It's too bad that Bradley Manning didn't torture and kill people instead of telling us about it

[MADem]

63. You play the "compare and contrast" game, and overlay a moral imperative upon it,

as though I MUST consider two completely disparate events as somehow equivalent on the basis of a philosophical argument; that is just not supportable.

That's like saying to me that because I ate the steak, and mashed potatoes, I HAVE to eat the dessert, otherwise I can't properly judge the flavor and texture of the main course because I didn't indulge in that other course.

Sorry, no sale.

As for your Unlawful Orders canard, striking a superior officer or enlisted supervisor is never, ever mitigated. Ever. So poof goes that excuse into the ether. Stealing classified military property and transferring it to a foreign national is NEVER "forgivable."

The former BGen's shortcomings I've already addressed, so I won't repeat them.

Your arguments just have no weight. You want to believe, but your beliefs are not consonant with the oath that Manning took and swore to uphold. He knew the penalties, too--if I had to guess, I'd say he plotted the path of his own destruction with knowledge aforethought. He may have been depressed and suicidal at the time, and felt like his life didn't matter.

That's usually why people do stuff as utterly stupid as what he did.