"We have done this because we love liberty and hate authority." – Voltairine de Cleyre
Bradley Manning and the UCMJ Dungeon.
On December 16th, 2010, Glen Greenwald, writing for Salon.com, brought us a glimpse of The Inhuman Conditions of Bradley Manning’s Detention. Mr. Greenwald summarizes Bradley Manning’s story as “the 22-year-old U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, [who] has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime. … [and] has been detained at the U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months — and for two months before that in a military jail in Kuwait — under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture.” Mr. Greenwald then references The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law which “explains that “solitary confinement is recognized as difficult to withstand; indeed, psychological stressors such as isolation can be as clinically distressing as physical torture.” Bradley Manning’s friend, David House, has described, after visiting him, “a remarkable decline in his psychological state and physical wellbing.”
So, what’s the status of Bradley Manning, legally and morally? What are our “leaders” doing to this boy and how does the American subject population feel about it? Is Bradley America’s equivalent of Omelas’ sacrificial child? Or a hero for the ages; a Smedley Butler or Daniel Ellsberg for the opening decade of the 21st century?
Kevin Carson, a contemporary mutualist author and individualist anarchist, has issued a blazing defense for Bradley Manning and declared him, possibly, the only solider to ever, actually, defend American freedoms.
We’ve all heard it before, “Support the Troops, because they defend our freedoms.” But do they? When I was in the U.S. Army I don’t remember any stalwart or teary moments at freedom’s defense. Typical day: coffee and calisthenics in the morning; bureaucracy and cigarettes in the afternoon; and boredom and beer in the evening. There were no discussions of what “freedom” means or what it looks and feels like. It was a job, with a dangerous task and a boss that could legally make your life a living hell… oh and you can’t quit. Bradley Manning is experiencing the legal side of this living hell. A circle of hell populated by indifferent robots of the military, semi-corporate bureaucrat structure. Lost behind walls of paperwork in a UCMJ dungeon. Why!?!
“If there’s a soldier anywhere in the world who’s fought and suffered for my freedom, it’s Pfc. Bradley Manning,” says C4SS researcher Kevin Carson. “Every war since [the revolution] … has been for nothing but to uphold a system of power, and to make the rich folks even richer.” Kevin concludes:
“So if you’re one of the authoritarian state-worshipers, one of the groveling sycophants of power, who are cheering on Manning’s punishment and calling for even harsher treatment, all I can say is that you’d probably have been there at the crucifixion urging Pontius Pilate to lay the lashes on a little harder. You’d have told the Nazis where Anne Frank was hiding. You’re unworthy of the freedoms which so many heroes and martyrs throughout history — heroes like Bradley Manning — have fought to give you.”
Don’t let Bradley Manning get lost in the UCMJ dudgeon; Free Bradley Manning!
about 2 years ago
Kev said: We’ve all heard it before, “Support the troops, because they defend our freedoms, or do they.” But do they? Kev Carson said that.
Kev, did You flunk world history in high school? What language do You think we’d be speaking if the US had lost World war 2 ? I bet it would either be
German or Japanese, what do You think?
G Clark said that. Patriot and Vietnam Veteran.
about 2 years ago
Dear Gary,
Thanks for the comment, but I am not sure what you are trying to say.
about 2 years ago
I concluded many years ago that the vast majority of government military enforcers do not understand what they have signed up to do. Some may have actually read the words of the oath they took but did even those understand that it could and has often in the last 50 years been mostly ignored, especially with regards to even “war”, the declaration of by Congress being necessary per the hallowed document. Instead a very large number of the individuals who have become government military enforcers allowed themselves to be influenced by emotional speech and writing that described some “them” as the enemy, dedicated to the destruction of “the American way”, or something similar.
However, it is encouraging to read over the past few months the defense of Bradley Manning’s actions to bring more of the truth of government military enforcer killings to light. I have been convinced that he acted as a person horrified at the information (Afghanistan related) that he had come across in his work and considered it imperative that other USers be aware of the same. The media writers/commenters (and some politicians) who want him prosecuted – even shot by a firing squad – would likely have praised Nazi German and Soviet Russian soldiers who provided similar information to a publisher for world-wide dissemination. The philosophical contradiction by such writers/commenters is clear to me.
