Ray McGovern and the Sam Adams party have presented the Sam Adams award to Edward Snowden. I am delighted. This from Ray’s account of the event:
In brief remarks from his visitors, Snowden was reassured — first and foremost — that he need no longer be worried that nothing significant would happen as a result of his decision to risk his future by revealing documentary proof that the U.S. government was playing fast and loose with the Constitutional rights of Americans.
Even amid the government shutdown, Establishment Washington and the normally docile “mainstream media” have not been able to deflect attention from the intrusive eavesdropping that makes a mockery of the Fourth Amendment. Even Congress is showing signs of awaking from its torpor.
In the somnolent Senate, a few hardy souls have gone so far as to express displeasure at having been lied to by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and NSA Director Keith Alexander — Clapper having formally apologized for telling the Senate Intelligence Committee eavesdropping-related things that were, in his words, “clearly erroneous” and Alexander having told now-discredited whoppers about the effectiveness of NSA’s intrusive and unconstitutional methods in combating terrorism.
Coleen Rowley, the first winner of the Sam Adams Award (2002), cited some little-known history to remind Snowden that he is in good company as a whistleblower — and not only because of previous Sam Adams honorees. She noted that in 1773, Benjamin Franklin leaked confidential information by releasing letters written by then-Lt. Governor of Massachusetts Thomas Hutchinson to Thomas Whatley, an assistant to the British Prime Minister.
The letters suggested that it was impossible for the colonists to enjoy the same rights as subjects living in England and that “an abridgement of what are called English liberties” might be necessary. The content of the letters was so damaging to the British government that Benjamin Franklin was dismissed as colonial Postmaster General and had to endure an hour-long censure from British Solicitor General Alexander Wedderburn.
There has been a determined attempt by government to justify the need to intercept everybody’s communications, all the time. We have, yet again, had MI5 claim there are many thousand violent Islamic terrorists running around the UK, (yet somehow not managing to kill anybody). The cry of “paedophiles” is raised, as always. I can imagine them suggesting the entire population be shot dead, and justifying it as making sure they get the paedophiles. The tabloids would go with that.
There still had not been a single credible claim by the mainstream media that any named individual has died, despite that contingency being trotted out all the time as the reason Snowden and Manning should not have revealed state crimes and abuse of power. I am hopeful that, with the internet still largely free to the dissemination of information, out next massive whistleblower is only weeks away.
@ Nevermind
“I agree with oddie that those who profess that they are our representatives in Parliament, activeley split their loyaties 60/40 in favour of Israel, a non EU country and rogue state in more than one sense, they all should be held responsible for their actions.
They do not need any specific atire, their actins speak for themselves as they are not in the in terest of our British foreign policy but soome concocted dream induced by some very nationalistic zionists who misuse their power, relationships and money to divert our interest to suit their needs.”
________________
Thank you for pointing out my mistake, and apologies.
You see, when Oddie posted about the Jewish faith of the new head of the FED, the number of Jewish Associate Justices on the Supreme Court and the Jewish friends of Associate Justice Sotomayor, I mistakenly assumed he was talking about the FED, the Supreme Court and AJ Sotomayor, and it was most remiss of me not to have realised that he was, in fact, talking about “those who profess that they are our representatives in Parliament, actively split their loyaties 60/40 in favour of Israel”, ie, British Members of Parliament.
I’m glad to read that you wouldn’t favor making them wear a distinctive sign, though, but I’m puzzled by an apparent contradiction with what you wrote about Richard Branson, viz “Why only prominant Jews Anon, you filth stirer?, and why not include the have’s, all those scroungers who hate Britain so much that they flee to tax havens, show how much social responsibility they really have.” Most grateful if you would be kind enough to clarify.
********************
Always look on the bright side of life!
At first I considered a response, but your contributions are zilch here, so why should I; finally, and most important, its sunday and I shall take the rest of the evening off.
More on the Royal Mail privatisation.
