Out In The High White Note Night- Ann Savage’s Detour

 

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

DVD

Detour, starring Tom Neal, Ann Savage, PRC, 1945

A lot of guys, musical guys anyway, are always trying to reach that high white note, that elusive note that says they have made it, have met god and his graces, in their chosen profession.  A few guys, guys like the Duke, Benny, Lionel, Charlie, Miles reached it, reached it at great expense but reached it, other guys though fall down, don’t make it. Maybe it is lack of talent, perseverance, wit, or just plain old circumstances, bad luck or a wrong move but they fall down, fall down hard. Take Al Roberts (Tom Neal), the guy who is the guy in the wrong place at the wrong time in this gritty, cinematically interesting black and white beauty of a B-film noir under review, Detour. He had his dreams; he had his chance to take the brass ring but some stuff, some serious stuff, got in the way so we will never know whether he had the stuff to hit that big note floating out into the film noir night.         

Yah, no question, Al Robert’s was born under an unlucky star or something. Here was a guy with all kinds of talent, including some classical piano training playing for dimes and donuts to make ends meet at some back street supper clubs in New Jack City. On an lucky night he might caught a five or ten from some drunken party hungry to hear his sentimental journey stuff, stuff strictly meant for the tourist trade. The only bright spot was that his honey, a white night torch singer, was strictly first-rate and they, if they could ever rub two dimes together were going to get married. Oh yah, and as if to mock him, after that song bird made it big in Hollywood where she was headed to make herself a star before they got around to tying the knot.  

Well you know the old Hollywood fame song by now. Al was lonely in New Jack City and song bird went crashing down, serving them off the arm in some hash house in Santa Monica and so Al, penniless Al, decided to hitchhike out to share his honey’s fate. That search for the high white note be damned, be detoured. And although the road cross-country was nothing but a lot of short haul rides and lonely waits at miserable back road cross roads in place like Neola, Iowa and Lawrence, Kansas he finally got a break, a guy, Haskell, a guy who was a step up in class with a big old convertible, maybe a Packard stopped and picked him up and said he was heading for the coast. Yes sir, a big break finally. Except that big break turned into an Al nightmare when the apparently sickly Haskell hauled off and died leaving Al holding the bag. Who, after all, was going to believe a fairly young guy with dough didn’t meet with anything but foul play from a penniless tramp.

And in a way Al was right in his thinking. But he got a little cloudy in his thinking, a little confused, no, a lot confused. See Al came up with the bright idea that he would change identities with the deceased Haskell and abandon the car in L.A.  on his way to his honey. Not the best idea, really, but an idea. Except Al made one fatal move, not intentionally, but just as fatal nevertheless. He picked her up. Her being a wayward and mouthy femme fatale named Vera (Ann Savage) who, down or her uppers, was hitching the roads west.

But here is where Al really was born under an unlucky star. She, having hitched a ride earlier with the deceased Haskell and having had to fend him off, knew that Al did not own the car. Vera, nothing but a flat-out gold-digger and hustler, started squawking about her cut, or else. So she has them act as a married couple in order to bamboozle Haskell’s estranged rich dying father into believing Al was his long lost son. Al finally balked at that and Vera threatened to call copper on him for Haskell’s death. He tried to stop her once she was in a drunken rage by attempting to pull the telephone cord through the closed bedroom door on her. All he did though was strangle her accidently when she got caught up in the cord. Yah, but who was going to believe a tramp, a two- bit guy didn’t have murder and mayhem in his heart not once but twice. So yah, he never did get to see his song bird. And worse, Al never got to reach for that high white night blowing our hard from some beachfront club with the Japan Current in the Pacific Coast night.        

Hands Off Edward Snowden !

******

White House 'extremely disappointed' with Russia

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JOSH LEDERMAN, AP
25 minutes ago

White House press secretary Jay Carney speaks during the daily briefing at ...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is "extremely disappointed" in Russia's decision to grant asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, the White House said Thursday.

In its first public response to Russia's move to defy U.S. wishes, the Obama administration said it was not a positive development for U.S.-Russia relations and said that it undermined Russia's record of law enforcement cooperation with the U.S. The White House added that a planned fall summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin is being re-evaluated here.

