remember????

Until I served in the US military during the draft, and met specific individuals, as in people who had been through boot camp with Lee Oswald, and one who had been through Russian language school at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey with Lee (which officially wasn't supposed to have happened, and evidently only a select few of us bothered to read the Warren Commission report where that contradictory factoid appeared), and a Navy comm tech, and a USAF comm tech, who independently of each other reviewed the Kennedy memo ordering the full withdrawal of US military advisors in Vietnam by December of 1963.

We live in we learn, unlike that Ken douchetard.....
Posted by sgt_doom]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 13:15:17 -0800 The Stranger "To clarify: I'm not saying he deserves to be free."

Of course not, Frizzelle, you couldn't even take a concrete stand on the NY Times Book Review, for chrissakes. That entire freedom of the press is real brain buster for the your kind, huh, Frizzelle?

Well, I guess would should be at least thankful you wrote anything about the Great American Hero, Bradley Manning, and how those Wikileaked cables go to verify the non-stop purpose of the US State Department to work primarily and pretty much only on behalf of the multinationals.

http://iam.bradleymanning.org/

http://www.alexaobrien.com/timeline_us_v…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZx_UYoYm…

(I bet Frizzelle really wants Susan Rice in as the new Sec'y of State, with that $40 million of hers spread around from Rio Tinto, Monsanto to various oil, energy and coal corporations, she could really increase her wealth with that position, huh?)

Posted by sgt_doom]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 13:11:05 -0800 The Stranger Blethen Highlands Seattle Times during the public debate on healthcare reform.

If the Clean Hands Doctrine applied in criminal proceedings, the case against Manning would be thrown out of court. And if he were to be treated equitably, he would be bumped right up to the top of the transplant list for whatever organ he might happen to need, like Dick Cheney (who helped gin up false pretexts for an illegal war of aggression), and have his prison sentence fully commuted, like Scooter Libby (who actually did endanger lives when he intentionally outed an active CIA operative whose husband was exposing the aforementioned false pretexts).

Tell you what: here's another scrap of meat for the sock puppets and the right-thinking jingoists: The PSY scandal: singing about killing p… Go nuts, guys.
Posted by PCM]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:27:46 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Ken Mehlman]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:04:04 -0800 The Stranger
This question of loyalty really needs to be turned around. Why does each of us enable imperialism in our names through collective apathy? Why don't we all follow Bradley Manning's lead?

http://nymag.com/news/features/bradley-m…
Posted by Tent_Liberation_Army]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 09:52:27 -0800 The Stranger Posted by suddenlyorcas]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 08:43:41 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Ken Mehlman]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 08:25:24 -0800 The Stranger
This is a complicated issue. I'm not generally okay with leaking of classified secrets because I understand the importance of secrecy to national security. That doesn't mean I'm unaware that that's abused, and that the military commits despicable and horrific acts we never hear about because of them.

Right now, I'm more concerned with Manning's treatment in prison, where it sounds like he's being abused. That's not right, no matter if he was a hero or a fool.

That said, I'm not okay with the knee-jerk beatification that comes from every hard left mouthbreather. They haven't spent hours studying the case, reviewed all the evidence and have come to that decision after careful thought either. They just saw someone give them something that they needed.

It's interesting, the phenomenon of people who are very close politically turning on one another over a disagreement. Drudge? This is nothing like Drudge.
Posted by Matt from Denver]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 07:19:02 -0800 The Stranger
And I assume everyone demanding a variety of punishments for Manning, including Mr. Frizzelle, have spent hours studying the case, reviewed all the evidence and have come to that decision after careful thought? But we know that the level of Slog has turned into the same level as the comment section of Drudge. Foolish cowards who make knee jerk reactions and hide under assumed names and then claim free speech.

Sewage coming from the left is just as nasty as sewage coming from the right.
Posted by Last of the Time Lords]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 06:41:02 -0800 The Stranger And these comments! When it comes to things that matter and moments of truth, Americans are so similar to the citizens of every other country of the world, yet they speak with such self-righousness about other peoples (China, Russia, MENA countries etc) as if they owned everything about ethics, morality and freedom... the discrepency is nauseating.
You are being lied to by your government (like every other people in the world), and he showed you the tip of that iceburg.
Learn to recognise your heros, you guys.
Posted by fahima]]> Sun, 09 Dec 2012 04:51:41 -0800 The Stranger
He can identify as a fucking tree for all I care, as long as he has his twig and berries, he's gonna be some marines play thing at Leavenworth. I'm pretty sure the US Army isn't up to date on the latest on confused queer identity politics.
Posted by Cisgendered hetero-normative non-trans feline]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:46:06 -0800 The Stranger
Seriously? Thanks for the laugh. He'll make a fine bitch at Leavenworth then.
Posted by I identify as a cat, call me Mr. Dibbs]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 20:36:32 -0800 The Stranger Posted by aiff]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 19:49:19 -0800 The Stranger
obama, who picks and chooses which laws he will respect and obey and enforce and which laws he will ignore; killing someone for doing the same would be very typical of him.....
Posted by macaroon]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:47:32 -0800 The Stranger Posted by gloomy gus]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:20:44 -0800 The Stranger
wow.
thanks.
here we go:

Dear Breanna,
Here's hoping they fry your traitor ass. Bitch.

Posted by you go girl. straight to hell.]]> Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:15:00 -0800 The Stranger