Proudly wearing the Whistleblower Badge

Whistleblower Bradley Manning sentenced to 35yrs.
Photo courtesy Parick Semansky, AP 

The definition of a whistleblower is an individual who takes action to expose a wrongdoing within an organization in hopes of stopping it. A whistleblower is someone whose conscience and concern for those impacted by a wrongdoing, is more important than the ramifications they may personally suffer by exposing the information. Whistleblowers take personal risk to live according to their morals.

We have a choice in life; we either choose to live according to ethics and principals or we choose to brush some things under the carpet according to what benefits us, and live according to an agenda.

I was accused of whistleblowing after exposing Cleveland PD had removed kidnapping victim Michelle Knight from the FBI NCIC system only 15 months after her disappearance ten years ago and for the record, they removed her only 5 months after she vanished. Full Cleveland Plain Dealer article.

Michelle had fallen through the cracks and a decision I made because I felt if it could happen to one missing person, there were still over 85,000 others who it could happen to. As public servants we are accountable, and especially when lives are involved. The only way to improve is to acknowledge failures and take corrective action and the local, state and federal government have this obligation. As advocates, we have a responsibility to represent the victim, not pick and choose sides because it benefits our agenda. I will proudly wear the "Whistleblower" badge because I know I did the right thing . . . and we all should wonder what side of the fence my accusers stand.

Pvt. Bradley Manning also believes he did the right thing exposing our U.S. government's repeated human right's violations, negligence, and cover-ups of Afghan civilian deaths, corrupt officials, collusion with warlords, and a failing US/NATO war effort. Let's remember that violations of human rights apply to all humans. Using the threat to National Security is not a green card for the U.S. government to permit atrocities internationally or domestically.

Sentenced to 35 years in prison, this 25-year-old deserves the support of the people or - we can choose to support "war crimes" and brush Pvt. Manning under the carpet because we don't have the courage to live up to a moral obligation.

I choose to "Stand With Brad" and sign the petition to grant him clemency. What will you choose to do?

For more information about how you can help free Bradley Manning visit We Stand With Brad. 

Bradley Manning Support Network Advisory Board members:

• Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink: Women for Peace
• Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, board member for the National Whistleblower Center
• Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistle blower
• Kathleen Gilberd, co-chair of the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild
• Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and activist
• Robert Meeropol, executive director of the Rosenburg Fund for Children
• Michael Moore, documentary filmmaker
• Pete Perry, Veterans for Peace activist
• Andy Thayer, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Network
• Jose Vasquez, executive director of Iraq Veterans against the War
• US Army Colonel Ann Wright (ret.), former US State Department official

Bradley Manning Support Network Steering Committee members:

• Gerry Condon, national co-chair of the Veterans for Peace GI Resistance Working Group
• Bob Meola, member of War Resisters League National Committee
• Jeff Paterson, project director of Courage to Resist
• Loraine Reitman, privacy advocate
• Kevin Zeese, co-founder and executive director, Voters for Peace