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President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning's Sentence (theverge.com)
The New York Times is reporting that President Obama has commuted Chelsea Manning's sentence. What this translates to is a reduced sentence for Manning, from 35 years to just over seven years. Since Manning has already served a majority of those years, she is due to be released from federal custody on May 17th. The Verge reports: While serving as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, Manning leaked more than 700,000 documents to Wikileaks, including video of a 2007 airstrike in Baghdad that killed two Reuters employees. In 2013, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for her role in the leak and has been held at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth for the past three years. Julian Assange, who has long been sought by U.S. and EU authorities for extradition on Swedish rape charges, had previously pledged to surrender himself to U.S. authorities if Manning was pardoned. Born Bradley Manning, Chelsea announced her gender transition the day after the verdict was handed down. "I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female," she said in a statement. "Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible." Obtaining the resulting medical treatments was extremely difficult for Manning, and was the subject of significant and sustained activism. After a lawsuit, Manning was approved for hormone therapy in 2015. In September 2016, she launched a hunger strike, demanding access to gender reassignment surgery; the military complied five days later.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. If it was my estimation that the two political parties were more interested in what is best for America, rather than just winning their ideological war, this would hold more weight for me.
Snowdon seems the logical "other pardon". Not sure I'd like that to happen. Would prefer a trial where he would be allowed to make his case. Manning wasn't afforded that opportunity either.
Neither case is at the instigation of a foreign government. So the issues need to be gone through in an open court so the country can understand the issues. And legally decide whether a crime was committed, or these were justified acts done by patriots.
Another consultant who stuck it out.
"We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx..."
So then, any response from Wikileaks / Assange? Will he now give himself up, as per this tweet - https://twitter.com/wikileaks/... ? (Note - not a troll response, genuinely interested to hear what folks think happens on that front now... )
Prison does strange things to you. Go in a man, come out a woman.
Thank you Obama!!
Manning did the world a great service... I cant say more than this was long overdue.
Next.. Snowden? Perhaps all the people in prison and jail except for murders and rapist after they have had an independent review to make sure that they were REALLY guilty/not guilty??
More....
Incoming trolls!
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Best fucking part...
"Earlier this month, WikiLeaks said it would agree to a US extradition request for the site's founder, Julian Assange, if Obama granted clemency to Manning. It was not immediately clear if WikiLeaks would make good on its promise."
I'm sure Julian will honor this....
Whistle blowing should not be considered treason. After seeing how other whistleblowers were treated, by the Obama administration, I can see why Snowden chose the actions he took. He was willing to give up his comfortable life to alert us all to a gigantic problem. One which has generated a huge amount of public debate. And has led to some actual reforms.
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
President Obama noted stark differences between Manning's and Snowden's cases.
From the New York Times article: “Chelsea Manning is somebody who went through the military criminal justice process, was exposed to due process, was found guilty, was sentenced for her crimes, and she acknowledged wrongdoing,” Pres. Obama said. “Mr. Snowden fled into the arms of an adversary, and has sought refuge in a country that most recently made a concerted effort to undermine confidence in our democracy.”
He also noted that while the documents Ms. Manning provided to WikiLeaks were “damaging to national security,” the ones Mr. Snowden disclosed were “far more serious and far more dangerous.” (None of the documents Ms. Manning disclosed were classified above the merely “secret” level.)
So, the president isn't about to pardon someone who hasn't even been tried for his crimes.
They were going to give Manning the gender reassignment surgery, now they don't have to.
Obama is a hard core neoliberal neocon freakshow. This is the guy that bombed more countries than Bush, make the Patriot Act look like the Magna Carta by repealing Habeas Corpus with an NDAA, and started a war in Libya without Congressional authorization. Which his own VP said he would have supported Bush's impeachment if he had done the same thing with Iran.
You mean after he tortured Manning for a year with solitary confinement, and committed unlawful command influence by declaring Manning guilty before a conviction - and promoted the judge during the trial. But now, after seven years in prison, with consistent humiliation (and a little torture mixed in) is he not merciful?
Snowden would be tried under the Espionage Act, like other whistleblowers persecuted by Obama, which doesn't allow defendants to claim their actions were justified. It would be an open-and shut case for the prosecution, in a closed trial, and then Snowden would be hit with an effective lifetime sentence after all the charges for all the documents were piled up. Then he could look forward to torture (the solitary confinement Manning was subjected to is torture) and routine humiliation (threaten more prison time for subversive materials that came through the prison).
Still, you might get a few years left where your prejudice may be voiced in polite company, as trans rights are 20-30 years behind gay rights in this country.
Typical depraved authoritarian groupthink. If you gave two shits about the lawwww, you would in fact demand that Manning and Snowden spend time in prison - behind every politician and official who were revealed to have broken the law by their leaks.
Take FISA just for starters. Up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each offense. You guys demanding that Obama be sentenced to a few million years in prison and be fined a quadrillion dollars for tapping every phone call in the US without a warrant?
