Mike Gravel on Bradley Manning

[Blue_In_AK]

Our former senator, Mike Gravel, has been up here the past few days making appearances here and there, talking about Bradley Manning and also 9/11. Phil Munger at Progressive Alaska has posted some videos at his website here: http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2011/04/mike-gravel-on-bradley-manning-he.html .

Mike Gravel:

"My admiration for Bradley Manning knows no bounds. In fact the equivalent of being Bradley Manning would be being me, and Ellsberg being Assange. That's the comparison.

"And I was 41 years old when I released the Pentagon Papers . You know, I'd been three days without sleep, and I was just afraid - scared to death - I didn't know if I was going to go to jail or lose my senate seat, or what have you, and so I wound up, out of fatigue and fear and all of that, sobbing, when I'm putting the papers into the record. I was sobbing. I couldn't get control of my emotions. So, when Bradley Manning - and I was 41 years old - when Bradley Manning was arrested, they turned around and said, "Well, he's unstable."

"Unstable - Hell! - I was unstable!

"He's not unstable. He has the clearest vision of what his responsibilities - when you go into the military, you swear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, not to the captain, not to the generals, not to the president or the White House. You swear allegiance to the Constitution.

"Manning was sitting there, watching all these daily reports coming back, and seeing that what was being said there was different from what was being said by the White House. And so, he had the guts and perspicuity to recognize "Do it, and do it right."

"And - knows the risk, knows the risk. If we don't get him out some way....."

Here's Mike on Shannyn Moore's show making a point.

[Gravel Democrat]

1. kr Possibly the last Great Democrat

but obviously I'm kinda biased

Who else in the last 40 years would have read the Pentagon Papers into the record?

Can't think of anyone...Were you that close? Must have been great!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ks8hz5Ulg

Mike Gravel tells the story of how he released the secret Pentagon Papers into the public record.

Still speaking truth to power:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNymVFRbyo

Pentagon Papers Whistleblowers Call for a New 9/11 Investigation

[Blue_In_AK]

10. The taping of Shannyn's TV show is kind of intimate affair

held at the Taproot (the same place that Rachel recorded from when she was up here). We were quite close to the stage, and I also took some shots of Shannyn and Mike after the show. He's always very accessible when he comes up here and says that his heart is still in Alaska even though he's been living Outside for several years. I really just love the guy and always have.

I wasn't even living in Alaska when I first became aware of him back in the days of the Vietnam War, but I always admired his courage. After I moved here in 1975, I had the privilege of having him as my senator for five years. He is an outstanding human being.

[Lucinda]

2. Thank you

[Mnemosyne]

3. K&R for truth. Gravel rocks! n/t

[xchrom]

4. Awesome. nt

[Scuba]

5. "He's not unstable. He has the clearest vision of ....

"He's not unstable. He has the clearest vision of what his responsibilities - when you go into the military, you swear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, not to the captain, not to the generals, not to the president or the White House. You swear allegiance to the Constitution.

[Octafish]

6. Gravel is a real Democrat.

Democratic, Liberal, Progressive and Fearless.

[Cid_B]

7. Uh huh...

I'm sure that during his time in service ( Korea era ) he would have just been thrilled with the mass dissemination of sensitive information, communication and tactics techniques and procedures used along with details of Koreans working with our forces.

Since it someone else's ass on the the line it's ok now. Fuck that.

edit: He wasn't actually in Korea apparently but in Germany so potentially he didn't care then either.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. Are we to assume then

that you are just fine with the way Bradley Manning is being treated, even before being convicted of anything -- and, for that matter, with the way that the United States conducts itself around the world?

[EFerrari]

9. LOL. Except Bradley Manning didn't do any of that.n/t