"We are extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite our very clear and lawful requests in public and private that Mr. Snowden be expelled and returned to the United States," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Carney said that Moscow had given the U.S. no advance notice before announcing its decision to grant Snowden asylum for one year. But he added that the U.S. has a wide-ranging relationship with Russia, suggesting the U.S. was reluctant to allow relations to deteriorate too substantially over the American fugitive's status.

Snowden left the transit zone of a Moscow airport and officially entered Russia after authorities granted him asylum, his lawyer said. The U.S. demanded that Russia send Snowden home to face prosecution for espionage over his leaks that revealed wide U.S. electronic surveillance programs, but Putin dismissed the request.

The move by Moscow Thursday could further strain U.S.-Russian relations that have already been tested because of differences over Syria, American criticism of Russia's human rights record and other disputes. Putin has said that his decision on asylum was contingent on Snowden not hurting U.S. interests.

Carney wouldn't say whether Snowden is in possession of further information about spying practices that could damage the U.S. if released, but said the fact that Snowden removed classified information from secure environments, bringing documents with him to Hong Kong and then to Moscow's airport, posed a risk in and of itself

"Mr. Snowden is not a whistleblower" or a dissident," Carney said. "He is accused of leaking classified information.He should be returned to the United States as soon as possible."

Associated Press

Presdent Obama Pardon Bradley Manning Now

Reaction to WikiLeaks: no sources killed due to war log releases: trial report, day 24

digg

The sentencing portion of the trial began today after yesterday’s verdicts. It is expected to last up to a month.

By Nathan Fuller, Bradley Manning Support Network. July 31, 2013.
Retired Brigadier General Robert Carr, the first witness in the sentencing phase of PFC Bradley Manning’s court martial at Ft. Meade, MD, testified that no individuals in Iraq or Afghanistan were killed as a result of WikiLeaks’ releasing the Afghan War Diary and Iraq War Logs.
Carr led the Information Review Task Force (IRTF), a coalition of Department of Defense, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Defense Intelligence Agency officials established just days after the release of the Afghan war files in late July 2010.
The IRTF spent 10 months reviewing WikiLeaks’ releases and seeking potential vulnerabilities to U.S. troops and local nationals. Defense Secretary Robert Gates directed the IRTF to:

• identify any sources, methods, or other intelligence activities that might be at risk
• protect troops on the battlefield, as well as Iraqis and Afghans who might be viewed as collaborators with U.S. forces and therefore at risk of attack
• identify any “insensitivities” to any religion
• identify potential for “fractures” between various countries or coalition forces
• recommend mitigation strategy
• provide advance warning on any additional releases subsequent to Afghan war log releases

While reliable and certain sources were housed in the HUMINT section of the Iraq and Afghanistan databases (which Manning did not release), the Significant Activities (SigActs) Manning revealed had some names of individuals whom U.S. forces spoke with casually, informally, or to get first-hand reports of attacks or other incidents. These individuals’ names were transliterated into English and weren’t confirmed as U.S. sources.
Carr testified that he found about 900 names of such individuals in Afghanistan, and couldn’t recall how many from Iraq. He said that IRTF could identify no deaths as a result from WikiLeaks’ disclosures. He testified that the Taliban killed one person and later tied him to the releases, but he characterized this as a “terrorist” attack. The person was not actually named in any of WikiLeaks’ releases, so the Taliban was merely capitalizing on the opportunity to scare locals so they wouldn’t collaborate with U.S. troops. Military judge Col. Denise Lind made a point of clarifying that she would disregard testimony about this killing, as it had no connection to Manning’s releases.
Carr also testified that the war logs divulged Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), though the defense established that America’s adversaries could identify much of this information by simply viewing incidents first hand in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Carr confirmed that TTPs change frequently, so TTPs from past events (which SigActs documented) weren’t necessarily used currently or would be in the future.
Discussing the Guantanamo Bay Detainee Assessment Briefs (DABs), Carr suggested that the release of these documents was detrimental to the United States’ efforts to close the detention center, though he explained on cross-examination that the DABs could reveal that what the U.S. says publicly to some countries regarding transferring detainees back to their home countries and what we say to them privately could differ, obstructing that process. He testified, though, that he couldn’t speak to whether transferring the detainees was an administration priority.
John Kirchhofer testifying in a closed session
Kirchhofer was Deputy Chief of the IRFT, just below Carr, and he’s testifying largely in a classified session, closed off to the press and public. Tomorrow’s session, in open court, will begin at 10:oo AM.

