Ray McGovern and the Sam Adams party have presented the Sam Adams award to Edward Snowden. I am delighted. This from Ray’s account of the event:
In brief remarks from his visitors, Snowden was reassured — first and foremost — that he need no longer be worried that nothing significant would happen as a result of his decision to risk his future by revealing documentary proof that the U.S. government was playing fast and loose with the Constitutional rights of Americans.
Even amid the government shutdown, Establishment Washington and the normally docile “mainstream media” have not been able to deflect attention from the intrusive eavesdropping that makes a mockery of the Fourth Amendment. Even Congress is showing signs of awaking from its torpor.
In the somnolent Senate, a few hardy souls have gone so far as to express displeasure at having been lied to by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and NSA Director Keith Alexander — Clapper having formally apologized for telling the Senate Intelligence Committee eavesdropping-related things that were, in his words, “clearly erroneous” and Alexander having told now-discredited whoppers about the effectiveness of NSA’s intrusive and unconstitutional methods in combating terrorism.
Coleen Rowley, the first winner of the Sam Adams Award (2002), cited some little-known history to remind Snowden that he is in good company as a whistleblower — and not only because of previous Sam Adams honorees. She noted that in 1773, Benjamin Franklin leaked confidential information by releasing letters written by then-Lt. Governor of Massachusetts Thomas Hutchinson to Thomas Whatley, an assistant to the British Prime Minister.
The letters suggested that it was impossible for the colonists to enjoy the same rights as subjects living in England and that “an abridgement of what are called English liberties” might be necessary. The content of the letters was so damaging to the British government that Benjamin Franklin was dismissed as colonial Postmaster General and had to endure an hour-long censure from British Solicitor General Alexander Wedderburn.
There has been a determined attempt by government to justify the need to intercept everybody’s communications, all the time. We have, yet again, had MI5 claim there are many thousand violent Islamic terrorists running around the UK, (yet somehow not managing to kill anybody). The cry of “paedophiles” is raised, as always. I can imagine them suggesting the entire population be shot dead, and justifying it as making sure they get the paedophiles. The tabloids would go with that.
There still had not been a single credible claim by the mainstream media that any named individual has died, despite that contingency being trotted out all the time as the reason Snowden and Manning should not have revealed state crimes and abuse of power. I am hopeful that, with the internet still largely free to the dissemination of information, out next massive whistleblower is only weeks away.
Good news. While this award is not necessarily a protective shield, it does provide some warning of toxicity to those in the US who want to see Snowden convicted of some serious offences to put him away in a supermax. Gaoling award winners is not a good look for self-proclaimed champions of “Freedom and Democracy”.
Also interesting how risks of death from information revelations are supposed to be more serious than actual deaths from American misadventures.
Here’s a fantastic whistleblower… Senior Counsel for the World Bank legal department
http://kahudes.net/
Well done to Edward Snowden, but his one major error was in revealing details of governments spying on each other, something we would expect them to do. Though I have no particular objection to his having done this, it does allow his opponents to paint him as a traitor. Had he stuck to NSA/GCHQ spying on ordinary people, he would have had an unanswerable case and I very much doubt anyone would have the balls to prosecute him.
Yes, for all these revelations are welcome, I see no sign whatsoever that this spying apparatus will be rolled back. There is the usual piffle about reform – aka, legalising dubious policy – but no acceptance whatsoever that anyone in power has done anything wrong. It’s rather sinister actually. Now it’s all out in the open, we just have to wear it. And if it’s ethically dubious, illegal, or (in the US) unconstitutional, so what? they seem to be asking us.
Troubling. I have been pondering anew the prevalence of CCTV cameras. I have a camera in my apartment buildings, my walk to work is covered by cameras, which are also on public transport, and in my actual work building, cameras on every floor. I am – literally – covered all day by Sauron’s all-seeing eye. This has all just been accepted with a shrug, and police PR regularly telling us how murderers get caught all the time by this surveillance, and it’s a price worth paying.
