***From The Boston Private  Manning Support Committee Archives (Summer 2013 )

On Bradley Manning’s Show-Trial-Part Two-The Sentencing Phase

 

The following observations and comments are those of one of Bradley Manning’s supporters from Boston who has attended several sessions of the court-martial that has been held at Fort Meade in Maryland since June 3, 2013. This part concentrates on the sentencing phase which started on Wednesday July 31^st, the day after Private Manning was convicted of some 19 charges amounting to a total possible sentence at that point of 136 years.

July 31, 2013

The initial euphoria, or at least sign of relief over Judge Lind’s find Bradley not guilty of “aiding the enemy” charge, one that would essential have declared him a traitor and which carries a life without parole maximum, quickly dissipated as the grim reality of the total number of years that he faces, 136, unless some charges for similar acts are consolidated set in. The government, as has been the case throughout since it brought the case, will start first (and have the last word as well after the defense’s presentation) today once again to vilify Bradley, especially on the espionage counts. The gist of their claim is that Bradley’ s leaking of classified information to Wikileaks caused a severe blow to whatever it is the American government is trying to do around the world.       

Retired Brigadier General Robert Carr, the first witness in the sentencing phase, testified that no individuals in Iraq or Afghanistan were killed as a result of WikiLeaks’ releasing the Afghan War Diary and Iraq War Logs.
Apparently this phase, like the trial phase, is also going to include plenty of material presented by governmental witnesses in closed session as occurred today with John Kirchhofer.

August 1, 2013

Most of the session was closed. An important expected defense motion to consolidate a number of the charges based on the same course of action or which were charged separately as part action was taken under by advisement by Judge Lind at that time. She eventually ruled that some of the charges should be consolidated and reduced Bradley’s total possible sentence from 136 years to 90.  By my calculations, and correct my Math if I am wrong, 90 plus 25 (Bradley’s age) comes out to 115 years, a very long time making him a very old man unless we can gain his freedom, and gain it quickly.

August 2 to August 9

Most of the government witnesses, civilian from the State Department or those from the military spent their open court time (not much since many witnesses testified in closed court to the utter frustration of many Bradley court-side supporters) going on and on about the harmful effect of the Wikileaks revelations, although very little actual proof of harm was elicited. The defense has continually tried to rein in the governmental testimony when the prosecution has led the witnesses to speculate broadly about some speculative harm might have or might in the future affect American military or diplomatic policy. That was particularly true of the State Department’s Patrick Kennedy. Judge Lind has rules several times in the defense’s favor on the question of speculation but has also let some information in helpful to the prosecution. There was a running battle throughout as the prosecution ended its part of the sentencing phase on August 9^th.

The defense will be begin its efforts on Monday August 12^th- A now traditional first day of the trial week stand-out is scheduled in front of Fort Meade at 7 AM that day.

As the sentencing phase has wound down, with a potential sentence imposed as early as August 16^th the Bradley Manning Support Network has called for world-wide emergency actions on the day the sentence is announced. Here is some information on that- Stay tuned to the Support Network for a Boston action:

Immediately following the sentencing announcement of heroic WikiLeaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning by the military court at Fort Meade, Maryland, join us in the streets to declare, “Free Bradley Now!”

 

Many communities have a historic gathering location, such as a downtown intersection, central park, or other visible location. Please spread the word for folks to join you immediately following the sentencing to celebrate, protest, and/or simply show your support for Bradley.

 

We will likely have one day notice before sentencing occurs, so we’ll have some heads up. If it takes place in the morning, we suggest gathering that evening. If it takes place in the afternoon or evening, we suggest the following day. Same-day events are more likely to be covered by your local media in conjunction with the national breaking story of Bradley’s sentencing. Please contact the Support Network for posters, stickers, and info cards.

 

Our primary message for these response rallies: “President Obama: Pardon Bradley Manning”

From The Boston Private Manning Support Committee Archives- August 2013 


Emergency Bradley Manning Stand-Out –Park Street Station-Boston –August 21, 2013 –Report

President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning

On August 22, 2013 David Coombs announced that as of this date  Bradley Manning wants to be called Chelsea referred to by use of the feminine pronoun. How this affects campaigns like the Amnesty International/Bradley Manning Support Network petition to President Obama remains to be seen but for now we will use Pardon Bradley Manning. More later.  Link to announcement-

http://www.today.com/news/i-am-chelsea-bradley-mannings-full-statement-6C10974052      

 

In the interest of historical accuracy this report will use the old forms.)

 

Approximately 100 supporters of Private Bradley Manning responded to the call of the Boston Bradley Manning Support Committee, Veterans for Peace, and other activist organizations to an emergency stand-out at Park Street Station in Boston after his outrageous 35 year sentence was imposed by a military judge at his court-martial down in Fort Meade, Maryland. A number of speakers emphasized that the sentence imposed on Private Manning for telling the truth was harsher than many sentenced imposed on those who committed war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. Others mentioned the importance of continuing the fight to free Bradley by every political and legal means possible including immediately contacting the convening officer of the court martial, General Buchanan, to reduce the sentence and President Obama to grand a pardon. All speakers agreed that although it was a tough day for whistle-blowers and truth-tellers and their supporters that it was necessary to continue the fight to free Bradley. One speaker evoking the spirit of the old radical labor Joe Hill said-“Don’t Mourn, Organize! And we will.  

