Talk about cognitive dissonance in Washington, D.C.. The White House, members of Congress, the State Department and Department of Defense are all denouncing the release of hundreds of thousands of classified documents by Wikileaks.
What the newspapers and politicians do not remind you of is these documents were leaked by Private Bradley E. Manning, a gay soldier.
View the Army charge sheet against PVT Manning by clicking here.
At the same time all are up in arms about PVT Manning's leaks, the White House, members of Congress and the Department of Defense are pushing to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT). DADT is the policy that allowed Private Manning to join the Army and eventually betray his nation.
Ginger Thompson stated, in a New York Times article, that in Wales, OK "classmates made fun of him for being gay". Ginger noted that former neighbors in Oklahoma described the young Manning as "opinionated beyond his years about politics, religion, and even about keeping religion out of politics.", and that in the Army, Manning's "social life was defined by the need to conceal his sexuality under 'don't ask, don't tell' ". At a young age Manning was part of the gay agenda, which includes pushing gay rights via politics as well as denouncing opposition to the gay lifestyle by churches and religious organizations. He essentially became obsessed with the repeal of DADT.
Ginger said that sometime in 2008, in Cambridge, Massachusetts (the epicenter for the gay rights movement), Manning became "part of a social circle that included politically motivated computer hackers and his boyfriend, a self-described drag queen. So when his military career seemed headed nowhere good, Private Manning, 22, turned increasingly to those friends for moral support".
Australian Internet activist and Editor-in-Chief for Wikileaks Julian Assange called this article by Ginger Thompson "absolutely disgusting" saying it "removed all higher-level political motivations from him and psychoanalyzed him down to problems in his childhood and a demand for attention."
I believe Ginger Thompson's article was spot on.
Once PVT Manning embraced the gay lifestyle he became deeply disturbed. His acceptance of the gay lifestyle and the friends he made both in and outside the military led him to what he is today - a traitor to his country.
The Family Research Council Action (FRCA) will host a live national video webcast at 1:00 p.m. EST on December 2, 2010 titled, "Mission Compromised: How the Military is Being Used to Advance a Radical Agenda." To sign up to watch the webcast please go here.
Veteran military commanders, Members of Congress, and policy experts have joined together to assess the Pentagon's study on the impact of open homosexuality on combat effectiveness and readiness. The FRCA will discuss the report's shortcomings and plans by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to rush a vote on DADT during the lame-duck session of Congress without thorough hearings and testimony by battlefield commanders.
I strongly suggest the White House, members of Congress and the Department of Defense review the case of PVT Manning before deciding to repeal DADT.
Comments
brad manning
Please do not denigrate the title of soldier by associating this collection of organic residue with the honorable term Soldier. One unfortunate action with Army recruiters is they must occasionally take a deceptive individual in. Those supporting this looser need remember this, your security or lack there of may be compromised by confused little Bradley. After you supporting him feel his judgement exceeds all other Americans. Somehow I am left to wonder about the capability of an individual to properly reason complex issues when he clearly cannot understand simple plumbing. If little brad is sexually confused, he should seek a publication on human sexuality or just look between his legs to see what is missing. Never mind, one would need a certain level of functional grey matter for this operation. The best treatment for little PVT Manning is 7. 62 cbT3WNal. 1 ea ball.
Mick
The prohibition of homosexuals in the military was predicated on the idea that compromised morality could be used against the interest of the individual, making them a security risk. Any surprise that this boy's lack of moral character extends beyond sexual?
Correct - He was a security threat
Mick,
Your comment is spot on. This young man should have had an FBI background check before he was given what appears to be a Top Secret clearance. His background and political activities should have been discovered.
What we have here is yet another failure on the part of our personnel security system to recognize a potential security threat.
The recent case of Major Hasan comes to mind as well. These kinds of threats must be revealed and dealt with or we will continue to have breaches like this or worse.
Expose
Yet one more of your excellent exposes!
Apparently being gay makes
Apparently being gay makes you more likely to commit shockingly simple acts of data transferring.
My God, how could we have missed this?
He was a security risk
Greg,
His sexual proclivities were problematic. However, his closest friends and political activist issues should have been red flags. He was a security risk that turned into a traitor.
The FBI should have picked up on this, as should his chain of command. The fight that led to his demotion should have led to his removal from access to any classified information.
Just for the record
The aide to German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle (who is openly homosexual) has been identified as the person responsible for passing on information about government coalition talks to the US Embassy in the latest WikiLeaks disclosures. The aide, Helmut Metzner, is homosexual as well.
Chance, no doubt.
Link between homosexuality and document dumps
I don't see what Manning's alleged has to do with his leaking classified documents. Ginger's article does not make the connection clear. Do gays come out of the closet wearing a purple boa and pushing a wheelbarrow full of government memos? It's not as if Manning was blackmailed into doing it. Ginger suggests Manning was looking for attention. But what's that got to do with being a homosexual? Dan Ellsberg may have been "looking for attention," but , to my knowledge, he wasn't gay. I think both Ellsberg and Manning did what they did because they thought it was right. You may disagree with this view, but that's the issue: was it right? All this chatter about Manning's sex life is just a distraction. A good case can be made that Manning was right to reveal the corrupt and seamy side of the endless wars in the Middle East and the illegal attempts of the State Department to spy on foreign diplomats. I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, but I need some reasons, not just gay bashing non-sequiturs.
Good points
Anon,
You make some very good points and ask questions that need answering. Who were his hacker friends, did his gay lifestyle contribute to his actions, and what did the DOD/FBI know and when did they know it?
At this point is does not appear that Manning was the target of a foreign intelligence operation. He was, however, part of a group that held secrecy of government information in low esteem. His sexual proclivities may have led him to this particular group that simply wanted to embarrass the US government. Whether it was a conspiracy to commit treason or not is the question we all need to know.
Manning was clearly part of a group and not a lone wolf. But what group and with what connections?
Unless and until we do we cannot take the needed steps to protect our secrets and enhance our national security.
Security Clearance
My(low level) security clearance was held up 6 months when I was in the Army because I had traveled abroad as a teenager with my family to Europe. It was eventually granted but slowed my plans down significantly. I missed the window on a school and had to wait another year for a slot. I recall they interviewed folks from the neighborhood where I grew up as a child and talked to some of my professors at the University. My" secret clearance" was denied initially but granted a year later because my military intake physical stated I had "experimented with marijuana". They must have missed something with Manning.
Same here
Because my family came from Poland I had the same problems. My neighbors and friends were questioned. I did get my clearance eventually and I went on to command two nuclear weapons units.
Something fell through the crack with Manning. But what? Did the FBI discover his homosexuality and give him a pass? Did the FBI discover his network of hacker friends and give him a pass?
That is the story that the MSM is missing.
Traitor
Throughout history, traitors have betrayed the country. Aldrich Ames is one example, convicted in 1994 for spying. He received cash from the Soviets and comprised agents. He was heterosexual. There is a long list of heterosexual traitors that can be easily found with a simple google search.
Manning is a morally reprehensible individual who damaged our country's security and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Stealing and passing along the diplomatic cables was a heinous act of treachery that jeopardizes our security. But, his homosexuality did not determine his behavior any more than Aldrich's.
We are better served as nation be investigating how this happened to make sure it never happens again, not broadly (and falsely) attacking a segment of society.
In your concluding paragraph you mention the impact of open homosexuality on combat effectiveness and readiness. It should be noted (as Ginger Thompson does) that Manning wasn't open or in a combat role when he betrayed his country so his example is false.
Offensive in the extreme!
This article is just beyond offensive.
"What the newspapers and politicians do not remind you of is these documents were leaked by Private Bradley E. Manning, a gay soldier."
Try substituting the words "black" or "Jewish" or "female" for "gay."
I read Red County almost every day and I consider it a thoughtful, responsible online publication. I have never before seen such blatantly bigoted posts on Red County, and I'm simply appalled that the editors would allow it. Even more shocking is that most of the commenters seem to agree!
My opinion of Red County is now much lower than it ever was. This article has no "thoughtful" or "responsible" elements whatsoever.
Shame, shame.
I am just pointing out the facts
Howard,
Thanks for reading my column. I am simply pointing out the facts in this case of betrayal at the highest level.
Your concerns about gay behavior and equating it to being black or female is puzzling. Gay is a lifestyle choice. Being black or female is genetic. Jewish is also a choice. Being born into a Jewish family does not mean a person will continue to practice the Jewish religion. However, being black, Jewish or female are not historically reasons to be viewed as a security risk.
