Help us support Bradley Manning
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---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Help us support Bradley Manning
From: "Courage to Resist" <cou...@riseup.net>
Date: Sat, December 3, 2011 2:09 pm
To: dirty...@riseup.net
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COURAGE TO RESIST NATIONAL NEWSLETTER
December 3, 2011 Special Appeal
Original version online: http://ymlp212.net/zIEfe7
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HELP US SUPPORT BRADLEY MANNING
Donate to help us support Bradley, and all GI resisters!
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590
From Emma Cape, Bradley Manning Support Network &
Courage to Resist organizer. December 1, 2011
A few days ago we finally got word that PFC Bradley Manning’s first
day in court will be Friday, December 16th at Fort Meade in the
Washington DC area.
Our campaign team has spent months preparing for this announcement.
On Saturday, December 17th--Bradley’s 24th birthday--we’re
gathering hundreds of friends at the Fort Meade Main Gate to rally
for Bradley and speak out against his injust imprisonment. We’ve
been working on event announcements, press calls, and recruiting
speakers. U.S. Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.), Pentagon Papers
whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg, and LGBT veteran Lt. Dan Choi will be
joining us, along with Iraq War veterans, representatives from local
labor and teachers unions, Occupy Movement activists, and supporters
like you. It is deeply inspiring to watch so many different Americans
coming together to send a strong message to our political and
military leaders. December 17th is a day of solidarity with Bradley
with dozens of events planned internationally for those that can’t
make it to Fort Meade. If Bradley released this information about
government corruption and military war crimes, he is a
whistle-blower who deserves to be freed.
Prior to beginning at Courage to Resist in February, I worked for a
number of other non-profit causes, including the Sierra Club,
Rainforest Action Network, and Global Exchange. All these efforts
involved organizing supporters at the grassroots to create a more
just and peaceful future. I feel that saving Bradley now is as
important as anything I’ve ever done. A few things that struck a
chord with me when I first learned about Bradley:
Bradley was, like me, in high school during the beginning of the
“global war on terror”. My generation grew up during a time of
relative calm, with schools telling us that America’s role in the
world was one of a peaceful leader that fostered international
equality and understanding. Of course, as my generation watched news
unfold about the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001, and the
response by the Bush Administration, we knew our world was swiftly
changing. We struggled to make sense of it. Like one of my best
friends, Bradley joined the military. According to a friend of
Bradley’s, he did so in hopes that he could help spread democracy
and save both Iraqi and American lives. However, at some point in
his service his viewpoint changed. In the chat logs attributed to
him he asks:
If you had free reign over classified networks for long periods of
time... and you saw incredible things, awful things... things that
belonged in the public domain, and not on some server stored in a
dark room in Washington DC... what would you do?
Many young people, like Bradley, value the lives of people around the
world just as much as those they are familiar with. This world
citizen perspective is inconvenient for the military and the
established elites, but its crucial for the long-term survival of
our nation and humanity.
The information Bradley allegedly released touches on the lives of
people around the world, and helps to bring to light the roots of many
problems. Most Americans have opposed the war and occupation of Iraq
for years. Yet, American reporters have shied away from the details
of the conflict. The documents Bradley allegedly released gave us a
more accurate casualty count, information about war crimes, and the
continued use of torture in Iraq. It gave us proof that many
innocent people lost years of their lives in the Guantanamo Bay
prison, and that the Obama Administration worked to prevent Bush
Administration officials from being prosecuted for breaking
international human rights laws. It also taught us how our tax money
goes to advocate for corporate interests and the exploitation of
working people abroad--such as State Department efforts to keep the
Haitian minimum wage from being raised. One of the top impacts of
WikiLeaks has been to teach regular Americans about American foreign
policy. In a democracy, the public has a right and a need to know
about its government.
Given the significance of the material Bradley is accused of
releasing, another thing that led me to recognize the importance of
this campaign is that a year ago I had not heard of “Bradley
Manning.”
Today, when I go to events and talk to strangers about Bradley, they
are often similarly shocked they have not heard his name. No doubt,
this is what many officials in the State Department and military
want. When domestic reporters fail to cover controversial foreign
policy topics, military leaders can carry on with their agenda
unquestioned.
Courage to Resist has played a crucial role in educating millions of
people about Bradley’s case, both through direct outreach and
working with both mainstream and alternative media. Over 700,000
people have signed petitions in support of Bradley. And in October,
Bradley was a serious contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. These
successes demonstrate how the tide is starting to turn.
At our core, Courage to Resist is a small team of dedicated
individuals that bring special skills, experience, and passion to
supporting people such as Bradley who possess courage and
conscience. Veterans, activists, and media experts alike, we are
dedicated to doing the best job we can to defend truth, our
democracy, and those soldiers who are brave enough to speak out
against injustices. However, we cannot do this work without your
help.
Donate to Courage to Resist. Help us support Bradley, and all GI
resisters!
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590
P.S. Please consider becoming a monthly sustainer through the end of
Bradley’s court martial next summer. This will give us the
financial stability to mount a more aggressive public defense of
Bradley. Also, if you’d like part or all of your donation to go
towards the Bradley Manning Defense Fund, just note that on your
check (484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610). We administer the
defense fund on behalf of the Bradley Manning Support Network.
Otherwise, we’ll use your contribution to support Bradley, along
with other GI resisters.
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COURAGE TO RESIST
484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
http://couragetoresist.org
http://facebook.com/couragetoresist
510-488-3559
For more information about donating:
http://couragetoresist.org/donate
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