We, Civic Counsel, represent an emergent group of Boston-area students and professionals who, independent of political affiliation, are outraged by the US government's unlawful conduct regarding Bradley Manning and the ongoing WikiLeaks investigation.

We seek to protect the strength and value of our nation’s unalienable rights by challenging the ongoing government corrosion of the first and fourth amendments, and we view political transparency as fundamental to the cause of protecting these civil liberties from government interference in the future.

In pursuit of our civic duty to defend these rights, we aim to unite and empower citizens who, like ourselves, recognize the government’s ongoing harassment of WikiLeaks, its associates, and its supporters, and seek to act as a counterweight to the ongoing government persecution of human rights activists and journalists within our own borders.

In the course of the WikiLeaks investigation, we have watched our government degrade into one which holds alleged whistle-blowers in solitary confinement, which embroils legal advocates in politically-motivated investigations, and which disrupts lawful activist networks through the use of bribery and deception. We find these transgressions to be an affront to the ethical foundation of our nation’s government, and we intend this organization to be a line in the sand. Therefore, in the spirit of open government and transparency, our goals are to:

• promote awareness of the WikiLeaks trial within the government and in the public eye;
• foster communication and trust among the public to ensure the spread of credible, relevant information;
• empower citizens to form educated opinions, act autonomously, and take pride in their country's dealings.

Fight for truth. Protect your rights. Reboot Democracy.