Breanna Manning pleads guilty to spreading classified info

[Straha]

While I'm sad that she's plead guilty to anything I suppose there was no way out of it because she did sign up for the military.

The U.S. Army private accused of providing diplomatic cables and other secret documents to the WikiLeaks website pleaded guilty to misusing classified material on Thursday, but denied the most serious charge in the case, aiding the enemy.

Private First Class Bradley Manning, 25, entered the pleas prior to his court martial, which is set to begin on June 3, in a case that centers on the biggest leak of government secrets in U.S. history.

He was expected to testify later on Thursday.

Manning pleaded not guilty to the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, through his attorney. Manning, who has been jailed at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia for more than 1,000 days, could face life imprisonment if convicted of that charge.

But he pleaded guilty to a series of 10 lesser charges that he misused classified information at the hearing before military judge Colonel Denise Lind. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for those charges.

Manning, an Army intelligence officer, was arrested in May 2010 while serving in Iraq and charged with downloading thousands of intelligence documents, diplomatic cables and combat videos and forwarding them to WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks began exposing the U.S. government secrets in the same year, stunning diplomats around the world and outraging U.S. officials who said damage to national security from the leaks endangered U.S. lives.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has taken refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since June to avoid extradition to Sweden for alleged sex crimes.

Manning had offered to plead guilty to various lesser charges in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including the unauthorized possession and willful distribution of information accessed in the Combined Information Data Networks, a military database, for Iraq and Afghanistan.

He is prepared to take the witness stand to read aloud from a 35-page statement defending himself in the espionage case, but only after Lind rules on how much of it he will be allowed to read.

Under a ruling last month by Lind, Manning would have any sentence reduced by 112 days to compensate for the markedly harsh treatment he received during his confinement. While at Quantico, Manning was placed in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day with guards checking on him every few minutes.

[madd0ct0r]

does the time spent waiting for trial count as sentence already spent?

[General Zod]

does the time spent waiting for trial count as sentence already spent?

Up to the judge, but usually pretrial detention is counted toward your sentence.

[Mr Bean]

Breanna Mannning? She? Did Bradly Manning get a free government mandated sex change when I was not paying attention?
OAN with this pleading guilty he should be set for what should have happen to him to begin with. Dishonorable discharge, some prison time (He's already served twice what he should have) forfeit of pay and that's the end of it. He leaked nothing higher than Confidential and while leaking classified things is bad even if they are the lowest classified items... at the end of the day what he did and how he's been treated are two totally different things. He's being punished for embarrassing us internationally not for any supposed violations of the law.

[Straha]

Manning has made clear through her lawyers and her history prior to incarceration that she identifies as female and prefers to be called Breanna. I respect her wishes, regardless of whether the military or news media comply.

[madd0ct0r]

Yeah, while that detail surprised me too Bean, it wasn't hard to check up on. The use of Breanna predates the wikilieaks incident.

[Mr. Coffee]

Who gives a fuck if Manning self I Dr identifies as a man or a woman? This means h
oly fuck all why?

[Thanas]

^Drunk posting again?

[Flagg]

^Drunk posting again?

More like meth. Jesus, Coffee.

[Darksider]

Manning has made clear through her lawyers and her history prior to incarceration that she identifies as female and prefers to be called Breanna. I respect her wishes, regardless of whether the military or news media comply.

Can you provide some evidence for this? I don't distrust you, but this is literally the first i've heard of it.

[Flagg]

Manning has made clear through her lawyers and her history prior to incarceration that she identifies as female and prefers to be called Breanna. I respect her wishes, regardless of whether the military or news media comply.

Can you provide some evidence for this? I don't distrust you, but this is literally the first i've heard of it.

I'd heard that Manning had gender identity issues but I wasn't aware that she identified as female and desired a different first name.

[Straha]

Short summary
Very long article on the question
Shorter Discussion of it from a Feminist Perspective
More than a little offensive coverage from a mainstream media outlet


Apparently this quote is in her chat logs somewhere:

“ I wouldn’t mind going to prison for the rest of my life, or being executed so much, if it wasn’t for the possibility of having pictures of me… plastered all over the world press… as boy…”
There's more, but this is quite clear from any in-depth analysis of her story, and the mass silence from the mainstream media speaks volumes about the lack of understanding of trans peoples/transphobia that permeates a lot of modern culture.

