Manning Up to Problems

There has been a debate over the minimum wage recently. But only 2.9% of workers in the United States make minimum wage. Over 50% of them are age 16 to 24. One wonders about our fascination and outrage over this small minority. Is it that we have solved the big problems? Are these relatively small groups symbolic of a larger problem we can not grasp? Do we gravitate to these smaller problems to exorcise our bigger demons? Or do we just trivialise our problems because we are not up to them?

Bradley Edward Manning was arrested in Iraq in May 2010 after Manning had confided during online chats that he had downloaded material from confidential databases and passed the material to WikiLeaks. Included were videos of the July 12, 2007 Baghdad air strike and the 2009 Granai air strike in Afghanistan, 250,000 United States diplomatic cables and 500,000 army reports. WikiLeaks or its media partners published the material between April and November 2010. Manning was ultimately charged with 22 offenses, including aiding the enemy (the most serious charge.)

After being held at Quantico, Virginia he was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He pleaded guilty in February 2013 to 10 of the charges. On July 30, 2013 he was convicted of 17 of the original charges and amended versions of four others, but was acquitted of aiding the enemy. He was sentence to the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth.

A number of disturbing questions come to mind here. How much of the nation's security was compromised? How could such an unreliable guy be in a position to do something like this? What is the position of a group like WikiLeaks? How does WikiLeaks get its authority, presumably its moral authority, to do stuff like this? Are there other entities that have self-appointed moral authority and how do they differ from religious fanatics?

The list could go on and on. But what was the Bradley Manning story line? He wants to be known as Chelsea and wants to have a sex change operation.

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning (nee Bradley Edward Manning)