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<TITLE>FW: DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST BRADLEY MANNING!!</TITLE>
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<B>From: </B>Doug Rawlings <rawlings@vfpmaine.org><BR>
</SPAN><FONT SIZE="7"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:32.0px'><B><I>Veterans For Peace</I></B></SPAN></FONT><B><I><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT></I></B><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> 216 S. Meramec Avenue St. Louis, MO 63105 (314) 725-6005 <BR>
Thursday, February 23 <BR>
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</B></SPAN><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'><B>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leah Bolger<BR>
</B></SPAN></FONT><B><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>541-207-7761</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN><SPAN STYLE='font-size:14.0px'><B> </B></SPAN><B><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></B></FONT><B><FONT SIZE="6"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:24.0px'>DROP ALL CHARGES AGAINST BRADLEY MANNING!!</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <B><I>Veterans For Peace Tells US Army: Stop Prosecution of GI Whistleblower</I></B> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>A national organization representing thousands of military veterans is calling on the US Army to abandon court martial proceedings against Private Bradley Manning, the accused Wikileaks whistleblower. The young soldier, who has been imprisoned for 21 months, will be formally arraigned today (Thursday, Feb. 23) at Fort Meade, Maryland. Army prosecutors say they will file 22 charges against PFC Manning, including “aiding the enemy,” a crime that can be punished by the death penalty or life in prison.</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>“Where is the justice?” asks Gerry Condon, a Board member of Veterans For Peace. “The Army is shirking its duty to punish soldiers who have committed rape and murder. Yet they are trying to destroy the life of Bradley Manning, who has not harmed a hair on a person's head.”</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>In May 2010, the Army arrested PFC Manning, then 22, in Iraq, where he was working as a low level intelligence analyst. He is accused of leaking classified information, including an Army video that shows US soldiers in Baghdad shooting down unarmed civilians, including two Reuters employees, from an Apache helicopter. The video, dubbed “Collateral Murder,” has been viewed millions of times on YouTube. </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>Prosecutors have also accused Manning of giving Wikileaks thousands of Army diaries from its occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army's own reports reveal that the killing of civilians was a regular occurrence and that the Army regularly lied about it.. The diaries also show that the Army was lying to the American people about the progress of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>“It is not a crime to reveal evidence of war crimes, but it is a crime to cover up evidence of war crimes, as the Army has apparently done,” said Leah Bolger, a former Navy Commander who was recently elected the first woman president of Veterans For Peace. “The American people deserve to know the truth about the wars being waged in our name,” continued Bolger. “Our soldiers should not be asked to die for a lie, and those who tell us the truth should not be the ones being punished.”</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>Bradley Manning has been confined for 21 months, including 8 months in solitary confinement at the Marine brig at Quantico, Virginia, where reports of his abuse bordering on torture caused an international outcry. Manning is now at another military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and the Quantico brig has been closed down.. The US government has declined repeated requests by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, to interview PFC Manning privately about his treatment.</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>Private Manning's lawyer, David Coombs, has complained on his blog that most of his requested defense witnesses were denied by the Army judge, while all of the prosecution witnesses were allowed.</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>“This is a kangaroo court martial,” said Gerry Condon of Veterans For Peace. “It is now obvious that the US Army will not give PFC Manning a fair trial, That is why Veterans For Peace is calling on Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Commander-In-Chief Barack Obama to drop all the charges against Bradley Manning.”</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>At its national convention in 2010, Veterans For Peace awarded Bradley Manning for his courage. “If he actually did what he is accused of doing, then he is a hero,” said Mike Ferner, Interim Director of Veterans For Peace.</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
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</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'><I>Veterans For Peace is a 26-year-old organization whose mission is to abolish war through nonviolent means, and to take care of the needs of veterans and victims of war. For more information, visit </I></SPAN></FONT><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'><B>MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "salsa.democracyinaction.org" claiming to be</B></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>www.veteransforpeace.org</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=H37ATPImo2%2BJ2YkJAxPaw3M8WQlF3Dyj"><http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=H37ATPImo2%2BJ2YkJAxPaw3M8WQlF3Dyj></a> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'><I> and </I></SPAN></FONT><FONT COLOR="#FF0000"><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'><B>MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "salsa.democracyinaction.org" claiming to be</B></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'>www.bradleymanning.org</SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dER48TXH1TgqtlRaetys9nM8WQlF3Dyj"><http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dER48TXH1TgqtlRaetys9nM8WQlF3Dyj></a> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'><I>.</I><B> </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> </SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:17.0px'><B> </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><SPAN STYLE='font-size:13.0px'> <BR>
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This listserv is primarily a listing of appropriate announcements of coming events and actions, and relevant articles directed to members and interested individuals of Maine Veterans for Peace. Its content is monitored and updated by a single administrator -- Doug Rawlings, Chapter Secretary. If you have an article or event that you would like posted to this listserv, you can email him at rawlings@vfpmaine.org for consideration. This listserv is not a running log of events and personal insights with an online audience, or a blog. If you wish to be removed from this list, please email unsubscribe@vfpmaine.org<BR>
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