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August 22nd, 2013
10:18 AM ET
Stars react to Bradley Manning sentencingWhen the news broke Wednesday that Bradley Manning - who now wants to be known as Chelsea - had been sentenced to 35 years in prison, a few celebrities who supported the soldier couldn't hold back their shock. "The news of Bradley Manning's sentencing is devastating," Lady Gaga tweeted to her 39 million followers. "If our own can't speak up about injustice who will? How will we ever move forward?"
Manning's sentence was handed down by a military judge after he was found guilty of 20 of the 22 charges brought against him. The U.S. Army soldier had been convicted of stealing 750,000 classified documents and handing them over to WikiLeaks. Manning, who will seek a pardon, has said that he acted "out of a love for my country and a sense of duty" to reveal what he said were abuses committed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like Gaga, musician Moby also supported Manning's position, and shared a photo on Instagram calling him a hero. Chimed in Patton Oswalt, "Bradley Manning got 35 YEARS and Rumsfeld/Cheney still walk free...oh wait, it's Opposite Day. My bad." |
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"But I alone should decide what is confidential information." No, 35 years.
"But I had no one to talk to so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But they teased me so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But I am really a woman so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But the government is bad and I am good so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But rules don't apply to me because I had an unhappy childhood so I should get off." No, 35 years.
I agree with Moby but god he's an annoying hipster.
Please gaga and moby dick pay for his surgery. At least we get a break from obamacare. Are you kidding me w shoud pay for his surgery! Freakin liberal Hollywood.
Moby and Gaga are morons. This creep deserves to rot in jail
"Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains is a good song. Have you heard it?
I don't think I've heard that one.
"But I alone should decide what is confidential information." No, 35 years.
"But I had no one to talk to so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But they teased me so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But I am really a woman so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But the government is bad and I am good so I should get off." No, 35 years.
"But rules don't apply to me because I had an unhappy childhood so I should get off." No, 35 years.
Exactly right
Spending the day splashing around in a baby pool filled with loose bowel movements.
There's no surprise. Most people in Hollywood suffer from delusions of grandeur, and therefore they can relate to the actions of the snitty little fruit in question.
This is nothing more than drawing attention to himself. He's a little punk who thought it would be cool to share secrets so he could gain sympathy. Don't like what the military/intelligence is doing, then quit. He knew what he was doing when started leaking the info. In my opinion he's a traitor to his country and should be punished accordingly.
Psssst. Just wanted to let you know your ignorance is showing. Are you really unaware that one cannot simply "quit" the military. This is no regular job. Once you sign the contract, you must work for the military for the full term you enlisted for. After your contract is up, you may choose to reenlist or not. If only the world were as simple as you thought it was.
Yes, very ignorant. Forgot he could have served the term he COMMITTED to when he joined and not betrayed his country.
And he probably could have requested a different posting. One of many options versus leaking sensitive info.. But again I am ignorant.
The sentence is an outrage. That shows you what happens when a person has the courage to stand up and reveal the truth.
All you who think you have rights just keep your head down or be crushed. Don't Worry Big Brother knows what's best for you. You see this is a Democracy. Of Plutocrats. Got the message? Shut up, sit down or get sent to the gulag.
The outrage is that the sentence isn't long enough or doesn't end in execution. He put the lives of fellow servicemembers in danger by releasing classified intelligence to the enemy during combat operations. How hard is that to understand?
he would have been fine if he left the states with a big f u like snowden..but this is proof that loving your country will screw you..all the high rankers should be questioned about if he really tried to go through the proper channels instead of throwing out he has a mental illness...if loving home is wrong, id hate to see whats right
i don't think the home is the problem dear.
When they accuse you of aiding terrorist because youve uncovered corruption within the gov and expose it let people know..yea that"s home. Its all a scare tactic to silence future whistleblowers and give people something to debate about as we move closer to the police state.
Gravy
The problem is that he did try to go through the proper channels and was stonewalled. Without his actions to get the information out, we wouldn't be having this debate. We need free thinkers in this country, not the "I was just following orders" mentality – we've seen where that goes. If what our leadership does is kept secret from us, then we cannot comprehend the backlash that it causes. If the leadership is committing crimes, we must expose them, put those responsible on trial and remove them from power/jail them if found guilty. Going up the chain won't work if the people up the chain are criminals.
Then you take it to someone else. There are enough people in your chain of command that someone will listen. And there is always a politician that is looking to sink their teeth in another politician or the other party. Bottom line is you don’t go to the enemy with this information or put the information out so the enemy can see it. The chain of command works, if you don’t believe it just ask Lt William Calley and Ron Ridenhour. If you don’t think it works Google either one of their names. Again he is nothing but a traitor and a liar.
