There are many thousands of people imprisoned in Uzbekistan alone who should not be imprisoned and who suffer much worse conditions than even the genuine horrors of Wandsworth being visited on Julian Assange. But the Assange case has implications for ever deteriorating Western freedoms which should not be overlooked.
Then there are many war criminals who ought to be in jail and who are not. Most prominent of these are Bush, Blair, Cheney, Straw and their crew. A minor figurewho ought to be in jail is Anna Ardin. Here are two tweets she published after being “raped” by Julian Assange:
‘Julian wants to go to a crayfish party, anyone have a couple of available seats tonight or tomorrow? #fb’
‘Sitting outdoors at 02:00 and hardly freezing with the world’s coolest smartest people, it’s amazing! #fb’
She subsequently deleted and tried to expunge those. I doff my hat to Rixstep:
http://rixstep.com/1/20101001,01.shtml
For another avowed feminist trying to bring Assange down, analyse the use of language in this article by the Guardian’s useless Helen Piddle. For a worm like her to use words like bizarre and raggle-taggle in relation to John Pilger really defies rationality.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/08/julian-assange-celebrity-supporters
Wikileaks are for-hire mercenaries
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/07/cryptome_on_wikileaks/
Re. David Willets (Alan Campbell at 3:26pm) – this is the supposed ‘two-brainer’ ideologue who brought us disasters like the internal market in the NHS.
It’s been consistent right-wing propaganda over the past 30 years to blame the ‘baby-boomers’, by which they mean ‘everything the Sixties represented’.
Truth is, imperial wars over decades (Vietnam onwards), combined with exactly 30 years of deregulated banks, are the real root causes of the economic problems we face today. It’s called war and robbery.
One cannot really generalise about an entire range of people based simply on ‘generation’ (whatever that is). What about social class and all the other variables? If we mean those born b/w around 1940 and 1966, i.e. during WW2 and the 20 years following its end, it must be stated that most people of the ‘baby-boomer’ generations actually worked really hard during their lives, contributed amply to society a- or else were tossed out of work and treated like garbage during the 1980s – and now (in the case of the older end of the spectrum) deserve comfortable retirements. This is one of the things 200 years struggle was for; many older people live in poverty; many do not have comfortable retirements. Princes and duchesses are not representative of any generation.
This garbage from Willetts et al is just Thatcherism ranting on in its usual extremist way – the aim? To blame anyone but the economic system which they engineered, bit-by-bit, and which has dominated since 1980. It’s been an abject failure.
Willetts has a good point…..
Yes and a pointy head, a pointy nose and a pointy chin.
Oh and he is estimated to be worth £1.9m. Wikipedia.
The feathered nests.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1280554/The-coalition-millionaires-23-29-member-new-cabinet-worth-1m–Lib-Dems-just-wealthy-Tories.html
Tend to agree about the post 1980 market experiment, but can’t get away from fact that those following the baby-boomers are shafted. I feel lucky to live in a young country.
1,269 of 251,287 embassy cables released:
0.5% down, 99.5% to go.
That’s from Wikileaks on Twitter.
Might be a bit early to make judgements about Israel.
Another UN triumph.
United Nations: It’s Okay to Kill the Gays:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thor-halvorssen/united-nations-its-okay-t_b_787024.html
alan campbell,
£30,000 debt? You must be joking. A student needs at least £6000 a year for accommodation and food etc. So his debt at the end of a three year degree curse would be about £45,000. If a graduate marries a gradute between then they’ll have a debt of almost £100,000. So basically most will be stuffed. No mortgage. No kids.
“three year degree curse”
Freudian slip?
Incidentally, I think both the girls are innocent. O.K. they may have some connections to some weird feminist cult, and at least one of them may have worked for Swedish embassies, and may have been told to piss off from Cuba – and maybe in Israel now…
But so what – that doesn’t prove anything.
The fact of the matter is that both were at a meeting in Sweden that Assange had been invited to, and he was invited to sleep in both girl’s beds in their homes…
You see one of them was lovingly taking loads of photos of him whilst he was speaking…
I just think it was a load of complete co-incidences – that have resulted in Assange being perceived by Millions of people all over the World as an innocent victim of a conspiracy…
But co-incidences do happen.
