Letters: Another view of Bradley Manning
Re “Kinship with Manning,” Opinion, Aug. 12
Amid the usual din of bickering distractions and brandings, the calls for vengeance and the celebrations of brutality, I am stunned by the depth and wise humanity in Robert Meeropol’s Op-Ed piece. Thank you.
That piece of writing by Meeropol — the younger son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg — is not only historically fascinating but also transformative and unforgettable. I wish Justice would take off her blindfold and act upon those deeper truths.
Leah Sullivan
Pasadena
As a young man in the U.S. Navy in the 1950s, I saw the Rosenberg protesters at the New Jersey train station when the couple was taken away.
Meeropol has emerged like the lotus from the mud; his excellent article shows that whistle-blowers pull back the curtain that separates “us” from “them.” Meeropol and Army Pfc. Bradley Manning are helping to create a world where “us” and “them” become “we.”
Carl Swallow
Manhattan Beach
Re “Manning apologizes for leaking secrets,” Aug. 15
Manning’s apology for leaking classified material is too little, too late. He did a disservice to his country and to his fellow service members, and he possibly put Americans in danger.
Yes, Manning is apologetic, but doesn’t everyone who gets caught doing something bad apologize?
During Manning’s trial, it was revealed that he showed signs of mental distress, including one instance in which he showed a picture of himself dressed as a woman. Are we supposed to forgive him because he had an identity crisis?
What Manning and fellow leaker Edward Snowden did by giving out national security information are acts of treason, and both men should go to prison for life.
Neil Snow
Manhattan Beach
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