Comments | delta_mai: Article stuff.

delta_mai

Article stuff.

Apr 05, 2011 17:26

Ok, first of all - thanks so much for your views on Charlie Sheen. They really helped my article, which is now all done. I'll be posting it later this week, along with my column for this month. To help me write that, or to just have an interesting discussion (I think I'm going to start doing Interesting Discussion posts :D) what are your views?

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discussion post, real life, wikileaks, human rights, articles, poll

Comments 17

staringiscaring April 5 2011, 16:46:38 UTC

Bradley Manning is a clear case of how little Wikileaks cares about its sources. Manning was a whistle blower who probably wanted to get the big secrets out about the war in Iraq & afganistan and instead Assange &co posted snarky ambassadorial commentary at first and then posted a bit about banks before the media became more interested in whether Assange did or did not rape two women. A serious charge to be sure, but it put Bradley Manning out of the spotlight where now he is being tormented in solitary confinement. If you think its illegal, not in America, where literally prisoners have few rights (they even have to pay for their own medical care and food by working sub-minimum wage, manual labor in prison) and generally are packed into crowded rundown for-profit prisons where all that torment that outraged the world in Abu Gharib (SP?) can legally go on. Sadly enough, if he is in a US military-staffed prison then it might be better than in a regular america prison but if he was sent to one of those shadowy undisclosed location ( ... )

delta_mai April 5 2011, 16:52:33 UTC

I'm not sure that WikiLeaks should shoulder so much of the blame of what's happened to Manning. Let's look at the facts.

- First of all, he was in IRAQ when he was arrested. There was no way they could protect him there, and he hasn't been free since then.
- WikiLeaks has donated $15,000 to his defence fund, which is money they desperately need.
- Assange has been persecuted himself so couldn't offer protection to Manning.
- WikiLeaks has been running stories and leaking information about Manning since he was placed in confinement.

And let's not forget, it wasn't WikiLeaks's fault that Manning was arrested - a Wired journalist called Lamo, who Manning had trusted, betrayed him and ratted him out to the FBI, causing his arrest. If anyone should be criticised of not protecting sources or betraying the journalistic code, it's him.

Thanks for your information about imprisonment - this will really help my article! :D

staringiscaring April 5 2011, 17:00:24 UTC

I hadn't heard about Lamo. That adds a new dimension to the story. I guess I just get irrationally angry about such a bright young person getting tormented and their future snuffed out and couldn't help but wonder if he had just been used by the media.

Here is some links. I'd add more but your article is about Manning and not how the US government torments its own citizens.

http://washingtonindependent.com/62313/u-s-prison-conditions-far-worse-than-guantanamos
http://www.supermaxed.com/
http://www.aclu.org/blog/prisoners-rights/bradley-mannings-treatment-just-tip-iceberg

delta_mai April 5 2011, 17:33:28 UTC

Oooh thanks for the links :D

Yeah, it was Lamo who sold him out. Manning had been talking to him online for an article in Wired and although Lamo promised him anonynimity he contacted the FBI from the first. Fucking bastard.

Well, my article is about freedom of speech. So link away! :D

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pocochina April 5 2011, 19:04:18 UTC

I am outraged at how Bradley Manning is being treated. I do understand and respect the need for secrecy about some things, but when it's being abused it's a travesty.

I'd really recommend Glenn Greenwald's work on the subject. He's one of the best writers out there on American civil liberties issues (he does write about global stuff occasionally, as writing about terrorism necessitates sometimes, but he's an American attorney).

delta_mai April 6 2011, 13:34:56 UTC

*nods* There should be some leniency considering the nature of his "crime" - fighting for freedom of speech.

Oooh thanks :D I'll definitely check him out.

bluemage55 April 5 2011, 22:20:07 UTC

Bradley Manning is... a troublemaker. If you peruse his chat logs as well as interviews of his friends and family, you can quickly discern that he didn't leak the information out of some grander aspirations to reveal unethical US policy in the hopes to correct it; rather, he felt isolated, wanted his insignificant life to mean something, and did it because he could. For the most part, I'm glad the information was revealed, but that doesn't mean that the source is some heroic martyr figure.

His treatment is... exactly what he deserves. He's in military jail on the basis of reasonable suspicion that he released classified information in direct contravention of laws, rules, and regulations that as an intelligence officer he is bound to follow. Regardless of whether what he did was right or wrong, his current detention is appropriate while he awaits trial to determine just that (and prosecutors have already waived the possibility of the death penalty even though that's technically the appropriate punishment). Further, his own lawyer ( ... )

delta_mai April 5 2011, 22:28:58 UTC

he didn't leak the information out of some grander aspirations to reveal unethical US policy in the hopes to correct it;No, that's exactly what he was doing. I've read all the logs myself and I'll prove it to you ( ... )

bluemage55 April 5 2011, 23:04:51 UTC

If you don't believe me I urge you to read the entire logs here:http://firedoglake.com/merged-manning-lamo-chat-logs/ . If not then you're just making claims without all the evidence. These are all the logs without censorship. Anything in newspapers or on the news will NOT be the full story, especially if it's the American media.I've read those, as well as various accounts on Manning's history and personality (http://thislandpress.com/09/23/2010/private-manning-and-the-making-of-wikileaks-2/, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/30/wikileaks-cables-bradley-manning?intcmp=239, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- ( ... )

delta_mai April 6 2011, 13:31:59 UTC

All of what you say is possible. I guess I'm trying not to judge him on WHY he did what he did: all whistleblowers or heroes or pioneers over the years probably weren't the most sane of people. Think about it - to do something against the norm you can't be the epitome of mental stability. So I guess to me it doesn't really matter why he did it, just the fact that he did. So whether it was so his life would mean something (which honestly I don't see as bad - we all want our lives to mean something), or just because he needed to rebel for his own selfish reasons, or even if he were just driven by his ideals it doesn't matter. Whatever his motives, they drove him to leak this information which I see as a good thing ( ... )

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