* Please Forward Widely *
MAWO Free Public Forum
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BRADLEY MANNING: SOLDIER OF HUMANITY
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TUESDAY April 17
7pm
Joe's Cafe Large North Hall
1150 Commercial Dr. at William St.
Bradley Manning, a 24-year-old U.S. Army intelligence analyst, has been in U.S. prison for two years without trial, faced over 10 months of solidarity confinement, in conditions that are illegal even under U.S. military law. His crime? Bradley Manning is accused of leaking the "collateral damage" video footage showing the killing of civilians, including two Reuters journalists, by a U.S. Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. He is also charged with sharing documents known as the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and U.S. diplomatic cables with WikiLeaks. For the so-called "crime" of blowing the whistle on war crimes, Bradley Manning faces 22 charges, including "Aiding the enemy by indirect means," for which a conviction could result in the death penalty or life in prison.
Across the U.S. and around the world, the campaign to Free Bradley Manning is growing. Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO) here in Vancouver, Lower Mainland and across British Columbia, has taken up the campaign to Free Bradley Manning in joining the worldwide campaign that is growing every day. For more info please visit: www.bradleymanning.org
Come out to MAWO's forum to join our launching of the campaign and to learn from leading U.S. organizers and activists about who Bradley Manning is, and why peace loving people should join the campaign to defend the rights of Bradley Manning, a courageous Soldier for Humanity.
Multimedia, Speakers and Discussion
With:
>> Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist Project Director & Bradley Manning Support Network Steering Committee member, speaking via videoconference
>> A guest activist and organizer from U.S. Veterans for Peace
>> Janine Solanki, Co-Chair of MAWO
For poster click:
http://www.mawovancouver.org/materials/posters/120417-mawo-bradleymannin...
For postcard click:
http://www.mawovancouver.org/materials/postcards/120417-MAWO-BradleyMann...
For Bradley Manning brochure click:
http://www.mawovancouver.org/materials/brochures/MAWO-BradleyManning-bro...
To join facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/events/302986629772182/
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MAWO ~ Mobilization Against War & Occupation
http://WWW.MAWOVANCOUVER.ORG
info@mawovancouver.org
P 604.322.1764 || F 604.322.1763
Bradley Manning And The Appalling Silence of Gay, Inc. - by Andy Thayer
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/02/22/bradley-manning-and-the-appalling...
"...So why is it that all of the big gay non-profits from the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) to The Human Rights Campaign (CHRC) - 'Gay Inc.' - have failed to utter a word of support for Private Bradley Manning, let alone really campaign for him? He's gay, has moderately high name recognition, and unlike any number of air-head celebrities, he's actually done something to support social justice..."
The Uncommon Courage of Bradley Manning - by Marjorie Cohn
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-uncommon-courage-of-bradley-manning/532...
"Bradley Manning has pleaded guilty to 10 charges including possessing and willfully communicating to an unauthorized person all the main elements of the WikiLeaks disclosure. The charges carry a total of 20 years in prison..."
Bradley Manning Admits to Leaking 'the Most Significant Documents of Our Time' (and vid)
http://rt.com/usa/manning-sentence-wikileaks-assange-626/
"Manning hoped releasing intelligence to WikiLeaks would 'spark a domestic debate on the role of our military and foreign policy in general'..."
Courageous, but if he had sought to spark a debate regarding the pros and cons of US foreign policy, I don't know through what lens he was observing his own country, where as far as I can tell, any and all domestic and foreign atrocities are deemed necessary by the majority. Anything else seems to relegated in what passes for debate as belonging to the realm of 'socialism,' 'liberalism,' or a host of other terms intended as derogatory, and un-American. The USA certainly didn't become the menace to humanity that it is over the objections of the majority who live there.
American Exceptionalism is the only religion adhered to by more Americans than Christianity.
Manning, imprisoned and abused for 1000 days or so without trial. finally gets to speak.
Apparently, prior to going to Wikileaks, Manning tried, to no avail, to interest the complicit major media in the disclosures directly--only to be rebuffed.
It was was only when major press knew Wikileaks would make them public that some of them made publishing agreements to avoid being scooped. These agreements (in some cases broken by the major publishers) were followed by the same media engaged in relentless attacks on their Wikileaks partner.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/28/bradley-manning-hero...
That Manning was able to give such a strong coherent condemnation of US war practices after the more than two years of isolation and other abuse rather than show up at trial as a broken, incoherent shell of a man asking for clemency as the US government expected only increases my admiration of him.
Apart from Greenwald's excellent piece above, however, the effect of Manning's immense contribution as a whistle-blower is seriously undermined and devalued by The Guardian's outrageous attacks and prolonged smear campaign against Manning's 'messenger' WikiLeaks and Julian Assange...
