back to article Private Manning keeps mum at Wikileaks plea hearing

WikiLeaks suspect Private Bradley Manning declined to enter a plea on Thursday at the start of his court martial over charges that he had handed over reams of US Army classified data to the website, AP reported from the court. The 24-year-old was formally charged with 22 counts in the court appearance, including aiding the …

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  1. banjomike
    Meh

    Report war crimes, yes

    but what about the OTHER 699,999 documents?

    1. Schultz
      Stop

      "what about the OTHER 699,999 documents"

      What about the need to label every fart with a confidential sticker? Secrecy should be the exception, not the norm, in a democratic society.

      Hence every whistleblower should be applauded unless he maliciously endangers somebody. The US military doesn't like world+dog to see the video of innocent children being shot? Well, it's part of their war and it was about time the voting public saw the darker side of that war.

      Read Daniel Ellsbergs book on the Pentagon Papers if you want to get some insight into the weird world of power-drunk men trying to fool their country via secrecy and deception.

      1. bitmap animal
        Thumb Down

        Re: "what about the OTHER 699,999 documents"

        "What about the need to label every fart with a confidential sticker? Secrecy should be the exception, not the norm, in a democratic society."

        Because a lot of information can be gained by putting together pieces of seemingly innocuous data. If you know everything surrounding a secret then you've a much better chance of working out what is restricted.

        1. Franklin
          Thumb Down

          Re: Re: "what about the OTHER 699,999 documents"

          "Because a lot of information can be gained by putting together pieces of seemingly innocuous data. If you know everything surrounding a secret then you've a much better chance of working out what is restricted."

          Of course, there's a rather sizable difference between "that which is restricted because knowing it would aid a legitimate enemy to stage a real attack" and "that which is restricted because it would embarrass and humiliate those in power." Seems to me that much of the "restricted" information that was leaked properly belongs in the latter category, not the former.

          "The brass would be embarrassed if the public knew what utter muppets they are" is hardly, in my view, a compelling reason to classify something.

          1. sisk

            Re: Re: Re: "what about the OTHER 699,999 documents"

            ""The brass would be embarrassed if the public knew what utter muppets they are" is hardly, in my view, a compelling reason to classify something."

            The US would have a very small percentage of the state secrets it currently has if everyone shared that view.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Report war crimes, yes

      Please show me one document published by Wikileaks that showed an actual war crime?

      Did War crimes occur within the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan? Yes.

      It happens in every conflict. I doubt you can find a modern day war were a war crime didn't occur during the conflict.

      But none of the reported war crimes or criminal activity in a combat zone was ever uncovered by the release of data from Wikileaks. Nothing sinister or remotely 'whistleblowing' occurred.

      Even the edited video from the Gun ship didn't show anything remotely being a war crime.

      1. Bernard M. Orwell
        Big Brother

        Re: Re: Report war crimes, yes

        Here you go, a decent analysis of the documents contents; including reports of action that are held as war crimes under a whole range of conventions; let alone common morality.

        Please be aware that this video is censured in several countries including the USA and may not be viewable.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=METSuKyY-t4&feature=related

        1. Ian Michael Gumby
          FAIL

          Re: Re: Re: Report war crimes, yes

          Sorry, but no.

          History proves that you're full of it. Going back to WW II, when war crimes are committed, the truth gets out.

          Notice that I'm not denying that war crimes occur. History shows this to be true in every combat action / War.

          What I am saying is that Wikileaks has not uncovered anything remotely close to being a war crime.

          Veteran reporters went through the leaked material and found nothing. If a war crime had been uncovered, they would have been all over it.

          Manning screwed himself and for what? He got played by Assange.

          I feel sorry for Manning. He is just one of the casualties from Assange feeding his ego among other things...

          Oh and look at Assange's current news partners.... Very telling...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

    I agree, emotional people which is everybody who is not a robot should not be given access to classified data were they are able to download onto removable media. People who are given access to classified data that is alowed to copied onto removable media should be called secure routers.

    Though what is the definition of classified and what levels are there. What levels of classified data was leaked? Have to ask as say the private mobile number of a general will not be as classified as the codes for nucluer warheads.

