6 Ways To Support Heroic Wikileaks Whistle-Blower Private Bradley Manning

 

*Sign the online petition at the Bradley Manning Support Network (for link go to http://www.bradleymanning.org/ ) addressed to the Secretary of the Army to drop all the charges and free Bradley Manning-1100 plus days are enough! Join the over 30,000 supporters in the United States and throughout the world clamoring for Bradley’s well-deserved freedom.

*The government is now prosecuting Bradley for the major charges of “aiding the enemy” (Espionage Act) and “material aid to terrorism.” Everyone should contact the presiding officer of the court –martial process, General Linnington, at 1-202-685-2807 and tell him to drop those charges. Once Maj. Gen. Linnington’s voicemail box is full – you can also leave a message at the DOD: (703) 571-3343 – press “5″ to leave a comment.*If this mailbox is also full, leave the Department of Defense a written message. Do it today.

*Come to our stand-out in support of Private Bradley Manning in Central Square, Cambridge, Ma. (corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Prospect Street near MBTA Redline station) every Wednesday between 5-6 PM.

*Contribute to the Bradley Manning Defense Fund- now that the trial has started funds are urgently needed! The hard fact of the American legal system is the more funds available the better the defense, especially in political prisoner cases like Bradley’s.  The government has unlimited financial and personnel resources to prosecute Bradley. And has used them. So help out with whatever you can spare. For link go to http://www.bradleymanning.org/

*Call (Comments”202-456-1111), write The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500, e-mail-(http://www.whitehouse.gov’contact/submitquestions-and comments) the White House to demand President Obama pardon Bradley Manning.

*Write letters of solidarity to Bradley Manning while he is being tried. Bradley’s mailing address: Commander, HHC, USAG, Attn: PFC Bradley Manning, 239 Sheridan Avenue, Bldg. 417, JBM-HH, VA 22211. Bradley Manning cannot receive stamps or money in any form. Photos must be on copy paper. Along with “contraband,” “inflammatory material” is not allowed. Six page maximum. Mail sent to the above address is forwarded to Bradley.    

and a seventh...

5 reasons to attend Army whistleblower Bradley Manning’s trial

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*Please note that this next week court is not in session on Monday (6/24), Tuesday will be a short day, and the trial will resume as normal Wednesday (6/26) at 9:30am, with our weekly vigil taking place from 7-8am that day.

#1: Show the judge the public is watching her

At the beginning of each day of trial, the prosecuting attorney stands and reads to the court information about the levels of public attendance. During most days of the court martial, seats have remained free in the courtroom, and the overflow trailer which provides video feed of the proceedings has remained unused. We hope you’ll help us to change this.

Judge Lind knows that a high-profile case like this one will be part of her legacy. She’s not supposed to read any news about the trial, but there’s no more direct way to show her the importance that her decisions will have for the public than by members of the public taking it upon themselves to fill up her courtroom.

#2: Your attendance means a lot to Bradley and his lawyer

Bradley Manning is a 25 year-old with a conscience who has already spent three years of his life behind bars, and faces potential life imprisonment, all for trying to serve the public good. Despite the gravity of his situation, he maintains optimism, and his attorney David Coombs has explained that his supporters have a lot to do with that.

Mr. Coombs took the opportunity at a public presentation last December to personally thank those who attend the court proceedings and explain how much it means to him:

When I’m in the courtroom, I stand up and I look to my right and I see the United States government, the United States government with all of its resources, all of its personnel. I see them standing against me and Brad, and I have to admit to you that can be rather intimidating and I was intimidated, especially when the President of the United States says, “Your client broke the law.” Especially, when Congress members say, “Your client deserves the death penalty.” I want to tell you, though, today as I stand here, I’m no longer intimidated. I am not intimidated because when I stand up, I know I’m not standing alone. I know I’m not alone because I turn around and I see the support behind me. I see members here today in the audience that are there every time we have a court hearing. I see, what now I’m going to affectionately call the “truth battalion,” those who wear… a black shirt, it has the word “truth” on it and they’re behind me. I look there and I know that I also have unlimited personnel and unlimited resources.

#3: Observe history in action

What happens during Bradley’s trial will affect the future of American journalism and whistleblowing, as well as our fundamental right to know what our government does in our name and with our tax dollars. The legal theory being used by the government to charge Bradley with “Aiding the Enemy” would apply to others who reveal government wrongdoing whether they release 1 document or 1,000, and whether they give information to WikiLeaks or the New York Times. Nobel Peace Laureates, the L.A. Times editorial board, Harvard Law professors, a former State Department Spokesperson and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg all have condemned this charge.

BUT, this trial will not be televised, so attending as a public observer is the only way to see firsthand the precedent that is being set for future generations, and to watch the important players in action.

Decades from now, people will still be discussing this trial. Wouldn’t you like to be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you were there when it mattered?

#4: Communicate to the media this is an issue worth covering

There may always be something new taking over the airwaves, but major U.S. newspapers still send their reporters to cover Bradley’s trial every day it’s in session. While sitting in the media center, reporters can see whether or not public is in attendance in the Ft. Meade courtroom. They often come to conduct interviews with supporters during court recess.

Since attendance at the court martial is one of the most obvious gauges of public interest in the trial that these reporters get to see, the more people who attend the proceedings, the more these papers’ editors will view this as an issue worthy of their front page.

#5: Meet other activists

Interesting people attend the trial from all over the country, and sometimes even the world. There are anti-war veterans from Maryland, lawyers from DC, artists from New York, school teachers from Michigan, and writers from California. And one thing they all have in common is an understanding of the importance this trial carries for one brave young man’s life, as well as our ability as citizens promote transparency in government, and to stop unjust war and human rights violations worldwide.