The events in My Lai had initially been covered up by local divisional command. In April 1969, nearly thirteen months after the massacre, Ron Ridenhour, a G.I. who had been with the 11th Brigade wrote letters to the President, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense. In these letters Ridenhour described some of the atrocities by the soldiers at My Lai that he had been told about
Bradley manning should have gotten life,with no possible parole! He is a traitor period.luckily he didn't get the death penalty.
And as for lady gaga chick?!...lol...she is such a mouth piece,another madonna wanna be...with even less talent than the old hag madge!!! Lmao!
yep, best to keep our mouths shut when innocent civilians in other countries get murdered by our own. that's what u.s. democracy and liberty is all about. sheez.
agreed skm
Who cares what these stars think! If you do u are as naive as they are! No real life experience like seeing headless Iraqi soldiers in the streets of Mosul beheaded by terrorists! Did they forget that not everyone in the world is a fan or good? How about Taliban that shoot women in the head for leaving a marriage? Seriously, who cares what lady no nothing has to say! Manning is a traitor
Curled up in bed with a good book and a giant poop.
What an odd predicament. Stars that are extremely left leaning are upset about the sentencing of a whistleblower that made the liberal administration look bad. In sure the stars aren't quite smart enough to draw the lines between the sentence and Obama, but Obama is a very sensitive guy. He doesn't handle criticism well, so having the Hollywood elite call the sentencing into question will get deep under his skin. Obviously it doesn't matter a whole lot now since he can't run again, but he's relied heavily on his endorsement from Hollywood. This is the kind of mindless stuff Obama likes to comment on, so lets wait and see if he does. If he calls out Lady Gaga he might open up a can of worms he can't close.
If Manning really wanted to be a hero and do the right thing or what he thought was the right thing there were plenty of options before having it posted on the internet. There are plenty of congress men and women and senators that would have listen to him and went after the ones in charge or in office. He Manning is nothing more than a liar and I have proof of this. He cannot be trusted to tell the truth or do what is right, he will only lie to everyone about why he did it and try to get you to cry and feel sorry for him. You want to talk about unwanted or unneeded deaths, what about those he put in harm’s way how many lives were lost due to his stupidity. Do not disgrace our forefathers by saying he did what they would have done, don’t disrespect the men and women who come forward with information and follow the correct path to get things noticed and fixed. I have worked in INTEL and there were plenty of things that you see pass in front of your eyes…but you keep your mouth shut and do your damn job and if things are broken go up the chain of command, you can make things change that way. You want to be free you want to feel safe and you want US (those who serve in law enforcement and military) to keep you safe and stop the terrorist acts and the crime. How do you think we are to know who is doing what, no one wears a sign saying watch me I am up to no good. Bottom line is Manning is a traitor and a liar.
I could not agree more!
The problem is that he did try to go through the proper channels and was stonewalled. Without his actions to get the information out, we wouldn't be having this debate. We need free thinkers in this country, not the "I was just following orders" mentality – we've seen where that goes. If what our leadership does is kept secret from us, then we cannot comprehend the backlash that it causes. If the leadership is committing crimes, we must expose them, put those responsible on trial and remove them from power/jail them if found guilty. Going up the chain won't work if the people up the chain are criminals.
gaga is gonzo...out of the box
This is why Gaga and Moby are known for their music and not their political observations.
Why do we put importance on " Stars" opinions... They are worth no more than the average man on the street... Just because someone is famous their opinion is more enlightened... HARDLY
Because Stars have an audience that far exceeds anyone else
She is a star and she will always be a star....
Only a wht ass who wants to be a women!
And an ugly one at that!
Bottom line – if you're going to embarrass the US government, don't get caught.
***
In May 1960, when Francis Gary Powers' US spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union the Russian court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Powers was released after serving only two.
***
It's pretty bad when an autocratic Communist government dispenses more leniency than an enlightened system such as ours. Or maybe the light has gone out.
and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
Just a side note for left nut jobs here is a Wikipedia quote "On February 10, 1962, Powers was exchanged, along with American student Frederic Pryor, in a well-publicized spy swap at the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin, Germany. The exchange was for Soviet KGB Colonel Vilyam Fisher (aka Rudolf Abel), who had been caught by the FBI and jailed for espionage." Next time confirm your story before you spout crap. Powers was released because, and only because, we had somebody the Soviets wanted back more than the intelligence/political coupe of imprisoning a US spy plane pilot.
I sometimes carve my poops into amusing shapes.
You mean terd-shaped isn't amusing?
Thank you for your Courage and your sacrifice for this country, Chelsea.
Say "Hello" to Bubba for us.
Count yourself lucky that you weren't lined up against a wall.
Instead you're got half the nation wanting to keep you in good health and help buy pseudo lady parts for you.
