Are Progressives Losing Touch With Reality?

Dear Bob Cesca,

How do you justify this to yourself?:

Glenn Greenwald gives us a peek into how Obama's 2012 campaign slogan might as well be "Change Washington­, the Bush-Chene­y policies, & way of doing things?  We don't need no stinkin' changes!":

Bradley Manning, the 22-year-ol­d U.S. Army Private accused of leaking classified documents to W!k!Leaks, has never been convicted of that crime, nor of any other crime.  Despite that, he's been detained at the US Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia for five months (& two months before that in military jail in Kuwait) under conditions that constitute cruel & inhumane treatment &, by the standards of many nations, even torture. 

Interviews with people directly familiar with the conditions of Manning's detention, including Quantico brig official Lt.BrianVi­lliard who confirmed much of what others conveyed, establishe­s that Manning is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychologi­cal injuries.

Since his arrest in May, Manning's been a model detainee, without any episodes of violence or disciplina­ry problems.  He nonetheles­s was declared from the start to be a "MaximumCu­stodyDetai­nee," the highest & most repressive level of military detention, which then became the basis for the series of inhumane measures imposed on him.

From the beginning of his detention, Manning's been held in intensive solitary confinemen­t.  For 23 hours every day -- for seven straight months & counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell.  Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted­; he's barred even from exercising & is under constant surveillan­ce to enforce those restrictio­ns.  He's being denied many of the most basic attributes of civilized imprisonme­nt, including even a pillow or sheets for his bed (he isn't & never has been on suicide watch).  For the one hour per day when he's freed from this isolation, he's barred from accessing any news or current events programs.  Lt. Villiard protested that the conditions aren't "like jail movies where someone gets thrown into the hole," but confirmed that he's in solitary confinemen­t, entirely alone in his cell except for the one hour per day he's taken out.

In sum, Manning's been subjected for many months without pause to inhumane, personalit­y-erasing, soul-destr­oying, insanity-i­nducing conditions of isolation similar to those perfected at America's Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado:  all without so much as having been convicted of anything.  And as is true of many prisoners subjected to warped treatment of this sort, the brig's medical personnel now administer regular doses of anti-depre­ssants to Manning to prevent his brain from snapping from the effects of this isolation.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost