Help for hero - bradley manning

[Anna B]

Really Andy? Do you not consider the murder of civilians, children and journalists by a helicopter gunship - and its subsequent cover up a great wrong?

 

That you wouldn't doesn't surprise me a great deal, but it does sadden me.

 

Everyone should watch that video in full before giving an opinion about Bradley Manning. I found it shocking.

 

You have to ask yourself if the Americans are the peacekeepers of the world or the agressors.

[Waldo]

Heros have superior qualities. Stealing information and feeding it here there and everywhere (in my opinion) does not fall into such a category.

 

Sitting in a helicopter gunship, with the support of vastly superior weoponry and technology, pressing a button to murder unarmed civilians and children, is that heroic?

 

Doing the right thing (by exposing the above), even though that may mean your own destruction, is that not heroic?

 

However, on the flip-side, I don't think the indiscriminate release of bulk information was a decent and nobel thing to do.

[Daid]

Sitting in a helicopter gunship, with the support of vastly superior weoponry and technology, pressing a button to murder unarmed civilians and children, is that heroic? NO!

 

Doing the right thing (by exposing the above), even though that may mean your own destruction, is that not heroic? NO!

 

However, on the flip-side, I don't think the indiscriminate release of bulk information was a decent and nobel thing to do.

 

 

...................................

[andygardener]

Really Andy? Do you not consider the murder of civilians, children and journalists by a helicopter gunship - and its subsequent cover up a great wrong?

 

That you wouldn't doesn't surprise me a great deal, but it does sadden me.

 

Well done for not reading what I actually wrote and then misrepresenting in with spin.

 

That incedent was in the public domain for years. Had manning simply mailed Reuters a usb of the cockpit footage I don't think he'd have been ID'd and if he had I'd be amazed if he would have faced charges.

 

He didn't. He released every single confidential document he had access to. He didn't know what he was releasing or care what damage it could do. The fact that one of the things he released is arguably of public interest does not justify the massive breach he committed.

[Waldo]

Of course, none of us really know what his motivations were; we can only read into the situation what we will. For example, I don't really know if he was acting selflessly, or just after a little excitement, or grandeur, or notoriety, or whatever...

 

However, to my mind, I would think acting in a selfless way for the benefit and betterment of others, even though such action may mean our own downfall; that is to me the very essence of 'heroic'.

[tinfoilhat]

Of course, none of us really know what his motivations were; we can only read into the situation what we will. For example, I don't really know if he was acting selflessly, or just after a little excitement, or grandeur, or notoriety, or whatever...

 

However, to my mind, I would think acting in a selfless way for the benefit and betterment of others, even though such action may mean our own downfall; that is to me the very essence of 'heroic'.

 

I disagree. Him and more importantly his handler assange made public 450,000 military reports and 250,000 diplomatic reports. There can't be much of a filter there. He just hoovered it all up and spat it out not knowing what was really in there. Had he found say, 45 instances of the helicopter gunship incedent I'd have had a bit more respect but thus to me looks more like a case of "look what I can do", with the weight of numbers being the main shock value.

 

 

And for all that, what has he changed? Any foreign policy or military SOP?

[andygardener]

Everyone should watch that video in full before giving an opinion about Bradley Manning. I found it shocking.

 

You have to ask yourself if the Americans are the peacekeepers of the world or the agressors.

 

The video was encrypted. Bradley Manning never saw it's contents until wikileaks broke the encryption and put it online, ie the same time everyone else saw it and way after he leaked the files. To suggest Manning leaked hundreds of thousands of confidential files because of the contents of the video it just plain factually wrong.

[SevenRivers]

Would you say the same about all whistle blowers?

No. Next stupid question.

 

Since when was the truth such a dangerous commodity?

 

When it relates to wafare, national security, armed forces personnel, diplomatic manouvers, foreign relations, spies etc.

[Waldo]

I disagree. Him and more importantly his handler assange made public 450,000 military reports and 250,000 diplomatic reports. There can't be much of a filter there. He just hoovered it all up and spat it out not knowing what was really in there. Had he found say, 45 instances of the helicopter gunship incedent I'd have had a bit more respect but thus to me looks more like a case of "look what I can do", with the weight of numbers being the main shock value.

 

And for all that, what has he changed? Any foreign policy or military SOP?

 

You disagree with my notion of what constitutes heroic action? Or you just don't think it applies to Manning?

 

I did previously point out that indiscriminate release of bulk information wasn't a decent and nobel thing to do.

 

However, the US are doing an amazing job of taking attention away from the helicopter incident and directing it towards Manning. A classic manoeuvre...

[frank ryan]

There is nothing in what Manning revealed that we could not already guess at.

 

Is the US whiter than white? No. Far too jingoistic. But anyone with an iota of common sense already knew that and will appreciate that they are a far more benevolent Super Power than Russia/China/Whoever would ever be.

 

If the two towers had been the Kremlin there wouldn't a Russian version of Guantanamo because all suspects would have been 'disposed' of.

 

Lets face it. Most US bashers are naïve or more likely, contrary.

 

that's a fantastic argument - it should be illegal to tell truths that other people could guess anyway!

 

let's use the same weird logic on iran china burma etc - to my mind the US and its bitch poodle the UK are not benevolent superpowers, they are nasty, violent human rights violators who have the same mentality as burma or iran, but kill far more people - lets see what these wars are about and decide whether we think it's all worth it - just like with vietnam, but that won't be allowed cos support for that war collapsed and uncle sam scuttled out in an ignominious defeat.

 

the afghan war is lost, the west is in full retreat, the US and UK are now wanting to ARM taliban allies in syria for christ's sake - if there's a logic to this let's hear it.