[Sustain] Fwd: SF Pride Afraid of the Pentagon?

[Don Eichelberger]

This is pretty egregious action on the part of SF Pride to denigrate 
Bradley Manning in favor of a "support gays in the military" attitude 
against peace.

Bradley's actions should be supported by everyone who cares about truth 
in government.

Don


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	SF Pride Afraid of the Pentagon?
Date: 	Fri, 3 May 2013 14:02:57 -0400
From: 	Brian Sonenstein, Firedoglake.com <act at firedoglake.com>
Reply-To: 	act at firedoglake.com
To: 	Don Eichelberger <done7777 at sbcglobal.net>



Firedoglake.com

<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/3892515793/VEsH/>

Show your support for Bradley Manning at SF Pride 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/3892515793/VEsE/>

Dear Don,

Do you think honoring Pfc. Bradley Manning would be an "insult to every 
one [sic], gay and straight, who has ever served in the military of this 
country?"

San Francisco Pride board president Lisa Williams thinks so, and wrote 
that they were rescinding Manning's nomination as a Grand Marshal at 
this year's parade because his actions "placed in harms [sic] way the 
lives of our men and women in uniform --- and countless others, military 
and civilian alike..."^1

SF Pride may honor whomever they wish, but to denigrate Bradley and 
extinguish the voices of anti-war members of the LGBT community at the 
event is despicable. *If you're going to be at the SF Pride parade on 
June 30th, can you please consider wearing a Bradley t-shirt or carrying 
a sign to support him?*

Click here to let us know you're attending the SF Pride parade on June 
30th and plan to show your support for Pfc. Bradley Manning. 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/3892515793/VEsF/>

The mere possibility that they would appear to oppose the Pentagon 
motivated SF Pride's leadership to override the normal voting process 
just to exclude Bradley Manning.^2 Once an homage to impiety, 
counterculture and dissent, SF Pride appears to have morphed into a 
place for Democratic Party loyalists and other Very Serious People to 
safely celebrate while taking great pains not to offend the masters of war.

What Ms. Williams fails to mention is that SF Pride's major sponsors are 
exempt from these same standards.^3 Take sponsors Bank of America and 
Wells Fargo for example, whose orgy of illegal foreclosures kicked 
thousands of innocent veterans (and countless other Americans) out of 
their homes, inflicting far more harm than Bradley's truth-telling.

Sponsors also include Clear Channel, home to virulent anti-gay voices 
like Rush Limbaugh, and AT&T, which assisted government agencies in 
illegally wiretapping Americans for years. Somehow, Bradley Manning's 
good faith disclosures exposing the ugly machinations of US war policy 
make him an un-American traitor --- not the global theft and fraud 
scheme perpetrated by money hungry corporations that have actually 
destroyed innocent American lives.

The hypocrisy and complete disregard for facts on display should not go 
unchallenged. Ms. Williams writes that Manning supporters have the 
"first amendment right to show up, participate and voice their opinions 
at Pride." Let's show her we're not afraid to and mobilize as many Bay 
Area Bradley Manning supporters to show solidarity with the 
whistleblower at this year's SF Pride Parade.

Click here to let us know you're attending the SF Pride parade on June 
30th in solidarity with Bradley Manning. 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f7/3892515793/VEsC/>

In solidarity,

Brian Sonenstein
Campaign Director,
Firedoglake.com

Sources:
1. SF Pride President Capitulates to Military Groups, Announces Bradley 
Manning Won't Be Honored 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f4/3892515793/VEsD/>, 
Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 4/27/2013.
2. Former San Francisco Pride Grand Marshal Who Nominated Bradley 
Manning Details Board's Capitulation 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741f5/3892515793/VEsA/>, 
Kevin Gosztola, The Dissenter, 4/29/2013.
3. Bradley Manning is off limits at SF Gay Pride parade, but corporate 
sleaze is embraced 
<http://action.firedoglake.com/page/m/5958d0eb/459a3402/62f309f1/3dc741ea/3892515793/VEsB/>, 
Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian, 4/27/2013.

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