I hate to admit this, but before I met my wife, I actually slept with 3 different girls within 7 days…
But I didn’t get caught – despite the scratches down my back.
I have no idea how I got away with it, but I was completely guilty.
I think Assange and both Girls are completely innocent and got stitched up by the US & Swedish Governments.
I even think the UK Government are innocent in this case…
Did any one actually read the link I posted earlier?
From Tim Berners-Lee
Its absolutely Fabulous Stuff
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee
Extract
“Current work
In June 2009 then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Berners-Lee would work with the UK Government to help make data more open and accessible on the Web, building on the work of the Power of Information Task Force.[19] Berners-Lee and Professor Nigel Shadbolt are the two key figures behind data.gov.uk, a UK Government project to open up almost all data acquired for official purposes for free re-use. Commenting on the opening up of Ordnance Survey data in April 2010 Berners-Lee said that: “The changes signal a wider cultural change in Government based on an assumption that information should be in the public domain unless there is a good reason not to – not the other way around.” He went on to say “Greater openness, accountability and transparency in Government will give people greater choice and make it easier for individuals to get more directly involved in issues that matter to them.”[20]
In November 2009, Berners-Lee launched the World Wide Web Foundation in order to “Advance the Web to empower humanity by launching transformative programs that build local capacity to leverage the Web as a medium for positive change.”
Berners-Lee is one of the pioneer voices in favour of Net Neutrality,[21] and has expressed the view that ISPs should supply “connectivity with no strings attached,” and should neither control nor monitor customers’ browsing activities without their express consent.[22][23] He advocates the idea that net neutrality is a kind of human network rights: “Threats to the Internet, such as companies or governments that interfere with or snoop on Internet traffic, compromise basic human network rights.”[24]”
Have a nice evening. I have been completely sober since Monday, and its nearly 17:15 on a Friday.
Tony
“I have been completely sober since Monday”
Well done, and keep it up. It makes you better company.
Shrien Dewani, millionare who is accused of being complicit in the murder of his wife, has been seen on CCTV in South Africa, talking to the accused taxidriver who hired the murderers, very strong evidence.
He was allowed bail today because South Africa, so they argue, has not applied for extradition, yet.
Jullian Assange is imprisoned on an extradition request from Sweden, based on an accusation of ‘surprise sex’ whatever that is, by a woman who has not been cooperating with the Swedish law authorities for weeks now.
Why did the Swedes bother to actually send this request when the accuser has bowed out?
He has not been charged with anything, the extradition is flimsy as kack and HE IS REFUSED BAIL???
Now US bullies and killers are cobbling a case together, hastily, anything that will make us want to extradite him to the US.
Once he is there, they will do as they like to him. By that time Sarah Palin might queen culler of the stupid and we can say goodbye to Julian.
This is becoming a humongeous farce, he should be released immediately, never mind the bail, there is nothing to hold him on, screw Sweden and its smoergasbroed laws.
Thanks, Alan. Yeah, I know what you mean.
@Ruth
“If a graduate marries a gradute between then they’ll have a debt of almost £100,000. So basically most will be stuffed. No mortgage. No kids.”
Just don’t call it genocide, unless you want to get SS wound up. It’s really a selective breeding strategy, it sterilizes the more intelligent half of the population.
But what’s truly pathetic is the belief of so many young people that a so-called higher education is going to get them anywhere.
After four, five, six, ten years under the tutelage of second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-rate academics–who mostly provide young people with an appalling role model–all they’ll have is a credential in the universal non-discipline of Multiple Choice.
Obviously a couple of years in the work force associating with real grown up people, plus the judicious use of the resources of the local library is far more educational.
Angry: Why did you refer me to a “utubes” on David Icke above, at December 10, 2010 12:31 PM?
If We Lose our Internet Freedoms Because of Wikileaks, You Should At Least Know Why:
http://willyloman.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/if-we-lose-our-internet-freedoms-because-of-wikileaks-you-should-at-least-know-why/
“LOL”: it’s a well founded belief that you’ll get nowhere _without_ the “so-called” higher education. The choice these days is pretty much between a minimum wage job, and one which requires a degree of whatever kind.
