Whistleblower or Traitor?
A recent Kickstarter campaign has funded the above ads in Washington D.C. in support of Pfc. Bradley Manning who (in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year) is accused of aiding enemies of the State by his dissemination of classified information to Wikileaks.
The ads, by nonprofit ad firm EpicStep and the Bradley Manning Support Network, are directed at government workers in the capital:
The military has done its best to limit public exposure to Bradley Manning’s case by holding the trial at Ft. Meade, a relatively difficult location for the public to attend, and they have not released transcripts of the pretrial hearing, thereby limiting media exposure and making it difficult for laymen to follow the proceedings. Let’s bring the case back to Washington! … These ads will force government workers to remember WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning, remind them that the public is behind Bradley, and explain that what Bradley is accused of doing is a public good.
Why should we support whistleblowing?
Should we support whistleblowing? Don’t we want military personnel doing what they’re told and keeping that information to themselves?
Why should we support the actions of one of our servicemen or government officials when they put their conscience ahead of policy and procedure? Why do we want to encourage people in Manning’s position to follow their integrity instead of toeing the line no matter what?
Because we this is America.
Because the whole “I’m just doing my job and doing what they tell me to do” is unacceptable here.
Because being the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave means sometimes doing the brave thing that runs counter to what you’ve been told to do.
Because we are not Nazis.
This is not Iran.
When someone sees something done that runs contrary to his conscience—I want to know that he isn’t going to look the other way.
That’s what it means to be an American.
When someone does a difficult thing in the name of the greater good, in America—we applaud.
Your thoughts and applause for Bradley Manning can’t be heard where you sit at home. Your support here can.
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