ASSISTANT CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER – Oakland, CA

Courage to Resist, in collaboration with the Bradley Manning Support Network, is seeking applicants for an Assistant Campaign Organizer based in Oakland, California. The starting salary for this full time position is $12/hour (approx. $2,100/month), plus some benefits. The position is expected to end October 2013. This is an immediate opening.

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND
Courage to Resist (www.couragetoresist.org) supports military service persons who object to illegal war and occupation and the policies of empire. Courage to Resist is a 7-year-old program of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, and hosts the Bradley Manning Defense Fund in collaboration with the Bradley Manning Support Network (bradleymanning.org).

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION
Our campaign aims to promote and demonstrate public support for Army whistleblower and prisoner of conscience, PFC Bradley E Manning. Our new Assistant Campaign Organizer position exists to support the lead campaign organizer in all manner of duties related to coordinating public outreach and actions.

DUTIES
* Working with diverse groups of volunteers to organize rallies, protests, vigils and speaking events in Ft. Meade, MD and elsewhere around the country
* Coordinating outreach events and social media actions with the goal of growing our base of volunteers and public support for our campaign
* Giving presentations to community groups about the issue
* Recruiting new spokespeople/celebrities to show public support for Bradley
* Building and cultivating relationships with organizations and activist leaders through events, conference calls and one-on-one meetings
* Performing both online research and interviews to compile information/strengthen messages regarding the positive impacts of the material released by Bradley
* Assisting in creation of flyers and visual material for events
* Assisting with the facilitation of staff and organizer meetings, including secretarial duties
* Clerical support as needed

This position functions under the immediate direction of the Lead Campaign Organizer, and the Courage to Resist Project Director, with the input of the Bradley Manning Support Network Steering and Organizing Committees. This position functions alongside media, online, and regional organizing staff.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
* Passionate about social justice, freedom of information, and freeing Army whistle-blower Bradley Manning. Prior knowledge of military issues a plus
* Commitment to grassroots organizing and non-violent direct action as a means of affecting positive social change
* Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences
* Team-oriented, strategic and creative thinker
* Well-organized and reliable
* Demonstrated ability building relationships and cultivating commitments with a range of activists, volunteers, and partners.
* Self-driven, with the ability to find solutions to challenges as they arise in a fast-paced, often shifting campaign with many moving pieces
* Flexibility and willingness to travel
* Comfortable using Facebook, Twitter. Some knowledge of website content management systems (WordPress) desired.

CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND
Twenty-five year old Private First Class Bradley Manning, while yet to be tried, has been imprisoned for over three years for releasing the Iraq and Afghanistan War Logs, Collateral Murder video, Guantanamo Case Files, and US Diplomatic Cables through the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks. As Bradley explained prior to his arrest, and again in an official court statement on February 28, 2013, he released these documents as an act of conscience, because he believed the American people had a right to know the whole truth about actions performed in our name in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.

These documents have played a crucial role in allowing the public to address unpunished war crimes, violations of the UN Convention Against Torture, and corrupt U.S.-supported regimes. Some of the released cables have contributed to pro-democratic uprisings, in particular the revolution in Tunisia.

While Bradley has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for his bravery, and is considered a hero by many people around the world, the U.S. military is pursuing an unprecedented and politically-motivated “Aiding the enemy” charge for making classified information available on the internet. If they succeed, Bradley may be sentenced to life in prison, and would-be military whistle-blowers everywhere will be scared into silence.

Like Bradley, Courage to Resist believes that truth and government accountability are the foundations of democracy. Our aim is to spread public awareness about Bradley Manning’s case and build visible public support for him so as to pressure the military and the government to cease his inhumane prison treatment and free him of major charges.

TIME AND COMPENSATION
Full time, averaging 40 hours per week. The starting salary for this position is $12/hour (approx. $2,100/month). Benefits include a $300 health care contribution upon proof of health care coverage, paid vacation/sick days, and paid holidays. This position is expected to end October 2013.

This position will require irregular work hours, to include work on weekends and holidays, when necessary.

APPLICATION INFORMATION
Courage to Resist/AfGJ does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation or military discharge classification.

Send cover letter and resume explaining experience and your interest in the position to: emma(at)bradleymanning(dot)org

Hundreds rally for Bradley at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

November 9, 2012. By the Bradley Manning Support Network

Army PFC Bradley Manning, awaiting trial for allegedly sharing thousands of classified documents with the transparency website WikiLeaks, offered to accept responsibility for a narrow set of offenses within the currently charged offenses this week during a pre-trial hearing at Fort Meade, Maryland.

