Blog Archives
JUDGE IN BRADLEY MANNING CASE DELIBERATES, BUT WE ALL KNOW WHAT SHE IS GOING TO SAY, REALISTICALLY
Fort Meade, MD – The United States has had, clearly, a bit of an issue with whistleblowers in recent years. The newest and biggest one, perhaps the most damaging, is still ongoing but there is still another one playing out in the courts, the saga of Bradley Manning which is rapidly coming to a conclusion.
After weeks of testimony and legal finagling, yesterday Judge Denise Lind retired to her chambers to deliberate in the remaining charges against Manning. Some of the initial crime with which he was charged Manning has pled guilty to, but others still stand and many of them are very, very serious.
Now Manning will await his fate, judge by a single person and not by a jury of his peers, this being a military court and all, which could very well result in a conviction for the 25-year old Manning. Actually, given the politically charged atmosphere of the case and there really being no other option, it’s pretty much guaranteed that he will be found guilty on all the charges, heck there’s no real reason to even bother with the deliberation, it’s going to happen.
“He’s not seeking attention. He’s saying he’s willing to accept the price. That is a whistleblower, period. That is somebody who wants to inform the American public,”said Manning’s lawyer David Coombs upon concluding his case.
Really, little of what Manning leaked mattered all that much save for a single video showing U.S. troops gunning down Reuters reporters, which was a little embarrassing.
Despite a willingness to take responsibility for his actions, it’s believed that Manning would still prefer to not go to jail for the rest of his life.
“I think it’s pretty clear what the judge’s decision is going to be since this case is what it is. I mean this is no small thing, not tiny little event that just happened to happen. Aside from the trouble that it cause, giving him release could give other people so inclined to do the same thing, and that is not something anyone wants I would think,” said Scrape TV Legal analyst Gabe Hawthorne. “This is one of those cases where the law is actually not totally relevant to the outcome, what matters is what people want and people want Manning to go to prison for a long time. Manning obviously not but he doesn’t really get a say.”
Manning has said on multiple occasions, perhaps even to the judge, that he would prefer to stay out of prison if that is possible.
“It’s really a sticky situation where what is right legally is not necessarily in lock step with what people seem to want. Often that results in people getting angry, but that is unlikely here because Manning acted against the government. Perhaps if the information belonged to a young black kid if Florida he would be okay, but the U.S. government is a different animal,” continued Hawthorne. “That is really what has gotten him in the most trouble, who he went up against. A lesser agency and everything would have been fine because what he did wasn’t really that bad, but he made the government look bad and when that happens they will seek revenge, and have it most likely.”
The judge is believed to be just waiting around to announce the decision she made before the trial started
Wiretapping Saves
Wiretapping Saves Who will set off the NSA‘s alarm bells, thanks to data-mining programs that gather everyone’s information? It’s time to support programs that catch terrorists like, like . . . via Wiretapping Saves – YouTube.
Viagra Pill Sales Surpass M and M Sales
The Viagra Pill Board of America has just announced the results of a recent year-long research study.
Eight Viagra Pills that allegedly belong to Hugh Hefner. (Photo courtesy of Bill O’Reilly).
When asked if that was due to the fact that Florida has a lot of elderly citizens, she responded by saying that the study did in fact show a direct correlation between the senior citizen population and the tremendous sales of Viagra in the Sunshine State.
She also pointed out that Arizona has just as many senior citizens as Florida does but those older folks do not have as much money as their East Coast counterparts.
An independent study that was done last year pointed out that many of Arizona’s senior citizens reported that it is just too gosh darn hot to be fooling around sexually while drenched in gobs of sweat, Ben Gay, Absorbine Jr., Compound W, and Preparation H.
Ibbie Loretta Whitevelvet, 57, a representative with VPB of A stated that after close to 3,000 hours of extensive study, her agency has learned that the sales of Viagra pills has just surpassed the sales of M&Ms.
Mrs. Whitevelvet, who has been married four times, spoke to The Right Coast Illustrated Revue and stated that the state that leads the country in Viagra sales is Florida.
When asked if that was due to the fact that Florida has a lot of elderly citizens, she responded by saying that the study did in fact show a direct correlation between the senior citizen population and the tremendous sales of Viagra in the Sunshine State.
She also pointed out that Arizona has just as many senior citizens as Florida does but those older folks do not have as much money as their East Coast counterparts.
An independent study that was done last year pointed out that many of Arizona’s senior citizens reported that it is just too gosh darn hot to be fooling around sexually while drenched in gobs of sweat, Ben Gay, Absorbine Jr., Compound W, and Preparation H.
via The Spoof : Viagra Pill Sales Surpass M&M Sales funny satire story.
via The Spoof : Viagra Pill Sales Surpass M&M Sales funny satire story.
(Some) Irish super-rich bricking it as secretive offshore haven leaks confidential information | NAMA Wine Lake
We are expecting a comprehensive list by the end of this week, but the partial leaking of lists of directors and shareholders of companies in the secretive offshore tax, banking and corporate-regulation haven of the British Virgin Islands has already caused waves with the campaign manager for French president Francois Hollande being forced to reveal his business relationship with a Chinese partner, and a Mongolian politician saying he might have to resign. The partial and full lists are/should be, available here.
But in Ireland, we know that the BVI has been a destination of choice for Irish property developers, as well as businessmen and women generally. After all, its (hitherto!) secrecy and tax regime have been attracting such titans of Irish business as the (Sean) Quinn family and Ray Grehan. A BVI registered company is after NAMAed Paddy Kelly, now in Florida. There is nothing illegal or untoward about incorporating BVI companies, but there are long-held suspicions that the secrecy provided by the BVI has been abused. You cannot generally find out the shareholders, directors or financial information of companies incorporated in the BVI, it’s all hidden behind nominees like BVI solicitors. This leaking has changed all that.
The Revenue Commissioners and NAMA will be just two state agencies chomping at the bit to get their hands on the lists which might expose omissions in tax returns and disclosures of assets. NAMA has already reported two developers to the Gardai, apparently for false statements made in connection with business plans, which you might recall required developers (and sometimes their spouses) to provide sworn affidavits. NAMA has engaged lawyers in the BVI previously.
Share this: