David-
I frequently disagree with you, but I gotta hand this one to you. You hit the nail on the head.
Treason in treason.
It seems to me that if you’re going to be the friend of a traitor, you might expect to be of interest to the government.
Sigh. Every time I write about Wikileaks or Bradley Manning, the wackjobs come out of the woodwork, so let’s get the disclaimers over with first.
If you haven’t been keeping up on our coverage of Manning and Wikileaks, here’s some back-story for you:
- June 14: Adrian Lamo, Wikileaks, and what it means to be a patriot
- June 21: Revisiting Wikileaks/Lamo and why antiwar fascists suck
- August 3: Should America tolerate Wikileaks or destroy it like any other national security threat?
- August 21: Nutball Wikileaks founder tries to blackmail Amnesty International
- October 25: Is Wikileaks Julian Assange worse than Osama Bin Laden?
Once more, for the record, I do not support the Iraq war. I thought it wrong-headed at the beginning and I consider it strategically non-valuable for the United States now.
So there you have it. You know where I stand. Now, let’s get back to our story.
According to yet another diatribe by Salon’s Glenn Greenwald, the claim has been made that the government is “harassing” friends and supporters of Bradley Manning (the army guy who leaked classified documents to Wikileaks).
Greenwald is obviously not objective. He makes the following astonishing statement: “I think Manning, if he did what he’s accused of, is the most heroic political figure of the last decade at least.”
Uh, no.
It is not heroic to take an oath to protect and defend the United States, to accept a job where you’re entrusted with classified information, and then leak that classified information, putting American soldiers and assets at risk of loss of life.
That’s not being a hero. That’s being a traitor.
As Greenwald reports it, Manning’s supporters and friends are being detained when they enter the country and whatever digital devices they are carrying have been confiscated.
Well, good. That means America’s national security professionals are doing their job.
If people who are known associates and supporters of a traitor (whose primary crime has been leaking classified information) are coming back into the United States, they should be inspected. Are they carrying stolen classified information? Are they preparing to commit further crimes and put further American soldiers at risk?
These are important questions that investigators need to answer. The government is doing exactly the right thing.
Don’t like it?
Here’s a little tip. If you don’t want to feel intimidated and harassed by the government, don’t pal around with traitors.
