The Respectability of Torture
St Mary’s University College, Thurs 1st August, 7.30pm
Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, was a whistleblower who was removed from his ambassadorial post by Tony Blair for exposing the Tashkent regime‟s use of rape and systematic torture, including the boiling to death of political opponents. He has also spoken out against Central Asia‟s appalling dictatorships, regimes which are allies of the West, involved in torture and rendition, and was accused of threatening MI6‟s relationship with the CIA. Now a human rights activist, author and broadcaster, he outlines the dynamics of torture and the hypocrisy of incriminated Western governments.
My first public appearance for a while will be in Belfast on 1 August where I shall be giving a talk. Long term readers of this blog will recall that, while my focus is largely on international affairs, the domestic political achievements I most hope to see are a united Ireland and an independent Scotland.
“Baggers get all their views from Fox and various hate-radio hosts, who would never dream of troubling them with the truth or awkward facts.”
Yes, well, they used to, Glenn. But at the place I visit, they’re now throwing shit at Fox too. They claim that they don’t trust any of the MSM as none of them are conservative enough and they don’t report enough ‘black on white crime’ (and they have labelled a bunch of Republicans “closet Democrats” – as if you could put a cigarette paper between the two parties). But they’re still quoting Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck.
I’ve read that
“Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year”
http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/cumulus-will-drop-limbaugh-hannity-en
and we’ll have to see what happens after that.
Maybe Beck will get a boost … Ben?
You’re not talking about C & L, Dreoilin, are you?
“scoff at dead children at sea”
Jemand, where was that?
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“But I had no idea that a warmer room significantly increases the likelihood of violence by individuals. Interestingly, it fits with the language of violence (steamed up etc).” — Phil
I’m probably more tetchy/short-tempered during hot weather. The discomfort can’t be avoided and this causes impatience and shortened tempers, IMO. I was born on a damp windy island and I live beside the sea, and I like things that way!
Did anybody watch the Panorama programme on the Tsarnaev brothers suspected of being the Boston bombers. I know we have come to expect bias from the BBC but Panorama used to have a passable reputation for balanced reporting. This was pure trial by media. There were no qualifying adjectives like ‘suspected’ or ‘alleged’. The guilt of the Tsarnaev brother still alive was accepted as fact despite him not having been brought to trial. It made no mention of the friend of Tsarnaev killed in his own flat by the FBI. It was so unbalanced it was not worth watching.
http://rt.com/news/todashev-head-shot-father-009/
There was no mention either of alternative theories like the security services did it, about which there are voluminous amounts of information on the web. People like Anon et al should watch this and start asking questions of what they consider to be an unbiased medium.
C & L Ben? Don’t know what that is.
I was talking about angrywhitedude.
crooks and liars–I thought you hit them on a bad day.
John; D-dawg has been talking like a magpie; removed all doubt and so everyone is satisfied.
No, Ben, but I’ll drop in there and have a look some day. I like to see what I consider to be the fringe-right are obsessing over. (Not that it changes much)
Calling Mary’s bluff on her leading-light engagement with the blog and vociferous contributions.
Mary screeches:“What a stinking rotten country I was born into. No wonder I hate it now.”
Suhayl calmly points out:
“The UK is certainly a deeply imperialist entity and so entities like Hakluyt are nothing new. I think you’ll find, however, that most countries engage in such covert arms-dealing operations; we are simply one of the biggest arms-manufacturers/dealers in the world. There’s no point hating the place you live in. To feel down about, and to oppose, certain aspects/power-structures/policies is one thing. But to hate the country in its entirety suggests something different.”
Pray tell us Mary, what is this something different that Suhayl might be alluding to? Lets hear it from the from the Resident Persistent Poster’s (who loves to hog-the-blog), horse’s mouth… Won’t you please help us put our finger on it?
hah! I see I gave a link to Crooks and Liars. I was looking for the story about Limbaugh and Hannity being dropped, and didn’t look properly at the source.
My very bad
[Mod/Jon: incessant pestering of another poster, removed]
Crooks and Liars is ok, but they just cross-post; not much original research. They are not obots, but if you would like to see the putative progressives who are try Balloon Juice and Lawyers, guns and money. Totally in the tank for Obama.
Fucking insanity, and the results of its commercialisation
What is the underlying driving force of this acceptable body dysmorphism?
Ben (Sage) Franklin asks from the USA :
“I should like to hear from the counter-intuitive, just how Gaza differs from the Warsaw Ghetto”
____________________
You may remember, Ben, that some of your fellow-Eminences tried on something similar not so long ago with “Gaza is a concentration camp”.
They were comprehensively owned and fled in confusion and dismay when confronted with some awkward things called facts and figures.
And now you’re trying it on with the Warsaw ghetto? And asking US to show that YOU are not a chump?
Go and have another smoke.
“……… from the USA ”
Is that code for your handlers? If they have to switch servers, it may cost you your bonuses, because performance must not be exceeded by budget.