“PFC Manning is not pleading guilty to the specifications as charged by the Government,” noted PFC Manning’s attorney David Coombs on his blog. Nor is he “submitting a plea as part of an agreement or deal with the Government.”

“Like most supporters, I’ve backed Bradley Manning on the belief that he was the heroic whistle-blower in question,” explained Jeff Paterson of the Bradley Manning Support Network. “Now that Bradley appears to have acknowledged this in court, its reason to redouble efforts to support him leading up to his February court martial.”

If Bradley’s plea offer is accepted, the parties would likely be able to bypass weeks of forensics testimony that would be required to prove Bradley accessed and/or transmitted the classified documents at issue. The court martial proceedings might then focus on what Mr. Coombs has long contended: That the release of these documents brought little to no harm to U.S. national security, and that PFC Manning’s motives, if he did release them, were to expose crime, fraud, corporate malfeasance, and abuse.

The military has worked to preclude the defense from discussing harm, or lack thereof, in the merits portion of Bradley’s trial, seeking to prevent him from being seen as a military whistle-blower. However, Bradley has now opted to be tried by military judge Denise Lind alone. “Much of the ongoing litigation over the last year can now be looked at in a new light–as an effort to educate Judge Lind in regards to Bradley Manning’s whistle-blower motives,” offered Jeff Paterson.

“The Government may still elect to prove up the charged offenses,” explained Coombs.

The parties return to Ft. Meade on November 27 for a six-day hearing focusing largely on the defense’s motion to dismiss charges based on PFC Manning’s unlawful pretrial confinement conditions at the Quantico Marine Brig.

Following that hearing, Mr. Coombs will give his first ever public presentation, speaking at All Souls Church Unitarian (1500 Harvard Street Northwest) in Washington D.C. at 7:00pm on December 3.

Supporters march in San Francisco demanding Obama uphold his campaign promise to protect whistle-blowers.

By the Bradley Manning Support Network. September 7, 2012.

On the day of President Obama’s DNC nomination acceptance speech, protesters in 34 cities acoss the United States targeted local Obama campaign headquarters to demand the President free accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower and Nobel Peace Prize nominee PFC Bradley Manning. International supporters, in Australia and the U.K., also protested at U.S. embassies.

In each city, supporters delivered a letter to the campaign, outlining their demands. The letter called on President Obama to release Bradley Manning and account for the abusive treatment he endured in the Quantico Marine Brig.

Michael Thurman, of the Bradley Manning Support Network and Iraq Veterans Against the War said, “Bradley Manning showed great courage in risking his life to do what’s right, by exposing evidence of war crimes and corruption our own government had hidden from us. Now we’re waiting for Obama to show a little courage and make good on his promise to have ‘the most transparent government in history’ by freeing whistle-blower Bradley Manning.”

Campaign staffers in some cities, such as Sacramento, Washington D.C., and Tucson, were receptive to the efforts, forwarding the letter and discussing Manning’s case with demonstrators. In San Francisco, a DNC delegate offered to submit a resolution to the national DNC on the activists’ behalf.

Elsewhere, staff members refused to engage. In New York, building security wouldn’t let Manning supporters visit the office. In Concord, NH, staffers locked the campaign office doors and closed the blinds.

Though he’s spent 837 days in prison, Bradley’s trial won’t begin until at least February 4. On November 27, defense lawyers will argue a pretrial motion to dismiss charges, based on his unlawful treatment at Quantico.

In the meantime, Manning supporters encourage more actions at Obama campaign offices nationwide, calling on the president to live up to his 2008 promise to protect whistle-blowers.

Actions where organized in the following cities:  Anchorage, AK, Birmingham, AL, Tucson, AZ, Culver City, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Menlo Park, CA, San Francisco, CA, Sacramento, CA, Washington, DC, Orlando, FL, Tallahassee, FL, Honolulu, HI, Des Moines, IA, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Charlotte, NC, Concord, NH, Albuquerque, NM, Santa Fe, NM, New York, NY, Syracuse, NY, Toledo, OH, Medford, OR, Portland, OR, Philadelphia, PA, Austin, TX, Dallas, TX, Roanoke, VA, Olympia, WA, Seattle, WA, Madison, WI, Milwaukee WI, Huntsville AL, Portland ME,

See more photos from the actions here.

See the letter protesters mailed to Obama here,

Featured reports:

Report from NYC action.  bradleymanning.org.
Report from Washington, DC action. bradleymanning.org
Reports from Toledo, Tallahase, Seattle and Boston. bradleymanning.org
 ”Protesters tell Obama to free Bradley Manning”. San Francisco Bay Guardian.
“Free Bradley Manning protest in Menlo Park”. indybay.org
“Protesters Occupy Obama Volunteer Center in Menlo Park”. patch.com
“Bradley Manning Demonstrations Planned for September 6″. The New American.

