In his famous statement "First they came," Pastor Martin Niemöller once blasted the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power as they purged group after group:
THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
THEN THEY CAME for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
THEN THEY CAME for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
With laws that "mirror the worst excesses of some dictatorships," and after getting away with torturing people in other countries and coerced confessions, it was only a matter of time before the US government would torture its own citizens on US soil. Like his predecessor torturer-in-chief George Bush, Obama is supportive of the US government's torture of an American in the US prisons. Are you speaking out about this or are you ignoring it just as the German intellectuals did? Considering the preparations that they are making, as well as Obama's executive order that allows him to order you detained indefinitely, how long before they come for you in America's police state?
FTA:
The conditions under which presumed WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning are being held have been tightened again. Even US politicians believe they're illegal. In the latest development, a key State Department official has resigned over critical remarks he made about Manning's detainment...
Even before an indictment has been filed against Manning, the dispute over the prisoner is coming to a head. At issue are the conditions of his detention. Manning has now written an 11-page complaint that raises significant questions about the way he and his case are being handled -- questions addressed to the military and to its commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama.
Before he was inaugurated, Obama talked about the importance of whistleblowers, or sources who expose abuses within their organizations. Such "acts of courage and patriotism" ought to be "encouraged, rather than stifled," his website read at the time.
Once in office, Obama underwent a radical shift. His government is currently taking legal action against a number of whistleblowers. The government apparently wants to use the Manning case as a deterrent...
Manning spends 23 hours a day in a small isolation cell. During the exercise hour to which he is entitled, he is taken to another room and allowed to walk around...
On the day the new charges were filed, the commander at Quantico tightened the conditions of detention once again. Manning was now forced to sleep without clothing and stand naked in front of his cell door for inspection in the morning -- another act of harassment that is only being applied to Manning at Quantico...
The new conditions of Manning's detention have also given rise to critical voices among US politicians. "This is Abu Ghraib, except this is on US soil," said Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich. "This is an obviously calculated, cruel attempt to inflict upon Private Manning a level of punishment … to break him mentally." Kucinich said that he expected President Obama to not simply stand on the sidelines. "This is repugnant. At some point, the commander in chief, who is the president, will have to step in."
Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's chief spokesman, P.J. Crowley, described Manning's treatment on Friday as "ridiculous and counter-productive and stupid on the part of the Department of Defense."
The spokesman stepped down abruptly only two days later because of his comments and many are suggesting he was pressured to do so by the White House. Asked at a press conference on Friday about Crowley's remarks, President Obama said he has asked Pentagon officials "whether or not the procedures that have been taken in terms of (Manning's) confinement are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards." He said those officials "assure me that they are."
US legal experts are also openly criticizing the handling of the soldier, particularly as a future indictment of Manning could be on shaky ground. Manning's pretrial detention has already been unusually long for a military case. A date still hasn't been set for the expected military tribunal against the soldier.
Protests Grow of Bradley Manning's Treatment in Detention
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Mar 18, 2011 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=504
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