My name is Graham Nash and I am a human being...
I became a citizen of the United States of America decades ago mainly because I did not want to be hypocritical, criticizing this country, throwing caustic comments from the sidelines, usually in song, yet not being a true part of this wonderful social network. I also wanted to be able to vote and I wanted to be able to praise the obvious beauty of this country and it's people and the things they stand for, having been brilliantly set out in our Constitution.
Being a citizen means the world to me, and it also means that I can raise my voice and my opinion.
Obviously no one has to agree with anything I'm saying but I know that our constitution guarantees me the right to speak my mind.
I see many things wrong with this country right now: the ever widening divide between the rich and the poor, the taking over of our government by the corporate/financial elite, the 'buying' of our very democracy by the 1%, the decimation of our environment by the oil, coal, gas, chemical and nuclear industries and the ever increasing erosion of our civil rights to name but a few of our many problems.
I believe that one case in particular, the case against Bradley Manning, has chilling consequences for the future of our fragile society. Manning is the U.S. Private First-class soldier who, allegedly, released the hundreds of thousands of documents to the world for everyone to see exactly what was being perpetrated around the planet by our military and state departments in our name.
Regardless of whether you think that Manning is right or wrong, innocent or guilty, hero or villain, saint or sinner, he is a human being and should be treated as such.
This man was kept in a 12-foot by 9-foot white cell with bright lights on for 23 hours a day, sometimes naked. At night he was asked every five minutes whether he was OK and, if he did not respond positively, was "investigated" by his guards. He has been put on a suicide watch even against the advice of the psychiatrists in charge of his case who, without doubt, felt that he was not a threat to himself or anyone else.
He had not even been charged at this point, nor even touched by another human being in nearly eleven months. Think about that for a second. A human being needs and wants to be assured of his very existence, partly by the touch of others. From what I've observed we treat murderers better than this. In Bradley Manning's words, he did his duty to his country first not to the Generals and war profiteers who are running these conflicts. What he saw, whilst carrying out his duties as an intelligence officer, was abhorrent to him. He felt that the country should be made aware of what was going on, time and time again, in their name.
Unfortunately the president of the U.S.A. has already muddied the waters of this investigation by declaring that Manning had "broken the law." How is it possible for there to be a "fair" trial when the Commander-in-Chief has already pronounced a verdict? Why is the president openly supporting the rights of whistle-blowers except in the case of Bradley Manning?
The lawyer, David E. Coombs, when asked about Manning's mental state, says that his client is "almost gone." That phrase prompted me to write this song with my friend James Raymond:
One of the many ways that I'm privileged to be able to voice my concerns is with music and song. Ideas are really what change the world; ideas followed by actions. On a humanitarian level I feel so strongly that this persecution is both illegal and immoral.
Let us all stand up for justice and raise our voices against a two-tiered system -- the one of "one for us, and a different justice system for them."
What makes the case troubling is that it asks the question does a whistle blower in the armed forces have the same rights as someone in private industry? If not how does one address wrongdoing when it reaches all ends of politics across the globe? Obviously Manning sparked debate on something that's bigger than himself and the country as a whole. Hearing the background on how he was outed, on a number of fronts, is pretty disheartening also a bit of a concern. How is an E3 or E4 in charge with the kind of information that he had access to? Also when the full transcripts of his contact with the ex-hacker was released it shown probably more information than was necessary but gave context which made the case even more tragic. His imprisoning for 3+ years in solitary is just as bad as was his outing. I find the whole story more a relief that closure for Manning's is soon approaching as tragic as it may come.
Speak for yourself. MY interests are knowing about lies, deceptions, and even war crimes that our government and military are engaged in and try and cover up by slapping a "top secret" stamp on it. Also this was the lowest level of top secret documents from overseas diplomats. There was no national security at risk. Any freedom loving person should thank God for Wikileaks and private Manning.
In the context of the UCMJ, what Manning did was illegal. This begs the question, given the fallout of the leaks, if there is wrong doing on all sides (government & armed forces) how do you get the information out to the public normally thats the role of the whistle blower to inform the media or Internet in this case of any wrongdoing. However, in the armed forces such an act is treason, unless directed through the chain of command. If that's corrupt, it tends to create this feeling of distrust between our fighting force, our government and its people.
For Manning, I hope for the best but I expect the worse and that's disappointing to me. I hope his case will lead to changes in how our armed forces go about things in whistle blowing and create systemic accountability unlike the mess that has gone on so far in this second Gulf War.
Our lying politicians and war loving military are the traitors of my peace and freedom!!
http://www.salon.com/2011/12/15/an_indie_film_takes_up_bradley_mannings_plight/
http://preventionofinjury.com/
I can only hope Manning isn't the only one in the military WITH a conscience to speak up if he sees something that goes against everything he stands for.
They used to mistreat you if you had a sexuality they didn't like. They didn't think much of you.
They used to mistreat you if they had an illness you didn't like. They didn't think much of you. (This one is still pretty much the case in the uk).
WE have have to stop crimes like this , because next time it could be US, people have to care about things like this. Innocent or guilty, give him a trial, don't treat him like this. Que obligatory Martin Niemöller quote ...
The New York article adds more details to Manning’s noble motives. Like millions of people, Manning concluded that the war in Iraq, far from being a magnanimous endeavor to help the Iraqi people, was in fact an inhumane, monstrous act of aggression that indiscriminately killed huge numbers of innocent people; but unlike those millions of war critics, Manning decided to take action rather than remain passive:
http://www.salon.com/2011/07/04/manning_11/
he is a conscientious objector who blew the whistle to stop criminal injustice.
we have gotta respect that.
The so-called defenders of law and justice in the USA are acting in direct contradiction to the principles laid down by the founding fathers.
So, while the US military marches around the world upholding the virtues of freedom, liberty, democracy, and the sanctity of law, the rest of the world will watch with jaundiced eyes to see how the US dishes out those principles on its' own soil.
Tomorrow, we in the 'rest of the world' may view the Staue of Liberty in a different light !
That man did the world a great service, by exposing (some of) the true nature of US Diplomacy, and now he is being tortured on a daily basis, with the US President condemning him even before he has had the chance to stand trial.
What ever happened to: Innocent until proven guilty?
This is absolute proof, that if you mess with the "wrong people" then you'll be punished, with no regards for the law or even for the basic principles of human rights. Because apparently those only apply to us common folk.
Way to go America, land of the "free". Indeed.
We've now had two Presidents who believe they have the power to declare people guilty without trial. Don't forget that President Obama is on video declaring that Bradley Manning is guilty. Our current President will sign this unconstitutional and vulgar practice into law when he authorizes the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. President Obama now completely deserves the same day in court that Bush does. He is just as corrupt and cowardly.