It appears they may have feared the documents would disappear which often happens when governments have too many secrets and knows that what it has or is doing is wrong.
Its like all those audio and video tapes of so called "interrogations" by the military and the CIA etc.
The documents they were seeking were pertaining to the government's use of torture on thousands of Egyptian citizens while others disappeared like they do in Pakistan, Libya,Yemen,Iran, Saudi Arabia Jordan Afghanistan, Uzbekistan (another brutal regime backed by the USA) and of course in the USA.
So in America are there citizens or lawyers or police who could liberate documents from the US government before everything disappears down the old shredder.
Doing it the legal way seems to be a long drawn out expensive undertaking .
Instead of everything being classified governments should only classify highly sensitive documents such as troop movements etc,
Otherwise are there Americans willing to protest against the government refusing to release information and Obama's desire to execute Bradley Manning to send a bit of intimidation to any who dare leak documents or criticize Wall Street or the War.
Having known a number of higher up government bureaucrats according to them you would be amazed or shocked how often things get shredded to protect someone's ass.
So basically Bradley Manning if he is The Wikileaks Whistleblower was liberating documents that are embarrassing to various people in the government but they were not documents Classified as Top Secret .
It should be noted that these documents/Cables were available to some 3 million government employees.
If government officials are lying to the people and to the governments and peoples of other nations and to the United Nations, NATO partners -
Obama fears it will have a chilling effect on American foreign relations- I thought America's reputation in Europe and the Middle East and elsewhere was already pretty bad.
Why listen to a country which abuses and tortures prisoners when it disingenuously lectures other countries on Human Rights or on Social Justice and caring for their citizenry's well being. Food for instance ,and shelter should be basic rights or giving them all the help they need in cases of natural disasters or the result of war or other conflict.
- When Qaddafi imprisons innocent people it is seen as Evil if the Americans do it that's OK.
When Qaddafi and his ilk shut down any media they won't back its propaganda
In America certain TV networks such as Al Jazeera are banned because they might show the truth
or explain to Americans that yes on 9/11 they were victims but now it is America which has
victimized the people of Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan in its war on terror .
We should also include all of the people living under brutal dictatorships or brutal authoritarian regimes especially those propped by America in some cases going back as much as fifty years .
How come America has been permitted by the international community to prop up dictators remove leaders and governments they don't like and put in their place another Qaddafi or Pinochet or Mubarak .
But what would Obama do well have them all arrested and put on trial for treason .
President Obama doesn't like Whistleblowers and so and his administration have vowed to track anybody who leaks government documents or will he include new laws and punishments for those who leak the supposedly private documents and other information of a corporations. Corporations need their privacy protected as much as any person -
Anyway it is rather unsettling and hard to fathom that President Obama would be so upset about the Whistleblower Bradley Manning
So if someone leaks photos ala Gitmo style will Obama arrest the people responsible and threaten them with the death penalty.
Should those defending Bradley Manning and Wikileaks are they to be intimidated if not shut down.
He's already proven he is no more interested in Freedom of Information and that it is necessary for the citizenry in to be well informed .
Why is Obama siding with the uber-Conservatives and not with the rights of American Citizens .
Maybe he doesn't want people to know what lies and propaganda are perpetuated everyday to protect legislators , politicians and the wealthy elite from the people. .
The Bush Regime led America into a war under false pretenses
they destroyed Iraq killed over a half-million Iraqis
they boldly created a legal cover for their torture and abuse of POWs or Enemy Combatants
Egyptian Protesters Storm State Security HQ in Search of Torture Files
Saturday 05 March 2011 by: Hannah Allam | McClatchy Newspapers | Report
Cairo, Egypt — Trudging through dungeon-like cells and mounds of shredded documents, hundreds of Egyptians on Saturday surged into the Cairo headquarters of the dreaded State Security apparatus for an unprecedented look inside buildings where political prisoners endured horrific torture.
Some former prisoners sobbed as they saw their old cells, recalling electric shocks and severe beatings. Families held passport photos of missing relatives and were desperate to explore the dank chambers for clues to their fates.
Dismantling State Security, the shadowy and all-powerful intelligence force, was a key demand of protesters who forced the resignation last month of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. When the military-led interim authority failed to dissolve the agency immediately, protesters in Cairo and the port city of Alexandria descended on State Security offices this weekend to seize files they hoped would cement Mubarak's legacy of prisoner abuse and disappearances.
"I thought my brother would be found there," said Leila Mahmoud, 47, who was distraught when she learned the buildings had been evacuated. "He was taken on April 2, 2005, and we've been looking for him since then. We haven't heard a word from him since. Not a word."
