Perhaps Obama worst decision.

BBC:
"President Barack Obama has commuted Chelsea Manning's sentence for leaking documents to Wikileaks in 2010.
The 29-year-old transgender US Army private, born Bradley Manning, will be freed on 17 May instead of her scheduled 2045 release.
She was sentenced to 35 years in 2013 for her role in leaking diplomatic cables to the anti-secrecy group.
The leak was one of the largest breaches of classified material in US history."

You can tell what kind of journalists the BBC employs. I don't care how they spin it, Bradley Manning is not a woman. Any woman should be insulted by this kind of pandering to neurotics.

Quentin McDermott was being interviewed by Wendy Harmer about it today and he referred to it several times as HE. PC Wendy pulled him up about it,  and he said ah yes I was using HIM historically as it was a HE when the charges were laid. He used HE for the remainder of the interview  :)

so thats what it takes to get a pardon form Obama..

cut off your penis...

the fruitcake should be in a mental institution....

................

not sure what this is going to mean for Julian Assange..  :-/

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 3:43pm:

so thats what it takes to get a pardon form Obama.. cut off your penis... the fruitcake should be in a mental institution.... ................ not sure what this is going to mean for Julian Assange..  :-/

Julian Assange helped get Trump erected, so it's all good. He's probably only wanted by the Swedish, anyway.

Manning's leak paled in comparison to Snowdon and even Putin's hackers, who all got off scott-free.

Manning's intent was not treasonous. He did not spy for a foreign country. He did not profit from releasing the material. His motives were benign - he wanted to expose US war crimes, and he did.

Manning's chances of rehabilitation are good. He has no way of repeating his crime. This is a good use of a presidential pardon.

Opinions have been varied to say the least but some Republicans have praised it and some Democrats hate it. But it really doesnt matter. Its not like  any soldiers are going to look at Mannings case and think he got of lightly. After all, he got 35 years and a Presidential commutation is hardly something to bank on.

Big Donger wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 4:17pm:

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 3:43pm: so thats what it takes to get a pardon form Obama.. cut off your penis... the fruitcake should be in a mental institution.... ................ not sure what this is going to mean for Julian Assange..  :-/ Julian Assange helped get Trump erected, so it's all good. He's probably only wanted by the Swedish, anyway. Manning's leak paled in comparison to Snowdon and even Putin's hackers, who all got off scott-free. Manning's intent was not treasonous. He did not spy for a foreign country. He did not profit from releasing the material. His motives were benign - he wanted to expose US war crimes, and he did. Manning's chances of rehabilitation are good. He has no way of repeating his crime. This is a good use of a presidential pardon.

thats two posts of yours that I've just seen and two posts with uninformed blathering..

if you just make stuff up off the cuff you'll have all of the credibility of CNN...

which is Zero...  :D

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 4:53pm:

Big Donger wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 4:17pm: President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 3:43pm: so thats what it takes to get a pardon form Obama.. cut off your penis... the fruitcake should be in a mental institution.... ................ not sure what this is going to mean for Julian Assange..  :-/ Julian Assange helped get Trump erected, so it's all good. He's probably only wanted by the Swedish, anyway. Manning's leak paled in comparison to Snowdon and even Putin's hackers, who all got off scott-free. Manning's intent was not treasonous. He did not spy for a foreign country. He did not profit from releasing the material. His motives were benign - he wanted to expose US war crimes, and he did. Manning's chances of rehabilitation are good. He has no way of repeating his crime. This is a good use of a presidential pardon. thats two posts of yours that I've just seen and two posts with uninformed blathering.. if you just make stuff up off the cuff you'll have all of the credibility of CNN... which is Zero...  :D

ah so your beloved lord and master Trump has declared that CNN is fake news because he doesnt like it and you naturally concur.

you probably never wonder why so many people consider you a blithering idiot. This response of your might help you understand.

