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Bradley Manning

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Brett Daniel Shehadey
Special Contributor for In Homeland Security

Private First Class (PFC) Bradley Manning received his sentencing today for leaking over 700,000 secret military and diplomatic documents- most of them unclassified. Judge Colonel Denise Lind ruled not 90 years, not 60 years, but only a 35-year prison term. At age 25, Manning could get out at age 60. A bargin? Yes and no. On the surface, that is a long time. Proponents of a strictest punishment might think that far too short.

Here is the catch: for good behavior and time served, Manning could be out in ten years on parole. So actually, there are loopholes to a strait term even within the halls of the US Military’s detention system.

The sentencing ultimately appears to be a compromise, considering he could have received multiple life sentences for his convicted 20 of 22 charges. Manning was able to appeal to the judge for greater leniency. Yet the course also still acts to discourage others to engage in similar acts of leaking classified information to the public and on the internet or organizations like WikiLeaks. The sentence of 35 years is still a long time, even for a “believer.” This will likely stall them at least until an operation is finished or get them to seriously consider finding a legal course to resolve objections of conscience.

Prosecution pushed for the 60 year sentence. All in all, it seems that Defense won.

On the other hand, people like Michael Ranter, of the Constitutional Rights Center, feel that Bradley Manning was more of a show trial and that he should not be going to jail at all for simply “telling the truth.” He calls him a “whistleblower and a hero” and he is not alone in support.

If Manning had been convicted with the charge of “aiding the enemy,” he would not have had the chance for parole. This is not the case and he is in fact eligible for parole. His defense team may even petition President Obama for a Presidential Pardon. PFC Manning had the nerve to do what he thought was right, even if what he did was wrong. Exposing America’s dirty laundry was his goal, but leaking any classified information is a crime whether an administration targets you to save political face or not.

There are two ways to whistle-blow against an action immoral, illegal, or out of character with the American spirit: one, tell your superiors and follow the institutional guidelines; two, break the law by going outside them.

A young Naval Lt. John Kerry got away with exposing US “war crimes” by a bunch of rouge service members regarding Vietnam before the US Congress. The testimony made it sound like the entire American military was evil. Mr. Kerry was a Senator for decades and now he is present Secretary of State.

A key difference was in tactics of exposing political wars. Kerry appealed to the careers of politicians and anti-war protestors that were on the rise. Manning appealed to an international group of anti-Americans and a number of national libertarian types. Mr. Kerry also did one other critical thing: he did not reveal classified information. Is there a difference? Yes, but the ultimate agenda of exposing American atrocities outside the official channels remains a highly controversial one. Depending on how one tells the story, why and who and when they reveal the information will determine their legacy and the success of their objective.

Sometimes it might be better to punish the guilty parties in-house, rather than exposing the entire nation, activity, operation or war. There should always be proper timing and a proper way to do this so that America’s security system stays in-check with officials showing ethics and integrity that exceed the American people’s expectations rather than shock them. Tightening up security breaches is already the wrong response to prevent future Mannings. The right approach is less political interference with the duties and service of the Defense Department and other national security agencies.

In the mix of boy scouts there are always traitors. America must not discourage all the do-gooders from resigning from the national security apparatus but learn to attract more of them. Most of these people are the brightest and most experienced in their field. They can thinking independently and offer perspectives not approached by the professional functionary. But what do you do with the American that actually loves their country and leaks information of government abuses in order to improve it?

How do you distinguish by law and precedent that one from the real threats that give the enemy what they need to carry out attacks and kill Americans? They are not always the same. If Manning did not “aid the enemy” why is he in prison?

On the other hand, the problem with Snowdens and Mannings is that they show themselves globalists and not Americans- playing to an international crowd, other countries and organizations. So yes, they are traitors but no, they are not like the traitors of the past that gave secrets to other governments so they would have an advantage or be capable of an attack. Whether for Money Ideology Commitment or Ego (MICE) reasons those traditional traitors unfortunately still exist too in tall order- they do the most damage and are often long-term operations. A case of MICE or Men- treason or patriotism.

What about Israel or France or the US personnel that secretly work for them out of ideological commitments and end up working against the US- stealing classified information and running intelligence rings? Or the Chinese that hack it on their own? A growing dual-citizen security risk in low level security jobs?

An anti-government control resistance front is certainly growing in the US but unlike the traditional internal enemies it is not from growing from America’s successes but from its dismal failures to protect them- and all of which that could be repaired and improved- by empowering the American people. Increased secrecy and separation from the public is no solution to further negligence, bad policy and bad behavior. Apparently civil liberties like the 4th Amendment are continually being breached by government programs in agencies like the NSA. Still, President Obama’s greater transparency panel and declassify efforts are potentially a step towards reconciliation.