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Title: Bradley Manning: One Soldier Who Really Did ‘Defend Our Freedom’
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Published: Jan 2, 2011
Author: http://original.antiwar.com/kevin-carson
Post Date: 2011-01-02 22:13:08 by tom007
Keywords: None
Views: 235
Comments: 28
Bradley Manning: One Soldier Who Really Did ‘Defend Our Freedom’ by Kevin Carson, January 01, 2011 Email This | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum When I hear someone say that soldiers "defend our freedom," my immediate response is to gag. I think the last time American soldiers actually fought for the freedom of Americans was probably the Revolutionary War — or maybe the War of 1812, if you want to be generous. Every war since then has been for nothing but to uphold a system of power, and to make the rich folks even richer. But I can think of one exception. If there’s a soldier anywhere in the world who’s fought and suffered for my freedom, it’s Pfc. Bradley Manning. Manning is frequently portrayed, among the knuckle-draggers on right-wing message boards, as some sort of spoiled brat or ingrate, acting on an adolescent whim. But that’s not quite what happened, according to Johann Hari. Manning, like many young soldiers, joined up in the naive belief that he was defending the freedom of his fellow Americans. When he got to Iraq, he found himself working under orders "to round up and hand over Iraqi civilians to America’s new Iraqi allies, who he could see were then torturing them with electrical drills and other implements." The people he arrested, and handed over for torture, were guilty of such "crimes" as writing "scholarly critiques" of the U.S. occupation forces and its puppet government. When he expressed his moral reservations to his supervisor, Manning "was told to shut up and get back to herding up Iraqis." The people Manning saw tortured, by the way, were frequently the very same people who had been tortured by Saddam: Trade unionists, members of the Iraqi Freedom Congress, and other freedom-loving people who had no more use for Halliburton and Blackwater than they had for the Baath Party. For exposing his government’s crimes against humanity, Manning has spent seven months in solitary confinement – a torture deliberately calculated to break the human mind. We see a lot of "serious thinkers" on the op-ed pages and talking head shows, people like David Gergen, Chris Matthews, and Michael Kinsley, going on about all the stuff that Manning’s leaks have impaired the ability of "our government" to do. He’s impaired the ability of the U.S. government to conduct diplomacy in pursuit of some fabled "national interest" that I supposedly have in common with Microsoft, Wal-Mart, and Disney. He’s risked untold numbers of innocent lives, according to the very same people who have ordered the deaths of untold thousands of innocent people. According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Manning’s exposure of secret U.S. collusion with authoritarian governments in the Middle East, to promote policies that their peoples would find abhorrent, undermines America’s ability to promote "democracy, open government, and free and open societies." But I’ll tell you what Manning’s really impaired government’s ability to do. He’s impaired the U.S. government’s ability to lie us into wars where thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of foreigners are murdered. He’s impaired its ability to use such wars – under the guise of promoting "democracy" — to install puppet governments like the Coalition Provisional Authority, that will rubber stamp neoliberal "free trade" agreements (including harsh "intellectual property" provisions written by the proprietary content industries) and cut special deals with American crony capitalists. He’s impaired its ability to seize good, decent people who — unlike most soldiers — really are fighting for freedom, and hand them over to thuggish governments for torture with power tools. Let’s get something straight. Bradley Manning may be a criminal by the standards of the American state. But by all human standards of morality, the government and its functionaries that Manning exposed to the light of day are criminals. And Manning is a hero of freedom for doing it. 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. Originally published by the Center for a Stateless Society. Read more by Kevin Carson
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#1. To: tom007 (#0)
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
Not really... All that Manning has exposed is daily house keeping traffic, nothing more. Private musings that were classified. Give him three years in the brig and the boot out.
Dunno. Looks to me like the Empire will execute him one way or another. He embaressed Hillary for God's sake!
If one defines patriotism as defending one's country against a corrupt government then yes, PFC Bradley Manning is a Patriot.
"“Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.” ~ Gautama Siddhartha — The Buddha
My thought as well. I am a bit ashamed of my friends who want to know "why nobody has taken him out yet".
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
tom... No, that wont happen. At worst they may make an example of him, that will be easy because he is a grunt, a nobody. Every other government knows full well they cannot complain too loudly because the same could happen to them. Government/military loves to classify crap, makes them feel important that their musings...ARE CLASSIFIED... They will be hard pressed to hang a stiff one on him because...HE GAVE AWAY NOTHING OF VALUE.
True...
Precisely why I see little hope. Yes they are. True Believers - The TV told em it was true.
At worst they may make an example of him, that will be easy because he is a grunt, a nobody. I hope you are correct, but fear you are not. A lot of nobodies have been sacrificed to the God Of War.
I don't see Manning as a criminal. A hero he is for exposing what our government has been up to. Our soldiers are deployed out on these missions knowing not what they are really in for. They die in vain for a government that lies to them and to the American people. Many of these soldiers don't even get proper buriels. And the ones that do come back alive, are treated with disdain by our VA administration and government. It's as if our government wants them to die too. Nixon was once quoted as saying this of our soldiers: "Soldiers never die...they just fade away."
Those words were given by General Macarthur in his farewell speech to President Truman and Congress in 1951. That phrase is, however, taken from an old army ballad.
So far that's been the case but less than 2,000 have been released. On the other side of the value coin he certainly hasn't given We The People anything to stick in our governments faces either.
Unless the military has changed drastically, a PFC had access to NOTHING of value. At worst he is guilty of reading someone elses mail. In the days of Post Cards, the mailman was guilty of that. They were never shot for it.
Nixon did say , "I will NEVER put a Jew in charge at the FBI". Norman Felt was a Jew.
You reminded me of a time when I was in Vietnam and smokin dope with some buddies. We were laughing about being taken prisoner by the gooks. The guys were talking about only giving them name rank a serial number ... hahahaha ... I told em ... hey man, I'm telling them everything I know like "when the chow hall opens and where the post office is located" !
"Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were (ever) our countrymen!”".
Grunts are the backbone of any military. Whether officer or enlisted. All are expendable. Dont tell them anything. Just send them out to get killed. A friend of mine during Korea stayed in, against my advice. All was fine until the Viet Nam thing came along. He flew 160 missions against the North and when the war started winding down, he was thrown out on the street, no longer of any use. He was a very bitter man. He was positive the sun rose and set in the Air force.
Rather than debate Manning's singular involvment I'd simply point towards the positive side and the resistance that's growing daily ... and say it's all very "good" !
"Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were (ever) our countrymen!”".
I saw the lifers as parasitic numb skulls that never had it so good ... I couldn't get out soon enough.
"Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were (ever) our countrymen!”".
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." - Ben Franklin
My first total lifer told me..."You are not a good sojer". That made me extremely happy as it was verification of my total effort to make them sorry they ever took me in.
No lobotomy ?
"Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were (ever) our countrymen!”".
Norman Felt was a Jew. Typical politician. Promise you one thing and do another.
Norman Felt was deep throat, next in line for head of FBI... Typical Jew, if Nixon made him Director, he would never have had to resign.
Thats the plan and has been for a few thousand years.
We were given a one way ticket, without being told that, the man was standing in front of us, leaving us to figure it out for ourselves. We did.
Looks like one now if these "before and after" pictures are correct:
#2. To: Eric Stratton (#1)
He’s impaired the U.S. government’s ability to lie us into wars
#3. To: Cynicom (#2)
"Satan / Cheney in "08" 
#4. To: Eric Stratton (#1)
#5. To: Eric Stratton (#1)
Sums it up nicely!
"Satan / Cheney in "08"
#6. To: tom007 (#5)
#7. To: tom007 (#5)
#8. To: tom007 (#3)
Dunno. Looks to me like the Empire will execute him one way or another.
#9. To: Original_Intent (#4)
If one defines patriotism as defending one's country against a corrupt government then yes, PFC Bradley Manning is a Patriot.
#10. To: Eric Stratton, red jones (#6)
(Edited)
Your friends are in the majority. '
"Satan / Cheney in "08"
#11. To: Cynicom (#8)
No, that wont happen.
"Satan / Cheney in "08"
#12. To: tom007 (#0)
#13. To: purplerose (#12)
Nixon was once quoted as saying this of our soldiers: "Soldiers never die...they just fade away."
#14. To: Cynicom (#8)
They will be hard pressed to hang a stiff one on him because...HE GAVE AWAY NOTHING OF VALUE.
#15. To: Bill Crowe (#14)
#16. To: Phant2000 (#13)
Those words were given by General Macarthur in his farewell speech
#17. To: Cynicom (#15)
Unless the military has changed drastically, a PFC had access to NOTHING of value.
#18. To: noone222 (#17)
I'm telling them everything I know like "when the chow hall opens and where the post office is located" !
#19. To: tom007 (#0)
#20. To: Cynicom (#18)
He was a very bitter man. He was positive the sun rose and set in the Air force.
#21. To: tom007 (#10)
#22. To: noone222 (#20)
#23. To: Cynicom (#22)
..."You are not a good sojer".
#24. To: Cynicom (#16)
Nixon did say , "I will NEVER put a Jew in charge at the FBI".
#25. To: Phant2000 (#24)
Typical politician. Promise you one thing and do another.
#26. To: Cynicom (#18)
Grunts are the backbone of any military. Whether officer or enlisted. All are expendable. Dont tell them anything. Just send them out to get killed.
"Satan / Cheney in "08"
#27. To: tom007 (#26)
Thats the plan and has been for a few thousand years.
#28. To: purplerose (#12)
I don't see Manning as a criminal.
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