i posted a version of this in december, but deleted it. some of you with google reader can still read it. because google reader defies the laws of the internet, and doesn’t delete anything.
i deleted it because i want my blog to be a circus of insanity. it’s how i relieve life’s tension. but now i realize that my silence on this issue…is my consent.
mostly because i read an article that said "silence is consent."
so here we go.
who remembers eric volz? an american living and working in nicaragua, falsely accused of murder. in jail for an extended period of time...i think over a year. i don't remember the exact details.
remember how outrageous it seemed? how unjust?
or maybe over the past couple of years you've read about how slavery is still alive around the world. child slaves. sex slaves. international justice mission works hard to free those slaves from the people and governments that oppress them.
those kinds of stories get us all riled up, don't they. those sorts of stories are so obviously wrong. those crazy corrupt governments out there...they're just out of control, aren't they.
unfortunately,
it's not just the governments "out there" that are corrupt. it's not just the people "over there" that turn a blind eye to justice.
i don't really know how to jump into this story. it's not my story to tell. i'm hoping you've read about it yourself. because it's important. but just in case your local news station failed to let you know...
our government...
the government of the united states of america...
the one that boasts of liberty, freedom, and justice for all...
is (among other unspeakable acts) currently detaining and torturing an army private for being a whistleblower. he let the world know that civilians (including children) were attacked and killed overseas. not as a result of a bomb, or an attack on an enemy army. but directly attacked and killed while walking down the street. the report about the incident, filed by our military, was not truthful. there is a video of the incident. that's what he leaked.
it was an important and brave thing to do. people vote in elections based on their feelings about the war. if the information we have about what is going on in that war is not accurate, or not even shared with us, then i'm going to go ahead and label that as a problem.
he has been in solitary confinement for months. it might be a year now. alone in his cell for 23 hours a day. this man is being tortured by a government for trying to do what was right. for trying to expose things that could foster debate and discussion, and change this society. bring it back to what we pretend to be.
he's being tortured and punished and he hasn't even been on trial yet, y'all.
hasn’t even been on trial. here we are, parading around the world in the name of securing democracy for everyone, and not even abiding by it ourselves.
i encourage you to read more about this. this is your government. your own freedoms are at stake even in issues that don't seem to effect you. here
is an article that speaks more about the physical and mental effects of what's going on with bradley manning. it explains why his treatment is torture.
and if you’re not sufficiently unsettled,
a friend of mine recently posted an article
on facebook about a soldier who intentionally murdered civilians in afghanistan. our moral, righteous, humanitarian government has decided he will be eligible for parole after 7 years.
so let’s recap.
murderer: will most likely be a free man in 7 years.
man who tried to expose this type of despicable behavior: being tortured by our government, without a trial.
are you sufficiently unsettled?
do something.
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2 comments:
hey lady...still reading through all the linkage. really saddened by the american(s) who murdered afghanis. i did want to add, to be fair, that the article says the military judge wanted to pursue life in prison with the possibility of parol, but they ended up making a plea bargain with him. i was struck by the statement that he had been meditating on "how I could become so insensitive and how I lost my moral compass." such a complex problem in a war context, and in this situation it certainly led to a terrible injustice and tragedy. i am glad that these men are being held accountable. i hope that they can also receive therapy.
absolutely. another problem with war is the damage it causes to the people who fight the wars.
my point in bringing it up is not just to say "they are so wrong!" but to say...why are they being treated "kindly" by the system (though they committed a crime), and a man trying to do right (and committed no crime)...is being treated SO very wrong.
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