More importantly, they all know it’s up to us to address these issues and take action to make our world a better place. As we say in our solidarity campaign, “we are all Bradley Manning.”

So come to the trial, earn a truth t-shirt, show Bradley and Judge Lind your support in-person, and meet interesting people you’ll be glad to know well into the future. See directions to the courtroom below.

Getting to Ft. Meade to attend the trial

Any member of the public with government-issued ID is welcome to attend.

Check the Upcoming Events section on www.bradleymanning.org for updates to the trial schedule.

Driving to the Front Gate at Maryland 175 and Reece Rd is the easiest way to access the base (get directions via Google maps). If driving, make sure you have up-to-date vehicle registration and driver’s license. If you wish to attend the morning session, we recommend arriving at the visitor control center at 9am in order to pick up a map and clear security before court starts at 9:30am. If arriving later you will be able to enter during a court recess.

Don’t have access to a car? Someone from BMSN or a carpool driver can pick you up from Odenton MARC station if you arrive there by 8:45am. E-mail emma@bradleymanning.org to request a pickup.

If arriving later without a car, the Odenton MARC station is three miles from the entrance to Ft. Meade and is a walk-able or bike-able road if you so desire. You can also call a Maryland cab to pick you up and take you onto the base.

The first day that court is in session each week, we have a vigil from 7-8am in front of the Main Gate at 175 Maryland and Reece Rd. E-mail emma@bradleymanning.org for vigil updates.

Thank you for supporting Bradley!

5 reasons to attend Army whistleblower Bradley Manning’s trial

digg

*Please note that this next week court is not in session on Monday (6/24), Tuesday will be a short day, and the trial will resume as normal Wednesday (6/26) at 9:30am, with our weekly vigil taking place from 7-8am that day.

#1: Show the judge the public is watching her

At the beginning of each day of trial, the prosecuting attorney stands and reads to the court information about the levels of public attendance. During most days of the court martial, seats have remained free in the courtroom, and the overflow trailer which provides video feed of the proceedings has remained unused. We hope you’ll help us to change this.

Judge Lind knows that a high-profile case like this one will be part of her legacy. She’s not supposed to read any news about the trial, but there’s no more direct way to show her the importance that her decisions will have for the public than by members of the public taking it upon themselves to fill up her courtroom.

#2: Your attendance means a lot to Bradley and his lawyer

Bradley Manning is a 25 year-old with a conscience who has already spent three years of his life behind bars, and faces potential life imprisonment, all for trying to serve the public good. Despite the gravity of his situation, he maintains optimism, and his attorney David Coombs has explained that his supporters have a lot to do with that.

Mr. Coombs took the opportunity at a public presentation last December to personally thank those who attend the court proceedings and explain how much it means to him:

When I’m in the courtroom, I stand up and I look to my right and I see the United States government, the United States government with all of its resources, all of its personnel. I see them standing against me and Brad, and I have to admit to you that can be rather intimidating and I was intimidated, especially when the President of the United States says, “Your client broke the law.” Especially, when Congress members say, “Your client deserves the death penalty.” I want to tell you, though, today as I stand here, I’m no longer intimidated. I am not intimidated because when I stand up, I know I’m not standing alone. I know I’m not alone because I turn around and I see the support behind me. I see members here today in the audience that are there every time we have a court hearing. I see, what now I’m going to affectionately call the “truth battalion,” those who wear… a black shirt, it has the word “truth” on it and they’re behind me. I look there and I know that I also have unlimited personnel and unlimited resources.

#3: Observe history in action

What happens during Bradley’s trial will affect the future of American journalism and whistleblowing, as well as our fundamental right to know what our government does in our name and with our tax dollars. The legal theory being used by the government to charge Bradley with “Aiding the Enemy” would apply to others who reveal government wrongdoing whether they release 1 document or 1,000, and whether they give information to WikiLeaks or the New York Times. Nobel Peace Laureates, the L.A. Times editorial board, Harvard Law professors, a former State Department Spokesperson and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg all have condemned this charge.

BUT, this trial will not be televised, so attending as a public observer is the only way to see firsthand the precedent that is being set for future generations, and to watch the important players in action.

Decades from now, people will still be discussing this trial. Wouldn’t you like to be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you were there when it mattered?

#4: Communicate to the media this is an issue worth covering

There may always be something new taking over the airwaves, but major U.S. newspapers still send their reporters to cover Bradley’s trial every day it’s in session. While sitting in the media center, reporters can see whether or not public is in attendance in the Ft. Meade courtroom. They often come to conduct interviews with supporters during court recess.

Since attendance at the court martial is one of the most obvious gauges of public interest in the trial that these reporters get to see, the more people who attend the proceedings, the more these papers’ editors will view this as an issue worthy of their front page.

#5: Meet other activists

Interesting people attend the trial from all over the country, and sometimes even the world. There are anti-war veterans from Maryland, lawyers from DC, artists from New York, school teachers from Michigan, and writers from California. And one thing they all have in common is an understanding of the importance this trial carries for one brave young man’s life, as well as our ability as citizens promote transparency in government, and to stop unjust war and human rights violations worldwide.

More importantly, they all know it’s up to us to address these issues and take action to make our world a better place. As we say in our solidarity campaign, “we are all Bradley Manning.”

So come to the trial, earn a truth t-shirt, show Bradley and Judge Lind your support in-person, and meet interesting people you’ll be glad to know well into the future. See directions to the courtroom below.

Getting to Ft. Meade to attend the trial

Any member of the public with government-issued ID is welcome to attend.

Check the Upcoming Events section on www.bradleymanning.org for updates to the trial schedule.

