News Updates from Citizens for Legitimate Government

News Updates from Citizens for Legitimate Government
21 Aug 2013

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Breaking: WikiLeaks trial: Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years in prison 21 Aug 2013 A military judge on Wednesday sentenced Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison, ending a summer-long court-martial in which he was convicted of espionage for leaking a vast trove of classified U.S. military and diplomatic materials to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks in 2010. Army Col. Denise Lind, who delivered the sentence, found Manning guilty last month of six counts of violating the Espionage Act and mishandling classified material, but she acquitted him of a more serious charge of aiding the enemy. Supporters have hailed Manning as a whistle-blower for revealing government secrets and exposing alleged misdeeds in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They staged a vigil outside Ft. Meade, where the court-martial was held, and planned to organize an evening rally outside the White House.

U.S. soldier Manning sentenced to 35 years in WikiLeaks case --Manning will be dishonorably discharged from U.S. military 21 Aug 2013 U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday for providing secret files to WikiLeaks in the biggest breach of classified data in U.S. history. Judge Colonel Denise Lind, who last month convicted him of 20 charges including espionage and theft, could have sentenced him to as many as 90 years in prison, though prosecutors had asked for 60 years.

Bradley Manning case: Obama should commute sentence to time already served 21 Aug 2013 President Obama should commute US Army Private Bradley Manning's sentence to time already served to allow his immediate release, Amnesty International said today after Manning was sentenced to 35 years in jail. Military judge Col Denise Lind today sentenced the WikiLeaks source to 35 years in military prison - out of a possible 90 - for leaking classified information. He has already served more than three years in pre-trial detention, including 11 months in conditions described by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture as cruel and inhumane. Some of the materials Manning leaked, published by WikiLeaks, pointed to potential human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law by US troops abroad, by Iraqi and Afghan forces operating alongside US forces, and by military contractors. Yet the judge had ruled before the trial that Private Manning would not be able to defend himself by presenting evidence that he was acting in the public interest. [On Obama commuting Manning's sentence: There's as much chance for that as a cat with a long tail in a room filled with rocking chairs. --LRP]

NSA has ability to read 75% of all US internet traffic - report 21 Aug 2013 Newly unveiled National Security Agency programs detail how the US government has the ability to monitor approximately 75 percent of American internet traffic, and further discloses how telecommunications companies are compelled to provide such data. The programs - known as Blarney, Fairview, Oakstar, Lithium, and Stormbrew - are able to monitor the writing of emails, not just a message’s metadata, according to The Wall Street Journal. The programs also affect digital phone calls placed inside the US. Among other capabilities, the systems can "reach roughly 75 percent of all US internet traffic, including a wide array of communications by foreigners and Americans."

NSA spied on Salt Lake City before and during 2002 Olympics - report 21 Aug 2013 Buried near the bottom of an explosive Wall Street Journal exposé about the spying capabilities of the NSA is a fascinating tidbit about the breadth of surveillance operations before and during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. For the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, officials say, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and NSA arranged with Qwest Communications International Inc. to use intercept equipment for a period of less than six months around the time of the event. It monitored the content of all email and text communications in the Salt Lake City area.

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