DoD Stonewalls Dennis Kucinich's Attempt To See Bradley Manning. Why?

[ensho]

http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/dod-stonewalls-dennis-kucinichs-attem


-snip-

On February 4, Dennis Kucinich asked DOD to allow him to visit Bradley Manning so he could assess his conditions of confinement. On February 8, Robert Gates wrote Kucinich a short note telling him we was referring his request to Secretary of the Army, John McHugh. In a letter dated February 24–but apparently not received in Kucinich’s office until March 1–McHugh told Kucinich he was referring his request to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs.

In short, a full month after the date when a member of Congress requested a visit with Manning, DOD is still stalling on a real response with bureaucratic buck-passing.

As to the substantive response McHugh offered Kucinich? It matches all the disingenuous boilerplate responses the rest of DOD has offered – claiming that Manning is treated as any other “similarly situated” pretrial detainee at Quantico, without mentioning that there is at most one other Max prisoner, and none who have been held on Prevention of Injury watch for eight months.

-snip-

Kucinich isn’t missing that parallel, either. In his response today, he said,

My request to visit with Pfc. Manning must not be delayed further. Today we have new reports that Manning was stripped naked and left in his cell for seven hours. While refusing to explain the justification for the treatment, a marine spokesman confirmed the actions but claimed they were ‘not punitive.’

Is this Quantico or Abu Ghraib? Officials have confirmed the ‘non-punitive’ stripping of an American soldier who has not been found guilty of any crime. This ‘non-punitive’ action would be considered a violation of the Army Field Manual if used in an interrogation overseas. The justification for and purpose of this action certainly raises questions of ‘cruel and unusual punishment,’ and could constitute a potential violation of international law.

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our empire still tortures

we are shameless

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. Because:

As a U.S. presidential candidate in 2008, in referring to the Bush Administration's use of phone companies to illegally spy on Americans, Barack Obama said,

"We only know these crimes took place because insiders blew the whistle at great personal risk ... Government whistleblowers are part of a healthy democracy and must be protected from reprisal."

Candidate Obama was referring to the Bush Administration's use of phone companies to illegally spy on Americans.


http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/01/06-8

[Scuba]

4. Yeah, remember when that guy was on our side?

[OnyxCollie]

5. Then he voted for cloture on the FISA debate

and the bill was passed giving retroactive immunity to the telecomms.

I don't think it's the government whistleblowers who got protection from reprisal.

[midnight]

2. I'm glad that one of our elected officials cares....

[wildbilln864]

3. k&r! nt

[Desertrose]

6. "our empire still tortures...we are shameless"

Thank you Dennis for trying to DO something to stop it.

Go Dennis!!

[DirkGently]

7. And it's no accident Manning's treatment keeps getting "leaked." We are all being put on notice.

... as to how whistleblowers who embarrass the U.S. Gov't will be treated.

[Rex]

9. NOT just whistleblowers....ANYONE imo.

This msg is meant for the general public imo.

[DirkGently]

10. By extension, yes. He is being drawn & quartered in the public square w/o trial.

[Kurovski]

8. K&R. (nt)