The award is judged by a group of retired senior US military and intelligence personnel, and past winners. This year the award to Julian Assange was unanimous.
Previous winners and ceremony locations:
Coleen Rowley of the FBI; in Washington, D.C.
Katharine Gun of British intelligence; in Copenhagen, Denmark
Sibel Edmonds of the FBI; in Washington, D.C.
Craig Murray, former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan; in New York City
Sam Provance, former sergeant, U.S. Army, truth-teller about Abu Ghraib; in Washington, D.C.
Frank Grevil, major, Danish army intelligence, imprisoned for giving the Danish press documents showing that Denmark’s prime minister disregarded warnings that there was no authentic evidence of WMDs in Iraq; in Copenhagen, Denmark
Larry Wilkerson, colonel, U.S. Army (retired), former chief of staff to Secretary Colin Powell at the State Department, who has exposed what he called the “Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal”; in Washington, D.C.
http://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2010/08/15/can-wikileaks-help-save-lives/
Not sure yet where this year’s award ceremony will be held, but I’ll be there.
The fate of independent newspapers in the US is an interesting and terrible phenomenon. They have fallen one by one, to speculators who have bought them out and then, when they have control of them, impose the debt of that purchase onto the newspaper itself. So agency staff are paid less, senior staff are let go. The newsroom is slashed to a minimum, investigative journalism is an unwelcome burden rather than a treasured resource. Advertising and infomercials get a very much increased profile, sponsored supplements replace regular features. Most insidiously, the newsroom and the advertising departments work more closely, with unwelcome news sidelined while “good news” concerning selective business is highlighted.
While we might – as ever – tut about such practices in the US, we find the same thing going on here.
We’ve got “call me Dave” Cameron taking advice from filthy money-grubbing shysters like Phillip Green. Green, when he’s not pressing his fat, ugly body against rapidly ageing supermodels desperate for sponsorship, also likes to buy companies with its own debt.
The way it works is this – you make a hostile takeover of a company, and then force that company to take out a loan to pay you back what it cost you to buy it. Magic, eh? Just what this country needs – we should all be doing it!
Once you’ve got a foot in the door though such a takeover, that’s not a reason to stop fleecing the opportunity. You can then force a company (say, TopShop, just as an off-hand example) to take a £1 Billion loan, trouser the cash yourself, and then work out how TopShop can service the debt over the next 10 years. Might cost them in staff wages, quality and all that, of course, but a company has to pay its debts after all!
*
This is pretty much how Cameron sees the UK. The exceptionally well connected have taken huge sums out of the country, leaving us to “service” the debt. Then fingers wag at us about living within our means, the importance of thrift and repaying debt – all done with a straight face. And take on Special Advisors like Green to tell how that is best done.
The real trick is getting the people doing the “servicing” to go along with all this, apparently it’s all working out rather well.
How about the Original Topic ? Anybody hear any more about Julian Assange ?
Last I heard, the Swedes (generically; I can’t remember if was the police or the prosecutor) were saying he was free to bugger off out of Sweden. So, did he ? Is that one charge still outstanding ? Did it scupper his reported plan to move there ?
“Did it scupper his reported plan to move there ?”
Good question. He was going to move there and write a regular column for a newspaper so he could take advantage of Sweden#s robust laws protecting whistleblowers and journalists’ sources.
Richard i do rate your comments, but was a bit worried like Glenn to see, in this state of limbo and possibly closure, that the stux-shop-talk was brainstorming scarce threadspace, and the esoteric curiosities of it seemed to blur what relevance the saga has to news of Iran’s hazardous predicament. That’s why my comments were surly.
–
Personally i don’t put much hope in Assange’s organisation after reading the accounts and leaked emails on Cryptome, but i wish them the best.
Glen, You have your grip on the nettles. I think you need a place with others to make your contributions where strong topics and posts aren’t so transient as here, at least while ‘here’ is inactive.
