Chelsea Manning is serving a 35-year sentence for releasing government secrets.
For many, the story of Chelsea (formerly known as Bradley) manning is one of intrigue, freedom, corruption, and public awareness. Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2010, for the massive leak of “sensitive government documents,” which much of the public felt was a bit extreme.
With only a few days left in office, President Obama has done what many have done in the past, and that is to pardon many who were convicted of crimes. The biggest name on that list is that of Chelsea Manning.
Ms. Manning has been facing an uncertain future as a transgender woman incarcerated at the male military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. It was reported that she had tried to commit suicide several times. She has been jailed for nearly seven years, and her 35-year sentence was by far the longest punishment ever imposed in the United States for a leak conviction.
Now, under the terms of Mr. Obama’s commutation announced by the White House on Tuesday, Ms. Manning is set to be freed on May 17 of this year, rather than in 2045.
Similarly, the White House has been asked about the chances of pardoning Edward Snowden, whom of course also released what some may call – the most damning leak of American military/intelligence in history.
When asked about the two clemency applications on Friday, the White House spokesman, Joshua Earnest, discussed the “pretty stark difference” between Ms. Manning’s case for mercy with Mr. Snowden’s. While their offenses were similar, he said, there were “some important differences.”
“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,” he 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.”
It is pretty clear the chances of Edward Snowden ever seeing freedom in the United States are slim to none.
As with Ms. Manning, although she will be freed, many will question if this is merely an attempt by Obama to create a more positive legacy for himself by forgiving someone who was highly favored, beloved, and created such a wave of support due to the nature of the leak in general.
For now, it is at least good news a prominent whistleblower (if you will) will be released from a life of imprisonment simply for exposing the truth.
This is great news! Sad it took 7 years, but I’ll bet Chelsea’s f***ing stoked!
YES!!!!!! One rare bright spot in Obama’s legacy.
Regardless of what you think about Manning, he broke the law knowing the consequences of his actions: he’s neither a victim or a martyr. Manning, and many of the people commuted by Obama, are superficial persons compared to the real political prisoners and victims of the state are still rotting in prison, such as Leonard Peltier.
Some laws need to be broken and all immoral laws require disobedience to them, you mindless order-follower moron.
You break the law everyday. You should be locked up also, since you think it is such a great idea.
Yes, some laws definitely need to be challenged, broken etc. The tradition of civil disobedience is that people know they could be arrested and imprisoned but carry out their acts regardless, and they don’t expect less which is part of the whole point of civil disobedience (I know because I’ve done it numerous times, of course not on Manning’s scale). I just don’t think Manning is on the top of the list of people who are unjustly imprisoned, and of course Obama is trying to enshrine his legacy more than I think he’s ‘doing the right thing’ because that has never been his m.o.
Fair enough. I take back the ‘moron’ part as unjustly given; clearly you have given this some thought, although I find myself in disagreement with it.
So let us look at ‘Chelsea’ Manning, and we’ll go with your regardless what you think of the gender to prevent arguments over gender pronouns in referencing. So what did Chelsea do? Exposed things classified by military authority, which is a UCMJ violation as well as Federal felony. But now here’s the thing (because there is always a thing…) what if what is being hidden by classification are moral crimes? What if they are being purposely made classified to conceal guilt of evildoing? Because that is what Chelsea did= revealed wrongdoing going on that was “classified” so as to hide the guilt of the evil being done by the military. Was Chelsea revealing secrets that would have harmed any of us average humans living under US Fed rule? No, certainly not. None us experienced any harm, yet there is crime? Consider the rationale behind this sort of statist behavior…
So what Chelsea did was morally right thing to do. Chelsea should not have spent an hour in jail, much less what Chelsea has already endured. If you are going to punish Chelsea for whistleblowing (by revealing improperly marked things as classified thus making it criminal to expose evil) on those committing evil acts, then you condone evil and hate good. In essence, this is final conclusion if you wish to not be double-minded about the matter.
I did not use or reference Manning’s gender. When I said ‘regardless of what you think about Manning’ I was referring those who support what he did, and those that don’t; I have no opinion nor is it germane to the issue here what her/his gender status is.
I fundamentally agree that the government operates with far too much secrecy, and it takes someone brave to expose it. I also understand, as someone who comes from long distinguished military family what the consequences are of intelligence leaks to people serving, especially in foreign countries. In Manning’s case, he was both a service member and a whistleblower, and some people can’t reconcile that paradox: both of those roles show he cares about this country. Making black and white generalizations about who is a hero and who is villain is so simplistic and ignores many other realities; unfortunately that’s the nature of political discourse in this country.
My point is, in light of all the political prisoners in this country, Obama’s decisions show a very myopic and politically motivated president (aren’t they all?)
