[Peace] Fwd: National White House Call-in Day to Support Bradley Manning: This Thursday

[C. G. Estabrook]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: National White House Call-in Day to Support Bradley Manning: This Thursday
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 12:13:44 -0500 (EST)
From: Kevin Zeese <action at votersforpeace.org>
Reply-To: action at votersforpeace.org


The events in Egypt show, once again, how U.S. foreign policy needs dramatic
change (analysis of that is coming shortly). The U.S. has supported the despotic
regime of Hosni Mubarak for 30 years. We've seen weapons, tear gas and fighter
jets all provided by the United States used against the Egyptian people. One of
the abuses of the Mubarak regime has been torture of Egyptians. Today, the
United States is torturing an American soldier-citizen who has not been
convicted of any crime. Pfc Bradley Manning is accused of leaking a video to
WikiLeaks that shows the wanton killing of civilians by American soldiers and is
being investigated for leaks of diplomatic cables and Iraq and Afghan war
diaries. We are working with the Bradley Manning Support Network 
(www.BradleyManning.org 
<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=sB99nnm9yLb336eA%2FCMRByR3ItyGiNzD>) 
to organize a show of support for Manning and make sure the commander-in-chief 
takes responsibility for the actions of the military.

Please join us in calling the White House this Thursday.

Thanks.

Kevin Zeese
Executive Director
Voters For Peace

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PLEASE JOIN US - PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY - SPREAD THE WORD - STAND WITH BRAD

National White House Call-in Day to Support Bradley Manning, Thursday, February
3rd, 2011

Whitehouse switchboard: 202-456-1414
(or Whitehouse comments: 202-456-1111)

Call the White House Thursday to voice your support for accused WikiLeaks
whistle-blower US Army PFC Bradley Manning, specifically that his human rights
be respected by the Quantico, Virginia, brig authorities. Bradley has been held
in solitary confinement-like conditions for over eight months, and his trial is
still months away. This American citizen-soldier has been convicted of no crime,
yet continues to endure inhumane conditions of pre-trial confinement like no
other inmate at the Quantico brig. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs
recently stated that the White House was not paying attention to Bradley
Manning's extreme confinement conditions, or the fact that recent pre-approved
visitors of Bradley's have been detained and interrogated by military police in
order to block their scheduled visit. It is critical that we educate the White
House of this ongoing injustice!

Recommended points to make:

- US Army PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower being held
at the Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia, is an American citizen who is innocent
until proven otherwise. Yet, he has been subjected to continuous illegal
pre-trial punishment since his arrest in May 2010. Based on these abuses alone,
Manning should be freed pending court martial.

- Military pre-trial confinement is supposed to be about ensuring a soldier's
presence at court martial, yet for eight months now Manning has been subjected
to extreme pre-trial punishment through the arbitrary use of rarely applied
regulations--specifically the "maximum security classification" and the
"prevention of injury" order. If he is not freed pending court martial, then at
the very least, Manning's human rights need to be respected, and the illegal
pre-trial punishment must end.

- The arbitrary restrictions placed on Manning, and no other inmates at
Quantico, mean that: Manning is allowed no meaningful physical exercise, he is
allowed no social interaction with other inmates, he is kept in his cell at
least 23 hours per day, and he is not allowed out of his cell without restraints.

- If the charges against him are true, they actually show that Manning is a
patriot acting to advance an informed democracy. There is no allegation that
Manning did anything but share truthful information with the American public
regarding the realities of our nation's ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
with absolutely no benefit to himself, in order to spark public debate regarding
foreign policy.

The Bradley Manning Support Network:
www.bradleymanning.org
<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=d0iCDDToO3srNaVlpWlbyyR3ItyGiNzD>
Sign-up and join us: www.standwithbrad.org
<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=KQn1qHB5rOj8msGelwie3CR3ItyGiNzD>

http://votersforpeace.us/press/index.php?itemid=4663
<http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8fxOEtxYH9JE%2BDZNZIkwKiR3ItyGiNzD>

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