EDITORIAL: Military Whistleblower Could Face Life In Prison

By Christina Fermin
Politics & Society

For those who have not heard of Bradley Manning, you should take special attention. Bradley Manning is a 24 year-old Army intelligence analyst who was arrested in 2010 on suspicion of giving whistleblower Wikileaks over 700,000 classified documents pertaining to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In July 2010 he was charged with transferring classified information to an unauthorized source. Early 2011, Manning was charged with 22 other additional charges and recommended for court-martial, a military court, where you are tried by military law. Just a few days ago, his arraignment began, if convicted he could face life in prison.

Manning is suspected of leaking the infamous video Collateral Murder which shows a US helicopter killing unarmed iraqi civilians, Reuters reporters and children. If Manning is truly guilty for these crimes, I congratulate him for his courageous efforts in bringing the truth to the public about the Iraq and Afghan war. It was in light of this information that was released of the war for the people to begin the process of understanding a war that has taken over a decade to fight with the premise of ending terrorism and finding “weapons of mass destruction.” When in fact weapons of mass destruction were never in Iraq and intelligence knew this and terrorism has actually grown and become an even greater force in the Middle East.

The idea that war brings peace is an oxymoron beyond the definition of one. War will never bring peace nor will it ever truly defeat an enemy. It has become apparent in the last few years that the reasons for entering war, especially Iraq were other motivated factors with other interests which may or may not include control of oil. Whatever the reasons behind the motivation for war, it was a lie facilitated by our government, our intelligence agencies and many other actors. What Bradley Manning did was expose the rampant corruption and lies of the people we elected into power to serve our interests. Instead they attend to the coffers of those who lavish them with gifts and promises of grandeur. War is a billion dollar business.

Now because this young man, a hero if he did in fact leak this information, sits in solitary confinement, abused and cut off from family and friends in a military brig in Virginia. Bradley Manning exposed war crimes, government lies and what seems to be severe causality losses. Bradley Manning has not received fair treatment in his right to a fair and speedy trial, 295 scholars have written letters objecting to the conditions of Manning’s detention while also stating his Constitutional rights have been violated. In 2011 and again in 2012 Bradley Manning has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his act of valor. What he did will forever be remembered and we must not allow this man to go unnoticed for his efforts and we must fight for his freedom!

When will the people stand up and say enough is enough? How many more of our children have to come home in body bags to weeping mothers? How many more of our children have to come home with psychological problems beyond repair? How many more of our children have to come home with horrific disfigurations and battle scars? The toll these wars have taken on this nation have yet to come. We have just hit the tip of the iceberg with the economy and we have a generation that will have some serious issues to face in the years to come.

While I focus on the issues that pertain to us here in the US, I can only imagine the horror in Iraq and Afghanistan. With over 150,000 civilian causalities combined (conservative estimate) can you imagine the pain, suffering and destruction brought upon those countries. What will become of the next generation? How will they ever rise above third world status now? The worst part about war....it is the innocent people who suffer most. The people responsible are dead or alive somewhere else, the new people in power are corrupt to the bone, food, water and shelter are scarce and their way of life has been completely disrupted and altered and probably even scarred for life. You have a generation of people who will forever hate us here in the US.

Take action, together unified will be the only way to stop the war. It was the people who ended the Vietnam war and it will be the people again to end all wars. Peace will only come when we forge the way for Peace to blossom.

To learn more:

End the wars

http://iam.bradleymanning.org/

Afghan War

Collateral Murder Video

Bradley Manning




About the Columnist


With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now. You can reach her at Christina@MySavvySisters.Com.

Posted in: Editorial Columns