There are people who have been challenging the powers that be for some time, but Obama doesn’t acknowledge them. To me this belies, and is symbolic of, the many hypocrisies of Obama’s legacy that people overlook while they get warm and fuzzy about one individual act. It’s intellectually dishonest and a feint to obfuscate the many, many, questionable actions Obama has taken in the last 8 years: where are those whistleblowers now?
Good questions!
Soon as they arrest, prosecute and jail the criminal neocons for their treasonous warmongering I’ll agree with you. Till then you’re mistaken and she belongs out of prison period.
I agree. I think it is a prerequisite to being a politician that a person must be also a criminal. The higher the office the more corrupt. If only the libtards who have tried to gut the second amendment would realize (as some are now who fear Trump) that the raison d’etre of the 2nd is ensure the people have the means to counter tyrannical government. But years of enforced cultural pusillanimity has resulted in a country of sycophants and infantiles incapable of any true resistance. Grown men champion their scores in a video game, yet know nothing of fighting the real enemies in Washington. Shine, Perishing Republic.
Breaking the law of man is necessary when that law imprisons the greater good which is more important than the rule of the alien/military/industrial/complex. The Reptilian Overlords are not the elected law makers of the USA and they need to be disobeyed by every citizen. Blessed are the whistle-blowers for they are the sword of justice; blessed are the protectors for they are the shield of wisdom.
We were promised TRANSPARENCY….not kill the messenger. All things done in secret will come to light, or so it says in the bible. Looks like that’s true.
I’m glad he pardoned Manning and I wish they would pardon Snowden as well.
Classified? Why shouldn’t we know?
We shouldn’t have even been in those countries (Manning)… and the govt shouldn’t be SPYING on us illegally (Snowden).
WHO WILL WHISTLEBLOW IF WE KEEP PUNISHING THEM? Or do you prefer to be kept in the dark….that way your conscience won’t hurt so much when we blow up civilians and invade countries that didn’t attack us.
That’s one of the few honorable things Obama did. He just better not pardon Hillary who got WEALTHY off her treachery. These 2 men didn’t.
You may like the MUSHROOM TREATMENT, but I prefer not to be kept in the dark and fed dung. AND I will not be led around by the nose by the media or politicians. Nor will I ever agree that WRONG IS RIGHT. It’s patriotic to right the wrongs.
HANDS OFF ALL WHISTLEBLOWERS….SOME POLICIES NEED TO BE CHANGED.
Think of it this way….did what they do help us? The Iraqi war became much more unpopular after that revelation and the spotlight on illegal spying at least made some of us aware of how we are being hosed by our intelligence agencies. Can you complain?
Not pardoned, sentence was commuted which still leaves the guilty conviction with all the concomitant social and professional consequences that accompany a guilty verdict. If Barry had any conscience whatsoever he would have issued a full unconditional pardon.
This article starts right out of the gates with a glaring inaccuracy: “Chelsea (Bradley) Manning Pardoned By President Obama” —the President has *not* issued a formal Pardon at all, but a Commutation of Sentence— the distinction of which is everything here and one which appears lost on the author. The words Commute and Pardon – especially when used in matters of Law – are not interchangeable.
Also: “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.” —Sheer propaganda; i.e.: BULLSHIT; most prominently the segment that accuses Russia engaging in “ … a concerted effort to undermine confidence in our democracy.” Zero credible and irrefutable evidence has been presented to support that spurious claim. White House Lies.
“[B]ecause they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law … they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind….” (Hosea 8:1,7)
Tolerance for transgenderism: The consequence of Article 1’s usurpation of Yahweh’s exclusive legislative authority, per Isaiah 33:22 and James 4:12, including as it pertains to Deuteronomy 22:5 and Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. For more, see online Chapter 4 “Article 1: Legislative Usurpation” of “Bible Law vs. the
United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective.” Click on my name, then our website. Go to our Online Books page, click on the top entry, ans scroll down to Chapter 1.
Commutations: The consequence of Article 2’s Section 2’s provision for presidential commutations. See
Chapter 5 “Article 2: Executive Usurpation” of “Bible Law vs. the
United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective.”
Obama as President: The consequence of Article 6’s Christian test ban, by which mandatory biblical qualifications for civil leaders was also eliminated. See online Chapter 9 “Article 6: The Supreme Law of the Land” of “Bible Law vs. the
United States Constitution: The Christian Perspective.”
It’s one of the very few things Obama ever did that I completely agree with. And mostly because the sentence was excessive, unfair in the extreme and mis-applied (no kidding as the criminal neocons should all be prosecuted for their treasonous warmongering) compared to what others that did basically the same thing were prosecuted and sentenced for. Screw the neocons and anything they’re for like wrongfully jailing this individual. Good for her…