Bradley Manning...

[Workingman]

... now claims that he is a woman - Chelsea.

No Brad, this is a ploy. You have just been given 35 tough years for selling your country's secrets and once the other inmates recognise who you are your life will be hell. You know that, and this is a way, you think, of making your time easier.

I hope that the authorities see through your scam and refuse you any treatment.

[TheOstrich]

I was amazed he only got 35 years, knowing American justice.

I thought when they announced it that they'd missed a "0" off the end.

Or knowing the Americans, two "0"s .....

[Suff]

The question is whether he will survive 35 months, let alone 35 years.

Leavenworth houses some of the worst prisoners of the military. They tend to be of limited education, fanatically loyal to the country and incredibly violent.

Maybe he wants to be put in the women's section of the prison??? Then again I've met many women in the Army of whom I would not like to be their "bitch"....

Whatever, if he's put in the men's wing, he's going to be somebodies "wife" unless he is in solitary and I doubt he would survive 35 years in solitary with any kind of sanity.

Whatever happens, Bradley Manning will be a broken and diminished husk of the person that has just been convicted, even if he does get out alive. There will be no parole for his crimes. He embarrassed too many people. In fact they could condone his release more easily if he had quietly leaked secrets to the Russians or China.

More importantly Bradley Manning will become "Bradley Who" in 2 or 3 years when the press have finally milked it of every last £ of circulation. Only brought back up as Julian Assange is in the press as his situation changes in one way or another.

[debih]

I only caught this on the radio news yesterday and did wonder what on earth his ploy was. It is a very odd time to announce that you want to live as a woman - I wonder what he thinks will happen by announcing that.

I am off to google it to find out more.

[debih]

Ah I see.

His lawyer says he has always wanted to be a woman and that he is going to take legal action to make the prison provide hormone therapy for him.

So fair enough, he has always wanted to be a woman but could not perhaps afford it before. Now he is going to attempt to get the American government pay for it.

The article (BBC news one) also says that he could be out on parole after 7 years.

[cromwell]

The thing that strikes me above all is that he is obviously a troubled and unstable individual. Not exactly a person you would want to have access to sensitive security information! But that is what happened.
He / she will be eligible for parole in eight years, regardless of his 35 year sentence. I bet he'll be out in ten.