Bradley Manning Trial In Military Court

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May 3, 2011
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FORT MEADE, Maryland (Reuters) - Bradley Manning, the suspected source of the largest leak of classified U.S. documents in history, spent his 24th birthday in military court on Saturday listening to investigators detail how they pieced together the case against him. Manning was a U.S. Army intelligence analyst in Iraq when he is alleged to have illegally downloaded massive data files from the military's classified network and became a source for anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. U.S. officials say WikiLeak's successive data dumps last year, including sensitive diplomatic cables, endangered national security and Manning faces charges including aiding the enemy which could send him to prison for life.
Yahoo News


The article says a computer device found in Bradley's belongings contained a damaging video released by Wikileaks last year, and witnesses testified about Bradley's mental state. Long article.
 
I understand the charge was made that Manning put the lives of his fellow soldiers in danger, then I heard rumbles in the press that at no time were American soldiers put in danger.

Does anybody here know for sure?

Bradley Manning's Supporters Rally at Fort Meade
and they're telling people that Manning is a hero along with Occupy London.

Actually I can think of several ways the leaks put troops in jeopardy.Anything to do with Pakistan that would and did worsen our position with them would effect the lives and safety of anyone in Afghanistan or on a broader front the world as they have nuclear capability and could give it away to the wrong people to get even.

Anything to do with Afghanistan again puts lives at risk. Iraq too.
 
From the above link:

Manning is accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive items including Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, but supporters say he made important information available to the public.

Daniel Ellsberg​, who revealed the secret U.S. expansion of the Vietnam War​ by leaking the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago and has been an outspoken supporter of Manning, was scheduled to speak, but he missed a flight and could not attend, said Jeff Paterson, a rally organizer.
Why don't people wait until after the facts come out in the trial before they throw their hat in the ring?
 
Manning undoubtedly violated the UCMJ. Court-martial proceedings will determine the extent of those violations, and if found guilty, he will be be sentenced.
 
I understand the charge was made that Manning put the lives of his fellow soldiers in danger, then I heard rumbles in the press that at no time were American soldiers put in danger.

Does anybody here know for sure?

Bradley Manning's Supporters Rally at Fort Meade
and they're telling people that Manning is a hero along with Occupy London.

Actually I can think of several ways the leaks put troops in jeopardy.Anything to do with Pakistan that would and did worsen our position with them would effect the lives and safety of anyone in Afghanistan or on a broader front the world as they have nuclear capability and could give it away to the wrong people to get even.

Anything to do with Afghanistan again puts lives at risk. Iraq too.
Pakistan gave safe harbor to our worst enemy and killer of almost 3,000 Americans on 9/11. Bin Laden's group well knew the buildings hosted 90,000 people every working day, and they planned their attack to hit the towers during the workday.

Right now, I'd say Pakistan is one of the terrorist states that should have been dealt with a lot more harshly than it was. They got a free ticket from Obama and harm came to the Seals in a far more egregious toll than the rotten apple bin Laden they had no business giving safety and comfort to for life following the incident.

I hope that is brought to Mr. Manning's attention at the trial how serious his betrayal of the United States was in his dealings with Assange who is also wanted for rape in Sweden, but who may not have to face charges for his two crimes there.
 
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Manning undoubtedly violated the UCMJ. Court-martial proceedings will determine the extent of those violations, and if found guilty, he will be be sentenced.
There is a page on UCMJ about punishment in Espionage here.

I'm not sure if the military court will determine his guilt or innocence on anything except their findings of fact, but here are the consequences in the link above:

