Leaks And Pitchforks

How quickly we collectively rush into the breach in an effort to lynch the rat. But, wait. Do we know the facts of the case? Really? I know that I don’t. I’m often surprised by mob rule and the ebb and flow that it encompasses. Admittedly I have been drawn in on occassion. What can I say? I’m human.

When looking at the story of Bradley Manning and the leak(s) you have to wonder the thought processes.

From Wired:

Federal officials have arrested an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks, Wired.com has learned.

SPC Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Maryland, was stationed at Forward Operating Base Hammer, 40 miles east of Baghdad, where he was arrested nearly two weeks ago by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. A family member says he’s being held in custody in Kuwait, and has not been formally charged.

The story that broke as a result of the reprehensible video footage was significant. That being said, how did it surface exactly? He contacted Wikileaks to send them the video. But, it didn’t end there.

Manning came to the attention of the FBI and Army investigators after he contacted former hacker Adrian Lamo late last month over instant messenger and e-mail. Lamo had just been the subject of a Wired.com article. Very quickly in his exchange with the ex-hacker, Manning claimed to be the Wikileaks video leaker.

“If you had unprecedented access to classified networks 14 hours a day 7 days a week for 8+ months, what would you do?” Manning asked.

Hmm. OK, so you have a Top Secret/SCI clearance government clearance and access to classified footage that is horrid at best. Do you violate that trust? Do you jeopardize your work, life and family to leak something that you are paid to protect? Apparently, Manning thought that leaking this information was the wise choice.

At first glance it was just a bunch of guys getting shot up by a helicopter,” Manning wrote of the video. “No big deal … about two dozen more where that came from, right? But something struck me as odd with the van thing, and also the fact it was being stored in a JAG officer’s directory. So I looked into it.”

So wait, it was in a JAG directory? More succinctly the “Judge Advocate General“. It appears that Manning may have potentially managed to jeopardize a criminal case involving the matter.

If you’re going to be a whistle blower, then nut up and take your body blows. You know they’re coming. But, more importantly, if you intend to engage in this type of activity somehow manage to keep your mouth shut.

Now, the other side of the equation, Adrian Lamo. According to the Wired article Manning sought out Lamo. In short order he confessed to the leak. Consider the position that Manning put Lamo in by virtue of this information. An ex-con who had run afoul of the FBI when he was younger for his own exploits. He has a record. Now, he was in possession of information that he felt he had to report lest he be saddled with a charge of this own.

A tough choice to be certain.

There are no winners in this story. No heroes or villains. Just a murky grey area. We need to be cognizant of the fact that in our rush to judgement on either of these individuals is in error without first knowing all of the facts of the case.

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