    Either way, he's in the USA so he just needs to take the 5th every opertunity he gets and pretend he has piles. He did it, he know's he did it and they know he did it, beyond the font used for the word guilty there isn't much left to do on this. Only defence he could possibly get is if some of the `classified details` showed war crimes, and then he may just be able to cut some deal with the Hauge lot. But the life of a informer, nomatter the side of right you take is still a dusty path of moral compromises.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

      I love how you've already tried and convicted him. Based on what evidence exactly?

      It's too bad lowly soldiers don't get the same kind of protection from the law higher-ups get. It's not like we know any president who was widely reported to have allowed torture, but never had to stand trial over it.

      1. ItsNotMe

        Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

        "...Either way, he's in the USA so he just needs to take the 5th..."

        Not in a military court.

        "It provides for an exception, however, regarding cases arising from military forces or the militia during a time of war or extenuating circumstances that require their employment."

        http://constitution.laws.com/american-history/constitution/constitutional-amendments/5th-amendment

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Thumb Up

          Re: Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

          Thank you, this I was not aware of, though makes perfect sence.

          1. This post has been deleted by its author

          2. ItsNotMe

            @PXG...you're quite welcome.

            Yep. You can't have Democracy in the mititary.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. Chad H.

      Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

      You mean "Emotionally troubled and everyone should have listened to his case worker when he was in the discharge unit". He was unfit for service, and definitely unfit to be deployed.

      At the end of the day, this is moral retribution to the US AFAIK. They need to review their recruitment and retention policies.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        FAIL

        Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

        He can be unfit for service and still know the difference between right and wrong. And he must have known what he was doing was wrong, otherwise he wouldn't have snuck the info out on a thumbdrive and given it to A$$nut, he would have gone straight to the press.

        1. Chad H.
          Stop

          Re: Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

          Was it wrong?

          Is it really that wrong for us to know what the is military is up to?

          Is it really that wrong for us to know that for all their tech they can't tell the difference between a video camera, and multiple ak47s and RPGs?

          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
            FAIL

            Re: Re: Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

            What I think is wrong is your attitude that the US troops have to wait until their fellow soldiers have been attacked and probably killed before you think it is alright for the US troops to open fire. The chopper followed the RoE, something obviously far too complex for you to understand. If they hadn't all the (real) journos would have been frothing all over it.

            1. Chad H.
              WTF?

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

              They followed the rules, sure. But I'm yet to hear a single person honestly say they think the can see weapons in that video - except the aircraft crew of course.

              1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                FAIL

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

                LOL, I'm betting your definition of "honest" is "agrees with my POV".

        2. Local Group
          Thumb Up

          Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

          "He can be unfit for service and still know the difference between right and wrong."

          The difference between whose 'right and wrong,' Matt? Our f**ked up Congress? Justices Thomas and Scalia? President Bush who knew there were WMD in Iraq because the CIA told him there were, until, poof, they weren't there?

          Or maybe you mean a moral 'right and wrong'? In which case Manning probably was right.

          I look forward to your rancor free response.

          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
            FAIL

            Re: Re: "emotionaly troubled and shouldn't of been given access...."

            "....President Bush who knew there were WMD in Iraq because the CIA told him there were, until, poof, they weren't there...." Ignoring, that is, the fact that, when the Iraqis signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2009, they declared they had found "...."two bunkers with filled and unfilled chemical weapons munitions, some precursors, as well as five former chemical weapons production facilities...." That's in addition to anything found by the UN under Resolution 1441 prior to the invasion (despite the Iraqis obstructing them every step of the way), and also in addition to the 500+ chemical weapons found in Iraq by the Coallition. By the way, Saddam kept claiming he had destroyed all his chem weapon stocks, precursors and manufacturing capability post-'91. But you go on claiming there was no chem weapons at all in Iraq if you like.

            And what do WMDs have to do with Manning? Nothing. More distraction, more avoidance, more fail.

  3. Sureo
    Coffee/keyboard

    "life in prison" vs "150 years in jail" - what to choose... what to choose....

