Surprise: President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning's Sentence

from the about-time dept

Tue, Jan 17th 2017 1:50pm — Mike Masnick

Well, here's a surprise. President Obama has just commuted the bulk of Chelsea Manning's sentence, meaning she will be freed this May, rather than having to spend another three decades in jail. Manning, of course, was sent to prison for sharing a large chunk of US diplomatic cables with Wikileaks. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison nearly four years ago (with credit for the 3.5 years she'd already been held, often in solitary confinement). Many people were already outraged at the sentence, especially given that there was no evidence of any actual harm from the leaks.

There were two big campaigns going on over the past few months -- one to pardon Ed Snowden, and another to commute Manning's sentence. President Obama had already made it fairly clear that he had no interest in pardoning Snowden based on the totally false claim that he could not pardon Snowden prior to Snowden being convicted. In the past few weeks, however, there were at least a few hints and rumors that Obama was seriously considering commuting Manning's sentence, and that led to even more focus on the campaign. Ed Snowden himself also advocated for Manning, even ahead of his own case:

Mr. President, if you grant only one act of clemency as you exit the White House, please: free Chelsea Manning. You alone can save her life.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) January 11, 2017

And then, just a few days ago, Wikileaks tweeted that Julian Assange would agree to be extradited to the US if Obama "grants Manning clemency."

If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case https://t.co/MZU30SlfGK
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 12, 2017

And yes, commuting the sentence (which shortens the sentence, but is not a full pardon...) is a form of clemency. So now there's a separate question to ask: will Assange agree to be extradited to the US (or will he just come here voluntarily?). Perhaps after Trump takes over later this week, that won't be such a huge concern, since Trump has magically morphed into a huge Wikileaks/Assange supporter.

Unfortunately, though, it does appear that the likelihood of a Snowden pardon is also almost nil. In discussing today's commutation of Manning's sentence, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest basically argued that what Snowden did was much worse than Manning, because he "fled":

"Chelsea Manning is somebody who went through the military criminal justice process, was exposed to due process, was found guilty, was sentenced for her crimes, and she acknowledged wrongdoing," he said. "Mr. Snowden fled into the arms of an adversary, and has sought refuge in a country that most recently made a concerted effort to undermine confidence in our democracy."

He also noted that while the documents Ms. Manning provided to WikiLeaks were "damaging to national security," the ones Mr. Snowden disclosed were "far more serious and far more dangerous." (None of the documents Ms. Manning disclosed were classified above the merely “secret” level.)

While I agree that there was a difference in the types of documents revealed, one might also make the argument that Snowden's leaks revealed much more serious problems and the impact of his leaks were much more important in revealing to the American public abuses by our own government. Separately, the whole "fled into the arms of adversary" thing is silly as well. As has been explained multiple times, Snowden ended up in Russia after the US pulled his passport while he was traveling. And, at the same time, a big part of the reason Snowden left the US was the unfortunate treatment of Manning by the military judicial process. Snowden properly surmised that he would not be treated fairly. And apparently that continues to this day.

Either way, it's good that Manning's sentence has been commuted. It's been clear from many reports that Manning was unlikely to survive the full sentence given to her, and she's been treated horribly in prison as well. It's still too bad that President Obama is unwilling to also pardon Snowden.

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Filed Under: chelsea manning, clemency, commute sentence, ed snowden, julian assange, leaking, president obama, prison, whistleblower
Companies: wikileaks

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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:07pm

I mean this completely unsarcastically:
Thanks Obama!
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:12pm

While their reasoning may be flawed, the white house is correct Manning and Snowden are different; part of civil disobedience and protest is standing up and taking responsibility for your actions. Protesting an unjust law is all well and good, but doing it and then running away doesn't make you a hero. Yes, Snowden likely would have gotten the book thrown at him, and his life would be substantially worse if he'd stuck around, but that willingness to suffer is part of what makes us respect those who stand up against unjust laws.