Over one hundred dollars was raised by passing the hat to aid in providing funds for Bradley’s future legal expenses as he, and his lawyer David Coombs, pursue the reduction of sentence by General Buchanan, presidential pardon, and any military or civilian court appeals. People were also urged to contribute on-line at the Bradley Manning Support Network   http://www.bradleymanning.org/

August 21, 2013 almost mark a new focus on the campaign to free Private Manning. The central theme of the day and of the new campaign is –“President Obama Pardon Bradley Manning.” An immediate task is to begin organizing around the call by Amnesty International and the Bradley Manning Support Network to sign an on-line petition directed to the President. The goal is to get 100,000 on-line signatures by September 20, 2013 to make our case loud and clear. All pardon petition efforts should focus on the on-line petition to send that message as one voice.

Below is a link to the Amnesty International/Bradley Manning Support Network to sign the on-line petition. The process is a little more cumbersome than other such petitions, including having to set up an account with an e-mail but since they (and you know who the they are (first letter N) have all our e-mail addresses anyway push on. This is for Bradley.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/restore-united-states’-human-rights-record-and-grant-clemency-pvt-bradley-manning/L7zHZv4r

President Obama Pardon Private Manning Now !

This person is not a spy. Private Manning (now, at her request, to be called Chelsea and the heroic soldier Wikileaks whistle-blower formerly known as Bradley) is not a criminal. Private Manning is a brave whistleblower who has exposed war crimes, government misdeeds, and corruption. Private Manning embarrassed the government, but her disclosures did not cause a single documented death. Private Manning released the following documents to WikiLeaks, now faces years up to 35 years in prison (minus the three plus years of pre-trial confinement already served and any "good time" to be accrued), and must be pardoned by President Obama.

*The Collateral Murder Video, which showed U.S. troops firing and killing unarmed
civilians, including a Reuters photographer, and firing on children in a van.

http://www.collateralmurder.com

*U.S. attempts to block investigations into CIA rendition of prisoners.

http://is.gd/poVGfc

*U.S. ignoring torture of Iraqi prisoners.

http://is.gd/2ftWlt

Documentation of many more civilian deaths than had been reported previously.

Documents exposing the corruption of the Tunisian government, which led to rebellion in Tunisia, and the Arab Spring.

http://is.gd/YBlxpS

A cable that proved that U.S. troops executed at least 10 civilians, including a woman
in her 70s and a 5 month old baby, in Ishaqi in 2006, and then called in an air strike to
cover it up. Soldiers involved did not serve a day in jail! This led to the Iraqi government refusing to allow U.S. troops to remain after 2011.

http://is.gd/cmzrtc

*Many more war crimes and revelations, including spying on diplomats at the U.N.

Contact the White House at 202-456-1414 and demand that Pres. Obama pardon Manning. Or
go to http://www.whitehouse.gov and leave your comments.

To send letters of solidarity and support the new address for sending letters to Manning; these must still be addressed to "Bradley" to be delivered:

Bradley E. Manning

89289

1300 N. Warehouse Road

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

66027-2304

Lamar W. Hankins : The March for Jobs and Freedom After 50 Years

24 August 2013

Lamar W. Hankins : The March for Jobs and Freedom After 50 Years

50 years later:
The March for Jobs and Freedom

While King's 'I Have a Dream' speech is clearly worthy of distinction, our memories of the event have shunted aside one of the primary purposes of the March: to push for a $2-per-hour minimum wage.

By Lamar W. Hankins /The Rag Blog / August 24, 2013

[A series of events marking the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedem is being held Saturday, August 24-Wednesday, August 28, in Washington, D.C., highlighted by a Realize the Dream March and Rally on Saturday, 8 a.m-4 p.m., and a March for Jobs and Justice on Wednesday, 11:30-4 p.m., led by veterans of the '63 event and featuring speeches by President Obama and former presidents Clinton and Carter.]

August 28, 2013, will mark the 50th anniversary of what is now called “The March on Washington,” but was officially named “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” I was unable to go to Washington, D.C., 50 years ago, but I remember where I was, and the March was certainly on my mind. A friend and I were on a trip through Houston. We stopped at a Foley’s store and spent some time in the appliance section watching the March on the televisions displayed.

Another friend I had known in high school was working for a federal agency in D.C. at the time. He and his fellow employees were sent home for the day (a Wednesday) because the government feared violence, clear evidence of the state of race relations at the time. My traveling companion and I were pleased to see that the March was as peaceful as its organizers had hoped it would be.

There were stirring speeches by John Lewis, now a Congressman from Georgia, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. Others well-known in public life were in attendance or sent their remarks to be read by others. James Farmer, head of the Congress of Racial Equality, was in jail in Louisiana. His remarks were read by Floyd McKissick. Author James Baldwin’s remarks were read by Sidney Poitier.

Others, including labor leader Walter Reuther and actor and singer Josephine Baker gave brief speeches. A. Phillip Randolph and Bayard Rustin played key roles in organizing the March, which was supported by the major civil rights organizations active at that time, as well as the AFL-CIO, and other union and religious groups.

Many musicians and singers performed, including Marian Anderson; Joan Baez; Bob Dylan; Mahalia Jackson; Peter, Paul, and Mary; Odetta; and Josh White. Actors present included Charlton Heston, Harry Belafonte, Marlon Brando, Diahann Carroll, Ossie Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lena Horne, and Paul Newman, along with comedian Dick Gregory.

March on Washington, 2013.

