WikiLeaks

So Tom has been spending a few days every other week or so at Fort Meade for the Bradley Manning Court Marshall.  Tom and other members of the public affairs unit makes sure the media get on base and have everything they need, etc.  Since he was only going to be there Monday/Tuesday, I decided to go and hang out at the hotel or wander the giant mall.  Tom suggested I could sit in on the court hearing so I opted to do that instead.

 So I took Tom to the building housing the media then did a donut/coffee run for the public affairs folk. I had some time to kill before the hearing started to I just cruised the base which I'd never been on before.  As I arrived at the parking lot adjacent to the court house I could see a group of people congregating just outside.  Tom had told me Manning has a very vocal support group so I assumed it was them.  Their tie dyed and/or black TRUTH shirts and long, wavy grey hair gave them away.  Reminded me very much of the folks who we always see in Berkeley, CA.  They all seemed to know one another and seemed very much on the same page politically so I was reluctant to join them in my little sundress and a-political sensitivities.  Frankly, I didn't know much about the case but it's hard to imagine that in any kind of security job you wouldn't have signed a "non-disclose" preventing you from sharing information with the world.  Especially in a high security military job, I think there's a very fine line between "oh, I think y'all should see these 720,000 records" (which is the largest security breach in US history) vs. treason.  So basically, the US govt. is accusing Manning of assisting al-Qaida and leaking information to WikiLeaks to "gain the notoriety he craved" while the defense is describing him as "young, naive, but good intentioned".  Apparently he thought he was making the world a better place.

So.  I finally go stand in line because we have to go through security to get in.  I already had a public affairs badge but tucked it in my purse.  Interesting conversations and characters I observed:

• Gentleman asks if I've ever been to a military court marshall before.  I tell him no.  He says it's pretty boring but he tries to come for the morning session.  He'd stay all day but has a disabled wife at home.  He feels that the media is being manipulated and that the govt. is making it difficult for them to cover this important story.  I don't tell him that actually the media is right down the street in a very comfortable bldg. with a pitched lecture room lay out.  They watch the trial on the big screen so they can have their laptops open on the table in front of them (which they couldn't in the courtroom), they can get up and use the restroom whenever they need to (which they couldn't in the courtroom) and they have a military expert who comes out during recesses to answer questions and explain anything they don't understand.  They can't transmit info as the hearing is happening, but apparently it's fairly simple to get credentialed and the majority of the media there are bloggers and are pro-Manning.
• Cindy Sheehan (activist who lost her son Casey in Iraq and camped out at Pres. Bush's Texas ranch) arrives and proceeds to tell this story to our little group of 15 or so people.  I stand quietly and listen and am surprised at her difficulty as the giant WikiLeaks truck (see above) is on base every day during the trial and yes, probably has to go through the same protocol as does anyone who doesn't have military ID to get on a military base.  Her description of the in-court antics....the "Oh, I love Bradley Manning", "Isn't Bradley a hero?", "Bradley is truly one of America's heroes"  in a very big and obnoxious voice was actually chastised by Manning's defense attorney during a break.  Someone else in the group actually stood up and said "Your honor, I have a question" during an unofficial break.  The judge didn't acknowledge him but he was taken out and told he couldn't just shout out things in court. He apparently wanted to know why there were two men standing between us and Manning, thus blocking our view of him.  Turns out they're there to protect Manning.  Anyway, during a break, his defense attorney came out into the holding room and told the group he was happy for their support but would they please notice that he showed nothing but respect for the court and the judge and that anything they did that didn't do likewise was not beneficial to Bradley.
• Other interesting characters.....woman who isn't a courtroom artist but is a supporter and comes to sketch Bradley and others during trial.  She pulled out a sketch she had done of him during a break and they all oohed and awed over it.  She's apparently gathering email addresses so she can share her art with others. Another woman complaining that capitalism promotes doubt as it makes us not trust communities to care for us.  For example in her situation, she only has a "peace" community that she is a part of but has no "physical" community.  Hence, she is currently living in someone else's house who is allowing her to be there. Hmmmm, I'm thinking maybe get a job and stop being a full time peace activist.

So yeah, ultimately this probably wasn't really my crowd.  My sense was...quite a bit of paranoia going on and a group of people who consider THIS their calling.  My very moderate self kept thinking that there are probably more beneficial ways to spend their time where they could be REALLY helpful in changing the world.  Sheehan was patting herself on the back for having been arrested at the CIA offices with 5 others the day before.  She proudly announced they were calling themselves the CIA Six.    Hmm. Catchy.  Wondering how they support themselves or if others are contributing to their bike trips across the US to hit every protest.  I don't know.  Feed the hungry.  Help the poor.  

Needless to say, when the court broke for recess, I hit the road.  Seriously, I had a little bit of a stomach ache going on.  I just didn't get those people.  Felt anxious around them.  Went back to the COVERT media bldg. and shared my experience with Tom then went to visit the base commissary and PX.  Took my apple and cheese, found a beautiful place by Lake Burba to relax and read.

 Too hot to do that for long so went to library on base to check emails then headed back and sat in the car waiting for Tom.  Very interesting day. Needless to say, day two I spent happily cross-stitching in the hotel room.