This isn’t about the war. The war sucks. This is about the thousands of individuals around the world who had their reputations and careers ended (and in some cases faced physical danger) because Manning decided life would be better if everyone knew who was sharing information with US embassy officials. This is about policymakers no longer being able to get unvarnished opinions from the people on ground in embassies thousands of miles from the warzone. Look beyond Iraq and you’ll see Charles Taylor standing in The Hague using Wikileaks cables to argue his defense. You’ll see human rights activists in China cutting of contact with U.S. officials who depend on them for information.
We’ll never know the real human cost of what he did, but there are so many ways in which his reckless actions damaged foreign policy objectives that I think we’d all agree on, like supporting human rights political freedom globally. Regardless of its effect on the war (which appears to be nonexistent), damage was done from Buenos Aires to Seoul, from Pretoria to Jakarta. I would challenge you to show how he saved a single American, Afghan, or Iraqi life by his “heroic” actions. The war goes on…the only difference is everything ELSE is harder now. ]]>
Hope soon on flickr… ]]>
]]> Hope this Exposure helps!!! Thanks to all who donated any amount!!!!
]]>I look forward to seeing friends from Occupy and meeting new ones at Fort Meade and the Dept of Justice next week. My brother works at the DoJ. My sister and I make sure he hears the latest news about Brad and real criminals.
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