Chelsea Manning pardoned

[Transient]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... /96678814/

WASHINGTON — President Obama has commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, the Army private accused of leaking classified military secrets to Wikileaks, the White House said Tuesday.

Manning, who was convicted in 2013 to a 35-year sentence in a military court, will be freed from a military prison in Leavenworth, Kan. on May 17.

Obama got shamed into it. I don't give him any credit. She shouldn't have been put in jail in the first place.

[HM-PuFFNSTuFF]

great news

[lars63]

great news

[losCHUNK]

Snowden should get the same treatment

[shaft]

He probably would've if he didn't run off to Russia.

[Transient]

Pesky layovers.

[obsidian]

Not quite a pardon, but she'll get out in a few months.

[Whiskey 7]

great news

[Ryoki]

Great

[Κracus]

He probably would've if he didn't run off to Russia.

not exactly true.

I think what's going on here is more of a political maneuver. See Assange recently stated that he would turn himself into US custody if Obama pardoned manning. I think by doing that it's a win win for Obama and a shitty deal for Trump. If Assange holds his end of the bargain he'll be going to the US and Trump has to figure out what to do with him, I'd say chances are Trump will probably make the wrong choice of what to do with him and further hurt the republicans from a public viewpoint.

Snowden wasn't going to Russia when this all leaked. I believe he was heading for some south american country and the US stranded him in Russia by restricting his ability to travel.

[Κracus]

I'm honestly not sure if Assange will hold up his end. I feel like given his past and taste for the limelight that he'll probably stay put. Even if he was gone though I doubt Wikileaks will just stop. They sorta need to get out of bed with Russia though.

And that may be why Assange would turn himself in. I bet he'd be fully co-operative with the US once he's facing a lifetime in prison and then Wikileaks would be a US tool instead of a Russian one.

[Κracus]

very publicly slandered no doubt.

[seremtan]

pardon

nope. she still has all the restrictions of a convicted felon

good guy obama though. not sure how he was 'pressured' into it. care to explain OP?

[Κracus]

I kinda already mentioned the likely reasons why.

[seremtan]

no, you mentioned your bong rip theory which is essentially indistinguishable from made up, and also you're not the OP, to whom my question was directed

[Κracus]

He also said the same thing.

[seremtan]

but he didn't explain why he thought that, since the article says nothing of the sort, and an explanation is what i was asking for

[Κracus]

Ask Obama.

Although seriously. It's a political decision, Assange in hand is worth way more than Manning in jail.

[Transient]

pardon

nope. she still has all the restrictions of a convicted felon

good guy obama though. not sure how he was 'pressured' into it. care to explain OP?

Yea, pardon isn't the right word.

These last few weeks Obama has been pushing a bunch of progressive agendas, many of which I don't think he would have considered if Clinton had won. But now he has a bunch of people on the left scrutinizing his record and pointing out just how conservative he's been, now that Drumpf is about to take office. So he's been doing things like banning Arctic oil drilling, protecting wildlife, pardoning/commuting sentences for whistleblowers and nonviolent drug offenders, and whatnot. To say he was "shamed" into it is honestly a bit of wishful thinking on my part, but I do think he's doing it in response to public pressure. Whether it's calculated or an earnest desire is debatable.

[obsidian]

Umm... it's fairly common for outgoing presidents to squeeze through a bunch of last minute agendas, pardons and declaring new national parks and monuments, etc. are typical. This isn't something exclusively special that Obama is doing, though the Manning case is particularly high profile.

[seremtan]

yeah but obama's doing this on an industrial scale. probably trying to make up for the fact that his record is in many ways worse than bush's, and he's handing over ludicrous surveillance powers to mr satsuma face

[Captain]

And then there's this shit which is more on par with Obomba's policies over the last 8 years:

Obama Declares Cuba and Venezuela National Security Threats

The executive order allows the president to use national emergency resources to fight the threat, such as enforcing sanctions against the country.

The United States declared a national emergency to deal with perceived "threats" in Cuba and Venezuela on Friday, along with Iran, Libya, Ukraine, Zimbabwe and countries Washington claims "support terrorism." The declarations effectively extend for another year economic sanctions already in place.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/O ... -0024.html

[seremtan]

>Ukraine
>Zimbabwe
>"supports terrorism"

u wot m8

[Captain]

So the claims against Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran are warranted in your mind?

[seremtan]

no, they're just what i'd expect, given the US govt's historic stances toward them

ukraine and zimbabwe on the other hand...