As the Egyptians celebrate their victory in this all-important skirmish in the battle to transition to civilian government, the concept of the basic rights of man has been catapulted to the fore, to use Thomas Paine's archaic usage which means women as well. This revolution is the first Internet-supported movement in which not only the protesters, but the world, benefited from the ability of the oppressed to leap over the selective lens of the mainstream media and to tell stories which jumped from Tahrir Square to watercoolers in Omaha in minutes. In the end, people connect best not with governments, nor even ideas, but with other people. The look in a desperate man's eyes has a meaning to us beyond all words.
One of the iconic digital moments in this phase of the Egyptian Revolution is the man in the gone-viral video imploring "whether you are Christian, or Muslim, or atheist, you will demands your rights...we will have our goddamned rights!"
Now that the Egyptians are on their way to winning their "goddamn rights," shouldn't we start demanding ours?
For as Obama preaches about the power of "moral force" in the Egyptian Revolution, he is keeping a young man in jail now who has the right to be presumed innocent, under conditions which would make Suleiman and Mubarak proud. No, it is not a breaking-bones kind of torture, it's a be-put-in-a-box for eight months kind, then forcibly administered drugs we are told are "anti-depressents," but are really God-knows-what.
The purpose of pre-trial detention of those presumed innocent can only be to insure that they appear at trial. Further, anything resembling punishment before being found guilty is strictly prohibited, even under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
UCMJ R.C.M. 305(f)
(f) Punishment prohibited. Pretrial restraint is not punishment and shall not be used as such. No person who is restrained pending trial may be subjected to punishment or penalty for the offense which is the basis for that restraint. Prisoners being held for trial shall not be required to undergo punitive duty hours or training, perform punitive labor...This rule does not prohibit minor punishment during pretrial confinement for infractions of the rules of the place of confinement. Prisoners shall be afforded facilities and treatment under regulations of the Secretary concerned.
The nature of Manning's alleged crimes is relevant. In addition, the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution guarantees "the right to speedy trial," which doesn't go away when you join the military. A motion for dismissal filed by Manning's attorney states:
The Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial is applied to military jurisprudence through two separate and distinct provisions-- Rule for Court-Martial (R.C.M.) 707 and Article 10 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) (10 U.S.C. § 810). While both provisions seek to protect the same constitutional right, and while there is considerable overlap between the two, each provision has separate rules regarding when the protections attach and when they are breached
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Stop bloviating about "moral force," Mr. Obama, and put it into practice. Bradley Manning's rights have been egregiously violated by the torture of eight months of isolation, forbidden practically to even move (if he starts to do a push-up in his cell he is stopped), with no windows, natural light, or sense of time, in conditions you know are designed to break his mind. The only remedy now, since you've blown your case, is dismissal of the charges.
We've been a leetle mite distracted with supporting these Egyptian folks, but we haven't forgotten about Bradley. Innocent until found guilty, Obama. Gives us our goddamn rights.
"Mr. Commander-in-Chief, order military prisoner Bradley Manning released."
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