[Guardsman Bass]

I think the mass silence is weird. You'd expect the conservative media to be all over something like that in the most appalling way possible, but they weren't.

[Darksider]

I think the mass silence is weird. You'd expect the conservative media to be all over something like that in the most appalling way possible, but they weren't.

That's primarily what confused the hell out of me. If Manning is indeed transgendered, which she appears to be, why isn't FoxNews or the government releasing that information?

Transphobia is common even among the ostensibly liberal population of the United States. I can't think of any better way to destroy Manning's public support than to announce that She self-identifies as a woman.

[Straha]

I think part of it is also that her defense lawyers are using GID (Gender Identity Disorder) as part of her case as a justification/explanation of mindset so when it's being discussed it's in context of an insanity plea and not in the context of her life/the way the military is structured.

[Straha]

So this page here has a collection of the public chat logs from Manning where she talks to the person who eventually turned her in. I've gone through and highlighted a number of sections where she talks about transitioning, identifying as a woman in public as restaurants and on transit, etc. Take a look.

(02:59:09 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: How is it falling apart?
(02:59:41 PM) bradass87:GID… discharge… family issuess… and possibility of transition in near future
(03:00:21 PM) bradass87:its all happening so quick for me… its overwhelming :’(
(03:00:35 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: but you make a cute boy! ;>
(03:00:53 PM) bradass87:im not comfortable with myself
(03:01:06 PM) bradass87:im in an awkward state
(03:01:23 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: i don’t understand, but i understand the idea, if that makes sense.
(03:01:39 PM) bradass87:and the weird part is… i love my job… i was very good at it… i wish this didnt have to happen like this
(03:01:48 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: one of my ex’s is living as a girl in .au
(03:02:05 PM) bradass87:i dont understand it either
(03:04:05 PM) bradass87:its clearly an issue… i mean, i dont think its normal for people to spend this much time worrying about whether they’re behaving masculine enough, whether what they’re going to say is going to be perceived as “gay”… not to mention how i feel about the situation… for whatever reason, im not comfortable with myself… i mean, i behave and look like a male, but its not “me” =L
(03:04:34 PM) bradass87:its… odd
(03:04:40 PM) bradass87:or at least painful
(03:05:31 PM) bradass87:8 months ago, if you’d have asked me whether i wanted i would identify as female, i’d say you were crazy
(03:06:11 PM) bradass87:that started to slip very quickly, as the stresses continued and piled up
(03:06:48 PM) bradass87:i had about three breakdowns… successively worse, each one revealing more and more of my uncertainty and emotional insecurity
(03:07:57 PM) bradass87:now… i spend a lot of time thinking of transitioning… im now very familiar with the process… and have a rough plan of how to get portions of it to work
(03:10:34 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: *nod*
(03:10:39 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: *makes the bed*
(03:11:15 PM) bradass87:have you heard similar?
(03:11:22 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: yes
(03:12:25 PM) bradass87:what did your ex say? if you dont mind me asking?
(03:14:15 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: they felt uncomfortable in their own body, they hated their genitals, they didn’t like looking manly
(03:14:49 PM) bradass87:im uncomfortable with my role in society in particular…
(03:15:30 PM) bradass87:im not so uncomfortable with my genitalia, i mean, it works for me… but i dont like the masculine features in my appearance
(03:17:04 PM) bradass87:i went on leave in late january / early february… and… i cross-dressed, full on… wig, breastforms, dress, the works… i had crossdressed before… but i was public… for a few days
(03:17:33 PM) bradass87:i blended in….
(03:17:34 PM) bradass87:no-one knew
(03:18:06 PM) bradass87:the first thing i learned was that chivalry isn’t dead… men would walk out of their way and open doors for me… it was so weird
(03:18:19 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: awww.
(03:18:51 PM) bradass87:i was referred to as “Ma’am” or “Miss” at places like Starbucks and McDonalds (hey, im not a fancy eater)
(03:19:35 PM) bradass87:i even took the Acela from DC to Boston… whatever compelled me to do that… idk… but i wanted to see my then-still-boyfriend
(03:20:01 PM) bradass87:i rode the train, dressed in a casual business outfit
(03:20:36 PM) bradass87:i really enjoyed the trip… minus the conductor
(03:21:06 PM) bradass87:as he asked for my ID, and clipped my ticket… he made a fuss
(03:21:24 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: that sucks =z
(03:21:26 PM) bradass87:“Thank you, MISTER Manning…”
(03:21:31 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: asshole
(03:21:35 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: him, not you
(03:21:41 PM) bradass87:i know
(03:21:53 PM) bradass87:it was… an experience i wont forget…
(03:22:36 PM) bradass87:i mean… 99.9% of people coming from iraq and afghanistan want to come home, see their families, get drunk, get laid…
(03:22:56 PM) bradass87:i… wanted to try living as a woman, for whatever reason
(03:23:14 PM) bradass87:obviously, its important to me… since there were plenty of other things i could’ve done
(03:23:23 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: Overall, how did you feel about your sojourn?
(03:25:50 PM) bradass87:idk, i just kind of blended in… i didn’t have to make an effort to do so, it just came naturally… instead of thinking all the time about how im perceived, being self conscious, i just let myself go… …well, i was still self-concious, but in a different way… i was worried about whether i looked pretty, whether my makeup was running, whether i spilled coffee on my (expensive) outfit… and to some extent whether i was passing…
(03:28:12 PM) bradass87:but i went to get gas… and bought cigarettes (i know, need to quit)… and the man asked to see my ID… so i did… and he about had a heart attack… he couldn’t hold himself back, he looked up and down twice… and gave me this look like… WTF, it is the same… handed it back to me… and tried to keep himself composed… so i wasn’t worried about whether i was passing as much, because he had no idea whatsoever
(03:28:55 PM) info@adrianlamo.com: i smoze zero to five a day myself.
(03:29:44 PM) bradass87:but the point was, i guess my face is androgynous enough that i can pass with ease
(03:30:11 PM) bradass87:my prominent adams apple is the only issue i was concerned about
(03:30:26 PM) bradass87:so i wore a turtleneck, and had collar up with my coat

