Washington (CNN) — A law enforcement official confirms members of the Westboro Baptist Church, known for its controversial practice of picketing military funerals, participated in training for law enforcement officials at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia.
The sessions were discontinued this spring after Tom Browne, assistant director for the FBI, voiced strong opposition to bringing the group to a military facility. [more]
This is one of those times where you wince and shake your head. (EDIT: Worth noting this story is a year and a half old. Still wince-worthy.)
If someone tells me they’re going to shoot themselves in the face, I’m not going to give them a gun.Marine Master Sgt. Craig Blenis • Discussing, during a trial for Pfc. Bradley Manning, why he recommended, as a member of the board he was on, that Manning remain at suicide-risk status, leading to the oft-reported harsh conditions Manning faced while staying in Quantico, Va. Among the reported tell signs: A noose fashioned out of a bedsheet from when he was held in Kuwait, and a written statement where Manning claimed he was “always planning and never acting” on suicidal impulses. These claims overrode a psychiatrist’s opinion that Manning was of no harm to himself or anyone around him.
I didn’t feel that PFC Manning should be detained more than 90 days in the brig.Daniel Choike, former commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico • Testifying on recommendations he made to the Pentagon regarding the long-term detention of Pfc. Bradley Manning during a pre-trial hearing today. The hearing in Fort Meade, Maryland is scheduled to last until Sunday, and Manning’s legal team hopes to convince the judge that the young soldier was subjected to illegal pre-trial punishment. If they are able to do so, Manning’s charges and sentence could be reduced or dismissed entirely. source
I don’t remember the last time I was outside.Bradley Manning pleads with his captors to end their harsh treatment of him. (via aheram)
I identify with him more than anyone else I’ve seen in the last 40 years.Daniel Ellsberg • Speaking about Bradley Manning this weekend, a weekend which saw him getting arrested twice this weekend while protesting Manning’s imprisonment — once near the White House and once at Quantico brig. Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, says that Manning’s treatment in solitary confinement is a form of torture. “It’s giving lie to President Obama’s promise to end torture,” he said. “It’s happening right here to an American soldier in an American brig.’’ Ellsberg also gave a big up to P.J. Crowley, who argued against Manning’s treatment before getting forced out by the State Department. source (via • follow)
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