*Edit**Updated* Nominate Pfc Bradley Manning for a 2013 Citizens' Medal

[MrColin]

Go here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmedal/submit-a-nomination

...and do it right now.

Prior to the release of the now infamous "collateral murder" video, Americans could sit in comfortable denial that the men in our armed services are gleefully mowing down civilians in large numbers and joking about it as they do so.

In case you haven't seen the video: http://youtu.be/5rXPrfnU3G0

Manning put his life and liberty on the line trying to make the world a better place by exposing the true cost of American military aggression. He may still pay the ultimate price.

Edit You guys all seem to be missing the point, I should have explained this better. This is a fun opportunity to troll our president. April 1st is comming up y'know.

President: So, radically overpaid whitehouse staffer, what are the figures on the Citizen's Medal nominations?

Overpaid Whitehouse Staffer: Well mister president, the most nominations, by a large margin, came in for Pfc Bradley Manning.
President: Oh.

I really thought the right wingers on here would appreciate the chance to troll his ass. Manning is obviously never going to see the light of day again, even if you all thought he was Jesus. The lefties of course should appreciate the chance to make a point about how stupid and reckless it was to invade Iraq in the first place, and to take a jab at the plutocracy.

 

[bradley]

I won't vote, as I don't have a strong enough inclination for or against. However, this statement does resound greatly for me.

Treason. This, when real, merits the highest punishment. But most codes extend their definition of treason to acts not really against one’s country. They do not distinguish between acts against the government and acts against the oppressions of the government; the latter are virtues; yet they have furnished more victims to the executioner than the former; because real treasons are rare; oppressions frequent. The unsuccessful strugglers against tyranny, have been the chief martyrs of treason laws in all countries.

Reformation of government with our neighbors, being as much wanted now as religion is, or ever was anywhere, we should not wish then, to give up to the executioner, the patriot who fails, and flees to us. Treasons then, taking the simulated with the real, are sufficiently punished by exile.

Thomas Jefferson —Heads of consideration on the establishment of extradition treaties, 22 March 1792

 

[railer]

Nah. Manning can rot.

 

[Jaskalas]

Manning... who exposed US allies to our enemies.

That is treason and execution should follow.

 

[MrColin]

Manning... who exposed US allies to our enemies.

That is treason and execution should follow.

The commander in chief is who exposed our allies and our troops to the "enemy." Which in this case was the wrong fucking country entirely.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Prior to the release of the now infamous "collateral murder" video, Americans could sit in comfortable denial that the men in our armed services are gleefully mowing down civilians in large numbers and joking about it as they do so.

In case you haven't seen the video: http://youtu.be/5rXPrfnU3G0

Looks like a good kill to me. Occasionally selling pictures to Reuters doesn't make you not an insurgent when you're hanging around and chummy with insurgents with AKs and RPGs and taking footage from their side.

 

[Jaskalas]

The commander in chief is who exposed our allies and our troops to the "enemy." Which in this case was the wrong fucking country entirely.

Are you telling us Afghanistan wasn't in the leak?

 

[NoStateofMind]

I won't vote, as I don't have a strong enough inclination for or against. However, this statement does resound greatly for me.

Treason. This, when real, merits the highest punishment. But most codes extend their definition of treason to acts not really against one’s country. They do not distinguish between acts against the government and acts against the oppressions of the government; the latter are virtues; yet they have furnished more victims to the executioner than the former; because real treasons are rare; oppressions frequent. The unsuccessful strugglers against tyranny, have been the chief martyrs of treason laws in all countries.

Reformation of government with our neighbors, being as much wanted now as religion is, or ever was anywhere, we should not wish then, to give up to the executioner, the patriot who fails, and flees to us. Treasons then, taking the simulated with the real, are sufficiently punished by exile.

Thomas Jefferson —Heads of consideration on the establishment of extradition treaties, 22 March 1792

The commander in chief is who exposed our allies and our troops to the "enemy." Which in this case was the wrong fucking country entirely.

You both make solid points. Yet law is enforced by the ones with the guns, meaning the federal government. No matter how virtuous or right standing the information was, I would not expect those of authority to simply allow him to walk away. He's been vilified by the military and to let him go now would send a signal to all others who might do the same the green light. You can have a vote, you can speak out, you can hold speeches in public but I promise you nothing will come of it. Same could be said for Bush and Cheney war crimes. Swept under the rug. Meanwhile you or I try their murderous rampages and we'll be strung up in no time flat. Kinda makes you wonder who is in charge if laws only pertain to the "citizens". <shrug>

 

[NoStateofMind]

Looks like a good kill to me. Occasionally selling pictures to Reuters doesn't make you not an insurgent when you're hanging around and chummy with insurgents with AKs and RPGs and taking footage from their side.

Maybe he was <gasp> interviewing them?

 

[DominionSeraph]

Maybe he was <gasp> interviewing them?

"Interviewing" a group of insurgents who have been firing on Americans, and are one street over from them, walking with them and chatting on your phone, and then sneakily taking footage of the Humvee in the intersection while having the insurgents in a pack around you as though they're your close friends and comrades?
Sounds like a good way to get yourself killed for being an insurgent.

You want to interview them? Perhaps you should do that when they're not trying to murder the good guys.

 

[Anarchist420]

Manning... who exposed US allies to our enemies. That is treason and execution should follow.

I thought you were a libertarian.

 

[NoStateofMind]

"Interviewing" a group of insurgents who have been firing on Americans, and are one street over from them, walking with them and chatting on your phone, and then sneakily taking footage of the Humvee in the intersection while having them in a pack around you as though they're your close friends and comrades?
Sounds like a good way to get yourself correctly killed for being an insurgent.

Yep just like they "sneakily" interviewed Osama Bin Laden....

