Update: On January 17, 2017, President Barack Obama commuted Manning's sentence to a total of seven years of confinement.
"The most alarming
aspect of
the video to me was the seemingly delightful blood lust they appeared
to have."
|
 "The most
alarming aspect of the (July 12, 2007) video to me, however, was the
seemly delightful bloodlust they appeared to have.
"They dehumanized the individuals they were engaging and seemed to not value human life by referring to them as quote "dead bastards" unquote and congratulating each other on the ability to kill in large numbers. At one point in the video there is an individual on the ground attempting to crawl to safety. The individual is seriously wounded. Instead of calling for medical attention to the location, one of the aerial weapons team crew members verbally asks for the wounded person to pick up a weapon so that he can have a reason to engage. For me, this seems similar to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass. "While saddened by the aerial weapons team crew's lack of concern about human life, I was disturbed by the response of the discovery of injured children at the scene. In the video, you can see that the bongo truck driving up to assist the wounded individual. In response the aerial weapons team crew-- as soon as the individuals are a threat, they repeatedly request for authorization to fire on the bongo truck and once granted they engage the vehicle at least six times. "Shortly after the second engagement, a mechanized infantry unit arrives at the scene. Within minutes, the aerial weapons team crew learns that children were in the van and despite the injuries the crew exhibits no remorse. Instead, they downplay the significance of their actions, saying 'Well, it's their fault for bringing their kids in a battle.'" --Bradley Manning, February 2013 Bradley Manning at Wikipedia U. S. vs. Bradley Manning at Wikipedia |