- Write to Chelsea Manning. She's still in jail for refusing to lie about Julian Assange. She is a political prisoner right here in America. Let her know how important she is! Thank her! For more info:
"For more info" isn't showing up so let me add that:
Chelsea Resists - Support Committee
https://xychelsea.is/
Chelsea is a political prisoner, she's proof that we have gulags in the United States. There is no justice. Chelsea has the right to refuse to testify. That's what she's been tossed into prison for.
There's just the pretense of democracy in the US. If you truly to exercise your rights, they throw you in jail or Fred Hampton you. We're seeing empire fall apart before our eyes.
Kevin Reed and James Cogan (WSWS) report:
The courageous whistleblower Chelsea Manning has now been held in a federal detention center in Alexandria, Virginia for more than six months. Manning has not been charged with or committed any crime. She was sent to jail on March 8, 2019 for refusing to testify before a secret grand jury that has indicted persecuted WikiLeaks founder and publisher Julian Assange, who published the information she leaked exposing rampant US imperialist criminality.
As President Donald Trump threatened Friday to launch a catastrophic war against Iran, including an implicit threat to use nuclear weapons, the historic significance of what Manning and Assange did is clear. And it is also clear why every genuine defender of democratic rights and opponent of imperialism will be energetically fighting for the freedom of Manning and Assange.
Among the information that Manning provided to WikiLeaks in 2009-2010 was the infamous “Collateral Murder” video—which depicted the indiscriminate killing of civilians and Reuters journalists in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad. She leaked a trove of 400,000 documents that became known as the “Iraq War Logs” and another 91,000 documents that became part of the “Afghan War Logs.” Over 250,000 US diplomatic cables were also published, revealing the daily intrigue and conspiracies engaged in by American embassies and consulates around the world. The revelations played a role in inspiring ordinary people in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere to rise up in revolution against dictatorship and oppression.
The world’s population was provided all the evidence necessary to demonstrate that the actions of the White House and Pentagon are not motivated by concern over “democracy,” “rule of law” or “human rights.” Rather, US imperialism operates as a predatory force of violence and intrigue, to maintain strategic hegemony and in the interests of the corporate profit of billionaire oligarchs.
Everything that Manning provided to WikiLeaks served to alert the public as to the criminal operations of the US state. When she prepared to share the documents with the media, Manning wrote a readme.txt file that said, in part: “This is one of the most significant documents of our time removing the fog of war and revealing the true nature of 21st century asymmetric warfare.”
It is well known—going back to her arrest in 2010 and conviction and sentencing in 2013 to 35 years in prison on 21 charges of violating the Uniform Military Code of Justice—that Manning has always maintained that she acted alone in leaking information. The record is clear. She first went to the Washington Post and the New York Times with her classified downloads and, after these establishment publications expressed no interest, she turned to WikiLeaks.
Manning served nearly seven years in prison for her courageous actions, including detention at the Marine Corps Base at Quantico in a 6 x 12-foot cell with no window, as well as imprisonment at the US federal prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Her 35-year sentence was commuted—but not pardoned—by President Obama in January 2017 just days before the inauguration of Donald Trump.
Regardless, the state apparatus is attempting to force Manning to recant her previous testimony in order to assemble new “facts” that can be used against Julian Assange.
Here's C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"
Younger Black Voters to Their Parents: Break Up With Joe Biden, I’m Bored. An organic effort by black millennials and Gen Z-ers to influence older family members against Mr. Biden may be important in the Democratic primary. nytimes.com/2019/09/20/us/…
He's referring to Astead W. Herndon's report for THE NEW YORK TIMES. The report fails to note that similar efforts took place in previous elections, including in 2008. There was, for instance, "the great schlep" where voters were encouraged to get their Jewish grandparents in Florida to vote for Barack Obama. THE NEW YORK TIMES' own reporting of that effort ran October 5, 2008 and was entitled "Sarah Silverman's Message to Your Grandma: Vote Obama."