In Boston

An Open Letter To President Obama -Hands Off Syria!!  

 

 

 

President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning Now!

 

President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning Now! 

Remember Sacco and Vanzetti

Remember Sacco and Vanzetti!

 

Remember Sacco and Vanzetti!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From The Bradley Manning Support Group Archives

President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning Now!-

In The Meantime-

Call (202) 685-2900

The military is pulling out all the stops to chill efforts to increase transparency in our government. Now, we’re asking you to join us to ensure we’re doing all we can to secure Bradley’s freedom as well as protection for future whistleblowers.

Major General Jeffery S. Buchanan is the Convening Authority for Bradley’s court martial, which means that he has the authority to decrease Bradley’s sentence, no matter what the judge decides. As hundreds of activists join us in DC today to demonstrate at Maj. Gen. Buchanan’s base, Ft. McNair, we’re asking you to join our action demanding he do the right thing by calling, faxing, and e-mailing his Public Affairs Office.

The convening authority can reduce the sentence after the Judge makes her ruling.

Let’s Remind Maj. General Buchanan:

• that Bradley was held for nearly a year in abusive solitary confinement, which the UN torture chief called “cruel, inhuman, and degrading”
• that President Obama has unlawfully influenced the trial with his declaration of Bradley Manning’s guilt.
• that the media has been continually blocked from transcripts and documents related to the trial and that it has only been through the efforts of Bradley Manning’s supporters that any transcripts exist.
• that under the UCMJ a soldier has the right to a speedy trial and that it was unconscionable to wait 3 years before starting the court martial.
• that absolutely no one was harmed by the release of documents that exposed war crimes, unnecessary secrecy and disturbing foreign policy.
• that Bradley Manning is a hero who did the right thing when he revealed truth about wars that had been based on lies.

Remind General Buchanan that Bradley Manning’s rights have been trampled – Enough is enough!

Please help us reach all these important contacts:

Adrienne Combs, Deputy Officer Public Affairs (202) 685-2900 adrienne.m.combs.civ@mail.mil

Col. Michelle Martin-Hing, Public Affairs Officer (202) 685-4899 michelle.l.martinhing.mil@mail.mil

The Public Affairs Office fax #: 202-685-0706

Try e-mailing Maj. Gen. Buchanan at jeffrey.s.buchanan@us.army.mil

The Public Affairs Office is required to report up the chain of command the number of calls they receive on a particular issue, so please help us flood the office with support for whistleblower Bradley Manning today!

Chants from July 26, 2013 rally at Fort McNair

From The Marxist Archives -The Will to Fight

From The Marxist Archives -The Will to Fight Workers Vanguard No. 903	23 November 2007

TROTSKY

LENIN

The Will to Fight

(Quote of the Week)

Fighting to forge Bolshevik workers parties internationally against the powerful currents of “death of communism” ideology, we value Shakespeare’s presentation of the struggle for the will to do what must be done.

To be, or not to be; that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep—
No more, and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep.
To sleep, perchance to dream. Ay, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life,
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th’oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th’unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would these fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

 

—William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act III, Scene I

 

 

 

 

If We Must Die

If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursèd lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen! we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

Claude McKay

President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning Now!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Bradley Manning: Guilty of Doing the Right Thing

by Stephen Lendman

Final arguments were presented last week. Judge Col. Denise Lind adjourned for the weekend. Tuesday 1PM EDT was verdict day and time.

It didn't surprise. Earlier she refused to dismiss aiding the enemy charges. She let multiple Espionage Act violations stand. She did so disgracefully. Manning faces possible life in prison.

We'll know once sentence is imposed. We'll know more if it holds on appeal. We know plenty now. Lind threw the book at Manning except entirely.

She exonerated him of aiding the enemy. She convicted him of 20 of 22 charges. They include five Espionage Act counts. Expect sentencing to be harsh. Manning faces longterm imprisonment. He may never be free again.

According to Brennan Center for Justice Liberty and National Security Program co-director Elizabeth Goitein:

"Manning is one of very few people ever charged under the Espionage Act (prosecuted) for leaks to the media. The only other person who was convicted after trial was pardoned."

"Despite the lack of any evidence that he intended any harm to the United States, Manning faces decades in prison. That's a very scary precedent."