It’s pretty obvious what’s happened – employers have successfully pushed the cost of training onto the employee. It’s not a question of acquiring the discipline and methodology for science or all that book-learning stuff that is best achieved in an entirely academic environment. Not when we’re talking about degrees to become a secretary, in “football studies”, or horse grooming. Instead of taking on an apprentice, the candidate is expected to spend their own time and money training. Once qualified, look forward to an internship for several years, working for free, until one is fully up to speed, maybe by their mid thirties.
Who can seriously afford to do all that? So it’s reasonable jobs for those who’s parents can afford it, minimum wage for life (at best) for everyone else, and a lot of money saved by employers, and a lot of money made by the banks. The graduate is saddled for most of their life with debt and daren’t leave their job. It’s effectively reintroducing a sort of serfdom.
@Alfred (please stop calling yourself ‘LOL’ – it’s an immediate advertisement of witlessness)
“After four, five, six, ten years under the tutelage of second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-rate academics”
You’ve obviously never been within a country mile of a university tutor. I’m sad for you – what an experience you have missed.
That said, I can’t entirely dismiss your thought that fings ain’t wot they used t’ be, academically. I teach music privately, and do a good trade with the children of aspirational parents who want to make sure that little Nigel/Nigella gets its Higher Music. These kids come along advertised as ‘already Grade 6’ – and then I find that they can’t read music and can’t actually play the instrument. Weird. You used to fail Grade 1 if you couldn’t read music and couldn’t play.
No decline in standards? The practical (performance) requirement for Higher used to be Grade 5. It’s now Grade 4. And that incorporates nothing of the parallel degradation of the grading standards. By today’s standards, I start off my utter beginners at Grade 4.
Today’s Guardian
Support for Assange
Share123 The Guardian, Friday 10 December 2010 Article historyWe protest at the attacks on WikiLeaks and, in particular, on Julian Assange (Report, 9 December) The leaks have assisted democracy in revealing the real views of our governments over a range of issues which have been kept secret and are now irreversibly in the public domain. All we knew about the mass killing, torture and corruption in Iraq and Afghanistan has been confirmed. The world’s leaders can no longer hide the truth by simply lying to the public. The lies have been exposed. The actions of major corporations such as Amazon, the Swiss banks and the credit card companies in hindering WikiLeaks are shameful, bowing to US government pressure. The US government and its allies, and their friends in the media, have built up a campaign against Assange which now sees him in prison facing extradition on dubious charges, with the presumed eventual aim of ensuring his extradition to the US. We demand his immediate release, the dropping of all charges, and an end to the censorship of WikiLeaks.
John Pilger, Lindsey German Stop the War Coalition, Salma Yaqoob, Craig Murray, Alexei Sayle, Mark Thomas, Caryl Churchill, AL Kennedy, Celia Mitchell, Ben Griffin (former soldier), Terry Jones, Sami Ramadani, Roger Lloyd Pack, David Gentleman, Miriam Margolyes, Andy de la Tour, Katharine Hamnett, Iain Banks
@Glenn
” it’s a well founded belief that you’ll get nowhere _without_ the “so-called” higher education. The choice these days is pretty much between a minimum wage job, and one which requires a degree of whatever kind.”
Let’s think about this. What does it cost to get a degree — in tuition plus forgone wages? Over four years tuition will be what 36,000 or will it generally be less, I don’t know. But if we assume 25,000 in tuition then add 40,000 for what could have been earned in a minimum wage job, your non-grad is 65000 ahead after four years. Plus they will have four years work experience, which will surely qualify them for some kind of pay raise.
In fact, the stats show that lifetime earnings of graduates are now barely higher than earnings of non-grads — And that is based on past experience. What we can expect in the future will be different and the change will likely be greatly to the detriment of the graduates who will be saddled at the outset of their career with a huge debt.
Another factor to consider is that in the past the graduates were on the whole members of the brighter half of the population. So you’d expect them to earn more than the rest quite apart from any advantage attributable to post-secondary education.
I suspect, that in the future we will see increasing numbers of bright young people of low socio-economic origins climbing a different ladder to success than the educational ladder employed by their predecessors.
So I still maintain that, aside from any damage it may do to ones mind and morals, a higher education can be damaging to one’s economic wellbeing.