Win – Win.
o before, O after. Any questions?
FREE CHELSEA
Please email the prez to pardon her and that she gets the care she has a right to until she is free. Lady Gaga is right, "If our own can't speak up about injustice, who will?" That's why things are the way they are. YES WE sCAN!
As a soldier, Manning took an oath not just to the United States, but also to the military. Every soldier knows the consequences of revealing secrets that could hurt national security and put the lives of our entire miltary in jeapordy depedning on the secrets revealed.
All i want is for my children to have a chance to be free and enjoy life. Manning got off easy he put others in jeopardy, traitors are not worth my tax money. All the celebs? out there need to pull their heads out. When it all goes bad they won't be getting any special treatment. When the government breaks the country who is going to watch you, listen to you, support you. Wake up and quit living in a fantasy world. If it wasn't for the people who go in harms way for your freedom you wouldn't have any. If you don't like USA please leave., and take our crooked government with you so we can get back to being FREE.
Freedom for our children. Yes I messed up, this is what i meant to put. So now you can't say I'm an idiot I am human and make mistakes.
Very well said. Today's freedom cost some people their lives.
Way too many have forgotten that we ARE at war for our way of life.
This freak took an oath and then decided to be a traitor to his country, he gets what he deserves, hes lucky he didnt get life or death, which he probably deserves, these liberal hollywood freaks now want to come out and cry foul, did lady/man gaga ever sign up to serve her country, did patton oswalt pretty sure its no, maybe gaga should stick to making her god awful music and oswalt should stick to telling jokes
Lighten up, you radical sob
This traitor should have gotten 100 years hard labor and been Bubba's wench every night.
Chelsea might get her wish.
I find the tweet by Patton Oswalt to be interesting. Obama supporters are still in denial. Think about it: the policies that Bush and Cheney supported are still being supported today. The NSA watching your every move? The atrocities that Manning's leak exposed? They are all happening still under the leadership of your great Obama. And yet you Patton Oswalt still single out the likes of Cheney and Rumsfeld rather than realize that your Obama boy is no better than those before him. Strange though... I haven't heard the Obama administration blame the previous administration as of late. What happened to that strategy?
Gaga is an efftard..."look, I sing horrible songs, so listen to me on important REAL life issues because I know what I'm talking about." Yeah, that's what I'll do, said NO person with a brain cell. Stick to singing trashy songs, foolish idiot. Also, you wear so much make-up that it looks like you were gang-ban ged by Crayola.
"...gang-ban ged by Crayola." That's great imagery!
You, Sir (or ma'am)...
Win the freakin' INTERNET !!
Why do people always attack the messenger instead of looking at the information? Perhaps the media has conditioned you to believe everything is just another scandal or someone is searching for their "15 minutes of fame", whether good or bad.
Anybody that doesn't look at the information and judges solely on emotion is just a "lab rat" of our government! Get angry...hit the light....get a treat!! Think for yourself!
So when he gets his gender change at a federal prison, will he be sent back to ft. leavenworth to live in the womens section? Are there even other women prisoners in the military jail? He might find himself all alone. I think he is doing this mainly to get to go to the federal pen because it is more cushy then military jail. Also, other soldiers probably blame his leaks for the death of some of their friends.
Military jail/Ft. Leavenworth is far from cushy!
Fort Leavenworth is not a federal or even state club med. Ft Leavenworth is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense. I'm sure Bradley Manning will find the accommodations nothing like what he would experience otherwise. As for mens and womens sections in the prison, I can't say for sure but at the same time, I highly doubt that DoD simply throws everybody together, whether male or female. But this whole transgender issue, I'm not sure how DoD is going to deal with this. He is physically a male... but would you want to place him in the female population while he still has a penis?
Why not put him in the women's section, even if he still has a penis. Based upon how he identifies himself from a gender perspective, the only thing he's going to use it for is peeing.
This individual signed up to be a soldier. A man/woman who protects his/her country. He/She broke the law. Now you go to jail. Simple.
Lady Gaga, what have you ever done for your country? That's right....nothing you are a performer, granted a talented one. But please stand up for the country that let's you speak your mind and perform with your wonderful skills. Don't stand up for a traitor.
Oh yeah, Lady Gaga knows all about national security, lol. She's lucky she knows how to spell her name; wait, maybe that's why she picked "gaga". Non-story. Must be a slow news day.
It is amazing that if the govt want your info you are ready to set yourself on fire, but these same people will give up their first born for a 10 percent discount at Macys who sells your same information to marketing giants so lady gaga can send you marketing link to buy her stagnant album.
I am now less of a fan of Gaga than I was before and Moby what ever that is should stay hidden behind his cartoon board
I like how "Stars" approve of a person that put other Soldiers that are volunteering to protect us in harms way.