What we hear most about the March was the famous “I Have a Dream” speech of Dr. King. While the speech is clearly worthy of distinction, our memories of the event have shunted aside one of the primary purposes of the March: to push for a $2-per-hour minimum wage.

Had that goal been achieved and a $2 minimum wage been passed and indexed for inflation, the minimum wage today would be $15.26 based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator.

It happens that $15.26 is less than what a living wage in San Marcos-Austin-Georgetown would be today for one adult supporting one child. That figure, according to the Living Wage Calculator maintained by MIT, is $19.56 for those living in San Marcos/Hays County, Austin/Travis County, and Georgetown/Williamson County. The Living Wage Calculator takes into account the following costs:

• It uses the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 low-cost food plan, with regional adjustments. A family of four with two adults and two young children is expected to spend about $650 on food, less than $22 a day for the four.
• Child care costs are determined from a report, “Parents and the High Cost of Child Care - 2011 Update” published by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.
• The cost of health care is derived from the “2010 Consumer Expenditure Survey” prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the “2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey” published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
• Housing costs are from “2010 Fair Market Rents” produced by U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development.
• Transportation expenses are from the “2010 Consumer Expenditure Survey.”
• Other necessities are derived using regional adjustment factors from the “2010 Consumer Expenditure Survey.”
• Tax figures include estimated Federal payroll taxes as well as Federal and State income taxes for the 2011 tax year.

These Living Wage calculations show that we are nowhere close to what an inflation-adjusted minimum wage would be had it been $2 an hour in 1963. In fact, we are at less than half that amount with a current minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. And President Obama earlier this year, in the face of strong opposition, requested an increase in the federal minimum wage to a pitifully inadequate $9 per hour.

These facts about what income can provide a minimal standard of living in the U.S. demonstrates that we have an economic system unwilling to provide Americans with a living wage when left to its own devices. But, as we are learning from current efforts by workers at fast food restaurants to be paid adequate wages, the companies that own these businesses are raking in plenty of profits from the labor of workers.

These companies could both thrive and allow their workers to live decently. An undergraduate student at the University of Kansas who researched McDonald’s company-owned stores found that the fast food giant could double all employee salaries by increasing the cost of a Big Mac by 68 cents, without giving up one penny of profits. And Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, believes that McDonald’s is so large, vast, and lucrative that the company could easily manage a major wage increase for its employees without damaging its profits.

Recently, fast food workers in New York City, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Flint, Michigan, have been demanding that they be paid something closer to a living wage and that they be allowed to have the chance to form a union without intimidation by management. They ask to be paid $15 an hour, just under what the 1963 $2 per hour minimum wage demand would be if adjusted for inflation.

As a result of these recent efforts to obtain fairer pay, work stoppages and walkouts have occurred in fast food restaurants in several cities. Their efforts are being aided by the Service Employees International Union and could be advanced further if those of us who consume fast food support them.

If consumers respond to the moral issues related to fast food businesses by refusing to patronize fast food restaurants that won’t pay a living wage to their employees, this movement could finally realize a part of King’s dream and a primary objective of the 1963 March on Washington.

Nothing could be a more fitting memorial to the man who was killed while supporting sanitation workers in Memphis, who sought better wages, than for minimum wage workers throughout the country finally to be paid a fair wage that allows them and their families to live adequately.

[Lamar W. Hankins, a former San Marcos, Texas, city attorney, is also a columnist for the San Marcos Mercury. This article © Freethought San Marcos, Lamar W. Hankins. Read more articles by Lamar W. Hankins on The Rag Blog.]

The Rag Blog

David McReynolds : Reflections on the '63 March on Washington

24 August 2013

David McReynolds : Reflections on the '63 March on Washington

A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin on the cover of Life Magazine, September 6, 1963.

A socialist remembers:
Reflections on the March on Washington

The climate in Washington, D.C. that day was timorous. White Washingtonians feared some riotous upheaval.

By David McReynolds / The Rag Blog / August 24, 2013

August 28th will be the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedem.

Increasingly I realize, at 83, that there just aren't that many of us around who were there that August day 50 years ago. I knew Bayard Rustin -- chief organizer of the March -- (and will return to his name in a moment) and like many of us in the War Resisters League, the Socialist Party, and virtually all left organizations, was involved in the organizing for the event.

The decision to hold the March in mid-week rather than on a Saturday was very deliberate: Saturday marches are fairly easy to build, since few have to take time off from work, but a demonstration in the middle of the week means real commitment.

The climate in Washington, D.C. that day was timorous. White Washingtonians feared some riotous upheaval. It was then (and still is) easy for tourists to be unaware that the bulk of the population of the city is black. And what, the white minority wondered, would happen with thousands of angry Blacks coming to town.

Many businesses closed down. President Kennedy had made serious efforts to persuade Dr. King and the March organizers to call off the event. For a weekday the city was remarkably quiet. One must keep in mind the political climate of 1963.

The Civil Rights Revolution (it was nothing less than that) had only begun in December of 1955 in Montgomery. Ahead lay the bloodshed, the murders, the police violence, all of which had brought the leadership of the Black community into agreement on the need for some powerful symbolic action -- and that action was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

It's important, first, to look at the slogan: Jobs and Freedom. The link was very deliberate -- for what was freedom without a job?

I remember three things about the day.

One was the sound of thousands of souls, black and white, marching together toward the Lincoln Memorial, with the chant "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" It was truly black and white together. "White Washington" may have been fearful, but the trade unions were out in full force, and church and social justice groups had turned out their congregations and members.

The second thing I remember -- and I suspect few saw it -- was the failed effort of the American Nazi, George Lincoln Rockwell, to stir up a riot. I give him credit for raw courage: he stood up on a park bench and began an oration against "Kikes, Niggers and Communists." What happened next was a testament to careful planning on the part of the March organizers. Several dozen young Black youth formed a large circle around Rockwell and his followers, and, with their backs facing Rockwell, linked arms to make it clear that no one would be able to get through to the man and give him the violence he had sought to provoke.

The third thing I remember was King's speech. Sometimes at these marches and demonstrations -- and over the years I've attended many -- I simply made sure I got to the rallying point so the "count" would be maximized, and then I drifted away for a drink (those being the days when I drank) or a hamburger. There are so many speeches, and they are so boring. But this time I stayed -- and remember as if it were yesterday the cadence of King as he spoke, "I have a dream".

There were, I was aware, compromises; John Lewis, the courageous young Black civil rights leader, had had to to modify his comments a bit. (I suspect Lewis, looking back today, might realize the compromises in his language were much less important than the March itself.)

For Bayard Rustin the March was a great triumph. Life magazine carried a cover with A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin standing together on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

I've been invited to take part in a forum at a "Celebration of the Life of Quaker Bayard Rustin " on Sunday, August 25, at the Friends Meeting in Washington. They will show the film, Brother Outsider, followed by a panel with Mandy Carter, Bennett Singer, and myself.

I'm reluctant to take part, since, while Bayard was a deeply important part of my life -- he and A.J. Muste were the two mentors for my politics. I knew him well, and had under him at Liberation magazine and the War Resisters League. But I feel that the political path Bayard took after the March was a disturbing shift to the right, and that this must be discussed if we are to confront his life honestly.

As I said, I'm reluctant to do this since Bayard was one of the most courageous men I ever knew.

In connection with the events this month there is a new book out by Paul Le Blanc and Michael D. Yates, A Freedom Budget for All Americans. Published by Monthly Review Press, the book is due for print in September. (I have the uncorrected proof, which Paul Le Blanc was kind enough to send me.) Bayard had been very concerned that the March would not lead to the next steps, which he felt should be an effort to put forward a political and economic program to give the civil rights movement a "floor," a program for full employment.

The original Freedom Budget foundered because the authors sought to sell it to the publilc without realizing the need to take on the military budget. From Bayard's point of view, such an approach would "politicize" the budget and sink it, but in the real world of politics, which somehow Bayard failed to grasp, it was impossible to advance such a radical proposal at a time when the Vietnam War was so soon to absorb the attention of the nation.

It is good to have two socialist thinkers sketch out not only the history of the original Freedom Budget, but also give us an updated look at what such a budget might look like today.

[David McReynolds was the Socialist Party's candidate for President in 1980 and 2000, and for 39 years on the staff of the War Resisters League. He also served a term as Chair of the War Resisters International. He is retired and lives with his two cats on New York's lower east side. He can be reached at davidmcreynolds7@gmail.com. Read more articles by David McReynolds on The Rag Blog.

The Rag Blog

The Manning Verdict: The Implication of Placation by guest blogger Diane Gee

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

The Manning Verdict: The Implication of Placation by guest blogger Diane Gee

Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 of the possible 136 years they could have given him today. Eligible for a parole hearing in 10, it will likely come up in 7 with "time served." The MSM tried to frame as "accidental" the civilian murders on the released war-porn video, one of many such images and videos Manning witnessed, despite the soundtrack showing the unadulterated blood-lust and glee at the hit. Even the judge could not find "damage-done" though at one point, Manning did the smart thing and offered a general apologia prior to sentencing. Lets face it. People we are bombing know we double-tap. Thats why they hate us, beyond the general "invade my country and kill my family and take all my resources" general hate. We kill civilians with GLEE. Manning's statement today was profound. "Our nation has had similar dark moments for the virtues of democracy-the Trail of Tears, the Dred Scott decision, McCarthyism, the Japanese-American internment camps-to name a few. I am confident that many of our actions since 9/11 will one day be viewed in a similar light. As the late Howard Zinn once said, 'There is not a flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.'" So, as the unexpectedly soft sentence came? My though process was as follows... While it is a travesty of justice, I am mildly astonished that the sentence was that light in this toxic political climate. He will be eligible for parole in 7 yrs (with time served) and there is a move on the table to lessen or commute his sentence. I have to think it was not mercy, more likely fear of making people rally against harshness that influenced this. They fear us. I would like to expand on that thought process.