In the 80s and 90s we had glimmers of hope – the end of the cold war, advancing social communications technology (phones and computers), the Northern Ireland peace process, the end of Apartheid.. (perhaps fill out this list, focus on what did give hope for a while..)
A kinder, improved human future seemed plausible for a time. But it doesn’t now. There is no quality now, the TVs and newspaper corporations surreptitious political and commercial policies, systematically ensure that any good, pure of heart works from the remaining inspired communicators, are re-assimilated or noised out to the pervasive editorial medium of shallow, seductive, repressive, commercialism.
Modern technological media resources would be used by intelligent life to transmit inspirations, to uplift human conditions and aspirations, but the strongest signals pumping through them today are consume, worry, fear, fuck, fight. All selected, to increase mindless commerce.
Popular TV; “watch, fantasize, keep watching, we like you, listen to these draining manipulations and then watch more.. and more.”
Fake sincerity is default, as familiar and unavoidable in as taxes.
A wide cultural backlash against this economic disease of state trickery, corruption and conflict is the only thing barre disaster which can stop the descent into madness and turmoil.
A cultural backlash which can get into and clear out the minds of everyone, excepting only the most twisted bastards that drive this hiding to hell that we are on.
Be persuasive, artistic, promiscuous, inspiring for me.
If Craig won’t be maintaining this site then I’d be sorry to see this group break up. Could we set up a sort of community blog and simply allow guests to initiate threads on topics of their choosing? Much of the value of the site has been the multiple tangential viewpoints, all articulate, often with links and references to new and interesting sources.
Vronsky,
That’s a great idea.
Vronsky,
That’s a great idea.
“Much of the value of the site has been the multiple tangential viewpoints, all articulate, often with links and references to new and interesting sources.”
Thanks for articulating that. Yes. This emerging idea that we’re competing for a limited resource doesn’t seem conducive to interesting discussion.
Do we know anything about Craig’s intentions, though ? It would mean work to set up, after all …
This is an article about Craig in Ghana in 2000 when he was Deputy High Commissioner.
General News of Friday, 17 September 2010
Citi FM MD says Craig Murray needs to be examined
Comments (37)
A former General Manager in charge of programmes at Multi Media Group, Owners of Joy FM in Accra, Samuel Attah- Mensah has discounted claims by former Deputy British High Commissioner, Craig Murray that the NDC government, under ex President Jerry John Rawlings attempted to close down Joy FM on the eve of the 2000 General elections.
/…..
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=190533
The previous post was mine. I had just been looking on the net to see if there was anything current about Craig.
That one and this are the only ones I can find. Another site is asking ‘Where is Craig Murray?’.
http://www.adomonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2855:craig-murrays-book-ndc-tried-to-shut-down-joy-fm&catid=25:general&Itemid=233
All together now….
Cameroon’s hot air and claptrap. “We are all in this together”
The Eton Boating Song
1.
Jolly boating weather,
And a hay harvest breeze,
Blade on the feather,
Shade off the trees,
+Swing swing together,+
With your bodies between your knees,
+Swing swing together,+
With your bodies between your knees.
2.
Rugby may be more clever,
Harrow may make more row,
But we’ll row for ever,
Steady from stroke to bow,
And nothing in life shall sever,
The chain that is round us now,
And nothing in life shall sever,
The chain that is round us now.
3.
Others will fill our places,
Dressed in the old light blue,
We’ll recollect our races,
We’ll to the flag be true,
And youth will be still in our faces,
When we cheer for an Eton crew,
And youth will be still in our faces,
When we cheer for an Eton crew.
4.
Twenty years hence this weather,
May tempt us from office stools,
We may be slow on the feather,
And seem to the boys old fools,
+But we’ll still swing together,+
And swear by the best of schools,
+But we’ll still swing together,+
And swear by the best of schools.
That makes me proud to be an Etonian somebody.
