in WWII. I lived there (not during the war) and in Austria. It is so important that people who are privy to wrongful, cruel behavior that is condoned, authorized or sponsored by a government, any government, take the responsibility to disclose what they know about the wrongs being done.
Whistleblowers are what keep our leaders, our government, our military, our courts, our legal profession, our teachers, all who are responsible in our society, honest and just.
That is why I respond to posts that are critical of Manning in the way that I do. I understand why we have secrecy restrictions on members of the military. Again, my familiarity with the history of WWII causes me to value secrecy. (I'm not an expert to that extent, but I have read enough on our intelligence advantage during WWII to appreciate the importance of secrecy.) But, the regulations that insure secrecy that is necessary should not be abused to protect wrongful, sadistic or even very careless behavior from the scrutiny of the voters.
I have mixed feelings about Manning's disclosures. But overall, I do not feel he should be treated as harshly as he is being treated. He violated the law. He went beyond mere whistleblowing in my opinion, but he is also to be praised for having had the courage to expose things that really needed to be exposed.
And for me, Assange was a conduit, a journalist. Judith Miller at the Times was publishing information that was secret. No one called for her head. No one forced her to take refuge in an embassy. No one charged her with unprovable crimes.
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