I am proud of the company I was in of fellow Sam Adams winners; but also because in the circumstances I think this was the best speech I have ever made. If you listen from 15 minutes, the enthusiastic and sustained interruption of applause I received from the Oxford Union for my attack on those demonstrating against Julian Assange is remarkable.
It particularly explodes the appalling lies of the Guardian’s shrill hate campaign against Julian Assange, which you will recall covered this event under the headline Julian Assange finds no allies and tough queries in Oxford University talk . It has taken the Oxford Union two months to post this video, and then unlike other newly posted videos it does not appear on the front page of their youtube site.
The students no longer have any autonomy in the the Oxford Union where speakers and videos have to be approved in advance by a solidly and uniformly right wing board of trustees which includes William Hague and Louise Mensch.
It is, however, even at this belated time, a great pleasure to be able again to state and to demonstrate what a vicious little liar Amelia Hill is.
After my point on the Assange demonstration, you could have heard a pin drop for the rest of my talk and I was unsure how the audience were reacting. Unfortunately the video cuts off the peroration, so you will have to take my word for it that the applause was very big and after resuming my seat I had to half stand and acknowledge again. But I had concluded by introducing Julian Assange, so that may have been for him not me – I would be just as pleased.
Let me post this one again so you have the pair of me on consecutive nights in very different moods.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/19/syria-war_n_1696079.html?utm_hp_ref=world
@ Scourge :
“Habbabkuk, answering for others is an irritating habit of yours and is the height of bad manners and disrespectful to all parties. It is not the norm here as you well know.”
Douglas, you manage two lies in two short sentences. Yoy are becoming the master of the Big Lie.
1/.It is not a “habit” of mine.
2/. And it is the norm on this blog. At the very least, when Mary’s comments are the subject of questions, others – including your good self, you might remember – answer for her in 90% of the cases.
Apology, please, and a course of therapy.
@ Scourge :
“I wonder if you have any compassion or empathy for people horrendously abused around the world in the interests of the powerful and [in my view] criminal elite.”
As a matter of fact, I do.
But that’s not so interesting.
What is interesting, in terms of the functioning of this blog, is that you should choose to answer a polite question on whether you had now read the texts of the US-Cuba treaties (for whose references you asked me) with a question on whether I empathise with the victims of cruelty and injustice.
Next time you post on, say, Scottish independence, perhaps I should respond by asking you a question about the the possibilities for world disarmament?
@ Scourge :
By the way, I believe you still owe answers to the questions (see above) on
– the Duke of Gloucester
– the Holy Father’s rainments.
Please do not answer with questions about nuclear energy and world poverty.
Thank you in advance.
Resident dissident
19 Mar, 2013 – 9:38 pm
“…some of [us] believe that one of the purposes of International Law is to provide justice to all whose human rights are violated – the UN Declaration is meant to be universal.”
I agree. Let’s see it applied universally then by protesting against international crimes and international criminals and demanding the indictment of alleged western criminals in addition to the usual suspects that are mainly from the east or Africa.
Let’s see the indictment of Blair, Straw (et al), Bush, Cheney (et al) and that old bastard Kissinger. Obama must surely now be added to the list.
Then of course there are the Israeli leaders, past and present, or perhaps you think they should be immune.
And while we’re at it let’s indict those who aided and abetted the criminals Saddam Husain, Gadhafi, Assad et al by giving them material support in the past. (i.e. western government leaders).
International law should be applied universally as you say.
Their time will come.
~~~~~
Bush, Blair wanted for crimes against humanity: Boyle
Sun Oct 21, 2012 3:22AM GMT
They [officials of International Criminal Court] are just going after black thugs from Africa and not dealing with this wholesale mass murderers and criminals from the United States, Britain and Israel.”
Francis Boyle, professor of international law at the University of Illinois
A prominent international lawyer says former US President George W. Bush, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair stand guilty of crimes against peace, war crimes and torture, Press TV reports.