    Esc = get me outa here!

  4. Benny

    A question floating in my head, how one can steal public property?

    If it is public property, then aren't you able to take it - as you are part of the public?

    1. Annihilator

      Easily

      Owned by the public (and even that's a simplistic view), *not* an individual. You don't own it as such, but if you did you'd own a very small proportion of it.

  5. BillG
    WTF?

    Pathetic Excuses

    "The soldier's defence lawyers are claiming that he was emotionally troubled and shouldn't have been given access to classified data."

    Translation:

    It's the USA's fault for giving classified access to someone who will leak classified documents.

    Hey, let's open up the jails and let everyone loose! After all, it's society's fault for putting someone in society who could be a criminal! Not their fault they mugged your grandmother!

    1. Scorchio!!

      Re: Pathetic Excuses

      That is what happened after the Russian 'revolution' (actually the Mensheviks won, but the Bolsheviks took them by force, effectively), when rapists, murderers & etc. were released, whilst monks, nuns etc. were imprisoned. Society was to blame you see, and of course the religious were 'society'.

    2. Chad H.

      Re: Pathetic Excuses

      Hang on BillG.

      Manning was in a Discharge Unit. The US Army was going to effectively FIRE him before they deployed him.

      Why was he there - mental issues!

      They *knowingly* put a mentally and emotionally troubled kid in this situation. Natural Justice as far as I see it.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        Facepalm

        Re: Re: Pathetic Excuses

        ".....Why was he there - mental issues!...." OK, let him plead insanity then and spend life in solitary a padded cell.

        1. Chad H.
          Stop

          @ Matt

          So the fact that the US army sent someone they knew wasn't up to the job to war and put him in possession of classified materials doesn't bother you at all?

          Cos it sure as hell bothers me. If they put someone like that in charge of their secrets, how crazy is the guy who fires the mislsles?

          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
            FAIL

            Re: @ Matt

            Chad, I'm betting you haven't a clue as to what the US military classifies as "up to the job" in either wartime or peacetime service, or even have the nouse to grasp that the former has a much lower threshold. In times of deployment, you need trained personnel and may not have the time to replace those that are not 100% up to the job, so you are forced to use those you would not normally want to. Then you also have the drop in recruitment that any war brings as activists run around shrieking at all and sundry; "Don't enlist or we'll call you a baby-killer!" I don't know how long it would take to train someone for Manning's role but I bet it wasn't a five minute task, and the lack of a trained replacements was probably the only reason Manning lasted as long in the job as he did.

            Next time, try actually thinking about the situation before shrieking.

            1. Chad H.
              FAIL

              Re: Re: @ Matt

              I did think about the situation Matt.

              Everyone who knew this kid said BAD IDEA.

              You can scream manpower shortages all you like, you put someone with issues in a sensitive position that all of the experts say he shouldn't be in, you reap what you sow.

              Surely there was someone else, at home, in a less sensitive position that manning could have subbed for. Someone who wanted to be there, was wanted by the army, and was willing and able to do the job.

              1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                FAIL

                Re: Re: Re: @ Matt

                ".....Everyone who knew this kid said BAD IDEA....." Plenty of soldiers come to the forces with "bad" backgrounds, some quite troubled, and turn out perfectly good servicemen (and women). The review boards and rules that Manning went through weren't invented for him, they have been around for ages in an effort to help the US forces spot and retrain or remove problem soldiers. In peacetime, Manning would probably have been kicked out of the forces and then dwindled away into obscurity. It's his and his country's bad fortune that he was needed in-theatre.

                "....You can scream manpower shortages all you like...." I'm not screaming, but there seems to be plenty of shrieking and wailling from the Manning/A$$nut supporters. And shortages in skilled soldiers are a real worry, not something I've made up. The stretch of campaigns in both Afghanistan and Iraq was a serious problem, with many Marine units operating at less than 85% of the expected levels of manpower. They probably would have loved to bin a loser like Manning earlier, it's just need overtook desire.