From Herndon's article:
For Mr. Biden, though, students carried
mixed feelings. They respected his tenure as Barack Obama’s vice
president, but implicitly rejected his campaign’s central premise, that
the primary goal of Democrats in the 2020 election should be defeating
President Trump.
They pointed to
systemic problems they said the country must address, such as
inequality, climate change and gun violence. The Democratic nominee,
they said, should embrace progressive proposals like canceling student
loan debt, the Green New Deal and gun buyback programs.
Most #viral News Now: Younger Black Voters to Their Parents: Break Up With Joe Biden, I’m Bored
As a voter, you are much more likely to be influenced by someone you know and face-to-face contact is always stronger than any other. The efforts these activists are undertaking will have some success. It could be a huge success depending upon how much effort is put into the action.
Joe Biden wants to lead. But when has his leadership ever been a good thing? In last week's debate, Bernie Sanders noted the reality of Joe's 'wisdom.'
Sen. Bernie Sanders to Joe Biden: "The big mistake, the huge mistake, and one of the big differences between you and me: I never believed what Cheney and Bush said about Iraq."
"I voted against the war in Iraq, and helped lead the opposition." abcn.ws/DemDebate #DemDebate
1:39
.@BernieSanders "One of the big differences between you (Joe Biden) and me. I never believed Bush and Cheney on Iraq." #ABC13DemDebate
"Iraq is the biggest foreign policy disaster of at least the past 45 years. Bernie Sanders was completely right about it. Joe Biden was completely wrong. That is something to hammer him over and over again."
The YUGE difference between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden:
Bernie led the fight against the Iraq War.
Biden followed Bush and Cheney. #DemDebate
WATCH THIS: In just one minute #BernieSanders defines the difference between his vision & Joe Biden’s on: the Iraq war, disastrous trade deals, Wall St. bailout, the bankruptcy bill, & healthcare as a right. It’s clear, concise, & brilliant. Thank you @Silvers4Sanders
Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders went back and forth on Biden's support for the war in Iraq. n.pr/2UP0CKY
#RT @BernieSanders: I never believed Cheney and Bush. Unlike Joe Biden, not only did I vote against the Iraq War, I led the fight to prevent it. #DemDebate
Joe's never shown real leadership. But now, at 76, Joe swears, if you give him a chance, he's finally ready to show leadership.
Biden is Clinton 2.0. Elite uber wealthy politicians who voted for the Iraq war & sat for #standingrock. If @JoeBiden truly cared about Americans, he’d drop out. You had your time. Pass the torch to someone who can lead us out of this darkness. #BernieSanders
Yesterday on KPFA's FLASHPOINTS, host Dennis Bernstein and guest Norman Solomon discussed Joe's corporate ties.
On Iraq, Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Zeina Karam (AP) report:
It is wedged between Saudi Arabia to the south
and Iran to the east and hosts thousands of U.S. troops on its soil. At
the same time, powerful Shiite paramilitary forces linked to Iran pose a
growing challenge to the authority of the central government.
As
the pressure mounts, divisions within Iraq’s pro-Iranian factions have
burst into the open, threatening to collapse a fragile government
coalition and end a rare reprieve from the violence that has plagued the
country for years.
“Regional challenges
facing Iraq will make it even more difficult for Adel Abdel-Mahdi to
bring the (militias) under control,” said Randa Slim, a senior fellow at
the Washington-based Middle East Institute, referring to Iraq’s prime
minister.
The divisions among Iran’s Shiite
allies in Iraq have been spurred by a spate of airstrikes blamed on
Israel that have hit weapons depots and bases belonging to the
Iran-backed militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization
Forces, or PMF.
Why isn't Joe asked every day about how to address Iraq? He voted for the war that destroyed the country. That alone should make him responsible for coming up with solutions. He can't stop bragging that Barack Obama tasked him, as vice president, to deal with Iraq. If he wants to brag about that, he needs to be asked about that.
He claims today that Bully Boy Bush tricked him into supporting the Iraq War. Is Bush still tricking him? Is he tricking Joe into silence?
Joe needs to stop his folklore stories and start addressing reality. If the press isn't up to demanding that from him, they just need to admit that they're worthless.
The following sites updated:
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