Hillary’s shocking comments about Bradley Manning

News From Off the Web

by Logan Price

For those who don’t believe that Bradley’s personal life and sexuality may be used against him by officials or media critics, this gem of information was presented in a recent Vanity Fair articleabout Hillary Clinton, while on tour in the Middle East:

“Hillary told staff that she could not fathom how an army private, Bradley Manning, withpsychological problems and a drag-queen boyfriend could single-handedly cause the United States unprecedented embarrassment just by labeling massive downloads as Lady Gaga songs.”

Were those comments verbatim, or just the ill-chosen words of the author? We probably won’t know, but one thing is for sure:  they were published in a major pop-culture outlet, so there is no taking them back.

Here, is a good take-down of the allegation that Manning had “psychological problems.”  As for the comments about Bradley’s sexuality, you can be the judge of that.

If Hillary did indeed say anything of the sort, it is yet another reminder of the Obama administration’s willingness, almost as retaliation for their own embarrassment, to disregard public outcry about Bradley Manning’s charges and detainment and the fact that he has not yet been convicted of any crime.

At a fundraiser in San Francisco in April, Obama told me that Bradley Manning “broke the law,” a legally irresponsible and inappropriate statement that could constitute the ‘unlawful command influence’ of any military judge or jury that may preside over Bradley’s case.

Should the President and commander-in-chief –or the Secretary of State for that matter– really be saying such things about a high profile prisoner like Bradley Manning who has not yet been to trial?

The release of the Diplomatic Cables may have been embarrassing for the Obama Administration, but the life (not political career) of the most important whistleblower of my generation hangs in the balance.

It seems unlikely that we will hear any response from Hillary about this. This administration seems content to say one thing and mean another. Remember the sad irony felt when former white-house briefer Ray McGovern was rather brutally arrested last January for standing up in silent protest during Hillary Clinton’s lecture about free speech at George Washington University?

Not to mention Obama’s unexpected persecution of more whistleblowers under the Espionage Act than any previous administration, while giving this speech about the Arab Spring,

“Through our efforts we must support those basic rights to speak your mind and access information. We will support open access to the Internet, and the right of journalists to be heard – whether it’s a big news organization or a blogger. In the 21st century, information is power; the truth cannot be hidden; and the legitimacy of governments will ultimately depend on active and informed citizens. Such open discourse is important even if what is said does not square with our worldview.”

Ironically, that sounds a lot like Bradley’s alleged chat logs, which are being held by the Pentagon as evidence that Bradley was ‘aiding the enemy.’

“I want people to see the truth, regardless of who they are… because without the truth you can’t make informed decisions as a public.”

Doubly ironic is that the cables Manning is alleged to have leaked have beenhailed as a catalyst of the growing democracy in the Arab world.

The triple irony is that the greatest charge against him is that of  ’aiding the enemy.’  Despite campaign promises our leaders act at home as if democracy is only good for us on their terms — in fact it just might be ‘the enemy.’  Or we are.  Same thing, really.

Democracy, as the Arab world is showing us, is a do-it-yourself skill that requires courage, humility, and commitment to the truth– no matter the stakes.  If Bradley Manning is indeed guilty,  it is of these “psychological problems.”  He is our Egyptian.

Logan Price is a member of the Bradley Manning Support Network.   You can follow him on twitter @kstrel.

This is not the work of Ehahlil's Notebook.

An Open Letter to Ann Coulter

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Tim Shriver

John Franklin Stephens

The following is a guest post in the form of an open letter from Special Olympics athlete and global messenger John Franklin Stephens to Ann Coulter after this tweet during last night’s Presidential debate.

Dear Ann Coulter,

Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow.  So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?

I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow.  I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you.  In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.

I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.

Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.

Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.

Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.

After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me.  You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.

I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.

Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.

No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.

Come join us someday at Special Olympics.  See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.

A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia

EDITOR’S NOTE: John has previously written powerful opinion pieces on the R-word.

Read one here.

Can the broad left grow together? Can we create ways to meet the monumental challenges that the American left faces today?

From the People's Record

October 23, 2012

The far left is continuing to grow in North America and around the world. From the conversations we’ve been having with lifetime leftists and activists around this country that much is clear. People likeleftist economist Richard Wolff and Baltimore community leader & Black Panther Reverend Annie Chambers are telling us that the left in America & around the world is growing at a rate they’ve never seen before. Things are possible now that haven’t ever been possible before in their lifetimes. You’d have to go back to the Depression-era left to find a time in North America with a left as swelling as ours is today, they say. That’s inspiring.

