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Innocent Warrior
17th May 2017, 14:46
Chelsea Manning Walks Free After Serving 7 Years Of A 35-Year Sentence (May 17, 2017)

http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/05/17/ap_106674183314_wide-b3a6d37f29bc04965af02fff1510466ac9d44dc3-s800-c85.jpg

Pvt. Chelsea Manning has left a military prison in Kansas and is returning to civilian life Wednesday, seven years after she was taken into custody for what is seen as the largest leak of classified data in U.S. history.

"After another anxious four months of waiting, the day has finally arrived," Manning said in a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"I am looking forward to so much! Whatever is ahead of me is far more important than the past. I'm figuring things out right now — which is exciting, awkward, fun, and all new for me."

Manning tweeted a photo of her sneaker-clad feet, taking her "first steps of freedom" Wednesday morning.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DACH3tDUIAAYfAM.jpg

The 35-year prison sentence Manning received as punishment for that crime was described as unprecedented when it was handed down. Before he left office, President Obama shortened the sentence to seven years.

In court, Manning pleaded guilty to leaking secret information — but she was acquitted of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy, in July of 2013.

On the morning of Manning's release, a fundraising campaign for her post-release expenses met its goal of raising $150,000. The fund was set up by her lawyer, Chase Strangio of the ACLU. Separately, musician Michael Stipe has led the release of a benefit album whose proceeds will go to the former soldier.

See source (http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/17/528731790/after-serving-7-years-of-a-35-year-sentence-chelsea-manning-to-walk-free) for more (including links).

* * *

Background -

Assange Statement on the First Day of Manning Trial (June 3, 2013)

As I type these lines, on June 3, 2013, Private First Class Bradley Edward Manning is being tried in a sequestered room at Fort Meade, Maryland, for the alleged crime of telling the truth. The court martial of the most prominent political prisoner in modern US history has now, finally, begun.

It has been three years. Bradley Manning, then 22 years old, was arrested in Baghdad on May 26, 2010. He was shipped to Kuwait, placed into a cage, and kept in the sweltering heat of Camp Arifjan.

"For me, I stopped keeping track," he told the court last November. "I didn’t know whether night was day or day was night. And my world became very, very small. It became these cages... I remember thinking I’m going to die."

After protests from his lawyers, Bradley Manning was then transferred to a brig at a US Marine Corps Base in Quantico, VA, where - infamously - he was subjected to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment at the hands of his captors - a formal finding by the UN. Isolated in a tiny cell for twenty-three out of twenty-four hours a day, he was deprived of his glasses, sleep, blankets and clothes, and prevented from exercising. All of this - it has been determined by a military judge - "punished" him before he had even stood trial.

"Brad’s treatment at Quantico will forever be etched, I believe, in our nation’s history, as a disgraceful moment in time" said his lawyer, David Coombs. "Not only was it stupid and counterproductive, it was criminal."

The United States was, in theory, a nation of laws. But it is no longer a nation of laws for Bradley Manning.

When the abuse of Bradley Manning became a scandal reaching all the way to the President of the United States and Hillary Clinton’s spokesman resigned to register his dissent over Mr. Manning’s treatment, an attempt was made to make the problem less visible. Bradley Manning was transferred to the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

He has waited in prison for three years for a trial - 986 days longer than the legal maximum - because for three years the prosecution has dragged its feet and obstructed the court, denied the defense access to evidence and abused official secrecy. This is simply illegal - all defendants are constitutionally entitled to a speedy trial - but the transgression has been acknowledged and then overlooked.

Against all of this, it would be tempting to look on the eventual commencement of his trial as a mercy. But that is hard to do.

We no longer need to comprehend the "Kafkaesque" through the lens of fiction or allegory. It has left the pages and lives among us, stalking our best and brightest. It is fair to call what is happening to Bradley Manning a "show trial". Those invested in what is called the "US military justice system" feel obliged to defend what is going on, but the rest of us are free to describe this travesty for what it is. No serious commentator has any confidence in a benign outcome. The pretrial hearings have comprehensively eliminated any meaningful uncertainty, inflicting pre-emptive bans on every defense argument that had any chance of success.

Bradley Manning may not give evidence as to his stated intent (exposing war crimes and their context), nor may he present any witness or document that shows that no harm resulted from his actions. Imagine you were put on trial for murder. In Bradley Manning’s court, you would be banned from showing that it was a matter of self-defence, because any argument or evidence as to intent is banned. You would not be able to show that the ’victim’ is, in fact, still alive, because that would be evidence as to the lack of harm.

But of course. Did you forget whose show it is?

See source (https://wikileaks.org/Assange-Statement-on-the-First-Day.html) to read more.

jake gittes
17th May 2017, 15:49
Another shameful episode in the REAL history of the USA corporation.

uzn
17th May 2017, 16:26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O01US7thZxY

Gaia
17th May 2017, 17:07
Chelsea Manning‏Compte certifié
@xychelsea

Suivre
Plus
First steps of freedom!! 😄

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUMgk0_BPbs/

#ChelseaIsFree


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DACH3tDUIAAYfAM.jpg

justntime2learn
17th May 2017, 17:10
Hi Rachel,

I can't help but feel there's some type of hidden agenda here otherwise why would Obama commute Manning's sentence. don't get me wrong because Manning has been a hero of mine for some time.

