Traitor?
TL;dr: traitor? really? just watch that movie again and say that again with a straight face. the true traitors where in that chopper.
I truly really cannot understand how he can be labelled a traitor after seeing what he exposed and you guys repeating that line. I just can't.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0
watch that. again. hear what the ******* say. hear them. and they are free to this day. they are. they killed unarmed civvies(and worse: kids) and just shrug it of and go back to base for icecream.
he hurt the USA? how? It hurt itself! The USA covered up warcrimes!
cause that's what you see in this movie: warcrimes. the slaughtering of (innocent?) people. that wasn't an act of war. it was murder. plain and simple. the really disgusting part is the killing of the people who are trying to help the wounded (the van).
When i remember correctly, in the aftermath of this all wikileaks released everything, including names of operatives on the ground. that was just plain stupid, dangerous and criminal. but that was never the intention of manning. that was wikileaks, not him. He was a stupid kid who gave them all and trusted them with it. wikileaks (assange?) proved to be even more stupid and untrustworthy.
Should manning go to jail for exposing this shit? hell yes. he had a job and swore to uphold all. he didn't.
but any longer? no. well, maybe a few years, but that's it.
What he has gone through is just barbaric. (that naked shit, no contact, 1 hour excersise, 5 mins sleep, etc.)
I'm not saying the USA is bad blahblahblah 'cause it isn't. It stood up several times in the past when it was needed and we (europe (and asia)) must be eternally grateful for that. but when you do something wrong face it. just face it. that wins respect.
He did (most of) his time, he didn't kill anybody. he didn't harm anybody. others did that. make it a few more years and let him go. that 90+ years is just plain crazy.