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.
Habby, i’ll take some credit too (inter alia for the 3 yrs already served question) as my comment was in process when distracted by a telephone call.
Read and weep. What sentence will Bales receive.^
Bales faces survivors of his Afghan rampage
In dramatic testimony Tuesday, seven Afghan nationals told a military jury how Staff Sgt. Robert Bales slaughtered their family members during a predawn massacre at two Afghanistan villages last year.
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021652464_baleshearing1xml.html
^(Sorry the question mark key is no longer operating on my crappy Acer laptop. It is less than three years old and the display is up the creek too with a white vertical stripe on the LH side of the screen and strange black thumbprint-like marks coming in on the RH side. Otherwise it’s brilliant! 🙂
@ Evgueni
“Aren’t you comparing apples and pears (% Polish speakers in England vs % Welsh speakers in UK).”
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He certainly is, but you should know that Captain Komodo is not very serious.
BTW, I could imagine that there are more Urdu speakers in the UK than Polish speakers. I’m assuming, of course, that the Captain wouldn’t deny that Urdu is a foreign language 🙂
My arguments prevail because they are based on the application of a little thought before posting, rigorous logic and the avoidance of lies and misrepresentation.
ROFLMAO
What arguments? Nitpicking isn’t argument…but you are well aware of that.
If you avoid the lie direct, it is because you generally avoid saying anything substantive at all. And if, you ever attempted to answer a question, we might be able to see your ‘logic’ in action. Until then, it is a chim(p)mera.
Question:
“What do you see as the best chance for peace between the state of Israel and a proposed state of Palestine?”
Do try to avoid ‘misrepresentation’ by some other means than avoiding the issue….
[Mod: sideswipes at ‘Eminences’, please try to be civil. Removed]
Welsh/Polish/Urdu…when I supply a link have the goodness to check it out ffs, Rubbaduck. Even if your ego is inflated to the point where it is difficult to click your mouse.
Flaming June sorry to hear about the laptop. Every one I’ve ever had has suffered from attempts to bring it down. Otherwise they’ve all been great! 🙂
Havasack is back. That didn’t take long. I guess the requisite responses to his queries were unsatisfactory to his feigned humility wrapped in layers of fatty ego.
@ Ben Franklin
“Please share your thoughts wrt the Apache crew…”
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Very happy to, Ben! They are as follows : I’m surprised that they appear not to have been subject to any sanction.
Do you happen to know the official reason (assuming one has been given) for why not?
Komodo can you please stop your barage of bolds. Its not much different from caps. And its a repeat of what you’ve already posted multiple times upstream on this thread–enough already. Take a moment to empathise with Manning instead.
” I’m surprised that they appear not to have been subject to any sanction.”
What brevity. You seem to be blessed with wordiness on other subjects. Care to expand on that bold commitment?
Ben, it sure has been a half-century of misguided action by the US. I wish you good people over there well. You have a hard task ahead. When the financial system collapses (it is unsustainable) you have a chance to rebuild. Then will be the time to release the wrongfully imprisoned and deal with their persecutors. A world system must then be established to ensure these greedy people have no means of getting to power again. The Nazis escaped and created the new USA. The time for change is long overdue.
@ Komodo
Oh, of course, you were using the word “trick” ‘colloquially’….and with one leap Komodo’s free!
Actually, not quite. You mean that the “trick” – or the subtlety – or the vice – lies in the fact that the legislation applies only to designated UK entry/leaving points.
Where else should the law apply to people entering or leaving the UK if not at designated entry/leaving points?
Or perhaps you’d prefer the law extended to cover people walking the streets of our fair land?
Still a chump.
@ Ben Franklin
“Care to expand on that bold commitment?”
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No, not really, because it seems clear enough.
You shouldn’t judge a post on its length : I’m sure you know the expression “never mind the quality, feel the size”?
To repeat my question : do you know the official reasons given for not pursuing the Apache crew? Be as verbose as you like.
I knew this was going on, it has been for long time.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/now-big-brother-targets-your-fedex-ups-packages/
Habby claims wrt the murderous Apache crew:
” I’m surprised that they appear not to have been subject to any sanction.”
Why are you surprised?
You know, I find reading the squibbling on this board so much more fun than reading the actual news, which, considering that the news today consists of murder, torture, state intimidation and potential nuclear devastation is perhaps not surprising. Thanks, everyone.
Oh no there comes the Narrative Master again trying to cobble some points. Out of what? A constructive comment. Good luck to you Emminent freedom-fighters — no wonder 95% of the world ignores you and cannot take you seriously, because you’re anything but serious about change.