Interesting link from anon. at December 10, 2010 4:33 PM to an interview with John Young of Cryptome. I advise against taking anything Young says at face value. I’ve read quite a bit of his stuff on Cryptome. I fail to understand much of it, and I expect that he is considerably more intelligent than me. The trouble, though, is that he is likely to write very contradictory things. One article will be scathing of WikiLeaks, and especially Assange. Then another article will be highly complimentary.
I suspect that John Young may be the sort of person who apparently talks about one thing while the actually points he’s making are to do with something else, clever b’stard.
@Vronsky
“@Alfred (please stop calling yourself ‘LOL’ – it’s an immediate advertisement of witlessness)”
LOL!
Well if I can think of a better name. I agree that any amusement to be derived from use of the name LOL palls after a short while.
“You’ve obviously never been within a country mile of a university tutor. I’m sad for you – what an experience you have missed.”
Actually, I was immensely fortunate in my education, attending university so long ago that university education was still regarded as a training only for the elite. My tutors included among the most distinguished scholars of the day. Among them, one who showed me how to use a pipette went on to become Master of Trinity College Cambridge, another became head of the Downing St think tank, another was Editor in Chief of the Flora Europaea: I especially admired the last. He appeared before us at the beginning of a course and wrote the title and the name of the author of a textbook on the board. He then said, “I see no reason to distrust the printed word. I suggest you read that book” — end of course. And it was good advice: on how to educate oneself.
But now, it seems things are very different as how could they not be with the fantastic expansion in the universities over the last 40 years.
@Somebody
Re: Support for Assange
What it means is that all those people:
John Pilger, Lindsey German Stop the War Coalition, Salma Yaqoob, Craig Murray, Alexei Sayle, Mark Thomas, Caryl Churchill, AL Kennedy, Celia Mitchell, Ben Griffin (former soldier), Terry Jones, Sami Ramadani, Roger Lloyd Pack, David Gentleman, Miriam Margolyes, Andy de la Tour, Katharine Hamnett, Iain Banks
Are annoyed by 9/11 Truthers.
@Somebody
Re: Support for Assange
What it means is that all those people:
John Pilger, Lindsey German Stop the War Coalition, Salma Yaqoob, Craig Murray, Alexei Sayle, Mark Thomas, Caryl Churchill, AL Kennedy, Celia Mitchell, Ben Griffin (former soldier), Terry Jones, Sami Ramadani, Roger Lloyd Pack, David Gentleman, Miriam Margolyes, Andy de la Tour, Katharine Hamnett, Iain Banks
Are annoyed by 9/11 Truthers.
Actually written for an American Audience – but what I said is True.
If he wants to stay round our house when he gets out of jail next week – he is very welcome…
We are reasonably anonymous and we will take him down our local pub for Christmas and Absolutely EVERYONE will look like Julian Assange
You see we all Like Aussies Down Our Local Pub – Especially Australians With Such Amazing Courage
We are going out to a Party soon – He will be welcome there too – if he qualifies for weekend release
Its only a short drive away from Wandsworth Prison
Give The Guy a Break FFS
He Needs Some Tender Love and Care And I Know Some English Girls Who Will Not Complain
Tony
Old Alfred is qualified, in the area of biology and possibly genetics, if I’m not mistaken. Originally I thought he and my son would have many things to chat about, but I changed my mind. My son is not a racist. Or a royalist. He’s not sexist either.
I’m wikileaks, eh Tony?
For the pied piper of disinformation here AND Julian Assange as well as all you airheads who still haven’t got it yet:
http://incogman.net/12/2010/wikileaks-israeli-game-theory-warfare/#more-49467
Wake up you retards!
Ah bog off, Apostate. You don’t know any more than the rest of us.
@Dreoilin
“My son is not a racist. Or a royalist. He’s not sexist either.”
Neither am I, as it happens. And unlike you, SS and some other member so the CM bodyguard, I not a smear artist either.
dreoilin,
I never had that problem. I was brought up as a Roman Catholic.
So I never used condoms in that situation.
I did use them when my wife was breast feeding though…
Then the Doctor said – no she probably won’t get pregnant whilst she is breast feeding…
But her Mum Breast Fed Too – and The Sisters Are Very Close in Age something like 10 months or so…
So don’t believe what the Doctors say.
I have been completely Faithful since the moment I met My wife
She is a bit of an ANGEL
Soon 30 Years Together
I Could Never Betray Her
Tony