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.
Thanks v much, AlcAnon – I get it now.
Dreoilin; The connection to Snowden relates to his access to FEMA docs. They prepare for regional or national disasters, and theoretically, the advent of CME’s of sufficient strength (EMP) to fry electronic components is the threat. Short of apocalypse, if you wish to protect your cellphone or laptop, there are Faraday Cages to keep you jacked-in. A simple low-cost FC is a 32 gallon galvanized ash can.
Thanks Ben. No idea where I’d get one of those, but I can find out.
“Pathetic and infantile responses from the Resident Invigilator…” sobs the Frequent Poster, who is too thick to see that I was agreeing with her.
She wrote, à propos the killing of the little boy :
“Why didn’t the school intervene? Look at the list of his injuries.
And my suggestion was that the school teachers (and the social workers weren’t doing their bloody jobs properly.
And I went on to make the point – perhaps too indirectly for some? – that the rather large increase in jobs in the public sector under Labour obviously didn’t do much to improve and sharpen up service (and probably wasn’t intended to either).
Ben,
I wonder if he has un-redacted Fukushima information myself.
He might well have plans on dealing with a major CME but that’s entirely different from a prediction of one about to occur.
Dreoilin,
Stick your phone in the microwave oven. Do not switch on!! 🙂
Fukushima is a boiling cauldron, AlcAnon, as you know. The wall is not holding. Contaminated ground water keeps rising and leaking to the ocean. When will other nations start to become alarmed at TEPCO’s revisionist info and incompetence?
And yes, I think Snowden could access anything and no one can predict what will happen wrt CME’s, even predictive models should it cascade into the sun.
edit; ‘no one can predict what will happen if ISON is pulled into the sun’.
“Note we would have many hours warning of such an event on the way and steps can be taken to shutdown grids and isolate equipment in advance. If a really bad shock hit the ACE early warning spacecraft I guess we would see contingency plans go into action.”
In Britain the procedure is to open everything up, close every switch on the grid and spread the load, create one huge sink.
Wouldn’t work in Canada I expect.
A microwave oven as a Faraday Cage? Hadn’t heard that.
@ Komodo (14h25)
Well, I’m the fairest of persons : I rebuke when rebukes are deserved and praise when praise is due.
And therefore I find myself in agreement with you and appreciate your post which read as follows (it is worth reposting):
“And I wouldn’t expect the conservative press to do anything other than emphasise the fact that Manning, a US citizen and regarding himself solely as such, signed the US military’s version of the Official Secrets Act, was put in a position of trust, and betrayed it comprehensively. Which is the (uncomfortable, maybe) fact. He got the book thrown at him -predictably, since discipline needs to be maintained in anyone’s armed forces – and IMO got a reasonably fair disposal in the circumstances”
That is a very fair summary of one aspect of this affair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the way and in that connection let me be more precise on what I posted on the previous thread to the effect that I seemed to detect a slightly sour smell to some of the reactions, on that thread, to the verdict of not guilty wrt the charges of aiding the enemy.
I did not of course mean to imply that the Eminences who posted after the verdict had been announced were unhappy for Mr Manning as a person; I am sure that they were pleased with the verdict as far as Mr Manning as an individual was concerned (although it must also be said that the expressions of relief were few and less enthusiastic than I whould have expected).
My point was, rather, that that verdict was a disappointment in that they would have been happier to have seen their narrative of the US being the source of all evil, injustice, repression, etc, etc, confirmed at least as far as this affair was concerned. A guilty verdict on aiding the enemy – with the consequent posssibility (theoretical, to be sure) – of a death sentence would have been just the ticket for some of them.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324354704578633411523424342.html
That’s strong language indeed from Lady Barbara Judge
ISON is interesting to watch (or not as we can’t see it for the sun right now).
Will do AlcAnon – and no I won’t. 😉
Meanwhile, have been reading Christian Christensen, professor of journalism at Stockholm University:
“WikiLeaks and Anonymous respond to status quo journalism”
‘Wikileaks and Anonymous challenge global hegemonies of power and the popular narratives that underpin them.’
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/07/201372891029632277.html
I’ll be danged. Microwave ovens ARE an FC. It keeps it in, it keeps it out…simple solution, the best one I’ve seen. Thx AA.
Well, that’s something anyway, AA. I suspect the Japanese government still has a problem with ‘losing face’, but I think other strong statements made by persons of import are needed.
Ben,
It’s not perfect and won’t block the very highest frequencies (because of the mesh width in the glass) but it is fairly good. You can try putting your phone in and ringing it. It normally won’t ring (mine doesn’t). If it still has 5 bars and rings then it may be time to get a new microwave before you cook yourself.
Heh; We use our microwave to sterilize the kitchen sponge.
‘Free Radicals’ has a different meaning since the 60’s.
