June
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Please Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Charlotte from The Bradley Manning Support Network Toronto — August 4, 2010
I do not know Private First Class Bradley Manning, so I have no idea what motivated him to join the U.S. military in the first place. His youth, perhaps. Or maybe the sense of adventure promoted in the military marketing material. His reported sense of isolation may also have had something to I do with his enlisting. I suspect, however, that Superman’s “Truth, Justice and the American Way” also played a role.
Deep within each of us, I think we all want to wear that red cape and be a hero. We all want to do something selfless and brave. Ironically, it may be Bradley’s final act as a member of the military that will prove to be his most courageous.
Charged with leaking the video of an Apache helicopter attack in which 11 Iraqis died and 2 children were gravely injured, Bradley Manning faces charges that would put him behind bars for five decades. It is critical, then, that people within the United States and around the world weigh the supposed crime of whistle-blowing against the crime of the wars themselves. Then decide who really deserves to be punished.
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What do you think should happen to him? Some will hail him as a whistle-blower and say he did the right thing. Others call him a traitor. Which side are you on?
June
