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.
Phil’s comment about Villager :
“Whereas you are a patronising, whining, cowardly little avatar.”
aroused my interest.
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Toads are harmless creatures and deserve protection, and you do them a grave disservice by using a toad as your avatar. Would you consider changing your avatar in order not to bring them into further disrepute?
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By the way, that’s Phil who? Could we have a real photo as well (à la John Goss)? Thanks!
“… and so you’ll have to work harder to be forgiven…” H, 10:31am, today
I just find it intriguing. I’m amused at the vagaries of cyberspace, actually, where anyone can be Cinderella and the next minute, or even simultaneously, the same person, the nasty stepmother. Transgendering is normative. It’s emblematic of the contingent, constructed nature of the self and notions such as gender, ‘race’, religion and so on.
No, I’m not an NCO, nor am I am CO, an adjutant or even the COC. I see myself more as the Fairy Godmother or possibly, the court jester. That, or the pumpkin. At midnight, I turn…
@ Suhayl (10h33)
I appreciate your courage in posting the above. I anticipate an active silence from the Eminences in response….
PS – have you considered the possiblity that “Ahmed” is a paid hasbara agent? 🙂
Suhayl: “The way Villager writes (9:51am, today), one would be forgiven for assuming that Villager and Habbabkuk are one and the same person. Either that, or lovers, or identical twin sisters.”
You’re not another Jew hater are you Suhayl. Are you going to blame your weird comment on psychedelia again? You and John sound like blatant Islamic sympathiser brothers-in-arms.
Wonder why you don’t use your ultra imagination to write more serious stuff rather than wasting your time on the insignificant stuff you write here?
From the article in The Independent:
‘At the main morgue beside the field clinic, the mother of one victim, 16-year-old Malik Safwat, struggled to reach him through the tightly-packed rows of corpses.
“Don’t move that body,” said one of the morgue attendants to a volunteer trying to clear a path. “Move a lighter one.” She eventually found him, tearfully shaking his left knee from side to side as if to try and wake him up. His sister had also arrived. “My darling,” she said in a trembling voice. “Why my darling?” ‘
This is the handiwork of the glorious Egyptian military. They can’t confront, for example, Israel on any level. In the face of Israeli troops, they run like rabbits. They are good only for killing their own people.
@Habbawank
I am not going to give you my surname upon demand although it is no secret. I am a real person who discusses politics in the context of a real life. I do things in the real worls.
I have even met people from this blog and extend such an invitation to you. What are you doing today? Fancy meeting? Tell me a time and I’ll be there. Balcome train station? I believe Mark is there, another real person with a real life. We could say hello to him.
My offer is 100% serious mate. Are you game?
“You and John sound like blatant Islamic sympathiser brothers-in-arms.” Villager.
I wonder why you get so very uptight with my little, good-natured jokes. You now sound almost like Fedup! I wonder why you resort so easily to calling me “an Islamist”? I didn’t hear one peep from you on the Egypt thread recently when I was being attacked by the clerical fascists.
If you give me a lot of money, I’d be happy to go away and write some serious stuff. Art largely is determined by economics.
@ Suhayl
I realise that it’s difficult to place you in the military hierachy of the Regiment.
The Colonel, obviously, is Craig. But perhaps he’s too tolerant, and too nice, to enforce discipline effectively. That job is for the Adjutant, who goes by the name of Jon. The ones leading the troops out of the trenches are Komodo (he’s a captain, by the way) and, strangely, a certain lady lieutenant from the small detachment of WRENS attached to the Regiment. The “legal adviser” is Mr Scorgie (a bit of a fusspot, but hey, that’s lawyers for you)and, on a (much) lower level we have a number of corporals: Herbie, Macky, Fedup….they’re the club swingers and their language leaves much to be desired, as one would expect.
I’m still working on certain others :).
I also wonder why my contributions in particular induce such vicious reactions from some posters. Larry from St Louis, Alfred the White Supremacist, the Baxter Gang, the clerical fascists and now dear old cosmic Villager. I find it interesting.
Villager, please be mellow, go and listen to some K. Multiple personality on the web is not a disease, it is is manifestation of the plurality of being. You are a child of the multiverse. be embrac’d in the bosom of the Big Bang.
Habbabkuk, perhaps I am aligned to the elemental force of gravity. I deal in black holes and white dwarves. No, off to the heliopause!
