Governments use national secrets acts to avoid letting their own citizens know how often teh government is incompetent, vicious, indifferent, venal and cowardly. The nemies may well know it all but the citizens must be kept unaware of the acts that might get leaders dismissed, exiled or executed.

America's secrets are mostly secret in America but are well known elsewhere. Hard to ask for another term if the voters know the level of incompetence of the administration currently in charge.

The fate of heroes is often unjust. Bradley Manning will have his day in court, but will he get justice? The military operates under different rules, and I think that most civilians aren't aware of this. I have heard that when you join the military, you give up your rights, and become their property. I agree that he broke the law, but I also think that he was obeying a higher law, one that justified his actions. What good is living in a "free country" if that freedom is circumscribed by unjust laws? What law has the right to override the conscience? We live in a country that has been taken over by the military/indust rial complex and we watch as our rights are ignored or infringed upon. The opinion of the majority of Americans no longer matters to those in power, and the day may come, indeed may already be upon us, when we as citizens, must make the choice that Bradley Manning did, to put the common good above our own safety. His sacrifice must now be honored by a sustained effort to change the antiquated laws that imprison him.

Another example of how governments -of whatever stamp they claim to be- lie and ignore the wishes of the voters once in power! This is no different from the shameful case of Leonard Peltier, now serving his second life term for the murder of two FBI agents after an illegal extradition from Canada, a showcase trial by a heavily biased judge and which manufactured evidence and coerced witnesses, has since been disproven and subsequently 'fessed up to by the true killer (and they were acting in self-defense of their people). In other words a revenge trial and sentence.
This example and other political prisoners hustled into long-term and even lethal sentences, after much abuse, persuades me that Mr. Manning will be treated less than fairly, especially if we fail in our duty to exercise any vigilance we ourselves need to keep on his case, especially in the era of the current Roberts-Ailito- Scalia-Thomas -dominated supreme judiciary, who have already shown their true colors and sympathies in favor of corporations being able to wield unlimited financial power in buying candidates, coverage and elections. And I'm tired of H. Clinton condemning other countries for repression and political jailings whilst this kind of thing is going on quite blatantly in the Fragmented States of America.
-And then there's the seemingly bottomless "Balck Budget".

I just cannot believe the extent to which President Obama has taken the lack of transparency in government handed him by the Bush Administration and has decided to run with it. rather than supporting a greater transparency in government Mr. Obama has expanded on it and made it even for whistle-blowers to call attention to misdeeds in our government and in the business world. Our leaders have been responsible for an illegal war with hundreds of thousands of innocent deaths, an economic world and nation meltdown as well as energy industry disasters past, present and future. How cannot it not be important to bring great transparency to those in power in government and in industry?

What I want to know is how "the press" as in: "Congress shall make no law ... abridging freedom of the press", has been twisted to mean "journalism"? Back in the day of the founding fathers, the press was just that, a printing press, and they realized to control the government, it as vital for ANYONE to be able to PRINT ANYTHING!!! No press card required. Let's think about original intent.