A passing quote, recent article from the outstanding Medialens Folk:
“VEILED THREATS” OF “INDUSTRIAL CHAOS”
>>
At the recently ended United Nations “poverty summit”, global leaders once again solemnly declared their commitment to the Millennium Development Goals for 2015, just as they did at a previous UN summit ten years ago; just as they did, with different verbiage, at innumerable climate change talking shops.
The first goal, to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger,” is now more distant than ever. Ten years ago, 830 million people were on the brink of starvation. This rose to over 1 billion during the world food price crisis of 2007-2008 and today remains at 915 million.
Another goal for 2015 is to cut infant mortality by two-thirds from the 1990 annual rate, when it stood at 12.5 million deaths. The current rate is a scandalous 10.5 million, and it is very unlikely that the 2015 target will be achieved.
These figures and failures offer a mere glimpse of the shocking reality of the destructiveness and instability of global capitalism. As ever, it is the poorest in “the Third World” who suffer most. But the First World is not immune. In the relatively affluent West, not just the poor but the middle classes are being hit hard. Here in the UK, the Tory ?” Liberal Democrat coalition government looks set to impose harsh cuts in the public sector of up to 40 per cent.
Writing in Red Pepper, former Financial Times employment editor Robert Taylor describes the “ultimate purpose” of the coalition: “to bury the British welfare state as we have known it over the past 60 years ?” based on a progressive and responsible state, redistributive taxation and social justice.” We will see the “wholesale demolition” of “the much-maligned public sector” with likely up to one million people losing their jobs. Many “victims of the government’s vicious attacks are going to be nurses, teachers, social workers and any others whose work is designed to help and protect the most vulnerable in our society.” (Robert Taylor, ‘Welfare to worklessness’, Red Pepper, 24 August, 2010; http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Welfare-to-worklessness)
<<
http://www.medialens.org/alerts/index.php
@ All,
For those who want to think.
We are in need of a new global architecture.
There is no simple economic “communist” or “capitalist” solution in this world of ours.
Let’s consider:-
The ” Third World” exists as a reality of global impoverishment as much as it exists in vast sections of the globe that have a positive aspiration for something that will sustain life, health and general human welfare. The “First World” has run its gamut and now finds the conditions of the “Third World” appearing within their boundaries, when before exploitation could be kept distant and safely distant and external ?” but – now, the chickens are coming home to roost right on the front doorstep of the “First World”. Conclusion? We are all in this together ?” as we have always been, but the ones in the West are now compelled to pay closer attention as the problems are not just on their doorsteps, but within their homes and lives.
We need to consider the possibility of Martin Luther King’s dream of the possibility of a socially and economically just world. Sorry ?” I am a dreamer ?” so, let’s just continue with what we have and see where it lands all of us.
The possibility of a socially and economically just world?
The impossibility of the experiments of Cuba, China, the former Soviet Union and the United States of America for actualising the possibility of a socially and economically just world.
Truth be told ?” it all has not worked East or West.
So ?” now – what next?
CB ( http://www.globaljusticeonline.com)
“Ludicrous Diversion”
Abdul al-Jabber a UK citizen with a British wife has been murdered by a drone attack in North Waziristan.
Obviously he was the man behind the latest rise in the terror alert level by the foreign office from “general” to “high” for travellers to France and Germany. The official British terror threat level remained at “severe” meaning an attack was “highly likely”.
This is the second highest level. “Critical” ?” suggesting an attack may be imminent ?” is the highest.
Like many ‘terrorists’ al-Jabber is alleged to have been planning to set up a group called the Islamic Army of Great Britain to carry out another 7/7.
Much of the focus of the London bombings of July 7, 2005 (7/7), was focused on the “Pakistani connection.” The suspected bombers had all visited Pakistan, and apparently developed contacts with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e Taiba.
However, a less known and less publicized connection yields some very interesting information. The suspected mastermind of the London bombings, Haroon Rashid Aswat, had visited all the suspected bombers leading up to the attacks. Phone records revealed that there were “around 20 calls between him and the 7/7 gang, leading right up to those attacks.”
