Pfc. Bradley Manning
The City Council of Berkley, California will vote next week on a resolution to make Pfc. Bradley Manning, who allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of top-secret diplomatic cables from US government computers and gave them to whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, a hero.
“If he did what he’s accused of doing, he’s a patriot and should get a medal. I think the war criminals should be the ones prosecuted, not the whistle-blowers,” The Political Commentator quotes Berkeley Peace and Justice Commissioner Bob Meola, who initiated the resolution, as saying. Meola, a long-time anti-war activist and member of the national committee for the War Resisters League, is described as a “Gandhian pacifist” with a law degree who “realized he was an anarchist when he realized his communist comrades had forgotten about Marx’s withering away of the state” on the WRL website.
Bob Meola
The resolution passed a commission vote by 7-3, and will be up for a City Council vote on December 14, reports Wired.com.
The proposed resolution seeks to honor Pfc. Manning, who is awaiting court marshall for his pivotal role in the Cablegate scandal, for his “courage in bringing truth to the American people and the people of the world,” reports Examiner.com. If convicted of improperly mishandling classified data, the 22-year-old Manning faces 52 years in prison.
Manning, an open homosexual who served as a US Army intelligence analyst, allegedly stole the documents when he became depressed after a break-up with his gay lover, reports the UK Daily Mail. The paper reports him as writing on his Facebook account, “Bradley Manning is not a piece of equipment,” and quoted a joke about “military intelligence” being an oxymoron. On January 12 he wrote,”Bradley Manning didn’t want this fight. Too much to lose, too fast.”
In a televised debate on Russia Today, conservative blogger Michael Hartman debated Code Pink found Medea Benjamin on the issue.
“Russia Today is not a pro-American outlet and Medea Benjamin and CodePink are about as far left as a human can be,” Hartman wrote about the debate.
“Never the less, for my first time doing this I hope that I got my point across.”
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Let’s give him a Nobel Prize too. If that moron, Obama, can get one for doing nothing…
We can even save an empty seat at the ceremony!
Let’s hope the Bay Area grows a set and follows through on making Manning a hero.
Last big word bold word from Bay Area was when they backed down on renaming the sewer plant in nearby SF.
I write The Political Commentator and appeared in the debate above, and would love to have my blog considered for your websites of note.
Mike
this dude is a traitor and should be stripped of his citizenship.
No American can ever be stripped of his or her citizenship involuntarily, it’s one of those things that those radical leftist founding fathers thought would be a good idea to include. It’s one of those things that actually makes this country great, knowing that we are so strong, we won’t let ourselves tear us apart, that we protect the rights of even those we hate, and loathe, and disagree with the most. That is what America is, love it, or don’t leave it, because we won’t push you out, we’re better than that, we’re better than Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, Libya, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. You may find what Mr. Manning did to be treasonous, and you may think that Julian Assange deserves to be executed, but this country will rise above your knee-jerk reactionary hate, it may take a while, but we will rise above it, sooner or later. Transparency, Openness, Honesty, Information has never been damaging in the long run. Fear, Secrecy, Insularity Hate and Violence have.
If you’re tired of the Berkeley nonsense… consider signing our petition which we’ll hand deliver this next week to them and make sure they know we don’t approve!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/traitors_are_not_heroes/
Michael Haltman sounds like a dumbass. It would appear as though, from a production standpoint, he was only asked onto the show for comedic relief. Lean back any further in your chair and you’ll fall over backwards partner. Lacking in professionalism; a blind, gullible misguided citizen masquerading as an informed writer, his blog should be look at as no more than sophomoric ranting.
traitor yes, and note too, a queer. wonder if there’s a connection…
i am not necessarily for this war, nor any that doesnt concern our national sovereignty, but that is no excuse for this action. as i remember, treason is supposed to carry the death penalty is it not?
Treason doesn’t always carry the death penalty, the relevant law (18 U.S.C. § 2381) states “whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” Whether, in giving the documents to wikileaks Brad Manning committed treason is highly open to interpretation. Espionage maybe. Any aid he gave to our enemies was merely incidental, and not the purpose of what he did. From a legal perspective, that is highly relevant. There is also a question of whether what he did served the public interest, of whether the nature of it, in exposing possible official crimes and misconduct, outweighed the government’s interest in keeping it private. The heated rhetoric serves no purpose but to inflame passions, solidify opinions, and harden minds and hearts.
We will see. Whether or not it was incidental, it was stealing. There are alot of things I don’t like going on in the world, but I don’t think I’d be so hot-headed as to put other people in danger by exposing everything and everyone..who’s to say that all of it is even true..
My GAYDAR is pinging doubletime.
“don’t ask do tell”
I’ve never understood the right’s obsession with gays. Closeted much?
Zachary, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean people aren’t really out to get you
http://tinyurl.com/wikisodomite
I know, my paranoia keeps me nimble. But I like the tone of the conversation. It’s fun in its own way.
He is a gay boy so obvious! I suppose his bum buddy dropped him, so he got pissed and stole the docs.He should be shot at the same time as Obongo as they are both traitors. Then again seems like both of them are on the down low, maybe they will make a nice couple.Im sure Obongo already has an eye on him, they are both bitches!
oh my word. You anti gay people need to be shot. I would never serve a government like the U.S. Since I have no rights as a tax payer and until I get equal rights I would sale every secret I could to the highest bidder, but damn if you know you are going to get fired then why not. Then there is the point of the shifting of blame. Did he commit the crimes or the soldiers that killed the civillians? Bradley is my hero for both reasons!!!!!! FYI – If America ever gives me equal rights I would defend it to my death.
Divulging National Secrets is NOT an act of heroism, it is a traitorous act that puts the Nation and the brave men and women who server this country at risk. So it would have been ok I if someone released the invasion plans for Normandy in WWII. I cannot believe that anyone with a rational brain can even agree with what he did let alone call me a hero. I suppose the enemies of this country that were the benefactors of receiving classified information would call him a hero. This is nothing more than espionage and treason, plain and simple; and he should be tied to the fullest extent of the law!!!