Manning did no damage, and they know it. His barbaric torture prior to the trial was nothing but a warning to other whistleblowers, by an administration that has gone after more whistleblowers than all other Presidencies in out History combined. "Here be Monsters!," was their warning. "Be afraid," was their cry, while they made Manning an example to us all. Had Snowden not come along? Manning would be doing life. They fear us so much, that now they are playing a game of manipulation to stave rebellion as the Empire falls like a clumsily built house of cards, on a gusty August afternoon, in the Autumn of Global Climate Change. You know, because he who is hung last and has the most hoarded might have half a fucking chance when the feces hit the proverbial fan. But as more unfolds on Snowden? They may have to throw us a bone with Manning, to show they are "fair." The thing is? Manning did no real damage, except in the US's view of themselves, while Snowden could bring down the whole house of cards. Snowden is danger. Snowden can do real damage. The fear and loathing doesn't drip, its being mainlined faster than a junkie slamming the plunger into his DTing veins. Our allies are at our bequest, treating Glenn Greenwald's family like terrorists. They are smashing hard drives like a 2nd grader who thinks if they tear up the test they failed, it won't count. I mean really, in exposing the mining of the cloud you are actively doing, you don't understand the information is already in the cloud? You might just be too stupid to live. But they do understand it. They are grasping at intimidation straws thinking as they slip over the waterfall they can scare the water into not flowing. Ok, enough bad mixing of metaphors, but it is hard not to become personally invested and animated by what is happening. So, when Snowden is assassinated? Mysteriously dies? Is found naked and high and in some compromising position with more questions than answers? We will have reasonable doubt they would "go that far" because "Manning got a fair shake." They will have more credibility by giving us the sacrificial "thief" in the crowd than the actual "savior." In other words? They can afford leniency with Manning - they already broke him, and took 3 years to so do. By giving us him? When they go after Snowden by any means necessary, they can use Manning as proof that they are not monsters. And Monsters with a capital M they are. Manning is expendable to them - a PR gift to us without appearing weak, while Snowden? He is public enemy numero uno, biotches. I would not be entirely surprised if Obama commuted his sentence, which of course would feed the plan of the Democratic demise in the next POTUS round, in the name of SECURITY and evil "socialism." Obama was a perfect tool to bring a Police State with little resistance. But now that so many cats are exiting said sacks? They need a Daddy-figure badass to bring it into full fruition. It is, in fact, 12 fucking dimensional chess. Just not the game you thought. Black you lose, white they win, baby. Its the Uniparty. "Don't make them rise up over the one we already broke, who didn't harm the Elites at all, or we will never get away with flaying the man who really can hurt us. Never give suffering people a martyr. Give them hope, and doubt." Sometimes I wonder why I am the only one who is sick enough to think like they do. I feel like a profiler who is too deep in the criminals' minds.... I can see this playing out, and people's outrage, which will be so very short lived since its not hundreds of years. I can see something happening to Greenwald and Snowden, and mainstream Americans having "reasonable doubt" that we had "!anything!" to do with it... since it happened in one of those countries we see as savage and alien in our ignorance. Especially now that Manning got a surprisingly fair shake from a Government we all have been seeing more and more as totalitarian. Its so easy to confuse us. But? If you had everything? How would you play it? Placate, obfuscate, eliminate. I would play it exactly like this. Mark my words, so will they.

Egypt's Reign of Terror

by Stephen Lendman

Mark Twain once said history doesn't repeat. It rhymes. French history includes la Terreur (the Reign of Terror). Dickens called it the best and worst of times.

It began in 1789. It promised "liberte, egalite and fraternite. It lasted a decade. It ended a millennium of monarchal rule. It was socially and politically disruptive. It was violent.

The wrong people gained power. Jacobins initially were revolutionary moderates. They were patriots. They turned violent. Thousands were arrested. Civil liberties were suspended.

Laws passed designating counter-revolutionaries state enemies. Undefined crimes against liberty were charged. Orwell called them "thoughtcrimes."

Vigilante justice was imposed. Kangaroo tribunals pronounced guilt by accusation. Guillotine executions killed thousands. Promised liberte, egalite and fraternite was illusory.

Today's Egypt reflects earlier times. Its elected president was ousted. Junta rule replaced him. It's repressive, ruthless, violent, unrelenting and unforgiving.

Sweeping crackdowns continue. Muslim Brotherhood leaders are targeted. Hundreds were arrested. Others went underground. Everyone supporting MB is threatened. Police states operate that way.

Throughout MB's 85 year history, it suffered repression, arrests, imprisonments and torture.

It reinvented itself several times. It did so unsuccessfully. Popular opposition reflects justifiable criticism.

Freedom and Justice (F&J) party rule featured neoliberal harshness. Progressive taxation legislation was gutted.

F&J spurned a draft labor law. Passage would have guaranteed independent unionism. It promised free workplace elections.

F&J officials replicated Mubarakism. It sided with business. It proposed strike regulations. The International Labor Organization blacklisted Egypt. It did so for spurning core labor rights.

Morsi ignored court ordered stoppage of public enterprise privatizations. He planned doing so at fire sale prices. He spurned competitive bidding.

His November constitutional declaration enraged large sectors of society. He was accused of "Brotherizing" Egypt.

Ousting him reflected much more than misgovernance. Mubarak loyalists targeted him. They waged a destabilization campaign. They did so for months.

Parliament was dissolved. Police refused to maintain public order. Courts acquitted former Mubarak officials. In May, Reporters Without Borders designated MB leaders predators of press freedom.

It never targeted Mubarak the same way. State terror defined his rule. Constitutional rights were suspended. Emergency Law powers denied press freedom. They were widely detested.

Sweeping arrests were made. Mass detentions followed. So did torture. No quarter was given. Iron fist rule was policy.

So was guilt by accusation. Innocence was no defense. Military tribunals were farcical. Justice was systematically denied.

Activists, dissidents, Islamists, and anyone perceived threatening authorities were vulnerable to persecution, arrest and imprisonment.

Elections when held were shams. Death sentences were freely imposed. Freedom of speech, assembly and association were greatly compromised.

Egyptians hoped Morsi offered change. He disappointed. He fell far short of expectations. Mubarak loyalists took full advantage. For months, Morsi was demonized. He was delegitimized.