I'm not saying I support Snowden going to prison, nor am I saying that what he did wasn't valuable. It was; but when he chose to flee the country rather than stand up and make his case here, he separated himself from Manning, and ceded at least part of the moral high ground civil disobedience stands on. That he ended up in Russia because his passport was yanked is of little concern; he was intending to flee somewhere that wouldn't send him back to the US, a list that is dominated by US adversaries.
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Roger Strong (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:16pm

"Mr. Snowden fled into the arms of an adversary, and has sought refuge in a country that most recently made a concerted effort to undermine confidence in our democracy."

That'd be one of the four countries that offered Snowden permanent asylum: Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Venezuela. The US trapped Snowden in Russia while enroute. They even intercepted and searched the president of Bolivia's plane to search it for Snowden.

Funny though, I hadn't heard that Bolivia was an adversary or undermined American democracy.
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zerosaves (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:17pm

My biggest issue with Manning is the complete stupidity of some of what was released. The stuff revealed put real peoples lives in danger. Names of people who worked for the military in war zones undercover as translators or for intel community gathering local info. Those people became targets once this got out. So I was never 100% against any and all punishment for this. 35 years may be a little long but I always thought it was a dumb move to just give all that over to people to publish online without knowing what was in it. I could care less about making the government look bad with the cables, but don't put peoples lives at risk who are helping us.

Snowden, on the other hand, revealed what the government was doing to us, the citizens. More of an embarrassment than life threatening. A true whistle blower.

Snowden deserves the "pardon" (I know I know, he just communicated the sentence) more than Manning.
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JoeCool (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:18pm

Re:
He fled because he wanted the focus to be on the revelations, not a sham trial where the gov would put on a dog & pony show to try to overshadow what came out. They can whine all they want about wanting to extradite him, but no dog & pony show to distract the public.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:20pm

Re: Re:
Because Manning's trial stopped anyone from covering what she leaked. Totally happened that way. Yep.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:22pm

$5 says Assange does not, in fact, surrender himself as promised.
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383bigblock (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:23pm

Re: WRONG...
There is no honor in taking one for the team especially when the system is rigged against whistle blowers. What Snowden released was pure value and we're seeing changes or more importantly increased awareness across the US for how far out of bounds our Government is willing to stray. The value is not less because he didn't subject himself to wrath of those who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar. He's a survivor and thanks to him we have a better understanding of the wickedness of those we entrust to govern us. He is a hero.... by all counts. He was smart enough to reveal what was necessary and preserve his ability to stay relevant and not get swept under the rug.

It just like the liberals who are all upset at Russia blaming them for Hilary's defeat. It's the not Russians fault that they behave the way they did and wrote the emails that they did, they just got caught. No different with Snowden, how many asshats stood up and predicted armageddon because the leak. No such disaster took place, they bent over backwards trying to denounce and deny the truth. The true turn-coats or the extreme unpatriotic are those asshats in our government that needlessly and recklessly spy on Americans in order to drink up the power.

Bravo Snowden.....for being smart about it.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:32pm

Re:
If he enjoys any kind of freedom at all, he will never step foot here or anywhere that they can get to him.
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discordian_eris (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:37pm

Testicular Fortitude
I see Obama has some after all. Now if he can just put on his big girl panties and pardon Snowden. Hell, there's a list a mile long of people he should be pardoning. If he truly wanted to do the right thing, he could damn near completely empty federal prisons of all the people held on BS drug charges. I know pipe dreaming there, but if he wants to leave a legacy, that would be a good one to have.
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Roger Strong (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:42pm

Re:
Keep in mind that more than 3 million people had access to the diplomatic cables, including folks in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

If that information could put real peoples' lives in danger, the stupidity wasn't on Manning's part. I have to wonder if there was an intelligence agency on the planet that didn't already have a copy.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:46pm

Re:
I think you're correct, but honestly, I don't blame Snowden for that.

Nobody is obligated to be a hero.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:48pm

Re:
In all fairness; Obama didn't let Manning out. Manning's still i the clink at the moment.
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Roger Strong (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:50pm

Re:
You mean like Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers?

Ellsberg's trial was dismissed in 1973 after evidence of government misconduct against him, including illegal wiretapping, was introduced in court. Today the government actions that got the case thrown out of court are legal.

For the two years Ellsberg was under indictment he was free to speak to the media and at rallies and public lectures. Today Snowden would not be allowed out on bail. Instead, he would be in a prison cell like Bradley Manning, incommunicado, in total isolation conditions.

Speak the truth, then run.
- Polish proverb
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tracyanne, 17 Jan 2017 @ 2:57pm

What Obama did
is better than nothing, and a lot more than I expected. They could transfer her to a women's prison to serve out the remaining time. That would be nice.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:09pm

Re: Re: Re:
From what I've seen most of the news about Manning has been about her trial and confinement, not her... what did she leak again?
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Roger Strong (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Diplomatic cables that three million people in five countries had access too.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:21pm

Re: Testicular Fortitude
Marked "LOL".
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:29pm

Re:
You should probably educate yourself before rambling.
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Thad, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:32pm

Re: Re: Re:
It kind of did, yeah.
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Thad, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:34pm

Re:

35 years may be a little long

That's a pretty blase way of putting it.
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whitebrow (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:34pm

whether the leak caused any damage was never the issue, how is mike still confused about this.
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JoeCool (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:38pm

Re: Re:

Speak the truth, then run.

There's never been better advice. It's as true today as any time in history: kill the messenger of bad tidings.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:38pm

Re: Re: Re:
I'm glad you see that now.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:42pm

Re: Re: WRONG...
> There is no honor in taking one for the team especially when the system is rigged against whistle blowers.

As Patton said, "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his".
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:50pm

"We tortured some folks"
Don't forget what Manning went through. It wasn't just solitary confinement. Commutation isn't a pardon. Meaning that Manning will still suffer with the difficulties that having a federal criminal conviction presents.

Pretty dickless to convict, imprison and torture someone for telling the truth. Good for Obama for doing one good thing during his tenure. He could have done better.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:53pm

Re: Testicular Fortitude
His real legacy, for anyone who has been paying attention, h as been his non-stop expansion of mass surveillance and executive power.
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Thad, 17 Jan 2017 @ 3:58pm

Re: Re: WRONG...

It's the not Russians fault that they behave the way they did and wrote the emails that they did, they just got caught.

Well, it is Russia's fault that they only chose to leak information that was damaging to the Clinton campaign. You don't think they had dirt on Trump too?

I've said this before, but apparently it bears repeating: the content of those e-mails was in the public interest. The provenance of those e-mails is in the public interest too. It's possible to be outraged by the DNC and the Clinton campaign and also to be outraged that a foreign government strategically interfered with our election. It's okay to think two different things are bad.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:00pm

Re: Re:
Always blame the messenger, unless the message supports your argument. Never admit you are wrong.
- American proverb
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Thad, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:03pm

Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
He's made real progress in starting to turn the drug war around. Not as much as I'd like, but more than any other President has in the last half-century.

I share your horror (and, presumably, most Techdirt readers') at his expansion of the surveillance state. But people are complicated, history moreso, and a President's legacy is usually not limited to just one thing.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:04pm

Re: Re:
Plus with Snowden free it makes it more difficult for the government to set a completely false narrative during the most relevant moments of the revelations without getting a response from Snowden. If the government says something completely wrong about what happened Snowden was free to respond on the spot.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:04pm

Re: "We tortured some folks"
I didn't think Manning had a federal criminal conviction? Wasn't he tried before a military court? This would give her a martial criminal conviction, which will result in either more or less difficulties, depending on how people weight such a conviction.

So: no more opportunity to work for the government, period. Lots of opportunity for self-employment, motivational talking circuits, working for people who are anti-war, etc.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:09pm

Re: Re: "We tortured some folks"
You are right about the conviction. Self employment is not an easy road. I have my doubts.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:10pm

Re:
"... taking responsibility for your actions....but that willingness to suffer is part of what makes us respect those who stand up against unjust laws.

...he separated himself from Manning, and ceded at least part of the moral high ground ..."

Absolute rubbish
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:17pm

Re: Re:
Nobody is obligated to be a hero.

I do beg your pardon, but I differ with you on that. "When good men see evil and do nothing, evil triumphs."

I argue there every person has a duty to fight evil, injustice, poverty, and hate, and to do nothing about is, at best, moral cowardice.