All of these things just aren't adding up for me in the world we live.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Bless you for the Post Rachel as I've been waiting for someone to bring it up :heart:

Daughter of Time
17th May 2017, 17:58
Manning is free! Over $100,000.00 have been raised to start her off towards a new life, as tweeted by Wikileaks and Julian Assange today.

While some may feel that there is an agenda behind this act of seeming magnanimity, I like to believe that the energy is changing and some signs of justice are beginning to show.

I can be an idealist and a dreamer but I believe with all my soul that the new incoming energy will not allow things to remain in the dark and that by the end of this year, all those maintaining corruption will either be exposed or will be as terrified as the many victims they have terrified throughout their times of power.

Bradley/Chelsea Manning is now a national hero for many Americans. Isn't that is a good sign?

Good luck, Ms. Manning! I look forward to what you will do once you heal from your ordeal.

justntime2learn
17th May 2017, 19:33
Manning is free! Over $100,000.00 have been raised to start her off towards a new life, as tweeted by Wikileaks and Julian Assange today.

While some may feel that there is an agenda behind this act of seeming magnanimity, I like to believe that the energy is changing and some signs of justice are beginning to show.

I can be an idealist and a dreamer but I believe with all my soul that the new incoming energy will not allow things to remain in the dark and that by the end of this year, all those maintaining corruption will either be exposed or will be as terrified as the many victims they have terrified throughout their times of power.

Bradley/Chelsea Manning is now a national hero for many Americans. Isn't that is a good sign?

Good luck, Ms. Manning! I look forward to what you will do once you heal from your ordeal.

Beautifully said and felt!

Perhaps there is Light after Dark :)

Innocent Warrior
17th May 2017, 23:12
Hi Rachel,

I can't help but feel there's some type of hidden agenda here otherwise why would Obama commute Manning's sentence. don't get me wrong because Manning has been a hero of mine for some time.

All of these things just aren't adding up for me in the world we live.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Bless you for the Post Rachel as I've been waiting for someone to bring it up :heart:

Thank you. :heart: I get the impression there's a lot that went on behind the scenes. Julian Assange has described it as a huge victory, this is the result of a seven year battle, so there's more to this story but I didn't follow all of the news on Manning over the years and I don't know the details.

Kryztian
18th May 2017, 01:17
There have been a lot of whistleblowers out there who have paid an awful price for the truth. Chelsea is probably the most visible one.

She has had several suicide attempts and I imagine that despite her freedom, things will not be easy for her. There are still many Americans that despise her and I can imagine that 7 years of prison, some of which has been described as being torture, she must have PTSD. Please send her your good thoughts.

Kryztian
18th May 2017, 01:37
Hi Rachel,

I can't help but feel there's some type of hidden agenda here otherwise why would Obama commute Manning's sentence.

Anyone else have any ideas?



The agenda is always a good one to ask. But one can only speculate as to the possible answers, so here are my ideas:

1) Perhaps the gubbermint realized that while there were many Americans who still saw Chelsea as a traitor, support for her was growing as her sentence seemed more and more outrageous every year. Releasing her would get us all fired up as the news media could report all the inflammatory rhetoric flying back between her supporters and her detractors.

2) She had been in Guantanomo like conditions, that caused some at the United Nations to call her a victim of torture, which may have really debilitated her. Now that she is out of prison, we may see some of the deep visible scars, which we be to see "See, this is what will happen to you if you try and expose our corrupt National Security State - we will make you wish you were never born."

3) Or, for a very different take on it, perhaps there really is more humanity and concern in the White House than we know and that this was motivated by genuine concern that an injustice had been done.

Atlas
18th May 2017, 01:44
http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/55258a98ecad044208919565-480/bradley-chelsea-manning.jpg
pX6NyElC698
http://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-i-wanted-the-american-public-to-know-that-not-everyone-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-were-chelsea-manning-64-6-0650.jpg

Echoes of Ancient Rome - "The Temple of Mars" (Roman god of war (http://www.ancient.eu/Mars/))
14LtKecANN8

Wind
18th May 2017, 12:09
I'm glad that he/she finally got his freedom.

http://www.quotesvalley.com/images/31/in-a-time-of-deceit-telling-the-truth-is-a-revolutionary-act-6.jpg

Innocent Warrior
18th May 2017, 13:14
pX6NyElC698

Collateral Murder

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Uploaded on Apr 3, 2010
Wikileaks has obtained and decrypted this previously unreleased video footage from a US Apache helicopter in 2007. It shows Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, driver Saeed Chmagh, and several others as the Apache shoots and kills them in a public square in Eastern Baghdad. They are apparently assumed to be insurgents. After the initial shooting, an unarmed group of adults and children in a minivan arrives on the scene and attempts to transport the wounded. They are fired upon as well. The official statement on this incident initially listed all adults as insurgents and claimed the US military did not know how the deaths ocurred. Wikileaks released this video with transcripts and a package of supporting documents on April 5th 2010 on http://collateralmurder.com

