(Illustration: Jared Rodriguez / t r u t h o u t)
One peculiar outcome of the new clampdown on whistleblowers is the spectacle of Americans cheering on the destruction of their own rights, as in the case of avowed tough guys commenting in blogs that people like Bradley Manning "did the crime and now does the time," deserve no sympathy and merit the clear torture he is now undergoing. The tough consistently miss the point that while Manning has been accused of leaking classified military and State Department files to WikiLeaks, he has been convicted of nothing. The treatment he is undergoing has become the new norm in the case of high-profile cases purportedly involving national security...
The Torture of Bradley Manning
*Daniel A. Mengeling: We occupy ourselves endlessly with stating the obvious, that torture is torture and by so doing concede that the question is even arguable. Mr. Lopez implies that the danger to our "system of justice" is in calling for the execution of Mr. Manning before he is adjudged guilty. This implies that the Empire's legal system could give him justice. This is a myopic view of where where we find ourselves. When what you are accused of is no crime it is small consolation that the judge directed your peers find you guilty and thereafter you are "legally" tortured for the rest of your natural life.
