Text of Bradley Manning’s letter to president requesting pardon

[Ltl89]

Text of Bradley Manning's letter to president requesting pardon
Associated Press, The Washington Post, August 21, 2013

The decisions that I made in 2010 were made out of a concern for my country and the world that we live in. Since the tragic events of 9/11, our country has been at war. We've been at war with an enemy that chooses not to meet us on any traditional battlefield, and due to this fact we've had to alter our methods of combating the risks posed to us and our way of life.

I initially agreed with these methods and chose to volunteer to help defend my country. It was not until I was in Iraq and reading secret military reports on a daily basis that I started to question the morality of what we were doing. It was at this time I realized that (in) our efforts to meet the risk posed to us by the enemy, we have forgotten our humanity. We consciously elected to devalue human life both in Iraq and Afghanistan. When we engaged those that we perceived were the enemy, we sometimes killed innocent civilians. Whenever we killed innocent civilians, instead of accepting responsibility for our conduct, we elected to hide behind the veil of national security and classified information in order to avoid any public accountability.

[Cindy]

As a none American I have made no comment on the issue of Ms Manning and her issues.

But this is a powerful article.

At least to me.

I of course realise it has been ghosted.

Her situation is tragic, as I realise her actions may have been to others.

It is all so sad.

[Ltl89]

My opinion is that this is brilliant letter, and I fully agree with what she said.  Despite the fact that her acts were illegal according to written law, I think she had good intentions and wanted to do "the right" thing.  While I don't agree with how the information was leaked (both the manner and the method)  I do think the American people deserve to know what was occurring and it's appears no one was harmed because of the leaks.  Therefore, I hope to see her receive a pardon and hope others who believe so will speak up to the proper authority. 

If you also believe in this case, I suggest you contact your representatives about whistleblower reform, so we can avoid this sort of debate in the future by making sure the proper channels are functional.

P.S.  I'm happy that she quoted Zinn, as he was a childhood hero of mine.  Yes, I know I am a radical left hippie, but I love all my conservative and right wing friends here too.