Sam Seder discusses the media reaction, and comments that maybe now that journalists themselves are under attack that maybe they will wake up to the whistleblower issue:

Chris Hedges calls the Department of Justice actions another “terrifying assault on press freedom”. He is interviewed on Democracy Now:

One of our Founding Fathers and the featured face of the hundred dollar bill, Benjamin Franklin, was known for sending classified information to Sons of Liberty, a group of radicals that wanted to separate America from the rule of the Kingdom in England.

In 1773, Benjamin Franklin leaked private letters that revealed what people in the royal government secretly believed — namely that “there must be an abridgement” of the liberties that American Colonists enjoyed.  In his words, he had merely acted as a “public messenger,” believing that Americans in the 18th century had the right to know that British officials were threatening the very principles of good government. Much like our modern day hero, Bradley Manning, who wanted to serve the public to help them make informed decisions.

To read more on this story, please click here.

What Cornel West represents and why he represents it?

In an article published last Sunday, May 12th, by the Guardian, Cornel West discussed his lifelong career as an activist and educator. West, who began teaching at the Union Theologiocal Seminary in New York, said of his recent encounter with Julian Assange: “They’re trying to squelch any whistleblower who wants to reveal the secrets of the dirty wars of the US empires and other governments. We talked primarily about courage.” Cornel West interviewed Julian Assange for his US popular public radio show “Smiley and West.”

To read more on this story, please click here

Becoming the empire’s “prey.” Julian Assange speaks to Chris Hedges in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Chris Hedges has recently interviewed the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been in the Ecuadorian embassy since he was offered sanctuary there last June. Julian Assange is living in limbo since the British government has rejected an Ecuadorean request that Assange be granted safe passage to an airport. It is, he said, like living in a “space station.”

To read more on this story, please click here

Join us at Fort Meade. June 1, 2013

June 1st will mark the beginning of Bradley Manning’s fourth year in prison and the start of his trial. The June 1st Ft. Meade protest for Bradley Manning will be the largest action of our campaign! People across the nation (and the globe) will converge on Ft. Meade to stand up for the Army whistle-blower who risked everything to give the public real facts about our government’s wars in the Middle East and foreign policy worldwide.

Join Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg, LGBT activist US Army Lt. Dan Choi, former US diplomat US Army Col. Ann Wright (ret.), and former soldier Ethan McCord–who rescued the wounded children in the van in the Collateral Murder video—and hundreds of our supporters of heroic WikiLeaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning at Ft. Meade. Together we’ll make history.

Visit our new guide to transportation & lodging near Ft. Meade for help planning your trip.

For those unable to travel to Ft. Meade, Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and the Bradley Manning Support Network, are also calling for solidarity actions from June 1st-June 8th worldwide. So far events have been registered in the following cities:

If you have planned an event or action, please register it on our website so we can promote it to other supporters in your area. Interested in organizing something but want some ideas, materials, or help contacting other activists in your area? Contact farah@bradleymanning.org for assistance!

Vivienne Westwood supporting Bradley Manning at the 2013 Met Ball.

Vivienne Westwood was cut off by her Vogue interviewer at the Met Ball when she spoke out on behalf of Bradley Manning. New York magazine “The Cut” reports:

Monday night at the Met Gala, Vivienne Westwood took her turn on the Vogue livestream and wouldn’t answer Billy Norwich’s question about what designer she was wearing. Instead, she wanted to talk about her jewelry: A laminated photo of the Wikileaks revolutionary Bradley Manning, attached by safety pins to her pastel robes. “When I did punk all those years ago, [it was about the same thing]: Justice and [trying to] have a better world,” she explained. “I’ve got different methods nowadays.” Then she wanted to keep going – “I’ve got one more thing to say,” she added, gesturing to the guy beside her – before she got cut-off/interrupted… 

Vivienne Westwood is a famous fashion designer credited with building on punk fashion. She is a long time social activist. Read her blog here. 

By Rainey Reitman. May 8, 2013.

Protesters outside the SF Pride meeting. Photo via the Petrelis Files .

On May 7, 2013, more than 100 supporters of Bradley Manning gathered at the SF Pride Board meeting to protest the Board’s recent decision to rescind Bradley Manning as a grand marshal from the upcoming parade. The hearing was held in a building across the street from the main LGBT center on Market Street.

There were numerous obstacles to public participation in this ostensibly public meeting. The meeting was held in a small room that could only hold around 20 members of the public at a time. Cameras were banned from entering the space. Individuals who were in attendance were told to limit their comments to one minute each, and would be interrupted if they spoke longer. The Pride Board initially said that it would allow small groups to come in shifts to express concerns, but the proceedings were abruptly ended after the first group of speakers.

