>Prosecutors called him an anarchist hacker and traitor who indiscriminately leaked classified information he had sworn to protect, knowing it would be seen by al-Qaida. They showed that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden obtained copies of some of the documents WikiLeaks published before bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy Seals in 2011.<p>This is a terrifying precedent and opens the door to charge <i>any</i> whistleblower with "adhering to [the United States's] Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort," and thus treason. Even if Manning is not given the death penalty, depending on tomorrow's verdict, we may see one of the final nails in the coffin of investigative journalism. I am honestly very nervous right now.
did manning blow the whistle on somethig unco stitutional? Yes, i believe so.
Manning wanted to show that the government lied to the world about the extent of civilian causulties. that's why he released so much. also there was systematic cover up where initial reports from field were being "Toned down" later.
did he blindly release stuff? no, he trusted that wikileaks would research and investigate as to not releaase anything that could harm people. wikileaks has a flawless record doing that.
i'm pretty terrified to read the other comments in this thread. my arguments, even if invalid or wrong should have been brought up by someone. seems like you all have been affected by media brainwashing.. scary and sad. i thought people on hn was of higher caliber...
Is anyone else wondering how a rag tag group of individuals goes from being funded by the DoD to becoming its public enemy #1? At least we know what to expect to come from syria and the horn of africa in the next decade…