“You can get something which flies, with an onboard camera, for less than £50. And without knowing an arms dealer, you can do a good bit better than that if you spend more.”
Just tape your mobile phone to a kite.
Villager, rather strangely, asks of Mary:
“Pray tell us Mary, what is this something different that Suhayl might be alluding to?”
That’s probably a question better asked of Suhayl.
I’m sure even Krish didn’t expect the reading of minds, well at least prior to the rapturous concrescence.
Et tu, habbe.
==============
“Panorama used to have a passable reputation for balanced reporting.”
Yeah, about 25 years ago.
Fred says, “Just tape your mobile phone to a kite.”
Not much point doing that with mine – it doesn’t take pictures. But for an old Nokia that was made for calls and texts, it does its job as well as the day it was made. No sneaky apps, no GPS spyware, minimal costs – the ideal mobile as far as I’m concerned.
“Not much point doing that with mine – it doesn’t take pictures.”
Tape somebody else’s mobile phone to a kite then.
Herbie, neighs in with a poor attempt to distract me and shield his leading-light. As i said i want to hear it from the horse’s mouth — or to be perfectly clear from the fillies mouth. Now be a good boy and go do your days study of Krish…stay with Channel 4. Thats what consumers like you were designed for.
Or if you’re not smoking something this evening read up Aldous Huxley on ‘Krish’:
http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/krishnamurti-teachings/view-text.php?tid=30&chid=385
“There was no mention either of alternative theories like the security services did it, about which there are voluminous amounts of information on the web.”
That’s because Panorama is a serious programme not given to wasting time on laughable conspiracy theories.
I note you use the term information rather than evidence. That as always is conspicuous by its absence.
“Just tape your mobile phone to a kite.”
If you want pictures of a seagull’s backside, I suppose 😉
SyrianGirl talks to a Syrian solder
“A Syrian soldier Sam talks to me about what he is believes he is fighting for. “We’re fighting for the whole world against Imperialism”, “AlQaeda is run by the US”, “this is not a sectarian war”. As well as updates on Aleppo and his experience in fighting in Qusayr.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VamufXxrdv0
Interesting discussion of a recent complaint over the BBC’s description of Jerusalem as an ‘Israeli city’
http://johnhilley.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/ruling-of-higher-authority-bbc-declare.html
The BBC in rejecting the complaint argued as follows:
“The advisor [Buckle] acknowledged that Israel’s sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem was not recognized under international law. However, she considered that Israel had de facto control over the entire city in a political, administrative and military sense. She also noted that Jerusalem was administered as a single entity by the Jerusalem municipal authority which made no distinction between East and West.”
I expect even habby might be embarrassed by that effort.
Villager, despite earlier correction, repeats
“As i said i want to hear it from the horse’s mouth”
That would be Suhayl, again.
Same as last time.
He said it.
Ask him.
Shooting boat people before they reach land can be construed as racist,, letting political asylum seekers fester on islands and disguising it as some sort of ecological experience is also rather shimmy.
But thanks god we have a far bigger bitch fight in Australia, The Rudd vs. Gillard, gosh you never thought a women can be harder that a man, by inches and by circumference, nor could you believe that Rudd has more than three braincells, without politics and a gullible public believing in the rubbish they are told, this man would be a weeping hobbo.
So, just as in Israel, past bad behaviour to the incomers has bad consequences for the indigenous population, does this not show that those rejected in the late 18th century here are merely doing to others as was done to themselves?
And, maybe, Jemand is just a product of his genes.
And now to Prem Rawat Maharishi, just to balance the wind chimes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1FCzDz8npY
“Susan Manning, who lives in Pembrokeshire in Wales, has health problems and has not seen her son since 2011. In a rare statement in the Mail on Sunday, she said: “I know I may never see you again but I know you will be free one day. I pray it is soon. I love you Bradley and I always will.”
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/04/bradley-manning-mother-statement-sentencing
He’s talking about her being something different — its only fair she explains. But you’re doing a good job as a loyal assistant in burying my post. Don’t worry i’m around in the morning and will raise the question again. Don’t forget to report to work on time!
Villager tries logic:
“He’s talking about her being something different — its only fair she explains.”
“If you want pictures of a seagull’s backside, I suppose ;)”
Not if you point the camera downwards.
It works, honest, a friend of mine did it and she got some great video of her croft from the air.
“It works, honest, a friend of mine did it and she got some great video of her croft from the air.”
I believe you Fred, but if we’re talking about covering a protest, and possible filming of police mis-behaviour etc, I don’t think it would do.
You couldn’t re-direct the camera to where the ‘action’ was, and come to think of it, you don’t have a lot of control over a kite either … it would all be a bit hit and miss.
Whoever said, “You can get something which flies, with an onboard camera, for less than £50″ — just tell us where. The world and his mother are going to be needing them shortly.