In November 2011, the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, in which Francis Boyle, a professor of international law at the University of Illinois, led the prosecution team, convicted Bush and Blair of crimes against peace and humanity, and genocide over their roles in the Iraq war.
On May 11, 2012, the tribunal also found Bush, former US Vice President Dick Cheney and former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld guilty of the crime of torture.
“We will keep after Bush and Blair for sure for crimes against peace, war crimes and torture in general,” Boyle told Press TV in a recent interview.
“We got them both convicted of a Nuremberg crime against peace,” he added while referring to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the principles of international law recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal.
According to Principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances are crimes “punishable” under international law.
In September, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said Blair and Bush should be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over their roles in the Iraq war.
“We are making efforts now to do this,” Boyle stated, adding, “We tried to get Bush in Switzerland, but his lawyers advised him not to go to Switzerland. I tried three times to get Bush in Canada, but unfortunately the Canadian government protected Bush.”
“The wheels of justice might turn slowly, but they do turn.”
Boyle also criticized the ICC for its failure to bring to justice US, UK and Israeli criminals.
“So far, they are just going after black thugs from Africa and not dealing with this wholesale mass murderers and criminals from the United States, Britain and Israel,” he said.
Boyle condemned the Israeli regime for “inflicting outright genocide on the Palestinians in Gaza,” adding that there will be hearings in November in Malaysia on the issue of Palestine.
plus a video and 63 comments
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2012/10/20/267844/bush-blair-wanted-for-war-crimes-boyle/
technicolour
19 Mar, 2013 – 10:59 pm
“But v interested about this left/right thing, particularly about the fact that it is now apparently wrong to be on the ‘anti-totalitarian left’ when I thought that being ‘anti-totalitarian’ was a good thing generally?”
We should all be anti-totalitarian. Basically totalitarianism is fascism.
Don’t be misled by resident dissident into thinking that contributor’s to this blog support some sort of left-wing totalitarianism, he lies and methinks he is in fact a crypto-fascist.
Mary
20 Mar, 2013 – 9:22 pm
“Their time will come.”
Mary,
I wish that I was as optimistic as you.
Israeli soldier on Facebook: There’s nothing better than a dead Arab
IDF tells commanders to better monitor their troops after second such case in recent weeks.
By Gili Cohen | Mar.19, 2013 | 12:50 PM | 37
Facebook comments by the soldier
Offensive Facebook comments written by the soldier, as aggregated on the Facebook page of “John Brown.”Re
lated articles
IDF soldier posts Instagram photo of Palestinian boy in crosshairs of sniper rifle
By Oded Yaron | Mar.19,2013 | 12:50 PM | 51
15 Palestinians killed in Jordan bus crash
By Jack Khoury and Gili Cohen Mar.19,2013 | 12:50 PM | 4
An Israeli soldier has written “there is nothing better than a dead Arab” on his Facebook page, the second IDF soldier to post strongly anti-Arab sentiment on social media in as many months.
“The Arabs are the cancer of this country and must be dealt with,” wrote the soldier, a member of the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani Brigade. “There is nothing better than a dead Arab.”
The soldier also referred to a bus crash in Jordan last week in which Palestinians died. “I’m glad Arabs were killed,” he wrote. “I”ll be happy if not one Arab remains here, and I’m sorry only 14 were killed.”
Last month an Israeli soldier posted an Instagram photo of what appeared to be a Palestinian boy in the crosshairs of a sniper’s rifle. In both cases the army’s spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, sent a letter to commanders urging them to be aware of their troops’ activities on social media.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said the soldier who made the anti-Arab remarks had been called in for a talk by his battalion commander; the soldier then deleted the posting.
“The IDF regrets the soldier’s remarks, which do not conform to the spirit and values of the IDF,” said the spokesman’s office. It noted that the soldier had “deleted the remarks of his own accord.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-soldier-on-facebook-there-s-nothing-better-than-a-dead-arab.premium-1.510434
~~~~
Mohammed Omer, the young award winning Palestinian journalist, tweeted from his home in Rafah on 18 March
Mohammed Omer @Mogaza
Israeli Apache helicopters are hovering on low altitudes allover #Gaza city now 2:37AM.Tell the pilot go to bed so I can sleep
Mohammed Omer @Mogaza
@sallyidwedarI hear Apache helicopters too. Its allover
18 Mar
Mohammed Omer @Mogaza
#Israeli warplanes are hovering over #Gaza on low altitude. Duno whats the deal..