With capitalism in crisis and an empire stretched to capacity, high unemployment and low prospects for a future for the indebted youth, we have unprecedented opportunities and unprecedented challenges on the left today.

One of those challenges is the tendency of the left to fracture, disagree and eventually self-destruct. There are many factors that influence a sectarian left; any group of people who desperately want to create a new, better kind of world but genuinely disagree about the means by which we might get there are going to have passionate quarrels. The differences between progressives, anarchists, communists and socialists are many but so are the similarities. And it’s in that similar space - the desire to destroy corporate (and for many, capitalist) influence - that we can work together and grow together.

Another pressing challenge for the left is the need for spaces in an alternative society - the need for leftist organizations, collectives, co-operatives, and Workers Self Directed Enterprises to prepare room for growing numbers of people newly disenfranchised with the system of capitalism, who need a place to plug into that doesn’t just suck energy from them, but spaces that also nourish, empower and encourage them in the fight against capitalism. We need welcoming institutions that comfort and educate those who are broken from the horrors of capitalism and institutions that simultaneously channel energy into attacking the system that is at the root of the world’s most horrific problems.

One such institution working on just that is Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse in Baltimore. It consciously aims to meet both of the above needs through collective decision-making, left-infrastructure building, and by building spaces that are inclusive to and encourage dialogues among the broad left.  Red Emma’s isn’t your typical bookstore/café; it welcomes the homeless, provides free computer use for the community, provides anti-capitalist education and hosts leftist readings & conferences.

But it isn’t your typical anarchist bookstore either. Red Emma’s expressly aims to bridge the gap between Marxist-socialists and anarchists, and all others among the fractured left. When asked what concerned her most about the left, collective founding member Kate Khatib said the fear of sectarianism was what kept her up at night. It was important to her and to many members of the collective, to focus on projects like Red Emma’s and the Baltimore Free School (one of the divergent projects of Red Emma’s) that aim to appeal to the broad left.

And Red Emma’s is growing, allowing those getting involved to plug into a community of leftists, to stay educated and to make a small amount of money in order to live to fight another day. Creating sustainable infrastructure on the left is at the core of what Red Emma’s hopes to accomplish.

What Red Emma’s is building, in the same vein as the movement Democracy at Work is building, answers some of the biggest problems on the left today.

The People’s Record also hopes to play a part in building infrastructure for disenfranchised citizens and aims to aid the fight for a new united left through a few different projects we’ve been working on. Please take a look at what we’re doing and contact us if you have any interest in getting involved with any of our projects.

-Robert

Romney family buys voting machines through Bain Capital investment

Bain Capital has bought the electronic voting machines that will calculate millions of votes in Ohio. How is that ethical or legal?

"Alternative Party" Debates

It is funny that even the "alternative" debates silence many voices. Of the alternative parties invited to attend, none sought vastly different economic policies than the candidates of the two major parties. None were representatives of people and communities of color. None stood up for First Nation's rights nor for equitable laws and courts. None held survivors of domestic violence close to their heart, nor the plight of homeless youth and adults. I don't see anything new or different - just the adoption of easily swallowed fads.

Third Party Debate Coverage

Larry King, the host of Larry King Now on Ora TV, and Christina Tobin, founder and chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation, will serve as moderator for a special 2012 Presidential debate. This debate will take place on October 23 at 9:00pm EDT at the Hilton Chicago and streamed LIVE on Ora TV.  

Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), Rocky Anderson (Justice Party), and Virgil Goode (Constitution Party). Both Obama and Romney were invited, but declined the offer. I know many of you probably believe that it is pointless to watch this debate because you feel that a third party candidate will not be going into office this year, but please do yourself the favor of staying an informed citizen. The two-party political system leaves a lot of voices silenced or unheard, so this is a great opportunity to hear alternative ideas for our country’s future. The best part about this debate is that it’s going to be ninety minutes long and features questions from both King and questions submitted by voters through social media (via the hashtag #AskEmThisLarry). The debate will also be broadcast on C-SPAN, Al Jazeera English and RT, as well as streamed online by Ora TV and Free & Equal.

 Even the “alternative” debates exclude socialists and communists. 

All Indian Pueblo Council Endorses President Obama

“The President has kept his word to Indian Tribes,” said Isleta Pueblo Governor Frank Lujan. “He has engaged our Pueblo through yearly consultations. The Recovery Act in particular provided funding for our infrastructure and created jobs for our tribal members. We will do whatever we can to ensure President Barack Obama is re-elected.”

Read Here