The flawed Defense of Private Bradley Manning

I was reminded of why I have a very hard time listening to The Dylan Ratigan Show on MSNBC when it came to his support of the treatment of Private Bradley Manning.  I have a hard time because there seems to be no one on his show who can intelligently disagree with him and get their points across. I expect a cable news agency to present both sides equally but I don’t see that happening on this show.

The thing that really got me boiling was the implication that the reason most Democrats are not questioning President Obama is because he is a black man in the White House.  Of all of the ignorant statements to make this is one of the worst.  Why, because Mr. Ratigan assumes that the public is so afraid of race that we will sit idly by and allow this president to do whatever he wants because questioning him makes us appear racist.  It’s as if we have chosen to ignore our responsibility to keep his feet to the fire and help him govern.  He is so very wrong.

What was not reported during this segment was why these actions were being taken by Mr. Manning’s jailers.  As a former US Marine Military Policeman who served as a brig (prison) guard, let me share with you what I know.  I know that if you have a prisoner who even jokes about suicide, you are required by law to insure that you do all that you can to prevent it which means but is not limited to removal of anything that could be used to accomplish this feat.  You do not have the luxury to decide whether this person is joking or not.  I know that another major requirement is to insure the safety of each and every prisoner.  Bradley Manning is a military person and if you know anything about the mind of a military person you know that even though we can make huge mistakes in judgment, one thing we all share is the love of country.  We will not stand by and tolerate anyone who risks the welfare of our nation or the lives of our fellow military members.  This is what many military members feel that happened when Mr. Manning was apprehended for revealing or selling those secrets to WikiLeaks.

His safety is at risk and Mr. Ratigan or even one of his guests should be presented with as much flare and bravado as the comment about President Obama getting away with things because he was black.  To allow Private Manning free reign and around the general population is a death sentence and his safety is in jeopardy.  Would those who claim he is being treated inhumanly feel better if he was found dead in his cell or in the yard?  What would they cry about then?

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