Big Donger wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 4:17pm:

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 3:43pm: so thats what it takes to get a pardon form Obama.. cut off your penis... the fruitcake should be in a mental institution.... ................ not sure what this is going to mean for Julian Assange..  :-/ Julian Assange helped get Trump erected, so it's all good. He's probably only wanted by the Swedish, anyway. Manning's leak paled in comparison to Snowdon and even Putin's hackers, who all got off scott-free. Manning's intent was not treasonous. He

You're so disrespectful if its gender.

longweekend58 wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 5:09pm:

President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 4:53pm: Big Donger wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 4:17pm: President Elect, The Mechanic wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 3:43pm: so thats what it takes to get a pardon form Obama.. cut off your penis... the fruitcake should be in a mental institution.... ................ not sure what this is going to mean for Julian Assange..  :-/ Julian Assange helped get Trump erected, so it's all good. He's probably only wanted by the Swedish, anyway. Manning's leak paled in comparison to Snowdon and even Putin's hackers, who all got off scott-free. Manning's intent was not treasonous. He did not spy for a foreign country. He did not profit from releasing the material. His motives were benign - he wanted to expose US war crimes, and he did. Manning's chances of rehabilitation are good. He has no way of repeating his crime. This is a good use of a presidential pardon. thats two posts of yours that I've just seen and two posts with uninformed blathering.. if you just make stuff up off the cuff you'll have all of the credibility of CNN... which is Zero...  :D ah so your beloved lord and master Trump has declared that CNN is fake news because he doesnt like it and you naturally concur. you probably never wonder why so many people consider you a blithering idiot. This response of your might help you understand.

no.. once again you are 100% wrong..

99% of the forum members find you an abusive intolerable asshole who should be banned because you add nothing to the community...

you are like that drunken uncle who turns up to the family party thats uninvited and everyone shuns..

have a nice day ...  :)

How many people lost their lives from the info that Bradley Manning released?

Bobby. wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 5:47pm:

How many people lost their lives from the info that Bradley Manning released?

A number of conservative denizens on Ozpolitic have been suicidal. Please do a welfare check of Bobby's mates.

longweekend58 wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 4:18pm:

Opinions have been varied to say the least but some Republicans have praised it and some Democrats hate it. But it really doesnt matter. Its not like  any soldiers are going to look at Mannings case and think he got of lightly. After all, he got 35 years and a Presidential commutation is hardly something to bank on.

Sorry, I cannot go along with that. Presidential interference with a court-marshal conviction is fairly big stuff. When the case is one of handing over military information, it verges on treason. You have to ask yourself why Obama and the Dems did this. They did not do it on the spur of the moment, they weighed the consequences carefully. Some will say it is about justice for Manning, but if that was so important, why didn't the Democrats and Obama commute his sentence before the election? I think they knew Manning's case was an election liability, and so postponed action. The precedent of this case weakens military authority. I don't think this decision adds any luster to Obama's legacy as Commander in Chief.

issuevoter wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 5:49pm:

longweekend58 wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 4:18pm: Opinions have been varied to say the least but some Republicans have praised it and some Democrats hate it. But it really doesnt matter. Its not like  any soldiers are going to look at Mannings case and think he got of lightly. After all, he got 35 years and a Presidential commutation is hardly something to bank on. Sorry, I cannot go along with that. Presidential interference with a court-marshal conviction is fairly big stuff. When the case is one of handing over military information, it verges on treason. You have to ask yourself why Obama and the Dems did this. They did not do it on the spur of the moment, they weighed the consequences carefully. Some will say it is about justice for Manning, but if that was so important, why didn't the Democrats and Obama commute his sentence before the election? I think they knew Manning's case was an election liability, and so postponed action. The precedent of this case weakens military authority. I don't think this decision adds any luster to Obama's legacy as Commander in Chief.

You dont think that ALL pardons and so on do the same to any court? Why does a military court rank special to you? as for the when of the commutation... unless this has escaped your attention, EVERY POTUS does this in the few days prior to leaving office and is a tradition. That way they can do what they think is right and not have to put up with crap from the fallout.

Quote:

Five days before, Wikileaks tweeted that Assange was willing to make a deal if Manning was granted clemency.     If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case https://t.co/MZU30SlfGK     — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 12, 2017 Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012. The Australian has previously fought extradition to Sweden over accusations of rape, which he denies. He has claimed the Swedish effort is a way to have him transferred to the US, which, as of May 2016, was actively investigating WikiLeaks’ activities.     @JustinRaimondo That's the only reason Manning was granted clemency. It's all to get at Assange. Obama is #DeepState & this is a chess move.     — John Manko (@johnmanko) January 17, 2017 WikiLeaks and Assange released a statement in reaction to the announcement by the Obama administration, thanking “everyone who campaigned for Chelsea Manning's clemency.”     Assange: "Thank you to everyone who campaigned for Chelsea Manning's clemency. Your courage & determination made the impossible possible."     — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 17 January 2017 “Your courage & determination made the impossible possible,” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted. "Ms. Manning is a hero, whose bravery should be applauded," Assange said in the statement. "Journalists, publishers, and their sources serve the public interest and promote democracy by distributing authentic information on key matters such as human rights abuses and illegal acts by government officials. They should not be prosecuted." Assange urged Washington to "immediately end" its war on "whistleblowers and publishers, such as WikiLeaks and myself." Although Assange did not immediately specify whether or not he will honor his promise and risk potential extradition to the US, where he could face possible espionage charges, his lawyer Melinda Taylor confirmed that “everything that he has said he's standing by.”     Statement from Julian #Assange regarding decision of President Obama to commute the sentence of Chelsea Manning pic.twitter.com/HKtbs0pOpF     — Melinda Taylor (@theMTchair) 18 January 2017 The US authorities consistently affirmed there is an ongoing national security prosecution against Assange, but refused to confirm or deny whether they had sent an extradition request, she added. Meanwhile the UK also refuses to affirm or deny that they have received an extradition call, which is “not the same thing as there being no extradition request.” Some believe the move to free Manning could serve as a trap to lure Assange out of the safety of the Ecuadorian compound in London. The US State Department’s spokesman, John Kirby said Tuesday that Washington used a variety of channels over the years to remind the international community about the “harm that continues to come from the information that Wikileaks obtains and Wikileaks then publishes” to US security interests.  Kirby called Wikileaks activities a “problem”.

Assange’s lawyers will ask Trump to end US investigation into WikiLeaks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj7AZzSFYGA


https://www.rt.com/usa/374012-assange-extradition-manning-commutation/

Quote:

Sorry, I cannot go along with that. Presidential interference with a court-marshal conviction is fairly big stuff. When the case is one of handing over military information, it verges on treason. You have to ask yourself why Obama and the Dems did this. They did not do it on the spur of the moment, they weighed the consequences carefully. Some will say it is about justice for Manning, but if that was so important, why didn't the Democrats and Obama commute his sentence before the election? I think they knew Manning's case was an election liability, and so postponed action. The precedent of this case weakens military authority. I don't think this decision adds any luster to Obama's legacy as Commander in Chief.

You nailed it.

Good ol' Obama trying to redeem himself his last days. Of course, the prosecution and inhumane treatment of Manning is itself a crime, for which the Obama administration (along with the US military) are solely responsible.

Now does anyone else here find commutation of Manning's sentence to be rather ironic when the media and the entire political establishment, including the up and coming but short-lived Trump administration, continue to witch-hunt Assange and Snowden?

Manning spent seven years rotting in prison for what I consider to be a courageous anti-war action, yet not one god damn person has been arrested, prosecuted or jailed for any of the crimes documented in the material published by WikiLeaks. Oh, and let's not forget the war criminals who started it all: George W. Bush of the Bush Criminal Empire and his buddy Barack Obama.

longweekend58 wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 8:29pm:

issuevoter wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 5:49pm: longweekend58 wrote on Jan 18th, 2017 at 4:18pm: Opinions have been varied to say the least but some Republicans have praised it and some Democrats hate it. But it really doesnt matter. Its not like  any soldiers are going to look at Mannings case and think he got of lightly. After all, he got 35 years and a Presidential commutation is hardly something to bank on. Sorry, I cannot go along with that. Presidential interference with a court-marshal conviction is fairly big stuff. When the case is one of handing over military information, it verges on treason. You have to ask yourself why Obama and the Dems did this. They did not do it on the spur of the moment, they weighed the consequences carefully. Some will say it is about justice for Manning, but if that was so important, why didn't the Democrats and Obama commute his sentence before the election? I think they knew Manning's case was an election liability, and so postponed action. The precedent of this case weakens military authority. I don't think this decision adds any luster to Obama's legacy as Commander in Chief. You dont think that ALL pardons and so on do the same to any court? Why does a military court rank special to you? as for the when of the commutation... unless this has escaped your attention, EVERY POTUS does this in the few days prior to leaving office and is a tradition. That way they can do what they think is right and not have to put up with crap from the fallout.

If you don't understand why military secrecy is important, and in this case very close to treason, nothing I say will make any difference to you.

