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.
I think a forum attached to this blog might be a good idea. Craig’s posts and relevant comments would stay here where thy have always been and off topic discussions could run in the forums. On topic but longer running discussions could also be in the forum.
Of course it would be an added task for a moderator though to look after the forum as well. So maybe it is ruled out for that reason alone. I think it would improve the readability of the main blog comment stream if posters could just be asked politely to take certain threads to the forum. If asking politely doesn’t work then the offending comments could just be forcibly moved to the forum or just deleted.
“I think a forum attached to this blog might be a good idea.”
Sure it would, but,
Would Craig agree to it?
Who would run it? Jon has his hands full here already.
Wow this is a productive thread, thanks peeps.
Emmpey a sharp observation there, the usual Heath Robinson tunnels of the Palestinians, who cannot find cement to build their bombed out infrastructure and sewerage, because they have been using it to line their tunnel to zionistan. Although Palestinians cannot afford the price of the copper wire and have to cope with power outs, but they make sure their tunnel to zionistan is wired and air-conditioned too!
This reminds of Don Rumsfeld graphics of the Osama HQ in the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan equipped with telephone exchange and computer servers, fucking class!
A Node your proposition explains the dog and pony show just before the “floatation”, and the aftermath with people not getting their shares, because they had applied for more than £10,000 how very fucking capitalistic of the protectors of the free markets? This is a nice arrangement, socialism for the rich, fucking fascism for the sick and capitalism for the poor. It is fucking great to be the king.
Brain doctors in Fallujah are discouraging the local women from falling pregnant. The contamination of the area with the use of fire and kill for the next hundreds of years weapons systems has reduced the area into a cesspit of dioxins that will be contaminating the area for the next fucking two hundred and fifty thousand years.
“Jon has his hands full here already.”
I question that. Jon has been away a few days and everything was smooth — he wasn’t missed. He comes back, interjects his power and self-importance and makes things divisive.
For months when Habbabkuk first appeared, Jon was nowhere to be seen — hibernating in the depth of winter. Water then finds its own level, Mary then returns as April Showers and there is no stalking. Only ‘normal’ challenges and thought-provocation which hopefully grown-up people can sort out, or eventually overlook. Though foul language seems to be not only acceptable, but almost welcomed here
Btw, not that Jon himself is some angel as he gloats about a ‘tricycling triumvirate’, thereby further contributing to the divisiveness. There was one whole day of one-hand clapping and head-nodding after Habby was ‘banned’ and Jon comes back with “’twas a nice day”.
If Jon wants ‘nice days’ and ‘pleasantness’ he should go take a walk in the meadows. I don’t overestimate his need or ‘importance’ here. His sense of self-importance though is inflated from reality. Perhaps, fed by the chief whingers here e.g. Mary and Jives who were the two notable examples when Habby reappeared here again recently. For most people, we accepted it and got on with the discussion.
And talking about forums and being on topic, why does Mary have a special licence to thrust her version of the the Metro or the Evening Standard upon us morning and night, without objection.
“For example, all of the Royal Mail’s real estate is being transferred to the new private owners for less than the value of the Royal Mail’s London real estate alone. Neil Clark reports that one Royal Mail London depot is worth about one billion British pounds; but the entire real estate assets of the Royal Mail–public property–is being transferred to the new private owners for about three-quarters of one billion British pounds. The deal was so loaded in favor of the private purchasers that the share price rose almost 40 percent on the first day of trading. (This might have been some sort of nominal trading as the deal possibly has not been finalized.)”
http://paulcraigroberts.org/2013/10/14/whatever-became-western-civilization-paul-craig-roberts/
Villager,
Do you ever stop whining?
If youre so unhappy with this blog why not just leave?
Lowest form of argument, Jives. I name you as a whinged and you accuse me of whining. [If you can’t come up with your own original thoughts, that makes you a second-hand human being, which you are]. As for your latter question why do you think i owe you an answer, whether or not you’re a twerp?
whinged=whinger
“If youre so unhappy with this blog why not just leave?”
If you’re so unhappy with this world, why not just leave?
The usual obsessive whining stuff from Villager.
‘Perhaps, fed by the chief whingers here e.g. Mary and Jives who were the two notable examples when Habby reappeared here again recently. For most people, we accepted it and got on with the discussion.’
I think I have asked once, or even twice, if Habbakuk had been banned.
