We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408852 and marked it off-topic.

I didn't mean to troll. I just wanted to point out that it's not true that POTUS is the least free person -- kind of ridiculous to say it. I wanted a quick example of someone everyone knows who is incarcerated.

I don't actually have much of an opinion one way or the other about Manning.

Well that might just happen if you, as a member of the military, steal documents from the military.

Partially because it isn't really relevant to the discussion at all. You're just ham-fisting an agenda into a separate conversation.

Not to mention one could certainly debate the definition of "free world".

Certainly wonder why this is being downvoted. If you're in prison you're certainly in no part of a free world. Even given the definition of the free world as being the democratic world, are you really a part of it in prison?