According press reports, Bradley Manning the former US intelligence analyst who is believed to have supplied the confidential data Wikileaks may be loosing his cognitive abilities in prison. Manning, was arrested seven months ago and is being held at a military base in Virginia. He faces a court martial and up to 52 years in prison for his role in the WikiLeaks distribution, and probably extra time because he smuggled the data out via a Lady Gaga CD.
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A friend of the information thief David House, a computer researcher from Boston who visits Manning regularly, reports that the “poor baby” is starting to mentally and physically deteriorate.
“Over the last few weeks I have noticed a steady decline in his mental and physical wellbeing,” he said. “His prolonged confinement in a solitary holding cell is unquestionably taking its toll on his intellect; his inability to exercise due to [prison] regulations has affected his physical appearance in a manner that suggests physical weakness.”
Manning, House added, was no longer the “brilliant” man he had been, despite all efforts to keep him intellectually engaged. The problem according to computer programmer is that Manning’s being held in solitary confinement.
“I initially believed that his time in solitary confinement was a decision made in the interests of his safety,” he said. “As time passed and his suicide watch was lifted, to no effect, it became clear that his time in solitary – and his lack of a pillow, sheets, the freedom to exercise, or the ability to view televised current events – were enacted as a means of punishment rather than a means of safety.”
Forgive me for not feeling bad, but if Manning was truly as intelligent as house claims, he would have known not to commit treason. He would have realized that he was violating both his Military oath and his obligations as a citizen of the United States of America.
For God’s sake, how smart could the guy be, he smuggles state secrets on Lady Gaga CDs. Heck he owns lady gaga CDs.
On 3 November, House, 23, said he found customs agents waiting for him when he and his girlfriend returned to the US after a short holiday in Mexico. His bags were searched and two men identifying themselves as Homeland Security officials said they were being detained for questioning and would miss their connecting flight. The men seized all his electronic items and he was told to hand over all passwords and encryption keys – which he refused. The items have yet to be returned, said House. He added: “If Manning is convicted, it will be because his individual dedication to human ethics far surpasses that of the US government.”
Bull Dinky! Part of a dedication to human ethics is a dedication to the rule of law. Who the hell is Manning, to have decided on his own what could be released safely and what could not? That’s what the freedom of information act is for. If Manning was truly interested in “human ethics,” instead of passing along the documents, he would have told his friends to file freedom of information requests for certain documents. He could have even given them “general directions of what to ask for. If the State Department refused they could have filed a lawsuit and let a judge decide.
But they didn’t try the legal way, Bradley Manning, like his friend Julian Assange decided that they are Judge, Jury and God, making the decisions of what and how confidential information should be released. They deserve whatever they get.
If the story about “poor baby” manning is true, the only bad thing about it is that if he does go bonkers from his imprisonment, he may not realize why he is there and that he has lost is freedom because of his ego. That might reduce the suffering of any sentence he does get.
Forgive me for not feeling sorry for Private Manning he is a traitor to his country and has made things a bit less safe for my family.
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