With Nearly 100,000+ Signatures Collected, 'Manning for Peace Prize' Petition Heading for Oslo
Manning was officially nominated for the prize earlier this year by Mairead Maguire, the Nobel laureate from Ireland, who said that she could "think of no one more deserving" than Manning. "His incredible disclosure of secret documents to Wikileaks helped end the Iraq War, and may have helped prevent further conflicts elsewhere," she said.
Agreeing with Solomon's estimations and citing past abuses as well as ongoing military criseslike the current civil war in SyriaMaguire argues that Manning's decision to expose the manner in which the US conducts its foreign policy has had far-reaching implications for peace, saying:
If not for whistleblower Bradley Manning, the world still might not know of how US forces committed covert crimes in the name of spreading democracy in Iraq, killing innocent civilians in incidents such as the one depicted in the "Collateral Murder" video, and supporting Iraqi prisoner torture. Now, those who would support foreign intervention in the Middle East know that every action would be scrutinized under international human rights law. Clearly, this is for the best. International peacekeepers, as well as experts and civilians inside Syria, are nearly unanimous in their view that United States involvement would only worsen this conflict.
In addition to having signatories of the petition add their name and where they live, they are also encouraged to offer brief thoughts on why they believe Manning is deserving of the prize. With many thousands to choose from, here is a sample of those voices:
"Selfless courage for the greater good deserves reward, not a life behind bars." --Dominic Jones, Great Britain
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/31-7
JimboBillyBubbaBob
(1,389 posts)I signed on!
yurbud
(39,405 posts)mojowork_n
(2,354 posts)midnight
(26,624 posts)struggle4progress
(118,041 posts)I thought wresting the White House from the nutzies had something to do with the troop withdrawals
midnight
(26,624 posts)2009 protesters went to Washington to end war...
"Protesters lined up about 100 cardboard coffins on the ground draped with flags, including the American flag, representing countries where the U.S. has taken military action.
Anti-war activists said even though former President George W. Bush is out of power, they are disappointed with what they see as stalled action from Obama. Several of them said they supported Obama during his campaign, but that his administration has let them down by not ending the war sooner.
"Obama seems to be led somewhat by the bureaucracies. I want him to follow up on his promise to end the war," said 66-year-old Perry Parks of Rockingham, N.C., who served in the Army for nearly 30 years, including in Vietnam. "But the longer it goes, the more it seems like he's stalling."
Obama has said he plans to withdraw roughly 100,000 troops by the summer of 2010. He promises to pull the last of the U.S. troops by the end of 2011, which is in accord with a deal Iraqis signed with Bush."
http://www.geo.tv/3-22-2009/37931.htm
struggle4progress
(118,041 posts)Where the fuck were all these people back then? Passed out under the sofa, mebbe?
There were hundreds of posts on DU2 about this subject
July 23, 2003: "Amnesty: Iraqis Complain of Torture by U.S. Forces"
Thu May-06-04 05:22 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1543386
Private Contractors and Torture at Abu Ghraib, Iraq
Fri May-07-04 07:58 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x537597
Early Iraq Abuse Accounts Met With Silence
Sat May-08-04 12:52 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x540882
TIME: Pattern of Abuse (New continuous torture all over Iraq)
Sat Sep-24-05 12:47 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1803559
From The New Standard: "New Evidence of Torture In Iraq"
Tue Aug-31-04 05:48 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2291770
250 former Iraq detainees claim torture in new US lawsuit
Tue Dec-18-07 03:11 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3106203
Contractor (CACI) says immune from Iraq torture lawsuits
Fri Sep-26-08 12:40 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3513535
midnight
(26,624 posts)TIME: Pattern of Abuse (New continuous torture all over Iraq)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x159164
The Human Rights Watch reportas well as accounts given to Senate staffdescribe officers as aware of the abuse but routinely ignoring or covering it up, amid chronic confusion over U.S. military detention policies and whether or not the Geneva Convention applied.
bananas
(27,509 posts)He shouldn't even have been prosecuted.
Glad you agree, thanks for the links.