Lind is chief judge, 1st Judicial Circuit, US Army Trial Judiciary. She served in the Army Judge Advocate General's Corps for 25 years.

Her service includes 4 years as a military judge in Europe, Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Washington, DC.

She's Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University Assistant Professor of National Security Studies.

She's chief counsel, US Army Government Appellate Division, general counsel, Fort Belvoir, VA.

She's Army Joint Service Committee on Military Justice working group member.

She's supervisory defense counsel, senior prosecutor, and special assistant US attorney. She's a New York Bar member.

Ahead of her verdict, the Bradley Manning Support Network said the following:

"In an ominous sign for (judicial fairness), military judge Denise Lind altered important charges last week in order to assist prosecutors ahead of verdict."

"In so doing, defense attorney David Coombs explained, 'The Government has pushed this case beyond the bounds of legal propriety.' "

" 'If the Government meant information, it should have charged information.' "

"Up until last week, Manning was charged with stealing entire databases. The Defense has no way to defend Manning against these new charges after the fact."

"Army private Bradley Manning faces a potential life sentence for passing hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents to the transparency website WikiLeaks, to expose US criminality in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and further abuses around the world."

"Never in the history of American military law has a person been charged with Article 104 of the Uniform Code of Military Law, 'Aiding the Enemy,' for providing information to the media in the public interest."

"However, Manning faces life in prison tomorrow if convicted of this charge alone - despite all evidence to the contrary."

" 'I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information…this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general,' Manning said in a February statement."

A sentencing hearing's scheduled for Wednesday. Expect it unless postponed. It could last weeks. Each side plans calling numerous witnesses.

Obama pronounced Manning guilty by accusation. He did so before trial proceedings began. He acted callously and unconscionably. Media scoundrels piled on. They still do.

Lead prosecutor Capt. Ashden Fein called Manning an anarchist/hacker/traitor. He "knew exactly what he was doing," he said. His actions represented "general evil intent."

"He was not a whistleblower. He was a traitor, a traitor who understood the value of compromised information in the hands of the enemy and took deliberate steps to ensure that they, along with the world, received it."

In February, Manning pled guilty to 10 lesser charges. They're punishable up to 20 years in prison.

Aiding the enemy and other Espionage Act violations could put him away for life.

After sentencing, it's reviewed. It's Major General Jeffrey Buchanan's responsibility. He heads Washington's Military District.

He may or may not order leniency. It's unlikely. Expect tokenism at best. Obama wants his head. So do media scoundrels.

No military or civil judge will countermand the president and commander-in-chief. None dares challenge court of public opinion sentiment.

If bad conduct discharge is ordered, a dishonorable one, or imprisonment for a year or more (on top of time served), further review is required.

It's the Army Court of Criminal Appeals responsibility. It can go higher. The US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces is its highest judicial authority.

Manning can appeal to the Supreme Court. It's nearly always unsympathetic. Petitions for hearings are summarily rejected. A one-sentence comment does so, saying: "Petition for writ of certiorari denied."

On July 24, defense counsel Coombs petitioned for mistrial. He said in part:

"The Defense submits that the Government has made an utter mess of the section 641 offenses by pursuing one charge (that PFC Manning stole databases) and at the last minute pursuing a different charge (that PFC Manning stole information)."

"The Defense did not know that 'database' or 'records' meant 'information' and has suffered irreparable prejudice as a result."

"Under RCM 915, a military judge may declare a mistrial when 'manifestly necessary in the interest of justice because the circumstances arising during the proceedings which cast substantial doubt upon the fairness of the proceedings.' "

Prosecutorial charges against Manning reflect injustice. He exposed serious war crimes. He's victimized for doing so. Claiming he aided the enemy flies in the face of reality.

According to Duke Law School Professor Scott Silliman:

"Most of the aiding-the-enemy charges historically have had to do with POWs who gave information to the Japanese during World War II, or to Chinese communists during Korea, or during the Vietnam War."

According to visiting University of Pittsburgh Law Professor David Frakt:

Convicting Manning on this charge "would essentially create a new way of (doing so) in a very indirect fashion, even an unintended fashion."

Prosecutors cited Union soldier Henry Vanderwater's 1863 court martial. He was convicted of aiding the enemy. He gave an Alexandria, VA newspaper command roster information it published.

