Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, December 17, 2010

The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention

by Glenn Greenwald from Salon.

The biggest hero for uncovering some of the secrets of the Empire has been essentially "disappeared" by the US Marine Corps. You see, when you become an enforcer (enter their police or military forces) for the Empire, you give up almost all civil rights. This author does what he can to find out how Manning has been treated during the past seven months of his incarceration.

From the beginning of his detention, Manning has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions. For reasons that appear completely punitive, he's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonment, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he is not and never has been on suicide watch).