Here's a lesson: Unlike the tax evasion and voter intimidation practiced by Democrats of late, Treason, specifically, giving aid and comfort to America's enemies through one's words or actions, is one of the most serious felonies an American citizen can commit. During time of war, it is punishable by death.
No matter what garbage has been fed to the nation's youth by overly-permissive and morally degenerate parents,
there is no such thing as a constitutional right to publicize battlefield intelligence, regardless of motive.
Not surprisingly, the sick drama that has enveloped Bradley Manning has distracted us from the business of fighting a war and raised many questions about Army recruiting standards, security clearances, gays in the military, and whether or not Afghanistan is even winnable. Incalculable damage has been done by Manning, whose immediate concern seems to be the isolation at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia. I know Marines who were shackled, court-martialed, or forced into retirement for actually doing their jobs, others wrongly convicted and imprisoned for heinous crimes they didn't commit, so quit whining Bradley, you are responsible for your own choices.
Manning was described by friends as politically opinionated with a confrontational nature. Friends also said that the military was an odd choice for him to pursue. In other words, Manning was an ideologue. From what we do know so far of his life before the Army, it appears he may have enlisted out of a sense of frustration, simply having nowhere else to turn. Trained in intelligence, Manning was disciplined at least twice before news of the leak went public, once for jawboning too much about his job and once for fighting.
"Who is more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?'
While the calls for Manning's execution, if convicted, were swift and entirely expected from Americans who still value the rule of law, US Constitution and the sacrifices of the nation's patriots, what was a bit more surprising was the loud and vigorous defense of this alleged traitor and the lengths that some, including self-identified, ex-military members, will go to justify a betrayal of the entire United States military while trying to silence dissenting opinion.
Last Sunday, August 1, 2010, I published an article analyzing the content of Manning's leak and calling for his death, should he be convicted of Treason. Within 30 minutes, Internet supporters of his used dishonesty and spoofed article titles to try and destroy search engine ranking for any articles critical of Manning
The owner of the Treason Support Network, allegedly an ex-Marine himself, steadfastly and vociferously supports Bradley Manning, but was mute when dozens of other combat Marines were accused of the slaughter of innocents, accusations which have been completely destroyed over time. What a credit to the Corps.
But, he's in good company. There seems to be a whole underground movement of support for Manning which borders on the absurd, labeling him everything from a national hero to a martyr. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which has faced scandal over bias and inaccurate facts in the past, presented a one-sided account of Manning's supporters, while omitting any accusations of Treason, shamelessly posting links to his support pages, while ignoring all critical discussion. Even Manning's own father, apparently beaming with pride, feels that his boy did "the right thing."
As the state of war lags on, the number of problems in our nation's military increases. But, you don't see the types of incidents occurring in the other branches to the degree that you see them in the Army, specifically in the younger generation of soldiers. The Army has significantly higher rates of suicide, substance abuse and other destructive behavior than other branches. They also had Abu Ghraib, Pat Tillman, Nidal Hasan and now Bradley Manning, a jilted gay soldier willing to selfishly endanger those who depended on him.
I firmly believe that lower recruiting standards have led to this erosion of Army discipline and we're now reaping what we have sown. I also believe that, if convicted, Bradley Manning should face swift, certain, lethal punishment. He must serve as an example of what happens to US soldiers who cavort with our enemy.
But, he likely won't and for several reasons. Our leadership lacks the testosterone. Much like illegal immigration, spam, election fraud, identity theft and child porn laws, they lack the will to stigmatize or punish an American for Treason. Further, Barack Obama would have to personally sign the execution order, which he won't.
Contrary to the slogans spouted by his groupies, Manning was not "exposing war crimes". In fact, he never witnessed a single war crime himself. He analyzed intelligence. He stole the information he was accused of leaking from government computers. Nor was he, as some suggest, a "whistle-blower". But, according to Manning's own Facebook page and confirmed by Cliff Kincaid,
it seems that Manning is actually a "Patriot Missile-blower", which seems to be the primary reason he threw this little tantrum. I guess Barack Obama's change to the military couldn't come quick enough for Brad Manning.