Just goes to show you that Movie Stars and Artist are as clueless as ever and should stick to making movies and music.
P.S. Moby your an idiot!!!
One of my favorite things in this world is when people insult someones intelligence and in the same sentence prove their own stupidity. It's you're, moron.
you're (as in "you are")!!!!!!
Manning can't help 4 being a traitor. Live with your lies Sweet Cheeks.
Government agencies requiring someone sign away their freedom of speech should be outlawed. The government and its agencies/departments have been guilty of breaking laws and exposure in the press has allowed them to be held accountable. It allows actions that are inappropriate, or against the law to go unreported and unpunished. Many unnecessary deaths have been swept under the "keeping America safe" carpet.
The reason the military removes most of your civil liberties when you sign up is so you follow the chain of command and take orders from the officers appointed over you. You wouldn't have a very effective military if you had people doing whatever they felt like or saying whatever they felt like. That is the reason you go to your next up on the chain of command and ask permission to speak freely. If you are level headed and know what you are talking about your commander will take your opinion into consideration. He should have taken the information to his congressman from the state he was serving in and then that person could have taken to the Armed Forces Committee. He could have felt better about himself for doing something and not jeopardized other soldiers in the field.
Manning is such a liar, even now after he`s been convicted he continues to act like he did this for the good of the country. BS..In emails sent to hacker he stated that he hated the army and blamed the army for a failing relationship with his lover. All this sense of duty crap is all for show.
I want you to know that there is at least one person who agrees with you, I do! Whatever their reasons are, they are treators to me. If they want a perfect government it does not exist; if they want wars without killing it does not exist. If you want to change existing laws, you can do it internally without selling your country'secrets to the world. Shameful, that's what it is.
as a former signal soldier with secret clearence, i swore an oath to keep priveledge info SECRET. To hell with Mr/mrs Manning. two wars ago..he would have faced a firing squad. He got off easy!
moby & gaga – on a scale of 1 to 100, at least 99th & 98th of opinions I could care less about...
The musicians need to shut up about politics and stick with singing.
Same goes for actors, sports stars, and every other Hollywood NOBODY!
And bloggers too....bloggers/commenters on news sites need to keep their stupid opinions to themselves as well, if people in the entertainment industry aren't alllowed to express their opinions. Fk that First Amendment BS, right? The first thing that should go in a free country is freedom of speech, right? RIGHT?
So, which professions, in your mind, should have freedom of speech? I thought that was a right of ALL Americans.
This makes sense. He's insane. Insane to think that he was justified in violating UCMJ. Insane for thinking that he can just suddenly "be" a woman. Where's your uterus, Bradley? Gender issues are a psychosis, not a physical abnormality. Want to be a woman, Bradley? Too bad. Because all the surgery, wigs, and name changing won't change the fact that you carry the "y" chromosome. And all the "hero" talk won't change the fact that you're a cowardly traitor that deserves to rot in prison.
You have the right to think that Manning is a traitor. But you do not have to right to discriminate on his gender orientation issues. Open a book and read about it before making such a statement. It is a hate-crime, perhaps you could go to prison yourself, not the same one as Manning because you are no hero. Anyone who joins the military and serves deserves some respect.
IIf he goes to prison Sweet Lips is better suited for a name for him/her to pick because thats what he'll be called there!!LOL
Can't wait to see this headline on CNN: "Politicians review Lady Gaga's new album."
pure and simple, he is a traitor....he got off easy.....who cares what the media and liberal Hollywood thinks.......when you are accessed to TS data, you must protect that privelege, not release it under penalty...he signed an agreement and agregiously defied it......lucky he did not get death!
When you are in the military, you take an oath. To protect our country against our enemys. Making public what he did was traitorus, he got what he deserved. Noone who did this ever got away with it, anyone. Now becauee he wants to be a woman, people want him to get out of prison, he can be a woman in prison too. People call him a hero, name me one country that doesn't do what he disclosed.
not even remotely relevant....nice try
didn't know he had it in him!
It ain't in him yet, but soon will be.
How old is he, anyone know? Just curious how old he'll be in 35 yrs...?
He's 25 - according to Wikipedia, dob 12/17/87. Interestingly, when you search Bradley Manning there, it already says Chelsea Manning.
Thanks! What's w/the name change?
yep with the name change.
I'm not sure why he chose Chelsea. Maybe he just wants to feel pretty, or girlie? Not that I would ever get a s ex change, but if I was forced to I'd choose a name like Helga, or Wonder Woman.
Lol, Gross! What about Ginger orMaryAnn? Candi is a sweet name, too. Hahaha! Thanks for info!
he is seriously deprived....
@Gross..lol