This *is* significant because Haroon Rashid Aswat, apart from being an ‘al-Qaeda’ operative, also happened to be an MI6 agent, working for the British intelligence.
Haroon Aswat made his appearance on the scene of Islamic terrorism when he was in Kosovo in the 1990’s, where he worked for British intelligence.
Aswat, from Batley, West Yorkshire cannot be extradited to the US because he faces life in jail without parole, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled.
Aswat is currently in Broadmoor secure mental hospital and I was hoping to contact him for a statement. An ‘insider’ known to the family has said he is stupefied, drugged, torpid and unable to converse.
WHY?!
“The possibility of a socially and economically just world”
I suspect that Game Theory has a bearing on this. An apparent problem for evolutionists is the existence of altruism – it seems paradoxical that a gene can increase its presence in the pool when it causes its host to act against its own interests. Surely it should disappear? One explanation comes from simulations based on game theory – a gene for aggressive or acquisitive behaviour will prosper, increasing its presence up to a particular level, but it cannot increase beyond this level as so many other individuals are equally aggressive, and the pool of passive targets is reduced. The passive targets may even stage a recovery, as their cooperative behaviour now gives them an advantage.
My fear is that our present state is somewhat short of the point where agressors cease to prosper. I see no evidence of growing resentment or resistance against the elite, at least not at any level that they need fear. The present inequities and excesses, though gross, are part of a stable system. Things could get worse (and they probably will) without reaching the tipping point where resistance becomes more attractive than passivity. At the moment we are like Vonnegut’s ‘briquettes’, the jibe he hurled at his fellow Jews for their passivity in the face of the concentration camps – they were easy to store, transport and combust.
Sorry, I have not had any contact with Craig since three weeks ago, he must be getting his garden sorted.
I agree with Vronsky and Ruth, we should keep some sort of exchange and pool our discussions and debates on a free list.
I’m sure ‘not at all gay’ Larry will not be interested in following us around, or will he?
Today we see the real nastiness of this Government come through. Talk of public sector pension, telling people that they have to work lonerger to receive less, and oH by the way there will be some major jobs cuts.
Those who question their pension policies and say so will now feel that theyare up for the chop, more fear and loathing in blighty.
“I’m sure ‘not at all gay’ Larry will not be interested in following us around, or will he?”
If we didn’t get larry’s monosyllabic abuse and angrysoba’s extended semantic gymnastics (and monosyllabic abuse) we’d have to assume that our opinions didn’t matter. I think they have to be invited in order to support our self esteem, to give us that regular assurance that we’re on the right track. They say they don’t want to validate our views but, shit, it’s what they do best.
Vronsky, you may have missed angrysoba’s dedicated investigation into the ‘wiped off the map’ business (above, easy to do on such a long thread) I’d want him there because he’s interesting: just as I wouldn’t miss the very dull Larry. Though what his sexuality has to do with it, I don’t know.
“you may have missed”
No, I note his occasional repentances. But as I’ve said elsewhere, he is a skilled and informed advocate of his viewpoint, and that is useful material for those who do not share it. Like all professional advocates, he doesn’t need to believe that his client is innocent. Does his personal scepticism leak through his professional advocacy, or is it tactical to let the mask of infallible authority slip occasionally, just enough to prevent us from dismissing him? From some of his posts on the 911 thread, I felt he was weary of his work.
But just to clarify, if we go elsewhere I’d want us to continue Craig’s policy of allowing everything except extreme wastes of space like tony_opmoc. I wouldn’t want to see angry or larry disappear – they’re ingredients of our accidentally discovered sauce. Larry has the merit of brevity, and angry can list contrary sources. Every bridge should have at least one troll under it, lest we little billy goats gruff think that the greener grass is easily accessible.
Trip-trap, trip-trap.
Another verdict of ‘lawfully killed’ is found in the case of Mark Saunders.
