I am NOT an apologist for torture but rather an advocate of the TRUTH. I am the AUTHORITY you crave. If only you were in the Northern Virginia/Washington DC area. Would love to buy you a cup of coffee and discuss this face to face.

Thank God for those that will put on a uniform and live up to the oath they swear. I did my 24 years in uniform. How about you?

Hope your protest today goes well and you get your point across. Still don’t agree with any of you but didn’t serve 24 years to see your protest get blocked.

An apologist for torture: your momma must be proud! You should move to the Middle East before the last US supported dictator falls. Guys like Ghaddafi would welcome a moral prostitute and authority worshiper like you.

paraphasing a contributor to an assange discussion:

“I am Bradley Manning! We all are Bradley Manning!”

—
Achim Keiper
Journalist
PF 1708
D-77907 Germany

Dear Mr. Obama,

Myself and many other people here in Germany are deeply concerned about the circumstances in which accused “whistleblower” Bradley Manning is being subjected to while held in custody.

Depriving a person of sleep, depriving a person of communication, depriving a person of outdoors, making a person sleep without clothes below a carpet-like material – we see all these as measures detrimental to the call for human rights and proper treatment of humans, that you and your government currently are demanding of countries far away from the US.

The case of Bradley Manning is getting *very* much attention here in Germany. He has been, and continues to be, on the front pages of daily newspapers as well as the biggest weekly magazines. For a great number of people, he is becoming a touch-stone for how serious US-politicians are in putting into practice their intentions for non-violent treatment of prisoners of any kind.

Let me assure you that the positive view that many germans have about the US suffers a lot due to the continuous flow of news about Brad Manning’s treatment. I live on the french boarder, and I know that the same is true for a lot of people in our neighbouring-country, France.

Especially after the promise of the closing of Guantanamo there was hope for a big change in respect of a more respectful dealing with inmates of any kind. This promise too has been broken.

Please put an end to Brad Manning’s physically and psychologically damaging treatment, so that the current picture of the US as a country speaking with two tongues may be corrected.

Sincerely,

[your name]
—

General, dein Bombenflugzeug ist stark.
Es fliegt schneller als der Sturm und trägt mehr als ein Elefant.
Aber es hat einen Fehler: Es braucht einen Monteur.

General, der Mensch ist sehr brauchbar.
Er kann fliegen, er kann töten.
Aber er hat einen Fehler …

Er kann denken.
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> It seems a bit simplistic to be sure and I would have to know more what’s behind Brecht’s intentions.
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What’s behind Brecht’s intentions he himself explicitly wrote/expressed in his poem, no? Part of his “intentions” definitely relates to his personal biographical life, as someone who didn’t seem to like a bit the militarism of his countrymen
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About: “Democracy may not be a perfect system of gov’t but it sure beats a lot of other forms of gov’t”.
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All I would say right now is that after growing up in Castro/communist Cuba and living in the states for 15 years, I have grown thoroughly tired of “philosophies” and “politics”/politicians. And with “politicians” I mean of all talks and walks including “Obama”, “Putin”, “Chavez”, “Sarkozy”…
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It all boils down to “quality of implementation” issues. What is the point of, say, having a “free” media, when Bradly Manning is in prison, pretty much awaiting a death penalty or a life sentence for doing the job that “journalists”/the media should be doing?!? “Representative Democracy” to me more of another way of lying and entertaining illusions, fencing people’s minds … if people pay their taxes directly why “democratically” electing a government to play with it as they please?
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At the end of the day what matter are people!
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> … the US gov’t does cross lines of ethical and moral decency in its quest to “save the world from dictatorships and such”
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Actually the US gov backs plenty of dictatorships and abuses when it serves their purpose. They, all of a sudden @@, realized Hosni Mubarak was a ruthless dictator (after supporting him/his regime for 3 decades ) and not long ago the Thai military brutally abused protesters, but the US gov backed them (always taking care of “looking good” illusions) because they are “allies” … and yes regarding Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, … I think it is about time the US gov starts talking sense to themselves, but they are not going to freely do it out of their good senses as the good fellows they are, people like Bradly Manning and the rest of us must throw their sh!t back on their faces and stand in their ways, for them to start making sense of themselves …
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C