Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years

Re:Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years by smsm42 on Thursday August 22, 2013 @03:12AM (#6255598)

>>>> In future conventional wars, we will need the moral authority to demand that our prisoners be treated in accordance with international laws and treaty obligations.

A little wrinkle here is that most US adversaries in recent wars didn't give a flying duck about US moral authority. And there's no reason why that would change - it's not like US is going to war with Sweden or Canada. Not that supposedly civilized countries aren't capable of mass atrocities - look at what Germans did in 20th century. Did they care for the moral authority of the Jews they mass-murdered? I highly doubt so.

Moral authority is important only for US and only because winning the war while destroying one's society may not be worth it.

>>>> The difference is, his actions had some positive consequences as well as negative ones.

You mean, actions of US government don't have positive consequences? I think you're getting way ahead of the facts here.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years by CamperBob2 on Thursday August 22, 2013 @03:44AM (#6255715)

You mean, actions of US government don't have positive consequences? I think you're getting way ahead of the facts here.

(Shrug) Unless you owned a lot of HAL or another big contractor, the Iraq war didn't have a lot of upside.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years by smsm42 on Thursday August 22, 2013 @04:44PM (#6259942)

For you, maybe. Some would think removal of homicidal maniac dictator that openly paid terrorists, invaded neighboring countries, used chemical weapons, mass-murdered his own population and bribed top functionaries of the UN[1] to look other way is some upside. But I guess who cares what foreigners do to foreigners, there are billions of them anyway.

[1] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/feb/04/iraq.unitednati...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years by CamperBob2 on Thursday August 22, 2013 @05:10PM (#6260103)

I don't pay taxes to police the entire world. I can't afford to. Maybe you can.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years by smsm42 on Thursday August 22, 2013 @05:15PM (#6260134)

Changing the topic, are you? I take it as an implicit admission you were wrong implying there were no positive effects of US policy at all. It is good that you realize now you overreached, hopefully next time you'd use less hyperbole and recognize that you can't just ignore facts you don't like.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years by CamperBob2 on Thursday August 22, 2013 @06:29PM (#6260511)

Yep, sounds like you win this one. GG.

[ Parent | on HN ]