The majority of those who came to the event were prevented from entering the meeting room or speaking to the Board during the public comment section. 

Members of the public who were in the room asked repeatedly for cameras to be allowed in to record the discussion, raising particular concerns about a camera person from Channel 2 who was denied entrance. The Pride Board’s general counsel, participating remotely via speakerphone, stated that the Board was not legally obligated to allow cameras into the room. One of the attendees requested that the Board vote to allow cameras into the room, but the Pride Board refused to respond. 

After the first group of public attendees was brought in and seated, the SF Pride Board read a statement explaining that it would not allow Manning to be a marshal at this year’s event. In the statement, the Pride Board noted that “taking sides in the controversy concerning Mr. Manning’s conduct is not appropriate for the organization and falls outside its core mission.” The Board apologized for “any harsh words that may have been said about [Bradley Manning].”  The statement also claimed that SF Pride could not make Manning a grand marshal because he is not a local community member and thus had received his award in the wrong grand marshal category. The Board reiterated that “SF Pride stands by his disqualifications on those unequivocal policy grounds.” 

After the statement was read, members of the public were given a limited opportunity to speak.  A member of the Pride Board read aloud a series of rules governing this public commentary section, noting that each individual would be allotted only one minute to speak and that personal attacks would not be tolerated. In one particularly surreal moment, the entire board said in unison that “indecorous speech” would not be tolerated.  

Throughout the meeting, protesters were visible through the windows on the street below, many carrying signs in support of Bradley Manning. The protesters shouted chants including “They say court martial, we say grand marshal.” These chants were so loud that at times the SF Pride Board members had to raise their voices to be heard.

Among those who spoke during the public commentary section was famed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. He began by noting that he would not have enough time to explain his position in the one-minute time slot he had been allotted.  He praised the SF Pride Board for its apology about the earlier statement in which it had accused Manning of endangering the lives of American soldiers. Ellsberg stated that the implication of the first statement was “not merely defamatory but false” and that “not one member of the armed services was put in harm’s way by Bradley Manning, nor was harmed.” 

Carol Queen, community grand marshal in 2001 and honorary grand marshal in 2008, began by saying that she had been confused by the discussion around grand marshals. She herself had not been consulted during the election process, though she is a former grand marshal. She praised the experience of serving as a grand marshal for Pride, calling it “one of the most honored experiences in my life.”  She also cautioned the Pride board about the troublesome conservative streak now prevalent in the larger queer community, stating: “I came out in 1973 and I just want to say on an historical level that this is a more conservative community than it was when I came out.”

Another speaker was Lisa Geduldig, who organized the protests at the Pride buildings. Like many of those in attendance, Geduldig raised concerns about Pride moving away from social justice roots, observing, “The pride parade used to be more political. It was more about gay politics, gay freedom, and I think we should stay true to that… Bradley Manning represents me more than someone from the L Word does.”

Gary Virginia, who has previously served as the community grand marshal in SF Pride, said that he was “deeply embarrassed by [Pride’s] actions.” He stated that the process for electing marshals has been beset by procedural and transparency issues, and that the policies being cited to strip Manning of his position were not published anywhere and not available online. 

As soon as the first group of speakers had finished their statements, they were escorted out and the SF Pride Board began a lengthy closed session. After some time behind closed doors, the Board announced it would allow more members of the press into the room. However, the meeting was then adjourned before the press could arrive. A member of the SF Pride board stated that the meeting would be rescheduled for a larger space.  No timeline was provided for when that meeting would take place. 

Judge Denise Lind. Courtroom sketch by Clark Stoeckley, Bradley Manning Support Network.

By Nathan Fuller, Bradley Manning Support Network. May 7, 2013.

PFC Bradley Manning’s pretrial proceedings continued today with a very brief open session, including two short rulings from Judge Denise Lind and more information about tomorrow’s closed session, which will provide a ‘dry run’ for a government witness to divulge classified information in secret.

In the first ruling, Judge Lind granted the government’s request to have ‘John Doe’ – presumed to be a Navy SEAL – testify in an entirely closed session, in an undisclosed location, to protect his identity, which is classified at the Secret level and which the government claims could cause harm to national security if made public. This witness will allegedly testify about documents he retrieved at Osama bin Laden’s compound following the May 1, 2011, raid.

The second ruling mirrored the first, except that it allowed for the secret testimony of three other classified witnesses. 