Marla wrote on Jan 19^th, 2017 at 8:15am:

Manning spent seven years rotting in prison for what I consider to be a courageous anti-war action, yet not one god damn person has been arrested, prosecuted or jailed for any of the crimes documented in the material published by WikiLeaks. Oh, and let's not forget the war criminals who started it all: George W. Bush of the Bush Criminal Empire and his buddy Barack Obama.

Very good Marla, and well written


Let's see now, premeditated and pre-planned invasions/interference of foreign countries for the purpose of not defending the US homeland, but for the purpose of bringing about a shady New World Order - Unconstitutional, if I understand it correctly

You got it right.

Manning should never have been prosecuted IMO

Manning's commute is nothing more than a grand publicity stunt  by the Obama Administration. It had zero to do with humanitarian issues but cynical political purposes to prop up the crumbling remains of the Democratic Party, revise Obama's history of being a war criminal and cater to the LGBT community, and anyone opposed to the illegal US wars in the Middle East.

Manning commutation will be used as a tool by every liberal and pseudo-left ass kisser of Obama, although the action only puts an end to one of the many, many atrocities of which the Obama administration has committed. By the way, commuting Manning’s sentence rather than granting a full pardon means that the precedent of conviction remains on the books as well as the sentence of a nearly lifetime term.

Yep.  Marla is actually right on this one.

AuntieM wrote on Jan 19^th, 2017 at 12:32pm:

Yep.  Marla is actually right on this one.

I know right?  :o

I also saw somewhere at the Jailing of Manning was unconstitutional..

im not sure of the full story on that one..

but if they want to try anyone for war crimes.. start with Bush and Obama...

next would be the Clintons ..

then work your way down from there..

Yet, Leonard Peltier remains in prison.

http://sfbayview.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Demand-Freedom-and-Justice-for-Leonard-Peltier-poster.jpg

Never mind looking him up, you Aussies. Just another example of Obama's hypocrisies.

So, Marla. Peltier claims to be not guilty of killing two Feds. Did he kill them under extenuating circumstances, or did he not harm them at all, and was framed?

Peltier's conviction was brought about solely on coerced and false testimony from witnesses threatened by the FBI not too mention suppression of evidence such as ballistic tests by Federal government who withheld 6,000 documents in whole and an estimated 5,000 in part dealing with the case.

Obama is a putz shamed beta male.
Now he needs a job, he could apply to play Raymond on "everyone loves raymond".

Beta males are very confused about their sexuality and have very little direction in life. Seems like young Bradley or Chelsea or whoever they were was similarly confused.

a man who is not on his mission in life brings no value to the table and is really just garbage in terms of his usefulness.

Bradley was useless to the US military.
Obama was useless to the US white house.

they can both go on one of those putz shaming talk shows like "the view" or "ellen" and "vibe" with all those angry women.they are repulsive to everything that masculinity and the US armed forces are all about.

I see the MRA troll is back.

Marla wrote on Jan 19^th, 2017 at 12:49pm:

Peltier's conviction was brought about solely on coerced and false testimony from witnesses threatened by the FBI not too mention suppression of evidence such as ballistic tests by Federal government who withheld 6,000 documents in whole and an estimated 5,000 in part dealing with the case.

Now that's interesting. Can you share more?

Do your own homework.

You hippies, I swear

bugger that bullshit. You take a position, you own it, or don't expect anyone else to listen.

Jesus, the wimps these days.

Bobby. wrote on Jan 18^th, 2017 at 5:47pm:

How many people lost their lives from the info that Bradley Manning released?

Zero.

Countless millions lost their minds.

Marla wrote on Jan 19^th, 2017 at 12:29pm:

Manning's commute is nothing more than a grand publicity stunt  by the Obama Administration. It had zero to do with humanitarian issues but cynical political purposes to prop up the crumbling remains of the Democratic Party, revise Obama's history of being a war criminal and cater to the LGBT community, and anyone opposed to the illegal US wars in the Middle East. Manning commutation will be used as a tool by every liberal and pseudo-left ass kisser of Obama, although the action only puts an end to one of the many, many atrocities of which the Obama administration has committed. By the way, commuting Manning’s sentence rather than granting a full pardon means that the precedent of conviction remains on the books as well as the sentence of a nearly lifetime term.

Well said.


The view from Australia:
http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/c9f83bd047cbc3b2ea858d139652c71c?width=1024