“DNC Dispatch: Occupy Movement Marches in Support of Bradley Manning“. The Dissenter.
“Free Whistleblower Bradley Manning Protest in New York City“. Demotix.com.
Video from Sacramento protest.  Facebook.
 ”Protesters tell Obama to free Bradley Manning”. San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Photos from  Washington D.C. Democratic National Headquarters Bradley Manning Action Sept 6,2012.

By the Bradley Manning Support Network. September 7, 2012.

Yesterday, following speeches from Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, 100 protesters marched to the location of President Obama’s Official San Francisco Democratic Acceptance Speech Watch Party. In a room full of local Democratic officials, Obama activists and donors, they delivered a message demanding that the President free accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower and Nobel Peace Prize nominee PFC Bradley Manning.

Several of those attending the party stopped to ask the protesters about Bradley Manning.  One woman decided to come outside to join the protesters, and a San Francisco delegate even offered to send a proposal to the national DNC on their behalf.  Once President Obama began his nomination acceptance speech, the activists began chanting, “No more promises, free Bradley now!” Michael Thurman, of the SF Bay Area Iraq Veterans Against the War and the Bradley Manning Support Network explained, “We’re tired of President Obama promising what he refuses to deliver. Bradley Manning exposed war crimes, corruption, and abuse. He’s the type of whistle-blower Obama vowed to protect.”

The San Francisco action was part of an effort to target the Obama campaign in 34 cities nationwide.  The protests ranged as far as Hawaii, Alaska, and even Texas.  Protesters hope that through reaching out to American citizens, and those in the Obama campaign in particular, they can pressure the President to take a public stance in support of Manning.

Though he’s spent 837 days in prison, Bradley Manning’s trial won’t begin until at least February 4. On November 27, defense lawyers will argue a pretrial motion to dismiss charges, based on extreme imprisonment conditions at Quantico that were declared “inhuman and degrading” by the UN.

In the meantime, Manning supporters encourage more actions at Obama campaign offices, calling on the president to live up to his 2008 promise to protect whistle-blowers.

See more photos of the actions here. 

Read the letter protesters mailed to Obama here.

By the Bradley Manning Support Network. June 26, 2012.

PFC Bradley Manning at Ft. Meade, MD.

FORT MEADE, Maryland — Judge Denise Lind ordered military prosecutors to provide a detailed account of their discovery of evidence that could help PFC Bradley Manning’s defense. The ruling came in response to a motion by lead defense counsel David Coombs, who cited misleading statements made by government lawyers about their efforts to locate required materials.

“The Obama administration can’t hide from reality forever” said Jeff Paterson, a lead organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network. “Any ruling in favor of the truth is a victory for Bradley Manning, because the government’s strategy of abuse, obfuscation and outright deception simply won’t stand the light of day.”

Judge Lind also ruled that the government must provide impact assessments and other reports from the CIA, the FBI, the Department of State, and the Office of the National Counter Intelligence Executive (ONCIX). Coombs complained that he was only made aware of an additional assessment produced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the last round of hearings concluded on June 8.

“They knew DHS was doing an assessment for ONCIX and didn’t tell the court,” said Coombs, citing earlier suggestions made by prosecutors that there was no ONCIX assessment. “The court needs to pull at the string of this argument, because if you do, it falls apart.”

PFC Manning’s lawyers contend that these documents would show that there was no substantive harm posed to national security by the WikiLeaks releases.

On Sunday, hundreds of supporters of the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower marched in LGBT Pride Parades in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Supporters are preparing for another round of demonstrations to coincide with pre-trial hearings scheduled for July 16 to 20 at Fort Meade.

Writing on behalf of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Executive Director Lucy Dalglish urged the Defense Department to adopt at least the same level of media access as was recently extended to trials at Guantanamo Bay. She argued that these reforms are necessary “to ensure that military personnel tried stateside have the same rights to a public trial as those afforded accused terrorists.”

Read the full letter:

“The Obama administration is trying to hide their shameful and unjustifiable retaliation against Bradley Manning,” said Jeff Paterson, a lead organizer with the Bradley Manning Support Network. “The Pentagon’s carefully orchestrated show trial could veer off script if journalists were able to publicly engage critical evidence related to over-classification, abusive pre-trial confinement, and misleading public comments about Bradley Manning.”

