Happy Birthday Hero

December 16, 2014 4:29 PM

Chelsea Manning turns 27 this week and some people have written to her.
Joe Sacco, Alan Moore, Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Terry Gilliam, Edward Snowden among others. It will be her 4th birthday in prison.
posted by adamvasco (22 comments total)

Happy birthday, Chelsea.
posted by wrapper at 4:41 PM on December 16, 2014 [8 favorites]

Wow. For some reason I didn't realize how young she was.

There was a mural in my neighborhood: "Bradly Manning / Hero." It would get defaced and then touched up periodically. When she came out as Chelsea, someone fixed her name, although the letters didn't quite fit, and kept it up again.

Not around anymore, but it was sweet.
posted by postcommunism at 4:59 PM on December 16, 2014 [6 favorites]

Anybody who argues Edward Snowden should come back only needs to look as far as this case.
posted by the jam at 5:02 PM on December 16, 2014 [18 favorites]

I wish we had more politicians like Birgitta Jonsdottir
posted by adamvasco at 5:32 PM on December 16, 2014 [3 favorites]

Happy birthday, Chelsea! I hope you read this one day!
posted by oceanjesse at 6:50 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

Chelsea’s “double agency” as covert intelligence officer and spy, as well as the overt duality of “man becoming woman”, is something that I felt needed to be captured and re-contextualised.

- Lupe Fiasco

Artist's statements are bad and now I feel bad.
posted by lumensimus at 7:03 PM on December 16, 2014 [10 favorites]

Shit, it's been four years. She's my age. Thinking about everything I've done in the past four years--how many houses I've lived in, jobs I've had, friends I've made and lost--while she's been in prison the entire time. It blows my mind and makes me so sad and furious.

Also, she's suing the department of defense for refusing to provide hormones in prison. Fuck those bastards, so hard.
posted by ActionPopulated at 8:02 PM on December 16, 2014 [5 favorites]

Artist's statements are bad and now I feel bad.

Lupe Fiasco is a very good rapper. I will say that. I won't say much else.
posted by cthuljew at 8:21 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]

I am a transgender woman and the government is denying my civil rights, by Chelsea herself.
posted by ActionPopulated at 8:51 PM on December 16, 2014 [4 favorites]

Edward Snowden best stay safe, I imagine the price on his head grows daily. He should never be lured by promise of safe return. I hope Obama, after looking at everything, gives Chelsea Manning a pardon.
posted by Oyéah at 9:06 PM on December 16, 2014

I don't know what to say. More and more the world and its events just leave me dumbfounded and speechless.

I'm an atheist, but I'm going to take this from some of the few church events I've been to because it somehow feels right: peace be with you, Chelsea.
posted by treepour at 10:27 PM on December 16, 2014 [2 favorites]

Don't let the bastards grind you down. The history books will look upon you much more kindly than your jailers.
posted by benzenedream at 1:31 AM on December 17, 2014 [3 favorites]

I don't know how it escaped me how young she was when it all happened. To have such courage and to risk her whole future to do what she felt was right is awesome in the literal sense. Some of the messages to her were really moving and I hope she gets to read them all.

From Alan Moore:
"the weight you’re carrying, you’re carrying for all of us. It is my possibly vain hope that you might somehow feel that multitude of extra shoulders, and in this cold season somehow feel the warmth of that enormous love."

I hope that too. Happy Birthday Chelsea.
posted by billiebee at 2:06 AM on December 17, 2014 [15 favorites]

This is so beautiful and moving. Thank you for posting.
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:19 AM on December 17, 2014

Actually teared up reading that. She's only months younger than I, and came out within a year or so of me, and to think that even given how hard a time I've had of getting access to treatment, I've had a bloody easy ride of transition by comparison is heartbreaking.
posted by Dysk at 3:55 AM on December 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

It would be nice if pardoning Manning could become issue in the next presidential election.
posted by Obscure Reference at 4:49 AM on December 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

I forgot and had to look up the sentence. 35 years. Aye aye aye aye aye aye aye.
posted by bukvich at 6:30 AM on December 17, 2014

Instructions on writing Chelsea Manning
posted by jeffburdges at 6:30 AM on December 17, 2014

Strict instructions. Why would a # or abbreviation in the street address be a problem?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:59 AM on December 17, 2014

I'd imagine they look for any excuse to throw away her mail.

Btw, FireDogLake mentioned Chris French an interesting case when discussing writing Chelsea Manning.
posted by jeffburdges at 10:24 AM on December 17, 2014

Wow, I had no idea she was only a few months younger than me, either. Hopefully someday Manning will be released and recognized as the person of courage she is, but it won't ever be possible to undo the wrong that's already been done to her.
posted by threeants at 6:46 PM on December 17, 2014

The Snowden Effect: Seasons Greetings From Your Friends At The NSA
posted by homunculus at 12:15 PM on December 26, 2014