WikiLeaks suspect is deteriorating mentally, physically, friend says
Washington (CNN) -- After more than six months in maximum confinement in the U.S. Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Virginia, the prime suspect in the WikiLeaks case "seems frazzled," says one of the few people to visit Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.
He is "sometimes simply catatonic, unable to have conversations about anything really," said David House, who has visited his friend in the brig.
House said Manning is physically deteriorating. "He hasn't exercised in seven or eight months since he was confined," House said.
The Pentagon disputes the idea that Manning is being mistreated. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters during a news conference last week that reports "that he is being mistreated, or somehow treated differently than others, in isolation, are just not accurate."
Manning is held in his cell 23 hours a day. He is allowed out of his cell to exercise, for an hour a day.
"Just as though he is not being treated any worse than any other detainee, he is not being treated any better than any other detainee. He is not going to receive special privileges," Morrell said. "He is being treated exactly like everyone else in the brig is being treated. That's what's appropriate."
To those, like House, who say Manning should not be held in maximum security conditions, Morrell said it's not just for his own protection. "He's being held behind bars because he is deemed a threat, that he has been alleged to have committed a very serious crime that potentially undermines our nation's security, and therefore he needs to be confined during the course of a trial," Morrell said.
House said he does not discuss the WikiLeaks scandal with Manning because their conversations are monitored by Marines. But they have discussed the recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
"He views the power of social media as a force that may replace one day very soon the typical talking heads we have on TV. And he views the power of social media as a force that has the power to unite people and can allow them to rapidly organize and outsmart tyrannical regimes," House said.
Posters like this are a gun control advocates dream.
As for my opinion, the guy's getting what he deserves. I'm sorry if the punishment for massive acts of treason, from a solider who is subject to military justice, isn't as cuddly as he hoped. He made his bed, now he's welcome to lay in it, and has no right or justification to get off easy.
He's a traitor. He deserves to rot in solitary confinement.Wonderful that you feel great on the news of another's misery. What a sad fuck you are.
Please explain to me how any part of that is a sentence. You constantly rave about psychobabble bullshit against those who disagree with you, but you can't even use proper grammar.Yes, of course, his lack of right or justification is an entitlement for you determine what he deserves. As you judge you judge yourself. Deserve that!/
Yes, of course, his lack of right or justification is an entitlement for you determine what he deserves. As you judge you judge yourself. Deserve that!
His crime can be debated; so far, though, he's directly led to the end of at least two dictatorships in the Middle East. Who among his critics here have done that?
No more treason than th Bush & Co team that hoodwinked the American population into an Iraq war as well as putting 10 of thousands people to death and tortures. And, also wasted billions if not trillions of dollars in the defraud effort.As for my opinion, the guy's getting what he deserves. I'm sorry if the punishment for massive acts of treason, from a solider who is subject to military justice, isn't as cuddly as he hoped. He made his bed, now he's welcome to lay in it, and has no right or justification to get off easy.
Exactly that, what if assumptions.But is that necessarily good for America's interest? What if Mubarak's dictatorship helped bottle up hatred of Israel and the U.S.? [What if the end result is that Egypt becomes a second Iran?
The solitary confinement is a little excessive but this guy deserves to be in jail. And wikileaks has little to do with what's going on in North Africa.
The cables also contradicted the prevailing view among Tunisians that Washington would back Ben Ali to the bloody end, giving them added impetus to take to the streets.
No more treason than th Bush & Co team that hoodwinked the American population into an Iraq war as well as putting 10 of thousands people to death and tortures. And, also wasted billions if not trillions of dollars in the defraud effort.
IMHO, the US Administration should be held accountable on the same level as the whistleblower.
The cables did have an impact in Tunisia.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/25/whispering_at_autocrats?page=0,0
Most amusing:
Democracy couldn't begin until the citizenry knew the US would keep out. lol irony
But is that necessarily good for America's interest? What if Mubarak's dictatorship helped bottle up hatred of Israel and the U.S.? What if the end result is that Egypt becomes a second Iran?
Wonderful that you feel great on the news of another's misery. What a sad fuck you are.
His crime can be debated; so far, though, he's directly led to the end of at least two dictatorships in the Middle East. Who among his critics here have done that?
I've got little doubt he had no idea the leak would attack corruption in Tunisia, I'm dubious of his motives, but nonetheless, his actions have had the mentioned results.
What if they become better more progressive and modern???
Can you justify the hijack of their political system then??????????????
Iraq, you did that for democracy, right(plan b) WMD (plan a)
had nothing to do with controlling oil resources!
THE REAL FEAR IS THEY CONTROL WHAT YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR....... OIL!!!!!!! SO YOUR GOV. PUT A GUN THEIR HEAD FOR THEIR MATES AT MOBIL/EXXON/SHELL/BP INTERESTS!
AND THEY ALSO SELL BOMBS AND GUNS, LAND MINES WHAT EVER TO FUCK THOSE COUNTRIES UP SO THEY CANT CALL THE SHOTS WITH THE OIL- LOOK AT OPEC FFS!
What right has the USA or anyone else to impose your beliefs on them, really all you want is their oil and passage thru the suez!
I would of thought you clean up your backyard before messing someone elseS, USA! christian country!!! my arse!
Its game over people are getting the truth finally.
When will you realize the truth? Your government doesn't give a fuck about you!
dumb as my bum.
U.S. military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected with leaking secret documents and Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.
The officials say that while investigators have determined that Manning had allegedly unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of documents onto his own computer and passed them to an unauthorized person, there is apparently no evidence he passed the files directly to Assange, or had any direct contact with the controversial WikiLeaks figure.