The letter, which has been signed by at least 46 media outlets, comes as the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower faces another hearing at Fort Meade on March 15. PFC Manning’s defense team is continuing to pursue motions that would allow depositions of key witnesses, as well as access to documents such as WikiLeaks impact assessments that showed no harm to national security.

Last week, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez condemned the Obama administration’s ongoing refusal to allow a private meeting with PFC Manning. Mendez is seeking to conduct an investigation into what he called “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” during the eight months PFC Manning was held in solitary confinement at a brig in Quantico, Virginia.

The Bradley Manning Support Network organized hundreds of calls by supporters to Jeh Johnson’s office last week, urging the top Pentagon attorney to stop blocking a meeting between PFC Manning and the U.N. investigator.

Related content:

“Bradley Manning’s treatment was cruel and inhuman, UN torture chief rules”.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/12/bradley-manning-cruel-inhuman-treatment-un

“Call top Pentagon attorney Jeh Johnson”.  http://bradleymanning.org/news/call-in-top-pentagon-attorney-jeh-johnson

FORT MEADE, MARYLAND — Shortly before 6:00 PM on the third day of Bradley Manning’s Article 32 pre-trial hearing, Lt. Colonel Paul Almanza, the investigating officer presiding over the hearing, permitted the government’s request to remove journalists and the public from portions of hearings set for today. An objection by PFC Manning’s lead attorney, David Coombs, was noted in the record without any further action.

The Bradley Manning Support Network is deeply troubled by the imposition of an unexplained media blackout without any avenue for redress. The investigating officer has already prevented Manning’s defense from considering internal administration assessments that found these materials didn’t pose a threat to national security. Now he is seeking to prevent journalists and the public from reporting on testimony related to materials that are already in the public domain. Notably, even members of the public who hold relevant security clearances are expected to be removed from viewing the proceedings. Amy Jacobsen of the Center for Constitutional Rights and cooperating counsel for WikiLeaks — who holds the highest level of Top Secret security clearance — is also expected to be denied entrance. We are concerned that representatives of unnamed “relevant government agencies” will be permitted to remain in the room. Lt. Col. Almanza should at a minimum be transparent about which government agencies he has deemed relevant to this matter. In particular, he needs to disclose whether he will permit representatives of the Department of Justice to remain in the room during the blackout. The Department of Justice is the investigating officer’s permanent employer and is also conducting an ongoing investigation into WikiLeaks. 

For more information on the appeal by the Center for Constitutional Rights to guarantee access to WikiLeaks attorneys:

http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/ccr-appeals-denial-of-guaranteed-access-manning-hearing-wikileaks-attorneys

Report on Bradley Manning to be Released Soon

NEW YORK — Juan Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, confirmed yesterday that the Department of Defense has blocked his requests for an unmonitored meeting with PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower. He told reporters gathered at a U.N. General Assembly committee on human rights that he would be issuing a report on Bradley Manning’s case “in the next few weeks.”

Mendez noted that the Obama administration had offered the possibility of a meeting, but only under “conditions in which they could not confirm the confidentiality of my conversations with him.”  He said that, according to the rules of his U.N. mandate, “that is a condition that we cannot accept.”  Mendez explained further that he nevertheless offered to meet with PFC Manning, but that “he also chose not to waive his right to have a private conversation with me.”

“The Special Rapporteur’s report on Bradley Manning’s conditions of confinement unfortunately won’t be complete so long as the Obama administration prevents them from having a private conversation,” said Kevin Zeese, a legal adviser with the Bradley Manning Support Network. “The administration owes an explanation to the American people why they won’t let a U.N. official investigate evidence of Eighth Amendment violations committed against a U.S. citizen.”

Juan Mendez condemned the use of solitary confinement at yesterday’s press conference, arguing that under no circumstances should it be employed for longer than 15 days in excess of 22 hours a day. PFC Manning was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day during the eight months he was detained at a brig in Quantico, Virginia.

Supporters of Bradley Manning recently surpassed a signature threshold on a new White House petition website demanding unmonitored access to Manning for the U.N. investigator.  According to the website’s rules, the administration must now issue an official response to the request.

The Bradley Manning Support Network issued the following statement of solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement today:

“The Bradley Manning Support Network stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement that has spread to hundreds of cities and town squares across America. We share a common commitment to exposing the corruption of corporate power upon our democratic system.

Over the last few weeks, organizers with the Bradley Manning Support Network have been on the ground at occupations in New York, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere, along with countless other supporters for the accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower.

Earlier this week, a veteran wearing a “Free Bradley Manning” shirt was among the first to be arrested in a police raid of the Occupy Boston encampment.