                ".....Surely there was someone else, at home, in a less sensitive position that manning could have subbed for...." Again, you assume. I suspect the fact that they were scraping the barrel with the likes of Manning demonstrates there is a serious recruitment problem.

                1. Local Group
                  Happy

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: @ Matt

                  Matt

                  I meant to ask you this before: Do you consider yourself a jingoist or just a chauvinist? Knowing that can help me reply to your posts in the future. :-)

                  1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                    FAIL

                    Re: Re: Re: Re:Re: @ Matt

                    Well, LG, I consider myself as someone that can actually post a POV about a forum topis, whereas you appear to be some whining Greenie that can't talk about anything other than PO, repeat rediculous consipracy theories, and take mind-damaging drugs. Please tell me when you're likely to ever post a reply with some relevance? Better still would be if you managed a reply with some orignality and actual insight, not just regurgitation of spoonfed soundbites. I'm not holding my breath.

                    1. Local Group
                      Happy

                      Re: Re:@ Matt

                      Matt, if you read anything here besides your own comments (Fail. Fail. Fail. I know it's you when I see that icon.), you would know that I was light years ahead of everybody on the Proview Apple trade mark story. I intuited that China did not have Wall Street's enlightened view on dummy corporations. Otoh, you love the word dummy. Birds of a feather etc..

                      If you would stop looking in the mirror for a second, I was the one who first posted the link to the article that Apple bought the fatal trademark from Proview Taiwan, who did not own it. And, in the teeth of a force of fanbois, I predicted a 9 figure settlement. The High Court, from whom there is no appeal, has made it clear they expect the two sides to settle, as the Court adjourned sine die.

                      If you were as smart as you think you are, you'd climb on board my group, read what I say and then repeat it instead of citing Palin and Bachman and spouting your ad hominem circumstantial retorts.

                      But you're not completely bereft of talent. You seem to be good at whistling in the graveyard. And like Scheherazade you seem to be able to keep your worthless stories going, maybe not for 1001 nights, but longer than they deserve.

                      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                        FAIL

                        Re: Re:Re: Matt

                        Yeah, right, so to show your "originality" in a forum about Private Manning and his trial, you go on about repeating someone else's article (how is that original?) in a thread regarding the latest Apple patent tantrum? Congrats on your interest in baiting fanbois, but that's not quite on par with the type of material being discussed here, this is a case of international import and there is a young man's liberty in question.

                        Whilst I'm quite happy on the evidence available to see Manning go down for a long stretch, I find it concerning that those that pretend to have his interests at heart cannot do anything other than repeat the same soundbites ad infinitum. I scratch the surface of your non-arguments and it's thinner than the skin on custard. I present counters and you run off to a "safer" topic, like Peak Oil. Either you have the attention span of a goldfish, a terminal case of ADHD, or you really are a glaring example of the dangers of habitual drug use and it's dulling of the intellect. Whilst I have respect for those that can provide a reasoned argument for Manning's actions, those that can debate the issue with intelligence, his "supporters" here seem unable to do so, usually just parading Manning as some sort of mascot for their political beliefs without actually having any real concern for the man. And you seem to be one of the worst.

                        Just for fun, please do link to any post where I cite "Palin and Bachman", seeing as I'm quite unfamiliar with the workings of either. Oh, I see - someone spoonfed you that line to regurgitate as what you and your faux intellectual mates would consider a "smart putdown". Was it to replace the much overused "Fox News" one you whiners used to trot out every five minutes? Again, not seeing any originality in your postings. Please do try and post something original and either informative or reasoned to try and sway my conviction that Manning deserves to go to a military prison for life, it would seem quite an important subject and worthy of a little effort on your part.

                2. Chad H.

                  Re: Re: Re: Re: @ Matt

                  When his caseworker says he should be out and not deployed and is so outraged when they find out about it they start yelling at the folks in charge, then Matt yes, I think scraping the bottom of the barrell is the only logical explanation.

                  Dress it up however you like - every expert on manning said bad idea. You ignore the experts, you deserve what you get.

