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Luminous Animal

(27,310 posts)
19. Michael Ratner from the Center of Constitutional Rights on Democracy Now
Fri Nov 30, 2012, 04:58 PM
Nov 2012

talking about yesterdays testimony.

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/11/30/accused_wikileaks_whistleblower_bradley_manning_testifies

What came out—what it began with was really his arrest in late May of 2010. He was almost immediately taken to Kuwait. And that’s where—really where they got him in a way that really, for a period of time, almost destroyed him. They put him into cages that he described as eight-by-eight-by-eight. There were two cages. He said they were like animal cages. They were all—they were in a tent alone, just these two cages, side by side. One of them had whatever possessions he may have had; one of them, he was in, with a little bed for a rack and a toilet, dark, in this cage for almost two months. He was taken out for a short while and then, without explanation, put back in the cage, meals in the cage, etc., all of that.

And then—wait until you hear this. They would wake him at night at 11:00 p.m., 10:00 or 11:00, and his day—or night—was all night, and he was allowed to go back to sleep at 12:00 or 1:00, noon, the next day. So when we think about what happened to people at Guantánamo or sensory deprivation or what McCoy says in his books on torture, what are they trying to do except destroy this human being?

And he said, "For me, I stopped keeping track. I didn’t know whether night was day or day was night. And my world became very, very small. It became these cages. And I’m person," he said—this was really, I thought—all of us really were interested in it. He said, "I’m someone who likes current events. I take a broader view of the world." And he gave an example of the oil spill in the Gulf. And he said, you know, "When that ended," and he said, "my world all of a sudden was totally confined to these cages." And that was almost two months in Kuwait, something that none of us really knew about for this period. And he went on to talk about then what happens when he went to Quantico.

....

What’s remarkable is that he still has this incredible dignity after going through this. But I think all these prison conditions were—sure, they were angry at Bradley Manning, but in the face of that psychiatric statement, that this guy shouldn’t be kept on suicide risk or POI, they’re still keeping him in inhuman conditions, you can only ask yourself—they’re trying to break him for some reason. The lawyer, David Coombs, has said it’s so that he can give evidence against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
Bradley Manning testifying today... [View all] Luminous Animal Nov 2012 OP
I wish freedom for this man. hrmjustin Nov 2012 #1
From Kevin Gosztola Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #2
He is extremely intelligent. That was apparent from the sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #27
k/r Solly Mack Nov 2012 #3
Keep in mind that the press is not allowed to take notes and can only Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #4
From Nathan Fuller Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #5
... Lucinda Nov 2012 #6
A fine write-up on yesterday's proceedings (Psychiatrist testimony). Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #7
This Trial will go down in history as a travesty to the Bill of Rights lovuian Nov 2012 #16
Um, Quantico is in Virginia. hootinholler Nov 2012 #21
Since when is Quantico not on american soil? kossp Nov 2012 #25
This post will go down in history as a travesty of geography...nt SidDithers Nov 2012 #35
vaht? don't diss the sweet baby jesus Sid. dionysus Nov 2012 #42
lovuian is the sweet baby jesus? Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #44
From Nathan Fuller again.. Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #8
He was tortured. And where is the outrage we used to see, at least from the Left, sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #28
Alexa O'Brien Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #9
Manning is done with defense quetioning. Tomorrow is the prosecutions turn. Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #10
Thanks! KoKo Nov 2012 #11
Oh, man...that's just sick. They tortured him. nt Zorra Nov 2012 #12
Yes they did. Many kudos to Glenn Greenwald being one of the first to raise the alarm Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #13
Second day, prosecutions turn... Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #14
Obama promised to defend whistle-blowers. Fire Walk With Me Nov 2012 #15
But not leakers who hand documents over to foreign nationals. randome Nov 2012 #18
Manning is a whistle blower. More Whistle Blowers have been prosecuted under this administration sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #29
That is why he should not defend Manning. He is not a whistle-blower. nt. NCTraveler Nov 2012 #22
Manning is a Whistle Blower. I will take the word of some of this country's most respected sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #30
I am sure he has no clue what he released to this day. He is not a whistle-blower. NCTraveler Nov 2012 #34
Whistle Blower Daniel Esllsberg among others, do not agree with you. sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #37
Thank you, Sabrina... Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #40
But...but!!! Ellsberg exposed crimes by a sitting President! He's a TRAITOR! blahblahblah! Zorra Nov 2012 #45
I fully understand your position. I don't agree with it. NCTraveler Dec 2012 #46
Note: do not read the Yahoo article on this. There are some truly disheartening comments. Initech Nov 2012 #17
Thanks for the heads up! Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #20
The Right Wing hates Manning because he exposed mostly Bush War Crimes. I expect nothing sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #31
The comments have nothing to do with that. Initech Nov 2012 #36
I've read the Right Wing's comments on Manniing so I know their views. I did not read sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #38
That's pretty damn funny! Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #39
Michael Ratner from the Center of Constitutional Rights on Democracy Now Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #19
Sick. Disturbing beyond belief. But then, when we learned of our torture policies towards sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #32
More... Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #23
One more from Kevin... Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #24
Very brave. He could have done what they wanted him to do and lied. But it was always clear sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #33
K&R woo me with science Nov 2012 #26
Glenn Greenwald writes... Luminous Animal Nov 2012 #41
We should be ashamed. But that would mean we had a conscience and all the other human sabrina 1 Nov 2012 #43
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