According to news reports, a military "judge" refused to dismiss the most serious charge against Pfc. Bradley Manning, that of "aiding the enemy" by releasing confidential government documents to Wikileaks.
Indeed, Obama's values are so inimical to the American values he purports to uphold that he pronounced Manning guilty without even the benefit of a fair trial. But like the cruel and unusual circumstances of his confinement thus far, there's no chance that Manning will receive anything close to that "due process" the constitution mandates -- as it has joined the rest of the pantheon of freedom as a quaint and outdated relic of another time.
As for the particulars of the "aiding the enemy" charge, it shouldn't be left to politicians to define the enemy, much less what constitutes giving them aid, since the US is not engaged in a war as traditionally defined, nor is the enemy one that history or common sense would recognize.
The crime of the Wikileaks' source is to have embarrassed the political leadership and the powers behind the throne in the US. The diplomatic chit-chat at the center of these supposedly explosive exposes is not anything that a rival such as the Chinese or the Russians -- to say nothing of "friends" such as the Israelis -- would not have possessed already. These communications were thinly guarded and kept out of the public eye primarily to insulate the US public from the true nature of its leaders and the policies that the government pursues.
The professionals in the media do their part to obfuscate and conceal the true nature of US actions across the globe. The truth about wars of aggression and flouting of international law is kept off the front pages and the evening news in favor of bland palliatives and infotainment distractions.
It's only when the unvarnished truth is provided, in the miscreants' own words, that all hell breaks loose. In this case, the enemy who the disclosures of this material has aided is the American public -- which in our purported system of government holds the ultimate say-so over the actions of the government which allegedly represents the interests of the people.
That this is not the case, and that the system has completely and utterly broken down, is the true scandal of the treatment and coming trial of Manning -- one brave man whose conscience would not allow him to remain silent in the face of overwhelming evidence of malfeasance by US officials.
That he is portrayed in the press as an accessory to the evildoers and enemy of the state should tell us all we need to know about the nature of the government that has asserted its supremacy over the will of the people and relegated citizens to the role of useful idiots in a larger game of global political intrigue.
Most serious charge in WikiLeaks case is retained - CBS News: "FORT MEADE, Md. — A military judge refused on Thursday to dismiss the most serious charge against an Army private accused in the biggest leak of government secrets in U.S. history.Manning, if he's indeed the source of the Wikileaks documents, deserves the Medal of Freedom instead of this treatment. It's nothing but the Obama administration's relentless campaign to silence whistle-blowers and silence dissent.
Col. Denise Lind rejected a defense motion to dismiss the charge of "aiding the enemy" during a pretrial hearing for Pfc. Bradley Manning. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. Manning also faces 21 other counts."
Indeed, Obama's values are so inimical to the American values he purports to uphold that he pronounced Manning guilty without even the benefit of a fair trial. But like the cruel and unusual circumstances of his confinement thus far, there's no chance that Manning will receive anything close to that "due process" the constitution mandates -- as it has joined the rest of the pantheon of freedom as a quaint and outdated relic of another time.
As for the particulars of the "aiding the enemy" charge, it shouldn't be left to politicians to define the enemy, much less what constitutes giving them aid, since the US is not engaged in a war as traditionally defined, nor is the enemy one that history or common sense would recognize.
The crime of the Wikileaks' source is to have embarrassed the political leadership and the powers behind the throne in the US. The diplomatic chit-chat at the center of these supposedly explosive exposes is not anything that a rival such as the Chinese or the Russians -- to say nothing of "friends" such as the Israelis -- would not have possessed already. These communications were thinly guarded and kept out of the public eye primarily to insulate the US public from the true nature of its leaders and the policies that the government pursues.
The professionals in the media do their part to obfuscate and conceal the true nature of US actions across the globe. The truth about wars of aggression and flouting of international law is kept off the front pages and the evening news in favor of bland palliatives and infotainment distractions.
It's only when the unvarnished truth is provided, in the miscreants' own words, that all hell breaks loose. In this case, the enemy who the disclosures of this material has aided is the American public -- which in our purported system of government holds the ultimate say-so over the actions of the government which allegedly represents the interests of the people.
That this is not the case, and that the system has completely and utterly broken down, is the true scandal of the treatment and coming trial of Manning -- one brave man whose conscience would not allow him to remain silent in the face of overwhelming evidence of malfeasance by US officials.
That he is portrayed in the press as an accessory to the evildoers and enemy of the state should tell us all we need to know about the nature of the government that has asserted its supremacy over the will of the people and relegated citizens to the role of useful idiots in a larger game of global political intrigue.
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