Is it? Bad people used to get nabbed all the time, it was called police work, and it was difficult, and required training and skill, but it happened. Now? Everything is caught on CCTV, leaked to the papers pre-trial, and that’s the end of the investigation. But would these people get caught without CCTV? That’s not an easy question to answer – but I note no police bother to ask it. There is also the other question – motive. If you catch someone on CCTV, you don’t have to bother asking about motive, or proving motive, but it’s still important.
I’m not sure. But the distant ennui, the vague indefinable sense of shame at being on-camera all day, and the troubling worries about the power of future dictatorships are serious matters, I think. And nobody in power seems to care. Indeed, as Snowden shows us, they want more, not less, of this kind of thing. A mindset that baffles me, to say the least.
well done the committee for awarding Edward Snowden, well deserved. His historic actions will be seen as a turn around of trust and relations between Governments and people.
Thanks for the link to Karen Hudes, Rich, another one of a valuable few.
More and more the rays of sunshine will break through the fraud, the steaming gloom heaped upon humanity by banks, federal reserves, central banks and stockbroking firms gambling their way through uncertain futures.
She deserves praise for the way she reveals whats going on.
Congratulations to Edward Snowden and also for his nomination tor the Nobel Peace Prize which is announced today. In regards to that prize would like to congratulate Malala Yousafzai, 16 year-old living in Birmingham, for what she has tried to do for female education. She is the MSM favourite, promoted at every opportunity.
However the public Guardian readers preferred Bradley Manning who was nominated Guardian Personality of the year with 70% of the vote. He is also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but because this is a very establishment prize, neither he nor ‘Chelsea’ Manning are likely to win it.
I do sincerely congratulate Malala Yousafzai because with all the mass murderers like Begin, Sadat and Obama bringing disgrace to the name ‘peace prize’ she will elevate it a little.
I couldn’t be wrong with this premature speculation could I? Answer you trolls.
Well, there you have it, wrong again.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/10371735/Nobel-Peace-Prize-2013-as-it-happened.html
Data-mining at GCHQ is a complex art. Data-sets contain your activities online and may include information from communication intercepts. This information will compute to a ‘score’ similar to credit rating which determines a personal ‘threat’ to the ‘establishment’ norms.
This endemic surveillance programme has in truth failed to expose any kosher British terrorist plots and British oversight laws preventing bugging are impotent. In fact the three primary UK intelligence agencies are the least accountable and most legally protected in any western democracy.
The agencies are exempt from any real and meaningful oversight and are also protected against disclosure by the draconian 1989 Official Secrets Act, designed specifically to criminalise whistleblowers, as well as having a raft of legislation to suppress media reporting should such disclosures emerge.
Applications to monitor and eavesdrop are tick-box type forms where the authorising authority receives only a summary of a summary ad infinitum for signature and that authority is under ‘pressure’ in case something literally blows up further downstream.
In a nut-shell the intelligence complaints procedure favors the spies and the Intelligence and Security Committee in Parliament are either ignored OR LIED TO by top special cops or spooks; remember the current chair, Sir Malcolm Rifkind is the man who cleared GCHQ’s endemic data-mining as lawful and the committee is chosen by the PM on advice(ie ‘yes’ men) answerable only to the PM and the PM can vet the findings to achieve the status quo.
Without a free WWW as ‘one’s space’ where we can all read, write, listen and discuss ideas freely and in privacy, we are all living in an Orwellian dystopia, and we are all potentially at risk from black-mail, accusations of sedition and sabotage of our minds.
John, “premature speculation” is nothing to be ashamed of, everyone’s been there at least once.
“OPCW has NOT been given the #NobelPeacePrize because of Syria but because of its long standing work.” – fuckin lying corrupt bastards.
Surveillance – it’s big business.
http://wikileaks.org/spyfiles3.html
Note the concentration on cellphone detection and interception (“small base stations”). With voice recognition packages….
There’s no need to make private conversations illegal these days. There’s no such thing.
As I said on the ‘Now Sue Me’ thread, congratulations to Edward Snowden and all the previous Sam Adams Award winners.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2013/10/ok-now-you-sue-me/#comment-432932
Sam Adams – whistleblower Vietnam War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_A._Adams
This will go down like a lead balloon with Messrs Obama and Kerry and Gen Alexander.