What are your views on the Egypt situation?
@Villager.
“You’re not another Jew hater are you Suhayl?”
What does it take to earn the accusation of “Jew hater”?
Can you expand and show us examples.
“Villager, who is Ms May? I mentioned Theresa May (the racist). She’s married and does not endorse the feminist equivalent of Mr. She is also homophobic.”
Even if Ms May is a racist, it doesn’t mean you’re not one too. Maybe you’re just at variance as to which races you hate, respectively. So you would still be a racist. If you’re not, prove it by withdrawing your assumptive snide remark about the synagogue.
@ Suhayl
“This is the handiwork of the glorious Egyptian military. They can’t confront, for example, Israel on any level. In the face of Israeli troops, they run like rabbits. They are good only for killing their own people.”
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I hope you don’t think I’m harassing you, but I do want to express agreement with that point (one which I’ve long held).
May I just complete it by saying that the same comment applies equally to the Syrian and Jordanian armies and (in the past) to the Iraqi army? Doughty warriors indeed – until the circumcised ones appear on the horizon!
“Can you expand and show us examples.”
No, not to the sleeping and ignorant, i can’t.
“May I just complete it by saying that the same comment applies equally to the Syrian and Jordanian armies and (in the past) to the Iraqi army?” Habbabkuk.
Yes, I agree. I was going to type that, myself, actually.
@ Phil
Fair enough (about not identifying yourself, I mean), but then you shouldn’t really be damning Villager and comparing him unfavorably to John Goss, who does identify himself here, should you?
“I have even met people from this blog and extend such an invitation to you. What are you doing today? Fancy meeting? Tell me a time and I’ll be there. Balcome train station? I believe Mark is there, another real person with a real life. We could say hello to him.
My offer is 100% serious mate. Are you game?”
Thank you for the offer, but if you knew where I find myself at present you would realise why I have to decline.
Peace! (well, temporary armistice)
Yes, effectively calling me “a Jew hater” is simply illogical. I don’t undestand how on earth Villager could’ve come to suggest that. I think he’s just upset.
“Thank you for the offer, but if you knew where I find myself at present you would realise why I have to decline.” Habbabkuk
Bleedin’ heck! Where are you? Mount Everest? Gaza? North Korea? An ashram filled with gopis?
@Villager. 11:00 am
” “Can you expand and show us examples.”
No, not to the sleeping and ignorant, i can’t.”
Well, thanks! Doesn’t that just clear it up then? Or is the implication simply that to criticise crimes done in the name of Jews means that a person hates Jews. I’m not much of a logician and I’m maybe half asleep, but I still sense a bit of a problem with lumping all critics together as anti-semites.
“What are your views on the Egypt situation?”
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A betrayal of the Egyptian spring and a tragedy for Egypt and the Egyptian people.
Egypt
The Army Pulled The Trigger, But The West Loaded The Gun
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35875.htm
Thanks for your soothing links to the socialist capabilities, watching and debating what to do with the army’s response.
Read yesterdays harrowing account by Robert Fisk, and this morning we heard that the army has entered a mosque with a 1000 people inside, a temporary morgue, no word about what the army did inside or whether these 1000 Mursi supporters came out alive, that is the BBC reality today, obfuscation and hidden agendas.
‘The sound of gunfire can be heard’ is all we are getting this morning.
Thanks for waking me up Phil, your words are apt. John Goss is not a racialist, never has been, rather the opposite. The zionists are realising that their plans are jeopardised if public opinion is worsening.
with slur pilots such as Daniel seaman ‘Is there a diplomatic way of saying go fuck yourself'(his answer to Saaeb Erekats request for Israel to stop their settlements) in charge of realising facebooks potential to woe the public, the pro israel villagers have their work cut out.
Netayahu could have and was asked to remove this mouthy Daniel, but refrained from doing so, so more trees will be bulldozed for settlements and Mr. Seaman has got the full support of a fascist to support his vile words.
Zehava Galon of the liberal Meretz party termed Mr. Seamans comments as ‘scandalous’ that Mr. Netanyahu not dismissing him meant that he gave legitimacy to these kinbd of expressions. That is what Jews think of Mr. Seamans vile words.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think of either Villagers or Suhayl as haters of any kind (as far as any particular people, nation or religion are concerned, I mean). They may – surely do – hate certain ways or modes of thinking, but that’s something different, isn’t it.