I don't insist that people die for the fight, just do something constructive to combat it.
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Thad, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:23pm

Re: Re: Re: "We tortured some folks"
And on top of all that, it's not as if prospective employers aren't going to know who she is. A lot of hiring managers could look at her as a security risk, or emotionally unstable, or just plain not like her because of what she's done.

She's got a tough road ahead of her. But at least it's not going to be as tough as prison.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:24pm

Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
> He's made real progress in starting to turn the drug war around. Not as much as I'd like, but more than any other President has in the last half-century.

Oh, is that why he appointed Michele Leonhart and Chuck Rosenberg? Because he wanted to end or slow down the drug war?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:28pm

Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude

He's made real progress in starting to turn the drug war around.

Serious question, what did he do? I can't think of anything off-hand.

Most of the progress I've seen has been by states legalizing medical or recreational marijuana.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:34pm

Re: Re:
If Assange is a man of his word the commuted sentence Obama granted would be sufficient for him to surrender.
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That One Guy (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:35pm

Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
Don't forget the 'crusade' against whistleblowers, the pro-torture, pro-slavery, and pro-mass murder. His 'legacy' is tainted well beyond recovery at this point, this is just a lone point of him actually doing something right for once.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:40pm

Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
Obama interfered with Israel's election, was that ok?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:47pm

Re: Re: Re: "We tortured some folks"
Self employment is a tad easier when you are internationally famous. You have to work less on advertising.
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Thad, 17 Jan 2017 @ 4:53pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
No.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:07pm

Re: Re: Re:
this is why every nation gets the government it deserves...

Snowden is a patriot, he knew about the shit-storm he was conjuring up and still stood tall and hard and did his part. If only half the cowards in this forum were just half the man Snowden is, I would not have to face an uphill battle with all of "it's not our fault for doing nothing to help prevent our government from going south, you are victim blaming, that quote applies to you too wah wah wah... There just is not enough cheese in the world for their whines!

Every citizen of every nation has some small part to play in what their country does. It is just a fact of life. Every time a cop gets away with murder, a politician that gets away with accepting bribes, every law and court that taxes the innocent of their life with false or unjust imprisonment or punishments... we all share a small part of that blame.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:09pm

Re: Re: Re:
indeed, I will be adding that one to my repertoire...
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:25pm

Interesting choice of words/actions.

Pardoning or freeing Manning would lead to an outcry: "Why did Obama let that terrorist* go free?! Waaaah!" But commuting the sentence the way Obama did effectively frees Manning (just a few months to go!) while letting the public believe that the evil terrorist* has been punished for her crimes.

* Replace terrorist with your choice of buzzword as desired.
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Lewis V., 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:25pm

"...President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning's Sentence"
Awesome! Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, and Julian Assange are all heroes of the free world! ;-)
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:32pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Wasn't there a video or something?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:35pm

Re:
Well said - and from a fine upstanding citizen no doubt, one who would not waste a second before admitting their own faults before other's and taking responsibility for their actions ... right?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:37pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
I'm sure there is some connection there, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up ... right?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:38pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
"cowards in this forum"

like you?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:40pm

Re: Re: Re:
You are kidding, right? If so, you trust people way more than you should.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:46pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
More importantly ... what he didn't do:

let the world economic crisis crush this country
let millions die from lack of medical attention
start another war
allow corporate control of national parks for mining/drilling
privatize education
put social security in the hands of privateers
just add all the things Trump/GOP want
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:46pm

Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude

and a President's legacy is usually not limited to just one thing.

Only Nixon goes to China.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 5:53pm

Re: Testicular Fortitude
Obama has thrown more Whistle blowers in jail then every other president combined!!!
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streetlight (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 7:05pm

Manning compared to Petraeus
Compare the situation Manning suffered compared to that of Petraeus. Petraeus, a retired four star general and CIA director, revealed to his mistress in an extra marital affair something like 30,000 classified documents. Petraeus was convicted of misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials. It's not clear to me where these documents went or what judicially happened to the mistress. He was given a two-year probationary period and a fine of $100,000 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petraeus_scandal). It's not clear when the extramarital affair started, but if it was when he was still in the army then, the military has severe penalties for such behavior. But then, he was a four star general.
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Richard M (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 7:33pm

Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
While I do not condone in any way Russia getting involved in the US election the US has no high ground here at all.