‘The father of fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden is in Russia to visit his son.
Lon Snowden told journalists in Moscow he felt “extreme gratitude that my son is safe and secure and he’s free”. He later met his son, local media say.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24470942
Ah, Bit of great news for Whistle blowers Long overdue, well done Mr Snowden.
Rich
Second the heads up by Nevermind for for the link to Karen Hudes
Mary
i put up a link to One of your main interests – 0n the –
OK, Now You Sue Me! Thread, Re Rodger Waters.
I spy with my little eye somone begining with….”M”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10371988/Malala-Yousafzai-didnt-win-the-Nobel-Peace-Prize.-She-didnt-need-to.html
In other news Malala is not going to the Moon, at least not until she trains to become an astronaut, and this just in; Malala has just had her lunch. More on this breaking story as we get it.
Mark
Looks like the Nobel Committee are are trying to hide behind the truth – Syria is exactly the reason for the OPCW award,
And there was Putin doing more than anyone to work for Peace in the M.E.
Gotta highlight The western Elite’s current Manoeuvres
in the Grand Game Eh… Arseholes
Bunch of bought over Spineless Shits in the Nobel C.
it’s further proof that We can never expect to see see oBomber’s Prize being revoked,Or of him and the rest, Cameron, Bliar, Bush, Clinton Ect, ect, being tried for war crimes,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5Km3hgte7c
This just in:- Malala’s lunch was chicken nuggets and french fries, she said that one day she hopes all Pakistani girls we be able to eat such Western delicacies without being shot in the head by nasty intolerant religous men – like what she was, or wasn’t. She finished her meal with a strawberry milk-shake and offered a moving rendition of the often repeated chant “U S A” to assembled journalists from the world’s media, many of whom were moved to tears by her plucky script, er… spirit.
Excellent news; congratulations to Edward Snowden and the Sam Adams Award judges.
The extent to which Snowden’s actions (and by extension those of Glenn Greenwald at the Graun) are a libertarian/authoritarian litmus test of our current political elite can be shown in this report, where Vince Cable defends whistleblowing while Cleggover & Jack Straw back the securocrat drum-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24493062
OPCW, been around since 97.
There’s been nothing said as far as I know about the depleted uranium and white phosphorous used in Iraq, and especially Fallujah, Afghanistan.
The ongoing war and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians received no help or backing, despite Israel using plenty of chemical weapons and sprays against the civilian imprisoned population of Gaza.Not a peep from them during cast lead despite the chemical weapons and their burns being televised.
Then there was the DU tipped bombs and canon shells used during the Libyan war by our and French forces.
Many of the chem weapons which the Syrian rebels are supposed to have, originated in Libya.
Then there were the incidents before the big one that rocked the MSM.
They’ve not accomplished anything yet !!
This is like Obama’s Nobel Peace prize. It’s for the things they might do, sometime, somewhere in the Summertime.
Nobel Industries never stopped making dynamite or weapons.The peace prize always was a dying mans conscience for being responsible for millions of deaths.And it would seem to have just as much to with peace now as it did then.
Spot on DoNNyDarkO as Brian says, bought over Spineless Shits in the Nobel C.
Further to this award, the OPCW’s success it is most likely down to the excellent diplomacy of one Brazilian diplomat Jose Mauricio Bustani.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Maur%C3%ADcio_Bustani
It was down to his efforts that by 2002 most countries bar six had signed up to the chemical weapons convention. The six countries were Israel, Egypt, North Korea, South Sudan, Myanmar, can’t remember the last one.
Myanmar and Israel have signed but failed to ratify the treaty which means that incidents such as Gaza will not count. Their bloody red hands are excempt by ignorance.
In my view the OPCW peace prize will be dwn to his efforts, John Bolton tear your last few hairs out!
Three cheers to Jose Bustani and all that worked in his team. He was axed by arm twisting, Bush could not stomach that he was just about to sign up Saddam to the treaty, it would have taken his WMD arguments right off the table.
