2011/03/09

On Bradley Manning

Glenn Greenwald is upset with the military's treatment of the Wikileaks leaker Bradley Manning.  He hackles seem to be raised about two distinct issues.  The first is the treatment itself, which he identifies, correctly I think, as reprehensible.  The second is hypocrisy on the part of Democrats, including the Administration, who would surely have leapt upon this issue with criticism if it had occurred during the Bush years.

Taking the second point first, I completely agree.  I have zero respect for the nonsensical partisans who are willing to excuse Obama for torture, the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay, the continuation of the USA PATRIOT Act, etc. after 8 years of incessant criticism of W. when it suited their political needs.

On the treatment itself, I have two thoughts.  The first is that I certainly believe that the punishments being doled out to Manning are cruel and unusual and should be stopped.  I find them morally repugnant.  However, I must confess that I haven't been as outraged over this issue as I might otherwise be.  One reason is that the volunteer members of our military have signed up for a position that deprives them of certain rights and protections that other citizens enjoy.  Look into restrictions on freedom of speech for active duty soldiers if you disagree.  I believe that someone who signed up for the military and then proceeded to leak confidential information should have had some reasonable expectation that there could be serious adverse consequences in the event he or she was caught.

Having said that, I would still prefer that our government stop using tactics that amount to torture, whether our cowardly society with its antiseptic euphemisms wants to call it that or not.

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