Galindez writes: "On February 28th, Bradley Manning pleaded guilty to 10 charges that would have put him in prison for 20 years. This should have been enough to satisfy everyone, but it wasn't enough for the unforgiving, spiteful, and angry."
Sketch of Bradley Manning inside the courtroom. (art: Kay Rudin/RSN)
11 June 13
n February 28th, Bradley Manning pleaded guilty to 10 charges that would have put him in prison for 20 years. This should have been enough to satisfy everyone, but it wasn't enough for the unforgiving, spiteful, and angry.
It was no surprise that the security state apparatus was not satisfied with twenty years. They always want blood in a case like this; I don't think life in prison would be enough for them.
The Army itself probably made the decision, but one would think that pressure from the commander in chief could have gotten them to accept the deal. I don't expect generals to show compassion. I don't even expect compassion from a president who comes from the right wing of either political party. But from the "community organizer" who ran on a plank of hope and change, I thought we could expect some compassion.
Twenty years in prison is a long time. It is a punishment that fits the crime. That is if you consider whistleblowing to be a crime. I don't, and a decade ago I didn't think candidate Obama did either. This quote about whistleblowers from candidate Obama, "Such acts of courage and patriotism ... should be encouraged rather than stifled," indicated he didn't. Well, now his record as president is one of ruthless action against whistleblowers.
The real criminals who destroyed our economy with their moneymaking schemes, causing people to lose their homes, and even in some cases their families and their lives, are shown compassion – while those who are trying to expose the truth are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
As I sit here watching witness after witness testify to what Bradley Manning already admitted he did, I have to wonder how much could have been saved if the government had just accepted Manning's guilty plea.
Bradley Manning brought the ugly truth to the American people. He even admitted he violated the law and pleaded guilty. The reason it wasn't enough is it exposed the fact that America is not always right, that America is not a shining beacon on a hill that shows the world what is right.
It is the bravery of people like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden that may one day lead us to a country that sets a good example for the rest of the world.
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.
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