Sexual orientation and sexual proclivity (e.g. adultery, promiscuity) have been targeted by foreign intelligence services as leverage to get someone to betray their country. This leads to potential security risks. That is why sodomy and adultery are punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Absurd.
Did you choose to be heterosexual? No, you did not. No one "chooses" their sexual orientation.
And if people did "choose" their sexual orientation, why on earth would they choose to be gay? No one wants to be a minority, particularly a hated (by many) minority.
The assertion that sexual orientation is a "lifestyle" or a "choice" is ridiculous, antiquated, and downright ignorant. You should be ashamed of yourself for holding such offensive views, which damage this fine blog irreparably.
Not True
Howard, how can you say being gay isn't a choice? Four pieces of evidence tell me that it is:
1) Studies done to assess genetics as the reason for being gay found identical twins raised in different families where one twin chose to identify with being gay and the other did not.
2) The Pashtun tribe of Southern Afghanistan has so long denigrated women that men now look at the male only as being attractive. After treating multiple recurrent cases of gonorrhea of the anus among their interpreters, a CENTCOM medical team member answered one of the interpreter's question of why his wife wasn't getting pregnant. When told how pregnancy occurs, he replied "Eew! Why would I do that with a woman when I can do that with a man?"
3) There are documented cases (on film) where a gay person admits that yes, although the G&L community want people to believe it's genetic, it's not - it's definitely a choice.
4) A recent comprehensive study found that daughters of lesbian couples are much more likely to be a lesbian, despite being reared "normally." One of the contributing factors for this is that after a failed relationship with a man, the daughter would be urged to give a woman a try.
Have you ever noticed that the majority (although not ALL) of gay men have either been molested sexually by a man, or have bad relationships with their father (as in Manning's case)? Not a coincidence, and not genetic.
So then, when did you decide
So then, when did you decide to be straight?
4) the passing of traits from parent to offspring is pretty common, so #4 isnt a shocker
Everyone knows Dick Cheney leaked Valerie Plame's name
Is he a gay, or should we just ban traitor Republicans from serving the country, too? Serious question I love your artikl's lol.
It was Richard Armitage
Chris,
It was Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State who accidently leaked Plame's name. This was verified during the investigation by the special prosecutor.
But the point remains the
But the point remains the same. Is Armitage gay? If not, how do you explain his traitorous behavior?
Armitage violated no law - Manning did
Armitage violated no law. Plame was not considered a covert agent because she had not been involved in those types of operations for over 5 years.
Therefore, information about her working for the CIA was relevant and not a violation of any law.
Gay people are patriots
Mark Bingham gave his life on 9/11 in the name of America on Flight 93 and saved possibly thousands of lives. He did not have a "gay agenda" nor did Mark being gay prevent him from being the brave patriotic person he was. Mark Bingham was a proud American who just happened to be gay when our country was attacked that day. Bashing gay people as you all are, doesn't make you proud Americans; it makes you small and ugly bullies. Needless to say, you gay bashers will never be seen as heroes, but rather people that have to keep others down in order to make yourself feel better. How selfish of you. Mark Bingham was anything but...
Mark was a fine man...
Mark did the right thing. God bless Mark and his family.
I am not seeing any mention
I am not seeing any mention about PFC Manning being connected to Code Pink which is connected to Tides Foundation (George Soros.) Also Julian Asange's attorney is connected to Soros. Why is not someone exploring this avenue?
hmmmm
Neither am I seeing Santa Clause being tied to the Tides foundations, which is connected to the George Soros circle, which is connected to glen beck . . .
This is the mentality of the people who visit this blog?
manning
I could fully understand how he got away with this. If we see a flamboyant gay individual looking for attention, we say nothing. For fear that this individual has the right to bring a discrimination lawsuit to us or who we work for. If the majority of people of his profile act as a security risk for us, then he should of been profiled as such.
B.S.
"If we see a flamboyant gay individual looking for attention, we say nothing."
B.S. For one thing, what evidence is there that the guy is "flamboyant?" I know and have known many gay members of the military, and none could be described as anything like "flamboyant." It is not a career choice that is made by gays who are "flamboyant."
"For fear that this individual has the right to bring a discrimination lawsuit to us or who we work for."
Again, B.S. Under DADT, as soon as the military becomes aware of a gay serviceperson's sexuality, she or he can be discharged.
