Nash writes: "The punishment of Bradley Manning goes directly against the Uniform Code of Military Justice's own laws, namely Section 813 article 13, which basically states, 'No punishment before trial.'"
Rock star Graham Nash argues that the treatment of Bradley Manning violates military law. (photo: Rolling Stone)
Punishment Before Trial
15 January 13
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read the news about Colonel Denise Lind's ruling in the case against Bradley Manning with great interest. She ruled that Manning, the U.S. soldier accused of releasing thousands of military and diplomatic emails and cables to Wikileaks was indeed subjected to excessively harsh treatment whilst in military detention and this must surely be seen as a small victory for the Manning defense team.
The punishment of Bradley Manning goes directly against the Uniform Code of Military Justice's own laws, namely Section 813 article 13, which basically states, "No punishment before trial." This law was obviously broken. People in this country are entitled to a "speedy trial," which is normally between 100 and 120 days from the date of the crime. Bradley Manning has been incarcerated for more than 1,000 days before his trial has begun and even a United Nations investigation confirmed that Manning was being held in inhumane conditions that was tantamount to torture.
In my humble opinion, the judges' ruling, granting Manning a 112-day reduction in any sentence he might receive, is welcome but far short of true justice. If the military broke its own laws and President Obama even declared publicly that Manning had broken the law, then how can anyone say that this could be a "fair" trial? Which military judge is going to go against the statements of his or her commander in chief?
An internal investigation by the Marine Corps, which operates the prison in which Manning was being held, stated that Manning's jailers violated their own policies in imposing oppressive conditions. The Obama administration's own State Department spokesman, PJ Crowley, denounced the detention conditions as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid" and was fired for his outspokenness.
President Obama, a constitutional lawyer, pays great lip service to "whistle blowers," maintaining that the U.S. needs people who will attempt to tell the truth, that the country needs people of courage to step forward when they witness wrongdoing of any kind, but cannot see the need to protect Bradley Manning. Perhaps the greatest crime that Manning committed was one of embarrassing the military and disturbing the status quo and one also has to wonder why the newspapers that profited from the publication of the events are not being brought to task. Manning is accused of aiding the enemy but surely the members of Al-Qaeda can read the newspaper.
When Bradley Manning saw and was asked to take part in things that troubled his heart and soul he went through the normal channels, bringing his concerns to his superiors only to be disregarded. As a U.S. soldier Manning swore an oath to protect the constitution of the United States and when he witnessed murder and mayhem being carried out in the name of the American people he felt it necessary to reveal what he knew. I truly believe that he wanted, above all, to start a serious dialog about what was really being done in our name.
When Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers to the American public in 1971, the case against him was thrown out when it was discovered that the Nixon administration had illegally broken into his offices. If, as the judge in Manning's case declared, he was subjected to excessively harsh treatment in military detention then surely he case against Bradley Manning should be held to the same standards.
I became a citizen of this country more than 30 years ago and it is an honor and a privilege to be a small part of the USA. I came here to "the land of the free" because of the wonderful people I met and the beauty of the country I saw. The fact is that we are supposed to be a nation of laws, but when we break our laws and very little is done about it then I begin to question one of the primary reasons I came here in the first place.
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I'll give you a hint: rhymes with tush.
By some accountings, if you include interest on the portion of the national attributable to military spending, military pension and post-service medical expense, and all the other military expenditures larded into other non-military portions of the federal budget, military spending absorbs more than 50% of the annual federal budget. Visit http://www.truemajority.org/csba/priorities.php for one version of that view.
I want my money back!!
N.
Its par for the (early) Modern course, for those into history.
The PRIVATE CENTAL BANK CARTEL, since the days of Adam 'the invisible hand' Smith, has worked, and conspired (but pls. don't say "labored"- these people think for a living) to perpetuate their own dominance of ALL western nation's monetary/curren cy systems, largely (among other strategies) by means of the military-indust rial-complex, perpetual wars & sky-high 'public' debt, payable of course, mostly to themselves- the intellectual creators of the trick/system.
Today's 'public' debt in USA is not substantially different from 18th century Britian's... Same (old) game; slightly different (new) place.
And what happened to the USSR after it tried to conquer Afghanistan?
Our military is much worse off today than 10 years ago. And not just in terms of hardware worn out during our pointless wars.
Officers' training has also been sacrificed.
It used to be that our Air Force officers would get a chance to study subjects like foreign affairs in places like Georgetown. This provides so many benefits, from greater integration of our officers into our society, to just having a more professional and well rounded corps. But this sort of thing is being drastically curtailed due to the expenses of our wars.
So we are descending into banana republichood in more than one way.
I think that no matter what you think our role in the world should be, these pointless crusades against Moslems and Arabs are the wrong way to go about it.
Nobody, no matter how conservative or how liberal, should support our crusades. It does not benefit our people, our military, our standing, and certainly not our victims.
