The Passion of Bradley Manning (6 page)
(1:00:57
PM
) bradass87:
theres so much⦠it affects everybody on earth⦠everywhere there's a US post⦠there's a diplomatic scandal that will be revealed⦠Iceland, the Vatican, Spain, Brazil, Madagascar, if its a country, and its recognized by the US as a country, its got dirt on it
[â¦]
(1:10:38
PM
) bradass87:
its open diplomacy⦠world-wide anarchy in CSV format⦠its Climategate with a global scope, and breathtaking depth⦠its beautiful, and horrifyingâ¦
(1:11:54
PM
) bradass87:
and⦠its important that it gets out⦠i feel, for some bizarre reason
(1:12:02
PM
) bradass87:
it might actually change something
[â¦]
(03:15:38
PM
) bradass87:
i dont know⦠im just, weird i guess
(03:15:49
PM
) bradass87:
i cant separate myself from others
(03:16:12
PM
) bradass87:
i feel connected to everybody⦠like they were distant family
(03:16:24
PM
) bradass87:
i⦠care?
(03:17:27
PM
) bradass87:
http://www.kxol.com.au/images/pale_blue_dot.jpg
<â sums it up for me
(03:18:17
PM
) bradass87:
i probably shouldn't have read sagan, feynman, and so many intellectual authors last summerâ¦
(03:24:10
PM
) bradass87:
we're human⦠and we're killing ourselves⦠and no-one seems to see that⦠and it bothers me
(03:24:26
PM
) bradass87:
apathy
(03:25:28
PM
) bradass87:
apathy is far worse than the active participation
(03:26:23
PM
) bradass87:
>hug<
(03:29:31
PM
) bradass87:
http://vimeo.com/5081720 Elie Wiesel summed it up pretty well for me⦠though his story is much much more important that mine
(03:29:48
PM
) bradass87:
*than
(03:31:33
PM
) bradass87:
I prefer a painful truth over any blissful fantasy.
[â¦]
(03:35:44
PM
) bradass87:
i think ive been traumatized too much by reality, to care about consequences of shattering the fantasy
**
[..]
(02:20:57
AM
) bradass87:
well, it was forwarded to WL
(02:21:18
AM
) bradass87:
and god knows what happens now
(02:22:27
AM
) bradass87:
hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms
(02:23:06
AM
) bradass87:
if not⦠than we're doomed
(02:23:18
AM
) bradass87:
as a species
(02:24:13
AM
) bradass87:
i will officially give up on the society we have if nothing happens
(02:24:58
AM
) bradass87:
the reaction to the video gave me immense hope⦠CNN's iReport was overwhelmed⦠Twitter explodedâ¦
(02:25:18
AM
) bradass87:
people who saw, knew there was something wrong
[â¦]
(02:28:10
AM
) bradass87:
i want people to see the truth⦠regardless of who they are⦠because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public
**
(02:23:25
PM
) bradass87:
i could've sold to russia or china, and made bank?
(02:23:36
PM
) [email protected]:
why didn't you?
(02:23:58
PM
) bradass87:
because it's public data
(02:24:15
PM
) [email protected]:
i mean, the cables
(02:24:46
PM
) bradass87:
it belongs in the public domain
(02:25:15
PM
) bradass87:
information should be free
(02:25:39
PM
) bradass87:
it belongs in the public domain
(02:26:18
PM
) bradass87:
because another state would just take advantage of the information⦠try and get some edge
(02:26:55
PM
) bradass87:
if its out in the open⦠it should be a public good
(02:27:04
PM
) bradass87:
*do the
(02:27:23
PM
) bradass87:
rather than some slimy intel collector
(02:29:18
PM
) bradass87:
im crazy like that
**
(04:42:16
PM
) bradass87:
im not sure whether i'd be considered a type of “hacker”, “cracker”, “hacktivist”, “leaker” or whatâ¦
(04:42:26
PM
) bradass87:
im just me⦠really
(05:52:52
PM
) [email protected]:
You're a leftist, I take it. Not a bad thing. My dad has a book signed by Philip Agee.
(05:53:09
PM
) bradass87:
i dont have a doctrine
(05:53:40
PM
) bradass87:
socialism / capitalism are the same thing in practice
(05:53:57
PM
) [email protected]:
Everyone does. Our beliefs place us somewhere, even if it's “centrist”
(05:54:15
PM
) bradass87:
i know i do, but i havent quite defined it
(05:54:17
PM
) [email protected]:
except apathetic
(05:54:42
PM
) bradass87:
apathy is its own 3rd dimension⦠i have special graph for that⦠=P
(05:54:56
PM
) [email protected]:
I'm a fan of of realpolitik myself.
(05:55:10
PM
) bradass87:
i dont quite know
(05:55:34
PM
) bradass87:
seen too much reality to be “polar”
(05:56:02
PM
) bradass87:
i dont like dogma, thats one thing i can say without doubtâ¦
After two months' interrogation at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, Bradley Manning was transferred stateside to the prison at Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia. The disclosures were a sensationâless perhaps for their content than for the story surrounding themâWikiLeaks, Assange, Manning himself. Manning was famous.
Days before Manning's transfer to Quantico, WikiLeaks released the Afghan War logs in partnership with
The Guardian
,
Der Spiegel
and the
New York Times
, posting 75,000 of the 91,731 documents on their website. (The rest were withheld to minimize risk to individuals named in the reports.) WikiLeaks and Julian Assange instantly became hate-figures for most of the American media and political elite. Even liberals like David Letterman and Rachel Maddow proclaimed their dislike of Assange. On the neoconservative right, the reaction was vociferous: Newt Gingrich said Assange “should be treated as an enemy combatant and WikiLeaks should be closed down permanently and decisively”;
Weekly Standard
editor Bill Kristol asked “Why can't we use our various assets to harass, snatch or neutralize Julian Assange and his collaborators, wherever they are?” Reactions among Democrats were not much milder. Democratic political consultant Bob Beckel opined that there was only one way to deal with Assange: “illegally shoot the son of a bitch.” In the same twenty-four hour period, Vice President Joe Biden told the press that “I don't think there's any substantive damage, no.” The next morning, he announced that “This guy [Assange] has done things that have damaged and put in jeopardy the lives and occupations of other parts of the world.” He also called Assange “a high-tech terrorist.”
And Manning too became a figure of instant infamy. Rep. Mike Rogers, ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, called the private a traitor who deserved execution. In September, Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, Baptist pastor and one-time Republican presidential candidate, took a break from signing copies of his new Christmas-themed children's book to recommend execution for Manning.
An ad-hoc nonprofit group, the Bradley Manning Support Network, quickly sprang up. They raised money for Manning and hired an experienced JAG lawyer, David E. Coombs, to defend him. But the detention itself soon came to the fore. Manning's harsh and gratuitous months of punitive solitary confinement at the Quantico brig joined Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo as an emblem of Washington's post-9/11 sadism.
Pretrial confinement in the military justice system is customary only if the accused presents a flight risk or or a risk of harm to self or others. But Pfc. Manning, military authorities decided, was a risk to himself, and this became the pretext for a punishment of extraordinary harshness. Despite the repeated findings of a brig psychiatrist that Manning was not a suicide risk, authorities imposed a regimen of punitive solitary confinement, chillingly described by the accused leaker's attorney:
PFC Manning is currently being held in maximum custody. Since arriving at the Quantico Confinement Facility in July of 2010, he has been held under Prevention of Injury (POI) watch.
His cell is approximately six feet wide and twelve feet in length.
The cell has a bed, a drinking fountain, and a toilet.
The guards at the confinement facility are professional. At no time have they tried to bully, harass, or embarrass PFC Manning. Given the nature of their job, however, they do not engage in conversation with PFC Manning.
At 5:00 a.m. he is woken up (on weekends, he is allowed to sleep until 7:00 a.m.). Under the rules for the confinement facility, he is not allowed to sleep at anytime between 5:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. If he attempts to sleep during those hours, he will be made to sit up or stand by the guards.
He is allowed to watch television during the day. The television stations are limited to the basic local stations. His access to the television ranges from 1 to 3 hours on weekdays to 3 to 6 hours on weekends.
He cannot see other inmates from his cell. He can occasionally hear other inmates talk. Due to being a pretrial confinement facility, inmates rarely stay at the facility for any length of time. Currently, there are no other inmates near his cell.
From 7:00 p.m. to 9:20 p.m., he is given correspondence time. He is given access to a pen and paper. He is allowed to write letters to family, friends, and his attorneys.
Each night, during his correspondence time, he is allowed to take a 15 to 20 minute shower.
On weekends and holidays, he is allowed to have approved visitors see him from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.
He is allowed to receive letters from those on his approved list and from his legal counsel. If he receives a letter from someone not on his approved list, he must sign a rejection form. The letter is then either returned to the sender or destroyed.
He is allowed to have any combination of up to 15 books or magazines. He must request the book or magazine by name. Once the book or magazine has been reviewed by the literary board at the confinement facility, and approved, he is allowed to have someone on his approved list send it to him. The person sending the book or magazine to him must do so through a publisher or an approved distributor such as Amazon. They are not allowed to mail the book or magazine directly to PFC Manning.
Due to being held on Prevention of Injury (POI) watch:
PFC Manning is held in his cell for approximately 23 hours a day.
The guards are required to check on PFC Manning every five minutes by asking him if he is okay. PFC Manning is required to respond in some affirmative manner. At night, if the guards cannot see PFC Manning clearly, because he has a blanket over his head or is curled up towards the wall, they will wake him in order to ensure he is okay.
He receives each of his meals in his cell.
He is not allowed to have a pillow or sheets. However, he is given access to two blankets and has recently been given a new mattress that has a built-in pillow.
He is not allowed to have any personal items in his cell.
He is only allowed to have one book or one magazine at any given time to read in his cell. The book or magazine is taken away from him at the end of the day before he goes to sleep.
He is prevented from exercising in his cell. If he attempts to do push-ups, sit-ups, or any other form of exercise he will be forced to stop.
He does receive one hour of “exercise” outside of his cell daily. He is taken to an empty room and only allowed to walk. PFC Manning normally just walks figure eights in the room for the entire hour. If he indicates that he no long feels like walking, he is immediately returned to his cell.
When PFC Manning goes to sleep, he is required to strip down to his boxer shorts and surrender his clothing to the guards. His clothing is returned to him the next morning.
Why was Manning treated like the inmate of a Soviet psychiatric prison? Had an American soldier been treated like an enemy combatant? His torture may be a warning to other prospective whistleblowers, and used as a way to break him, crush his spirit and force him to implicate Julian Assange and WikiLeaks in espionage charges. (The Department of Justice has had a difficult time finding a legal rationale against WikiLeaks, whose act of receiving confidential disclosures is no different from that of the
New York Times
or
Washington Post
in any given weekâbut if they could get Manning to say that Assange was actively involved in the leaks somehow, they might have a case.)
