Aa
Activists rally to 'Free Bradley Manning' in WikiLeaks case
Activists rally to 'Free Bradley Manning' in WikiLeaks case
By Rachel Streitfeld, CNN
August 8, 2010 6:21 p.m. EDT
Quantico, Virginia (CNN) -- Activists rallied outside the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia, Sunday to applaud the man military officials suspect leaked scores of military documents to the WikiLeaks website -- a 22-year-old Army private named Bradley Manning.
"We are here to say that if he, indeed, was the whistle-blower, then we are proud of him," said Medea Benjamin, founder of anti-war group Code Pink. "In the United States that I know and love, transparency is a positive thing."
Manning, who served as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, is the military's focus in the investigation into the largest-ever intelligence leak in American history, to WikiLeaks.org.
He is being detained at Quantico pending a military investigation in a separate case, in which he's charged with eight violations of the U.S. Criminal Code, including for allegedly leaking a secret military video from the Iraq war to WikiLeaks.
Outside the Quantico gates, about 80 protesters chanted "Bradley Manning told their tale, war criminals off to jail" and held signs calling on the military to "Free Bradley Manning."
Video: Manning's troubled past
RELATED TOPICS
Bradley Manning
Wikileaks.org
Quantico
U.S. Armed Forces
Many wore pink and seemed out-of-place in a small community where people sported military haircuts and displayed Marine bumper stickers on their cars.
Ray McGovern, who said he was formerly a CIA analyst, lauded Manning for allegedly releasing information about America's "war of aggression".
"What Bradley Manning has done is to give us as Americans the opportunity to realize what's really going on there," McGovern said.
"If Americans can't realize now that they have the ground truth, literally the ground truth from these Army reports, if they can't realize and move to end these kinds of wars, then there's very little hope for our children or our grandchildren."
About 300 yards away, a handful of counter-protesters wearing the military's trademark olive green held a poster that showed Manning with bloody hands. They called the leak treasonous.
"If Bradley Manning is the one that leaked these documents, he has already put his fellow soldiers at risk," said Jim Hanson, who writes for the pro-military website BlackFive.
"I think the military and the government have some things that should be kept secret. The public knows that ... There is no 'right to know' secret information."
By Rachel Streitfeld, CNN
August 8, 2010 6:21 p.m. EDT
Quantico, Virginia (CNN) -- Activists rallied outside the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia, Sunday to applaud the man military officials suspect leaked scores of military documents to the WikiLeaks website -- a 22-year-old Army private named Bradley Manning.
"We are here to say that if he, indeed, was the whistle-blower, then we are proud of him," said Medea Benjamin, founder of anti-war group Code Pink. "In the United States that I know and love, transparency is a positive thing."
Manning, who served as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, is the military's focus in the investigation into the largest-ever intelligence leak in American history, to WikiLeaks.org.
He is being detained at Quantico pending a military investigation in a separate case, in which he's charged with eight violations of the U.S. Criminal Code, including for allegedly leaking a secret military video from the Iraq war to WikiLeaks.
Outside the Quantico gates, about 80 protesters chanted "Bradley Manning told their tale, war criminals off to jail" and held signs calling on the military to "Free Bradley Manning."
Video: Manning's troubled past
RELATED TOPICS
Bradley Manning
Wikileaks.org
Quantico
U.S. Armed Forces
Many wore pink and seemed out-of-place in a small community where people sported military haircuts and displayed Marine bumper stickers on their cars.
Ray McGovern, who said he was formerly a CIA analyst, lauded Manning for allegedly releasing information about America's "war of aggression".
"What Bradley Manning has done is to give us as Americans the opportunity to realize what's really going on there," McGovern said.
"If Americans can't realize now that they have the ground truth, literally the ground truth from these Army reports, if they can't realize and move to end these kinds of wars, then there's very little hope for our children or our grandchildren."
About 300 yards away, a handful of counter-protesters wearing the military's trademark olive green held a poster that showed Manning with bloody hands. They called the leak treasonous.
"If Bradley Manning is the one that leaked these documents, he has already put his fellow soldiers at risk," said Jim Hanson, who writes for the pro-military website BlackFive.
"I think the military and the government have some things that should be kept secret. The public knows that ... There is no 'right to know' secret information."
He should be hanged for treason.
What Bradley Manning has done is to give us as Americans the opportunity to realize what's really going on there," McGovern said.
What a group of complete morons. Showing one snippet of footage does not show us what is really going on there. War is much more complex than that. Sure there are horrible things that happen it is WAR.. but what would happen if we suddenly disappeared? What would iraq, Afghanistan look like in 10 years? Would the people be better off? The war started we cannot go back and have a "do over" To leave a country in shambles unprepared against militants would leave the innocents at a much greater risk.
said Medea Benjamin, founder of anti-war group Code Pink. "In the United States that I know and love, transparency is a positive thing."
Ahhh and I love rainbows and unicorns... OMG
What a group of complete morons. Showing one snippet of footage does not show us what is really going on there. War is much more complex than that. Sure there are horrible things that happen it is WAR.. but what would happen if we suddenly disappeared? What would iraq, Afghanistan look like in 10 years? Would the people be better off? The war started we cannot go back and have a "do over" To leave a country in shambles unprepared against militants would leave the innocents at a much greater risk.
said Medea Benjamin, founder of anti-war group Code Pink. "In the United States that I know and love, transparency is a positive thing."
Ahhh and I love rainbows and unicorns... OMG
You must join this user group in order to participate in this discussion.
You are reading content posted in the Current Events . . . Group
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