Pravda UK: Guardian's Assange Coverage Descends Into Farce - by Simon Wood
http://99998271.blogspot.jp/2013/02/pravda-uk-guardians-assange-coverage...
Chris Hedges: We Are Bradley Manning
http://readersupportednews.org/off-site-opinion-section/369-wikileaks/16...
"A statement that Manning made to the court was a powerful and moving treatise on the importance of placing conscience above personal safety, the necessity of sacrificing careers and liberty for the public good, and the moral imperative of carrying out acts of defiance.
Manning will surely pay with many years - perhaps his entire life - in prison. But we too will pay. The war against Bradley Manning is a war against us all..."
This is somewhat msleading in its unnuanced attack on the Guardian.
Although it's historically true the weight of Assange press in the Guardian, probably backed by considerable editorial and/or publisher weight, has favored anti-Assange articles and the promotion of critters like David Leigh and his book (which may have violated the Guardian-Wikileaks publishing agreement by publishing the lengthy encryption code to the cables file,--allowing anyone to access to the entire locked, unredacted, file).
Yet, since Greenwald was hired by the Guardian, he has continued his exposure of the media smear campaigns and anti-Wikileaks political manuevering. Additionally, the Guardian has allowed a number of other dissenting voices on the topic, including John Pilcher. This has provided some balance to the picture.
This is in contrast to the New York Times which also turned its symbiotic relationship with Wikileaks into a unrelenting parisitcal one in attacking its source.
The largley ad hominem attacks resulted in the NYT not being included in the second release of the redacted cables--(whereupon the Guardian struck some sort of side-deal and forwarded the documents to the NYT again, apparently, contrary to its own Wikileaks agreement).
Whatever the reason, the Guardian now allows more diversity of articulate opinion on Assange than any other major english-speaking media outlet.
See also from the Hedges article:
http://truth-out.org/news/item/14906-after-revealing-atrocities-of-asymm...
Have you ever thought about how many innocent Iraqi deaths Bradley Manning is responsible for?
How many death warrants did he sign off on? How many drone attacks were conducted because of his work as an Intelligence Analyst?
Do you believe as I do, the only reason why he released on material to Wikileaks was to redeem and clear his conscience?
Why do we hold him such high regards for such dishonourable actions as fighting against the innocent Iraqi people and by willfully joining the American killing machine after knowing the crimes it has committed since 2002 in Iraq and Afghanistan (and earlier wars)?
Yes, he did the world good by releasing those secrets that he did however these actions should not be covered up by the other crimes he committed in Iraq.
He was a low ranking collector of information. Others performed the analysis. Other than that there is no evidence his intel collection responsibilities led to any deaths.
For more information on The Guardian, described by one early insider as "a paper that will remain bourgeois to the last", See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian
I do not believe it is that simple, he was part of a BCT that conducted hostile offensive operations against the Iraqi people. No matter what level he participated he, he was part of collection of intelligence that lead to operations that killed many innocent Iraqi civilians.
The fact of this is being covered up, and not talked about sickens me.
Even a low level collector of intelligence would have preformed some type of analytical work before pushing it up the chain of command.
Drones are controlled by the BCT, so it is very possible and likely that he prepared reports and targets for the drones to hit.
All coverage I have seen states that his unit was missing intelligence analysts, so it likely that more work was pushed down on to him.
Complicity can be extended all the way down to the average voter and taxpayer. I'm not sure that we know to what extent stop loss affected him. I’d be comfortable in wagering that many analysts have no idea of the tactical uses that the information is dedicated toward, especially in 'need to know' environments. They're lucky if they see something weeks or months later in a newspaper relating to their work.
Yeah let's not waste our time pointing out how the vicious empire is becoming even more the centrally planned and secretive military dictatorship that it is and has been since 1947. That Obama has prosecuted more whistleblowers than all other cosmetic governments in Warshington combined is not, and we repeat, is NOT the issue here.
The issue is not even whether the USSA has become "like a police state." In fact, the USSA IS a police state!
And our vicious, vicious toadies at the helm in Ottawa simply follow orders from their bosses in Warshington.
The glasnost is half full.
QFT
[url=http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/04/27-5]Bradley Manning is Off Limits at SF Gay Pride Parade, but Corporate Sleaze is Embraced[/url]
'Shame, Shame, Shame!' SF Pride Revokes Choice of Bradley Manning as Grand Marshal
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/wikileaks
"...The political firestorm that has broken open over Bradley Manning and the San Francisco Pride parade is of great import not only for the LGBT community but far beyond..."
Is anyone not expecting the news to break that Manning has 'killed himself over the shame of his actions"?