Driving to the Front Gate at Maryland 175 and Reece Rd is the easiest way to access the base (get directions via Google maps). If driving, make sure you have up-to-date vehicle registration and driver’s license. If you wish to attend the morning session, we recommend arriving at the visitor control center at 9am in order to pick up a map and clear security before court starts at 9:30am. If arriving later you will be able to enter during a court recess.

Don’t have access to a car? Someone from BMSN or a carpool driver can pick you up from Odenton MARC station if you arrive there by 8:45am. E-mail emma@bradleymanning.org to request a pickup.

If arriving later without a car, the Odenton MARC station is three miles from the entrance to Ft. Meade and is a walk-able or bike-able road if you so desire. You can also call a Maryland cab to pick you up and take you onto the base.

The first day that court is in session each week, we have a vigil from 7-8am in front of the Main Gate at 175 Maryland and Reece Rd. E-mail emma@bradleymanning.org for vigil updates.

Thank you for supporting Bradley!

From The Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archive Website- The Alba Blog

 

http://www.albavolunteer.org/category/blog/

Click on the headline to link to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archive blog page for all kinds of interesting information about that important historic grouping in the International Brigades that fought for our side, the side of the people in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39.

Markin comment:

This blog had gotten my attention for two reasons: those rank and filers who fought to defend democracy, fight the fascists and fight for socialism in Spain for the most part, political opponents or not, were kindred spirits; and, those with first-hand knowledge of those times over seventy years ago are dwindling down to a precious few and so we had better listen to their stories while they are around to tell it. Viva La Quince Brigada!   

*************

Viva La Quinta Brigada Lyrics And Chords Christy Moore. Those who fought in Spain sarcrificed everything, many gave their lives to fight fascism, whenever I run up against to my work from polictal or associated quarters, I think of the sacrifices these soldiers made [Christy Moore]

[C]Ten years be[G]fore I saw the [C]light of morning A comradeship of [F]heroes was laid From every corner of the [G]world came sailing The Fifteenth [F]International [C]Brigade They came to stand beside the Spanish people To try and stem the rising fascist tide Franco's allies were the powerful and wealthy Frank Ryan's men came from the other side Even the olives were bleeding As the battle for Madrid it thundered on Truth and love against the force of evil Brotherhood against the fascist clan [C]Viva la Quin[F]te Brigada 'No Pasaran', [G]the pledge that [C]made them fight 'Adelante' is the cry around [Am]the hillside [F]Let us [G]all remember [C]them tonight Bob Hilliard was a Church of Ireland pastor Form Killarney across the Pyrenees he came From Derry came a brave young Christian Brother Side by side they fought and died in Spain Tommy Woods age seventeen died in Cordoba With Na Fianna he learned to hold his gun From Dublin to the Villa del Rio Where he fought and died beneath the blazing sun Viva la Quinte Brigada 'No Pasaran', the pledge that made them fight 'Adelante' is the cry around the hillside Let us all remember them tonight Many Irishmen heard the call of Franco Joined Hitler and Mussolini too Propaganda from the pulpit and newspapers Helped O'Duffy to enlist his crew The word came from Maynooth, 'support the Nazis' The men of cloth failed again When the Bishops blessed the Blueshirts in Dun Laoghaire As they sailed beneath the swastika to Spain Viva la Quinte Brigada 'No Pasaran', the pledge that made them fight 'Adelante' is the cry around the hillside Let us all remember them tonight This song is a tribute to Frank Ryan Kit Conway and Dinny Coady too Peter Daly, Charlie Regan and Hugh Bonar Though many died I can but name a few Danny Boyle, Blaser-Brown and Charlie Donnelly Liam Tumilson and Jim Straney from the Falls Jack Nalty, Tommy Patton and Frank Conroy Jim Foley, Tony Fox and Dick O'Neill Christy Moore song lyrics and guitar chords

Hands Off Edward Snowden! Hands Off Julian Assange!  Free Bradley Manning! Hands Off The Whistle-Blowers!

WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador to seek asylum

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LYNN BERRY, AP
44 minutes ago

A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee wh...

MOSCOW (AP) — Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs, flew to Russia on Sunday and planned to head to Ecuador to seek asylum, the South American country's foreign minister and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government has received a request for asylum from Snowden. WikiLeaks, which is giving Snowden legal assistance, said his asylum request would be formally processed once he arrived in Ecuador, the same country that has already been sheltering the anti-secrecy group's founder Julian Assange in its London embassy.

Snowden arrived in Moscow on an Aeroflot flight shortly after 5 p.m. (1300gmt) Sunday after being allowed to leave Hong Kong, where he had been in hiding for several weeks after he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs.

Snowden was spending the night in Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and was booked on an Aeroflot flight to Cuba on Monday, the Russian news agencies ITAR-Tass and Interfax reported, citing unnamed airline officials. Aeroflot has no direct flights from Moscow to Quito, Ecuador; travelers would have to make connections in Paris, Rome or Washington, which could be problematic for Snowden.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, the WikiLeaks spokesman, told Britain's Sky News that Snowden would be meeting with diplomats from Ecuador in Moscow. WikiLeaks said he was being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from the group.

The car of Ecuador's ambassador to Russia was parked outside the airport in the evening.

Assange, who has spent a year inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning about sex crime allegations, told the Sydney Morning Herald that WikiLeaks is in a position to help because it has expertise in international asylum and extradition law.

A U.S. official in Washington said Snowden's passport was annulled before he left Hong Kong, which could complicate but not thwart his travel plans. The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authorization to discuss the matter, said that if a senior official in a country or airline ordered it, a country could overlook the withdrawn passport.

While Patino did not say if the asylum request would be accepted, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has shown repeated willingness to irk the U.S. government and he has emerged as one of the leaders of Latin America's leftist bloc, along with Fidel and Raul Castro of Cuba and Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez.

Both the United States and Britain protested his decision to grant asylum to Assange.

