Great interview, Kevin! Thanks for all your hard work bringing this hearing to everyone at FDL. Exceptional reporting!

So proud of you Kevin!

Amy asked the best questions. I have no idea why MSM wastes time on the airwaves. They are useless propaganda machines.

Just watched your Democracy Now interview Kevin. Great job !

Now about that providing aid to our enemies stuff, know of any rocks I can hide under ?

This country is getting scarier by the minute !

Anyone think that it’s no coincidence that they keep mentioning that Manning supposedly aided Al Queda and that Obama’s indefinite detention bill specifically names Al Queda as one of the terrorist factions that such aid becomes grounds for indefinite detention.

Even if he is found innocent they’re going to hold him indefinitely because he is a danger, just like the ones at Guantanamo. They may not be terrorists but it doesn’t matter. Guilt by association is enough.

Conspiring to conceal war crimes is a war crime.

Those working to prosecute whistleblower Bradley Manning for exposing the war crimes committed in the Collateral Murder video must be exposed as defenders of war criminals.

Is there a precedent for American citizens petitioning The Hague to have war criminals in the US government brought to justice? If not, it’s time to set one.

Great roundup of the events. Thanks for helping to encapsulate the pre-trial. While this is a military case, and therefore subject to different rules than our civilian court, Manning’s actions and the subsequent trial provide an intense theater for our conversation about First Amendment Rights. Given the increasing role of bloggers as activist journalists concurrent with growing impediments to Constitutionally granted civil liberties, how do you see this playing out – say in the next 10 years?

War crimes exposed in the Collateral Murder video.

The first violation was the slaughter of civilians.

The second was running over dead bodies (desecration of the dead).

The third was killing incapacitated wounded persons.

The fourth was killing the Good Samaritan who came to bring the wounded man to a hospital, and wounding his two children.

A possible fifth violation was the wanton murder of families in an apartment building shown at the end of the longer video, using two missiles from the same Apache helicopter.

Hat tip to TomThumb for the list.

The U.S. treats the Hague same as U.N. Only recognizes their legitimacy when it suits them. Would like to see it though. Hague charges Bush et al, names Obama as unindicted co-conspirator.

The people of America must petition The Hague directly to bring the war criminals in the US government to justice.

How can that movement be kicked off?

There is a legitimate argument that lawbreakers should be punished. *If* Manning leaked, perhaps he should be punished for the leaking if there is no exception for whistleblowing (there ought to be an exception, IMO).

However, if Manning ought to be punished for leaking information vital to the public’s understanding of government action in foreign policy and military matters, how can the government simultaneously argue that Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Wolfowitz, Perle, etc. ought not face much harsher pentalties for war crimes. That’s a rhetorical question.

When U.S. doesn’t like the U.N. they ignore them or stop contributing money, I’m saying they will ignore the Hague if Bush or other criminals are charged. They use the Hague (like with Ghaddafi) for achieving 1% goals only.

Bush jr specifically kept the U.S. out of the International Criminal Court, this just months before the invasion of Iraq.
Think there was a reason for that?
On edit :from wikipedia, ” Three of these states—Israel, Sudan and the United States—have “unsigned” the Rome Statute, indicating that they no longer intend to become states parties and, as such, they have no legal obligations arising from their former representatives’ signature of the Statute.[8][11]“

from wikipedia:
“Press Statement
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 6, 2002

International Criminal Court: Letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
Following is the text of the letter to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan from Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John R. Bolton:

“Dear Mr. Secretary-General:

This is to inform you, in connection with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court adopted on July 17, 1998, that the United States does not intend to become a party to the treaty. Accordingly, the United States has no legal obligations arising from its signature on December 31, 2000. The United States requests that its intention not to become a party, as expressed in this letter, be reflected in the depositary’s status lists relating to this treaty.

Sincerely,

S/John R. Bolton”

I don’t think it is that rhetorical at all.

