(RT) BREAKING: Manning is asking Obama for a Pardon

[99th_Monkey]

(RT) The lead attorney for Army Private first class Bradley Manning told the media on Wednesday that he’ll begin asking US President Barack Obama to pardon his client as early as next week.

Three hours after a military judge sentenced Pfc. Manning to 35 years in prison for disclosing sensitive government documents, attorney David Coombs said the appeals process will begin in a matter of days.

“I will file a request,” Coombs said in a Wednesday afternoon presser, “a request that the president pardon Pfc. Manning, or at the very least commute his sentence to time served.”

That request, Coombs said, includes in part a statement from Manning himself.

“I understand that my actions violated the law,” Coombs read the soldier’s statement. “I regret that my actions hurt or harmed the US. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. I only wanted to help people.”

Pfc. Manning and his counsel will ask the White House to remove the 35-year sentence handed down early Wednesday by Army Col. Denise Lind at a courthouse in Ft. Meade, Maryland. Should that request be refused, however, Manning wrote, “I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price for living in a free society.”

http://rt.com/usa/bradley-manning-obama-pardon-805/

[gopiscrap]

1. Good for him

and I hope Obama gives it to him if fuckers like Ollie North can get one, then Manning definitely should be getting one.

[kelliekat44]

2. “I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price for living in a free

society" And sometimes you have to pay a heavy price for breaking the law and a sworn oath.

[Ken Burch]

3. You can't just say "the law is the law" and leave it at that.

Every time someone justifies an injustice by saying "the law is the law", that person accepts an essentially fascist view of life. Especially since the law, in this country, has never been pure and neutral and has always favored the powerful, the wealthy, and the repressive over the people.

Manning had no alternative but to do what he did, and everything would be worse if he hadn't done it.

[RoccoR5955]

30. Who takes an oath to hide facts from the US people?

Okay, he broke the law, but sometimes the law is a broken law, and needs to be broken, so that it can be changed.

AFAIC, nobody's life was put in jeopardy, and no strategy was revealed, by Manning's submissions.
On the other hand, it may have helped to SAVE lives.

[JDPriestly]

46. The people who broke the law were the people who committed the war crimes that Manning

disclosed. People were hurt by the criminals who broke international law and invaded a country without just cause. No one was hurt by Manning's revelations. No one.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. I'm sure Obama will be delighted to "look forward, not backward" like he did with the CIA torturers.

[City Lights]

15. Haha, yes, I, too, am sure.

[Enthusiast]

36. Me too. I'm sure.....

[BlueJazz]

41. Oh Yes...the rich and the powerful get to Look Forward to a happy life...even if their lies...

...cause thousands of death....and misery...and expense...and ....lots of other nice things.
A non-com soldier ?? ....Surely you jest.

[tblue]

42. My gosh, this is so sad.

[Agony]

57. . . . nt

[bravenak]

5. I hope he gives it to him.

I feel for him.

[Autumn]

6. I don't believe Obama will even consider it.

He has always considered Bradley Manning guilty.

[99th_Monkey]

10. Time served

would be within the realm of imagination though, since it would still leave the "guilty"
verdict in place.

And I think Obama should definitely do that, at the very least.

[Marrah_G]

7. Obama won't pardon him

[99th_Monkey]

13. Yes. Pardons are only for REAL War Criminals, like the Bush Crime Syndicate

http://warisacrime.org/content/obama-doj-asks-court-grant-immunity-george-w-bush-iraq-war

[dballance]

31. Yep, too bad for him he wasn't running drugs and weapons like Bush the Sr. & Company

Too bad for Manning he wasn't running drugs and weapons in an effort to prop up the resistance/dictator/overthrow of some government the US corporations were pissed at for taking back their country by, oh, democratic processes. Then not bowing to the demands of the US corporations any longer and throwing them out. CIA = Corporations' Imperial America

[tblue]

44. Too bad he's not a BP or Wall Street executive.

He should've chosen another career path.

My gosh, this is depressing.

