(I have often seen public figures speak as though the Guantanamo prisoners are guilty, which is denies them the presumption of innocence, but similar remarks about the Manning detention would take such misbehavior to a whole new level. BTW, Al, I think you understate the truth: the Oklahoma City Bomber was certainly treated more humanely than Bradley Manning is being treated.

What we’re seeing here is something that has been growing for many decades: the use of term „war“ to excuse illegal behavior. The War on Drugs excuses, among many other things, the oppressive RICO Act, under which private property is unreasonably seized by government authorities without due process, on the theory that the property committed the crime, and property has no claim on due process. The War on Terror excuses the murder of myriad civilians in the middle east, the theory that persons detained abroad (as in Guantanamo or the CIA’s black site facilities) have no right to due process, Bradley Manning’s pretrial punishment, and the physical abuse of Ray McGovern by Hillary Clinton’s security people, and the unreasonable search of all electronic communications by the Bush and Obama administrations, among many other things.

But the central truth about our fascination with war is much worse than any of that. In the U.S., evidently *any* kind of war — even the war between Republicans and Democrats — excuses the high moral crimes of bearing false witness, election frauds, etc for which there never seems to be any accountability. We cannot hope to find our way if we keep blinding each other and/or sabotaging our policy-making processes. The saying „In war, truth is the first casualty“ is at least 2500 years old, but we Americans have found a clever way to exploit that insight in the Information Age: „To kill the truth, have a war.“ If there isn’t any war handy, just claim that there is one, and that everybody knows it. There will be one soon enough.

If truth is our friend, then war is our enemy. And that’s a fact!

Pretty disgusting. Sieg Hiel here we come!

Can a soldier think? I had the doubt.
Bernad Shaw wrote, „I do not think a soldier can think!“

At school in 1960s I committed to memory Lord Tennyson’s poem
„Into the valley of death
Rode the six hundred….
Not though the soldiers knew
Some one had blundered
Theirs not to make reply
Theirs not to reason why
Theirs but to do and die..
Into the valley of death
Rode the six hundred….“

In late 1960s, we the youths all over the world revolted in the hope of Plato’s Democracy but got Roman Demoncracy instead. It makes me to tears whether the spirit of 1968 will be reincarnated in 2011 at the „Day of Rage World Wide“ where Bradley Manning, who is younger than my children, is the vangurad. Hope is the last one can lose. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst! The Demons are sharpenning their knives!The kings and Dictators being suddely naked are shameless now!

Go protest on the US Marine Facebook page. The link is at the bottom of this article.

Money will help this effort, but bringing attention to collateral murder every chance you can get, show it to everyone, will get what needs to be done.
Wikileaks is the only hope, Bradley Manning, a real patriot!
The talking heads/politician have all positioned themselves on this issue, we know who they are, use the information against them.
Show your grama the collateral murder, show your radical right friends!! They can;t deny the obvious! Tell them why Bradley is in prison instead of a Jay Leno talk show!

Bradley Manning is getting the treatment of the Oklahoma City bomber!

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