We have a long history of not only interfering in elections but of actively overthrowing (or at least helping others overthrow) Govts that we do not like.

We interfere with other countries more than anyone and then when somebody else does it we act all holier than thou.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 7:55pm

Re: Re: Re:
When I heard Assange's promise I suspected Obama would take advantage of it. I was only expecting him to reduce Manning's sentence by some token amount like a week though. He doesn't normally tolerate leaking/leakers except Patreus.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 8:12pm

Re: Re: Re:
That is not being a hero.

Doing your job, doing what is expected of any reasonable person, is not being a hero.

Being a hero is when someone goes above and beyond what is normal.
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JMT (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 8:57pm

Re:
"...part of civil disobedience and protest is standing up and taking responsibility for your actions."

Can you show us where exactly in the rule book is says that? And besides, he has taken responsibility for it, he said he did it.

"Protesting an unjust law is all well and good, but doing it and then running away doesn't make you a hero."

Sacrificing your life in the country of your birth, not being able to see family and friends, and not being able to work in your field of expertise, all for the benefit of the everyone else, seems pretty heroic to me. Why do you have to be throw in jail be be called a hero?

"Yes, Snowden likely would have gotten the book thrown at him, and his life would be substantially worse if he'd stuck around, but that willingness to suffer is part of what makes us respect those who stand up against unjust laws."

That's your opinion only, many others don't require such an extreme level of personal sacrifice to award someone respect.

"...when he chose to flee the country rather than stand up and make his case here, he separated himself from Manning, and ceded at least part of the moral high ground civil disobedience stands on."

Well he was clearly smarter than Manning, because he knew exactly what would happen if he stuck around. Choosing to impale yourself on a manifestly unjust legal system doesn't give you any more moral high ground.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 9:00pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
"this is why every nation gets the government it deserves..."

You do realize that Snowden has ended up under the Russian government, don't you? So that's what he deserved, eh?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 9:04pm

Re:
"While their reasoning may be flawed, the white house is correct Manning and Snowden are different"

Yeah, Manning got caught (he didn't exactly turn himself in), but Snowden got away. And that REALLY pisses you off, doesn't it?
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 9:14pm

Re: Manning compared to Petraeus
> But then, he was a four star general.

It's not so much what you do, but who you are.
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wondering, 17 Jan 2017 @ 11:19pm

Obama letting the terrorists out of goal.
Obama should be hung. I feel this traitor is planning a Terrorist attack on America. We have never had so much violence in the world since he took over and the media is petrified of this racist. Why don't they tell the truth about Michelle Obama is she transender. Obama looks Gay and has he a secret son.
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K`Tetch (profile), 17 Jan 2017 @ 11:35pm

Re:
well of course not.

Mostly because there is no US Extradition. In fact, it's a funny thing, but 4 days prior to his entry into the Ecuadorian embassy, he had all but been assured that he could not, in any circumstances, be extradited to the US.

The only reason to have gone into that embassy at that time, would have been to avoid extradition to Sweden. Sweden has a prohibition on extradition for political reasons (they'd previously refused to extradite Edward howard who was being charged with Espionage after having defected to the Soviet Union). This is why on August 18 2010 (two days before the allegations were made) he had applied for residency there.
Second, under the Doctrine of Speciality the only way to have extradited him to the US, would be for Sweden to agree (which as I've just noted, they wouldn't) and then for the UK to also agree in accordance with the far stricter UK-Sweden treaty than the US-UK treaty.
Third, the UK was a strange place for someone to go to (especially for 20 months) if they're seeking to avoid US extradition because it has one of the easiest extradition treaties (probably cause is all that's needed).