[markiv]

8. i think there is a better chance of

the planet Jupiter making me it's Facebook friend, than him getting the pardon from Obama

[winter is coming]

9. The President wouldn't stick his neck out to do that even if he approved of Manning's actions,

which he doesn't.

[99th_Monkey]

12. But he "sticks his neck out" for Bush Crime Syndicate?

I see.


http://warisacrime.org/content/obama-doj-asks-court-grant-immunity-george-w-bush-iraq-war

[winter is coming]

16. Protecting power structures: who'd've thunk it? n/t

[robinlynne]

27. yes he does.

[JDPriestly]

50. They should be able to sue Cheney and Bush at the least.

They enjoy immunity because they claim merely to have been executing the duties of their offices, that is carrying out their government jobs, while committing their many crimes in Iraq.

I think that the argument should be presented in a court to the effect that lying was not part of their work for the government and that, therefore, their lies and starting the Iraq War were not within the scope of their employment and that, therefore, they are not entitled to immunity on that basis.

If you are a police officer on duty and you kill your wife's lover with your department-issued gun, you are not immune from prosecution or lawsuit on the ground that you were a government employee and supposedly working at the time. You would only be immune if you could show that shooting your wife's lover was definitely a part of your duties as a police officer.

Similarly, if you are a school janitor, and you molest a child at the school, you are personally susceptible to answer in court to possible criminal or civil charges. Usually, immunity should only apply if your crime is really a part of your work.

Bush and Cheney lied to get us into Iraq. Whether they are entitled to immunity is what should be argued in a court. They would claim that they were just doing their jobs. But the plaintiffs would argue that fighting and illegal war was not part of their job duties and that therefore they are not entitled to immunity.

[JDPriestly]

60. Hopefully, some other country will get fed up and try them under international law.

They are a shameful bunch. They tarnished our country's honor.

[HardTimes99]

11. I'm going to take a contrarian view now and say it is entirely fitting and

appropriate that PFC Manning serves his term while Bush and Cheney walk around free men, unencumbered by accountability.

Why, you ask.

Because it lays bare for all with eyes to see the utter bankruptcy of this society and government, the utter brutality of its so-called values and the cheap lie that tries to pass itself off as representative democracy.

Sorry, Bradley, that you have to pay for all our sins.

Today I can say, once again, that I am deeply ashamed to be an American citizen.

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. "Today I can say, once again, that I am deeply ashamed to be an American citizen."

Hard to say otherwise these days.

bu$h and cheney rewarded handsomely for their war crimes is looking forward.

[RoccoR5955]

32. I feel the same way! n/t

[geek tragedy]

17. I support this application, and hope it meets with success. nt

[WillyT]

18. K & R !!!

[one_voice]

19. I truly hope Obama...

pardons him. Time served.

I would like him to do it now, but even if he waited to the end of his term, as long as he does it.

[Blue_In_AK]

20. I'm sure that will go over well.

[polichick]

21. Bless this kid - and God help the USA!

[RoccoR5955]

33. Remember that god is nothing more than dog spelled backwards.

And that blessings are often disguised as curses.

[Safetykitten]

22. This will end in tears....and we will NOT have nice things.

[davidn3600]

23. Won't happen...

This administration has a burning hatred for whistleblowers.

[TDale313]

53. I'm afraid you're probably right. n/t

[Socal31]

24. This is Obama's moment to hit back.

People are focused on Snowden, not Manning at this point. He can reduce the sentence or pardon him, and maybe save some of his legacy.

[CakeGrrl]

38. When did his legacy get trashed?

Outside of some internet blogs, that is.

[Socal31]

56. He never had the Right and now has lost the Left.

I don't hear anyone talking about his Nobel Peace Prize, or ending DADT. Or getting Bin Laden. Or refusing to defend DOMA.

Take a walk through LBN or GD and see what is happening. It is exactly what will kill morale and momentum right up to the 2014 elections. If Repubs grow a brain and decide to take advantage of the situation and become the anti-spying party, it may hurt all the way to 2016 as well.