Critics have suggested that asylum for Assange might be aimed partly at blunting international criticism of Correa's own tough stance on critics and new restrictions imposed on the news media.

The White House said President Barack Obama has been briefed on Sunday's developments by his national security advisers.

Snowden's departure came a day after the United States made a formal request for his extradition and gave a pointed warning to Hong Kong against delaying the process of returning him to face trial in America.

The Department of Justice said only that it would "continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel."

The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Snowden left "on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel."

It acknowledged the U.S. extradition request, but said U.S. documentation did not "fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law." It said additional information was requested from Washington, but since the Hong Kong government "has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong."

The statement said Hong Kong had informed the U.S. of Snowden's departure. It added that it wanted more information about alleged hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by U.S. government agencies which Snowden had revealed.

Hong Kong's decision to let Snowden go on a technicality appears to be a pragmatic move aimed at avoiding a drawn out extradition battle. The action swiftly eliminates a geopolitical headache that could have left Hong Kong facing pressure from both Washington and Beijing.

Hong Kong, a former British colony, has a high degree of autonomy and is granted rights and freedoms not seen on mainland China, but under the city's mini constitution Beijing is allowed to intervene in matters involving defense and diplomatic affairs. Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the U.S., but the document has some exceptions, including for crimes deemed political.

Russian officials have given no indication that they have any interest in detaining Snowden or any grounds to do so. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia would be willing to consider granting asylum if Snowden were to make such a request. Russia and the United States have no extradition treaty that would oblige Russia to hand over a U.S. citizen at Washington's request.

The Cuban government had no comment on Snowden's movements or reports he might use Havana as a transit point.

Snowden's latest travels came as the South China Morning Post released new allegations from the former NSA contractor that U.S. hacking targets in China included the nation's cellphone companies and two universities hosting extensive Internet traffic hubs.

He told the newspaper that "the NSA does all kinds of things like hack Chinese cellphone companies to steal all of your SMS data." It added that Snowden said he had documents to support the hacking allegations, but the report did not identify the documents. It said he spoke to the newspaper in a June 12 interview.

With a population of more than 1.3 billion, China has massive cellphone companies. China Mobile is the world's largest mobile network carrier with 735 million subscribers, followed by China Unicom with 258 million users and China Telecom with 172 million users.

Snowden said Tsinghua University in Beijing and Chinese University in Hong Kong, home of some of the country's major Internet traffic hubs, were targets of extensive hacking by U.S. spies this year. He said the NSA was focusing on so-called "network backbones" in China, through which enormous amounts of Internet data passes.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the reports of Snowden's departure from Hong Kong to Moscow but did not know the specifics. It said the Chinese central government "always respects" Hong Kong's "handling of affairs in accordance with law." The Foreign Ministry also noted that it is "gravely concerned about the recently disclosed cyberattacks by relevant U.S. government agencies against China."

China's state-run media have used Snowden's allegations to poke back at Washington after the U.S. had spent the past several months pressuring China on its international spying operations.

A commentary published Sunday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Snowden's disclosures of U.S. spying activities in China have "put Washington in a really awkward situation."

"Washington should come clean about its record first. It owes ... an explanation to China and other countries it has allegedly spied on," it said. "It has to share with the world the range, extent and intent of its clandestine hacking programs."

————

Hui reported from London. Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong, Paul Haven in Havana, Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador, and Matthew Lee, Anne Flaherty and Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

***Growing Up Absurd In The 1950s- Penny’s Brand New Phonograph

Click on the headline to link to a YouTube film clip of The Penguins performing their 50s classic, Earth Angel.
Frm The Pen Of Frank Jackman

CD Review

The Golden Age Of American Rock ‘n’ Roll; Volume One, various artists, Ace Records, 1994

Scene: Prompted by the cover photograph, the memory cover photograph, which grace each CD in this The Golden Age Of American Rock ‘n’ Roll series. The photo on this CD, as might be expected, shows the ubiquitous, highly coveted, then and today, old time LP (and 45’s convertible) record player and the family radio, probably RCA, both weapons in the 1950’s teenage wars to have our own music, and to be able to listen to said music 24/7 without parental interference, or knowledge. Of course, not everybody, teenage everybody, and that’s what counted, including rock dizzy Penny had one or the other and that is the struggle we are to presently witness.
*******
“Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Dodd, the kids were no problem and thanks again for the money.” “Whee,” Penny Parker whispered under her breathe, as she went out the door. Those kids were nothing but monsters, refusing to go to bed unless, and until, they watched Maverick on television, Penny played checkers with Bobby and Billy Dodd (sister Laura was satisfied to be a spectator), and they each (all three on this one) got not one, but two scoops of ice cream before surrendering to Penny’s demands. And all for a lousy seventy-five cents an hour. Those were slave wages, slave wages even for a thirteen -year old girl and Penny, Parker proud if not Parker bright, bright yet anyway thought for just a minute to give up this monster-sitting, well, baby-sitting really, up. “No,” she yelled into the Clintondale night, “No way after all I have put up with from those beasts am I giving up my dream record player now, no way.” And that was that.

Penny, Parker bright or proud notwithstanding, was a creature of her times, as we all are more or less. And the times called for every self-respecting teenager, and teenagers were all that counted in Penny’s universe, had his or her own private, up in his or her room, phonograph to play his or her favorite music, rock ‘n’ roll music, naturally. Not some lame Benny Goodman or Doris Day mumble that her parents listened to on the radio downstairs and drove Penny up a wall, maybe up more than one wall. And drove her right out of the Parker door down to Bop Benny’s Record Shop to play the jukebox there when the newest of the new records came out. See, Penny did not have her own record player like every other girl, every other teen-age girl that counted in her class at Clintondale Junior High School. Even Pammy Fuller had one, and Pam’s parents had them practically living on the county farm. But Peter Parker, father Parker, was adamant that he would not pay for anything that was connected with rock ‘n’ roll. Not out of religious principles, or anything like that, but he just hated the sound. Yes, I know, Peter Parker, square, square cubed.

