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Congressman Dennis Kucinich Requests Visit with Bradley Manning

Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has made a request to see Bradley Manning, the soldier who is suspected of leaking classified documents to Julian Assange and Wikileaks. In a letter that he recently sent to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Kucinich voiced his concerns about the army’s treatment of Manning and the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners. Kucinich requested a visit with the soldier at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.

Here is Rep. Kucinich’s letter:

February 4, 2011

The Honorable Robert C. Gates
Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301-0001

Dear Secretary Gates:

I write to request that I be able to visit Private First Class Bradley Manning at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.

As you know, I am concerned about reports of his treatment while in custody that describe alarming abuses of his constitutional rights and his physical health. A March 2009 article by surgeon Atul Gawande discusses the effects of solitary confinement on prison inmates and prisoners of war: “Without sustained social interaction, the human brain may become as impaired as one that has incurred a traumatic injury.” Studies highlighted that such prisoners, months after being released, revealed severe brain abnormalities mirroring those who had endured significant physical head trauma[1] .

Private Manning’s guilt or innocence is a question for adjudication and his treatment at Quantico severely undermines the presumption of innocence as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and raises questions as to whether he is truly able to stand trial. His care while in the custody of the Department of Defense is the responsibility of the U.S. Government and as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform it is my duty to conduct effective oversight.

Thank you for your attention to this request. I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich
Member of Congress

Sources
Think Progress
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich

41 thoughts on “Congressman Dennis Kucinich Requests Visit with Bradley Manning”

  5. Elaine, Rafflaw, Professor Turley.

    Can I please draw your attention to The Aaafia Siddiqui affair. This appears to be an atrocity by agents of the US government that makes the injustices highlighted on this blog pale into insignificance, yet it has garnered very little attention from US legal scholars and in US political blogs.

    The blog of Andy Worthington the campaigner for Guantanamo inmates is good place to go for an introduction.

  8. I’ve followed Kucinich since his days as a race baiting city councilman. He’s always been most skilled a s publicity seeking gadfly. He’s been a failure as a legislator and I suspect nothing useful will come from this. If Rush Holt or someone else interested in legislating did this then I would cheer them on. But “little Dennis” as we Clevelander knew him is a waste of effort.

  9. Elaine,
    Is there any information that Kucinich will actualy get to see Manning? Has he received a response to his request? I haven’t seen anything yet.

  11. This is good. People should keep yelling. I hope Manning doesn’t die while exercising (or is that in the shower)? Here’s what a woman protesting for democracy in Egypt had to say: “…If there is a democracy, we will not allow our rights to be taken
    away from us,” {said) Sherine, a university professor..” (kristoff interview with her at NYtimes)

    We can’t roll over on letting this govt. take our rights. Making abuses of power, such as what is being done to Manning, fully public, and going after his abusers, never once stopping to let them get away with cruelty and the stripping of his rights—it’s the only thing that will preserve these rights. It is the only way to confront wrongs–forcefully, directly, and constantly.

  13. Elaine,
    Great video again. Dennis is much too frank for the MSM. His direct honesty scares them and the money people and that is why he and Dr. Dean are lonely members of the true Democratic Party.

  15. More people say they have seen UFO’s than approve Bush’s presidency….hahahaha! you the MAN Dennis!

    btw…I have seen a UFO, along with a whole bunch of people as it was reported in the papers the very next day….

  17. Kucinch has always my default write-in vote for President as both a preference and protest. His utility as such has hardly ended. He’s the only real Democrat in the party IMO.

    Elaine M., you’re right about the press not liking him and going out of the way to disrespect him. That was Russert that came up with the question on the UFO. Russert makes no attempt to hide his political preference.

  18. Good on Dennis Kucinch, he appears to be one of the very few honest and well meaning US elected representatives.

    I wonder whether he could be persuaded to look into two other atrocities committed by the US government:-

    1/ The indefinite imprisonment of detainees in Gulag Guantanamo because the US government refuses to admit the possibility that they were innocent men wrongly picked up and that the evidence finally extracted against them is corrupted by the use of bribery and torture;

    2/ The rendition, secret imprisonment, torture, attempt to frame as a terrorist, clumsy attempt to murder and final railroading to an 86 year sentence of Aafia Siddiqui.

    Enough is information about the latter case is now known that anyone who cares to look at it can see that the affair Aafia Siddiqui is one of the most grotesque injustices carried out by the Evil Empire and its agents.

    This speech by Fowzia Siddiqui though confusing and disjointed has all the details.

  19. To Blouise, Raff, Wootsey, BIL and others; you are completely correct in your assessment of the K-Man. He is actually a true democrat. But because the right has moved so drastically far in that direction he is now being labeled a radical. He asks reasonable questions, he expects reasonable accountability. That’s not being a radical.

    Why he isn’t our president is a “reasonable” question …

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