Even if government employees were protected for blowing the whistle, what about the 690-something thousand documents that had absolutely nothing to do with anything sinister? Why didn't he even make the slightest attempt to bring light to the issue through official channels? You can't go to court and say that the system would have failed you if you didn't even give it a chance.
I'm not saying he deserves life in prison or anything, but make no mistake, he's a traitor, not a patriot.
You said "I'm not saying he deserves life in prison or anything..." that's exactly my point. Important People get a free pass. Low-level geeks get crushed under the full weight of the law.
You are correct though, if you aren't important, you are pretty much screwed.
An eye for an eye. Being passive doesn't seem to bring any justice.
If you invade Iraq based on flimsy (at best) evidence, there are no consequences. If you sit in an office in Washington DC and order the torture of prisoners (which is still illegal in the US) there are no consequences. If you wreck the economy, there are no consequences. (This just in: HSBC gets a free pass for money-laundering.)
But if you're a low-level geek (Bradley Manning, John Kiriakou, Aaron Swartz) then you will be crushed under the full weight of the law.
Important People don't go to prison. Low-level geeks with a conscience go to prison. Or have their lives completely ruined.
They have no empathy or respect for us? I have no empathy or respect for them. Harass her until she commits suicide. Washington is full of sick-and-twisted freaks. We should stand as a perfect mirror to their moral crimes.