[loomer]

Who gives a fuck if Manning self I Dr identifies as a man or a woman? This means h
oly fuck all why?

Is a basic level of respect beyond you, Coffee?

[Stark]

He's responding to Bean and asking why Manning's gender identity is even relevant to the discussion, because Bean was pretty surprised.

[Mr Bean]

He's responding to Bean and asking why Manning's gender identity is even relevant to the discussion, because Bean was pretty surprised.

And I was because I thought it was a title error. Despite following this story for over a year now from various sources this is the very first time I've heard about Manning's gender identity issues. This was the very first time I had ever heard that Manning fell into that grouping. Or that GID was being used as a defense of any kind. I admit I'm less focused on Manning's personal issues and court case this last year then watching the fallout of the memo releases overseas. I was being serious in that I thought it was a title error as when I checked the link I saw the familiar Bradly Manning headlines. So Manning falls under the trans heading, never knew. Not that it impacts anything unless GID is really being used as a defense (And only because I have to ask why it's being used as a defense considering that insanity pleas have a very low success rate, insanity pleas not based off of the less obviously crazy mental disorders have an even worse track record)

*Not to say being trans is a mental disorder, but that GID being unsure of one's gender can be a disorder.

[Mr. Coffee]

^Drunk posting again?

No, phone keyboard and genuinely wondering why the fuck thisis an actual news item. But thanks for automatically assuming the worst about me, twat.

[Stark]

I write enough jibberish on my phone to be able to translate it. Its okay.

Ford says everyone I talk to can understand autocorrect speak now. :V

[Mr. Coffee]

Who gives a fuck if Manning self I Dr identifies as a man or a woman? This means h
oly fuck all why?

Is a basic level of respect beyond you, Coffee?

Wait, are you actually asking that I be respectful towards someone that betrays their country because they whipped out the LBGT card? Yeah, that's not gonna happen.

[Havok]

I think, because he is stupid, he thinks you were being disrespectful about the the LBGT issue.

[Mr. Coffee]

I think, because he is stupid, he thinks you were being disrespectful about the the LBGT issue.

What, you mean there are people on this board that jerk their knees over stupid shit? I'm calling shensnigans, homie.

[Stark]

I think, because he is stupid, he thinks you were being disrespectful about the the LBGT issue.

Which is pretty ironic really.