R.E.M. Members Create ‘Hugs for Chelsea’ Manning Initiative

This is insane.  The members of R.E.M. have come out and created a “Hugs for Chelsea” album that 39 musicians have agreed to perform on…  and give the proceeds to American traitor Chelsea Manning.   Chelsea, as you may remember, used to be known as Bradley.  Here’s what he did:

Bradley Manning was no ordinary “leaker.” When he dumped hundreds of thousands of military and diplomatic secrets into the public domain, he violated every single tenet of the warrior ethos. He abandoned the mission. He “accepted” defeat and, through his data dumps, worked to facilitate it. He quit on his comrades, acting with utter, callous disregard for their lives. His message to his unit and to his nation was clear: He would disobey lawful orders and risk killing his comrades to, in his words, stimulate “worldwide discussions, debates, and reforms.”

But the R.E.M. guys are trying to paint him as some sort of hero.  Michael Stipe recorded a PSA on his iPhone:

Over at Truth Revolt, they have more:

In the album notes, R.E.M.’s Graham Nash writes, “[Chelsea Manning] is very brave and what she did was show some truth to the American people about what the government was doing in our name. God bless her.”  R.E.M.’s Tom Morello (who supports Cuba’s communist leadership) chimed in, “Chelsea, thank you for your bravery. You’re a true American hero and an inspiration. Welcome home.”

Here’s what the album looks like:

This is a shame.  Not only should President Obama be ashamed of this toxic act, the musicians should be shamed by their supposed “benevolence.”  Chelsea Manning should be in prison, not celebrated.

Image Credit: YouTube Screen grab