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I was prepared to be outraged at the verdict after the defense appeal to vacate the 'aiding enemy' charge was thrown out by the judge the other day[0], but bein

by nikcub 13y ago

I was prepared to be outraged at the verdict after the defense appeal to vacate the 'aiding enemy' charge was thrown out by the judge the other day[0], but being found not guilty is very important in terms of both his sentence and precedent for future military whistleblowers. It also vindicates the defense decision to stick with a military hearing rather than a ~~civil~~ jury[1], which almost certainly could have been stacked to find a guilty verdict on the aiding the enemy charge (especially in Virginia - the preferred jurisdiction for fed government prosecution because of the slanted jury pool of ex-military and ex-gov types). This is probably the best Manning could have hoped for, the evidence was stacked heavily against him on the other charges and he had already pleaded guilty to most. [0] http://www.thenation.com/blog/175355/judge-refuses-throw-out-key-aiding-enemy-charge-against-pfc-bradley-manning http://www.thenation.com/blog/175355/judge-refuses-throw-out... [1] Thanks mpayne, you're right - military jury

mpyne 13y ago
Manning was never under threat of being judged by a civilian jury. It would have been a military jury, who even if pulled from Ft. Meade would have come from all walks of life before joining the military. Likewise I don't think this means what you think it means for future whistleblowers. He could still very well be sentenced effectively to confinement for life, after all, and the thing that saved his bacon regarding 'aiding the enemy' is that the judge added another element to the charge, which the prosecution then failed to prove. With that said, I don't think it could have gone better for Manning under a jury trial, so it certainly looks prudent from his end.
sage_joch 13y ago
I don't feel outrage these days so much as foreboding. I was convinced the verdict was a foregone conclusion. It's hard to describe how damn good it feels to be wrong on this. When I saw the verdict on cnn.com, I immediately interrupted my coworkers to tell them the news.

by nikcub 13y ago

mpyne 13y ago

Manning was never under threat of being judged by a civilian jury. It would have been a military jury, who even if pulled from Ft. Meade would have come from all walks of life before joining the military. Likewise I don't think this means what you think it means for future whistleblowers. He could still very well be sentenced effectively to confinement for life, after all, and the thing that saved his bacon regarding 'aiding the enemy' is that the judge added another element to the charge, which the prosecution then failed to prove. With that said, I don't think it could have gone better for Manning under a jury trial, so it certainly looks prudent from his end.

sage_joch 13y ago

I don't feel outrage these days so much as foreboding. I was convinced the verdict was a foregone conclusion. It's hard to describe how damn good it feels to be wrong on this. When I saw the verdict on cnn.com, I immediately interrupted my coworkers to tell them the news.