The depressing trial of Bradley Manning

I can hardly read the news about Pfc. Manning's trial. He's the American hero who alerted the world to the illegal acts the United States engaged in while pursuing its extra-legal, pre-emptive wars. They'll name a high school after him one day. But for now, the show goes on.

Julian Assange nailed it:

"This is not justice; never could this be justice," Assange said in a statement Monday. "The verdict was ordained long ago. Its function is not to determine questions such as guilt or innocence, or truth or falsehood. It is a public relations exercise, designed to provide the government with an alibi for posterity." 

It's a sickening charade. One day I hope to be able to write Manning a letter of praise. But for now, the KGB U.S. government won't let anything get through to him. It's another example of torture by Americans. By blocking communication with the outside world, the US is putting blinders on Manning's eyes -- lest he realize that he has a legion of supporters. Their goal is to make him feel very alone.

After the show trial and the inevitable verdict, they'll undoubtedly persecute him for the entire span of his imprisonment, which will probably be a life sentence. He's going to need all our letters of praise just to get through it.

Judge speaks up, if a bit late

Justice Stefan Lindskog, chairman of the Supreme Court of Sweden, spoke highly of Julian Assange of Wikileaks in a speech he delivered in Australia.

Lindskog praised Assange's public information campaign.

"He'll be thought of as a person who made public some pieces of classified information to the benefit of mankind," he said.

"It should never be a crime to make known (a) crime of a state," he added. 

How do ya like them apples? There's also this:

Lindskog suggested that Sweden's extradition treaty with the United States would not apply to Assange.

"Extradition shall not be granted when alleged crimes (are) military or political in nature," he said.

Things are looking up for our hero, Julian. It's about time.

Phew. The Brits didn't shoot Assange.

When I heard that Julian Assange would address the public from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, I thought the UK police would shoot him with a dart, he'd pass out and fall off the balcony, and they'd arrest him "on British ground".

Thankfully, this didn't happen. What Assange said from that balcony was important and true. From the BBC:

Mr Assange said: "As Wikileaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all our societies.

"We must use this moment to articulate the choice that is before the government of the United States of America.
 
"Will it return to and re-affirm the revolutionary values it was founded on?

"Or will it lurch off the precipice, dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark."

What Assange did by publishing the American cables was the same thing the NY Times has done on many occasions. It's called breaking a story. Remember stories? We used to have them all the time; they told us what was going on in our country. Now, of course, all we have is government propaganda and the white noise of illogic. The fact that our government is fighting Wikileaks and Assange is the most disheartening thing in the world. It's so un-American.

Terrible news from Wikileaks founder

A man almost as great as Dr. Vito.

I have been in contact with Julian Assange. The news is so sickening that it will take me the whole day to coax my shocked body into writing a post about it. Perhaps Nils will help me. But don't worry -- I'll push myself and I promise that this very night, at 10 PM, I will post the next installment of what is becoming a hellacious saga.

If prayer was worth spit, I'd say it was time to pray for Doctor Vito. But it isn't, so don't bother. I'll see you back here late tonight.

Oh, the humanity!

Assange has contacted me regarding Doctor Vito!

That dapper fellow, Julian Assange.

I just received an email from Julian Assange. I can hardly type these words, I'm shaking so badly. Here is the exact message I received, in its entirety:

Dear WriteNow,

I am afraid I have depressing news for you and your legion of readers. My operatives have yet to confirm some of the more sordid details, but I can tell you one thing right now.

Those were not women who went to Doctor Vito's room the night he disappeared. Far from it. They were the special Vatican eunuchs -- the elite Assassin Castrati. These agents of evil plied their (seemingly) womenly wares and in this way lured the normally vigilant but oversexed Doctor Vito into their trap. The demons rendered him unconscious and spirited him away, taking him deep below the Earth, into the darkest, most ancient tunnels beneath the Vatican -- 22 stories down. What happened to him after that, none can say, other than the popey guy. The Assassin Castrati are his personal army; they do nothing without his orders.

My operatives are still confirming other, quite intriguing aspects of the crime. I will not hint at their nature until I can present you with the big picture. Nonetheless, at this time we can state with certainty that what was done to your philosopher king was both horrendous -- and an international crime. Rest assured, Wikileaks will get to the bottom of this.

I hear my operatives calling me. I must go. For now, keep clapping, people! Whatever you do, don't stop.

Julian Assange

That's it. I know no more. But, OMG! The elite Assassin Castrati have Doctor Vito! And what hurts the most is that he's such a virile man.

Rest assured, the moment I receive a fuller report from Wikileaks -- you will have it. I know my readers feel the loss of this great man as keenly as I do. And now, I must try to get some rest. I haven't slept since Doctor Vito was taken -- truly. But I think Wikileaks can proceed now without my help. So I'm going to stagger over to the cot I set up here in the Situation Room, and try to catch a few winks. Ciao. And you heard Julian: keep clapping!

(Pssst, if you don't know anything about this and wonder what the hell we're talking about, click the Doctor Vito tag below. You'll find all the posts about him there. And then start clapping; fer gawd's sake, start clapping!)