And then, "Sensitive" "Male", what about the boy fucking in Afghanistan? It was Wikileaks that revealed the contractors were engaged in child rape trafficking. You'll be happy to know that Hillary's State Department cleared itself of any wrong doing in the trafficking. But now it's just "old news", like Obama's drone strikes and repeal of habeas corpus, and soldiers are told to STFU and forget they saw anything.
But you DGAF about any of that, because you're a mindless authoritarian goon.
Still waiting on SensitiveAuthortarian to see why Manning's release is more upsetting than the fact that government contractors were engaged in child trafficking in Afghanistan - as revealed by Wikileaks. It's only SA's tax dollars that were hard at work, supporting boy fucking abroad...
What other facts are you guys going to object to? Yaknow your BFF even wanted to bring back whaling, when there isn't even a domestic whaling industry to pander to?
We need whistleblowers to protect us.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
Can you point to an American who was killed due to the leak? No? Then STFU.
First, I feel that Snowden should actually have his day in court and present his case before anything related to a pardon or commutation is discussed. The American people need to see and hear both his and the government's position and evidence in a more balanced, less sensational environment than the MSM gives us.
Second, I feel that neither Manning nor General Cartwright should have their sentences commuted. They were both members of the US military who had sworn oaths regarding their behavior and ethics in their service and disregarded them. Gen Cartwright, as an officer should be held to an even higher standard. They were both tried, found guilty and sentenced. What message does it send to the rest of the military if they don't have to serve their sentences? Why should anyone in the military feel compelled to obey any order or protect any secret if they know that whatever punishment they get will be commuted and all they need is some publicity to make it happen.
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But then I repeat myself. -- Mark Twain
Assanage's offer was always empty, given that the US isn't after him, at least not publicly. Now he contends that the US wants to get him in secret, though he's presented no evidence of this and of course one would have to question if they'd agree to a public deal for something secret.
Assanage is wanted by Sweden and the UK. Sweden for a sexual assault case, and the UK for skipping bail in that case. The US has not filed any charges against him, though I'm quite sure they don't like him. If he left the embassy he would be arrested by the UK and shipped off to Sweden. Or they might not send him off, since he's broken UK law by skipping bail and try him there for that crime, then ship him off once she's served his sentence.
So this was always a stunt.
So would Snowden, I imagine. But the laws Snowden would be charged under have no public interest exemption. Likewise, Whistleblower Protections only apply to actual Federal employees, not to contractors (or 'Office Supplies', as we used to call ourselves). So Snowden, in a U.S. court, will be explicitly prevented from 'making his case'. A jury would be forbidden from being allowed to consider it, meaning any such testimony could be blocked.
Maxim: People cannot follow directions.
Increases in truth directly with the length of time spent explaining them
You're running that Obamabot crap up the wrong flagpole, son. This is the same president that can out-conservative Reagan any day of the weak. Reagan publicly stated - repeatedly - that Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit. Yet Obama appointed his Catfood Commission (because the only thing seniors could afford to eat after it was cat food) to reduce the deficit centered around those who want to cut Social Security.
Reagan granted amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants.
Obama deported them in record numbers.
Reagan withdrew from Lebanon.
Obama arranged to continue Afghanistan occupation until after his predecessor's predecessor.
Reagan signed arms reduction treaties with the USSR.
Obama started a trillion dollar upgrade program of America's nuclear arsenal.
Reagan signed a treaty requiring the prosecution of those who commit torture.
Obama immunized officials from torture and other crimes against humanity.
Obama started a war without Congressional authorization
Obama repealed habeas corpus with an NDAA
Obama wanted to re-legalize whaling when there isn't even a whaling industry to pander to
I could go on all day, Obamabot. You might want to put the shovel down now.
Pervert transvestite leaks troop deployment and strength of American forces: FREE HIM! (Yes, him). Assange leaks stuff that hurts the Democrats: OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
I could go on all day, Obamabot. You might want to put the shovel down now.
You make some very good points. It's unfortunate you had to resort to name calling as well.
Obama repealed habeas corpus with an NDAA
You need to be careful here. Suspension or Repeal of Habeas Corpus is a very specific thing that must be taken up by congress. Read more here. If you want to jump on Habeas Corpus, there is plenty to look at with the continued suspension at guantanamo bay. The intentional placing to gitmo and the language written in the Patriot Act that excludes those there from writ of HC. And the Obama extension of it in 2011.
But you are right, the list goes on. Supporting rebels to over throw secular governments only to allow the rise of dictatorships or theocracies that only facilitate instabilities. The ramping up of drone strikes and murdering US citizens with out charge, trial, or conviction. (If you aren't familiar with Jeremy Scahill, you should be.) The responsibility in the Aaron Swartz fiasco with the aggressive prosecution falls directly on an Obama white house. The continued aggression towards no violent drug offenders continues. The treatment of whistle blowers. The list literally goes on and on and on.
The fucked up part? I could not be more happy that the Obama "legacy" is ending. I could not be less excited or more scared about the next administration.