Please join us for an evening to support Bradley Manning, the Army whistleblower who released thousands of military and embassy documents and media to Wikileaks, exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is part of a nationwide campaign for Bradley Manning Support Network, http://www.bradleymanning.org/dinner
Your host is Gerri Haynes, 104 7th Ave, Kirkland. Tuesday, Sep. 6th at 7:00pm. The Kirkland-Seattle bus 255 has a stop 200 feet from this location.
(MAP)
Manning, Wikleaks, and Julian Assange did THE most important releases of government secrets since The Pentagon Papers. America eventually came to a broad consensus that Daniel Ellsberg did the right thing. Understand the tensions and contradictions between our need for openness and accountability, and the tactical advantage gained by military and other agencies by secrecy. Understand the tension between having a rule of law, and moral conscience when it goes astray.
Randy Rowland will give us some discussion. He is uniquely qualified, a former GI resister, someone freed by a "free the Presidio 27" campaign, and as a media activist. The 1968 Presidio mutiny against the Vietnam War was featured in the documentary Sir No Sir:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4045645915938136883
He has produced and distributed antiwar papers on the bases, and other alternative media since 1968, including countless radio, TV, and print productions and web content. As cofounder of Indymedia and Pepperspray Collective Randy changed history. Some archives are here.
http://blip.tv/pepperspray-productions-indymedia-presents-
JIM PAGE WILL SING!
Please drop us a note if you're coming!
Todd
Quoted material follows.
Join people around the world for an evening of dining and discourse about the importance of supporting accused whistleblower PFC Bradley Manning, the weekend of September 9th and 10th. [Sept. 6 in Kirkland]
Be a host:
Hosting a dinner party can be a simple and fun way to raise awareness and funds for the Bradley Manning Defense Fund. Friendly conversation over dinner is a great opportunity to reach out to connections who might not already know about Bradley Manning’s plight.
To sign-up to be a host, set a fund-raising goal below. This is the amount that you are hoping your guests can contribute. We’ll provide you with tips and suggestions, and a brief video featuring an appeal that will explain the urgency of supporting Bradley’s defense fund–so you don’t need to worry about making the pitch by yourself!
Feel free to be creative with your party. Maybe a BBQ or an after dinner gathering would work better for your circle of friends. If September 9 or 10 doesn’t work for you, set a date that does.
Bradley Manning Support Network
The Bradley Manning Support Network is powered by people around the world volunteering countless hours to educating their communities about what is at stake regarding Bradley’s upcoming military court martial proceedings: Truth and accountability vs. a culture of secrecy and fear.
While our network is people-driven, a campaign of this magnitude is not without significant financial expenses. These costs include: fully funding Bradley’s selected civilian legal team, producing and internationally distributing campaign materials, contractors for media and technical work, and a minimal staff to facilitate grassroots action. Now that appears the military will drag out the prosecution of Bradley over the next nine months or so, we need to ensure that we continue to build our campaign as to give Bradley a fighting chance for justice.
How it works:
After pledging your goal (above), the first thing you should do is download our online invitation and fill in the sections for Host, Date, Time, Location, RSVP information, and Additional info like parking logistics, etc. Then you can attach it in e-mails to your invitees.
You’ll be sent a confirmation e-mail with a password, and a few suggested recipes. You’ll need the password to view a special video on the day of your fundraiser. You may preview the video before sharing it with your guests, but please do not share the password with others.
Aim to have at least twice as many RSVPs as people you hope to have at your party, because it’s common for some expected attendees to cancel for unforeseen reasons. You can choose to invite community members, or limit the dinner to a small gathering of family and friends. If you wish to expand your invite list, consider doing outreach to local organizations with similar missions, putting up flyers with event and RSVP information in coffee shops and other public places, and posting event information on websites that offer public calendars.
The donations:
Please have your guests donate by check or money order, payable to our sponsor, “Courage to Resist.” Note “Bradley Manning Defense” on the memo line.
All funds raised should be mailed to:
Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave #41
Oakland CA 94610.
Your tax-deductible donation made here to Courage to Resist / AfGJ, in collaboration with the Bradley Manning Support Network, will be earmarked for the defense of Army Pfc Bradley E Manning.
Courage to Resist is a program of the Alliance for Global Justice (AfGJ), a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
We are at an important crossroads. In a couple months, we expect the prosecution of Bradley Manning to begin in earnest with his first pre-trial hearing.
Hosting a dinner party can be a simple and fun way to raise awareness and funds for the Bradley Manning Defense Fund. Friendly conversation over dinner is a great opportunity to reach out to connections who might not already know about Bradley Manning's plight.
The Bradley Manning Support Network is powered by people around the world volunteering countless hours to educating their communities about what is at stake regarding Bradley's upcoming military court martial proceedings: Truth and accountability vs. a culture of secrecy and fear.
While our network is people-driven, a campaign of this magnitude is not without significant financial expenses. These costs include: fully funding Bradley's selected civilian legal team, producing and internationally distributing campaign materials, contractors for media and technical work, and a minimal staff to facilitate grassroots action. Now that appears the military will drag out the prosecution of Bradley over the next nine months or so, we need to ensure that we continue to build our campaign as to give Bradley a fighting chance for justice.