Criticism overreached. Anti-Morsi propaganda pilloried him. It far exceeded justifiable misgovernance claims.

Opposition National Salvation Front (FSN) officials allied with Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) generals. They did so with other Mubarak loyalists.

Ousting Morsi made things worse. Junta power terrorizes Egypt. State media ban independent journalists. Some television stations were shuttered.

Interim leaders instituted a ministry of information. Controlling the message is prioritized. Opposition elements are terrorized.

MB officials are prime targets. On August 20, Mohammed Badie was arrested. He's detained. He's MB's Supreme Guide spiritual leader.

Since 2010, he headed Egypt's international MB organization. He was a member of its governing council since 1996.

Badie's two top aides were arrested. Hundreds of MB officials and supporters are imprisoned. Egypt Interior Ministry confirmed Badie's detention, saying:

"Carrying out the decisions of the public prosecutor to arrest and bring forward the 'general guide' of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, and through collected information and observation of movements, it was possible for the criminal search apparatus under the direction of Cairo's security (services) to arrest him."

He's charged with inciting violence and murder. On August 25, he'll stand trial. So will his two top deputies. They face kangaroo court justice. Guilt's already pronounced.

MB's Freedom and Justice Party said deputy leader Mahmoud Ezzat will replace Badie. He'll be temporary Supreme Guide.

MB's official English web site IkhwanWeb headlined "Anti-Coup National Alliance Calls for Boycott Campaign in Preparation for Civil Disobedience."

"The coalition of groups and movements defending democracy and constitutional legitimacy warns against dragging Egypt into civil war, urging a boycott of hostile military-controlled media and products made by all those who support the coup."

"Egypt is passing through the most difficult and dangerous conditions in its thousands of years’ history, which threaten its stability and unity and push it into a deadly spiral of violence from which there is no way out."

Security forces committed "heinous massacres. (T)he Egyptian people refused to succumb."

"(S)ecurity forces and thugs went mad. (S)nipers fir(ed) live (rounds) into unarmed crowds."

They did so from rooftops and police helicopters. They killed protesters in Abu Zaabal prison.

They did it "after torturing and burning them with poisonous gases. "They "committ(ed) war crimes and crimes against humanity - crimes against the sons of their homeland."

They "orchestrated a campaign of misinformation to demonize and dehumanize their opponents who still insisted on a return to legitimacy and rejection of the coup."

State controlled media support it. So do private media controlled by "dubious businessmen."

"They turned facts upside down, lied repeatedly, exposed their own lies, and even committed most reprehensible crimes against innocent Egyptians in order to cover up their earlier heinous crimes."

MB calls for mass civil disobedience. It urges:

• boycotting regime supportive media;

• boycotting businesses providing support and financing;

• boycotting products from supportive countries;

• "(e)scalating civil disobedience activities gradually, according to circumstances and events."

"You have only two options: submission or genocide."

"But our will is strong. We shall continue our non-violent struggle for the restoration of full legitimacy."

On August 20, The New York Times headlined "An Egypt Arrest, and a Brotherhood on the Run," saying:

"Egypt's authoritarian government has harassed and repressed the Muslim Brotherhood for most of its existence."

"But for the last three decades the authorities stopped short of touching the group's revered leader, the supreme guide, who oversaw the country's most effective social, political and religious organization despite its outlawed status."

Badie's arrest changed things. Most MB leaders are imprisoned. Others are dead, missing or disappeared.

Those still at large live on the run. "They change locations every 24 hours, avoid showing their faces at demonstrations or public places, and stay off cellphones for fear that they might be tracked." said The Times.

An unnamed MB official said:

"Asking about the structure of the organization now is like asking a dying man how his career is doing."

Harsh crackdowns continue. They exceed the worst MB experienced throughout its history. It augurs greater repression ahead.

Brute force controls Egypt. State terror is official policy. Longer term, millions of Egyptians support MB.

They're not going away. MB official Gehad el-Haddad said crisis promises "a new tier of youth leaders."

For now, things are disrupted. MB again needs to reinvent itself. It needs more than urging supporters to remain steadfast.

Believing Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) generals wouldn't kill Egyptians proved wrong. According to one observer:

SCAF head "Sisi is like a train now, and it will hit anyone and anything in its way. (T)he problem is that those people out there cheering for him don't understand that the train will get them next."

One Morsi supporter spoke for others. MB must resist, he said. "It's now beyond 'the principle of obedience' and the group. (N)ow it's about all the blood that was shed."

It's about an unacceptable imprisonment and torture alternative.

A Final Comment

On August 17, London's Observer headlined "Only democracy can end Egypt's bloody crisis," saying:

Egypt's on the brink. "For those who doubted the power of the country's post-revolutionary and unreformed 'deep state,' dominated...by the army, the judiciary and powerful economic interests backed by a servile state media, the events of the past week have been brutally instructive."

"The murderous crackdown on the Brotherhood's protest sit-ins following a previous massacre of supporters of the deposed Morsi has left hundreds dead."

Suggesting Morsi's ouster might restore democracy turns truth on its head. Reality is polar opposite.

Horrific massacres define junta rule. So does sweeping state terror.

"What is so dangerous right now is that neither side can conceivably triumph," said Observer editors.

"The Brotherhood is too big, too well entrenched in so many parts of Egyptian life that the notion that it can simply be stamped out is nonsensical."

"It might be bloodily repressed, but it cannot be snuffed out."

"The Egyptian military might believe that through excessive force it can return to the status quo ante of the Mubarak period, but the revolutionary dynamics have made that impossible."

World leaders bear much responsibility. They let SCAF human rights continue with impunity. They continue military and economic aid. They say one thing. They do another. Policy belies their rhetoric.

"(T)he message that needs to be delivered urgently is that, without a rapid demilitarisation of Egypt's politics and withdrawal of the army from the political stage, Egypt's crisis is only likely to deepen, while a return to a peaceful democratic transition will bring tangible rewards not just for the self-interested elites but for all Egyptians."

"That requires an inclusive and pluralistic political process that includes all sides, including the Muslim Brotherhood, a release of political prisoners, including that organisation's leadership, and the ending of a culture of impunity for acts of violence."

It requires world leaders to rethink their "muddled, disengaged and dangerous policy on Egypt that has flip-flopped wildly."

"It is all the more urgent because the alternative is a steep and violent descent into ever worse bloodshed."

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/egypts-reign-of-terror/

Bradley Manning: Imprisoning a National Hero

by Stephen Lendman

We're all vulnerable. We're all Bradley Manning. His fate is ours.

Charging, prosecuting, convicting, sentencing and imprisoning him reflects the shame of the nation. It reveals its true face.

Previous article said American honors its worst. It spurns its best. It vilifies them. It persecutes them. It does so shamelessly. It does it irresponsibly. It does it repeatedly. It does it lawlessly.

War criminals win Nobel Peace Prizes. They're awarded Presidential Medals of Freedom. They deserve prosecution. They deserve prison. They deserve the hardest of hard time longterm.

When exposing crimes of war and against humanity is criminalized, justice gets turned on its head. Manning faces 35 years in prison. It's for acting responsibly. It's for doing the right thing.

He deserves high praise, not prosecution. He faces potential decades behind bars instead. Washington intends making it hard time. A previous article explained.

Imprisoning Manning shows America's true face. It exposes its dark side. It mocks judicial fairness. It conceals Washington's true agenda.

Mass slaughter, destruction and human misery explain best. So does waging war on humanity. It's doing it globally. It's targeting freedom.

America's no democracy. It never was. For sure it's not now. It's an out-of control pariah state. It's a rogue state. It's a criminal state. It's a tyrannical one.

Paul Craig Roberts calls it a "gangster state." It partners with likeminded ones. America, Britain and Israel represent the real axis of evil.

They're the greatest threat humanity faces. They're unmatched in human history. Their agenda threatens to end it.

They mock democratic values. They spurn rule of law principles. They operate extrajudicially. They pretend otherwise. They're unapologetic.

They threaten humanity's survival. They bear full responsibility for global wars. They plan more ahead. Human lives don't matter. They're are a small price to pay. Unchallenged dominance alone counts.

"(G)et accustomed to the police state," said Roberts. Imprisoning Manning's Exhibit A.

After Wednesday's sentencing, his lawyer David Coombs answered reporters' questions. Manning revealed nothing sensitive, he said.

"I think the damage there was an embarrassment there of having other people see that we don't always do the right thing for the right reasons."

This "might come as a surprise to some people."

"(I)f people actually look to (the) documents he revealed, they'll see that we don't always do what we should do and we're not always the country we should strive to be."

Manning thought "he (could) make a difference."

"How disheartening it must have been (to learn it) really wasn't always the mission."

"And we didn't always just kill bad people. Sometimes we just kill people because they were in the wrong place, and no one asked questions."

"And no one investigated to see if we do something wrong. And when we did do something wrong, we didn't come forward with that information."

"We didn't readily admit the mistake and say we're sorry and show how we're going to prevent this from happening in the future."

"We owe that to the American public. We owe that to the public that we go to protect, and to help them build a good country."

"And yet, we didn't do that. And so for Brad to see that, I think that is probably what accelerated his belief that the public needed to see this information."

John Paul Jones is called the Father of the United States Navy. He was a Revolutionary War naval fighter. He's known for having said "I have not yet begun to fight."

He said it in response to British Captain Richard Pearson. He asked Jones to surrender his ship - the USS Bonhomme Richard.

On October 31, 1936, Franklin Roosevelt announced his second New Deal. He did it during his reelection campaign. "We have not come this far without a struggle," he said.

"I assure you," he added, "we cannot go further without (more) struggle. (W)e have only just begun to fight."

Coombs ended his press conference the same way, saying:

"Please know that (Manning's) fight is not over."

Great struggles require longterm commitment. Quitting isn't an option. The stakes are far too great. They reflect much more than Manning.

Perhaps he best symbolizes what's wrong. There's so much more. Today is the most perilous time in world history. Daily events should scare everyone. Upside down reality threatens humanity's survival.

Lawlessness is rewarded, not punished. So is warmaking. Peacemakers are vilified. Advocating it is considered unpatriotic. It's considered sissy. It's considered wrongheaded. It's considered criminal.

Exposing crimes of war, against humanity and genocide risks prosecution. Doing the right thing's considered wrong.

Humanity's survival is threatened. It may not survive Obama's second term. Rogue governance bears full responsibility. Top priority is challenging it. It's doing so responsibly. There's nothing more important than that.

The Bradley Manning Support Network published his request for a presidential pardon. Chances are virtually nil. It's in letter form. It's passionate. It's powerful. It's sincere. It's morally and ethically principled.

It's polar opposite Obama. It reflects the highest form of patriotism. It'll be delivered to Obama at the White House.

