331d4254   
   XPost: alt.alien.visitors, alt.alien.research, alt.astronomy   
   XPost: alt.conspiracy   
   From: bradguth@gmail.com   
      
   On Jun 10, 5:50 am, "Mountain Jew"  wrote:   
   > In article   
   > <0d3b696e-5e2e-4a05-9af6-49168685f...@ys5g2000pbc.googlegroups.com>,   
   >  "Sir Arthur C.B.E. Wholeflaffers A.S.A."    
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   >  wrote:   
   > > Bradley Manning¹s court martial begins   
   >   
   > > After 1,100 days in prison, Army private Bradley Manning faced a   
   > > military court martial Monday. Day one of the trial, like the months¹   
   > > long series of pre-trial hearings before it, was characterized by   
   > > government secrecy, vindictiveness and lies. Manning, accused of   
   > > leaking some 700,000 military and diplomatic files to whistleblower   
   > > organization WikiLeaks, faces a possible life sentence if convicted on   
   > > 20 charges, the most serious of which is ³aiding the enemy² under the   
   > > Espionage Act. The Obama administration prosecutors argue that Manning   
   > > knowingly provided intelligence information to al Qaeda because   
   > > anyone, including terrorists, could access it on the WikiLeaks web   
   > > site.   
   >   
   > > In a statement before military judge Colonel Denise Lind in February,   
   > > Manning explained that he transmitted the material in order to expose   
   > > the crimes of the US government and military being carried out in the   
   > > name of the American people. His aim, he said, was to spark ³worldwide   
   > > discussion, debates, and reforms.²   
   >   
   > > Lind ruled that the questions of motive or conscience were irrelevant   
   > > to the case, stripping the 25-year-old soldier of the ability to mount   
   > > a whistleblower defense, and ruling inadmissible any discussion of the   
   > > content of the leaked material. Manning offered to plead guilty on   
   > > several charges in order to reduce the possible sentence. The Obama   
   > > administration rejected the possibility of a plea deal, seeking to   
   > > secure the maximum possible sentence.   
   >   
   > > Manning¹s is the most prominent case of a systematic attack on   
   > > whistleblowers by the Obama administration, which has prosecuted more   
   > > individuals under the Espionage Act than all other administrations in   
   > > US history combined. Over the course of his three-year-long ordeal,   
   > > Manning has been subjected to conditions tantamount to torture,   
   > > including being held in solitary confinement 23 hours a day for months   
   > > at a time, forced nudity and sleep deprivation.   
   >   
   > > The government intends to make an example of Manning for other would-   
   > > be leakers. The case likewise sets a dangerous precedent for   
   > > journalists, Internet sites and all those who access information the   
   > > government considers sensitive or detrimental to its ³interests.²   
   > > The implications of the arguments advanced in the prosecution of   
   > > Manning were indicated in the revelation earlier this month that the   
   > > Obama administration had alleged criminal activity on the part of a   
   > > Fox New reporter for arranging to obtain classified information from a   
   > > government informant‹a basic element of newsgathering. The   
   > > administration is seeking to criminalize media activity that exposes   
   > > secret government activities, part of a broader criminalization of   
   > > political dissent.   
   >   
   > > Even as Manning is prosecuted to the fullest extent for seeking to   
   > > reveal war crimes, those whose criminality were exposed in the leaked   
   > > material not only remain free, but are being actively protected by the   
   > > Obama administration.   
   >   
   > > A Kafkaesque atmosphere surrounds the proceedings. Much of the trial,   
   > > scheduled over the next three months at Fort Meade, Maryland, will be   
   > > held behind closed doors. Military prosecutors intend to present a   
   > > large amount of classified material as evidence and will call on 24   
   > > witnesses who will testify anonymously, in disguise, within only   
   > > limited view of the public and the press.   
   >   
   > > Lind argued that the extraordinary arrangements were necessary to   
   > > prevent ³spillage of classified information²; reportedly, several of   
   > > the secret witnesses were members of the Navy Seals team that   
   > > assassinated Osama bin Laden in 2011. The defense team will not be   
   > > allowed to cross-examine the secret witnesses on anything involving   
   > > the Abbottabad raid or their personal backgrounds.  Lind ruled that   
   > > documents published on WikiLeaks must remain classified and cannot be   
   > > mentioned in open court.   
   >   
   > > The Center for Constitutional Rights has pointed out that Manning¹s   
   > > legal hearings have been ³more restrictive than military tribunals at   
   > > Guantanamo Bay.² At least 30,000 documents have been produced over the   
   > > past three years in relation to the case, very little of it   
   > > unclassified. This unprecedented censorship exposes the entire process   
   > > as an anti-democratic frame-up. It suggests a great nervousness on the   
   > > part of the political and military establishment over the growing   
   > > opposition to American imperialism.   
   >   
   > > Only 16 seats are available for the public to attend in the courtroom;   
   > > a trailer on the base has 35 additional seats for public viewing of a   
   > > video feed. Only 10 credentialed media personnel are allowed in.   
   >   
   > > The Washington Post noted that the courtroom was packed on Monday,   
   > > with several of Manning¹s relatives in attendance. Supporters of the   
   > > whistleblower have held rallies outside the gates of the base for the   
   > > past few days.   
   >   
   > > On Monday, lead prosecutor Captain Joe Morrow delivered an hour-long   
   > > opening argument in which he laid out new allegations, including that   
   > > Manning was taking direction from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.   
   > > WikiLeaks has never acknowledged or denied that Manning contacted the   
   > > organization at all. Morrow¹s assertions were predicated on a blatant   
   > > attempt at character assassination. He told the court that Manning was   
   > > driven to ³gain the notoriety he craved.²   
   >   
   > > ³If you had unprecedented access to classified networks 14 hours a day   
   > > 7 days a week for 8 months, what would you do?² Morrow asked, quoting   
   > > a statement Manning made in a private chat later handed over to the   
   > > government by hacker-turned-informant Adrian Lamo.   
   > > Morrow declared, ³This is not a case about a government official   
   > > making discreet disclosures. This is a case about a soldier who   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)