I just posted the charges to the column
I just posted the actual charges against Manning. Please read them.
How is it that exposing
How is it that exposing crimes against humanity "endangers" American lives but crimes against humanity don't? You conservatives are deranged. Julian Assange and Prvt. Manning should both receive medals of honor from congress and the conservative scums that got us all in two illegal wars are the ones that should be thrown in jail.
And what does Manning's sexuality have to do with the leaks or his patriotism? Only monsters like Medusa are seriously afraid to look at their own hideous reflection. That is what the US is afraid of, the leaks expose them as the hideous monster that they truly are.
Teason is not rewarded
Anon,
Nations do not reward treason. Your logic is make the deviant normal and make the normal deviant.
All nations have secrets. Keeping those secrets secret is normal. Revealing them is treason. Get the picture?
You have a twisted idea of
You have a twisted idea of treason. There is nothing more treasonous than a government lying to its people about wars, then asking these same citizens to put their lives and their taxes on the line for those lies. Their rules of "secrecy" are of no concern to me.
Assange has been accused of treason, even though he's an Australian, not a US citizen. So, there's absolutely no treason committed even by your twisted and self-serving standards.
re:please, shut up
the words coming from your mouth is just a huge stinking load of bs
Sir, The actions of one
Sir,
The actions of one homosexual in the military does not represent the entire gay community, and it's contributions to our military. How dare you discount the contributions that the gay and lesbian community have made in the ongoing efforts to protect our freedoms. In some cases, they are defending freedoms that they do not have themselves.
I thought that after writing all of that, my anger with you would have subsided... but it hasn't. What if Pvt. Manning had been black? Would his treason be because of his "black agenda?" What if Pvt. Manning had been Jewish? Would his treason be because of his "Jewish agenda?" I think you see where I'm going with this.
I'll be glad when the last of your generation passes on and takes its antiquated thoughts on society with it. In your case, judging from your picture, that time isn't too far off.
Now... let's see if this gets posted.
Just for the record
Hemut Metzner, top aide to German foreign minister Mr Guido Westerwelle (who is homosexual) has been identified as the person responsible for passing on information about government coalition talks to the US Embassy in the latest WikiLeaks disclosures. Metzner, too, is homosexual.
Chance, no doubt.
Manning a brave man
If you think lying to the public and drawing your nation into war ought to be kept secret; if you think total trust in your government is always a good thing; if you think thousands of displaced people, and hundreds of thousands of dead are a decision a government gets to make with impunity, then welcome to the state of dictatorship, if that is the world you want then you keep your blog and stupidity on track, if you get your way, you will someday regret it. If some of us get our way, we will avoid it.
There are plenty of heteros who are fighting to keep the word sane and just for everyone. That Manning is gay (if he is) makes me proud to think that all of humanity cares about the state of this world. He is a man who will be rewarded in history for his courage some day, may you live long enough to see this happen. If you hate homosexuals, then just say it. If you hate homosexuals, then ask yourself why. I wonder if the answer will frighten you. Your side needs to quit creating enemies, there are plenty of real ones already. You distract and erode precious time and energy in solving real problems. I can only hope your children have evolved, like I have from mine, and have come to a truer meaning of “love your neighbor.”
And by the way, I have a good friend who is a former Marine. He tells me that there are plenty gays in the Marines. Anyone who does their duty and their job is prized and trusted, it’s that simple
How Dare You?!?
i was going to write, but it would take too much time and effort to enlighten all of you ignorant fools, calling him a traitor, you are the traitors
I literally started laughing
I literally started laughing out loud by the fifth paragraph!
Thanks... I needed a good chuckle!
Are we in 1911 or 2011?
In 1911 women didnt vote, blacks didnt vote and gays were perverts. We are in the year 2011. WTF has denouncing a war crime have to do with treason or sexuality? The United States is a signatory to the UN agreement AGAINST Torture.
Private Manning saw instances of torture, reported it to his superiorers, was told to shut up and get on with sending people to be tortured and WHISTLE BLEW. He's one hell of a brave kid. What has that to do with whether or not he is gay? If you are not angered by injustice when you are 22, maybe you never will be.
Or has America returned to the Dark Ages?
WHY...
Why do so many people on this planet care so much about what other people do with their junk? I'll stick it in a watermelon if I'm in the right mood, go sing that to the choir you dorks and get a fucking life!
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