Wayne wrote: “Think there was a reason for that?”
————–As Yogi Berra said, “That’s too much of a coinciddence to be a coincidence.”

I agree, but the non-rhetorical answer is that Americsan politicians do NOT stand trial for war crimes, anywhere, anytime. Just soldiers below the rank of major. I can prove that.

My mistake, the Afgan conflict began on Oct. 7, 2001.
The Bolton letter is dated May 6, 2002.

It’s a good thing nobody has a big enough gun to apply the Nuremberg precedents to us. To watch the committer of war crimes prosecute an action of this nature is revolting, as the prosecuting entity lost its legitimacy in such matters when it committed war crimes. But it’s not about values or principles, it’s about might making right.

Near flawless performance, Kevin. Excellent.

Excellent point about the government essentially criminalizing national security journalism in the loose way that the prosecution connected the leaks of documents to Wikileaks. A view that I think has to do with the vague word “classified”. If a government official waves their wand over a document, say the ingredients on a Wrigley gum wrapper, and stamp it “classified” (the class of documents that the public must never see until the class changes to public information), it gets he aura of being absolutely critical to national security just by the waving of the wand.

And what the US government will not grant is that Wikileaks has been very responsible about what it has published and how it has arranged publication. I would like to see the assertion that Wikileaks has published everything it received from the leaker (alleged to be Bradley Manning) to be put to the test. Are there indeed 300,000 documents that have been published by Wikileaks?

And in March 2003, the Bush administration launched an illegal war. It was part of the prep for the marketing campaign in the fall elections. And less than a year after that the public learned of Abu Ghraib.

You’re right about the timing, wrong about the war. Although, by May 2002, the Bush administration was probably already torturing people at Guantanamo as a matter of policy.

I agree. Great interview, and excellent that you brought up the criminalization of reporting on war, security, and death weapons issues. You probably also had an invigorating influence on some of those old corporate media types.

And how does Lamo sleep at night with his conscience. He must be on some heavy psychotropics and narcoleptics.

The amazing part of Lamo’s testimony was that Lamo claimed he gave wired the chat logs to Wired because he didn’t know if he would ever return from his meeting with the USG about the chat logs.

Yeah, Lamo very evidently has psychiatric issues, but maybe going to the press with the logs is proof that he is not completely crayzee.

Fine work all around, Kevin. Your liveblogging has been great, and in this appearance you made us all proud. Thank you very much.

What Teddy said.

Well done Kevin!

To Ghost at 9: Good question.

Thanks everyone. You can expect me to continue to relentlessly cover this important story. I hope to attend the court-martial when that is scheduled hopefully sometime in 2012.

Now, I’m headed to Indiana for a merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays

Kevin,

Someday I am gonna tell my kids that I knew you when you were just starting your career at FDL.

You have talent, kid.

I could be your Dad’s age of your Grandfather’s(for that matter)*g* so I can call you “kid”

Merry Christmas, Kevin.

lol. Some day Kevin will be very well known and we’ll all be able say we “knew” him when…

You acquitted yourself very well, Kevin — thanks for the informative interview. I feel the 50 bucks I kicked in to send you were well spent

Have been following this issue from the get-go; have also contributed to his Defense Fund and written one article for his support group website.

I had a similar feeling — man, that guy is young. I used to be that young once.

Very good job kid, I mean Kevin. I heard this on the radio at work. You bring the relevant points to bear, making it easier for someone who’s not totally up to speed to get the bigger picture, and some finer points too. Thanks!

Happy holidays, Kevin. Enjoy.

Thanks for your hard work.

Another admission of guilt:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/22/fallujah-us-marine-iraq

Kevin, I knew a long time ago that you would go far. Again, I am extremely proud of you, not just for the journalism and reporting, but for the causes within!

Most excellent Kevin and I’m not calling anyone ‘kid’ while our leaders are still throwing shit in the sandbox. Have a merry merry, peace wilbo