Jose Bustani should be director general of the UN imho, he would have no crux with blackmailers and arm twisters.
http://www.historycommons.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=complete_timeline_of_the_2003_invasion_of_iraq&specific_cases_and_issues=bustani
Apparently Frank Gardner is still imbued in ‘cold war syndrome’ as this fake BBC security correspondent juxtapositions written security slanted bollocks knowing full well the intelligence oversight sucks.
However high-minded the motives of Mr Snowden in blowing the whistle on what he sees as excessive surveillance by a sinister Orwellian state, the fact is he has fled to Moscow with over 58,000 secret British and US intelligence files, all of which will be of great interest to Russia’s FSB, the successor to the KGB.
The momentum from Snowden’s courageous acts is slowing, and the DC fight keeps pushing that ethnocentric preoccupation in the US. I’m glad his recognition has broken the surface, but we need more disclosures to keep that ball in play.
Congrats Edward.
Y’all will be encouraged by the Daily Mail’s readers’ comments on the bizarre, sudden campaign by the DM proclaiming Snowden, Greenwald, The Guardian and the BBC all traitors worthy of a mass public shooting.
A majority of their readers oppose the DM’s position and favour Snowden and his allies for revealing unlawful over- surveillance by The State.
The OPCW Nobel Peace Prize is being spun as vindication of Obama’s and Kerry’s clever, credible threat of war that drove Assad to agree to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. No mention that the UK Parliament voted against war and the US Congress was about to do so. Heroic, peace-loving Obama is now settled history.
Craig:
Doesn’t you favorite man turn up in the strangest of places? You’d think he’d learn to be quiet.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/11/jack-straw-edward-snowden-guardian_n_4084258.html?utm_hp_ref=uk
As I said before Aa is on AQ tonight. Should be good for a laugh. Betcha that he will have something to say on the need for security etc. Davey will mutter platitudes about energy prices.
8pm Radio 4 11/10/2013
Duration: 48 minutes
Friday 11 October 2013
Jonathan Dimbleby presents political debate and discussion from Northampton with the Times writer David Aaronovitch, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey MP, Linda Whetstone from the Network for a Free Society and Shadow Chief Secretary for the Treasury Chris Lesley MP.
PS BBC 6pm ‘News’ showed a segment of film about the alleged Syrian government use of CW in ref to the Nobel peace prize winner OPCW.
The BBC correspondent in Washington adds:
Paul Adams BBC World Affairs Correspondent
The OPCW has been working to rid the world of chemical weapons for the past 16 years. For the most part, this task has been laborious and unheralded.
A staff of about 500, working from its headquarters at The Hague, is charged with making sure that the 189 signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention are abiding by its terms.
But it is only in recent weeks, following the use of chemical weapons in Syria, that the OPCW has become a household name.
It is facing its biggest challenge ever – to verify and destroy Syria’s entire chemical weapons programme by the middle of next year. The Nobel committee clearly feels it needs all the support it can get.
It is not uncommon for organisations to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It has happened 24 times since 1901. Non-proliferation has been an occasional theme, with campaigners for nuclear disarmament and against land mines among those recognised.
~~~
I repeat that Israel and Myanmar are non signatories.
WIKILEAKS – LATEST
SNOWDEN
Julian Assange on Snowden, US NSA surveillance, Google and the neo-Imperialism of the US Empire (No, Really!) – Long –
“Assange: ‘Snowden safe but journalists dealing with him at risk'”, by Eva Golinger, October 11th, 2013 – RT –
– http://rt.com/news/assange-interview-snowden-journalists-079/
US EMPIRE NAZIS
Take a holiday in Europe, Motherf@#$@#$. Take a holiday in F^%$@#@$ Europe, I double dare you. (*)
US Empire Nazis – the Boy Emperor, Cheney, Rumsfeld, ‘Our Tony’ Bliar, Brown, Cameron, Clegg — Terrified of their date with destiny — A long drop on a short rope. – Nuremberg Mk II. –
Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of their lives.
