Attorney for convicted whistleblower Private Bradley Manning discusses the case and the evidence hidden from the public.---

Top of the Alty World

“He Wanted to Help America”--Democracy Now!

A new study says marijuana can improve one's mental state.--Rolling Stone

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe says homosexuality “destroys nations.”—Slate

Convicted whistleblower Bradley Manning's next challenge will be gender transition in prison, as he now identifies as Chelsea Manning.--Mother Jones

Top of Alty Utah

An ex-legislator pleaded guilty to posession of marijuana and child porn but walked free and paid a minimal fine.--Salt Lake City Weekly

Sen. Mike Lee tells a townhall meeting that it is possible to defund “Obamacare” even though it would mean having Obama sign such a resolution into law.--Salt Lake City Weekly

A Utah publisher cancels a novel because the biographical blurb of one of the author's references his same-sex partner.--Q Salt Lake

Regulators warn that con artists may be seeking donations for bogus wildfire-relief charities.--Salt lake City Weekly

Rantosphere

Truth-Out argues for Obama to pardon whistle blower Private Bradley Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking confidential information.

“As Amnesty International noted, Manning has already served more than three years in pretrial detention, including 11 months in conditions described by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture as cruel and inhumane. Amnesty is calling on President Obama to commute Manning's sentence to time served. Under the Constitution, the power of the President of the United States to grant clemency is absolute. It is not subject to Congressional or court review. When there was a public debate in the United States about the United States' use of torture during the Bush Administration, many critics of this country's use of torture correctly said: "It's about who we are." Manning's sentence is about who we are. “--Truth-Out

The Long View

The L.A. Weekly profiles the adventurous and troubled life of war correspondent Michael Hastings, who likely suffered from post-traumatic-stress disorder and died recently in a freak car accident.

“In the days leading up to his death, one of his brothers visited L.A. in an attempt to get Hastings into rehab; he later told investigators he feared more serious drug use. Hastings had long been both brilliant and troubled. Friends recall him as a captivating storyteller. "It was thrilling to have a conversation, because you never knew where it might end up," says Alyona Minkovski, a close friend. "Everybody was drawn to him." He was charming; he also could be an asshole. That was all part of his public persona. But, he also had a darker side, which he tended to keep hidden.”--L.A. Weekly