January 23, 2011

A Visit To Quantico

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Earlier today Jane Hamsher and David House visited the Quantico Marine Corps Base to visit accused WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning and deliver a petition protesting the conditions of his confinement. David House is on Quantico’s visitation list, and both he and Jane have been there before. Before today’s visit, Jane called the base to let them know she was coming. Apparently that was a mistake. Here are excerpts from her live Twitter feed of the visit:

At Quantico w @DavidMHouse to deliver 42,000 sigs 4 Bradley Maning to brig. Holding us at gate, never happened before

Demanding my social security number before they’ll let me on Quantico base, but won’t say why. Never happened before.

Quantico guards say I’ll be arrested if I go to McDonalds while @davidmhouse visits Manning. “That privilege has been withdrawn.”

Now been here at Quantico gate for 30 min. Will not let us leave base, holding us.

Gunny Foster Military Police #1715 writing me ticket for not hving latest insurance card. Sorry to 42,000 people who signed Manning petition

Can’t leave base, can’t go 2 brig, can’t get my driver’s license, Gunt Foster threatening 2 arrest us. Haven’t done a thing.

The guards absolutely knew we were coming @auerfeld & told to harass us. “This was what I was told to do” said Gunny Foster.

We’ve been coming 2 Quantico 4 months @chrisvcb, @DavidMHouse has official permission 2 visit Bradley Manning,

Gunny Foster towing my car bc they won’t accept my electronic proof of insurance, demanding paper.

Forcing @DavidMHouse 2 go 2 court. Wouldn’t give ticket, gave him a summons 2 appear in court.

Military police searching & impounding my car. Won’t let @DavidMHouse on 2 see Bradley Manning, won’t say why.

It’s 28 degrees, forcing us 2 stand outside.

Still holding us, my car on tow truck but Quantico guards still won’t let us leave.

For whatever reason, Quantico Marine brass don’t want Manning 2 have visitor now. Isolation & enforcement of solitary confinement complete.

Marines now say House can’t walk to see [Manning] but can go off base, get a cab & come back on. But visitation over at 3pm.

Tow truck driver says we also have to pay 4 time he had 2 wait for Quantico marines 2 release us: $300.

Quantico Marine brass showed up PERSONALLY 2 make sure @DavidMHouse never got 2 see Manning. Next visiting period: next week.

Quantico top brass made sure we were held until visiting hours were over & impossible 4 @DavidMHouse 2 see Manning. Message clear.

They have let me on Quantico base every time @dtfrannyb, & I went where they told me to & complied w all requests. Never been a problem

A “statement of events” written afterward is here. This doesn’t appear to be a shining moment for either our government or our military forces.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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