Coombs said Civil War-era cases involved coded messages. Advertisements disguised them. All modern cases involve military personnel giving aid and comfort to the enemy directly.

Convicting Manning sends a chilling message to whistleblowers. Do the right thing and be criminalized. Do it above and beyond the call and it's longterm or life.

On July 28, the Bradley Manning Support Network discussed altering charges "to assist Gov't ahead of verdict."

Coombs calls doing so "push(ing) this case beyond the bounds of legal propriety."

Altering charges isn't "semantic," he said. "Legally, it's substantially different than the original charges, and more to the point, it comes long after the government rested its case, precluding the defense from going back to question witnesses differently."

It's an unprecedented hostile act. No legitimate judge would allow it. Manning faces kangaroo court justice. Irreparable damage doesn't matter.

Nor does rule of law compliance. Manning was pronounced guilty before proceedings began. Defense council's blamed for prosecutorial misconduct.

Manning's trial was a travesty of justice. Conviction came on the same day Washington first protected whistleblowers. Congressional members did so unanimously.

On July 30, 1778, the Continental Congress declared it the "duty of all persons in the service of the United States, as well as all other the inhabitants thereof, to give the earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds or misdemeanors committed by an officers or persons in the service of these states, which may come to their knowledge."

Crimes then paled by comparison to today's. They continue daily. Congress supports them. It does so by funding illegal wars.

It permits torture and other forms of abuse. It's silent about witch-hunt justice. It's in bed with Wall Street, war profiteers, and other corporate crooks.

It supports America's worst. It ignores persecution of its best. It's guilty of crimes charged against others. It's the best government money can buy.

Whistleblowers are heroes. They're public enemy number one. Doing the right thing risks prison hell. It's the American way.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour

http://www.dailycensored.com/bradley-manning-guilty-of-doing-the-right-thing/

***From The Pen Of Joshua Lawrence Breslin-Take Two

CD Review

Sentimental Journey, Pop Vocal Classics, Volume 2: 1947-1950, Rhino Records, 1993

Scene: Brought to mind by the sepia-toned family album-style photograph from back in the 1940s, the time of the 1930s Great Depression survivors and of those who fought World War II, or waited at home for the other shoe to drop, that graced the cover of this CD. And by the song Far Away Places, Bing Crosby’s version especially that was something of an anthem for the hopes and fears of that generation.

This photograph, showing some worthy smiles, is a minute in the life of the parents of the generation of ’68 and one can sense the expectations for great things to come, or at least that the hump had been crossed in life’s struggles, life’s struggles for most people in America anyway. In a few years there will not be scrimping for new dresses and shoes for Mom to replace that work-a-day wardrobe that got her through the war or a better pair of work boots for Dad and maybe even a new suit to replace that 1930s one that had now long outlasted its threadbare existence. One had hopes anyway.

****
“Prescott James Breslin get your dirty hands off that wall this minute," yelled Delores Breslin (nee Leclerc), Mother Breslin to some, including the yelled at Prescott, honey, to Prescott Breslin, Senior, Father Breslin to the junior one being yelled at just this minute. Just as Mother Breslin, hell, let’s call her Delores, was getting ready for cascade rant number two aimed in Prescott, Junior’s direction wafting through the air, the radio WJDA air, came the melodious voice of Bing Crosby singing in that bubbly sweet, nuanced voice of his, Far Away Places. The air went out of her vengeance lungs for a moment. Ah, their song, Prescott, Senior and Delores' song. Their forever memory song.

Delores flashed back to the night in 1943 over at the Stardust Ballroom on East Grand in Old Orchard Beach that she, then a hard-working typist for the State Insurance Company right here in Olde Saco (and making good money for a single, no high maintenance girl, living at home to cut expenses even more) and Marine PFC Prescott Breslin stationed, after serious service in the Pacific wars (Guadalcanal, etc. which he like many men of his generation remained silent about, kept quiet and inside about, unto the grave. It was only when old war buddies who came to eulogize him at funeral time mentioned certain heroic exploits that the family even knew of such bravery although he whole downtrodden life spoke of a different, less definable bravery) at the Portsmouth Naval Base met while they were playing that song on the side bar jukebox between sets. Sets being performed by the Be-Bop Sextet, a hot, well, be-bop band that was making a national tour to boost civilian morale while the boys were off fighting.