These figures take military spending and divide it by the number of troops we have. Total stupidity.
It is CONTRACTING that eats the money. In the past 8 years, most of the billions of dollars have gone to military contractors, who do less than the troops, and make sometimes 50 times the money, and to contractors tasked with fulfilling the unrealistic demands of the "combatant commanders". The proof is in the pudding--nothin g worthwhile except protection against IEDs has been produced.
This $12,000 figure should be pasted on billboards nationwide and run on t.v. too. Let us all understand how much and what we are paying for!
The incredible committment of resources to a lost cause and our inability to escape from it.
The destruction of the US economy
Loss of world-wide credibilty
High unemployment
Collapse of the housing market
Massive loss of human lives
Just add it all up. The cost goes much further than just dollars and cents.
And Bush/Cheney and cronies have been given immunity from prosecution by the US government for these crimes!
I say, arrest the bums. Do a Brattleboro, VT, and pass a law that says if Bush or Cheney even step a TOE into their city, they will be arrested for their crimes against the US, humanity, and the planet!
We sit in their quagmire of hate and greed, while they bask in their fortunes.
I truly hope there IS a payback day for them, even if it comes via the International Court.
N.
When the procurement of a hammer is $200., I'm thinking I'd love to sell hammers to the military...
Ecuador police to take lie detector test.
Each person in W.H. and Congress should take lie detector tests -- so we can figure out HOW much $$ they know went to what/who
In fact, we know when they say "my constutients" want blah blah -- is not true -- those who funded their elections demand "what they say the people want" -- THE PEOPLE want jobs, their homes, and equal tax for all.
NO elected person who tries to legislate law on a religious basis is OUT -- we have a constitution and it is not the bible of any religion.
I want an accounting of ALL those (70K) checks the government sends each month.
If a company makes their goods in a foreign country (jobs overseas is becoming epidemic) -- they MUST pay a tarif tax to sell product in USA. This might equalize their choice to keep their $$ off shore to dodge taxes.
This article is not a surprise -- but brings up what the 12 specials must consider: Bring everyone into a medicare system - along with some of the CORRECT parts of the Heaalth Care Reform.,
Vote 2012 -- get the RepugNUTS out -- Register now and get mail-in ballots (deliver them to the polling both on election day and make sure they are put into the slot with machine votes)
How would he say MISSON ACCOMPLISHED in Arabic?
I am starting to loose hope for any sense in our government.
Norquist must be in bed with Al Quaeda + GOP/TP in bed with Norquist --
The GOP now says Obama's fault for no jobs when GOP has not allowed one JOB CREATION bill to be in front of Congress. And the GOP/TP says Obama has a spending problem - when the CONGRESS HOLDS THE PURSE!
Something is wrong with media that they allow these people to talk - none give facts/figures.
I'll go for a run and hope I sweat out all my anger!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!
Likely it is too late even IF we stop ALL the WARS next 24 hours.
And populist Obama believes ... what a joke.
Is there ONE rational being in Washington DC?
What is lacking is a true education for our students so that they would know the truth.
Within 5 years we will be NOT there - bankrupted USA will be worse than CCCP in 1989.
Chaney and Bush both oilmen... I remember that Bush announced the war could wind down about a week after the 'benchnmark' to divide Iraq's oil. We thought that meant Sunni, Shi'a, and Kurd. But it was BP, Shell? a Dutch oil co. and ?? Still looking for that info. And where are the media stories about it?
OSB won like he said he would.
And if they won't tax for war, they won't tax for keeping newly poor American's alive. We are either screwed or on the verge of revolution. Fat chance since we no longer have rights or even free speach, much less an informed populace. And there are all those private jails now.... We're screwed.
The government should be warned to not tax for war or we will have a revolution for sure. Privatization is a real consideration and than you for keeping us on that subject.
No way would this be reported on mainstream.
What about the "Missing Billions" in Iraq and Afghanistan? And the "No-Bid" contracts? And the biggest Embassy n the world in Baghdad which can be seen from space (if they were supposed to be even considering leaving)? And the "Black Budget" (CIA, surveillance, assassinations and now renditions worldwide) which is not even accountable to Congress nor the president but which is apparently almost 0.5 of the total "official" defense (Ha, ha!) budget. And THAT'S just recent.
Oh yes -and throw in the recent recruitment and use of "Private security firms", many made up of the scum of the earth from death squads and banana republic police.
As General Smedly Butler put it in his book of the same name "War is just a Racket" and the old "Fighting Quaker" should know this better than anybody.
You don't fined wealthy people signing up to go to the middle east to fight, only people that need to feed their families.
End these wars now, put these people to work on our decaying infrastructure.
Take note, the military-indust rial complex knew all along that a nation's mania for "security" would fill their coffers!
And, they were both right!
Why don't Americans see it? Duh!