SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Activists Stand Up for Bradley Manning - and PJ Crowley
Mar 16, 2011
When we heard on Sunday that P.J. Crowley had resigned as spokesman for the State Department after criticizing the Pentagon's treatment of suspected whistleblower Army private Bradley Manning, my CODEPINK colleagues and I knew we had to respond. How outrageous that yet another person gets punished for simply telling the truth--Crowley called Manning's treatment "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid"--while the war criminals go free. I can think of a lot stronger words to use for the way the Pentagon is holding Manning in solitary confinement for 10 months now, before he has even had a trial or been convicted of anything.
We quickly put out a call for activists to meet us at the State Department at noon and then walk to the White House. About 24 people showed up on short notice, in the middle of a workday. Some donned black and white prison suits, others put on orange Guantanamo jumpsuits, and three brave men--Tighe, Jay and Logan--stripped down to jock straps to symbolize the fact that the prison guards take away Manning's clothing at night, including his underwear. (They justify this because of sarcastic comments Manning had made about using his underwear to commit suicide, but it's really to further intimidate and humiliate him.)
We had a large banner that read: "Crowley was right. Manning's treatment is counterproductive, stupid and ridiculous." It was attached to a mock jail cell with Manning's photos on it. Another banner said "Obama, torturing Bradley Manning is not ok." This referred to President Obama's comments on Friday that he had asked the Pentagon about Manning's confinement and the Pentagon assured him that it was appropriate.
We were met at the State Department by dozens of reporters, including MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, AP and the Washington Post. Our speakers included Ray McGovern, a CIA veteran who has called Manning a hero. Ray, myself and one of the semi-naked guys, Jay Marx, tried to deliver a present to Crowley--a CODEPINK Badge of Courage. But the State Department insisted that Crowley was already gone and no one else could take the letter.
After a brief confrontation with police when we tried to deliver the letter anyway, we began our march. It took us a half hour to reach the White House. The DC denizens were quite shocked to see the motley crew, especially the naked guys, marching down the streets of the capitol chanting "Stop the torture, free Bradley Manning; Stop the forced nudity, free Bradley Manning; Stop the solitary confinement, free Bradley Manning." We also came up with a fun chant that whatever I said, people would respond with Crowley's now famous adjectives: "That's counterproductive, ridiculous and stupid." I'd say "What's Crowley's resignation?" or "What's jailing the truthtellers?" or "What's Obama's response to Manning's torture?" We found, as we marched along, that there are SO MANY things about this issue that are counterproductive, ridiculous and stupid--most of all the wars themselves!
At the White House we were met by another set of cameras and posed for some great shots right in front of the gate. We called on Obama to reread his constitutional law books and give Manning his rights back. We gave a few lessons in civics to visiting students about the need for whistleblowers to speak out against injustice. And we wrapped up promising to meet on Sunday in Quantico--where Manning is being held--to continue our call to "Jail War Criminals, Not Whistleblowers."
For more info regarding Bradley Manning and to sign a petition to support him, go here.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Medea Benjamin
Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She is the co-author, with Nicolas J.S. Davies, of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, available from OR Books in November 2022. Other books include, "Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran" (2018); "Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection" (2016); "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control" (2013); "Don't Be Afraid Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart" (1989), and (with Jodie Evans) "Stop the Next War Now" (2005).
When we heard on Sunday that P.J. Crowley had resigned as spokesman for the State Department after criticizing the Pentagon's treatment of suspected whistleblower Army private Bradley Manning, my CODEPINK colleagues and I knew we had to respond. How outrageous that yet another person gets punished for simply telling the truth--Crowley called Manning's treatment "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid"--while the war criminals go free. I can think of a lot stronger words to use for the way the Pentagon is holding Manning in solitary confinement for 10 months now, before he has even had a trial or been convicted of anything.
We quickly put out a call for activists to meet us at the State Department at noon and then walk to the White House. About 24 people showed up on short notice, in the middle of a workday. Some donned black and white prison suits, others put on orange Guantanamo jumpsuits, and three brave men--Tighe, Jay and Logan--stripped down to jock straps to symbolize the fact that the prison guards take away Manning's clothing at night, including his underwear. (They justify this because of sarcastic comments Manning had made about using his underwear to commit suicide, but it's really to further intimidate and humiliate him.)
We had a large banner that read: "Crowley was right. Manning's treatment is counterproductive, stupid and ridiculous." It was attached to a mock jail cell with Manning's photos on it. Another banner said "Obama, torturing Bradley Manning is not ok." This referred to President Obama's comments on Friday that he had asked the Pentagon about Manning's confinement and the Pentagon assured him that it was appropriate.