You have no fucking idea what was going on down there. You have to add to it. The facts are he was a reporter. Reporters do talk on the phone from time to time. They have also been known to take pictures. To interview someone its probably best to be within speaking distance.

You can call it whatever you want but that doesn't change the facts or the nature of reporters.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Yep just like they "sneakily" interviewed Osama Bin Laden....

When was Bin Laden actively shooting at Americans?
Try to keep up.

You have no fucking idea what was going on down there. You have to add to it. The facts are he was a reporter. Reporters do talk on the phone from time to time. They have also been known to take pictures. To interview someone its probably best to be within speaking distance.

If a child molester was raping a child, would you be interviewing him during the act? "What made you snatch this one? Does it feel good? Are you going to kill her afterwards?" Are you going to talk casually on your cell phone, and then start filming for posterity?

These were murderers engaged in the act of trying to murder Americans. If you're not in with them you have no business hanging around them while they commit their crimes.

 

[NoStateofMind]

When was Bin Laden actively shooting at Americans?
Try to keep up.



If a child molester was raping a child, would you be interviewing him during the act? "What made you snatch this one? Does it feel good? Are you going to kill her afterwards?" Are you going to talk casually on your cell phone, and then start filming for posterity?

These were murderers engaged in the act of trying to murder Americans. If you're not in with them you have no business hanging around them while they commit their crimes.

You dumb fuck. Where is your proof he is an "insurgent"? Thats right you dont have any. So much for your "side" of the story. You sound like fucking Bush with that "with us or against us" bullshit. Reporters who are good at what they do not only report what people want to hear but also what might make them reflect on themselves. Something that is lost in this generation of news is ethics. Don't worry I don't expect you to have any integrity as you've yet to display any on this forum to date.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Where is your proof he is an "insurgent"?

They're known for their ease of access to insurgents, they're in with insurgents, acting as insurgents. Hmmm... could they be... insurgents?

Reporters who are good at what they do not only report what people want to hear but also what might make them reflect on themselves.

When you're surrounded by murderers with weapons of murder who are currently engaged in an attempt to murder, being chummy with them and casually turning your back on them to take a picture of their murder targets from a position of concealment in order to not obstruct their opportunity to murder is a little more than, "Reflection."

 

[NoStateofMind]

They're known for their ease of access to insurgents, they're in with insurgents, acting as insurgents. Hmmm... could they be... insurgents?



When you're surrounded by murderers with weapons of murder who are currently engaged in an attempt to murder, being chummy with them and casually turning your back on them to take a picture of their murder targets from a position of concealment in order to not obstruct their opportunity to murder is a little more than, "Reflection."

Keep twisting. As long as you can sleep at night I guess its all okay then isn't it buddy boy?

 

[DominionSeraph]

Keep twisting. As long as you can sleep at night I guess its all okay then isn't it buddy boy?

As long as your conservatard forced rage keeps you up at night with your panties in an ever-increasing twist, my nights will be full of schadenfreude as I drift peacefully off to sleep.

 

[Jaskalas]

I thought you were a libertarian.

Do not mistake my ideals of liberty for that of pacifism, nor tolerance for traitors who explicitly name (and thus kill) our allies in the midst of war.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

He's lucky they haven't executed him for treason.

 

[Angry Irishman]

How about fuck no.....

 

[OnePingOnly]

Manning's exposure of our country's secrets was an exercise to satisfy his own vanity. There was no precision in his leaks. He copied as much as he could and gave it all to a foreigner. Treason.

 

[yhelothar]

Manning... who exposed US allies to our enemies.

That is treason and execution should follow.

I dare you to find a leak by Manning that endangered the US troops to the enemies.

Manning exposed the US Government to the world of the injustices and travesties that was continually being perpetrated.

To blindly stand behind letter of the law without any discretion to ethical principles shows a lack of moral development.

 

[DominionSeraph]

I dare you to find a leak by Manning that endangered the US troops to the enemies.

He didn't say troops, he said allies; as in those courageous enough to aid the Iraqi and Afghan people against the terrorists. US troops got to sleep at night in a nice, secure base. Iraqi and Afghan informants were not so lucky.

Manning exposed the US Government to the world of the injustices and travesties that was continually being perpetrated.

And those were?
*crickets*

 

[yhelothar]

No democracy can or should fight a war without the consent of its people, and that consent is only meaningful if it is predicated on real information.

Bradley Manning felt a moral responsibility to make this information public for this reason.

It disturbs me how widely people buy into the MSM's perversion of Manning's intent as if he did this as a traitor to aid the enemy. He had the opportunity to sell this information to our enemies for endless riches, but that clearly as not his intent. Like the Pentagon Papers that gave a detailed historical log of what occurred in the Vietnam Wars, Manning's leak of the Iraqi and Afghan War logs is in parallel. However, where Daniel Ellsberg was championed as a hero for doing what he felt was morally necessary to leak the Pentagon Papers, Manning is treated as a traitor.

 

[yhelothar]

And those were?
*crickets*

If at this point, all you get is crickets regarding this, you're either in denial, or horribly misinformed.

For fucks sake, it's the information age. Learn to do internet research rather than to mindlessly glue yourself to the main stream media. It baffles me why people in this day and age still rely on the MSM that is bought and paid for by the special interests of a few select wealthy individuals who control the information for their own gain.

• According to the Iraq Body Count project, a sample of the deaths found in about 800 logs, extrapolated to the full set of records, shows an estimated 15,000 civilian deaths that had not been previously admitted by the US government. 66,000 civilians were reported dead in the logs, out of 109,000 deaths in total.[8][10] The IBC has so far added a total of 3,334 of these previously unrecorded civilian deaths to its database from their ongoing analysis of the war logs. A list of these incidents, added as of 2 January 2013, has been published on the IBC website.[11][12]