NUREMBERG Mk II
Mk I for comparison – Nuremberg Executions of N_zi Leaders for ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ and ‘Crimes Against the Laws of War.’ – Original –
– http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=95d_1206462963
More – On CG Jung and problem of the mass psychosis of the US Empire Nazis- see comment 2 – US EMPIRE NAZI ‘MASS PSYCHOSIS’ – to ‘Can Iran Trust the United States’, by Sheldon Richman, October 2nd, 2013 – ICH –
– http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36415.htm
PULP FICTION
(*) Is it true that even those vehemently anti the US-Empire-Neo-Con-Nazis are possessed by the same murderous demons, as CG Jung said of the Germans after World War 2? (ER, Apparently so. Ed.) – Pulp Fiction –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg8-dii9Ma0
STREWTH!
The lives of Australian Wikileaks heroes – ready for anything! With the US Empire reptilian-brained Rarl Kove played by a crocodile.
But it all ends well for the Aussie Battler. For the croc, not so much. He is, ER, stuffed. Literally. ; ) … And it couldn’t happen to a nicer US Empire Nazi, you may think.
Go Julian ! –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Gbf_EaV7g
Rarl Kove stuffed ? (ER, ‘Natural justice’ – geddit? Ed.) –
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrRfx71_4CQ#t=00m29s
Eva Golinger speaks to Julian Assange. 11 October 2013
http://actualidad.rt.com/programas/detras_de_la_noticia/view/108078-detras-noticia-entrevista-julian-assange
Transcript http://rt.com/news/assange-interview-snowden-journalists-079/
‘Edward Snowden is safe in Russia, but the fates of journalists who helped him and published his leaks are now of more concern for WikiLeaks, Julian Assange said in an exclusive interview with RT Spanish ‘Behind the News’ host Eva Golinger.
Assange also shared his views on the NSA scandal in Latin America and the future of freedom of information.
He criticized the US and the White House for abusing its power more than any other administration in history, stressing that President Obama has prosecuted twice as many journalists under the espionage act as all previous US presidents combined since 1917.
US can blackmail almost every influential person in Latin America’
/..
http://rt.com/news/assange-interview-snowden-journalists-079/
Looks like some quarters are serious about impeaching obomb this, that, and everything inbetween
Resolution Impeaching Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Resolved, That Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Article I
In his conduct while President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has willfully corrupted and manipulated the executive branch to increase its power and destroy the balance of powers between the three branches of government that is established by the Constitution of the United States.
The means used to implement this course of conduct or scheme included one or more of the following acts:
(1) Shortly after being sworn in for his first term as President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama began creating new departments and appointing Czars to oversee these departments. These Czars were never submitted to the United States Senate for approval as required by Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution. In addition, these Czars and the Departments have budgets that are not subject to being controlled by Congress as provided for by Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. He also made recess appointments when the Senate was not in recess……
More from –
http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/formal-articles-of-impeachment-of-obama-prepared-for-the-congress-of-the-united-states/
They didn’t get where they are today without brown nosing and sucking up to the power Brain me lad!
All these committees are stuffed to rafters with the conformists and harrumphers, for fuck sake, Obama getting the peace fucking prize, is this sort of an irony prize?
====
Now that is taking the piss in the best possible taste.
I sincerely appreciate both Snowden and Manning’s willingness to inform us. Nevertheless, wtf are these awards going to do to get those mofus who f us over every ff-ing time behind bars?
@ Rouge [continuing from previous threads]
As far as I can see it, both US/UK governments are shitting their pants for when the day comes that the banksters can’t be bailed out and Joe&Jane six-pack get their hands on crowbars to got out there and find food to feed their toddlers. When Aaron knew he was going to kick the bucket, he came clean in a laudable way. He gave us unprecedented insight into a corner of a very shadowy world. One we know exists, but one that dies instantly when the light of truth hits it. DHS has purchased enough bullets to fight an Iraqi style war for up to 20 years and its new armored vehicles and shiny tanks spell only one thing: anticipated chaos. Again, I’m not all that familiar with the situation in the UK, but HUMINT points in a similar direction. Do you have more info/insight/ideas to share about this topic?