906a. ARTICLE 106a. ESPIONAGE

by admin on Jul.21, 2010, under 10. Punitive Articles
(a) (1) Any person subject to this chapter who, with intent or reason to believe that it is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation, communicates, delivers, or transmits, or attempts to communicate, deliver, or transmit, to any entity described in paragraph (2), either directly or indirectly, any thing described in paragraph (3) shall be punished as a court-martial may direct, except that if the accused is found guilty of an offense that directly concerns (A) nuclear weaponry, military spacecraft or satellites, early warning systems, or other means of defense or retaliation against large scale attack, (B) war plans, (C) communications intelligence or cryptographic information, or (D) any other major weapons system or major element of defense strategy, the accused shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court- martial may direct.
(2) An entity referred to in paragraph (1) is–
(A) a foreign government;
(B) a faction or party or military force within a foreign country, whether recognized or unrecognized by the United States
(C) a representative, officer, agent, employee, subject, or citizen of such government, faction, party, or force.
(3) A thing refereed to in paragraph (1) is a document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, note, instrument, appliance or information relating to the national defense.
(b) (1) No person may be sentenced by court-martial to suffer death for an offense under this section (article) unless–
(A) the members of the court-martial unanimously find at least one of the aggravating factors set out in subsection (c); and
(B) the members unanimously determine that any extenuating or mitigating circumstances are substantially outweighed by any aggravating circumstances, including the aggravating factors set out under subsection (c).
(2) Findings under this subsection may be based on–
(A) evidence introduced on the issue of guilt or innocence;
(B) evidence introduced during the sentencing proceeding; or
(C) all such evidence.
(3) The accused shall be given broad latitude to present matters in extenuation and mitigation.
(c) A sentence of death may be adjudged by a court-martial for an offense under this section (article) only if the members unanimously find, beyond a reasonable doubt, one or more of the following aggravating factors:
(1) The accused has been convicted of another offense involving espionage or treason for which either a sentence of death or imprisonment for life was authorized by statute.
(2) In the commission of the offense, the accused knowingly created a grave risk of substantial damage to the national security.
(3) In the commission of the offense, the accused knowingly created a grave risk of death to another person.
(4) Any other factor that may be prescribed by the President by regulations under section 836 of this title (Article 36).
http://www.ucmj.us/?s=punishment+for+treason
 
Undoubtedly Manning has violated some procedures or regulations pertaining to the duties of his office, no matter how minor. I know of very few officers and NCOs who were able to complete their assignments without running afoul at least in some minor way of the UCMJ in one way or another. Manning will be caught up on one or more of those violations if he skirts the major one.

The Article 32 procedings, if not already completed, will give the observer a very good idea of where the prosecution is headed.
 
Jake, I think they have 22 charges at this time. I'm not certain what exactly all of those are. The sheer volume and mass of the information placed in the hands of a blabbermouth on national security information does not bode well for the man.

The fact that there are many like RetiredGYSgt and Warrior 102 who feel his conduct if true merits a death penalty due to endangering a nation engaged in a war against terrorists carries a lot of weight in the military. They don't put up with a soldier giving ammo to the enemy when our guys have been so beleagured with so many deaths and injuries at the hands of dangerous zealots, it may be his alleged espionage will not have a good outcome if charges against him are proved to the USMJ jurors.
 
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Jake, I think they have 22 charges at this time. I'm not certain what exactly all of those are. The sheer volume and mass of the information placed in the hands of a blabbermouth on national security information does not bode well for the man.

The fact that there are many like RetiredGYSgt and Warrior 102 who feel his conduct if true merits a death penalty due to endangering a nation engaged in a war against terrorists carries a lot of weight in the military. They don't put up with a soldier giving ammo to the enemy when our guys have been so beleagured with so many deaths and injuries at the hands of dangerous zealots, it may be his alleged espionage will not have a good outcome if charges against him are proved to the USMJ jurors.

I believe that solitary confinement would be a fate worse than death for Manning. Solitary.
 
Jake, I think they have 22 charges at this time. I'm not certain what exactly all of those are. The sheer volume and mass of the information placed in the hands of a blabbermouth on national security information does not bode well for the man.

The fact that there are many like RetiredGYSgt and Warrior 102 who feel his conduct if true merits a death penalty due to endangering a nation engaged in a war against terrorists carries a lot of weight in the military. They don't put up with a soldier giving ammo to the enemy when our guys have been so beleagured with so many deaths and injuries at the hands of dangerous zealots, it may be his alleged espionage will not have a good outcome if charges against him are proved to the USMJ jurors.

Assuming he's guilty, then RGS and Warrior are right.The little shit should die for what he did. It has jack shit to do with whether or not he put the lives of our servicemen at risk - although most military I know say he did - it is to do with one word.... Treason. We cannot have members of our military - or anyone else in a position of trust - deciding for themselves what information is 'secret' and which is not.

But then, if members of Congress can commit treason and have no consequences, then maybe treason is acceptable these days. Not to me, but to my fellow Americans.
 
