Bradley Manning sentenced to years in jail

boing
21

I think the difference is the difference between something you can sue over and something you can go to jail for.

22

Yes, though it seems no more likely than any president pardoning Mumia Abu Jamal.

23

Whatever way you look at it, this poor guy is being deprived of his youth and possibly his best years for telling people that his government and its military have done things they should be mightily ashamed of.
I hope that somehow he gets out earlier, the poor bastard.

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24

True. As in civil vs criminal court. But then if its a civil issue have you really ā€˜broken the lawā€™? How do we know which laws are real ones?

25

Surprisingly that when the most powerful man in the world declares someone guilty before a trial ā€¦ that person was coincidentally found guilty by the same power structure!

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26

ā€œDishonourable dischargeā€? What do you get for killing two journalists with a mini gun? A medal?

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27

Bush I pardoned Olly North. Anything is possible.

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28

Nope - a criminal is someone who breaks the criminal law. Thereā€™s all sorts of law, the breaking of which doesnā€™t make you a criminal per se.

29

As in civil law.

I think I must be drunk to be honest, as none of this is new, and yet I
keep getting confused.

30

Indigogo campaign to provide Bradley Manning with 35 years of interest on as much capital as can be raised?

Seriously, the guy has risked his life to save his country. The least we can do is make his retirement comfortable.

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31

Obama, you had your court case. Now pardon him and give him the medal as one of the most awe-inspiring heroes in the history of the United States of America.

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32

Pardoning one of his own and squelching a sensational investigation before it had yet toppled the house of cards, more like a Ford pardoning Nixon scenario right there.

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33
  • Bradly Manningā€™s reign of voter fraud and voter intimidation have come to an end.
  • Bradly Manning cannot start another illegal war.
  • Seniorsā€™ retirment savings are now protected from Bradly Manningā€™s Wall Street scheming.
  • Bradly Manning will never, ever, kill again.
  • Americans can now sleep soundly ā€“ protected by their government from the terrifying specter of Bradly Manning.
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34

I wonder if Julian Assange is going to put a few bucks in his commissaryā€¦

35

Itā€™s depressing that the USA does this. I can only hope heā€™s paroled early. Snowden had the right approach.

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36

I donā€™t consider 10 years in prison a light sentence for someone who was doing the American people (and those of several others countries) a service.

Iā€™m hoping for saner presidents in the future to pardon him (and most of the insanely large prison population, for that matter).

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37

Can I take his punishment for him, please?? Pretty please?

I even had a better ā€˜apologyā€™ for him to make! Just so when he he gets to walk off, Iā€™ll take every punishment heā€™d get to give him (and you guys) that moment.

(heā€™d have to say it enthusiastically and with style or it doesnā€™t count.)

"Iā€™m really sorry that I had to do the job that you all are amazed nobody else did. Iā€™m also sorry I let the government torture me while I was imprisoned. I really do apologize for telling the truth. And most of all, I am sorry that I probably managed to shine a spotlight on a place where horrible abuses were happening and likely prevented others from suffering or dying needlessly.

Seriously, youā€™re being dicks. This guyā€™s got more balls than you, and the worldā€™s full of billions just as willing to take HIS place if not more so. And we might just have helped you tip them over the edge"

Mr. Manning drops the mic and walks offstage

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38

And the judge deciding the guilt and sentence is subordinate officer to the commander-in-chief who declared that ā€œpre-guiltā€. Would the judge have been disregarding the order of a superior by not finding Manning guilty?

Obama is the worst kind of ignoramus, tin-pot, narcissistic dictator asshole. It is ironic that he is held up as a paragon of self-control. The man doesnā€™t seem able to control any of his worst, most kleptocratic and authoritarian impulses at all. So because he doesnā€™t get into immature squabbles with other politicians he displays self control? I call that not being 5 years old.

39

The answer to that is obvious - make it a campaign issue! Ask the candidates that very question. If they say no, we say no to them. If they fail and refuse to answer, we fail and refuse to vote for them. And if they say yes? At least weā€™ll know we voted for somebody who was paying attention enough to know what we want.

At this point, thatā€™s worth quite a lot! As the Manning verdict was set to come down, I got an email from Obama. It was all about his ā€˜personal missionā€™ to do a bus tour of college campuses explaining his new tuition financing plans. Obama just told us straight up - this issue doesnā€™t rate with him in the least any more. He got what he wanted, and heā€™s literally moving on.

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40

Given that he himself pled guilty in a deal that would net him 20 years, with no paroleā€¦ and thatā€™s before the other charges even came up, I think this IS a gift. He was facing 90. The prosecutors were asking for 60. He got 35, 20 of which were his that he negotiated in advance.

He was going to jail. Anyone who thinks different is naive or forgets that he already pled guilty and had already agreed to NOT have parole. Now he gets an appeal which may reduce sentence more or count more of his extra daysā€¦ and then he gets time off for good behavior. All that could end up meaning somewhere around 7 to 10 years, when originally he had agreed to 20.

7 - 10 is LIGHT when you agreed to 20 and they wanted 60 and the max was 90.

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