The new charges included “aiding the enemy”; wrongfully causing intelligence to be published on the Internet, knowing that it was accessible to the enemy; multiple counts of theft of public records, transmitting defense information and computer fraud. If he is convicted, Private Manning could be sentenced to life in prison.
Long ago when Bush II was in office I made a note that it was very dangerous to give the executive the power to decide who is and is not "an enemy" and that such a power was ripe for abuse. Anyone who reads the above quote ought to see why Assange has been particularly concerned with being extradited to Sweden.
As noted in the article "the enemy" is not defined. Is WikiLeaks "the enemy"? Furthermore is speech (including whistleblowing) restricted to only when "the enemy", whoever that may be, is unable to hear or read it? If so then the citizens of the US ought to be very concerned since just about anything we post online can be read by the enemy and therefore can be seen as "aiding the enemy".
Now I totally understand that this is standard military stuff. The problem though is that a private lawyer, Lynn Stewart was convicted by the US for supporting "an enemy" by means of a press release about her then client Abdel-Rahman.
I will re-iterate my position that Manning is a whistleblower and the mechanics by which he disclosed information will ought to be a moot point.