We condemn this crackdown on our fellow citizens and veterans in Boston and elsewhere around the country. There is no excuse to silence those who speak freely, assemble peacefully, and seek to petition their government.

Supporters of Manning at the Occupy Wall Street protest 10/4/11 NYC

We also stand for the right of the press to operate free from government harassment. For over 16 months, the Obama administration has withheld the freedom of PFC Bradley Manning in retaliation for allegedly exposing evidence of abuse via WikiLeaks and other media outlets. The administration’s unprecedented pursuit of whistle-blowers like Manning has created a severe chilling effect on those who seek to expose and correct wrongdoing.

The sustained campaign of civil liberties violations that began under the Bush administration continues to play a major role in undermining the public’s trust in our government. The Occupy movement presents a powerful way for citizens to reclaim control of our government by engaging nonviolently in direct democracy.
Many Occupy participants have drawn inspiration from the Arab Spring. The ongoing democratic uprisings across the Arab world have been fueled in part by access to previously-withheld evidence of abuse that has been released via WikiLeaks and other publishers supporting whistle-blowers. Countless anonymous activists have used their technical skills to relay this critical information to areas where governments have sought to cut off avenues of communication.

Now in the United States, we rely on each other to preserve our freedom to communicate in the face of authoritarian crackdowns on our rights.

Similarly to the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement can draw from information revealed by WikiLeaks that exposes corporate manipulation of our foreign policy. An October 2009 diplomatic cable shows how U.S. diplomatic officials shared sensitive intelligence with Shell to give the oil corporation unfair economic leverage in Nigeria. Shell executives privately boasted to U.S. diplomats that its agents had managed to infiltrate all of the major Nigerian government ministries. Another series of cables illustrate how diplomatic officials successfully squashed a proposed increase in the Haitian minimum wage. Pressure from U.S. diplomats on Haitian officials enabled major American clothing companies like Levi’s and Hanes to continue exploiting sweatshop labor in Haiti. Other cables show that Chevron executives worked in tandem with U.S. officials to avoid paying $18.2 billion in court-ordered damages after the energy giant acquired Texaco, which had dumped billions of gallons of waste in indigenous areas.

Taken as a whole, the material allegedly revealed by PFC Manning shows that an unjust accumulation of informational power runs parallel to widespread economic and political inequalities. In both the United States and abroad, 99% of the people are kept in the dark, while corporate elites use restricted information to manipulate government policies for their personal profit.

Our struggle for Bradley Manning’s freedom is a struggle for everyone’s freedom. The Occupy movement’s fight for true democracy is everyone’s fight. That is why we’re standing in solidarity, in person, as we Occupy everywhere.”

September 7, 2011. Bradley Manning Support Network.

Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty

STRASBOURG, France – The Council of Europe issued a draft resolution today condemning a “cult of secrecy” which the human rights organization says has allowed Western security and intelligence services to routinize the concealment of violent crimes and other rights abuses.

The Council’s Rapporteur, Dick Marty, stressed the “fundamental role” of whistleblowers like PFC Bradley Manning in holding governments accountable for their illegal and unjust behavior.

See a BBC report on the story here, and the draft resolution (pdf) here.

The Bradley Manning Support Network, which collects funds to cover PFC Manning’s legal defense costs and conducts public education and outreach on his behalf, welcomed today’s announcement.

“We welcome the support of the Council of Europe in condemning the abuse of whistleblowers who seek nothing more than to right the wrongs that Western governments refuse to acknowledge,” said Jeff Paterson, co-founder of the Bradley Manning Support Network. “The Council’s report documents numerous incidents where revelations attributed to Bradley Manning have made a critical difference for those seeking justice.”

The draft report released today by the Council of Europe offered a number of recommendations for creating effective oversight mechanisms by representative bodies to hold security and intelligence services accountable to the public. It noted however that, given the current “deficit of transparency,” the public has no choice but to rely on whistleblowers to hold government agencies accountable for abusive behavior.
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PFC Bradley Manning is a US Army intelligence analyst who is accused of revealing illegal and unjust foreign policies that have been concealed by the US government.  He has been held in confinement without trial for over 15 months.  His legal team expects pretrial hearings to begin as early as next month.

Related:

BBC,”Europe’s human rights watchdog has called for greater scrutiny of secret services and support for whistleblowers”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14820145

Council of Europe, Draft Resolution, “Abuse of state secrecy and national security: obstacles to parliamentary and judicial scrutiny of human rights violations” http://www.assembly.coe.int/CommitteeDocs/2011/State%20secrecy_MartyE.pdf