The defense didn’t object to any of these four testifying in closed sessions. They’ll each testify in “light disguise,” which could include facial hair, wigs, and/or prosthetics to obscure their identities but to still allow the defense to observe their facial reactions. 

These witnesses, the government says, will largely divulge classified information, but that some portion of their testimony will be unclassified. The court will provide a redacted transcript of these closed sessions for the press and public to document these portions.

Tomorrow, Don Yamamoto, former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and current acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, will be the ‘dry run’ witness, testifying in secret to determine if his type of testimony could be summarized, redacted, or referred to with code words so as to keep the courtroom open during those portions of the trial. 

We’ll return to open-court sessions at the next pretrial hearing, still scheduled for May 21-24. The May 21 session begins at 9:30 AM ET. Bradley’s court-martial trial is scheduled to begin on June 3, 2013, and run for 12 weeks. By the time it starts, he’ll have been in jail awaiting trial for more than three years.

Baltimore:

1500 N Charles St  Baltimore, MD 21201

1. Walk to Charles St. & Penn Station

2. Take the 3 Bus towards 3 Cromwell Bridge 11:14 am-11:19 (6 mins, 7 stops)

3. Get off at Charles St & 27th

4. Head north on N Charles St toward E 27th St.

5. Turn right onto E 27th St.

6. Turn right onto St. Paul St.

7. Arrive at 2640 St. Paul St., Baltimore, MD

For more information, please click here

NYC:

Address: 234 W 31st St, New York, 10001

1. Walk southeast on W 31st St. toward 7th Ave

2. Turn left onto 7th Ave

3. Turn right onto W 32nd St

4. Take the M4 Bus towards Washington Hights Cloisters via Madison via Broadway 11:20am-11:21am (1 min, 1 stop)

5. Get off at Av of the Americas

6. Head southeast on W 32nd St toward Broadway

7. Turn left onto Broadway

8. Arrive at 1270 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

For more information, please click here

Washington DC:

Address: 50 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002

The Amtrak arrives at Union Station Metro Station. The Charter Bus will be waiting at the same station and will be within 4 minute walking distance.

Directions from Greyhound Stations to Charter Buses

Baltimore Greyhound Station 2110 Haines St.

Baltimore Downtown, MD 21201

1. Take the 27 Bus towards 27 Reist Plaza Station 10:43am – 11:05 (22 mins, 21 stops)

2. Get off at Remington ave & 27th St

3. Walk southeast on Remington Ave toward Cresmont Ave

4. Turn left onto W 27th St.

5. Turn right onto St. Paul St.

6. Arrive at 2640 St. Paul St.

NYC (At Penn Station)

460 8th Ave, New York

1. Walk to W 32 St. and 7th Ave (About 1 min, 220 ft)

2. Take the M4 Bus towards Washington Heights Cloisters via Madison via Broadway 11:20am-11:21am (1 min, 1 stop)

3. Get of at Ave of the Americas

4. Walk southeast on W 32nd St toward Broadway

5. Turn left on Broadway

6. Arrive at 1270 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

For more information, please click here

New York:

625 8th Ave, New York

1. Walk to TImes Sq and 42nd St. (About 5 mins, 0.3 mi)

2. Take the N, Q, or R trains towards Coney Island – Stillwell Ave/ Bay Ridge-95 St. 11:20am-11:22am (2mins, 1 stop)

3. Get off at 34 St. – Herald Sq.

4. Walk southwest on 6th Ave toward Broadway

5. Slight right to stay on Broadway

6. Arrive at 1270 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

For more information, please click here

Washington DC

1005 1st St NE  Washington, DC 20002

1. Take the M Red Subway towards Glenmont 11:17am-11:19am (2 mins, 1 stop)

2. Get off at Noma-Gallaudet U (New York Ave) Metro Station

3. Head south on Metropolitan Branch Trail (take the stairs)

4. Turn right onto L St. NE

5. Turn left onto First St. NE

6. Arrive at 1005 1st St. NE, Washington, DC 20002

For more information, please click here

Buses

Charter buses are scheduled to Ft. Meade from the following cities: NYC, Washington DC, Baltimore and Hartford, CT.

Find directions from airports to charter buses OR from Amtrak and Greyhound stations to charter buses in Baltimore, DC and NYC using public transit.

If you’re arriving at the BWI Airport on June 1st, there is also a regional bus from the airport to Arundel Mills Shopping Center (Bus 017), from which you can then take the CTC K to the Main Gate.  The entire trip is approximately 45 minutes.  For a Google Maps public transit view of this option: http://alturl.com/3ehis

Still interested in organizing a bus or van from your city?  We’re offering small grants to help.

