Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Pfc Bradley Manning, A Warning Writ Large

By Alan Caruba

“All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.” --Sun-Tzu (--400 B.C.)

His cherubic face can be found on the many articles about an audacious assault on the military and diplomatic security of the nation. Liberals have adopted Private First Class Bradley Manning as their hero because he is gay and he despises America, two things about which they care deeply.

In a chat log published in June by Wired News, Manning “bragged to Adrian Lamo, the hacker who turned him in, that he was going to unleash ‘worldwide anarchy in CVS (comma separated value) format.’”

For Manning the thrill came from contemplating that “Hillary Clinton and several thousand diplomats around the world are going to have a heart attack when they wake up one morning and find an entire repository of classified foreign policy is available, in searchable format, to the public,” adding “Everywhere there’s a US post, there’s a diplomatic scandal that will be revealed.”

Manning’s infamy goes back to a story in the July 27, 2010 Wall Street Journal that reported “Military investigators are checking computers used by Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst charged this month with leaking classified information, to see if he is the source of thousands of military documents published Sunday by WikiLeaks.”

According to Lamo, there is not any doubt as to the source of the data provided to WikiLeaks. Manning bragged about it to him. “No one suspected a thing,” said Manning, adding, “Kind of sad.”

What’s sad is that it will take months, perhaps years, before Manning is brought before a military tribunal and likely sentenced to life imprisonment instead of being put before a firing squad.

We are, after all, talking about one of the most massive acts of espionage against the United States in the modern era. Those defending Manning appear to be completely blind to that and, indeed, are accusing the U.S. of “torturing” Manning by keeping him in solitary confinement while he awaits courts martial.

Manning had been arrested in May on suspicion of leaking a video of a U.S. helicopter attack. Based in Iraq, he rapidly became the main suspect for the WikiLeak data dump.

Openly gay, despite the then-existing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that allowed him to remain in the Army, Manning had experienced rejection by a homosexual lover, declaring on his Facebook page that he was “livid” after being “lectured by ex-boyfriend.”

When you’re twenty-two years old, astonishingly immature, and “frustrated with people and society at large”, does that give you permission to betray your nation?

At about the same age, I was working in G-2 Army intelligence in a minor capacity. It never occurred to me to hand over secret documents to enemies of the nation. How many other young men over the years have been given this level of trust by their nation? A lot!

It took, however, just one Bradley Manning to think the rules of conduct, let alone his oath of service, could and should be set aside as a balm for his hurt feelings because his boyfriend dumped him.

This is why the armed forces resisted Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell when it was first foisted on them. From long experience, both military and civilian intelligence personnel knew and understood that homosexuals were particularly vulnerable to blackmail and, even as attitudes changed toward the gay and lesbian population, their emotional stability remained open to question.

It is why today’s frontline Marines in combat do not want to rely on homosexuals in their units, but the military has become so politically correct over the years that even an unstable Muslim Army major was allowed to serve until he killed thirteen servicemen and women at Fort Hood.

Military service is very different from civilian life. It has a different code of honor that dates back to the days of Sun-Tzu.

In a time when the U.S. military is engaged in a war with Islam-fascism and the world is seeking to counter it on every continent, the ancient admonitions about espionage and warfare are still true. There is no one more dangerous to our nation’s survival than a traitor.

Bradley Manning is every warning against permitting gays and lesbians to serve in the military writ large.

© Alan Caruba, 2010

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have read and heard, very, little about Pfc Manning. Sadly, there are misinformed people that will say he is a victim. After reading this I can see all the more reasons that we should not have homosexuals in the military. Forget "Don't ask Don't tell"...how about plain and simple...no homosexuals in the military.

Donna Harris said...

I shudder to think what my father (42 years active service, USAR) and my brother (currently serving in a combat area) think of this little idiot.

And now the kid is whining because the blankets in the brig aren't soft enough. Why, that's torture!

***shudders****

LarryOldtimer said...

This is massive security failure, Alan, by the CIA, State Dept. and Defense Dept. It well illustrates the huge danger of storing any classified documents on any computer, and not limiting who can access classified data on a "need to know" basis.

When I was that age, I was separating from the USAF. I worked in an intelligence squadron at SAC HQ. I have never divulged any of the intelligence data I was entrusted with, not even telling "war stories", nor would I ever do so.

Did things way, way better back then.

Of course, we knew the US had mortal enemies back then. When the USSR fell apart, it seems as if most thought that the US had no more mortal enemies. And that spies were a thing of the past.

Ronbo said...

@Alan: Great minds think alike!

I said the same things on my blog about Manning several weeks ago.

As former member of the U.S. Army Security Agency (USASA) and the Intelligence & Security Command (USAINSCOM), it still blows my mind that a lowly PFC (E-3) was allowed access to such highly classified information that in my day (1966 to 1987) would have been reserved for senior officers.

Also, in my Intelligence days homosexuals were not even allowed in the U.S. Army and if "outed" were discharged immediately: The security people at G-2 considered gays mentally unstable individuals who were perfect targets of blackmail by foreign intelligence agents.

As I said in my article, "Manning is the poster boy for keeping homosexuals out of the military."

joetote said...

Alan,

As i have been following this, I still can't even begin to imagine how the Media and this guys "defenders" (all enemies of this country in my book) keep using the word alleged. You can't even imagine how sick and tired I am of this. The man bragged about his actions and in my book should be executed for treason, pure and simple. He took and oath to this country and I for one could care less if he rots forever. As far as I'm concerned, traitors have no rights.

As this man was known for his feelings as you state in your article, how was he even still in the service? I saw a video with R.Lee. Emery in which this proud person warns this president is leading this country to Marxist Socialism, something I trely believe. In this case, we have a soldier bragging about his treason and this President and for that matter the military are dragging their heels as to trying this guy. I assume Holder has weighed in on this also?

My main question here though is shouldn't this be a military court matter in the end? As such, Are the President or the Justice Dept. delaying the function of the Military justice system? It would seem to me this man should have already been tried and if nothing else be doing hard labor for life.

BMiller said...

I'm particularly neutral on the subject of PFC Manning for now. In my experience it is always best to remain open-minded, and not form opinions until many of the facts have had a chance to surface. So right now I could care less about the things you discuss in your article(about manning). But what I am concerned about is your total lack to address the content of what PFC Manning had released to WikiLeaks. It is disturbing to me to see so-called Americans overlooking what PFC Manning helped bring to light. Corruption in America's government is the big picture here, not a homosexual. The way the soldiers involved in the "Collateral Murder" video leak reacted to their actions in that situation are by no means human. How is it you are able to ignore that and shift your focus to PFC Manning? Clearly the contents of that leak should be the focal point in this abstract to anyone with a sense of right and wrong. Again I am, at the moment, neutral on what PFC Manning did but I can't ignore what he leaked.

BMiller said...

Funny a homosexual has more courage to do what he did and you don't even have the balls to post my previous comment. Typical.

Alan Caruba said...

@BMiller. If you are so neutral, why do you care what I say about Manning? I did not comment on the content of the leaked data because the post was about Manning.

Alan Caruba said...

@BMiller. I did not post an earlier comment of yours because I thought it was as asinine as the two posted here.

FYI, don't bother commenting here further. I have little patience for people who confuse treachery for courage.

LarryOldtimer said...

I was a lowly A/1C, three striper, but I held a Top Secret clearance, and for about a year (I was 20 years old at the time) "ran" a Top Secret vault, checking Top Secret documents out, and then back in, answering directly to a major. I didn't peruse those documents, as I had no need to know what data those documents held. Them as could were encouraged to do, back in the mid-1950s in SAC, however low their rank. Mostly, those who checked out the documents were Lt. Colonels or better.

This loser, Manning, is a traitor to his country, and should be treated as such.

Zamir said...

As a submariner currently serving in the Navy the actions of this boy-man blind me with rage. Our missions are of the utmost in secrecy and are generally classified Top-Secret. Is the "Commander-in-Chief" (I would spit here if I said this in person) telling me that a Navy intelligence officer could tell the world where my ship goes without fear of being tried for treason?

This makes me absolutely sick and nauseated. The military will definitely be losing me at the end of my current enlistment. The "Commander-in-Chief" has now proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has no concept of the Navy's Motto: "Honor, Courage, and Commitment."

He doesn't have the slightest concept of what HONOR is. A boy (Manning) goes directly against his chain of command by having a homosexual lover WHILE ENLISTED without any punishment.

The boy (Obama) lacks the COURAGE to send the other boy (Manning) to the firing squad for treason and Article 92 (Failure to obey a lawful order) of the UCMJ.

The boy (Obama) lacks the COMMITMENT to set an example for all other potential saboteurs by dealing with Manning correctly. Manning lacks COMMITMENT for breaking his country's most sacred trust in the distribution of these documents.

I could go on at length, but I hope everyone understands what I am seeing as an active duty member of the submarine force.

Death to all who commit treason. If we do not follow that simple order we shall fall quicker than Rome did in its weakest moments.