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.
War; what is it good for?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01-2pNCZiNk
Dreoilin,
If we are to believe the recent reports then Cameron only backed down because Ed Miliband told Cameron him to go fuck himself.
I’d like to see more of that in the future.
Ben,
Excellent video there.
Something on the same lines. Bit later in time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTOQUnvI3CA
AlcAnon – Entertainment + dood – solid
Mark, For What It’s Worth, I have no idea what you are talking about.
So it’s clear from national propaganda sources that US satellites are resigned to letting the UN do its job. What would it take to hammer out a UNSC resolution? The UNSC has learned from the US government’s past crimes and tightened its controls.
In light of the actual contents of UN Charter Chapter VII we might want to consider:
How the UNSC will prepare a resolution that ensures compliance with Charter Articles 46 and 47 in light of past experience with NATO: disregarding assigned responsibilities 9a and 9c of UNSC Resolution 1244 (1999); and failing to comply with point 4 of UNSC Resolution 1873 (2011).
How the UNSC will prepare a resolution that ensures compliance with Charter Article 48 in light of past experience with the US government: use of force not authorized by UNSC Resolutions 1368 or 1373; and use of force not authorized by UNSC Resolution 1441 (2002).
Don’t hold your breath. The US will go to war illegally or not at all.
I have seen several comments that Russia and China “walked out” of the Security Council but can’t find any links. AFP supposedly carried the story but I can’t find it on their website.
On the face of it, it does sound like bad news. The Soviet Union did the same which led to the Korean War.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-boycott-united-nations-security-council.
Anyone have a link?
No longer sure on that.
Suspect it might depend on whether they can upgrade the already delayed “evidence” from “Borat” standard to something at least slightly believable.
It’s on the usual websites of questionable purpose. No corraboration I can see. This link is being pepper-sprayed…slow to stop mode.
“http://www.interfax.co.uk/russia-news/representatives-of-russia-and-china-leave-un-security-council-session-on-syria-tv/?utm_campaign=twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter
Bleg,
http://ruvr.co.uk/2013_08_28/Obama-Cameron–al-Assad-chemical-weapons/
(Voice of Russia, RIA Novosti, AFP)
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Wednesday that talks at the UN over a response to the Syrian crisis would continue “over the coming days”. The Russian and Chinese delegates walked out of the UN meeting after US Permanent Representative Samantha Power called for an immediate action in Syria.
=====
Israeli sources also reported it. USA/UK/etc didn’t.
I feel that it’s a shame whats in the air, for the big recurrence of music time, if i post this choon, Which is kool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-yoEUDKUAg
maybe i should then post Hanshan temple, cos i remember waiting at home, on my son to come home, a few years ago, in order to kill the wee fucker, BUT whist waiting, and listening to hanshan temple, i was turned around, was ashamed and felt sorry for him, Ahh the power of Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFAynDQKCZU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_of_Russia
a federal election in days will probably oust the present govt (both are US lapdogs anyway) but australia likes to punch above its weight:
Australia to be a key player in Syria crisis
Speaking to ABC radio beforehand, Mr Rudd said Australia will take up the
United Nations security council presidency for what will be a “vital month”
in the long-running crisis…
Mr Rudd says the UNSC president can seek to forge consensus among members
for passage of a formal resolution – but concedes that’s unlikely to succeed
because of opposition from Russia and China.
***”In the absence of a formal resolution from the council they often use a
device in New York which is called a presidential statement and that’s
supposed to represent the broad sentiment of the council,” he said…
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/aust-to-be-a-key-player-in-syria-crisis/story-fni6ul2m-1226706276258
Got it.
http://ruvr.co.uk/2013_08_28/Obama-Cameron–al-Assad-chemical-weapons/
Hope they just went out for a cool off and a smoke and will be back with a nicely polished veto when required.
Bleg,
The walkout brought the preliminary talks to a halt. No way did if mean they won’t be there for a veto if needed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEWHItzvQHk
Good night.
[Mod/Jon: approving references to “cattle car” and “rib cage anorexia” likely to do with the Holocaust, thus deleted]
Good to see Flaming June and Dreoilin back.
@AlcAnon. 2 12am
“Suspect it might depend on whether they can upgrade the already delayed “evidence” from “Borat” standard to something at least slightly believable.”
(Thanks too for the Red Balloons)
But don’t you see the incontrovertible evidence piling up?
Like these hacked bugging recordings from the Assad household. I have to admit there is rather a lot of background noise but still, you’ll have to admit the case for war gets stronger with each passing press release:
Mrs Assad (from bathroom): “…and she said “couldn’t he have arranged it a bit later so she could watch the end of “East Enders” but he wasn’t listening…as usual…”
Bashar (stairs cupboard): “(assorted clattering sounds) …so I promised to drop off these drums for Reg somewhere or other in the suburbs….(crunch)…said something about …(drag…thump)…some space for the new ring-road flyover….”
Mrs Assad: “…nd don’t forget we’re having dinner with the Braintrees tonight and Susan wa…(tap running)…cause if she signed up for the flower-arranging it would clash with origami class so I said…(hair-dryer)……
Bashar (hallway): “…might be a bit late…(metalic ringing and scraping)…for a half pint at the Three Bells with Malco…(door slamming)
Mrs Assad: “…just typical, always forgetting to feed Tiddles, if only he could be a bit more like Peter Edgeworth…Mable says if you put……(sound of brushing teeth)…goc cu gec shung gnew…(tap running)… at Tesco on the way by this afternoo…(click…music))…)
Well, what’s your answer to that then?
