Bradley Manning-Hero or Traitor?

Bradley Manning gets sentenced today, what are your thoughts?

I think he is a hero for showing us what the glorious US military has been up to, but I think the US authorities are forced to give him a long sentence to deter other would be whistle-blowers like Edward Snowden. If the US doesn't severely punish these guys then it will be open season on info coming out about US war crimes/atrocities etc.

However if they do lock up Manning forever he will become a Martyr so perhaps they will give him a sentence like 10 years.

A hero.

Just like with Edward Snowden. Okay, yes, they technically broke the law, but they've exposed unconstitutional projects and programs which outweigh all the negatives.

I say he's more of a hero than a traitor. I'm always for the whistleblower. Things would've been a lot easier for him if he just leaked the video though, instead in a fit of rage he leaked all the communications he could get his hands on. Therefore it's obvious (and was obvious) that he'd get a big chunk of jail time.

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I'm not an American and I didn't read about the subject extensively or anything like that. I just have my information from Belgian news reports.

My question is: what's so "heroic" about spreading secret information?

I'm not saying I'm against the guy. I'm just asking a question.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

I hesitate to call him a traitor, primarily because he didn't aid any specific enemy. But I don't love that my only other option is "hero." I can like this specific action and be glad he took it, but still dislike and distrust the precedent it sets.

It's kind of like asking if you're glad the police planted evidence to secure a conviction for someone they knew was guilty. I'm glad with the outcome, but the process matters.

The greatest thing he spread, the one that caught most publicity was a video of, well here's the description on wiki

The incident was covered up.
This is really the thing that gained him the most support. I agree with what Yoda says, it's hard to call the man a "hero" or a "traitor", but I think he did more good than bad, and overall I don't think he's the man they should be prosecuting.

I wouldn't call him a hero, maybe a patriot.

In this day and age where most people are sheep as opposed to shepherds actions such as this stand out even more so. Americans as a whole have become complacent to the point of not seeing what is right in front of their face. Most are so focused on the perceived paradigm of right/left they are blind to reality.

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"Fortune favors the brave and press on is the motto, Cast shadows on the sun with my bravado." ~ Brother Ali - Victory! (Come Forward)

I'll second patriot in lieu of hero, but you'd have to be a sheep to call him a traitor. The information he leaked was mostly known or assumed, this just confirmed a lot of that. It's really just another case of a person revealing illegal activity, and rather than do anything with ANY of those responsible, the one who reveals it gets royally fvcked. Snowden was smart, he got out, otherwise the asinine system would put him away forever.

Who voted traitor? Wanna explain your reasons?

Traitor in technical forms, because he did committed to the organization, but a hero from moral reasons.

catch 22 right here.

It's less of a catch 22 when considering the government is in the middle of writing the constitution out of our system.

Criminal government... the elephant in the room.

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#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

Did the guy get sentenced yet or what? Haven't seen anything in the news yet.

Potentially 136 years, the sentencing process is still going I think.

Well, he got his sentence today, and It's 35 years. In comparison, that's five years more than a spy got for selling CIA secrets to communist East Germany.

In terms of American Law, doesn't this make him worse than murderers and sex offenders? I don't get it.

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Yes, but that's the same in pretty much any country. Look at the time armed robbers get or any criminal against the State. It's almost always more than murderers or sex offenders get because it's a threat to the establishment and that must be stamp out at all costs. Murder, rape, etc, that **** just happens to people.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

This. Plus they have to scare future whistle-blowers into silence. supposedly there are around 800,000 employees of the US with similar security clearance to Bradley Manning/Edward Snowden.

If the US would simply behave with a little decency around the world there would be no need to fear whistle-blowers.

USA! USA! USA!