Bradley Manning found guilty of espionage, not guilty of aiding the enemy.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Breaking.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/30/bradley-manning-trial-verdict-live

Information is still filtering out of Fort Meade – we will have a full report from Ed Pilkington shortly – but for the moment, this is what we know:

• Bradley Manning has been found not guilty of aiding the enemy

• Manning has been found guilty of five espionage charges

• He has been found guilty of five theft charges

[Lief 🗽]

Makes sense.

[Modernity has failed us]

Awful.

[pbrower2a]

"Aiding the enemy" is usually done with more deceit because one seeks to do more damage from the inside -- unless one has fled to the Other Side. Exposing classified secrets to everyone implies a failure to shield the Other Side from knowledge of the leak.

A very good and credible guess does about as much potential harm.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Makes sense.

[SPC]

Awful.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Makes sense.

Awful.

I agree with both these comments.

[Lief 🗽]

How is this awful? If he had been convicted of aiding the enemy, that would arguably be awful, but he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Makes sense.

Awful.

I agree with both these comments.

[Knives]

How is this awful? If he had been convicted of aiding the enemy, that would arguably be awful, but he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

This.

[Spamage]

How is this awful? If he had been convicted of aiding the enemy, that would arguably be awful, but he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

This.

[Cory]

How is this awful? If he had been convicted of aiding the enemy, that would arguably be awful, but he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

This.

[Old Man Svensson]

Makes sense.

Awful.

I agree with both these comments.

[SPC]

...he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

As did Frederick Douglass, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Sophie Scholl.

[Supersonic]

How is this awful? If he had been convicted of aiding the enemy, that would arguably be awful, but he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

This.

[traininthedistance]

At the risk of branding myself a moderate hero... I'd think I'd have convicted him of the theft charges but not the espionage charges.  Does that make any sense to anyone else?

[windjammer]

How is this awful? If he had been convicted of aiding the enemy, that would arguably be awful, but he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

This.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

...he knowingly and willfully broke serious laws. There can't just not be consequences for that.

As did Frederick Douglass, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, and Sophie Scholl.

and he's not in the same company.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Makes sense.

Awful.

I agree with both these comments.

I do as well.  It was about the best we could have realistically expected.  I hope there is some clemency shown in sentencing.

[Modernity has failed us]

Awful that we persecute people for doing (arguably) the right thing. Obviously there was going to be consequences, no doubt. At least he wasn't Iranian, else he'd have been put to death by now.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

The right court decision under the law, though I certainly disagree with said law.

[Lief 🗽]

Awful that we persecute people for doing (arguably) the right thing. Obviously there was going to be consequences, no doubt. At least he wasn't Iranian, else he'd have been put to death by now.

Our country wouldn't be able to function if people were just leaking classified things for no reason constantly. There need to be legal consequences to deter people from doing so.

[Vosem]

Manning is not Snowden; the information he leaked posed real, tangible threats to security forces on the ground. It's a bit tragic, and I don't think it sets a very good precedent, but ultimately it was the correct decision.

[SPC]

Awful that we persecute people for doing (arguably) the right thing. Obviously there was going to be consequences, no doubt. At least he wasn't Iranian, else he'd have been put to death by now.

Our country wouldn't be able to function if people were just leaking classified things for no reason constantly. There need to be legal consequences to deter people from doing so.

There would be less incentive to leak classified information if the government was more transparent regarding its own actions, especially when it demands the power to pry into our private lives without probable cause on the basis that we have "nothing to hide."

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Unlike Snowden, who I support but also dislike, Manning knew what he was doing and gave himself up so that we may know the truth. Any claim that Manning directly aided the enemy is insane, but leaking information, however bad that info may be, is still a crime on the books. Manning's courage and willingness to take a stand AND surface the consequences makes him a near martyr.

Snowden, who I am still rooting for, fled the country, DID visit with foreign powers, and sought out fame. While his cause his great, the dude frankly is starting to become a d*uche. Manning tried to remain anonymous. I hope Manning gets a short sentence, but he will likely be punished for this courage with a long sentence.