They shot people who were trying to help the victims of their initial attack, even though they still hadn’t been fired on. It was senseless murder.

Manning tried to use the chain of command, and when that didn’t go anywhere, s/he resorted to leaking to tell the world about the crimes.

Lynne, it was murder. In Washington state, Army sergeant Robert Bales was just sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for killing 19 civilians in Afghanistan. Deliberately killing unarmed civilians is murder, with or without a war. The military ‘investigated’ and covered everything up, which is why Manning was so upset. The US military refused to prosecute the soldiers involved which makes it a war crime under the Geneva Convention. If any of those involved travel outside the US they are subject to arrest and trial by the International Criminal Court.

It actually is too bad for Manning that this wasn’t illegal. I think her heart was totally in the right place. Had this event been illegal her defense would have used that because if this was illegal, she would have been protected under the whistleblower laws. Her actions also really could have cost people their lives. Perhaps only indirectly but still. I don’t doubt for a second that more transparency would be good for us as a nation. I demand it all the time from my Congressman and Senators. However, there is also legitimate reasons to keep some things secret and it isn’t for the worker bees to decide what should be secret and what shouldn’t without some consequence.

Here is the thing. I admire Pvt Manning on some level. She felt very strongly that this information needed a wider audience. She did this KNOWING what the consequences would be. I think the consequences are important because they help people use their best judgement. If it means prison, you aren’t going to leak just anything. That is a real important safeguard for the stuff which actually legitimately must be kept secret.

Lynne, there are rules and laws governing warfare. We were at ‘war’ in Vietnam, but William Calley was convicted of killing innocent civilians. That video shows the same thing – the massacre of innocent civilians by members of the US military and no one was even charged. We weren’t ‘at war’ in Iraq when this happened, we were occupying the country. There were attacks against the US military by various groups, but it wasn’t a war.

The US classified and hid that video because it showed a massacre, and Manning wanted people to know what was being done in their name. Just because the government refuses to prosecute doesn’t mean there wasn’t a crime.

My ancestors have served in the US military since there has been a US military. My service covered the war in Southeast Asia and the Cold War. The oath you take is to the Constitution, not the government.

Civilians die in wars, but when those deaths are intentional and not an accident, it is still murder, even in a war.

If your answer to the first question is “no,” I have some news for you: there are many violent acts that are illegal under international law during wartime, law to which the US is signatory. If your answer to the second question is “no,” please be aware that your opinion will carry very little weight until you have seen what you are casually dismissing.

At any rate, I think that Pvt Manning was wrong but I also think the punishment she has received is way too harsh considering the circumstances of the crime. *shrug*