  6. DF118

    Dear tribunal

    As far as you're concerned he's a criminal. As far as I'm concerned he's a hero. He took the chance and now he's paying. Poor fucking sod.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Dear tribunal

      Nice one on the thumbs-down, dimwit.

    2. Chad H.

      Re: Dear tribunal

      as far as I'm concerned, he's a mentally troubled victim. Get him help, poor fucking sod.

      Then bring the moron who thought it was a good idea to pull him out of his discharge unit and send him to Iraq into the dock, and lets see some real justice done.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Re: Dear tribunal

        Victim of what? Of whom? On what evidence do you base your conclusion?

  7. Turtle

    Every minute.

    "The aiding the enemy charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the other counts carry a combined maximum of more than 150 years in jail."

    And he deserves every minute of it.

    1. Chad H.

      Re: Every minute.

      Really, what did he do that was so bad?

      Name one enemy that was "aided" - The American Public, aided in their voting choices perhaps?

      The Idiot who sent a guy in a discharge unit to war, aided in seeing why he's an idiot?

    2. sisk

      Re: Every minute.

      For leaking documents that embarrassed the goverment? You must be joking. It's not as if anything he leaked led to a single death, or even any additional difficulties for troops on the ground.

      Should he serve some time? Maybe, but he's already served it. In fact, an unconscionable amount of it was in solitary confinement. Time to let the poor guy go. Life plus 150 years for being a whistle blower is just not good for society. Do that and the next time we need a whistle blower there won't be one willing to risk it.

  8. Bingho
    WTF?

    Shame...

    25 years for murder (if you are unlucky), let off in 16 to 20

    150 years for releasing documents and videos that show how big a bunch of a**holes the people in your government really are. Simply not fair or just.

    I wonder how this would have been handled if this were a British case - I seriously doubt we would know anything about it. Bradley will be made an example to other would-be whistle blowers.

  9. Local Group
    WTF?

    699,999 documents.

    Has any one here read more than 500? 400? 300? 200?

    Just askin'.

    1. Bernard M. Orwell

      Re: 699,999 documents.

      I have.

      Most of it is dross and routine reporting, in order to get at the interesting stuff you need decent search algorithims and an awareness that searching for specific terms will yield specific results which, as always, can be used to serve a specific agenda whether for or against.

  10. JaitcH
    Thumb Down

    "Judge, isn't a soldier required to report a war crime?"

    Obama must be one of the most venal characters ever to be elected president.

    He swore to uphold the law but instead he kills American citizens without due process, he tramples on peoples rights - he is at least as bad as Bush Junior but he had a excuse, he was dumb.

    The American Bar Association should strip Obama of his appointment for he is unfit to be even a lawyer. Especially as many people think there is no lower life form than a lawyer.

    Te Marines are just as dumb subjecting Manning to months of torture in a prison near Washington.

    1. FutureShock999
      FAIL

      Re: "Judge, isn't a soldier required to report a war crime?"

      Hater, much? Obama is probably one of the most decent people to ever be elected President (Jimmy Carter probably is the most moral modern President).

      Obama knows that if he comes off as soft in any way the Repugs will jump all over him - and he is pragmatic enough to know that closing Guantanamo isn't that easy in all truth, and there really are some bad people out there that are trying to kill us. So taking out an "American citizen" that is a sworn enemy of his own country - and a radical terrorist - is the pragmatic thing to do. The fact that he hasn't actually lived in the US for a long time, and is unavailable to arrest, kind of seals the deal.

      Beyond that - trampling on people's rights? Like ensuring that religious nutters must actually provide for all aspects of employed women's healthcare, even if they have a 2000 year old book they say might prohibit it? Like ensuring that all American's must have healthcare coverage rather than sponging? Dang...hate it when Obama does THAT...clear violations of people's rights.... pfffffft.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Thanks for reporting on this

    First of the many websites I've read today to mention it. Google News doesn't show many big stories, either. Not to sound fawning, but I've given up techcrunch and gizmodo and just read el reg nowadays.

  12. Winkypop Silver badge
    Mushroom

    In war

    No one should be trusted nor believed.

    1. Local Group
      Happy

      Re: In war

      Not even Mum and Dad.