The only way any of his actions through the 3 year period from September 1 2010 to September 1 2012 makes sense is if he knew full well that there is not, and never was going to be a US extradition. Of course, it kinda helps that the US DOJ has said as much a number of times. However, it's a great claim to play to the fans, and stoke the conspiracy theorists, and hide the fact that, yes, he is just trying to avoid going to trial on the sexual assault allegations, and nothing more.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Jan 2017 @ 11:59pm

Re: "We tortured some folks"
Chelsea Manning was a transsexual being treated rough by her former gender-mates. She had already tried to commit suicide twice and has spend far too long in solitary confinement.

I bet, the cost of having her in prison has been far too high and her situation was extremely awkward since she was in a male prison... If anyting, this is a way to avoid having Mannings expected future suicide wreck havoc on the way US treats prisoners (which is development country level by most statistics)!
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David, 18 Jan 2017 @ 12:54am

Re: Re: Re:
And it's not like this didn't happen basically month for month for month on end.

Snowden being able to put out (and prove) his version time and again made a large difference regarding the public's ability to see just how far off the deep end of their own lying propaganda the agencies had gone.

Yes, it did invite the continuous stream of "Snowden should come back and defend his actions in court to the tune of an Espionage Act accusation which explicitly prohibits him from defending his actions in court, the court, and I want to see the bastard hanging from a tree" kind of comment from all sorts of U.S. officials. And some citizens fall for that.

But overall, I think that in the course of the citizens getting a chance to see where they are at with the unaccountability of their ruling class, I very much think that Snowden picked the better course. Not for himself, but for the U.S. It's still up to people to take action, and it very much looks like they won't. But they have a lot more reason to be ashamed for their rulers, and some choose to hate Snowden for it.
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David, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:01am

Re:
Are you serious? Morales is a coca farmer and was union leader for them before he became president. How is he not an adversary or undermining "American democracy" and its "war on drugs" one-size-fits-all excuse for government overreach?
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David, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:04am

Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
Twice. Don't underplay his achievements.
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David, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:06am

Re: "...President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning's Sentence"
Where is that free world you are talking of?
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David, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:08am

Re: Obama letting the terrorists out of goal.
Just a few days before you are inaugurated and you still have time to post on Techdirt?

We feel honored.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:14am

Of course, no word from Assange. Now we get to find out if he is all talk....
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:24am

Re:
That's true.

However, it still leaves a metaphorical stain on his reign as King of America, on the grounds of his administration's frankly insane treatment of people exposing wrongdoing.
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Ninja (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:38am

Re:
"part of civil disobedience and protest is standing up and taking responsibility for your actions"

Oh please, by all means do that in North Korea to see how fast you get killed. In the US at the very least you'll only be tortured into suicide and when it fails you'll be double tortured. Yep, Snowden should have stayed for sure.
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Ninja (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:42am

Re: Re:
Coca leaves are actually a must if you want to tolerate high altitudes. I've had such problems and it caused me a severe headache but the moment I took some coca tea the symptoms started receding. The war on drugs is a failure and a lie.
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Ninja (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:44am

Re:
He's just making excuses. To hell with the fact he is trapped in Russia because of the US and not because he wants. No, you need to vilify them, smear their character. They did it with manning. The good part is that it doesn't work as well nowadays.
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art guerrilla (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 3:14am

Re:
WOW ! ! ! no way in hell i thought this would happen under pretty much any circumstance...
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH ! ! ! a teeny, tiny, eensy, teensy amount of justice left in 'merika...
a GREAT American gets a bit of belated justice, just about THE ONLY good thing obama has done...
GO CHELSEA ! ! !
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 4:13am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
I didn't do any of those things either.

But do I get any credit? Nooooo.
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Tin-Foil-Hat, 18 Jan 2017 @ 4:45am

A more dangerous enemy
Snowden's leak aided a much more dangerous enemy. An enemy that needs to be broken, crushed and punished. That enemy is us. Those of us who exercise our first amendment rights are terrorists according to the FBI.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:04am

Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
Israel interferes with the entire world, is that ok?

Deflection is fun, no?
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:05am

Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
"We have a long history of not only interfering in elections"

That makes it ok then, nothing to see here - move along.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:06am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Yes.
That poster also thinks babies deserve flashbangs.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:10am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
Were you the President?

