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Law Professor Francis Boyle says US government lawlessness demands civil resistance. It's lawful, necessary, and right. "US government officials are the outlaws," he says. Doing the right thing requires challenging them.
Law Professor Marjorie Cohn calls Manning's heroism "uncommon courage." He did what he had to do because it's right. He spoke for the second time publicly. More on that below. His own words confirm "a very brave young man."
Center for Constitutional Rights President Emeritus Michael Ratner calls Manning's court martial a "show trial of state secrecy."
The public's right to know is denied. Evidence is kept secret. Transparency is spurned. So is accountability. Court documents, orders, and off-the record arguments will decide Manning's fate.
Ratner attends his hearings. He calls them the "theater of the absurd." They involve lengthy off-the-record conferences. They're secretive and suppressed. An in-court summary conceals what's most important to explain.
A pre-trial publicity order details what lawyers may or may not say. "Even the degree to which proceedings (are) kept secret is secret."
Doing so reflects Plato's Cave. People lived chained to a wall. It was blank. They remained there all their lives. Shadows replaced reality. The public's right to know reflects allegorical injustice.
Denying transparency violates constitutional and statute law. The Supreme Court ruled criminal trials must be public. Democracies die behind closed doors.
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