They hit it off right away, made Far Away Places their song, and prepared for a future, a joint future, once the war was over, and they could get their dream, shared dream, little white house, with or without picket fence, maybe a dog, and definitely kids, a few although they never specified a number. The perfect dream to chase the old Great Depression no dough blues and World War II fighting dust away, far away. And to be able to breath a decent breathe, a not from hunger breathe.

Just then Delores snapped back into the reality, the two by four three small rooms and a kitchen reality, of their made due, temporary veterans’ housing set up by the Olde Saco Housing Authority (at the request of and funded by the War Department) to house the housing-hungry returning vets and give them a leg up. Add on to that humiliation (her family, although not his down South Appalachia family, had had a private single family home all though the Great Depression) the further reality that Prescott’s job at the Macadam’s Textile Mill was none too sure now that rumors were circulating around town that the mill-owners were thinking of relocating to North Carolina. Prescott, son of a coalminer and a coalminer himself before he jumped at a chance to join the Marines, was glad, glad as hell, to have that unskilled work in coal-mine-less Maine.

And the biggest reality of all: well, Prescott, Junior, Kendrick, and, most recently, still in the cradle Joshua all quickly in succession once the separation of war allow for a resumption of normal (Catholic normal) intimacy. And three was enough, more than enough thank you she mused. But as that terrific tenor of Dick Haymes singing Little White Lies was making its way into her air space she fell back to thinking about that now old dream of the little white house, with or without picket fence, a dog and a few (exactly three, thank you) that was coming just around next corner. Somebody’s corner. And just as she was winding up to blast young Prescott, his dirty hands, and that wall, maybe a little less furiously that she intended before, her thoughts returned again to her Prince Charming, the Starlight Ballroom1943, and their song. Their forever memory song. Yes, she would get by.

President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning Now!

Bradley Manning-WikiLeaks case turns to sentencing

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DAVID DISHNEAU, AP
5 hours ago

FILE - In this July 30, 2013 file photo, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escor...

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Acquitted of the most serious charge against him, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning still faces up to 136 years in prison for leaking government secrets to the website WikiLeaks, and his fate rests with a judge who will begin hearing arguments Wednesday in the sentencing phase of the soldier's court-martial.

The former intelligence analyst was convicted of 20 of 22 charges for sending hundreds of thousands of government and diplomatic secrets to WikiLeaks, but he was found not guilty of aiding the enemy, which alone could have meant life in prison without parole.

"We're not celebrating," defense attorney David Coombs said. "Ultimately, his sentence is all that really matters."

The judge prohibited both sides from presenting evidence during trial about any actual damage the leaks caused to national security and troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but lawyers will be allowed to bring that up at sentencing.

The release of diplomatic cables, warzone logs and videos embarrassed the U.S. and its allies. U.S. officials warned of dire consequences in the days immediately after the first disclosures in July 2010, but a Pentagon review later suggested those fears might have been overblown.

The judge also restricted evidence about Manning's motives. Manning testified during a pre-trial hearing he leaked the material to expose U.S military "bloodlust" and diplomatic deceitfulness, but did not believe his actions would harm the country. He didn't testify during the trial, but he could take the stand during the sentencing phase.

Lisa Windsor, a retired Army colonel and former judge advocate, said the punishment phase would focus on Manning's motive and the harm that was done by the leak.

"You're balancing that to determine what would be an appropriate sentence. I think it's likely that he's going to be in jail for a very long time," said Windsor, now in private practice in Washington.

The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, deliberated three days before reaching her verdict in a case involving the largest leak of documents in U.S. history. The case drew worldwide attention as supporters hailed Manning as a whistleblower and the U.S. government called him an anarchist computer hacker and attention-seeking traitor.

The verdict denied the government a precedent that freedom of press advocates had warned could have broad implications for leak cases and investigative journalism about national security issues.

Whistleblower advocates and legal experts had mixed opinions on the implications for the future of leak cases in the Internet age.

The advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said the verdict was a chilling warning to whistleblowers, "against whom the Obama administration has been waging an unprecedented offensive," and threatens the future of investigative journalism because intimidated sources might fall quiet.

However, another advocate of less government secrecy, Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists, questioned whether the implications will be so dire, given the extraordinary nature of the Manning case.

"This was a massive hemorrhage of government records, and it's not too surprising that it elicited a strong reaction from the government," Aftergood said.