We were met at the State Department by dozens of reporters, including MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, AP and the Washington Post. Our speakers included Ray McGovern, a CIA veteran who has called Manning a hero. Ray, myself and one of the semi-naked guys, Jay Marx, tried to deliver a present to Crowley--a CODEPINK Badge of Courage. But the State Department insisted that Crowley was already gone and no one else could take the letter.
After a brief confrontation with police when we tried to deliver the letter anyway, we began our march. It took us a half hour to reach the White House. The DC denizens were quite shocked to see the motley crew, especially the naked guys, marching down the streets of the capitol chanting "Stop the torture, free Bradley Manning; Stop the forced nudity, free Bradley Manning; Stop the solitary confinement, free Bradley Manning." We also came up with a fun chant that whatever I said, people would respond with Crowley's now famous adjectives: "That's counterproductive, ridiculous and stupid." I'd say "What's Crowley's resignation?" or "What's jailing the truthtellers?" or "What's Obama's response to Manning's torture?" We found, as we marched along, that there are SO MANY things about this issue that are counterproductive, ridiculous and stupid--most of all the wars themselves!
At the White House we were met by another set of cameras and posed for some great shots right in front of the gate. We called on Obama to reread his constitutional law books and give Manning his rights back. We gave a few lessons in civics to visiting students about the need for whistleblowers to speak out against injustice. And we wrapped up promising to meet on Sunday in Quantico--where Manning is being held--to continue our call to "Jail War Criminals, Not Whistleblowers."
For more info regarding Bradley Manning and to sign a petition to support him, go here.
Medea Benjamin
Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK: Women for Peace. She is the co-author, with Nicolas J.S. Davies, of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, available from OR Books in November 2022. Other books include, "Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran" (2018); "Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection" (2016); "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control" (2013); "Don't Be Afraid Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart" (1989), and (with Jodie Evans) "Stop the Next War Now" (2005).
When we heard on Sunday that P.J. Crowley had resigned as spokesman for the State Department after criticizing the Pentagon's treatment of suspected whistleblower Army private Bradley Manning, my CODEPINK colleagues and I knew we had to respond. How outrageous that yet another person gets punished for simply telling the truth--Crowley called Manning's treatment "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid"--while the war criminals go free. I can think of a lot stronger words to use for the way the Pentagon is holding Manning in solitary confinement for 10 months now, before he has even had a trial or been convicted of anything.
We quickly put out a call for activists to meet us at the State Department at noon and then walk to the White House. About 24 people showed up on short notice, in the middle of a workday. Some donned black and white prison suits, others put on orange Guantanamo jumpsuits, and three brave men--Tighe, Jay and Logan--stripped down to jock straps to symbolize the fact that the prison guards take away Manning's clothing at night, including his underwear. (They justify this because of sarcastic comments Manning had made about using his underwear to commit suicide, but it's really to further intimidate and humiliate him.)
We had a large banner that read: "Crowley was right. Manning's treatment is counterproductive, stupid and ridiculous." It was attached to a mock jail cell with Manning's photos on it. Another banner said "Obama, torturing Bradley Manning is not ok." This referred to President Obama's comments on Friday that he had asked the Pentagon about Manning's confinement and the Pentagon assured him that it was appropriate.
We were met at the State Department by dozens of reporters, including MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, AP and the Washington Post. Our speakers included Ray McGovern, a CIA veteran who has called Manning a hero. Ray, myself and one of the semi-naked guys, Jay Marx, tried to deliver a present to Crowley--a CODEPINK Badge of Courage. But the State Department insisted that Crowley was already gone and no one else could take the letter.
After a brief confrontation with police when we tried to deliver the letter anyway, we began our march. It took us a half hour to reach the White House. The DC denizens were quite shocked to see the motley crew, especially the naked guys, marching down the streets of the capitol chanting "Stop the torture, free Bradley Manning; Stop the forced nudity, free Bradley Manning; Stop the solitary confinement, free Bradley Manning." We also came up with a fun chant that whatever I said, people would respond with Crowley's now famous adjectives: "That's counterproductive, ridiculous and stupid." I'd say "What's Crowley's resignation?" or "What's jailing the truthtellers?" or "What's Obama's response to Manning's torture?" We found, as we marched along, that there are SO MANY things about this issue that are counterproductive, ridiculous and stupid--most of all the wars themselves!
At the White House we were met by another set of cameras and posed for some great shots right in front of the gate. We called on Obama to reread his constitutional law books and give Manning his rights back. We gave a few lessons in civics to visiting students about the need for whistleblowers to speak out against injustice. And we wrapped up promising to meet on Sunday in Quantico--where Manning is being held--to continue our call to "Jail War Criminals, Not Whistleblowers."
For more info regarding Bradley Manning and to sign a petition to support him, go here.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy