“February 23 marks 1000 days in prison for Bradley Manning – a young gay man locked up for allegedly leaking the scandolous U.S. diplomatic communications published by Wikileaks.

These leaks exposed the rampant criminality of American foreign policy – but President Obama has chosen to imprison the alleged leaker, Manning, rather than those who committed violent war crimes such as massacring journalists and other civilians in Iraq.” Via (http://www.bradleymanning.org/support_events/bradley-manning-1000-days-in-prison-for-doing-the-right-thing)

1000 Days. You have read that correctly. 1000 days in prison for saying something he saw was wrong. So much for that speedy trial clause in the 6th Amendment: “[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy . . . trial . . . .” People argue that what Bradley Manning did has put lives in danger. Whose lives have been put in danger? The people who committed the war crimes, those responsible for the death of innocence? Nope, they are not the ones who have been sitting in a jail cell for 990 days. They are not the ones who had to endure 11 months of solitary confinement and torturous conditions under a Peace Prize Winning Presidents Administration.

In April of 2011 during a fundraiser Obama was asked again about Manning’s treatment, he responded by saying: “I can’t conduct diplomacy on an open source,” Obama told an unidentified questioner. “That’s not how … the world works. If I was to release stuff, information that I’m not authorized to release, I’m breaking the law … We’re a nation of laws. We don’t individually make our own decisions about how the laws operate … He broke the law.” Mind you this statement was made a year before the Manning trial would actually begin. So now according to Obama the Commander-in-Chief, Manning broke the law and he is guilty before he even stands trial before the military courts.

Bradley Manning is not a terrorist, nor did he “aide the enemy”. Bradley Manning did what the U.S. Government begs people to do; Say Something when you see a crime happening. Manning did not sell these leaks to foreign governments, or terror groups, he released it to the public so in his words, it would create “worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms”. 990 days after being imprisoned the discussion has died down, the debate is no where to be found, and reforms are not on the horizon. What Bradley Manning exposed can not be ignored, and we must keep fighting for transparency from an Administration that promised peace, and transparency. If we have learned anything from the attacks on Whistleblowers, this Administration does not want the public knowing what they are doing in our names.