Update 11/10/11: Military prepares for Bradley’s trial, Congress threatens whistle-blower protections, others show creative support

The U.S. Army announced last week that it had embarked on preparations for Bradley Manning’s pre-trial hearing. Manning, who has been held first at Quantico and then at Fort Leavenworth for a year and half, has consistently seen his hearing postponed. This delay can be explained, says an Army spokesperson, by disagreements between the prosecution and intelligence agencies about which kinds of evidence are admissible, as well as assurances that members of the defense team achieve proper security clearance to examine the classified documents pertinent to the case. Read more here…

What role do whistleblowers like Bradley Manning play in society? According to Robert Taylor, an invaluable and revolutionary one. In this article, Taylor eloquently explains how whistleblowers provide more than a glimpse at what governments are really doing behind closed doors; they in fact implicitly question why governments are often exempt from the laws they pass and enforce upon their own citizens. When people realize that the people and institutions in power are actually guilty of murder and other crimes, Taylor explains, the system is inherently challenged, and the possibility for fundamental change opens up. (link.)

Socially conscious theater to perform piece about Bradley Manning. The Bread & Puppet Theater, a non-profit, politically engaged, puppet troop, will be performing “Man of Flesh & Cardboard”, a show about PFC Bradley Manning. The show, created by Peter Schumann and performed by the Bread & Puppet company and many volunteers, will take place at the Theater for the New City, and it will mark the 40th anniversary of the troop performing there. The show plays December 1st – 18, and tickets are $12. Read more…

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