Three Months Ago Bradley Manning Was Largely Forgotten, But Not Anymore -- What Changed? by Greg Mitchell at The Nation via Alternet.org, march 4, 2011
With Manning gaining wide attention, it's worth recalling that three months ago he was largely forgotten. Here's what happened.White House Still Torturing Bradley Manning
Ten months after he was arrested for allegedly leaking classified material, including diplomatic cables, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was very much in the news this week -- with the military bringing 22 new charges against him, including "aiding the enemy" (unspecified) to being stripped naked for seven hours at the prison the past two nights. His supporters and attorney David Coombs continued to charge that the conditions of his confinement were overly harsh and punitive, while the Pentagon continues to deny that.
Even amid the vast Cablegate coverage, as I trace in my new book The Age of WikiLeaks, Manning got little notice, although the blog FireDogLake kept on the case. Then, on December 15, Glenn Greenwald at Salon delivered a strong piece on Manning’s “inhumane detention.”
He charged that the conditions constituted “cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture. Interviews with several people directly familiar with the conditions of Manning’s detention, ultimately including a Quantico brig official (Lt. Brian Villiard) who confirmed much of what they conveyed, establishes that the accused leaker is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries.” (A key point: The private has not yet been convicted of anything.)
Liberal blogs highlighted Greenwald’s piece and two days later the Guardian carried a report on Manning’s health “deteriorating.” He was subject to some form of suicide watch, but it seemed to his attorney more punitive than necessary.
On December 19, Manning’s lawyer, David Coombs, supplied some fresh details: “PFC Manning is held in his cell for approximately 23 hours a day. The guards are required to check on PFC Manning every five minutes by asking him if he is okay. PFC Manning is required to respond in some affirmative manner. At night, if the guards cannot see PFC Manning clearly, because he has a blanket over his head or is curled up towards the wall, they will wake him in order to ensure he is okay. He receives each of his meals in his cell. He is not allowed to have a pillow or sheets.”
The same day, NBC Nightly News paid a visit to Manning’s hometown in Oklahoma. A former Marine there said he should be executed. Others were not much more sympathetic. Lester Holt, the correspondent, suggested that some felt that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy then in effect might have contributed to Manning’s decision to break ranks.
Four days later, David House, who had befriended Manning, filed a report at FireDogLake (which had been following the soldier’s plight closer than any site) on his recent visits with Bradley Manning at Quantico. He contradicted many of the military’s claims about his treatment.
Then, on January 3, Manning’s lawyer Coombs hinted that he would soon file motion to dismiss the charges against Manning due to lack of a speedy trial guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Two days later, on the Democracy Now! radio program, well-known writer Dr. Atul Gawande, referring to the Manning case, said, “People experience solitary confinement as even more damaging than physical torture.” More than 30,000 people signed a petition on Manning’s behalf.
As charges of cruel treatment of Manning continued, a Pentagon spokesman responded by describing the prisoner’s confinement as “maximum,” not “solitary,” since others were incarcerated nearby and he did get to watch some TV and see visitors—and was being treated like others in the unit. David Coombs challenged this assessment, charging that Manning, in fact, was the only prisoner in “maximum” custody while others were held in “medium” detention
" Lawyer: Bradley Manning Forced to Spend Seven Hours Naked, Humiliated (Again)" By Lauren Kelley Via Alternet.org, March 4, 2011.
WikiLeaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning had all his clothing taken from him for an evening and was forced to stand naked and humiliated in front of his jail cell, his lawyer, David E. Coombs, reports:
PFC Manning was forced to strip naked in his cell again last night. As with the previous evening, Quantico Brig guards required him to surrender all of his clothing. PFC Manning then walked back to his bed, and spent the next seven hours in humiliation.
The decision to require him to be stripped of all clothing was made by the Brig commander, Chief Warrant Officer-2 Denise Barnes. According to First Lieutenant Brian Villard, a Marine spokesman, the decision was "not punitive" and done in accordance with Brig rules. There can be no conceivable justification for requiring a soldier to surrender all his clothing, remain naked in his cell for seven hours, and then stand at attention the subsequent morning. This treatment is even more degrading considering that PFC Manning is being monitored -- both by direct observation and by video -- at all times. The defense was informed by Brig officials that the decision to strip PFC Manning of all his clothing was made without consulting any of the Brig's mental health providers.
On Wednesday, the government filed its response to the defense's Article 138 complaint concerning PFC Manning's confinement conditions. The preliminary decision made by the government was to deny PFC Manning's request to be removed from Maximum custody and from Prevention of Injury (POI) watch. The defense now has ten days to file a rebuttal to this determination. After submitting the rebuttal, the matter will go back to the Quantico Base Commander, Colonel Daniel J. Choike, for his review. Once complete, he will forward the report to the Secretary of the Navy for final review.
Manning has still not been convicted of any crime. And yet he has faced months of solitary confinement and other torturous conditions, including repeatedly being stripped of all his clothing.
Furthermore, it was reported just yesterday that Manning faces 22 new charges for his alleged role in supplying classified documents to WikiLeaks. Among those charges is "aiding the enemy," which potentially carries with it the death penalty. The military says it will not seek capital punishment for Manning, although its recent actions make it clear that they're trying to wear him down in their own way.
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