Worldwide protests ahead of Bradley Manning's Monday trial (rt.com)
Creating a public transcript of the Bradley Manning trial (rabble.ca)
This is an extremely important story, but why is it in "national news"?
@ Lagatta
Perhaps because of the Canadian solidarity event which begins the thread..
Day One of Manning Trial Focuses on Intent of WikiLeaks Source (and vid)
http://rt.com/usa/bradley-manning-military-trial-182/
"The military trial of admitted WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning began Monday morning in Fort Meade, Maryland, more than three years after he was arrested in Iraq." LIVE UPDATES
A New Front in War on WikiLeaks - by Danny Schecter
http://consortiumnews.com/2013/06/01/a-new-front-in-war-on-wikileaks/
Doco 'We Steal Secrets' portrays Manning's alleged acts as failure of character..
I'd have put the Canadian solidarity event for an outrage abroad in "activism".
Hypocrisy lies at the heart of the trial of Bradley Manning (guardian.co.uk)
If anyone read the wikipedia entry on Bradly Manning, it is safe to say he is more transgender than gay.
Manning Exposed Myriad of Criminal Activities by US Government: Scott Rickard (and vid)
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/06/03/307016/bradley-manning-case-tra...
Transcripts From Bradley Manning's Trial Here
https://pressfreedomfoundation.org/bradley-manning-transcripts
"We will post full transcripts shortly after each day's proceedings end."
RT-Cross Talk: The Passion of Bradley Manning (and vid)
http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/passion-of-bradley-manning-366
"Should Bradley Manning be on trial? What is he supposedly guilty of? Is he merely a scapegoat, a warning to all whistleblowers? And what does this trial say about the US judicial system? CrossTalking with Tighe Barry and David Sheldon."
That was a very good analysis olda. A point I would add is that power's adaptablilty is nearly infinite. It appears capable of including anything that doesn't seriously threaten the central issue that must always remain intact, no matter what favours are loaned out to the population. The issue is the current power arrangement itself. Things are in vogue and at the service of power until they're not. All possible combinations are brought together as required into a state of constant flux. The confused idiots on the right who can't seem to keep up with events are only useful until they begin repeating out loud the convenient things they were told before. We witness the same phenomona when the left are finally made like gangsters and recognized as part of the establishment, only to have someone open their mouth about socialism. To locate those unfortunates you'd have to check the trunk or look under a bus. The more an organization depends upon the good graces of power, the more it begins to speak with the voice of the authority that recognizes it.
Manning Not Guilty of Aiding the Enemy, Faces 130+ Yrs in Jail on Other Charges
http://rt.com/usa/manning-not-guilty-aiding-enemy-805/
Updates
Manning Guilty: War Criminals On The Loose - by Pepe Escobar
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-310713.html
"...Manning may die behind bars. Meanwhile, Dubya, Cheney, Rummy, Wolfie - certifiable war criminals - remain at large."
The Courage of Bradley Manning Will Inspire Others - by John Pilger
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-courage-of-bradley-manning-will-inspire...
"...It is a funeral here at Fort Meade,' Alexa O Brien told me. 'The US government wants to bury Manning alive. He is a genuinely earnest young man with not an ounce of mendacity. The mainstream media finally came on the day of the verdict.
They showed up for a gladiator match - to watch the gauntlet go down, thumbs pointed down.'
The criminal nature of the American military is beyond dispute..."
as is that of their servile northern ally
Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison
http://rt.com/usa/manning-sentence-years-jail-785/
"A US military judge has sentenced Army Pfc Bradley Manning to 35 years in prison. Manning faced up to 90 years behind bars, while prosecutors sought to put the whistleblower away for a minimum of six decades. Manning will have to serve a third of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
The prosecution had sought a 60-year sentence, arguing that the stiff term would deter others from leaking 'classified information.' 'There's value in deterrence,' prosecutor Capt. Joe Morrow said in his closing argument on Monday.
For reaction and more details follow RT's LIVE UPDATES"
He deserves the 35 years in jail for being part of an Army of Occupation. Innocent Iraqi blood is on his hands.
That's a joke, right?
How about like you and me and everyone else here deserves that same sentence for being plugged into the oil that blood paid for?
No... that's not a General Electric warhead sitting over on my kitchen counter; it's a GE toaster.
I mean, I'm not surprised at the sentence, and it could also be seen as a poke in the eye to the military establishment, but really, who are you kidding?
He was an Intelligence Analyst, what do you think he was doing in Iraqi, handing out candy to little kids and helping old ladies cross the road? He is responsible for Iraqi deaths, he may not have pulled the trigger himself but he helped send in the soldiers that did pull the triggers.