I didn't think so.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:13am

Re: Re: Obama letting the terrorists out of goal.
That can't be Trump ... this is not twitter.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:15am

Re: Obama letting the terrorists out of goal.
How do you feel about Bush43, Cheney & Rumsfeld being hung along side?
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:15am

Re:
Could be he made a deal already.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:16am

Re: A more dangerous enemy
What good is a list if everyone is on it?
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Groaker (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:39am

It is not just office workers, but highly trained individuals like research attorneys, infection control doctors, doctors specializing in diagnosis, quite likely your internist, and of course Jeopardy players.

Any job which requires winnowing through massive amounts of data to come to a couple of possibilities is up for replacement.

Humans will go back to the creative crafts, arts, minstrels and similar such work
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 5:45am

it didn't occure to me, but then i saw on cbc news, julian assange said he would turn himself over to the US if mannings sentance was commuted. so i see this as less 'the right thing to do" and more "releasing an unimportant political prisoner to get at the enemies of hillary clinton". this may appear different from outside the country than from inside i think.
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Wendy Cockcroft, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:02am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Atrocities that National Review's David French was willing to overlook while whingeing about it in NR and on Twitter.
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Wendy Cockcroft, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:07am

Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
Erm, why don't Liberals mention how the FBI blatantly sided with Trump over Clinton by making announcements about her emails, etc.?

Doesn't really fit the narrative of "The Russkies done stole our election," does it? Clinton was too flawed to win and in a race between Bad and Worse, the people argued about who was worse and plumped for Trump.

The people wanted change because they're angry because identity politics and ideological correctness on both sides of the aisle are shutting them out. Trumpy McTrumpface was the people crying out to be heard. Flippin' well pay attention: they didn't want more of the same, and that is what Hillary offered them.

Trump offered change, but be careful what you wish for.
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Wendy Cockcroft, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:08am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
Two wrongs don't make a right.
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Wendy Cockcroft, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:10am

Re: Re:
So end the War on Drugs, then. End of problem.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:13am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
The last time I checked, Edward Snowden was not a nation. Has that changed recently?
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:36am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
The last time I checked, nations are composed of people. Has that changed recently?

Or perhaps, in some weird sort of way, you mean that nations deserve the government they get while somehow the people of said nations don't? Please, enlighten us.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:47am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Isn't covering up war crimes a crime itself?
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ShadowNinja (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 7:02am

Re: Re:
Not to mention even Ellsberg has said Snowden shouldn't return to the US, even highlighting how much of a sham trials are under the espionage act.
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Wendy Cockcroft, 18 Jan 2017 @ 7:22am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
I eagerly await Mr. French's response to that but to be honest I'm expecting to be blocked for not buying the jingoistic twaddle he holds dear.

New rules of engagement: they're [$derisory nickname] and therefore target practice.
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My_Name_Here, 18 Jan 2017 @ 8:04am

How many days will this be hidden?
Classic Techdirt, playing on "Gotcha!" politics to try and rile the pirate-friendly crowd.

It's posts like these that make me reconsider my perspective on the Ayyadurai lawsuit. Techdirt has always tended to censor and hide voices of wisdom contrary to the pirate party line. I'm really starting to think it's karma.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 8:13am

Re: Re: Re:
Being a hero is by definition exceptional. Men have an obligation to do no evil. Good men may fight evil, and good for them. But all you have to do is not make the world worse.

The difference between meeting expectations and exceeding them.
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Roger Strong (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 8:15am

Re: How many days will this be hidden?
"Hey! Who messed with my anti-paranoia shot?"
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DannyB (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 9:52am

Re: Re: Re:
You mean Trump proverb?
* always blame the messenger [they're losers, etc]
* unless the message supports [you]
* never admit you are wrong [trump vs intelligence community]
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Mike Masnick (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 10:03am

Re: How many days will this be hidden?
Techdirt has always tended to censor and hide voices of wisdom contrary to the pirate party line.

Say what? We do no such thing.
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 11:39am

Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...
Christ almighty.

I thought about adding a sentence at the end of my post to the effect of "(Yes, we do it too. That doesn't make it okay.)" I don't know why I didn't.
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 11:44am

Re: Re: Re: Re: WRONG...

