News From Inside The Bradley Manning Trial

Manning Wins Access To Discovery And How Government Employee's Retirement Party Became More Important Than Allowing Press Access To The 'Whistle-blower Trial of The Century'

'Government and MSM attempt to control the narrative or better yet, ignore it entirely.'

See this previous post for background relating to this video.

Tipping Point Democracy | A Short Documentary About The Court Battle To Stop NDAA

A short documentary about the lawsuit brought by 7 plaintiffs against the President and others over certain portions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) dealing with the indefinite detention of US citizens without formal charge.

On May 16th Federal Judge Katherine Forrest ruled that the 'indefinite detention' provisions of the NDAA violated the 1st and 5th amendments of constitution. The government has filed an appeal.

Audio: WLCentral Reporter Alexa O'Brien Harassed And Threatened With Detention At Bradley Manning Hearing

Alexa O'Brien a reporter for WLCentral.org, an unofficial WikiLeaks resource news website , reports that she was temporarily detained and harassed by Fort Mead MP's and the base Public Information Officer in a dispute over her press credentials today.

O'Brien gained notoriety as a founder of the Occupy Wall Street movement and US Day Of Rage, an organization whose aim is campaign finance reform.  She is also one of seven plaintiffs in a lawsuit that won an injunction in Federal Court that has stopped the implementation of certain portions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) dealing with unlawful detention of American citizens.

Today's incident calls into question the impartiality of the 'public information office' at the Army base  where the hearing is being held. Specifically the treatment and access by reporters wishing to cover the Bradley Manning court proceedings. 

O'Brien was approached by MP's who claim she was being 'disruptive'. Two members of the media pool, from the Associated Press and Court House News, were asked by the officers to leave the room during the questioning of O'Brien. A request which the reporters thought was unnecessary. O'Brien had asked the reporters to stay to witness the incident. "We're interested in how the government is handling media coverage of this event". "If all your going to do is go over the rules," one of the reporters can be heard saying on the audio tape of the incident before he was interrupted by one of the MP's. 

O'Brien is certainly not one to be fooled with when it comes to her constitutional rights. Her activism in the name of protecting her and other people's rights is strong testimony to that fact.

Here's the audio of the incident recorded by O'Brien:

We Need A Gun Control Initiative In Washington State

Maybe it should be 'game on' with the NRA, gun lobby and gun nuts too unreasonable to accept basic gun control laws in Washington State. 

Recently I had two good friends randomly murdered by a mentally ill individual. He also killed three other people during his rampage. The perpetrator of these unspeakable murders owned a number of guns that he used during commission of these murders. He also had a history of domestic violence offenses. His family, in so many words, described him as a ticking time bomb. Yet our inadequate or non-existent laws concerning the control of guns in Washington State did nothing to protect the innocent victims from this madman.


Enough is enough. This issue needs the serious consideration of all lawmakers and citizens throughout this state. It’s a question of common sense, not how much power the gun lobby, NRA or unreasonable gun users can bring to bare on thin skinned lawmakers. I would like to believe that a majority of the reasonable people of this state could agree that we now need common sense laws to control the possession and ownership of guns.


I understand that guns will still be available to those who want them bad enough in spite of what laws we pass. But, I also think that new gun control laws could substantially reduce the probability of guns falling into the wrong hands and the epidemic of general gun violence that we have now seen in our communities. It would also give law enforcement additional tools to reduce gun violence.


Personally I don’t believe in banning guns, because most people out there are sensible and responsible and if they wish to own a gun they should have the legal right to do so.

Nexus Of Restoring Our Republic | Publicly Financed Political Campaigns | Banning Corporate Contributions

It's cynical to think that most people don't give a shit. They do, but citizens has been marginalized and demoralized.

I have a basic belief in our American political institutions. Which means I VOTE and participate in the political and election process.

It's expedient for the 'politicians are all the same so my vote means nothing, don't vote' crowd to take issue with my position. I do agree with these people on many things including that our political system is probably as corrupt as it has every been at anytime in our nation's history.

But, as I indicated, I believe that the framework and institutions of our republic are still basically sound. They only need to be recaptured. It is obvious to almost everyone with common sense that it will be necessary to bring about drastic and immediate change if we are to survive much longer as a nation. The institutions of government are currently on life supports.

It is acceptable for well meaning citizens to look at the degree of present day corruption in government and to become demoralized. Which is the goal of the oligarchs. The problem as I see it is more about the corrupt and unethical people of both major political parties who now hold office. This is not about Republican or Democrats or right or left really. The point is that probably nearly all of the current politicians holding office must be replaced.

We often get bogged down in arguments about what is the most important issue of the day when it comes to reform. The integrity of our elections I believe is really what trumps everything else. The belief being that if we elect ethical people to office they will implement policies that actually reflect the will of the people.

Paramount among the actions we should take to bring about change and restore the republic are:

Julian Assange's World Tomorrow Exposes Truth About US Espionage And Corrupting Influence In Pakistan

"We are basically controlled by people withholding information." Imran Khan

Episode 9 of Julian Assange's World Tomorrow program on RT features an interview with Imran Khan Chairman of a political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) an anti-corruption party in Pakistan. Khan is a leading candidate in a campaign that could make him the next leader of Pakistan.

The interview sheds a bright light on the present situation in Pakistan that few Americans will see through our corporate and government controlled MSM. The wide ranging interview covers current and historical events in Pakistan that drive today's international headlines.

Media Consolidation: The Illusion of Choice (Infographic)

See info-graphic after jump:

2 Of Santorum's College Educated 'What A Snob' MIT Nuclear Geeks May Have Found A Way To Save The World

Now they'll have an excuse to get real snobby.

Two MIT graduate students have developed a process, which they explain in the video, to build nuclear reactors that would be 'environmentally safe'. The idea is that the nuclear plants would actually be powered by burning 98% of the waste they produce.

"We have developed the WAMSR -- a Waste-Annihilating Molten Salt Reactor. WAMSR is a 200 MW molten salt reactor that converts high-level nuclear waste into electric power."

Bend Over And Put Your Head Between Your Knees And Kiss Your Working Class Ass Good-Bye

Hello progressive Wisconsin we 'feel your pain' this morning. The outcome of the vote may add credence to a survey that says 18% of Americans actually think the sun revolves around the earth. The correlation between the dismantling of the labor movement and weakening of collective bargaining rights and income disparity is shown in this multimedia graph from the Washington Policy Watch.