He'll be lucky he doesn't face the firing squad for the deaths he caused...
:eusa_eh:
Court-martial recommended for Manning
Sat, Jan 14, 2012 - Washington : A US investigating officer has recommended that Bradley Manning be court-martialed for allegedly funneling hundreds of thousands of classified US documents to WikiLeaks, the US Army said on Thursday.
Lieutenant Colonel Paul Almanza, the investigating officer, “concluded that the charges and specifications are in the proper form and that reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged,” the US Army Military District of Washington said in a statement. “He recommended that the charges be referred to a general court-martial.” The charges include aiding the enemy, wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet knowing it is accessible to the enemy, theft of public property or records, transmitting defense information and computer fraud. If convicted, Manning, an army private before the WikiLeaks furor erupted, could be sentenced to life in prison for what authorities have described as one of the most serious intelligence breaches in US history.

The recommendation followed a seven-day pre-trial hearing last month presided over by Almanza to determine if there was sufficient evidence to try the 24-year-old private from Oklahoma. Defense attorneys said in the conclusion of those proceedings that the charges should be reduced. However, Almanza recommended that he be referred to a military court for trial on all 22 counts against him. Manning is accused of giving WikiLeaks a massive trove of US military reports from Iraq and Afghanistan, 260,000 classified US Department of State cables, Guantanamo detainee assessments and videos of US air strikes. Trained on various intelligence systems, Manning served in Iraq from November 2009 until his arrest the following May. The anti-secrecy Web site began releasing the military documents in July 2010. It dumped the entire archive of diplomatic documents in September last year, causing huge embarrassment to Washington.

Army investigators told last month’s hearing that contact information for WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange, military reports, cables and other classified material had been found on computers and storage devices used by Manning. “We’re disappointed, but by no means surprised,” said Jeff Patterson, a leader of a support network backing Manning. “The investigating officer showed no concern for the conflict of interest caused by his dual employment with the justice department, or the taint of bias arising from his commander-in-chief, [US] President Barack Obama, who publicly declared Manning to be guilty long before he ever had his day in court.” In his closing statement in the pre-trial hearing, Manning’s civilian defense attorney, David Coombs, said the government “overcharged in this case,” and he urged Almanza to reduce the charges to just three counts that would carry a total of 30 years in prison.

Court-martial recommended for Manning - Taipei Times
 
He is a hero. He revealed the dark side of the US, not the critical secret to the security of the US. Just like what the "Deep throat" has done.
 
He is nominated for Nobel Prize.

Quote, "http://joyb.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/bradley-manning-nobel-peace-prize.html

February 1st 2012 the entire parliamentary group of The Movement of the Icelandic Parliament nominated Private Bradley Manning for the Nobel Peace Prize.
1 million signatures delivered to the Nobel Nominating Committee would be a huge
endorsement.

Add your name at:
action.firedoglake.com | Give Bradley Manning the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize!
 
"(3) The accused shall be given broad latitude to present matters in extenuation and mitigation."

Manning has been prevented from habeas review on the counts, while the court waits to see who gets elected President.

The problem with Manning is he was not able to file for protection, under US-WBPA, so he is getting wrecked, by fascist pigs, who have been allowed to make all the war they want to, on civilians, after starting trouble with Islam, by supporting Israel.

The US wouldn't back up, from Israel, not even when in 1967 Israel invaded the Sinai, so fighting with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria broke out. Egypt had been conducting exercises in the Sinai, when Israel bombed Egyptian airfields. Israel ended up taking territory, which is the basis for international claims against Israel, to this day, while the US cannot get along with Muslims.

Israel shot up the USS Liberty, in 1967, killing a lot of Americans, but the US just fixed up the ship and swept the hassle under the table. Where are the whistleblowers, when the bulldozers shove Palestinians off their land? Where is our Constitution, when it's been time to cut the violators of the separation, standing army, enumeration clauses, USCA 4, 5, 14, RICO, and Sedition Act? Gee Wally, wtf is all that? The US Constitution and statutes, is what that is. They are unenforced, for all the over-budget shit.

Jimmy Carter is one unelectable but fair man, but he caught a lot of shit, for speaking out about this, and the Bush Administration wouldn't let Jimmy talk to Bashar Assad, when Assad was starting to get nasty, even though Jimmy has had successful contact with the Assads, including for the Reagan Administration. That situation went to hell, in a handbasket. And those bitches in Israel claim they run the US. The US sucks.

The US is not improved, by the posses of ranting fucks, who won't get smart, while they support some politician, who isn't going to restore value, to our economy. Give up.

