By Debra Sweet
Assange spoke Tuesday about what the leaks show; why the charges from the US that they put anyone in danger are wrong; and gave an example to the rest of us of someone sticking firmly to principle, based on having looked for what’s true.
Jacob Applebaum, associated with Wikileaks.org, was detained last week at Newark Airport. See U.S. detains, questions, security researcher associated with Wikileaks.
Congressman Mike Rogers, MI, who is on the House Intelligence Committee said, "the alleged release by a soldier of documents relating to the war in Afghanistan to WikiLeaks.org constitutes treason and should be considered a capital offense." On Democracy Now, Assange spoke about threats on Bradley Manning, the US soldier who is being held now in Quantico, VA, on charges that he leaked the footage from Collateral Murder, and is reportedly being investigated for the most recent War Diary leaks:
"So this is an individual who is meant to be overseeing the intelligence Industry in the United States. So that’s the sort of first takeaway, is that this, like, war hawk is meant to be overseeing and holding to account behavior of those involved in war. His call for execution, well, it’s not only legally wrong-Congress has not declared war, so that option, as I understand, is not available to him. Also, for an execution to occur, the President must, or authority of the President must, authorize it. Now, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. If the political will in the United States doesn’t shoot down these floating balloons that Rogers and Thiessen are putting up, then we could see a shift towards finding that behavior or similar behavior acceptable. People have to shoot those statements down; otherwise, they will become the new norm."
World Can’t Wait affirms our support for Assange, the Wikileaks organization, and for Bradley Manning, who should be released whether or not he had anything to do with exposing the underside of the US occupations to the world. We encourage everyone to read, watch and share the information that has been provided. We are making available DVD copies of the "Collateral Murder" video for use in classrooms, etc. Contact me if you need a copy!
More information: Bradley Manning Support Network bradleymanning.org
Please write to Bradley Manning at 3247 Elrod Avenue Quantico, VA Also see: Obama Administration In Danger Of Establishing "New Normal" With Worst Bush-Era Policies, Says ACLU:
"In the eighteen months since the issuance of those executive orders, the administration’s record on issues related to civil liberties and national security has been, at best, mixed. Indeed, on a range of issues including accountability for torture, detention of terrorism suspects, and use of lethal force against civilians, there is a very real danger that the Obama administration will enshrine permanently within the law policies and practices that were widely considered extreme and unlawful during the Bush administration. There is a real danger, in other words, that the Obama administration will preside over the creation of a "new normal."
A statement from CCR and the ACLU says, in part, "On July 16, however, the Secretary of the Treasury labeled Anwar al-Aulaqi a "specially designated global terrorist," which makes it a crime for lawyers to provide representation for his benefit without first seeking a license from OFAC…
"President Obama is claiming the power to act as judge, jury and executioner while suspending any semblance of due process," said Vince Warren, Executive Director of CCR. "Yemen is nearly 2000 miles from Afghanistan or Iraq. The U.S. government is going outside the law to create an ever-larger global war zone and turn the whole world into a battlefield. Would we tolerate it if China or France secretly decided to execute their enemies inside the U.S.?" He added, "This sets a dangerous precedent for other countries that will only lead to more violence and further diminish the rule of law."