[JDPriestly]

59. That you trashed your legacy is usually not noticed until after you leave office or even after you

die your natural death. Legacy is what you leave to future generations.

It is what Obama is doing to future generations, how his decisions are robbing future generations of freedom they are going to want to have that we are concerned about. Obama is placing the executive in such a predominant position in our government, way beyond the co-equal position that the executive should have according to the Constitution, that is legacy will be one that brings a lot of sorrow.

And sooner or later, our crimes will come back to our country and the price for the crimes our government is committing now will be paid by future generations.

[G_j]

25. I hope it happens

maybe Obama will feel a tinge of guilt for improperly publicly condemning Manning before he went to trial.

However, I doubt that will happen.

[onethatcares]

28. after reading your post

I am surprised that the teaparty activists, and rightwing racists aren't already calling for a mistrial as they did when the President stated Trayvon might have looked like his son.

Am I to presume that there is a blind side to their bullshit?

and, thanks for your post.

[G_j]

35. there was nothing wrong with that of course

He was commenting on what a tragic loss it was.

In this case he declared that Manning, the accused, "broke the law".

[tblue]

45. Haha! Yeah, that'll happen.

Manning is not in the 'in' crowd. Neither are we, by the way.

[99th_Monkey]

51. Seems like something less than a full pardon would be doable for Obama

like commuting the sentence to "time served" <--Especially. since much of the
time served was in solitary confinement, where he was subjected to constant abuse and
mistreatment.

[villager]

26. He shouldn't get his hope up that the sentence will be changed.

n/t

[maindawg]

29. If he does

it will happen in jan. 2016

[WCGreen]

43. That's my thinking....

[Le Taz Hot]

37. Never. Happen.

Not with this president.

[joeybee12]

39. Manning needs to call Obama, identify himself as George W. Bush...

And he'll get that pardon.

[CakeGrrl]

40. Why would he be pardoned? He wasn't convicted for whistleblowing.

Let's pardon everyone else who would rather not go to jail for violating laws, too.

[99th_Monkey]

52. Yeh, like the Bush Crime Syndicate isn't getting convicted for their WAR CRIMES

THANKS to Obama

http://warisacrime.org/content/obama-doj-asks-court-grant-immunity-george-w-bush-iraq-war

[alp227]

47. If Manning gets a last-minute Jan. 19, 2017 pardon,

we'd be complaining "NOW? REALLY? Lack of principles! All for show!"

And if not, then the greatest threads would be all about Obama's stained legacy.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

48. Signed a WH petition already,

but I doubt it would ever happen. It would be seen as something like "messing up military discipline" or sumthin.
Maybe one of those last day of the Admin pardons like with that commodity trader guy Clinton did. Faux Noose would be all over that one. But it'd save Hillary the trouble of having to deal with it.

[Fire Walk With Me]

49. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA GHA HA HA HA HA

From Obama, who let Bush and friends walk?

[Matariki]

55. Yes. Because we "need to move forward"

Or whatever it was that was said about Bush Administration war crimes.

[99th_Monkey]

58. I know! Maybe Obama just likes to pardon those who held public office

no wait, then why is Don Siegelman still in the slammer?

[Jakes Progress]

61. Now, if only the president

were as honorable as Pfc Manning.

[rug]

63. Fat chance.

"You know, Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but that it bends toward justice. But what he also knew was that it doesn’t bend on its own. It bends because each of us puts our hands on that arc and bends it in the direction of justice." - Barack Obama, April 4, 2008, Fort Wayne Indiana

[snappyturtle]

64. K&R Time served is more than enough esp. considering

his brutal incarceration.

[99th_Monkey]

65. That's definitely my feeling as well

Obama remember polluted the pre-trial airwaves with pronouncements
of Manning being "guilty" of "breaking the law"; so a "time served"
decision by Obama would seem a particularly fitting outcome.

Not that I really think Obama WILL do it, just that I think it would
be the spot-on fair and honorable thing for him to do.

[Recursion]

66. I think Obama should commute his sentence

It's not as if he's going to do something like that again.