      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: Re: In war

        Who first told you about Santa Claus?

        1. Local Group
          Stop

          Re: Re: Re: In war

          Had I intended my statement to to ask whether Mum and Dad were exempt from not being trusted or believed, I would have used a question mark.

          Apparently I should have used big bold letters for 'not even', to let readers know that Mums and Dads get no special consideration here if they dare to criticize the American Way. :-)

          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
            Happy

            Re: Re: Re: Re: In war

            Chill, LG. I was simply giving a typical example of how M&D tell children a "happy" untruth to make their World seem a little brighter. Whilst I expect the whole idea of people feeding you untruths to lead you to believe an alternate version of reality has occurred plenty in your life, in this case I was simply jokingly supplying a reason why everything M&D utter should not be taken for gospel. You may now resume your passive-aggressive stance, tinfoil hat on tight.

            For all those shrieking that Manning is a "whistleblower", it is very obvious that he simply wanted to strike back at the Corp in the most petulant manner he could, and it seems to me that A$$nut took advantage of that childish petulance to get what A$$nut wanted - more media exposure and money.

            1. Local Group
              Thumb Down

              Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: In war

              How can I  chill, Matt, when you say "happy untruths to make children's World seem a little brighter?" Of course, M&D tell their children about Santa Claus, to make them happier.

              But aren't you like a child when it comes to PO?  Don't you believe the statistics of our government spokesmen, oil industry executives and foreign producers of oil, who tell us the 'happy untruths' about the 'alternate version of reality concerning Peak Oil, i.e., there's more oil in the ground, under the oceans, and loitering in sand and shale than we know what to do with?

              You're like a little six year old who wrote a letter to Santa asking him for a dozen more Ghawar oil fields. Then you read articles and news stories that say Peak Oil hasn't happened yet and probably never will. You don't see that Peak Oil is breaking over us like a violent thunderstorm. As far as PO is concerned, you are just a six year old who expects Santa Claus to leave 500 billion barrels of oil underneath your tree. :-)

              1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                Happy

                Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: In war

                "....But aren't you like a child when it comes to PO?...." LG's needle is stuck again! Run out of soundbites to repeat? Go on, just for fun, explain how AGW holds up if we are supposedly running out of oil. Surely that means we either don't have to worry about AGW, or PO actually hasn't happened? You can't have it both ways!

                /Cue LG ranting in ever-decreasing, frothing circles, until the horse tranqulisers kick in.

                The real fun begins AFTER Manning's trial has finished. I suspect we will find out what the US authorities fished out of the Wikileakers' phone amd email coms, at which point people like Appelbaum, Gonggrijp and Jonsdottir will really start to sweat! BTW, is it me or does Birgitta Jonsdottir look like a pale and pasty Warcraft female Troll?

                1. Local Group
                  Meh

                  Re: In war

                  "we either don't have to worry about AGW, or PO actually hasn't happened?"

                  How about this, Matt? Perhaps - as you are fond of pointing out - AGW is not that real. That it is a surreptitious construct by the government to accomplish an objective. The government's objectives are two. First, it takes its citizen's mind off of running out of oil; as AGW becomes a more eminent threat than peak oil. Second, beating the drum about AGW, delivers a small dividend to keeping PO secret. By constantly reminding everyone of AGW, true believers will conserve gasoline, heating oil, etc. and that will slightly reduce demand and consumption of crude oil and delay the evil day.

                  Remember PO occurs when daily crude oil demand out strips daily crude oil production.

                  I want to give you an opportunity to disabuse me of my belief in PO. Stay tuned. :-)

                  1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                    Happy

                    Re: Re: In war

                    Yeah, just carry on frothing, LG, it's giving the rest of us a good laugh. Still nothing to offer on tha Manning case, I see? Honest, this is my surprised face.

                    1. Local Group
                      FAIL

                      Matt Hominem has a good laugh with his make-believe friends.