Erm, why don't Liberals mention how the FBI blatantly sided with Trump over Clinton by making announcements about her emails, etc.?

Er, they do, all the time?

A Google News search for Comey's name currently turns up 1.4 million results. Pick one of them and see how far you get before the article mentions a liberal criticizing Comey for the announcement the week before the election.

Okay, first match, https://www.lawfareblog.com/six-thoughts-defense-james-comey : sixth sentence.

Second match, http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/314266-week-ahead-comey-under-fire-lawmakers-look-for-russia -response : first sentence.

Third match, http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sanders-says-it-would-not-be-a-bad-thing-if-fbi-boss-comey-stepped- down-2017-01-15 : headline.

Fourth match, http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/17/why-democrats-should-stop-telling-comey-to-step-down/ : headline.

And so on.
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 11:52am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude

Serious question, what did he do? I can't think of anything off-hand.

He commuted the sentences of more criminals than any President in history, hundreds of whom were nonviolent drug offenders ( http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/the-obama-presidency-by-the-numbers/ ).

He also signed into law a bill to end the disparate sentencing for crack cocaine versus powder cocaine.

Most of the progress I've seen has been by states legalizing medical or recreational marijuana.

Yes, but it's still banned under federal law, and it's up to the Executive Branch to decide whether to continue to prosecute people in states where it's legal. Bush's DoJ prosecuted people who grew medical marijuana; Obama's ended the practice.

Again, "Not as much as I'd like, but more than any other President has in the last half-century."
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 11:52am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
Did you read the second of the two sentences you quoted?
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 11:56am

Re:
You seriously think Obama's major motivation for this is that he's totally confident that Julian Assange will do what he said he was going to do?
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 11:57am

Re: How many days will this be hidden?
Shut up, Whatever.
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David, 18 Jan 2017 @ 12:31pm

Re: Re: Re:
You can't phase out the war on drugs without replacement. You'd upset law enforcement operations.

But hey, I think the time is ripe for it.

"Sir, I think we heard strange sounds reminiscent of Beatles emanating from your car. And I see our copy cat alerting. There is sufficient grounds for suspecting you listening to pirated music, so we'll confiscate all devices possibly involved in illegal music reproduction. Hand over all your smartphones. Your car has a car stereo? I got bad news for you. Say good bye to it. Not the stereo, silly. The car."
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 12:46pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Oh poor you, you have to face an uphill battle and it's all someone else's fault!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 12:52pm

Re:
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/314783-assange-lawyer-conditions-not-met-for-assange-manning -extradition-offer

And he already backpedaled on his "promise."

Not unsurprisingly.
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BAMA supporter, 18 Jan 2017 @ 1:33pm

But wa... MANNING

But Guanta... MANNING!

But NSA spyi... MANNING!

But killing dron... MANNING!

But stopping journ... MANNING!

OBAMA is the best president ever! America fuck yeah!
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 3:00pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Testicular Fortitude
That means I can not do those things better than he can not do those things.
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 3:33pm

Re:
Thanks, Strawman! You're my favorite superhero!
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Thad, 18 Jan 2017 @ 3:33pm

Re: Re:
I don't think you meant "not unsurprisingly".
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2017 @ 4:26pm

Re: How many days will this be hidden?
Whatever just hates it when due process is enforced.

Have a DMCA vote.
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That One Guy (profile), 18 Jan 2017 @ 6:31pm

Re: Re: A more dangerous enemy
Selective enforcement and intimidation.

A and B are both on The List.

A is a 'good citizen' and keeps his/her head down, doesn't make waves, doesn't question those in charge, and as such isn't given much attention by the higher ups.

B is not a 'good citizen'. They speak their mind, question statements made by their betters, and have the audacity so suggest that the government might not in fact have their best interests in mind. As a result should B make too much of a hassle the can look forward to 'investigations', a 'few questions', maybe some 'administrative issues' should they try to fly anywhere or apply for a job that requires a background/security check.

If everyone is guilty of something(and with the insane and near countless laws we have that's pretty much a given) then that gives those with the ability to hand out punishments enormous power, both direct and indirect at their discretion and/or whim.
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