"Most journalists are not in the business of publishing classified documents, they're in the business of reporting the news, which is not the same thing," he said. "This is not good news for journalism, but it's not the end of the world, either."

Glenn Greenwald, the journalist, commentator and former civil rights lawyer who first reported Edward Snowden's leaks of National Security Agency surveillance programs, said Manning's acquittal on the charge of aiding the enemy represented a "tiny sliver of justice."

But WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, whose website exposed Manning's spilled U.S. secrets to the world, saw nothing to cheer in the mixed verdict.

"It is a dangerous precedent and an example of national security extremism," he told reporters at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, which is sheltering him. "This has never been a fair trial."

Federal authorities are looking into whether Assange can be prosecuted. He has been holed up in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden on sex-crimes allegations.

The material WikiLeaks began publishing in 2010 documented complaints of abuses against Iraqi detainees, a U.S. tally of civilian deaths in Iraq, and America's weak support for the government of Tunisia — a disclosure Manning supporters said helped trigger the Middle Eastern pro-democracy uprisings known as the Arab Spring.

To prove aiding the enemy, prosecutors had to show Manning had "actual knowledge" the material he leaked would be seen by al-Qaida and that he had "general evil intent." They presented evidence the material fell into the hands of the terrorist group and its former leader, Osama bin Laden, but struggled to prove their assertion that Manning was an anarchist computer hacker and attention-seeking traitor.

Associated Press

Bradley Manning acquitted of “Aiding the Enemy” charge, month-long sentencing phase now determines fate

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Bradley Manning being escorted out of the courthouse.

By the Bradley Manning Support Network. July 30, 2013
“We won the battle, now we need to go win the war,” shared defense attorney David Coombs following today’s verdict. “Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire,” he said to dozens of emotional supporters outside of the Fort Meade, Maryland military courtroom. Coombs expressed subdued optimism going into the expected month-long sentencing phase of the court martial that will determine how long Bradley Manning will remain in confinement.
Bradley Manning had previously accepted responsibility for providing classified information to WikiLeaks, actions covered by ten of the 22 charges. Military judge Colonel Denise Lind found him guilty of 20 of those 22 charges, so PFC Manning still faces the possibility of over 100 years behind bars.
Five of the more serious charges PFC Manning was convicted of today are ripe for appeal as Judge Lind altered the charges only a week ago in order to match up with Government’s evidence presented, long after the defense closed its case.
Amnesty International criticized the verdict, and the government’s refusal to investigate exposed crimes:

The government’s priorities are upside down. The US government has refused to investigate credible allegations of torture and other crimes under international law despite overwhelming evidence. Yet they decided to prosecute Manning who it seems was trying to do the right thing – reveal credible evidence of unlawful behaviour by the government.

Following sentencing, supporters will appeal to Major General Jeffery Buchanan to use his ability as Convening Authority of these proceedings to reduce any sentence handed down by Judge Lind.
Additionally, a campaign to urge President Barack Obama to pardon Bradley Manning will follow. Last week, a full page ad in The New York Times, noted, “Bradley Manning believed you, Mr. President, when you came into office promising the most transparent administration in history, and that you would protect whistle-blowers. Now would be a good time to start upholding that pledged transparency, beginning with PFC Manning.”
Bradley Manning’s family released the following reaction this afternoon:

While we are obviously disappointed in today’s verdicts, we are happy that Judge Lind agreed with us that Brad never intended to help America’s enemies in any way. Brad loves his country and was proud to wear its uniform.

We want to express our deep thanks to David Coombs, who has dedicated three years of his life to serving as lead counsel in Brad’s case. We also want to thank Brad’s Army defense team, Major Thomas Hurley and Captain Joshua Tooman, for their tireless efforts on Brad’s behalf, and Brad’s first defense counsel, Captain Paul Bouchard, who was so helpful to all of us in those early confusing days and first suggested David Coombs as Brad’s counsel.

Most of all, we would like to thank the thousands of people who rallied to Brad’s cause, providing financial and emotional support throughout this long and difficult time, especially Jeff Paterson and Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support Network. Their support has allowed a young army private to defend himself against the full might of not only the US army but also the US government.

See also: “JULIAN ASSANGE ON VERDICT”, and the EFF statement “The Bradley Manning Verdict and the Dangerous “Hacker Madness” Prosecution Strategy.”