A right royal rip-off – What the Royal Mail privatisation tells us about modern Britain
http://rt.com/op-edge/uk-royal-mail-privatization-destruction-073/
I have mentioned the property portfolio before. Some further details here.
And while we are on the subject of ‘royal’ matters. here’s a good one from Heathcote Williams for Sunday night. There’s nothing on the box!
How Queen Elizabeth II profits from the arms trade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOFm6a8LytU&feature=youtu.be
Nevermind
13 Oct, 2013 – 2:37 pm
“Its all about information flows and who infroms us, Villager, do you think that public who does little care about politics, because they are turned off, are as educated on Craigs principled stance and court vindication, as you and I are?”
You did fine up to this point, Nevermind and we could agree on this.
But then you turned to animus and came up with what Mary would call playground stuff.
My point remains:
Craig already stands vindicated and has paid an unfortunate price. Period. Whether the whole world has ‘seen’ that and recognised, or only some of us have, is another point. They are two different things. Ask Craig, I don’t think he’ll tell you that he’s waiting around looking to be vindicated “eventually”. If you insist on “eventually”, you had better define the ‘events’ you are waiting upon to occur.
And try not to bristle and get nasty without provocation.
“And try not to bristle and get nasty without provocation.”
About me or my good friend, Habby. Important, but small, afterthought. I hope you don’t mind, Nevermind.
Our posts crossed Habby as i hadn’t refreshed.
If only people here had a sense of humour as sharp as their need to abuse.
Any offerings anyone on this quiet Sunday evening? Will check back after dinner.
GCHQ accused of monitoring privileged emails between lawyers and clients
Allegation relates to eight Libyan nationals and comes in wake of Guardian’s revelations about GCHQ and Tempora programme
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/13/gchq-accused-monitoring-privileged-emails-lawyer-client-libya
‘The eight Libyans, members of two families now living in the country’s capital, Tripoli, say they were victims of rendition. They claim they were kidnapped by MI6 and US intelligence agencies, forcibly returned to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and tortured. At that time, in 2004, when Gaddafi relinquished his nuclear weapons programme, intelligence relations between Tripoli, London and Washington were close.
A landmark legal action between Abdel Belhaj, 47, and the UK government is due to be heard at the high court shortly to resolve the kidnap and torture allegations.’
No words.
@oddie
The Jewish Daily Forward is member of Israel Hasbara Committee. Yellen maybe the first Jewish woman to head the criminal Federal Reserve – but she ill be the 11th Jew to head the Federal Reserve.
http://rehmat1.com/2013/10/10/yellen-and-the-den-of-thieves/
An attempt by Branson to justify his move to Necker Island in the Caribbean.
Sir Richard Branson Defends Farewell To Britain
One of Britain’s richest men is heading for the Caribbean, but he denies claims he is moving to avoid the taxman.
http://news.sky.com/story/1153779/sir-richard-branson-defends-farewell-to-britain
We can all go there to stay. $60,000 for 30 people per night!!! Sounds ideal for the royal hangers-on like the Middletons and their mates. I expect they would get a better rate.
http://www.neckerisland.virgin.com/resources/pdfs/necker_island/how_to_book/exclusive_use/NeckerIslandinformationforguests2013-2014.pdf
~~~
Here he criticizes Julian Assange’s actions by saying that he went too far. How dare he!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjZLNH1Ka64&feature=player_embedded
Another whistleblower, Karen Hudes whom I like the sound of. She blew the whistle on a World Bank cover up of corruption in a deal in the Phillipines. She was reprimanded and fired
http://kahudes.net/about-us/
Here she is in a video.