So that left Penny down at Benny’s throwing nickels, dimes, and quarters in that old juke box. Many nickels when Kathy Young’s A Thousand Stars was hot, or when she had a crush, a big crush, on Zack Smith and she “broke the bank,” playing Earth Angel by the Penguins and When We Get Married by The Dreamlovers whenever Zack was in Benny’s and she wanted to draw his attention to her. Or the time when “Foul-Mouth” Phil Jackson dared her to play Eddie My Love by the Teen Queens when he was trying to date her up, or what passed for a date at twelve.

One day her brother, Paul, a year older than Penny but seemingly about a million years wiser saw that she had put at least fifty cents in the box when she was feeling all sentimental about Jimmy Kelly, her ex-beau, or as ex-beau as any thirteen- year old girl is allowed to have, and was playing I Love How You Love Me by the Paris Sisters like crazy. He just flat-out told her after dinner that night that it would be a whole lot easier and less expensive to just get her own record player and play up in her room to her heart’s contend. Penny stood there in disbelief, not in disbelief about the idea but that dear old dad would go for it. Well, the long and short of it, was that dear old dad did go for it, with the usual provisos that there would be no loud or late playing. Sure daddy.

And that prospect, that record player of her very own, with her own platters to spin (records, grooved vinyl records to the squares), and no bother, except maybe to invite Jimmy or Zack over bother, is why this night as she walks home she is muttering about wage slavery, the injustices of the world, the teenage world, the only one that counted in case someone might have forgotten, and other communistic sentiments, if anybody had hear her. Penny figured after that night that another twelve hours of drudgery, another nine dollars and she could get that cool one that she saw in the Sears&Roebuck catalogue.

But then Penny, Parker bright just then, looked pensively down at the sidewalk when she realizes that she would have to buy records to feed that record player and that she would have to continue baby-sitting for slave wages forever with Dodd monsters to get all the 45s that she absolutely needed. And then, horror of horrors, what if Jimmy liked Sixteen Candles by the Crests and Zack didn’t but liked Rockin’ Robin by Bobby Day (and he probably would) and she had to buy both records. Well, what’s a girl to do but, Penny, Parker proud just then, thought she would be able to figure it out.

Update 6/22/13: Report on the trial by Bradley Manning Support staff, livestreamed tomorrow, Sun.

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Who is Bradley Manning and what did he do? Can he use a whistleblower defense? What does it mean that he’s being charged with “Aiding the Enemy”? What was in the documents revealed? Was he following directions from WikiLeaks? How does Edward Snowden’s case relate to that of Bradley Manning? Why should you attend the proceedings at Ft. Meade, MD?
Tomorrow, Sunday, June 23 Court Reporter Nathan Fuller and Campaign Organizer Emma Cape will give the answer to these questions and more at DC’s Busboys and Poets (5th &K location) from 5- 6:30pm Eastern Time!
The Bradley Manning Support Network staff have attended every day of Bradley’s trial thus far and are prepared to discuss details of the ongoing court martial proceedings which began June 3rd. Both the PFC Manning’s defense attorney and the prosecution summarized their arguments in the first week of the trial. In weeks 2 & 3, the discussion focused on forensics experts and evidence.
This event will be livestreamed online, for those unable to attend in-person

Government agrees to provide ongoing access to court documents in Bradley Manning trial

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Judge Rules Further Court Intervention Not Necessary Where Government Voluntarily Acquiesced to Journalists’ Demands
By the Center for Constitutional Rights. June 20, 2013.
press@ccrjustice.org

CCR lawyer Shane Kadidal. Photo credit: The Ithacan (click for source)

June 20, 2013, Baltimore – Last night, a federal district court denied a request for emergency relief in a lawsuit by the Center for Constitutional Rights after the U.S. government voluntarily agreed to provide ongoing access to documents in the court martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning. The suit, bought on behalf of a group of journalists, asked the court for a preliminary injunction under the First Amendment ordering the military judge in the court-martial of Bradley Manning to grant the press and public ongoing access to documents in the proceedings as done in ordinary criminal trials. In addition, the suit challenged the fact that substantive legal matters in the court martial have been decided in secret.
The Judge in the case, Ellen Lipton Hollander, ruled that a First Amendment decision was unnecessary since the government voluntarily acquiesced to the journalists’ demands and stated that the remaining issues in dispute were not significant enough to justify her intervention on an expedited, emergency basis. Her decision came only after the military uploaded to the Internet several thousand pages of case documents on the day before it had to file its opposition brief in this case, vowed under oath to continue doing so throughout Manning’s court-martial, and permitted privately-funded stenographers to produce daily transcripts of the trial.
“The fact that the government released a huge number of documents after suit was filed, and has committed to the release of documents from the court-martial going forward, and on an expedited basis, seriously diminishes the likelihood of irreparable harm to plaintiffs,” wrote Judge Hollander in her decision.
Media coverage of the Manning trial remains burdened by the lack of access to court documents and transcripts that attended the last year and a half of proceedings. The hundreds of documents dumped on the Internet the day before the government had to respond to the lawsuit were posted three days into the trial, when journalists were preoccupied with covering events in court. Moreover, daily transcripts are now being funded by Internet activists rather than provided by the government.
“The last fourteen months of stonewalling have done incalculable damage to the reputation of the military justice system. Three military courts chose to ignore or avoid our claims over the course of a year before the government suddenly conceded most of what we asked for after we filed in federal court,” said CCR Senior Managing Attorney Shayana Kadidal, who argued the motion on Monday in federal court. “It should not take a federal lawsuit to force the Pentagon to allow journalists to have access to unclassified documents in the most important whistleblower trial since the Pentagon papers. We are confident of two things: first, that the restrictions on media access imposed thus far have rendered Manning’s trial fundamentally unfair, and second, that if Manning is convicted and appeals, there will be no way for the government to avoid having a day of reckoning in the military courts on the full scope of media access to courts-martial.”
Attorneys are considering all options for further relief.
Plaintiffs in the case, in addition to the Center for Constitutional Rights, are journalists Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!, The Nation and its national security correspondent Jeremy Scahill, and Wikileaks and its publisher, Julian Assange. Also included are Kevin Gosztola, a civil liberties blogger covering the Manning court martial, and author Chase Madar.
Jonathan Hafetz of Seton Hall Law School is co-counsel with CCR, along with Bill Murphy and John J. Connolly of Zuckerman Spaeder LLP’s Baltimore office.
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change.

