June 1: Rally for Bradley
Manning at Fort Meade
By exposing the truth, Bradley Manning helped end a war based on lies. Join us June 1, 2013 to rally in support of Bradley Manning at
Fort Meade.
A still
from the Collateral Murder video which exposed the murder of two Reuters
journalists
|
This week, pundits across the political spectrum are searching for meaning in
the tenth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq. The decade-long
campaign of bombings and occupation left hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead
and millions wounded, displaced, or scarred. Justified with lies about
biological and chemical weapons that never existed, the senseless war cost U.S.
tax-payers more than 3 trillion dollars, and far more in blood and shame. Tens
of thousands of US soldiers were wounded or killed, and to this day, $490
billion is owed to veterans.
Many credit President Obama with the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from
Iraq, and almost none mention the fact that it was cables provided by Bradley
Manning and published by WikiLeaks that made Obama’s attempt to keep troops
there past the 2011 deadline impossible. As CNN reported in October of that
year,
[Iraq and U.S.] negotiations were strained following WikiLeaks’
release of a diplomatic cable that alleged Iraqi civilians, including children,
were killed in a 2006 raid by American troops rather than in an airstrike as the
U.S. military initially reported.
Obama had wanted to keep troops beyond President Bush’s 2011 deadline, but
required the condition that all U.S. soldiers be guaranteed legal immunity for
their actions. Upon reading the WikiLeaks-released cables, the Iraqi government
refused.
By revealing the hidden realities of the Iraq War, Pfc. Bradley Manning
achieved his noble goal of sparking domestic debate, and he helped begin the end
of an aggressive, violent, and counterproductive war.
Here are a few of
WikiLeaks’ revelations about the U.S war in Iraq:
- 15,000 more Iraqi civilians had been killed than were reported in any other
count
- U.S. soldiers were formally commanded not to investigate reports of torture
committed by the Iraqi Federal Police with whom they cooperated
- The American occupation of Iraq has failed to stabilize the widespread
violence and corruption that has escalated following the destruction of Iraq's
infrastructure
Embarrassed by the exposure of its failures, the military is seeking to make
an example of Bradley Manning, and for this reason we must thank, support, and
defend him. The government has chosen to pursue all 22 counts, amounting to a
life sentence without parole, against Bradley when his court-martial trial
finally begins on June 3.
We’re calling on supporters to descend in droves to Ft. Meade,
MD, on June 1, 2013. President Obama and Gen. Martin Dempsey have
already deemed Bradley guilty, pressuring Judge Denise Lind to follow suit,
making it impossible for Bradley to receive a fair trial. The military court has
failed to repudiate Bradley's unlawful torture and the violation of his right to
a speedy trial. It has significantly hindered the defense's ability to discuss
both Bradley’s motive to expose wrongdoing and the fact that no harm has come
from WikiLeaks’ publications. So we must support Bradley both inside and outside
the courtroom. We must express our outrage at the government’s attempts to send
this generation’s Daniel Ellsberg to jail for life. Bradley Manning put his life
and liberty on the line to inform his fellow Americans about a disturbing war’s
darkest secrets, and on June 1, we must return the favor.
Help us continue to cover
100%
of Bradley's legal fees! Donate today.
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