Hab; Do you wear belts AND suspenders to hold your britches up?
You really are not one to go out on a limb; especially a dangerous one like an opinion from your side of the question.
Why where there no actions against them “They shouldn’t have brought their kids to a battle, Ha, Ha”
ps I meant that – at least people are engaging, in whatever way. It’s rather comforting.
Sorry Villager. I thought the Hab was undergoing rehab, but it’s the same old smell.
He’s like a Viking with a wooden sword. He makes a lot of noise but doesn’t do any real damage.
Would it be on topic if I gave Habbabkuk an IRISH linen teatowel (made in Co Down of course) and asked him to dry up!
Plenty of choice. Even one commemorating the royal birth. A snip at £8.15
http://www.ulsterweavers.com/tea_towels_11/
It is with sadness that we hear today that Bradley Manning has been sentenced to 35 years. He may have technically broken the law, but he has done so much greater good by letting us all know about some government secrets that should never have been secrets in the first place. It has been said that a million plus people had access to the “secrets” Bradley Manning disclosed – so they were hardly secrets in the true sense of the word; just embarrassing information that governments withheld from the general public.
Far too often in recent years we have seen far too many people being punished illegally — from unlawful detention at Heathrow (to punish a journalist for investigating allegations of pedophilia amongst some in the UK establishment) to a full scale Stasi-style Zersetzen persecution for some whistleblowers who effectively become non-persons with the system fixed to the extent that there are no “practical” legal remedies. And of course there are the recent shocking disclosures of massive spying and invasion of privacy against our communications – telephone, email, and internet -that could not happen in a proper democracy.
I owe Wikileaks/Manning for publishing evidence that supports my claim that the government of Canada is using terrorist tactics (Zersetzen) to persecute innocent citizens. I quoted this disclosure in a recent article in Lobster about Canada’s Gestapo – its Spy Agency CSIS.
“Wikileaks unearthed a US diplomatic cable which stated that
the former CSIS Chief, Mr. Judd, admitted to a US State
Department Official that CSIS has been (illegally) ‘Vigorously
Harassing’ people in Canada.”
http://lobster-magazine.co.uk/free/lobster65/lob65-canadian-spy-agency.pdf
Ben, frankly I appreciate and trust subtlety than people who wear their pet ‘isms and revolutions on their sleeve. I’ve explained this at a consciousness level a number of times before, as you know. I refuse to judge Habby as many here wish to but from all that i’ve seen (observed) he’s on the constructive side of issues and conflicts. At the same time he’s demanding of standards of people’s theses and analyses. Thats not a bad thing at all in a world sleep-walking through endless conflicts. I don’t care how people are shaken out of their stupor, as long as it is done and done so without a gun.
Ben, Mary pipes up at an opportune moment as an example of crassness. Would you trust this ex-secretary with your revolution?
LOL x 2
“Village magazine challenges DPP – prosecute UniCredit, John Bowe, Michael Fingleton, Michael Lowry TD”
http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?14657-Village-magazine-challenges-DPP-prosecute-UniCredit-John-Bowe-Michael-Fingleton-Michael-Lowry-TD
New Labour, including the drafter of the legislation, Charlie Falconer, are arguing that their clearly Kafkaesque instrument has been used unlawfully, in the case of David Miranda.
To that extent they’re defending their legislation.
Falconer QC will have known that in drawing the legislation so broadly, incidents such as that of David Miranda’s detention are certainly possible within the legislation.
So, New Labour’s argument is the worst possible in terms of ridding ourselves of this draconian power.
Funny, that.
It’s actually better to argue that the detention was lawful but disproportionate, necessitating redrawing with added protections.
I do marvel though at Charlie’s foresight. It’s almost as if he anticipated the post 911 environment, in the year 2000. And the way they so hurredly wrapped up the terrorist op in NI in preparation for the mother of all terror ops.
Isn’t it great to have such clever people running the show.
I feel so safe.
Thanks, Charlie.
“He { ie, Mr Manning }may have technically broken the law,…”
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Nothing “technical” about it, old chap.
As Komodo pointed out some time ago, by enlisting he signed up to military law. And broke it subsequently (word “technically” deleted).
“Would it be on topic if I gave Habbabkuk an IRISH linen teatowel (made in Co Down of course) and asked him to dry up!”
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No more on or off topic than usual, I think.
I’d be interested in acquiring one to give to my grandchildren in due course (because there will still be a monarchy then – thank God!).
Where can I get one?