The US Congress is full of jackasses, from both parties, who basically have Israel up their butts. They pass stuff like the NDAA, give the NSA a new home, so it can steal, with corporations, jerk off with healthcare and fracking, simultaneously, the CIA and FBI knew the 9/11 terrorists were in the US but didn't share the intel, so now we have a costly DHS, but fuck anybody who notices atrocities or waste, fraud, and abuse.

The three-letter pig agencies are notorious, for screwing whistleblowers, where WBPA should apply. Is this what is happening, to Private Manning? What did he reveal? We now need to know something about the character of the classified information, given how punks completely distort the nature of security, suppress WBPA, and keep on perpetrating.

Is Manning a perp or a patriot? I know governments are fully loaded, with perps.

The planet is going straight to hell, with a lot of dead animals, this year. The extinction rate is 100+ times normal, headed for 1000 times normal, so the US guarantees Israel's oil supply and imports oil, while fucking with the Middle East. The US is a shitter, full of assholes, who won't do biomass research, despite temporary use, of the US breadbasket, a large fertile region. The US won't re-green, despite deserts and pollution.

Nothing is going well, real estate is inflated from years of drug and other wars, with no US border security, until after 9/11, so every asshole in the world owns a piece of the US markets, which are not going anywhere. Don't expect Obamney to recover anything, from the Bain method, of refinancing, cutting, and diving. The sack race is leading nowhere, after November.

To make a long story short, the US is a strong ally of Turkey, the origin of Sunni Islam. The US supports Sunnis, except in cases where some Sunni CIA client goes bad on the US, like Saddam and UBL, so then the US gets a lying Iraqi, to make allegations which go before Congress, via the President, who then caused invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

This problem continues. Meanwhile, homosexuality managed to make it, as an issue. Homosexuals are like women and minorities, who don't get equal rights, and truthfully, nobody gets equal rights, unless homosexuals are like the Log Cabin Club, in which case acting up all day and night is going on, as if nobody heard, how the now-dead queers in bath-house crowds liked to trick, shoot speed, trick, and geek around with public health, all the way to shoving their HIV, through full-blown AIDS, and death.

Conservative homosexuals think it's great, to screw with anybody, anytime, to hell with women, minority rights, and especially, to hell with the environment, so all kinds of liars are in traffic, and who needs rights, for supporters of the 'fagot,' which is the bundle of sticks, supporting the 'faces,' or axes, in the fascist symbol? Homosexuality is a symptom, of fascism. Rats turn queer, when jammed together.

Into all this nuisance strolls Bradley Manning, who has homosexuality issues. He did have a female identity, he did not engage US WBPA protection, and he is eating shit, for revealing a lot of atrocities, which US forces engaged in, to Wikileaks. I don't know if any of the information he revealed is really of the character, which violates any legitimate national security interest, since pigs in the guise of patriots are generally taking any right they can, to shove it in the fascist crapper.

What we will determine is if in fact any of the information Manning revealed is relevant, to national security, or did he just reveal rampant atrocities and excesses, by fascist pigs?

I don't go to Wikileaks, but I intend to find out: did Manning really fuck up, or did he just pass on a lot of conspiracies the GAO should know about, anyway, and a lot of information about murders, assaults, ripoffs, and graft, which the USDOJ or military courts neglected to prosecute?

I do know this: bitches are everywhere. Cops and queers, queers and cops, punks for Obamney, geeks for somebody else's rights, when we don't have rights, what a shitload.

The reality is the US is a fascist hegemon, where crime pays, all this is subject to surveillance, and if any spooks find something, they'll steal it. The US started up most of the trouble our military responds to, with CIA actions, in the 1950s, see Korea, Iran, Iraq, China, etc. Really!

The CIA flew Liberators, over China, from Tibet and Taiwan, baited North Korea, and there's a war, after Chiang was killing Cantonese-speakers, on Taiwan. Tibet got grabbed, by China, for letting the CIA fly over, from there. The CIA and MI6 installed the Shah, the CIA supported Saddam, etc., etc., etc. The US cooks the shit everybody eats.

Some people are having too good a time, at the punk parade. But this thread should determine, if Bradley Manning revealed something which really violates US security in a substantive way, if he committed some crime, and if so, what was that crime, and is he guilty of any of the 22 or so charges? Just ranting for or against is not my issue. What did he really do? Is the US military just cooking up trouble, or is Manning guilty?Let's get logical, or not. I won't post, unless I find something out, or I'm pissed.
 
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