Time to Tell these Crooks they’re Fired – Karen Hudes
28 August 2013 210 Comments
Karen Hudes World Bank Whistleblower
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
World Bank attorney Karen Hudes says she is one of a group of global whistleblowers. Hudes contends, “We’re running out of time. It’s time to tell these thugs and crooks that they’re fired.” Hudes goes on to say, “We don’t have to wait for anybody to fire the Fed or Bank for International Settlements . . . some states have already started to recognize silver and gold, the precious metals, as currency . . . there are other alternatives like Bitcoin . . . We, the consumer, can choose which currency to use, and that’s what we’re going to do in very short order.” What’s really going on in Syria? Hudes, who was Senior Counsel and worked at the World Bank for 20 years, charges, “Qatar, who has all this natural gas, wanted to run a natural gas pipeline through Syria to reach the European market. Who’s supplying the European market with gas? Russia. . . . All this business about dead babies and sarin gas is just all to keep us confused.” Hudes says this is not a fight about money but survival of the planet. “We’re dealing with whether we can continue as humanity and have an earth or whether we blow ourselves up. . . . whether we love each other enough to save the world, or we all go to hell in a hand basket,” says Hudes. Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with World Bank whistleblower Karen Hudes.
http://usawatchdog.com/time-to-tell-these-crooks-theyre-fired-karen-hudes/
Johnny Cash lives!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzfrOA9Valo
How history is writ:
http://nypost.com/2013/10/13/crew-members-deny-captain-phillips-heroism/
“I also expressed my concerns that drone attacks are fuelling terrorism. Innocent victims are killed in these acts, and they lead to resentment among the Pakistani people.”
But drone attacks, often using the ‘double tap’ technique to kill responders and those helping the victims of the first attack, are not ‘fuelling terrorism’ they are terrorism.
The vast majority of those targetted are unarmed. They have also been used to target entire villages. Calling the internationally recognised legitimate right to resist armed attacks and occupation “terrorism” merely supports the US narrative.
The Taliban/Pashtuns/Mujhahadeen may be intolerent religous nutcases or merely people fighting for their lands, just as they did under Soviet occupation when they were publicly honoured by President Reagan, but to suggest they are ‘terrorists’ is a nonsense.
As harsh and hard as the Pashtun fighters are they are not in the business of killing civilians in order to further a political agenda like the US (or even shooting little girls in the head to stop them going to school), they are fighting a foriegn army that has attempted to take control of their land. Even Karzai and Hussain recognise this, which is why the US consistently scuppers any reproachment and talks that both have made, often by attacking such meetings between them and government officials with said drones.
“As harsh and hard as the Pashtun fighters are they are not in the business of killing civilians in order to further a political agenda like the US …”
Really Emmpey?! Then who is setting off those bombs every Friday in Pakistan in the local mosques, churches and markets, killing thousands?
As for, ” Even Karzai and Hussain recognise this, which is why the US consistently scuppers any reproachment and talks that both have made, often by attacking such meetings between them and government officials with said drones.”
Any sources for the alleged drone attacks at such ‘meetings’, please.
Emmpey
“But drone attacks, often using the ‘double tap’ technique to kill responders and those helping the victims of the first attack, are not ‘fuelling terrorism’ they are terrorism.”
Spot on…
According to UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Christof Heyns, “secondary strikes on rescuers who are helping (the injured) after an initial drone attack, those further attacks are a war crime.” Clive Stafford-Smith, the lawyer who heads the Anglo-US legal charity Reprieve, believes that such strikes “are like attacking the Red Cross on the battlefield. It’s not legitimate to attack anyone who is not a combatant.”
A study, from Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Institute. finds that the number of Pakistani civilians killed in drone strikes are “significantly and consistently underestimated” and that as many as 98% of those killed by drone strikes are civilians.
http://web.law.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/microsites/human-rights-institute/COLUMBIACountingDronesFinalNotEmbargo.pdf
Predator Drone ‘Double-Taps’ Highlight Possible War Crimes By Obama
http://www.policymic.com/articles/21070/predator-drone-double-taps-highlight-possible-war-crimes-by-obama
Now, Here’s a Great idea –
China’s official news agency has called for the creation of a “de-Americanised world”, saying the destinies of people should not be left in the hands of a hypocritical nation with a dysfunctional government.