                      "Still nothing to offer on the Manning case, I see?" @MB

                      Your life in the pubs sucking down pints has addled your brain, MB. Shirley you remember the forum "Manning's Lawyer Calls For Pre Trial Officer To Quit Case." in mid December, 2011. Remember the name Alfred Dreyfus? You ought to heed Manning's lawyer and quit The Reg and devote the rest of your time to becoming a Pint Master.

                      In that first of the Manning forums, I had to endure 14 of your pompous posts, brimming with ad hominem arguments and your sui generis self-adoration. What on earth would make you think I'd want to come back for more? Are you trying to increase your understanding of Sado-Masochistic behavior if the Manning case veers in that direction?

                      Poking through the dross of your comment with a 10 foot pole, I see you have a point. You'd like my posts to be more germane.

                      I'd be happy to oblige as soon as you Cut Your Ad Hominem Crap. :-)

                      1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                        FAIL

                        Re: Matt Hominem has a good laugh with his make-believe friends.

                        <Yawn> And still waiting for an on-topic post from LG! Best make myself comfortable, this could take a very long time.

                        "....Remember the name Alfred Dreyfus?....." After your dismal showing in that thread, I'm surprised you bothered posting again! Not that I don't enjoy the unintentioned humour you provide with your amusingly silly rants. As I recall, the whining from you and your associated numpties then was that Manning was gay, that this was some form of excuse for his actions, and that the Corp were only prosecuting him out of malicious homophobia, hence your desperately weak attempts to compare him to Dreyfus.

                        That argument seems to have been thoroughly debunked, so now I've noted the pro-Manning crowd have switched to implying he was some sort of quivering mental wreck before his posting, that this made him unsuitable for deployment, and it was therefore no suprise and not his fault that he broke his oath, upteen military laws, and deliberately gave his country's secrets to someone known to have an axe to grind. Somehow, this line of "reasoning" is supposed to shift the blame from Manning onto the Corp.

                        Strangely enough, despite being a "mental wreck", he still seemed quite capable of planning his little theft and hiding his actions from his fellow soldiers and superiors. Almost like he knew what he was doing was wrong.....

                        1. Local Group
                          Unhappy

                          Re: Matt Hominem has a good laugh with his make-believe friends.

                          Are you totally and completely bereft of the ability to read what other people write?

                          I said I would get "on topic" when your pathetic ad hominem arguments ended.

                          If you can not comprehend what that means, ask the bar tender when he returns with your pint and bag of nuts.

                          I am no more interested in discussing Manning with you, than I am in watching you try to open a can of beans in one of your drunken stupors.

                          I care no more about what you have to say about me than you care what I say about you.

                          Why don't you spend the time you waste posting here with your wife and children, if such unfortunate creatures exist?

                          1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
                            FAIL

                            Re: Matt Hominem has a good laugh with his make-believe friends.

                            Aaaannnd STILL waiting for LG to post ontopic......

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why is his Nobel Peace Prize nomination never mentioned?

    Birgitta Jónsdóttir (member of Icelandic Parliament):

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

    1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Facepalm

      Re: Why is his Nobel Peace Prize nomination never mentioned?

      Maybe because Jonsdottir is another Wikileaker under investigation by her own government (of which she is, hilariously, an MP). It's a bit like Goebells nominating Himmler.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why does The Inkwell Censor Legit Comments?

    Why can't people say they hope that Manning gets 150 years in prison for being a trailor?

    Answer: Because The Inkwell is in litgation for plagiarising other wbsites!

    Phuck with the Big Boys and go to prison! - Just like Manning. <LOL>

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why does The Inkwell Censor Legit Comments?

      This is not The InkWell. We are not in litigation with anyone.

      For better or worse, we observe the libel and contempt laws of England and Wales.

      Declaring guilt and thinking anal rape is funny doesn't work with us.

      Neither does repeated inflammatory trolls made anonymously.

      1. Local Group
        Trollface

        Re: Re: Why does The Inkwell Censor Legit Comments?

        Why is anal rape like a Justin Bieber concert?

        Because it isn't easy to get in.

        Does anybody know anyone who saved a condom used for anal sex to prove in court that one was used? Those guys get flushed faster than radioactive toilet paper.

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