Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning

Opinions on Private Manning, what he has done, and what should be done with him run the gamut. Many of them share an important quality, however ... they are misguided in instructive ways.

Berkeley's City Council is debating whether or not to honor him wit a resolution. The point of this isn't really clear. To me it seems to be the political equivalent of masturbation. It will give the council pleasure, but it doesn't produce much. It will perpetuate Berkeley's image as radical and out of touch, and serve to make some folks pretty mad. Other than that, it's a pointless gesture. Berkeley is a great place to live, but they don't have great public schools, have continuing problems with how to deal with the homeless, and have a real issue with parking. Right there, three issues they could be dealing with rather than wasting their time on Private Manning.

There have been a number of rallys for Bradley Manning. By all means, rally around that which you believe in ... but is this really the kind of pressing issue that should rouse you out of your house and into the streets?


Apparently someone wrote on their facebook page that "only hippies and terrorists support this traitor." That is a classic fallacy, a personal attack ad hominem. Rather than attacking a position with substantive criticism, you attack the person who is holding the position.

Former U.S. ambassador John Bolton and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, a House Intelligence Committee member, have told media outlets they believe Manning should be charged with treason and executed. Of course that is what we should do with people who disagree with government policies in the land of the free.

There isn't a right response to Private Manning's actions, except that there is. The right way to approach it is to think critically and with as little emotion as possible, and to factor in American values (like freedom of speech), American interests, the rules of the armed forces, Private Manning's personal issues and concerns, the greater threat posed by Wikileaks, the impact all of this has on America's image, etc.

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