Click on the headline to link to the Private Bradley Manning Support Network for the latest information on his case and activities on his behalf .
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We of the international anti-war movement were not able to do much to affect the Bush- Obama Iraq war timetable or, as of now, the Afghanistan one, but we can save the one hero of that war, American soldier Private Bradley Manning. The Manning legal case, and Private Manning as an exceptionally brave individual, can and should serve to rally all those looking for a concrete way to express their anti-war outrage at the continuing atrocious American imperial war policies. The message below can serve as a continuing rationale for my (and your) support to this honorable whistleblower.
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The following are remarks that I have been focusing on of late to build support for Private Manning’s cause at stand-outs, marches and rallies.
Veterans for Peace proudly stands in solidarity with, and in defense of, Private Bradley Manning.
I stand in solidarity with the alleged actions of Private Bradley Manning in bringing to light, just a little light, some of the nefarious war-related doings of this government, under Bush and Obama. Those precious bits of information leaked to Wikileaks about American soldiers committing war atrocities in Iraq as chronicled in the tape known on YouTube as “Collateral Murder” and the Iraq and Afghan War Diaries. If he did such acts they are no crime. No crime at all in my eyes or in the eyes of the vast majority of people who know of the case and of its importance as an individual act of resistance to the unjust and barbaric American-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I sleep just a shade bit easier these days knowing that Private Manning may have exposed what we all knew, or should have known- the Iraq war and the Afghan war justifications rested on a flim-flam house of cards. American imperialism’s gun-toting flim-flam house of cards, but cards nevertheless.
I am standing in solidarity with Private Bradley Manning because I am outraged by the treatment meted out to Private Manning, presumably an innocent man, by a government who alleges itself to be some “beacon” of the civilized world. Bradley Manning has been held in solidarity at Quantico, other locales, and now at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas for over two years, and has been held without trial for longer, as the government and its military try to glue a case together. The military, and its henchmen in the Justice Department, have gotten more devious although not smarter since I was a soldier in their crosshairs over forty years ago.
Many of us have become somewhat inured to the constant cases of jackboot torturous behavior on the part of the American military in places like Guantanamo, Bagram and other national security hellhole black box locations against foreign nationals. We have also become inured, or at least no longer surprised, when American civilian citizens are subject to such actions, and more likely death. However, as recent allegations of pre-trial torturous conduct condoned by high military authority (see the allegations and motion to dismiss charged on the Bradley Manning Support Network website) by Private Manning’s civilian defense lawyer David Coombs make clear, those acts are not confined to foreign nationals and American civilian citizens. The torture of Private Manning, an American soldier, by the American government should give us all pause. And should have us shouting to the heavens for his release.
These are more than sufficient reasons to stand in solidarity with Private Manning and will be until the day this brave soldier is freed by his jailers. And I will continue to stand in proud solidarity with Private Manning until that great day.
I urge everyone to sign the petition calling on the American military to free Private Bradley Manning either here or on the Bradley Manning Support Network website. And if we cannot get Private Manning freed that way I urge everyone to begin a campaign in your area to call on President Barack Obama, or whoever is president while Private Manning is incarcerated, to pardon this brave soldier. The American president has the constitutional authority to grant pardons to the guilty and innocent, the convicted and those facing charges. I call on President Obama to pardon Private Manning now.
Immediate Unconditional Withdrawal of All U.S./Allied Troops And Mercenaries From Afghanistan! Hands Off Iran! Free Private Manning Now! President Obama Pardon Private Manning!
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Truth on trial: A special event for Bradley Manning in Washington D.C.
Bradley Manning: Truth on Trial
September 30th, 5:00pm to 7:30pm
Georgetown University Law Center, Downtown Washington DC
600 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington DC (near Union Station)
Featuring:
CHRIS HEDGES – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and war correspondent
THOMAS DRAKE – Former National Security Agency senior executive, whistle-blower
JESSELYN RADACK – Former Department of Justice ethics adviser, whistle-blower
US ARMY COL. ANN WRIGHT (ret.) – Former State Department diplomat, whistle-blower
DAVID HOUSE – Friend of Bradley Manning’s, co-founder of BMSN, Activist
$10 suggested donation at the door for event expenses. Wheelchair accessible.
Presented by the Bradley Manning Support Network and the Georgetown Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild
On September 30, some of the most prominent whistle-blowers and civil liberties advocates of our time will gather to speak out for a fellow truth-teller that the military is trying to cage for life. Author and reporter Chris Hedges, who’s suing the Obama Administration for the unconstitutional NDAA, will discuss how Manning’s case will affect our civil liberties to come. NSA whistle-blower Thomas Drake will recount his experience being prosecuted for exposing illegal wiretapping, and he’ll compare Manning’s case with his own. Jesselyn Radack, Department of Justice whistle-blower and advocate and lawyer for those who expose crime and corruption, will expound on just how vital whistle-blowers are and why we need to protect Bradley Manning. Retired Colonel Ann Wright will recount her efforts bringing awareness to Manning’s case and explain what needs to be done in the months to come. Finally, friend of Manning and co-founder of the Support Network David House will detail the financial struggles of the Network and the importance of standing up for Bradley now.
Bradley is approaching 900 days in prison without a court martial, and he shouldn’t be on trial in the first place. Bradley had the courage to potentially sacrifice his future for an informed citizenry, and we owe it to him to support him today. Join us September 30 for a tribute to the truth, and those who work tirelessly to expose it.
If you’re not in the Washington D.C. area, stay tuned for information about a livestream video of the event!
Chris Hedges Jesselyn Raddack Thomas Drake
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