At his press conference, Coombs read it aloud. It states:

"The decisions that I made in 2010 were made out of a concern for my country and the world that we live in. Since the tragic events of 9/11, our country has been at war."

"We've been at war with an enemy that chooses not to meet us on any traditional battlefield, and due to this fact we’ve had to alter our methods of combating the risks posed to us and our way of life."

"I initially agreed with these methods and chose to volunteer to help defend my country. It was not until I was in Iraq and reading secret military reports on a daily basis that I started to question the morality of what we were doing."

"It was at this time I realized that (in) our efforts to meet the risk posed to us by the enemy, we have forgotten our humanity."

"We consciously elected to devalue human life both in Iraq and Afghanistan. When we engaged those that we perceived were the enemy, we sometimes killed innocent civilians."

"Whenever we killed innocent civilians, instead of accepting responsibility for our conduct, we elected to hide behind the veil of national security and classified information in order to avoid any public accountability."

"In our zeal to kill the enemy, we internally debated the definition of torture. We held individuals at Guantanamo for years without due process."

"We inexplicably turned a blind eye to torture and executions by the Iraqi government. And we stomached countless other acts in the name of our war on terror."

"Patriotism is often the cry extolled when morally questionable acts are advocated by those in power."

"When these cries of patriotism drown out any logically based dissension, it is usually the American soldier that is given the order to carry out some ill-conceived mission."

"Our nation has had similar dark moments for the virtues of democracy - the Trail of Tears, the Dred Scott decision, McCarthyism, and the Japanese-American internment camps - to mention a few."

"I am confident that many of the actions since 9/11 will one day be viewed in a similar light."

"As the late Howard Zinn once said, 'There is not a flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.' "

"I understand that my actions violated the law; I regret if my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States."

"It was never my intent to hurt anyone. I only wanted to help people. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others."

"If you deny my request for a pardon, I will serve my time knowing that sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society."

"I will gladly pay that price if it means we could have a country that is truly conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all women and men are created equal."

America isn't beautiful. It never was. It's not now. It's not the land of the free and home of the brave. Longstanding policies belie high-minded rhetoric.

Things are worse than ever today. Humanity's very existence is threatened. Dismissiveness increases the possibility of its annihilation. Mass activism alone has a chance to save it.

America believes war is peace. Regional wars may spread globally. Doing so is madness. Today's super-weapons make earlier ones look like toys.

Admiral Hyman Rickover's known as the father of America's nuclear navy. In 1982, he delivered the Morgenthau Memorial Lecture. He titled it "Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life."

He discussed "some basic principles of existence, propounded by thinkers through the ages."

He highlighted responsibility, perseverance, excellence, creativity and courage. He said they're vital for "intellectual growth and development."

He asked: "How can we equate nuclear weapons and warfare with moral and ethical values?"

"Weapons of themselves are neither moral nor amoral; it is their use that raises the moral and ethical issue."

"In all wars, man has used the best weapons available to him."

"If history has any meaning for us, it shows that men will continue to use the best weapons they have to win."

"Throughout history, even when men have established leagues to prevent war, they have nevertheless resorted to it. Utopia is still beyond the horizon."

In testimony before Congress the same year, Rickover said:

"I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation." He said he's "a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war."

He repeated his Morgenthau Memorial Lecture warning, saying:

"The lesson of history is when a war starts, every nation will ultimately use whatever weapon it has available."

Before the nuclear age, wars didn't threaten humanity. Rickover knew things changed. The risk of mushroom shaped denouement is real.

Jimmy Carter was part of Rickover's nuclear navy. In 1984, he said:

"I wish that nuclear power had never been discovered. I would forego all the accomplishments of my life, and I would be willing to forego all the advantages of nuclear power to propel ships, for medical research and for every other purpose of generating electric power, if we could have avoided the evolution of atomic explosives.''

Waging peace matters most. Wars beget more of them. They risk greater ones. They risk mass destruction. They risk ending history.

Humanity must either end wars or risk annihilation. There's no in between.

A Final Comment

On August 21, the Center for Constitutional Rights condemned Manning's persecution. It issued the following statement, saying:

"We are outraged that a whistleblower and a patriot has been sentenced on a conviction under the Espionage Act."

"The government has stretched this archaic and discredited law to send an unmistakable warning to potential whistleblowers and journalists willing to publish their information."

"We can only hope that Manning’s courage will continue to inspire others who witness state crimes to speak up."

"This show trial was a frontal assault on the First Amendment, from the way the prosecution twisted Manning’s actions to blur the distinction between whistleblowing and spying to the government’s tireless efforts to obstruct media coverage of the proceedings."

"It is a travesty of justice that Manning, who helped bring to light the criminality of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, is being punished while the alleged perpetrators of the crimes he exposed are not even investigated."

"Every aspect of this case sets a dangerous precedent for future prosecutions of whistleblowers - who play an essential role in democratic government by telling us the truth about government wrongdoing - and we fear for the future of our country in the wake of this case."

"We must channel our outrage and continue building political pressure for Manning’s freedom. President Obama should pardon Bradley Manning, and if he refuses, a presidential pardon must be an election issue in 2016.

Ben Wizner heads the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project. He addressed Manning's mistreatment, saying:

"When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system."

"A legal system that doesn't distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability."

"This is a sad day for Bradley Manning, but it's also a sad day for all Americans who depend on brave whistleblowers and a free press for a fully informed public debate."

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-imprisoning-a-national-hero/