Habby and Komodo argue:
“And I wouldn’t expect the conservative press to do anything other than emphasise the fact that Manning, a US citizen and regarding himself solely as such, signed the US military’s version of the Official Secrets Act, was put in a position of trust, and betrayed it comprehensively. Which is the (uncomfortable, maybe) fact. He got the book thrown at him -predictably, since discipline needs to be maintained in anyone’s armed forces – and IMO got a reasonably fair disposal in the circumstances”
Yeah, but what about his duty to expose war crimes. That’s a higher duty established at Nuremberg surely, or did the Nazis just creep back in and change the rules again.
Marjorie Cohn, makes the srgument:
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/16731-bradley-mannings-legal-duty-to-expose-war-crimes
Mary, Fedup, yes emotional stuff.. Well said Fedup,
I can’t believe that i’m shocked at h’s response – in such a discussion the Life is good Mantra – Disgusting. Fucking revolting actually.
It all reminds me of one of my Poems – if i may
Ghost Upon Rainbows
MOUNTAIN MIST SOFTLY
Drenching Heather And Bracken
Brimming Brooding Lochs
Nourishing Streams Rarely Slacken
LIFE GIVING RAINS
Of Unanswered Prayers
Leaves Vast Famine Swathes
Timeless Millions Without Trace
THE NAKED EARTH FALLING
Dust On Grieving Winds Blow
Whirl Around Young Souls –
Never Wondered Upon A Rainbow
THROUGH THE DANCE OF HEAT
Ghostly Far Eyes Gaze
Through Deep Dry Veils
Of Cruel Shimmering Haze
A MIRAGE OF OCEANS
Water-Worlds Dream
Privileged Beings Play
Where White Yachts Gleam
THE HEAVENLY EARTH
Gods On Jet-Skis Splash
Spray Walls Of Water
The Visions Crash
A PARCHED LAND COWERS
The Mirage Folds And Drifts
Through Warm Dust
An Empty Child Sifts
TO THE EARTH ONCE MORE
Those Helpless Little Fingers
For Want Of A Morsel
A Closer Death Lingers
BrianFijisan
I see that there is some speculation of Judge Lind having received a promotion, during the course of Bradley Manning’s trial, to the court where appeals will be held.
Anyone have anything on that?
Herbie, I read that on at least Two separate Sites, i’ll try dig something up on it. it seem to be true though
Cheers, Brian
Looked myself, but haven’t find anything substantive yet.
Obviously if true, it’s another dodgy thing to add to an exponentially growing list.
Here this was one Source,
If Manning is sentenced to more than one year of confinement or punitively discharged, his case is immediately appealed to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, WHERE LIND WAS RECENTLY PROMOTED, Legal experts I spoke with are eager to read Lind’s detailed findings (expected in the coming weeks) to try to understand how she could have reached the decision that the information released by Manning related to national defense. The charged documents did invite potential embarrassment. A confidential CIA report was titled “Afghanistan: Sustaining West European Support for the NATO-led Mission—Why Counting on Apathy Might Not Be Enough,” and another secret CIA report was titled “What If Foreigners See the United States as an ‘Exporter of
terrorism’?”
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/31/questions-over-judge-s-rulings-give-hope-to-bradley-manning.html
@Everyone Who Signed.
DU petition filling fast. Over 1020 signatures already. Thanks All.
@Dreoilin.
Lift Eleven. LOL
‘Sir Walter Scott talked about in “The Lay of the Last Minstrel”’
Scott was a Tory propaganda merchant. He did for the Highlander what the dime novel did for the Native American, portrayed them as primitive savages to justify their persecution.
His romanticised historical lies have been used by several countries to brainwash their people into going out and killing and getting killed for their rich elites. Not least America, Mark Twain reckoned the civil war was largely down to him.
It’s thanks to the likes of Scott Bradley Manning has been on trial for putting humanity before country.
bad link sofia..
Thanks Ben.
Here it is.
https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/world-health-organisation-and-iraqi-ministry-of-health-act4iraq-and-release-birth-defect-data
@Flaming June
Nice to see news of my shenanigans with Rusbridger made it back here.
Typical evasive BS from Rusbridger though.
Here you go, Herbie – from the Washington Post last week:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/more-than-bradley-mannings-fate-lies-with-judge-denise-lind-in-case-about-leaking-info/2013/07/24/fb546d14-f496-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story_1.html
Fred, some of what you say is right. Scott was a Tory. So were a lot of poets. Most of them in fact. That does not mean they could not write poetry. Kipling likewise was an establishment figure, and a freemason, as was Scott. The question people should be asking is why to be a successful poet or novelist you often need the help of spurious secret groups. T. S. Eliot was another. Cats, the musical, was based on Eliot’s poem Opossum’s Book of Practical Cats, and this poem was about members of Eliot’s lodge. I thought everybody knew that. But if not, why not? I write, with Dan Rodger, musicals. They have no chance in this playing field which is supposedly ‘on the level’ but in actual fact very biased towards favourites.
The Lay of the Last Minstrel, we learnt at school, and that poem which I think was Canto 13 was presented as ‘Love of Country’. Scott knew his craft. I was being a bit contentious with the ‘doubly dying’ which quite clearly is aimed at those who are unpatriotic rather than those who are opposed to foreign influence on our government. I love my country. I depise my government. 🙂
An even ‘despise’ it.