I’m not excusing war crimes in the least when I say the following. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of Iraqi people have died due to the US’ actions from the first Gulf War through today, and it makes me sick. I was in the streets when that shit really picked up after 9/11. One of the worst mistakes the USA has ever made. And that’s saying something.
But come on. We didn’t need Manning’s leak to know that. War has a way of doing these things! Any time we support war, this is EXACTLY what it comes to. Always. Universally. It’s war. It’s a horrible, horrible thing.
But Manning signed up for the military, and what — didn’t KNOW this?! Give me a break. The military breaks things. Kills things. People. Often, innocent people. THAT’S what Manning signed up for. If she didn’t know it, she was a goddamn idiot. Which is not an excuse.
But it’s what she DID do. And then she took an oath. Which she violated. Which under some circumstances, I would support. Like if she had curated the material she leaked. But she didn’t.
So shit on me all you want. But you are defending someone as a hero who voluntarily joined an inherently murderistic organization. Which I’m not even judging. And then broke an oath, which to me, is something pretty heavy. Knowing full well what she signed up for. She was treated like shit, to be sure. But I’m just not of the camp that feels being treated like shit inherently makes one a hero.
