Call him a whistleblower if you like, but it’s really stretching the meaning of the word. He’s not uncovered wholesale government deception or subterfuge by any means. The pentagon papers that blew the whistle on the Vietnam war in the early 70s had seismic impact in the US – the whole country had being actively misled and lied to by the Johnson government. Manning isn’t in the same league, which makes his situation all the more sad.

What is really unfortunate is that it appears he may have been manipulated by others into releasing the information – others who had no skin in the game and don’t get to languish in prison for the rest of their life.

Okay, the real reason is it’s hackneyed – like the Ben Franklin quote.

Hackneyed!!?!?

How very dare you 😆

He’s not uncovered wholesale government deception or subterfuge by any means

He has uncovered many deceptions lies and actual crimes, it is unfortunate that the press is now so compliant and onside that they have managed to neatly make the story about manning rather than what he uncovered.

😀

Anyhow, as I always say, quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur.

Do you?

The only reason I shoehorned it into the bottom of the post is that it’s about the only Latin phrase I can remember with looking it up!!!

That and canis studia domestici devoravit

He has uncovered many deceptions lies and actual crimes, it is unfortunate that the press is now so compliant and onside that they have managed to neatly make the story about manning rather than what he uncovered.

You’ve got to be kidding! Do you live in North Korea?

In the UK the press is so aggressive it is actually verging on destructive.

The only reason I shoehorned it into the bottom of the post is that it’s about the only Latin phrase I can remember with looking it up!!!

Mine is “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” which is strangely appropriate to this thread too!

Or illegitimi nil carborundum.

Or illegitimi nil carborundum.

This is a warning that plastic bike frames fall apart eventually isn’t it?

In the UK the press is so aggressive it is actually verging on destructive.

So you didn’t follow the Leveson enquiry then? Never noticed the cosy love in between the Government, the police and the press? maybe you think that the expenses scandal was good work by the press but ignored the fact that no paper wanted to touch it, until the fact that it existed and was being turned down by fleet st, started to get blogged about.

The UK press may be vociferous in their pursuit of celebrity wardrobe malfunctions, but when it comes to officialdom they are rarely anything more than mouthpieces for pr departments.

Never noticed the cosy love in between the Government, the police and the press?

I don’t agree with you.
Politicians fear the press. They know that if they don’t play ball, the press will beat the shit out of them, misrepresent their policies and aggressively intrude in their proivate lives.

In your first post you said that the press were “so compliant and onside”! Quite the reverse, they had/have too much power and influence.

The press/police issue was purely a financial greed/correption issue.
A criminal matter to be treated as such.

To characterise all of the above as Govt/press/police in “a cosy love in” is ridiculous.

So you didn’t follow the Leveson enquiry then!

Interestingly, despite allegedly having an ‘extra special’ relationship with the US, press in Australia have been pretty much on Manning’s side.

35 years
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23784288

out in 8 or 9 though which isn’t bad going.

Julian Assange seems to have got solitary for life as things stand.

I can’t see what he did as such a crime as to deserve a sentence of 35years, perhaps those who tried to cover up the aforementioned apache gunship massacre should be tried for murder and attempting to cover it up, throw them in the cell next to him along with everyone else who lied/tried to cover their arse in the released documents whether they be army personal or government employes.

I guess i’m just rather naive to expect honesty and a moral back bone to what our western governments do in our name.

If i ever visit the states (doubtful?) i imagine i’ll get a grilling at immigration/border control for my backing of Manning and Asange/Wiikileaks due to my support for what they’ve released , be it online or written hard copy. i expect they’d also question me regarding the stamps on my passport as i’ve mostly visited countries where Islam is the dominant religion and not just for a week or two but generally months at a time…come to think of it the world is very big place and the US is a small part of it so i’ll head elsewhere.

Ne Parcas Nec Spernas

Neither Spare nor Dispose

(Our clan motto)