On Monday, two U.S. marines grabbed me and began pulling me away from a crowd of protesters. For a split second I was certain I would be locked up and charged with some made-up offense, such as failure to obey an unlawful order, or disrupting the war. But that was only for a split second, because without any hesitation the people I was with grabbed me and pulled me back.
These were people who have pull.
Here’s a video. http://warisacrime.org/node/56282
This happened at Quantico, Virginia, where we were protesting the cruel and unusual pre-trial isolated confinement of Bradley Manning, the young man who allegedly did his legal duty and made public through wikileaks the evidence of numerous felonies.
When I had been successfully pulled away from the marines, one of my rescuers was hauled off – for a split second. Then he was rescued as well — without the slightest hesitation, and without aggression or exacerbation of tensions. No one was taken prisoner. No one was hurt.
It turns out that people have pull when they simply choose to pull others out of a jam.
Of course that is what we were trying to do for Bradley Manning as well. I hope he understands the degree of support, admiration, and affection that so many Americans have for him, and how dearly we want to pull him out of that 6′ by 12′ cell, how determined we are to eventually pull him out of the grip of the U.S. government.
In fact, we have every intention of pulling the U.S. government itself out of the grip of the investment bankers, war profiteers, and corporate lobbyists who are hauling it away to be waterboarded. If everyone in the nation could, as a result, feel the support that I felt as my friends pulled me to safety on Monday, we would really have created a paradise.
Those who don’t want to wait to feel that sensation can get it right away by joining the peace movement. Here’s how: http://warisacrime.org/node/56136