~~~
I met Mohammed when John Pilger presented him and Dahr Jamail with the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism in London. They were joint winners. Dahr reported unembedded from Iraq during the onslaught. His book Beyond The Green Zone is highly recommended. Both are very brave young men.
See what happened to Mohammed on his return home in ‘Incidents’ here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Omer
Scorgie
When and where Have I lied? And to add to that slur you call me a crypto fascist. I very much doubt that you understand what the term actually means,
Perhaps you might also wish to explain how we should deal with the totalitarians in the Syrian, Iranian, Russian and Chinese governments as well as those elected in democratic elections. Incidentally if Tony Blair is as bad as Saddam/Assad why didn’t he get his secret police to have you tortured and shot or why your haven’t joined the millions in the refugee camps in our nearest non totalitarian neighbour.
YOu will note that the criticisms of the attrocious behaviour of the Israeli soldier were posted on the website of a freely available Israeli paper – could you point to me where I can find similar criticisms of the Syrian army or the militia in the freely available Syria Press. And then perhaps try and understand why that is. I understand that Habba has also set you some homework on the Cuban treaties that you failed to hand in. As additional homework might I suggest you look up the words of the International and then try and understand them.
Mary (and the Scourge for that matter)
Rather than referring to the Martha Gellhorn Prize – might I suggest that you actaully bother to read some of her writings – she was a strong supporter of both Israel and the Spanish republic and most certainly would have not supported the idea that international law should be used as the basis for not dealing with totalitarians and fascists.
Good lord, the Scourge doesn’t half talk some pish.
Crypto-fascist 😆
Slander Israel’s critics as anti-Semites, shut down debate on Israel’s atrocities
Diaspora Jewish defense organizations’ calculated paranoia brands harsh critics of Israeli policy as anti-Semites because it serves their interests: What’s good for the occupation is good for Netanyahu’s Israel , which is good for the Diaspora Jewish establishment.
Larry Derfner
March 14 2013
The British Jewish “defense” organizations are coming off a double victory in the cause of shutting down deservedly harsh criticism of Israeli tyranny over the Palestinians.
[..]
Gardner’s problem, and that of so many Jews in Israel and in Diaspora Jewish defense organizations, is that they don’t know the difference between attacks on Jews and attacks on the occupation. Some Jews, especially the elderly, can’t help but see anti-Semitism everywhere; they are genuinely traumatized. Others, like those who wield power in Israel and in organizations like the British Board of Jewish Deputies and AIPAC, tend to operate out of what I call a calculated paranoia: They turn full-throated rebukes of Israel and its Diaspora Jewish lobbyists into anti-Semitism partly because they really are paranoid, but also because they know that their paranoia serves their interests.
Branding harsh critics of Israeli policy as anti-Semites helps the occupation thrive, and what’s good for the occupation is good for Israel, certainly for Netanyahu’s Israel, and what’s good for Netanyahu’s Israel is good for the Jewish establishment of Britain, the United States and several other countries.
It’s a shame: These people are going to bat for Israel’s subjugation of a people, for Israel’s wars of aggression to defend that practice, and they’re doing it in the name of all the horrors the Jews ever faced and at times still face. I don’t know anything more cynical than that. I don’t know any greater dishonor of Jewish history than that.
[..]
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/slander-israel-s-critics-as-anti-semites-shut-down-debate-on-israel-s-atrocities.premium-1.509519
Let’s face it: Israel has a racism problem
When an Arab attacks a Jew, he’s a terrorist, he’s been taught to hate. When a Jew attacks an Arab, he’s just a loner, an oddball, a bad egg. But we’ve seen so many bad eggs at this point that something here has begun to stink.
