Philosophical Bloggin' about the 3rd Manning

These Mannings are also America's greatest threats to national defenses
but the got SuperBowl rings and their own commercials. Go figure.

"When the government is throwing sources in jail for 35 years for leaking information, the media should be compelled to stand up and say, "No, that is not okay. No, that is not justice. No, that is not a fair use of government power. No, that is not an acceptable precedent in a free society."

That's from an article on gawker.com discussing the Bradley/Chelsea Manning treason trial and mass media's reaction to the sentencing. For a media outlet to condone the sentencing of a man who broke one of the biggest stories of the decade is an affront to the glory days of journalism, when your source was the only thing you trusted. 

There's Public Enemy #1 of America, right there in the middle.

The military judge of this farce (Colonel Denise Lind) came to the conclusion, on behalf of a different America than what he imagine, that for a 21 year old to release classified documents to an internet-based news source that exposes the hypocrisy of a country built on truth, freedom and alleged moral superiority is deserving of 35 years jail time; people who have actually murdered people have gotten less. 

This is apparently the only google image of the presiding judge, the head of
Colonel Lind, as drawn by courtroom artist and 10th grade student D. VanPoolen

It's slow on the NHL front and I've been finding my time stretched between more fatherly observations and duties as I've welcomed my third progeny into this world. I have found this Manning case, as well as the trials of Edward Snowden to be a captivating comment on today's society of being the neighbour of the New American Empire that I can do nothing about but wish to add my teaspoon of opinion into the ocean of internet comments. To ensure my Canadian authenticity, I've spelled neighbour the correct way. 

It makes me wonder of the type of world I want my children to grow up in; I want them to have leaders that follow the same basic ideal and morals that I have. It would be the greatest feat of the most powerful political figure in the world, winner of a Nobel Peace Prize, to grant a Presidential Pardon to Manning; the kid deserves it. And to do it now, while he is in office instead of waiting for his last days to grant pardons. While there have been increasing pressure from everywhere but America's 'most trusted news sources' to bring charges to and wholesale changes to the financial district's biggest companies and their ethical misdeeds that have ruined the country more than Manning, Snowden have but in the this America, the news sources are in overdrive providing us with other information that isn't necessarily as important but nonetheless depressing; like the continuing disparity between rich and poor or how money talks more prominently than it should. 

I don't care if Manning's gay, transsexual or has been classified as a traitor by those who feel he had a greater duty to his country than to humanity, that kid is someone his parents should be proud of. He and Edward Snowden have become the new Robin Hoods of the Digital Age, heroes for people who believe in the greater good, who believe that America needs to practice what it preaches. 

Stood up for American Ideals; jailed for American Ideas.

The question I have is to create a larger-encompassing subject blog or stick with my 90% NHL/10% Dad/ 2% other ratio that I have going on now. I do enjoy writing the fun stuff but as the saying goes;

You can't have the sweet without the sour...