First, a recommendation:
I've been working through this the last couple of nights and it is really one of the most remarkable documentaries I have ever seen.
And now, a video:
"Next week, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY)will convene a Congressional hearing to investigate the loyalty and "radicalization" of American Muslims. Earlier this week in Tennessee, a bill was proposed to make it a felony to follow sharia law -- which would essentially criminalize the practice of Islam in that state. Last year, mosquesin Tennessee, Oregon and Georgia were targeted with apparent arson. The case against the Park51 community center -- including from mainstream TV journalists -- was grounded in the warped premise that Muslims generally bore guilt for the 9/11 attacks. All of these sentiments are regularly bolstered by a deranged cult-leader/TV personality followed by millions."
Few seem to be taking this as seriously as the situation warrants. A lot of the focus on the racism within Tea Party factions seems to be focused on the bigotry inherent in their rhetoric concerning Barack Obama's birth certificate and the lack of African-Americans within their ranks, which is indeed repellant. But, to my eyes and ears, the rhetoric against Muslims seems to be laced with exponentially greater malice, and seems to be much more widespread. Not only that, but it is also resulting in actual acts of violence and open racism. And most disturbingly, while everyone with any sense is quick to point out and condemn the racism in which they couch their criticisms of Obama, comparatively few are speaking out against the rising tide of Islamophobia in this country.
Another article Greenwald posted today deals with the 22 additional charges the US government announced it has filed against Bradley Manning, the whistle-blower who sent all those documents to WikiLeaks. One of the charges is "aiding the enemy" and, if convicted of this charge, Bradley Manning could be sentenced to death. Greenwald spells out the dangers convicting Manning of this crime, and why it is unwarranted:
"In light of the implicit allegation that Manning transmitted this material to WikiLeaks, it is quite possible that WikiLeaks is the "enemy" referenced by Article 104, i.e., that the U.S. military now openly decrees (as opposed tosecretly declaring) that the whistle-blowing group is an "enemy" of the U.S. More likely, the Army will contend that by transmitting classified documents to WikiLeaks for intended publication, Manning "indirectly" furnished those documents to Al Qaeda and the Taliban by enabling those groups to learn their contents. That would mean that it is a capital offense not only to furnish intelligence specifically and intentionally to actual enemies -- the way that, say, Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen were convicted of passing intelligence to the Soviet Union -- but also to act as a whistle-blower by leaking classified information to a newspaper with the intent that it be published to the world. Logically, if one can "aid the enemy" even by leaking to WikiLeaks, then one can also be guilty of this crime by leaking to The New York Times."
"But does anyone actually believe that Manning's intent was to ensure receipt of this material by the Taliban, as opposed to exposing for the public what he believed to be serious American wrongdoing and to trigger reforms? Indeed, in the purported chat logs between Manning and government informant Adrian Lamo, Lamo asked Manning why he didn't sell this information to a foreign government and get rich off it, and this is how Manning replied:
"because it's public data. . . . it belongs in the public domain -information should be free - it belongs in the public domain - because another state would just take advantage of the information… try and get some edge - if its out in the open . . . it should be a public good"
"This prosecution theory would convert acts of whistle-blowing into a hanging offense."
On that note, I would like to point you towards this, one of the many pledges by Candidate Obama that have proven antithetical to the modus operandi of President Obama. From the Obama/Biden website:
Protect Whistleblowers: Often the best source of information about waste, fraud, and abuse in government is an existing government employee committed to public integrity and willing to speak out. Such acts of courage and patriotism, which can sometimes save lives and often save taxpayer dollars, should be encouraged rather than stifled. We need to empower federal employees as watchdogs of wrongdoing and partners in performance. Barack Obama will strengthen whistleblower laws to protect federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government. Obama will ensure that federal agencies expedite the process for reviewing whistleblower claims and whistleblowers have full access to courts and due process.
The website (change.gov, LOL) is filled with such empty promises. In fact, I find it impossible to argue persuasively that the situation in the US is better now than it was when George Bush was president. The reason being, having a Democratic president who is in all important respects Bush's mirror image serves only to render the Democrats in Congress impotent, with only a select handful willing to speak out against a president who is "their guy." The absence of mainstream voices of dissent regarding the abuses of power of the administration continues to aid in the ongoing cementing of authoritarian-type policies, and the longer this trend continues, the less we can delude ourselves into hoping that the government will, or can, do anything to reverse them.
Reminder: Manning has been held in 23 hour a day solitary confinement for 10 months now, and also subjected to other treatments intended to cause psychological stress. All without "full access to courts and due process."
Update: This is the kind of degradation Manning is being subjected to at the moment.
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