***An Old Geezer Jogging, Kind Of, At The North Adamsville"Dust Bowl" (A.K.A. The Cavanaugh Track)

For Bill Bailey, North Adamsville Class Of 1964

YouTube film clip of Hicham el Guerouj, the Moroccan Knight, setting the one mile run world record in 2008. That is not the "old geezer."

Peter Paul Markin comment:

I have written a number of skteches about the old days at North, North Adamsville High School located in an old working-class section of a twin just outside of Boston, in the early 1960s, for those unfamiliar with that hallowed ground, and the like. This little beauty follows in that same tradition, although with this twist- the "old geezer" described in the headline to this sketch has requested anonymity for reasons that will become obvious once the tale he has asked me to tell unfolds. I think, however, that the average, above-average, classmates that old North produced can all figure this one out. Right?

For those of us who went to North Adamsville Junior High School and can remember that far back 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of our graduation from that unhallowed school. For the old geezer, a man know personally to me from the old days and man given to the faux-heroic feat, the odd-ball, off-hand symbolic gesture, and a disturbingly steadfast adherence to the drumbeat of history this called for some action. Now the old geezer and I go back to the times when we were corner boys together along with Frankie Riley, yes, Frankie Riley the now successful lawyer that you keep reading about in the newspapers of late (that is if anybody still reads such things in the “new age”) along with several other guys at Salducci’s Pizza Parlor “up the Downs.” (For those unfamiliar with that term don’t worry about such a localism it does not affect the story here). So when I speak of odd-ball behavior I know of where I speak.

As if merely a nodding commemoration of the 50th anniversary graduation “event” were not enough since this year also marked the 50th anniversary of the old geezer’s first seriously taking up running (indoor and outdoor track, cross country) as a sport, under the guidance of old time North Adamsville Junior High Coach Ben Lewis, a gesture was required. As a historic “gesture” he decided to make an attempt to run one mile around the old "Dust Bowl" track that served (and still serves) as an “athletic field” for the North high school and middle school (a.k.a. junior high school) community since Hector was a pup. And if not that long, then since beyond local memory.

Now this Herculean effort was to be done in spite of the fact that the old geezer had done no more, at most, than run for the bus for the past quarter of a century or more. And just missed that bus on more occasions that warrants attention here. Note also that the distance selected for this “heroic” effort was the well-known classic one mile that he sought to run. Not for him that old "lame" 600 yards around the front driveway circle at North that everyone had to do as part of the old-time yearly President's Physical Fitness Test. Kids’ stuff. No, he went back to the mist of time and to feats like those of the first sub-four minute miler, Roger Bannister. (For those unfamiliar with that name it too is not germane to this story, although you can Google the name or look it up in Wikipedia if you have a little time on your hands.)

For those not familiar with the location the old "Dust Bowl" is the field the next street over from the North Adamsville Middle School. It served as our junior high school field for some other sports as well. It also was the place where the legendary 1964 football team, led by "Bullwinkle", "Woj", Jim Fallon, Charlie McDonald, Tom Kiley, Walt Simmons, Don McNally, Lee Munson and a host of others practiced being mean under Coach Lion in order to beat beleaguered cross town arch-rival Adamsville High School that year. Now I know that some readers here "know" that location.

Furthermore, it was also the training ground and meet location for the high school spring track team where the silky-strided Bill Bailey held forth in distance running, Ritchie McDonald and others in the middle distances, Brooks Atkins in the sprints, Carl Lindberg and Ralph Moore in the hurdles, Al Bartley in the pole vault and a host of others who ran around in their skimpy black shorts, including the old geezer. The old geezer, moreover, was then distinguished by being a consummate well-below average runner. He had the “slows” as every other teammate told him at every possible opportunity. He was not sure on this one, nor am I, but, perhaps, the football cheerleaders led by the spunky Josie Weinfeld, the sprightly Roxanne Gower, and the plucky Linda Plane also practiced there. In short, if you were not familiar with the locale and grew up in the old town there then you now stand accused of being willfully out of touch with old North Adamsville reality.

I should also mention that this name "Dust Bowl" is not mere hyperbole on my part. In summer and fall, at least, there was more dust that the EPA would find tolerable these days. Moreover, as the old geezer told me the field 'owed' him. So revenge was also a motive here, as well. Apparently he still has cinders in his left knee from when he fell while running on the track 50 years ago. Ouch! He asked me to ask around to see if others had similar "war stories", although none came worthy of notice-mere band-aid wounds. Moreover, and this is symbolic in its own way, the track is not the normal quarter-mile one that you only had to go around four times to the mile(for the non-Math whizzes out there) but five laps to the mile. That may explain many things about our subsequent lives, right?

