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Manning's
Abuse, Obama's Hypocrisy
by Kevin Zeese (My title, but
Obama is the boss)
Editor’s
Note: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
and other top U.S.
officials lecture world leaders on the need to respect the free flow of
information as vital to democracy.
In other countries, brave whistleblowers are heroes, but in the United
States, when Pvt. Bradley Manning
allegedly exposed crimes and misconduct on a global scale, he was
subjected to humiliation and punishment
that would make many police states blush, as Kevin Zeese discusses in
this guest essay:
Instead of dragging Hillary and "other top US officials" into this, he should admit OBAMA IS THE BOSS.
If Bradley is being stripped and tortured, don't blame Hillary. her options are to follow orders
or resign "because Obama is an evil torturer," which she has chosen not to do. If Bob Parry was honest,
instead of smearing Hillary with Obama's shame, shouldn't he express some Buyer's Remorse for Obama?
Here is how his lawyer David Coombs describes his treatment:
“The Brig has stripped PFC Manning of all of his clothing for the past
three nights, and they intend to
continue this practice indefinitely. Each night, Brig guards force PFC
Manning to relinquish all of his clothing.
“He then lies in a cold jail cell naked until the following morning,
when he is required to endure the
humiliation of standing naked at attention for the morning roll call.
“According to Marine spokesperson, First Lieutenant Brian Villiard, the
decision to strip him naked every
night is for PFC Manning's own protection. Villiard stated that it
would be ‘inappropriate’ to explain what
prompted these actions ‘because to discuss the details would be a
violation of PFC Manning's privacy.’”
Manning, who has not been convicted of anything, has been held in
virtual solitary confinement for ten months.
David House who has visited him since September described him as
“emotionally exhausted” and “catatonic.”
The Constitution declares a right to bail, yet Manning, who is not a
flight risk nor a violent threat to the
community, is denied bail. Americans are required to be provided due
process of law and a trial before
a jury of their peers before being punished.
There is no provision in the Constitution allowing punishment before
trial, yet Manning is being punished.
Why is Manning being treated
this way?
The only way around that is for Obama to play the Reagan Iran-Contra card.
"I had no idea what my administration was up to..." and we know Obama's not that stupid.
I violently disagreed with Obama taking 40% of the heating oil subsidy away from
the poorest Americans so he could give a goddamn TRILLION dollars to the super-rich.
But sexually torturing PFC Manning makes me, for the first time,
ashamed to be an American under President Obama.
Besides, what was Bradley's crime - telling the truth?