By Ilene Prusher | 15:05 12.03.13 |
A schoolteacher was attacked on a Jerusalem street last week for no other reason than that she was wearing the headscarf of a religious Muslim woman. The pack of religious teenagers who accosted Wahad Abu-Zamira and her colleague Revital Valkov called the latter…
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/jerusalem-vivendi/let-s-face-it-israel-has-a-racism-problem.premium-1.508926
‘The Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, named for the renowned war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn, was established in 1999 by the Martha Gellhorn Trust. It is founded on the following principles:
The award will be for the kind of reporting that distinguished Martha: in her own words “the view from the ground”. This is essentially a human story that penetrates the established version of events and illuminates an urgent issue buried by prevailing fashions of what makes news. We would expect the winner to tell an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts, that exposes establishment conduct and its propaganda, or “official drivel”, as Martha called it. The subjects can be based in this country or abroad.’
It’s about the quality of one’s journalism so nothing to so with what the recipient thinks about Israel or Zionism. Shills and trolls need not apply.
And before we hear about rockets from Gaza, I would refer to the post above about the nocturnal overflying of Israel military helicopters and F16s designed to terrify and drive the captive Palestinians mad. The jets even break the sound barrier to create sonic booms. How cruel.
Mary
20 Mar, 2013 – 9:22 pm
Their time will come.
~~~~~
Bush, Blair wanted for crimes against humanity: Boyle
Sun Oct 21, 2012 3:22AM GMT
—
Mary, i am still getting to know what i need to know, thanks to you. Soldier on!
That interview with Boyle is very interesting indeed. Everyone should see it if they haven’t, so i’m re-linking it here:
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2012/10/20/267844/bush-blair-wanted-for-war-crimes-boyle/
And Prof Boyle’s entry in wiki: what an admirable man! Compare them to our stray pussy cats here, The Resdiss and yes our Ineffectual Damp Squib:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Boyle
Life is long, and its getting ever longer these days (except for the poor) but these bastards, their turn will come.
Mary
I share your disgust with much of the behaviour of the IDF and Israeli Government and despite your despicable slur I do not want to see the Middle East ablaze. I am also more than capable of distinguishing between between anti Semitism and anti Zionism – and I still have to hear your explanation as why you felt it necessary to use a Jewish religious ceremony as the starting point for one of your attacks on Zionism.
I think you should also perhaps note that it is possible to be a friend (or even a Friend) of Israel without having to endorse every single act of the IDF and the Israeli Government – as you have pointed out there are many in Israel who are willing to criticise such behaviour when it occurs and have the freedom of expression to do so.
“We would expect the winner to tell an unpalatable truth, validated by powerful facts, that exposes establishment conduct and its propaganda, or “official drivel”, as Martha called it.” And I for one would second that having read the Granta Collection of her writing – perhaps you might also wish to read this piece http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1961/10/the-arabs-of-palestine/304203/ which demonstrates that a strong belief in the right of Israel to exist and concern for the life and fate of Palestinians are not mutually exclusive. Or is that one unpalatable truth that is just too much for you to swallow.
Thanks for your comments Villager. Are you pleased to have the website back like me? I thought Craig had packed it in because he was fed up with some of the stuff that goes on here!
Goof for you, Craig, and more power to your elbow, or should that be your tongue? Among all the garbage we see on television from ‘politicians’ it is a refreshing change to hear and real intelligent and ‘to the point’ comments. Keep it up, sir!
Who was this war criminal? Tony Blair? All PMs are war criminals. For those who missed it:
http://tinyurl.com/bsrkoyo (Takes you to Democracy Now!)
Move the slider to 30:40 and see the politicians’ gift to Iraq, a CYCLOPS BABY – and “it’s” alive! Congenital malformations in Fallujah are occurring at a rate that is 14 times greater than in Nagasaki and Hiroshima after WW2.
[Mod/Jon: broken URL fixed]
Correction to my English:
“…14 times greater *than was the case* in Nagasaki and Hiroshima after WW2.”