Jeez, I must be getting mellow….there goes my performance bonus! 🙂
All for now.
“The way Villager writes (9:51am, today)”
Is the reason why increasing number of people are turning away from this Blog, and everytime somebody writes “This used to be my favorite place on the Web. These days, it just makes me feel sick”, the Habbu-Clown smiles in self-satisfaction; what we have been witness to over these past months is an expert example of a type of internet grooming; the Clown attacks one of the most effective Posters here, namely Mary, but cleverly directs the attack not so much on substance, but rather on superficials such as style or syntax or frequency of comments or feign indignation at a particular word/expression etc, etc; this proves irresistible to a certain number of other Posters, who until given an excuse, did not dare express their own latent resentment towards Mary, and so they quickly jump on the Clown’s bandwagon, inadvertently aiding & encouraging him in his mission to distract & disrupt. Only Dreoilin & Technicolour know why they harbour such animosity towards Mary, that they rarely miss an opportunity for a snarky dig, perhaps it’s a female rivalry thing; but with the sad case of Villager, despite all his Krishnamurtic pretentions, he seems to have allied himself with the Clown purely for his own self-esteem, in that he realizes that the Clown is far cleverer than himself, but gullibly also believes the Clown’s mocking delusion to be the intellectual superior to all here, so basically an ego trip in reflected Clownish light for poor Villager.
This is why we now have a polarized rift, not so much as between those who can or cannot see through the Clown, but between those who value Mary’s contributions & those that resent them, each for their own reasons.
“A betrayal of the Egyptian spring and a tragedy for Egypt and the Egyptian people.” Habbabkuk.
Yes, I agree totally.
Thanks also for your comments wrt ‘haters’, much appreciated.
Villager, I’m sorry if I upset you. I’m just interested in the fluidity of cyberspace and was trying to lighten things up a bit.
While more and more of the commentators on this board are homing in on the fictitious duality of the same character engaged in a dialogue with itself for the benefit of the wider world. On goes the charade, and the torrent of indignations, condescensions, complaints and pointless, baseless comparisons goes unabated.
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Curiously the coup that never was, and the dictatorship that is not, and the martial law that is only a curfew in Egypt seems to be going unnoticed, and remains under the radar of the same vociferous defenders of the democratic rise of the Egyptians in the Tahrir Square. This evidently has now evolved into an all out shooting spree on those pesky Muslim Brotherhood supporters, all very democratically of course.
Strangely, air time is given to the Egyptian ambassador to spin a cock and bull yarn about the protesters shooting at the Security forces, and not respecting the roles of the game that dictates only Egyptian forces can fire on the civilians and the latter gets shot and cannot shoot back, because that is just not cricket old boy!
Although the above sentiment going unaddressed, more bizarrely none of the stenographers even hinting at the possibility of the armed forces sending their personnel dressed in civilian attire to do their shooting staged for the benefit of the present infra red camera that is taking a few timely clips to justify the murderfest unfolding in the streets of the towns and cities in Egypt. All done very democratically of course.
So the lessons of today are; murder, mass murder, indiscriminate shooting of the civilians, burning down the mosques, bulldozing protesters and barricades into the ground, imposing martial law, after a military coup overthrowing an elected government, indeed is a democratic way of conducting governance, without giving into Islam ists.
Suhayl: “I don’t undestand how on earth Villager could’ve come to suggest that. I think he’s just upset”
Suhayl i don’t think even you have come to meet your subconscious. Imagery, your favourite toy, is a powerful distraction. I don’t trust your image, your sense of humour borders on the variable, but at the same time I admit, I don’t know *you*. Perhaps you’re not a Jew-hater, but your quick alignment with Goss earlier was a bit suspicious. You fancy your own writing no end working very carefully to craft and present your own image of yourself. But the image is not you. So, I’ll just say I don’t know. Life carries on — no conclusions.
Suhayl, your post crossed mine — sorry ‘m a slow typer. You didn’t ‘upset me’ Suhayl, you just made me look deeper into that Universal space. Its ok. Deliberate lightening up doesn’t always work but thank you for trying and your gracious comment.
The common ground of meaningless statement is a beautifull place. I’m for fairness myself!
“… meaningless statement…” Phil
What is meaningless about saying that the Egyptian uprising, which began in 2011, but which actually began around 2006-8 in the trade unions, etc., has been betrayed?