59 police with 100 guns were at the scene. Seven fired the shots which killed him. A witness described the scene as being like a ‘bad film’. Virtually another state execution has taken place like that of Jean Charles de Menezes. Why wasn’t he left to sober up and why wasn’t his wife allowed to talk to him?
A Brutal & Costly Anniversary…
“I’m tired of the up and down, they love us they hate us, we’re safer we’re not safer, more are dead less are? dead, more or less voted, blah blah blah, ridiculous pointless statistics that don’t change the? fact that we’ve shamefully destroyed their country based on lies and deception. What a great people we are.” – voice of America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AEyNjltxf8
Here’s your Zionist bank Anno.
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=20920
From the same stable, James Arbuthnot MP Defence Committee and ardent Conservative Friend of Israel, in fact the Chair.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Arbuthnot
We need a New World Order.
Governments are rightly very unpopular, but we should remember that most of them were set up to displace the most powerful group by a somewhat less powerful group. That process needs to keep happening.
Governments were supposed to protect their people against other, less regulated powers, such as monarchies, the mega rich, and more recently multinational conglomerates of huge corporations. Over time, such powerful interests have infiltrated and subverted governments.
One aspect of this is the internationalisation of the mega corporations. These huge organisations are now richer and have a broader power base than many governments. An international government with international power of law is becoming a necessity.
Welcome to ‘Milbus’, a term coined by Dr Ayesh Siddiqa, author of a book which presents an incisive analysis of Pakistan’s militarised economy/ society.
The irony is, in what is otherwise an excellent book by a one-time insider, she calls on the US to pressurise tha Pakistan political/military to reduce the military’s influence in society/ the economy. Well, she was funded, I think, by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. That call, it seems to me, on all sorts of levels, must be a very subtle joke.
Has she never watched any of Michael Moore’s documentaries on the US?
Welcome, then, to Milbus, UK-style.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayesha_Siddiqa
There must be similar books analysing the US/UK Milbus. Does anyone know of any good ones? I’d be interested in reading one. Thanks.
Ive been having a look around for possible hosts/hangouts – not found much. Here is just a couple of intresting ones.
http://site.nissr.com/zeino/Resumeuk.html
A quite small personal forum. Might be an okay venue.
http://human-rights-forum.maplecroft.com/
There is not a great deal going on in this forum at the moment. It might be challenging forum to visit. Very establishment *up-eyebrow*
…just knocking about ideas. I dont feel a pressing need to abandon here yet, except from the length of threads, not to mention the opportunity to work and communicate more effectively about the issues troubling us… which is concerns motivation…
?leadership…
?social ‘capital’…
?muses…
:]
and spill checkling.
Folks, we could be writing the “news”.
“Barack Obama accused of exaggerating terror threat for political gain”
“Ive been having a look around for possible hosts/hangouts”
I was thinking about this … Is there any point in one of us opening a free blog and making all (or most of?) the regulars here “authorised posters”? I was involved in a couple of international group blogs and at one time we had seven+ posters on one of them … I don’t think there’s any limit. People could post as they see fit, long or short, or even one line and a link.
Moderation needn’t be a problem if everyone moderated the comments on their own posts? I don’t mean in advance. Comments could be allowed from OpenID and Google Accounts (and platforms other than Blogger have more options, even including Twitter IDs.) Blatantly offensive stuff could be deleted when necessary.
Having to sign in for comments should (more or less) stop people using multiple names, and more imporantly, stop them abusing *other* people’s names.
As far as I know, you can have numerous co-admins among the authorised posters, so no one person would be in control. The other question is how authorised posters would be chosen – especially after the initial group was set up. i.e. what criteria would be used for ‘admitting’ new posters?
Just a couple of thoughts … I know there are people here who are much more tech savvy than me and may well see some problems in the above.
PS: Don’t ask me about Ubuntu yet. I’ve been v busy and it’s a “don’t ask don’t tell” situation for now. 🙂
I miss Alfred.