14 DAY TRIAL // Bradley Manning sent a letter to president Obama, asking for pardon. In the message he sent out he points out a few important issues that apply not only to his situation, but to that of Snowden as well.
The source of the WikiLeaks-published documents talks about why he chose to divulge classified information and how he got to this decision.
Manning states that he initially agreed to all methods of combatting the risks posed by terrorism when he enrolled the army. However, once he got to Iraq, he started to question the morality of what the US army was doing.
“Patriotism is often the cry extolled when morally questionable acts are advocated by those in power. When these cries of patriotism drown out any logically based dissension, it is usually the American soldier that is given the order to carry out some ill-conceived mission,” Manning writes to Obama.
He admits that his actions have violated the law and he regrets if his actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States, since this was never his intent.
“I only wanted to help people. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others,” the message reads.
Manning emphasizes the issue in the last paragraph of the letter. “If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society.”
It is improbable that Barack Obama would grant Manning a pardon in the current circumstances, especially since Manning could serve as the best warning to other people with access to classified information. Keeping him in prison would help discourage others in his position from divulging such data.
This is the same reason the US will not and cannot let Snowden be and will most likely continue to make pressures on Russia and any other countries where the NSA whistleblower could relocate at a future time.
Bradley Manning has been found guilty of 20 charges and sentenced to 35 years in prison.