Driving to Ft. Meade

From most locations, driving will be the quickest way to access Ft. Meade.  If you plan to fly into the area and rent a car,  priceline.com and hotwire.com are two useful sites for finding budget rentals.

Free parking has been arranged at Meade Heights Elementary School, 1925 Reece Rd, Fort Meade, MD 20755. This parking lot is only half a mile (11 min. walk) from the the Ft. Meade Main Gate.

Additional parking is available at Van Bokkelen Elementary School, 1140 Reece Road, Severn, MD 21144. This parking lot is one mile (24 min. walk) from the Ft. Meade Main Gate. We’ll try to shuttle folks along Reece Road.

There are a small number of unrestricted parking spaces along US 175; however, do not park in the the mini-shopping centers or the Weis Market near Blue Water Blvd.

Housing options

Search Priceline for hotels near Ft. George G. Meade, MD

View a list of other hotels in DC, MD and VA.

Mass housing options

There are also two campgrounds in the area, Cherry Hill Park near Washington D.C. and Greenbelt Park in Greenbelt, MD.  The campground fee is $16.

Navigation

Google maps usually has up-to-date road and public transit information.  You can also download apps and links for navigation in the DC area, MD and NYC

Carpooling

If you are able to offer rides to others, please e-mail emma@bradleymanning.org with your planned departure date, time, location, and how many seats you are offering.  Carpool information for those looking for rides will be posted on this page as it becomes available.

Ft. Meade Security

Our event on June 1st will take place outside the Fort Meade Main Gate at 175 Maryland and Reece Rd.  However, if you plan to stay to attend Bradley’s court martial, which begins June 3rd, you’ll need to be prepared to go through security checkpoints.

To enter Ft. Meade, you’ll need a government issued ID, such as a state issued drivers license or passport. Non-US passports are accepted. Be prepared to remove any shirts or buttons that show support for Bradley Manning while on base.

The courtroom is located 1 mile past the main gate, and maps are available at the Visitor Control Center immediately inside the gate and to the right.  There is parking by the courtroom, space allowing.  To drive onto Ft. Meade:

• Have your up-to-date vehicle registration
• Have your up-to-date vehicle insurance (printed copy–not a electronic version on your mobile phone)
• Obey posted speed limits (they are strictly enforced by military police–especially for “special visitors”)
• Be prepared to cover “political” bumper stickers on your vehicle with tape

Unlike most trials, the government is refusing to release any official transcripts of the trials. It is up to the public to attend, and comment on, what happens inside the otherwise secretive court room. Thank you for your support and please join us at Fort Meade!

The Court Martial is scheduled to take place on June 3rd, 2013 at Fort Meade, MD.  For more on this story, please click here

Bradley Manning trial secrecy upheld by military Court, lawyers may appeal.  April 18th, 2013. The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces found in a 3-2 decision on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013, that media organizations and the public have no right to access court documents, like transcripts and court orders, in the high-profile trial of Bradley Manning. Two dissenting judges expressed concern over the court’s ruling saying that it threatens to undermine the public’s trust in military law. This decision will also impact the press as they will not have access to some of the information that will not be revealed in open session.  For more on this story, please click here

Actor and comedian Russell Brand shows his support for Bradley Manning

Julian Assange speaks with Medea Benjamin on George Bush and Bradley Manning.  April 28th, 2013. Medea Benjamin, founder of Codepink Organization, recently visited Julian Assange in London at the Ecuadorian Embassy, where she had the opportunity to interview him.  With regards to the recent opening of the Bush Library and Museum, Julian Assange suggested that it should include actual facts of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, noting that the latter war has caused the deaths of over 100,000 Iraqis, 80% of them were civilians. Assange added on the trial of Bradley Manning that it will be a “show trial” and the  US government will do its best to try and prove that  what  Manning  leaked have aided and abetted the enemy.  For more on this story, please click here

“Grand Marshal, Not Court Marshall!” LGBT community leaders and activists sign on to a  statement in support of Bradley Manning as a Pride grand marshal. May 2nd, 2013. At least 24 LGBT community leaders and activists signed on to a statement that was issued in support of  Bradley Manning as a Pride grand marshal. The statement came after the  San Francisco Pride board president Lisa Williams issued a separate statement that the SF Pride board would not be honoring PFC Manning as a grand marshal after he had been selected as the parade’s grand marshal late last month, stating that the decision “a mistake that never should have been allowed to happen.” Pride’s Board of Directors will decide whether to reinstate Bradley Manning as grand marshal this Tuesday, May 7th 2013.  For more on this story, please click here.  To see our updated list of signatures, click here.