Well, Bradley Manning did worse than some had hoped and better than others expected. The US army private was sentenced to 35 years in prison this week for releasing sensitive military documents through Wikileaks. Some see him as a hero who actually acted as a catalyst for the Arab Spring while others view him as a traitor who should have been executed rather than put in prison.
No doubt Edward Snowden is aware of this verdict even though he is in virtual exile in Russia. Snowden spilled the beans on the surveillance of ordinary citizens by the United States and Great Britain through telephone and internet. He wanted the world to know that Big Government is watching, without court orders to do so or any real justification. Snowden has been variously called a hero, a whistleblower, a traitor and a patriot.
I find it interesting that Daniel Ellsberg, of Pentagon Papers fame considers these guys to be patriots and heroes. Ellsberg leaked Viet Nam War documents through the quaint ancient method of making photocopies. According to Wikipedia, always an unimpeachable source:
In late 1969 Ellsberg secretly made several sets of photocopies of the classified documents to which he had access; these later became known as the Pentagon Papers. They revealed that the government had knowledge, early on, that the war could most likely not be won, and that continuing the war would lead to many times more casualties than was ever admitted publicly. Further, as an editor of the New York Times was to write much later, these documents "demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration had systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress, about a subject of transcendent national interest and significance."
Ellsberg was tried for what he did in collusion with others but charges were eventually dropped because the government had violated his rights in so many ways.
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus said "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" but apparently that doesn't always apply. And the advice of your parents to "just tell the truth and it will go well for you?" --maybe not so much.
When do we expect that an individual's moral compass must align with that of his or her government, regardless of the perceived legality or morality of that government's activity? Am I a traitor for swimming upstream no matter what the government is doing? Are these guys martyrs or mugs?
There is a worthwhile article in the Atlantic magazine calling both Manning and Snowdon foolish http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/what-snowden-and-manning-dont-understand-about-secrecy/278973/
That said, the once vilified Ellsberg is the recipient of the Inaugural Ron Ridenhour Courage Prize a prize established by The Nation Institute and The Fertel Foundation. In 1978 he accepted the Gandhi Peace Award from Promoting Enduring Peace. On September 28, 2006 he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award.
When I say guys I should note that Bradley Manning now wants to be known as Chelsea Manning and begin gender re-identification.
3 comments:
Just a comment on inclusivity, now that Chelsea has come out publically its proper to refer to her by her prefered name and pronouns.
As for the topic of this post, I find it hard to reconcile my views on this. Righteosly they should go free. However there is a righteous justification for breaking an unjust law. The caveat is that you accept the punishment to retain respect for the system of law so that actual change might be achieved. They swore oaths, they broke them, there are consequences.
This is a tough one to make comments on - we know our governments do things that are not moral - and not legal - and they cater to big business, for the most part; we long for change - but each new government that comes into power has to deal with the fallout from the previous one - human systems seem destined to be tainted, at best - and evil at worst - at times. The whistle blowers are courageous, for sure. (If you are going to be a whistle blower, you had better make sure you have all the facts and solid evidence to back up your claims!)
It would appear that we are united in our ambivalence. This is certainly one of those brain-stretchers when it comes to truth, justice, and accountability. The longer I live the less enamoured I am of national identity, but I am still a proud Canadian. Go figure.
Whether he/she identifies as Chelsea or Bradley, a 35-year-sentence looms.
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