'US soldier suspected in Wikileaks case'

Do you think it is okay to cover up civilian casualties? Is it just "one of those things" that have to be ignored?

Documents are rubber stamped "secret" whenever they seem to be negative to the party issuing them. Hiding the killings of civilians is good for what reason exactly? Or the Taliban connections in Pakistan? In a true democracy people are grown up enough to absorb news that is not so good. Hiding facts from them leads to a brave new world where the military brass decides what people should think. Just think about it: 90.000 secret documents, what is that, one per soldier?

While I do agree with the spirit of your posting and what this yound man is trying to do. I am a US soldier and would prefer that a 22 year old private not make decisions about what is fit for public consumption. I havent had a chance to read what was leaked so I cant speak intelligently on it but if even one soldier is killed based on the information leaked, this private should be brought up on charges of accessory to murder. His actions have no place in any military that requires good order. If he wanted to expose how we are running this war , he should be a journalist, not a soldier.

In my crystal ball, I do not see a brilliant military future for PFC Manning. Squinting into it even harder, I am unable to see any indication that he will ever make corporal; no, there will never be a Cpl Manning. Wait....I am beginning to make out an image of Manning sitting at a desk, typing at a keyboard day after monotonous day, filling out requisition forms for vegetables and other comestibles, morning reports and the like in a very remote army post, hundreds of miles from noplace at all.

Having spent 22 years in the U.S. Navy and in the course of those 22 years handled SECRET and TOP SECRET material I can say that this young soldier should stand trial at a GENERAL COURT MARSHAL and when convicted as I am sure that he will be should be locked away, never to see the light of day again! Disclosing classified material, whatever the content is a most serious offense and must be dealt with accordingly!

The difference between "civilized" and "uncivilized" is not whether our youngest citizens get carried away by the thrill and power of lethal weapons, all young men do, it is how we deal with it. The man who leaked the videos was acting on his long term moral values. I'd rather he was a general than a prisoner now.