Heaping criticism and caustic ridicule on Washington, the Xinhua news agency called the US a civilian slayer, prisoner torturer and meddler in others’ affairs, and said the ‘Pax Americana’ was a failure on all fronts.
http://www.hangthebankers.com/china-calls-for-world-to-de-americanise/
Chinese view of American debt stalemate.
http://www.hangthebankers.com/china-calls-for-world-to-de-americanise/
I thought Habbabkuk was asked to leave??
I wish they/he/she had stayed away really.Nothing but disruption and stalking on Mary.Always thought it exremely sinister,as well as the other 7 hasbara tag team that infest us here.
Nevermind, Mary,..
VATERSAY Post Office… Just thought yous would smile at this ( my own Foto BTW )
Fuck….
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3478742544696&set=a.1130750806370.14937.1755249549&type=1&theater
Reinforcing Andrew Parker’s message about ‘thousands of terrorists’ in this country?
Four arrested in London terror raids
Eyewitness: “It looked like there was a great deal of planning”
Four men have been arrested in London in a counter-terrorism operation, the Metropolitan Police have said.
Scotland Yard said they were held under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Armed officers were involved in the arrests, which took place on Sunday at around 19:10 BST in the Whitechapel, Bayswater and Peckham areas.
/..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24515154
Brian LOL What a sweet little hut. You mean it is still there and hasn’t been closed down?
We shall see how TNT, DHL and the rest of the vultures deal with their promise to stick to universal delivery of the mail.
‘Universal Service Obligation
Ofcom is the postal services regulator. It is responsible for safeguarding the one price goes anywhere, affordable postal service to all UK addresses.
This includes ensuring that an efficient provider of the Universal Service can make a reasonable commercial rate of return on its Universal Service activities.
Reforms introduced in 2011 and 2012 ensure that Royal Mail is the designated provider of the Universal Service until at least 2021 (10 years from the passing of the Postal Services Act 2011).’
/..
http://www.royalmailgroup.com/about-us/regulation/how-were-regulated/universal-service-obligation
Eventually people living in Vatersay in Barra in the Outer Hebrides will probably have to collect their own mail from the mainland. I see a get out clause in the second sentence above and we know how efficient OFCOM are, for example in not dealing with nuisance telephone calls and the like.
I am getting about six of them a day – solar panels, PPI, green energy, carpet cleaning etc and even had a silent one at 1pm yesterday! I am on the Telephone Preference Service. Useless.
I see the ubiquitous Ms Colette Bowe is still i/c at OFCOM.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/how-ofcom-is-run/ofcom-board-2/members/colette-bowe-2/
She is leaving next March.
The usual:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/how-ofcom-is-run/ofcom-board-2/members/register-of-disclosable-interests/
Look at McTighe there. 10 chairmanships/Directorships!! and Bowe and 7 others.
A tale of IDF member Eden Abergil and her monstrous Facebook posts. Note Aluf Benn’s contribution. He is the editor in chief of Ha’aretz which outraged Gideon Levy one of Ha’aretz’s rational journalists. I heard him speak in London a few years ago.
For Israeli soldiers, social media has become a showcase of horrors
They have posted wildly offensive text and imagery online
By Max Blumenthal
Sunday, Oct 13, 2013
http://www.salon.com/2013/10/13/for_israeli_soldiers_social_media_has_become_a_gallery_of_horrors/
… whose comments outraged Gideon Levy…..
Another little wheeze of Branson’s. Reading the reports yesterday, one was led to believe that he had sold up his Oxfordshire estate to live in the Caribbean. Yes he did sell it – to his children. Ownership was transferred to them some years back!!
‘Land registry filings show Branson’s Oxfordshire home was bought in August last year for £1.35m, a sum estimated below its market value, by his children Sam and Holly, although it is understood ownership was actually transferred to them four or five years ago.’
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/13/richard-branson-tax-exile-virgin
Thanks for the picture Brian, I suppose when pensioon day comes a bunch of merry OAP’s will be queuing up at the ‘post box’.