However since no suppose progressive organization wants to look into the deaths he is responsible for, he is viewed as a national hero. It is okay he maybe be responsible for killing Iraqis however we can ignore that because he help spill the beans on a few issues.
Let’s not ask tough questions. Stick with the party line.
He did say he was sorry that his actions hurt people...
Bradley Manning Apologizes For Hurting US
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/08/14/manning-wikileaks-apology....
"US soldier Bradley Manning took the stand Wednesday at his sentencing hearing in the WikiLeaks case and apologized for hurting his country, pleading with a military judge for a chance to go to college and become a productive citizen.
'I am sorry that my actions hurt people. I'm sorry that they hurt the United States,' he said as he began. He said he realizes now that he should have worked more aggressively 'inside the system' to draw attention to his concerns about the way the war was being waged.
Manning's attorneys contend he showed clear signs of deteriorating mental health before and during his deployment that should have prevented commanders from sending him to a war zone to handle classified information.
Navy Capt. David Moulton, a psychiatrist who spent 21 hours interviewing Manning at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. after his arrest, testified as a defnce witness that Manning's gender identity disorder, combined with narcissistic personality traits, idealism and his lack of friends in Iraq, caused him to conclude he could change the world by leaking classified information...
Moulton also reported for the first time in open court that Manning has symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome and Asperger syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder.."
@ Todrick
Hey, not everyone is singing his unreserved praises, and personally, I don't take the fact that he betrayed his oath lightly. There was no way around him getting convicted.
But if it's all about the punishment, and putting people in jail until they are 60 is the sort of thing that seems just and fair to you, you might want to look at ways in which the rest of us support that exact same system, with the difference that many of us do nothing about it.
Putting all the blame on those who do our dirty work and saying they deserve their fate is nothing short of hypocrisy. That would be level six of Dante's inferno - spending eternity walking in circles wearing a gold-plated monk's robe that is filled with heavy lead.
Manning will be eligible for parole in about 7 years.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/us/manning-sentenced-for-leaking-go...
@Todrick:
The materials that Private Manning gave to WikiLeaks included a video taken during an American helicopter attack in Baghdad in 2007 in which civilians were killed, including two journalists. He also gave WikiLeaks some 250,000 diplomatic cables, dossiers of detainees being imprisoned without trial at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and hundreds of thousands of incident reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
@NDPP
The documents he gave to WikiLeaks set off a scramble inside the government as officials sought to minimize any harm, including protecting foreigners identified in some documents as having helped American diplomats or the military. No evidence emerged that anyone was killed because of the leaks.
@Airelc
Sure he provided a lot evidenced of war crimes, I am not disputing what he did. I want to talk about his war crimes as an Intelligence Analyst as a member of illegal Army of Occupation.
I'm not holding out any hope of him getting out soon. He is in the military system after all, and I bet some of them are pissed off he's not swinging from a rope.
Parole, even in the regular system, is contingent on admitting that what you did was wrong and saying you would not do it again - Robert Latimer failed to get parole for that very reason.
His regrets aside, I don't think Manning's post-sentence statement reflects that admission of wrongdoing:
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2013/8/21/bradley_manning_sometimes_you...
Bradley Manning: 'Everything is Going to Be OK'
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/367-wikileaks/19016-bradley...
"It is a sad day in America when the revealer of war crimes goes to prison while the war criminals remain free..."
[url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/bradley-manning-says-he-is-fem... Manning will begin hormone therapy to live as a woman[/url]
On the CBC this morning, there was discussion of nominating Manning for the Nobel Peace Prize. For those who are interested, here's a link to one of what I'm sure are several petitions that is making the rounds:
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7612
Unbelievable courage.
You can actually nominate anybody for a Nobel prize. So tey dont have to discuss it, they can jsut do it
More at the link...
[url=http://jezebel.com/how-not-to-react-to-the-news-that-bradley-manning-is-... How Not to React to the News that Bradley Manning is Transgender[/url]
given that bradley says he is a woman and wants to be called Chelsea - should the thread title be changed and should we start using the pronoun she in discussions?
Thanks Ghislaine. I've made the change. We also changed the name and relevant pronouns in our reprint if Manning's statement.
thanks catchfire! [url=http://feministing.com/2013/08/23/the-shameful-unacceptable-media-coverage-of-chelsea-mannings-transition/ here [/url] is an article discussion the issue:
..this video produced be for the request to be called chelsea
Bradley Manning, the Nuremberg Charter and Refusing to Collaborate with War Crimes
video
http://www.zcommunications.org/bradley-manning-the-nuremberg-charter-and...
Hormone therapy for transgender individuals is supported and continued in Canadian prisons and jails, though I don't know about American military prisons.
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