|
Daniel Ellsberg, arrested at the White House yesterday. Ellsberg was quoted as saying about WikiLeaks, "I think they provided a very valuable service. To call them terrorists is not only mistaken, it’s absurd." |
By Debra Sweet
As the Obama administration issued its "Afghanistan Progress Review" yesterday, announcing plans for even more drone bombings in Pakistan and even floated out the possibility of a ground invasion as well, and Congress debated amending the Espionage Act to go after Wikileaks and its sources, 250 of us gathered outside the White House to say "Stop These Wars!" Some 130 people were arrested and cited for standing along the White House fence, including many Veterans for Peace members, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, Pentagon Papers-leaker Daniel Ellsberg, and writer Chris Hedges.
World Can’t Wait was there too with a banner from bradleymanning.org in support of the young soldier accused of leaking evidence of war crimes to Wikileaks, and one that read "Hands off Wikileaks – Prosecute the War Criminals Not Julian Assange!" More about Bradley Manning, whose health is reported to be deteriorating in solitary confinement at the military brig at Quantico, VA.
Part of the story coming out of DC is that Obama is "pleased" with how the war is going (see Jason Ditz’s story). This with 5 times the number of night raids carried out in Afghanistan by US/NATO forces, as a "necessary" requirement of pursuing their occupation.
|
Veterans for Peace at the White House fence yesterday
Protesters outside the courthouse in London. Julian Assange was released yesterday to chants of "exposing war crimes is no crime!" |
Before the action yesterday, Dan Ellsberg, Ray McGovern, and Mike Ferner, President of Veterans for Peace, spoke at a press conference in conjunction the Australian political group, Getup! Action for Australia, which is placing full pages ads stating "Wikileaks is Not a Terrorist Organization" in US publications.
The Director of Getup! told me that they had raised $400,000 off of ONE email to publish the ad in the New York Times Thursday, and the Washington Times on today. In addition to the hearings were held yesterday in Congress about how to go after Wikieaks, an article in the New York Times outlined the Department of Justice strategy for charging Julian Assange with violations of U.S. law. This is ominous, and must be watched by all of us, including over the holidays. Part of political support for Wikileaks will be a battle to keep the U.S. government from being successful at extradicting, charging, or convicting Assange of a crime.
More from yesterday in DC:
CNN coverage Video by David Swanson More photos on Facebook
It is important that we take the truth that is being made available to us by Wikileaks about what is being done in our names and spread it to every corner of society so that something positive can be done with this information. Get a copy of the Collateral Murder DVD and show it to others. Volunteer. Donate and keep us in the streets and in the schools, making resistance visible.
Make your tax-deductible donation by December 31st!
Above: at the White House yesterday
Keep this movement in the streets and in the schools!
Thank you for a first hand report. The Fawning Corporate Media, as Ray McGovern calls them, did not breathe a word of this, of course. The action was valiant and needed.
Thank you World Can’t Wait for all you do, and your help for all in D.C. for Peace On Earth. I wish I could help you with an end of the year tax write off. Being unemployed and disabled, with a low income, I ask others to please help World Can’t Wait with an end of the year donation equal to what the b.s. tax break that the corporate D’s and R’s gave them. Thanks again. Donate if you can. Wage Peace…