For many months, Glenn Greenwald has documented the many ramifications of the mistreatment of Bradley Manning, including the failures of the U.S. media and the moral failures of Barack Obama. I highly recommend his latest article for the latest information. His final line:
“And it’s quite telling how one must go to to a British newspaper to read about U.S. abuse of a U.S. service member.”
[Addendum of April 21, 2011] Bradley Manning has been transferred out of the military brig at Quantico, and he’s headed toward Leavenworth. As usual, you can learn many of the details from Glenn Greenwald. One can only hope that he is kept in more humane circumstances in Kansas.
Greenwald takes a moment to celebrate the work and success of the independent press, which carried this story along where the mainstream media melted:
[T]his episode should be a potent antidote to defeatism, as it provides a template for how issues that would be otherwise ignored can be amplified by independent voices creatively using the democratizing and organizing power of the Internet, and meaningful activism achieved.
Bradley Manning's treatment has improved considerably, apparently, in light of his move to the federal prison at Fort Leavenworth:
"Fort Leavenworth Commandant Lt Col Dawn Hilton said Pte Manning had been cleared to be held as a medium-security prisoner following lengthy assessments for all new inmates.
She said that Pte Manning would be treated like every other prisoner.
"We're firm but fair. We treat everybody – staff and inmates – with dignity and respect," she was quoted by the Kansas City Star as saying.
His new cell is 80 sq ft (7.4 sq m) and has a bed, toilet, sink, desk and stool. It is situated in an area housing around 10 other pre-trial inmates, with whom he will be allowed to interact.
He will be able to receive daily visitors, unlimited mail – although he will only be allowed 20 items in his cell at any one time – and three hours of recreation time a day, some of which will be spent outside and in the library. "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-1323597…
At Democracy Now, Glenn Greenwald points out that Barack Obama improperly considered Bradley Manning to be guilty of crimes in the absence of a trial.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/29/glenn_green…
DANIEL ELLSBERG, speaking at Democracy Now:
"Well, nearly everything the President has said represents a confusion about the state of the law and his own responsibilities. Everyone is focused, I think, on the fact that his commander-in-chief has virtually given a directed verdict to his subsequent jurors, who will all be his subordinates in deciding the guilt in the trial of Bradley Manning. He’s told them already that their commander, on who their whole career depends, regards him as guilty and that they can disagree with that only at their peril. In career terms, it’s clearly enough grounds for a dismissal of the charges, just as my trial was dismissed eventually for governmental misconduct. But what people haven’t really focused on, I think, is another problematic aspect of what he said. He not only was identifying Bradley Manning as the source of the crime, but he was assuming, without any question . . . that a crime has been committed."
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/4/26/daniel_ells…
This about sums it up regarding Bradley Manning and George W. Bush. http://digg.com/news/politics/they_say_to_always_…