Okay, now to the big event. In the interest of accuracy this "event", according to the old geezer's information, occurred at about 9:00 AM on February 6, 2010. Now why he was not in Florida or at least in some warm house instead of being out on the "track" will go a long way to explaining the "inner demons" that plague this then sixty-three year-old man's psyche. Moreover, he continued on with his quest despite having to wait upon dogs, and their owners, who seemingly felt such an hour was ripe for a canine national convention at the old bowl. But, we digress.

The old geezer started off okay with the usual burst of adrenaline one gets when the big day finally comes carrying him along for a while, he then settled into a 'pace' and all went well until he started breathing heavily, got light-headed and began feeling cramps in his thigh, and that was only on the first lap. It went down hill from there. He insisted I give the gory details of each lap but thank god for the Delete button. Intrepid soul that he is he” dogged" it out. He informed me that his time for the mile has been declared a matter of national security and therefore not available to the public, although he did allude to an unfavorable comparison with the time it takes to get to the moon and back. Nevertheless the gesture is in the books, a member of the class of 1964 has been vindicated, and life can return to normal. Oh, the old geezer did mention this. For those of you with grandchildren under the age of five he is ready to take on all comers. Okay.

Postscript- If you can believe this the old geezer refuses to permit me to post the “news” of his “heroic” one mile effort if I do not include a blow-by-blow description of his five lap (remember the “Dust Bowl” is five laps to the mile in case you might have forgotten). I thought that giving a short summary of his first lap was more than adequate but no we need to know every hurried breathe, every turned toe, every near collapse. The reader should feel no compulsion to wade through this but don’t forget the Delete button is readily at hand. In any case the following is strictly the old geezer’s take on the matter.

Old Geezer comment:
That February day was cold but not much colder than in the old days when we went down to Clintondale and their winter outdoor track in January that really froze you. The trick was to take off your sweat suit, jump on the oval banked-wooden track as quickly as possible and hit the starting line just as the starter yelled to run. And then do the same thing in reverse after the race. Funny the old Dust Bowl with the exception of them taking out the wooden bleachers where the seven (hey, maybe it was six if you didn’t count the girl scorer, the cute girl scorer, Roseanne something, I think) track and field fans gathered in the old days the place looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since about 1964. Same old rutted, brambly, asphalty, hard-scrabble surface that you dare not trip and fall on. I know because I still carry some “cinder” from the old days in my left knee. But enough. To the run itself.

Of course I started out slow, slow as hell, slower than a couple of the dogs that were rummaging around along with their “guardians.” As I picked up steam I was going pretty good until I started breathing real heavy, started to get the inevitable sweating, and my legs started getting light and wobbly. That was almost at the end of the first lap with four more to go. I almost stopped but I am not built that way, slow or fast, mainly slow I almost always finished a race except when I came up injured a couple of times. The second lap was tough as I started to put my head down to push myself along just like in the old days. Painful step after step.

The third lap got a little better as I got in stride and was pretty uneventful except for a random dog who decide he (or she) wanted to be my “rabbit” ( a rabbit in track is someone who sets the pace, a fast pace, for others and then either falls back or drops out). The fourth lap though almost did me in. I stumbled and almost fell on a clod of dirt that must have been dug up before the winter set in. I managed to right myself but I felt kind of dizzy after that for a while. Hey, four laps are done now and I am at the “gun” lap (fifth for those legions who don’t know track “lingo”). No way am I not going to finish now. And while it seemed like an eternity I did finish with a “sprint” the last ten yards or so. After about twenty minutes recuperation while my pulse slowed down, my blood pressure stabilized and about thirteen other medical conditions passed the crisis point I left the dust bowl feeling I had even up the score on that damn place.

Markin comment:
That "fifteen minutes of fame" thing is pretty attenuated here but for those who actually read this last section there you have it. Enough.

From The Marxist Archives-The Amercian Socialist Workers Party-World War II and Trotskyist Defense of the Soviet Union

Workers Vanguard No. 865	3 March 2006

World War II and Trotskyist Defense of the Soviet Union

(Quote of the Week)

 

Writing one month after the June 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union by Hitler’s Germany, the then-Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party (SWP) published a program of demands to reinforce the defense of the Soviet workers state, which had undergone degeneration under the Stalinist bureaucracy. That declaration, from which the following is excerpted, was published in the same issue of the Militant that announced the U.S. government’s indictment of 29 SWP and trade-union leaders—18 of whom were jailed—for their revolutionary proletarian opposition to American imperialism as it prepared to enter World War II.

We stand for the unconditional defense of the Soviet Union, as everyone knows who is acquainted with our party’s position.

The Stalinist leaders are desperately trying to fool their rank and file into believing that the Trotskyists do not defend the Soviet Union.

The word “unconditional” is plain enough. It means that we set no conditions whatsoever before we defend the Soviet Union. We do not demand that Stalin make any concessions to us before we defend the Soviet Union.

We defend the Soviet Union because the foundation of socialism established by the October revolution of 1917, the nationalized property, still remains and this foundation it is necessary to defend at all costs.

The Trotskyists in this country, in the Soviet Union and everywhere in the world say to the Soviet government: Place us in the most dangerous posts, we are ready and shall unhesitatingly accept….

In this situation the Soviet Union, alone of the existing states, can undermine Hitler by pledging to the German workers that the defeat of Hitler will not mean a second and worse Versailles but will begin the creation of the Socialist United States of Europe. The imperialist states cannot possibly make this pledge to the German workers. Only the Soviet Union, the Workers’ State, can thus cement revolutionary unity with the German proletariat.