Goood point Mary, with privateers taking over the massive RM pension fund soon for ‘restructuring’, the postal deliveries to the Scottish islands might be scaled down to a weekly drop from a helicopter.
Oh what a bristlin’ mornin here in Narfuk.
“Really Emmpey?! Then who is setting off those bombs every Friday in Pakistan in the local mosques, churches and markets, killing thousands?”
Gosh, really? Basra? SAS? Caught in the act. Iraq, stay behind US contractors, caught in the act. The same is true in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These are acts created to justify the on going fight against the ‘terrorism’ that they create. Even a fool can see that – but you are no fool.
Whenever there is a military objective of the US the first thing that happens is ‘terrorists’ start blowing things up, thereby giving justification to US pre-planned action in the name of fighting the terrorists, it’s called a casus belli, and is required for the media narrative which provides the cover story for a war of agression and conquest.
I suggest if your are genuinely interested then rather than asking to be spoon fed ‘sources’ you do some research of your own and start engaging logic, reason and historical precedents.
There is absolutely no doubt that the US destroys any attempts made by the Afghan or Pakistani governments to talk to the Taleban, the direct attacks on such meetings are often reported as a ‘wedding’ or ‘family get together’ being mistakenly attacked and is again merely the cover provided by the corporate media.
E.g. This appeared last week after one of those ‘Navy Seals’ (presumably not the same ones who killed a non existant Osama Bin Laden and then mysteriously all died in various helicopter crashes and parachute accidents) operations where they kidnapped this guy, who is no doubt now being tortured, and in the process a number of Afghan security forces were killed.
“US forces detained Taliban commander Latif Mehsud, the US State Department said Friday, an announcement that has reportedly infuriated Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who hoped to use Mehsud as interlocutor for peace talks.”
If you read this ‘story’ on different media outlets they all make glaring mistakes and contradict each other, i.e. they are making it up as they go along.
The US justification for such an operation is the claim that he was involved in the NY times sq. bomb? You know that ‘terrorist car bomb’ where there was no bomb, but a smoking gas bottle was found on the back seat of a car. The only difference is that in Pakistan or Afghanistan they use real car bombs and not staged props.
No, his real crime was that he was negotiating and not killing, if he had been blowing people up they would have been perfectly happy to have him hanging around – doing their job for them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Times_Square_car_bombing_attempt
That US ‘justification’ for taking out Latif Mehsud in full. Fire-crackers is what constitutes the “NY Times Square Car Bomb” which, according to the media, is an international terorist crime conducted by a vast network of highly trained cells operating with ruthless determination to attack the US and its freedoms.
The gibbering of trolls is deafening today. Dreoilin – I blame you, for posting this:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/10/arafat-poisoning-claim-backed-journal-2013101215735508974.html
The British The Lancet journal has published a peer review of last year’s research by Swiss scientists on Arafat’s personal effects.
It endorsed their work, which found high levels of the highly radioactive element in blood, urine, and saliva stains on the Palestinian leader’s clothes and toothbrush.
Congratulations! Three consecutive posts by Anon and one from ResDiss followed, none of them relevant.
But that’s off topic, like just about everything else here.
Mary doesn’t seem to have noticed that our (UK) spooks tried to intimidate the New York Times into handing over Snowden material. However, freedom of speech is better defended in the US than here, and the editor said no.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/13/new-york-times-snowden-nsa-files
Abramson said the spectacle of angle grinders and drills being used to destroy evidence in a newspaper basement was hard to conceive in the US, where the First Amendment offers free speech guarantees. “I can’t imagine that. The only equivalent I can think of is years ago when the New York Times was enjoined by a lower court from publishing the Pentagon papers, but the supreme court came in and overruled that decision. Prior restraint is pretty much unthinkable to me in this country.”
That’s where we’ve got to. Stasi country. And all for you, USA.
Breaking news
While;
Israel freezes building materials to Gaza
Medieval system, medieval thinking, medieval methods; total siege continues.