US soldier, Ethan McCord, he was one of the soldiers who can be seen retrieving and running with a child from the van, gives his account as an eyewitness to events that day -

kelmEZe8whI

Uploaded on Aug 10, 2010
http://www.mediasanctuary.org
http://www.wikileaks.org
http://www.nationalpeaceconference.org
U.S. Soldier Ethan McCord speaking about the civilian massacre documented in WikiLeaks's April 2010 video disclosure of Apache helicopter footage of a New Baghdad attack that took place in 2007, allegedly released by PFC Brad Manning. McCord's story was delivered to attendees of the United National Peace Conference, which took place in Albany NY the weekend of July 23-25, 2010. Produced by the United National Peace Conference Media Project, powered by The Sanctuary for Independent Media and the Hudson Mohawk Independent Media Center.

Innocent Warrior
18th May 2017, 13:27
Courage fundraiser for Chelsea Manning’s legal appeal

On the day that heroic WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning walks free from Fort Leavenworth, Courage is partnering with Reporters Without Borders and the Wau Holland Foundation to kickstart a much needed fundraiser for her legal appeal.

President Barack Obama’s decision to commute Manning’s sentence rather than grant her a pardon leaves the precedent of her 2013 Espionage Act conviction for whistleblowing fully intact. The ramifications of Chelsea’s 35-year sentence take on new significance under a US administration that has made unprecedented threats against media freedom.

Chelsea’s legal appeal will have wide-ranging, long-lasting implications for the future of whistleblowing and journalism in the US and beyond. In recognition of this, Reporters without Borders and the Wau Holland Foundation have joined with Courage to start the fundraiser with an initial 20,000 Euro. Members of the public can donate below.

Nathan Fuller, a campaigner with Courage who attended and reported on Chelsea’s court martial, said:


I have spent the last several years of my life working toward this day, and I’m so grateful that it has finally come. It’s so important that we follow through, and not rest on this victory. There’s no chance of President Trump reforming the draconian Espionage Act that was used against Chelsea and other whistleblowers. But it’s a near certainty that we’ll see more leak prosecutions, and soon. Chelsea’s appeal is our only hope of challenging this bad law and improving the situation for the whistleblowers Trump will prosecute in the future. It’s also our best chance of enabling Edward Snowden to come home.

Chelsea Manning’s attorney, Nancy Hollander, said:


Chelsea’s release today is a tremendous victory after a long, hard-fought battle. We are overjoyed at her release from prison. But the battle continues: her legal appeal remains an incredibly important effort to challenge her unfair trial. Chelsea should never have been charged with violations of the Espionage Act, or held in solitary confinement for almost one year, under conditions tantamount to torture. Please continue to support her as we fight in her appeal to clear her name.

Manning, who was convicted in 2013, had her 35 year sentence commuted by President Barack Obama in one of his last acts in office. She will be released today, 17 May, having served almost 7 years of a 35 year sentence.

Chelsea’s appeal began after her trial in 2013. Her defence team filed its application to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals last year and the government is now due to respond. The process will continue through 2017 and if unsuccessful, it will continue to higher levels, possibly to include the US Supreme Court.

Source (https://couragefound.org/appeal-fund/) (with links).

* * *

Family, love, flowers, pizza and champagne for Chelsea on her first day back home :clapping:, photos shared on her Twitter account (https://twitter.com/xychelsea) -

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DACt9y2VoAAii5T.jpg:large
"So, im already enjoying my first hot, greasy pizza"

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DAEYgDCUwAIOIRI.jpg:large
"Here's to freedom and a new beginning."

Callista
19th May 2017, 01:45
She looks fantastic! This from her twitter account:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DAH8hCYUIAAdsWI.jpg

Kryztian
20th May 2017, 14:52
She looks fantastic!

Indeed she does. One wonders if she will get the same attention from the fashion media that Caitlin Jenner got, or if she will be ignored.

The fashion media always claims that it can look beyond the divide of politics. Let's see how they try and keep that pretext up while negotiating with their media overlords who want to either ignore or demonize Chelsea.

dynamo
20th May 2017, 18:57
... I like to believe that the energy is changing and some signs of justice are beginning to show.

I can be an idealist and a dreamer but I believe with all my soul that the new incoming energy will not allow things to remain in the dark and that by the end of this year, all those maintaining corruption will either be exposed or will be as terrified as the many victims they have terrified throughout their times of power...it's sad that, just like big bullies, those that are guilty of crimes against humanity think their actions will go unpunished because their egos led them to believe they are somehow not a part of, or somehow "above" unity consciousness. Not unlike the laws of karma, at some point in time, they will get to feel the same suffering they caused, however, usually to a much greater extent than the suffering they doled out. Everything balances out; as the saying goes, "you reap what you sow"...

amor
21st May 2017, 17:08
If Miss or Mr. Manning had not been a transgender, Obama would have let him/her rot in prison.

Innocent Warrior
23rd May 2017, 14:06
The Jimmy Dore Show (May 19, 2017)
Duration: 30:47

4w2gC5VP4YI