It can be so difficult to get people to think about systemic institutional problems. It is easier just to see the actions of one or two people and say, "That's wrong!" Chelsea Manning More Quotes by Chelsea Manning More Quotes From Chelsea Manning I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan were targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather people who were struggling to live in the pressure cooker environment of what we call asymmetric warfare. Chelsea Manning military struggle war I want people to see the truth... regardless of who they are... Chelsea Manning decision truth people I think we can achieve meaningful change, but only if we demand that the institutions themselves change their behavior. Chelsea Manning demand meaningful thinking I prefer a painful truth over any blissful fantasy. Chelsea Manning painful-truth fantasy painful I regret if my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and a sense of duty to others. Chelsea Manning regret hurt country I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. Chelsea Manning childhood transition support There are just too many opportunities - and an increasing number of them - to hide systemic, institutional wrongdoing behind legal veils, legal theories, and arbitrary exemptions. I hope that we can start to chip away at this, but it sure looks like society is still sliding in the opposite direction. Chelsea Manning opposites opportunity numbers Even if I didn't have the support that I have, I would still be fighting the same fights, and I would still be the same person that I am today. Chelsea Manning support fighting today Sometimes You Have to Pay a Heavy Price to Live in a Free Society Chelsea Manning heavy pay sometimes Anxiety, depression, and suicide don't discriminate based on how much money you have - though it might make it easier for you to get help. Chelsea Manning anxiety suicide might As Iraq erupts in civil war and America again contemplates intervention, that unfinished business should give new urgency to the question of how the United States military controlled the media coverage of its long involvement there and in Afghanistan. Chelsea Manning unfinished-business military war The press and free speech landscape has totally changed. There is far less news reporting today. Instead, we have this endless stream of - largely meaningless and speculative - analysis by sideline commentators and self-proclaimed "experts." Chelsea Manning landscape news self It's not my goal to be a leader or spokesperson, or anything like that. Chelsea Manning leader goal I think that some of today's focus on freedom of information and trans rights have a tendency to focus on the actions of individuals and how they should be regulated by governments. However, I think it's important to remember that it is the institutions themselves - schools, tax collection services, banks, human resources decisions, health departments, police departments, prosecutors, courts, and prisons - where the most devastating and systemic problems occur today. The scale of these problems is simply unimaginable. Chelsea Manning rights school thinking I think the increased ubiquity of the internet and networked computing in general allowed me to have some tether no matter where I was geographically. I could log in to a computer from anywhere in the world and access the same information and the same people. It allowed me to transcend the physical differences. Chelsea Manning ubiquity differences thinking I want people to see the truth. Chelsea Manning want people The sole relief I am asking for is to be released from military prison after serving six years of confinement as a person who did not intend to harm the interests of the United States or harm any service members. Chelsea Manning six military years If an organization produces a document, it should be made public as soon as possible. Chelsea Manning organization should made Disturbingly, the First Amendment, along with the Fourth Amendment - protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures, and requiring warrants - have been the major casualties of the shift in government policy in the last two decades. Unfortunately, I think that the biggest consequences of this tragedy won't be clear until it is far, far too late. Chelsea Manning government two thinking I think it's actually kind of sweet how there is a reciprocal effect that our stories can have on each other. Chelsea Manning stories sweet thinking
