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America Denounces Obama in Recognition of Hero Bradley Manning
by voice Friday, Sep 7 2012, 10:37am
international / prose / post

Simultaneous protests in 35 American cities denounced president Obama for prejudging the case against alleged whistleblower, Bradley Manning; Obama stated nationally, that "he [Manning] broke the law" when a determination in the case has yet to be reached. Obama's outburst was extra-ordinary considering that Obama was a lecturer at law and is supposed to be a trained lawyer himself -- the world can only wonder!

Pfc Bradley Manning

American authorities continue to shroud the Manning case in secrecy and are doing their level best to withhold certain details of the case from journalists.

To date Manning has been segregated, debased, abused and psychologically tortured while in military custody yet the man has not broken and remains true to his moral obligations and convictions.

It is absurd that a man who allegedly exposed war crimes to the world is himself on trial and is being judged by the criminal forces he exposed! Obama paints himself with the same brush as Pentagon criminals by openly condemning Manning and prejudicing his case. But what else should we expect from a black lackey who recently passed into law 'indefinite detention' without trial, charge or the means to challenge one's accusers -- the tragedy for America is that this lackey to the plutocrats is also assured a second term in office!


Report from the San Francisco Bay Guardian follows:

Protesters tell Obama to free Bradley Manning
by Yael Chanoff

Led by veterans from Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, supporters of army PFC Bradley Manning protested in some 35 US cities tonight. The protests were planned to coincide with the Democratic National Convention, to demand that President Obama pardon Manning.

They also demanded that the President “retract and apologize for remarks made in 2011, in which he said Bradley Manning ‘broke the law.’”

Manning allegedly released more than 700,000 classified files to Wikileaks, including the “Collateral Murder” video which depicts over a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters employees, being shot without provocation from an Apache helicopter.

Manning was arrested in Iraq in May 2010, and remains in jail, awaiting trial. His court martial may begin in February.

In San Francisco, supporters of Manning called for his release at a rally at 16th and Mission plaza. Speakers also decried Obama for wars that the United States continues to fight, for drone strikes, and for failing to close Guantanamo Bay.

Several veterans spoke to the crowd of about 60.

Jeff Paterson, founder of the war resister and conscientious objector support network Courage to Resist, spoke about the group's work on Manning’s behalf.

“We ended Bradley’s torture at Quantico base,” Paterson said. The group also raised more than $200,000 for Manning’s legal defense fund.

Paterson told the crowd they won’t stop until Manning is free.

“President Barack Obama can end this today by pardoning Bradley Manning,” Paterson said.

Paterson is known as the first US soldier to refuse to fight in Iraq. He was a Marine from 1986-1991, refusing deployment when he was stop-lossed in 1990. He was jailed for three months.

Joshua Shepherd, who served in the Navy for six years ending in 2008, also spoke at the rally.

"Our foreign policy is built upon lies," said Shepherd. "Bradley Manning was instrumental in exposing our generation's lies."

Shepherd said that he began to question US foreign policy on a port visit in Nagasaki during his deployment.

“As far as I was concerned, we were pulling in for three days to enjoy our time in Nagasaki. And we were in a war ship,” Shepherd remembers.

But as they pulled into the shore, Shepherd said, “I saw the shore packed with protesters and they were terribly angry that we were there.” A visit to the Atomic Bomb Museum during his time in Nagasaki also influenced Shepherd, who now organizes with Iraq Veterans Against War.

“It’s a process to turn around once you’ve joined the military and committed so much of yourself to this institution,” Shepherd told protesters today.

Shepherd was one of six veterans arrested at Obama campaign headquarters in Oakland Aug. 16.

After the rally, protesters marched and protested a group watching Obama’s DNC speech.

“I find it hypocritical that Obama promised to protect whistle blowers four years ago,” said David Zebker, a San Francisco CPA who attended march.

While campaigning in 2008, President Obama promised to protect whistleblowers, saying their "acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled."

“No person was harmed from the information he released,” Paterson said of Manning. “He’s a whistle blower in every classic sense of the word.”

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I said 'he broke the law,' got it?

http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2012/09/07/protesters-tell-obama-free-bradley-manning