But I suppose some people are never satisfied and will always choose to believe any old conspiracy theorist.
“Testimony from victims now strongly suggests it was the rebels, not the Syrian government, that used Sarin Nerve Gas during a recent incident in the revolution-wracked nation, a senior UN diplomat said Monday. Carla del Ponte, a member of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, told Swiss TV there were “strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof,” that rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used the nerve agent.”
https://oogenhand.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/un-official-states-syrian-rebels-used-sarin-nerve-gas-not-assads-army/
AlcAnon. 1:11 am
I just played that. Brilliant! Thanks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTOQUnvI3CA
DM story: “Is Assad now using NAPALM on his own people? Pictures reveal horrific injuries of Syrian civilians ‘also targeted with phosphorous bombs’”
Readers overwhelmingly remind DM there can’t be anything wrong with this, since US and Israel set precedent.
Phosphorus. I’m sure I’ve had to mention this before. Not ‘phosphorous’, if you’re talking about the element. Daily Mail please copy.
I guess Syria will have to have a free pass on cluster munitions, flechettes and DIME rounds, too. And it can laughingly ignore international law and the Geneva Convention as it sees fit.
Sofia, thanks for the new intel from Syria. ‘Drums’, eh? Not just a beatbox, then? It is nnng evidently time to agh take arms against a sea of troobles and send a very clear message to the evil regime which will comprehensively agh dissuade it from using weapons of mass percussion. Note to Spad, give McCain a call and ask him if that’s ok.
This was all Ehud Borg’s (of 911 fame, these old israeli terrorists do not retire!) doing. Once again he has made a timing error, like the BBC WTC7 collapse premature announcement. He has given the US “incontrovertible” proof of an intercepted “panic call” by a syrian soldier on the ground to Syrian Higher Command in real time, fine. Only the timing of propagandist Comical Shlomo’s contrived call (presumably made by arabic speaking sephardi)was not in sync with the “spielberg” YouTube videos of gassed children, which had been released much earlier on the web by his fellow semite Comical Ali, the wannabe Baghdadi Al-Nusrah propagandist !
Glad to see all the super-excited posters calming down (a lot).
I’d be even gladder if, next time, they stayed calm right from the beginning. All it needs is a little self-control…..
Time, methinks, for them to step smartly sideways and raise a few more diversionary points.
@Komodo. 8.32am
Thanks.
So, not even DM readers are convinced!
Are the propagandists just getting lazy after years of assuming people will believe any scary recycled twaddle they dream up?
(Btw, I hope you took note of the firm rebuff I had to give that little rural reptile the other day when he got a little too keen and I had to remind him I’d given my heart to you. We must meet up soon near some traffic lights. I’dd bring sandwiches and you can dine on some nice plump cyclist.)
Just for you, Rubbaduck –
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Google-Palestine-domain-suspended-after-hacked-over-Israel-reference-324375
In May, the tagline on the homepage of Google’s Palestinian domain was changed from “Palestinian territories” to “Palestine.” Israel’s deputy foreign minister Ze’ev Elkin reportedly sent a letter to Google at the time, saying that recognizing the existence of a Palestinian state is a mistake and could “also negatively impinge on the efforts of my government to bring about direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”
“I would be grateful were you to reconsider this decision since it entrenches the Palestinians in their view that they can further their political aims through onesided actions rather than through negotiating and mutual agreement,” Elkin added.
You mean like Cast Lead? Or Pillar of Nacht und Nebel, Elkin, old chap? Your example is inspirational. And thanks for reminding us of the first rule of successful negotiation – tell the other side it doesn’t exist.
Seems to be up again, anyway. Link for Arabists:
https://www.google.ps/
*Glad to see all the super-excited neocon chicken hawk keyboard commandos calming down (a lot).*
If there was to be a gas release on the streets of London, should the US bomb London?
@Juteman:
Yes. Surgical strike on William Hague, please..
@Komodo.10 03am
Thanks. A very revealing article from the Jerusalem Post.
Would anyone like to like to comment on the quality of the comments section.
Sample:
“George Martin
i was watching a documentary “5 broken cameras”, which was about arabs protesting Israeli building of housing units (supposedly on arab land), and what was so totally noticeable, was that Israel is building on barren land. So the thing that bothered me so much was that these arabs have had 2000 years to build and they didn’t, so why the hell is it that all of a sudden they are saying “we need to build on this land too”?
George Martin
this is proof the arabs dont deserve technology.
Lee Mullen
Time to nuke them all!“
Telegraph – Peter Oborne
“The rush to judgment on Syria is a catastrophic and deadly error”
Britain and America show contempt for the lessons of the past in pressing for action
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10271248/The-rush-to-judgment-on-Syria-is-a-catastrophic-and-deadly-error.html
@Komodo.
Re “Weapons of mass Percussion.”
Here’s the young Assad and is henchmen wowing the Damascus suburbs during their “hard rock” phase,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjx3USc5cSs
I love the T shirt. He should never have cut that hair!
Thank God people did not stay calm with the threat of war hanging over Syria from NATO forces. Those of us who wrote to our MPs reminding them of Iraq have done the trick. Warmonger Cameron, who recalled all MPs from their holidays for what he hoped would be fireworks like the Thatcher’s in the Malvinas due to falling popularity, has been forced to backtrack and now has to eat humble pie and has a lot of explaining to do to parliament. Don’t give these evil beings a chance to complete their pursuits of Armageddon. Keep the pressure on.