—“For Unconditional Defense of the Soviet Union: A Program of Victory
for the Soviet Union,” Militant (19 July 1941)

*******

 

James P. Cannon

A Statement on the War

December 21, 1941

---

Written: 1941
Source: Fourth International, New York, Volume III, No. 1, January 1942, pages 3-4.
Transcription\HTML Markup: David Walters
Copyleft: James P. Cannon (www.marx.org) 2005. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

---

December 22, 1941
The considerations which determined our attitude toward the war up to the out break of hostilities between the United States and the Axis powers retain their validity in the new situation.
We considered the war upon the part of all the capitalist powers involved—Germany and France, Italy and Great Britain — as an imperialist war.
This characterization of the war was determined for us by the character of the state powers involved in it. They were all capitalist states in the epoch of imperialism; themselves imperialist—oppressing other nations or peoples—or satellites of imperialist powers. The extension of the war to the Pacific and the formal entry of the United States and Japan change nothing in this basic analysis.
Following Lenin, it made no difference to us which imperialist bandit fired the first shot; every imperialist power has for a quarter of a century been “attacking” every other imperialist power by economic and political means; the resort to arms is but the culmination of this process, which will continue as long as capitalism endures.
This characterization of the war does not apply to the war of the Soviet Union against German imperialism. We make a fundamental distinction between the Soviet Union and its “democratic” allies. We defend the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is a workers’ state, although degenerated under the totalitarian-political rule of the Kremlin bureaucracy. Only traitors can deny support to the Soviet workers’ state in its war against fascist Germany. To defend the Soviet Union, in spite of Stalin and against Stalin, to defend the nationalized property established by the October revolution. That is a progressive war.
The war of China against Japan we likewise characterize as a progressive war. We support China. China is a colonial country, battling for national independence against an imperialist power. A victory for China would be a tremendous blow against all imperialism, inspiring all colonial peoples to throw off the imperialist yoke. The reactionary regime of Chiang Kai-shek, subservient to the “democracies,” has hampered China’s ability to conduct a bold war for independence; but that does not alter for us the essential fact that China is an oppressed nation fighting against an imperialist oppressor. We are proud of the fact that the Fourth Internationalists of China are fighting in the front ranks against Japanese imperialism.
None of the reasons which oblige us to support the Soviet Union and China against their enemies can be said to apply to France or Britain. These imperialist “democracies” entered the war to maintain their lordship over the hundreds of millions of subject peoples in the British and French empires; to defend these “democracies” means to defend their oppression of the masses of Africa and Asia, Above all it means to defend the decaying capitalist social order. We do not defend that, either in Italy and Germany, or in France and Britain—or in the United States.
The Marxist analysis which determined our attitude toward the war up to December 8, 1941 [i.e. up to the Pearl Harbor raid] continues to determine our attitude now. We were internationalists before December 8; we still are. We believe that the most fundamental bond of loyalty of all the workers of the world is the bond of international solidarity of the workers against their exploiters. We cannot assume the slightest responsibility for this war. No imperialist regime can conduct a just war. We cannot support it for one moment.
We are the most irreconcilable enemies of the fascist dictatorships of Germany and Italy and the military dictatorship of Japan. Our co-thinkers of the Fourth International in the Axis nations and the conquered countries are fighting and dying in the struggle to organize the coming revolutions against Hitler and Mussolini.
We are doing all in our power to speed those revolutions. But those ex-socialists, intellectuals and labor leaders, who in the name of “democracy” support the war of United States imperialism against its imperialist foes and rivals, far from aiding the German and Italian anti-fascists, only hamper their work and betray their struggle. The Allied imperialists, as every German worker knows, aim to impose a second and worse Versailles; the fear of that is Hitler’s greatest asset in keeping the masses of Germany in subjection. The fear of the foreign yoke holds back the development of the German revolution against Hitler.
Our program to aid the German masses to overthrow Hitler demands, first of all, that they be guaranteed against a second Versailles. When the people of Germany can feel assured that military defeat will not be followed by the destruction of Germany’s economic power and the imposition of unbearable burdens by the victors, Hitler will be overthrown from within Germany. But such guarantees against a second Versailles cannot be given by Germany’s imperialist foes; nor, if given, would they be accepted by the German people. Wilson’s 14 points are still remembered in Germany, and his promise that the United States was conducting war against the Kaiser and not against the German people. Yet the victors’ peace, and the way in which the victors “organized” the world from 1918 to 1933, constituted war against the German people. The German people will not accept any new promises from those who made that peace and conducted that war.
In the midst of the war against Hitler, it is necessary to extend the hand of fraternity to the German people. This can be done honestly and convincingly only by a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government. We advocate the Workers’ and Farmers’ Government. Such a government, and only such a government, can conduct a war against Hitler, Mussolini and the Mikado in cooperation with the oppressed peoples of Germany, Italy and Japan. Our program against Hitlerism and for a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government is today the program of only a small minority. The great majority actively or passively supports the war program of the Roosevelt administration. As a minority we must submit to that majority in action. We do not sabotage the war or obstruct the military forces in any way. The Trotskyists go with their generation into the armed forces. We abide by the decisions of the majority. But we retain our opinions and insist on our right to express them.
Our aim is to convince the majority that our program is the only one which can put an end to war, fascism and economic convulsions. In this process of education the terrible facts speak loudly for our contention. Twice in twenty-five years world wars have wrought destruction. The instigators and leaders of those wars do not offer, and cannot offer, a plausible promise that a third, fourth and fifth world war will not follow if they and their social system remain dominant. Capitalism can offer no prospect but the slaughter of millions and the destruction of civilization. Only socialism can save humanity from this abyss. This is the truth. As the terrible war unfolds, this truth will be recognized by tens of millions who will not hear us now. The war-tortured masses will adopt our program and liberate the people of all countries from war and fascism. In this dark hour we clearly see the socialist future and prepare the way for it. Against the mad chorus of national hatreds we advance once more the old slogan of socialist internationalism: Workers of the World Unite!
New York, December 22, 1941