I have been writing online for years that the soldiers/sailors/marines – the government enforcers in geographical areas outside the USA – are the key to stopping wars, just as they are the essential key (effective cause) to starting them. I write it this way because, the hundreds of thousands of ordinary soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen are the ones doing the actual harm – most of it per order of their non-coms, officers and high command including the President. Do you think that the high command generals, admirals and the President are going to go out in the field and enforce their own orders to fire the guns, tanks, missiles, to set the traps/bombs, deploy the drones or even do the maintenance and repair on the various equipment used? No way!
In September 2005 I ventured onto the blog, “A Soldier’s Thoughts” in the entry, “On Killing” – http://misoldierthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/09/on-killing.html – making the the last comment of 44 that spanned 8 days. In October 2005 I placed my comment along with the exchanges I had with one commenter, a different soldier’s wife (on another of The Soldier’s blog entries) on a webpage, “Exchange Regarding Social Preferencing and Support of Participants in Offensive Military Action” – http://selfsip.org/dialogues/misc/preferencing_support.html
On 10/30/2009, 07:10:46 AM I wrote a comment of partial agreement to “No One Else Will Stop the Killing” by Mike Ferner – http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23828.htm From that comment:
Protesting in writing and person against the current administration’s continued warfare in Iraq, escalation of it in Afghanistan and talk (and plans?) of it in Iran (and who knows where else) is good. BUT it is not enough! The actual enforcers of the government’s plans are the key!!
If large numbers of the troops become convinced to cease being the fingers on the triggers, then the current wars (and those on the drawing board or just possibilities) will burn out from lack of fuel. I recommend families and friends to use logical persuasion of the above type to urge their military enforcer to cease being so and to resign, refuse re-enlistment and instead to get truly productive employment. And do not hesitate to urge potential enlistees to take a non-military route for employment. Also, if family/friend military members have the courage to refuse deployment (while attempting to resign) and the possible ensuing military court repercussions, support them openly and heavily.
An additional method of persuasion for those who will not be convinced of the logic above is to refuse to voluntarily associate with them – those individuals who continue in or join the military and those persons who “support” the troops as they continue to inflict harm. This negative social preferencing (contrasted with the positive form to favor those approved) has been referred to as ostracism in many parts of the world for centuries and has been an effective method of nonviolent political action. (Writings of Gene Sharp recommended.)
I urge everyone to realize and never forget that the troops themselves are *the key* to stopping – or starting – any war!
And each individual has the capability to help turn that key – pun intended – away from war initiation/maintenance.
Final note: I monetarily support Bradley Manning & WikiLeaks – which I also encourage others to do (suggest Xipwire.com in US), “follow” both on Twitter, comment frequently online in their support and may consequntly be subject to whatever machinations US DOJ[sic] is currently working on to intimidate supporters of both. Therefore, James, I join you in your encouragement to not let Bradley be forgotten in the dungeon of the US UCMJ.
about 2 years ago
Dear Kitty,
Thank you for the comment. I agree with you that it is the “boots on the ground” that finally determine whether a war is prosecuted or not. We need to support Conscientious Objectors morally, publicly and financially. The military is a machine, a bureaucratic nightmare of a machine, that prohibits dissent and promotes, through paperwork, loss of pay and crushing boredom, compliance with “orders.”
When I enlisted I took an oath to “defend the constitution from all threats whether foreign of domestic,” but there is literally no way to do that. There is no questioning, there is no internal affairs, there is no Chaplin, nothing. There is a budget, a Career path and the UCMJ.
All soldier, marines, sailors and airmen need to understand that they are claiming to protect a document, the constitution, that no longer applies to them. When you sign on that dotted line, you belong to JAG and the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. Laughable, Military Justice. There is only Justice and you either have it or you don’t.
Bradley Manning needs justice; and his “due” is to be lifted up on to our shoulders with deepest regards and nursed back to sparkling health after his months of torture.
ALL the best.