September 1, 2012 vfpvc
Letter from Scott Olsen to Fellow VFP Members
Calling for Nationwide Actions on September 6 to Free Bradley Manning
Dear Veterans and Friends,
Since Army PFC Bradley Manning’s arrest in May 2010 for allegedly sharing the “Collateral Murder” video and other evidence of war crimes and government corruption with the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, many have wondered “Why hasn’t President Obama supported Bradley?”
 
After all, in May 2011 President Obama declared, “In the 21st Century, information is power; the truth cannot be hidden; and the legitimacy of governments will ultimately depend on active and informed citizens.”
 
On Thursday, August 16, I took part in an action organized by the Bradley Manning Support Network, Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, March Forward and others in Portland, Oregon, Oakland and Los Angeles.  
We successfully occupied Obama 2012 campaign offices and sent a letter of demands to the Obama campaign’s central office.
Our demands included that Bradley be freed, given he has already endured 800 days of pretrial confinement including 9 months of treatment called “inhuman and degrading” by the United Nations Rapporteur on Torture.  Unfortunately, we have not yet received a reply from the President.  However, the response from our community and the media was nothing short of inspiring.  
 
Please join me, along with the Bradley Manning Support Network and Veterans For Peace in a nationwide effort to hold actions at many more local Obama campaign offices on September 6th, the day of Barack Obama’s nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
 
President Obama needs to hear loud and clear from veterans and concerned citizens across the country that the American people want amends for the unlawful torture of Bradley Manning, and believe he should be freed.
We want to overwhelm Obama campaign offices with messages of support for Bradley from coast to coast! Please forward and spread the word!
Free Bradley Manning!
-Scott Olsen, VFP Chapter 69
This call-out also comes from the Bradley Manning Support Network, Afghans for Peace, SF Bay Area Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Veterans For Peace.
VFP chapters and members who wish to help organize actions on September 6 are encouraged to contact Gerry Condon, Co-Chair of our GI Resistance Working Group and member of the Steering Committee of the Bradley Manning Support Network, at projectsafehaven@hotmail.com, or 206-499-1220.
*To find out if other activists in your area are planning September 6 actions, contact emma@bradleymanning.orgEmma can also provide you with organizing plans used in the successful actions on August 16.
Reports, photos, and videos from the August 16th West Coast events
Bradley Manning Support Network: http://www.bradleymanning.org/
September 6 Events: http://events.bradleymanning.org/ 
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