I can’t remember when I last quoted from the Metro and only very occasionally from the ES. Wild exaggeration as usual.
PS Using the name ‘Habby’ makes the troll in question sound so friendly and just as nice as the bloke next door.
~~~
The massive outpouring of details of the Met investigation of the Madeleine McCann case, including the new e-fits, has dominated the media today and is currently taking place on Crimewatch. There are many detectives employed.
I have been revisiting the four posts that Craig made about the disappearance and the comments thereon. The general consensus was sorrow for the abducted child but little sympathy for the parents who left their tiny children unattended.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/?s=+mccann
It is hard to find out about the logistics of Operation Grange, as the reply to this FoI request indicates.
http://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t7493-met-police-it-would-take-up-too-much-time-to-find-out-how-many-operation-grange-staff-have-had-trips-abroad-on-operation-grange-work-and-for-how-long-they-were-away
In 2012, a number of 30 detectives on the case was reported.
Yes mary, i was expecting you to come and complete your Evening Hat-trick. Quite a funky, edgy name for your news service as useless as it is. So sorry we interrupted it, but that means you get a second bite at the apple and produce another one. Just look at your standard morning troika contributions — how boring and predictable you are. And aren’t you being just a little bit thick to interpret that i suggested you were quoting from the Metro or the ES. Still its late in the evening so you may be forgiven.
As for the whining bit, ditto what i said to Jives. But you’re an even more shining example of a second-hand human being constantly quoting, quoting, quoting, quoting — ne’er an original thought. Whoever are you friendly withor nice to here anyway, you lonely biddy?
Timeline:Great Britain October 13 2013.
Absolutely chilling to see what happened on a West London street last night.
‘ITV News has obtained CCTV footage of one of the four anti-terror arrests in London last night.
The video shows the 28-year-old suspect leaving a Persian restaurant in Westbourne Grove before he and another man are wrestled to the ground by a group of officers.
It is not clear whether the minibus which pulls up to the suspect is a police vehicle. Unmarked police cars attend the scene once the men are apprehended.
The British national, believed to be of Azerbaijani origin, was arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.’
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-10-14/cctv-footage-shows-west-london-anti-terror-arrest/
Perhaps, being a rounded person in her own right, she doesn’t feel the need to be ‘friendly’ to characters typed down a keyboard. Perhaps she has real friends, you know, tangible ones. Shame, I like the hurly burly of the interactive comments pages myself, but it’s a distinct possibility.
Someone: thanks for link. It’s rather, one gets the slight suspicion, a robbery. Apparently Goldman Sachs made $33.5 million advising Cameron on the deal but would have to check that. It would be of course surprising.
@10.10pm Mr Nasty personified. His contribution to this blog> Absolutely nil.
‘Biddy’ was one of the epithets that his hero ‘Habby’ used. Perhaps he is ‘Habby’. 🙂
“Absolutely chilling to see what happened on a West London street last night.”
Jolly good, they’re keeping London safe, wouldn’t you think?
“‘Biddy’ was one of the epithets that his hero ‘Habby’ used. Perhaps he is ‘Habby’”
Sure we’re all Habbabkuk, but he did preface it with Good and you threatened to call him an Old Cock 🙂 Get the whole thing right.
As for your suggestion about my ‘contributions’, more of the lowest form of argument — throwing back at me what i said. For God’s sake can’y you be original — please just for once. If not, just go back to your tea-towel hawking.
Oh, OK so not friendly, but not above not being friendly. Backing away….
TC: “Perhaps, being a rounded person in her own right, she doesn’t feel the need to be ‘friendly’ to characters typed down a keyboard.”
Do you make ‘friends’ because you need them? Very revealing and interesting!
Actually, I pay them.
Oh that explains why you don’t get along with Fedup. Btw, he’s open to ‘transactions’.
“Leave out your ad hominems. I ignore those from the trolls of course.” — Mary at 2.16pm
No you don’t, Mary, as you’ve just shown. Kindly drop the sanctimonious attitude. It does get old.
———————————–
“If you’re so unhappy with this world, why not just leave?”
I don’t know where you are, Villager, but that’s a retort I associate with American blogs in particular. I have often seen people on them told, “Why don’t you just go and kill yourself?”, and I despise those who say it. Since we know nothing about the level of contentment of people posting here, it’s a horrible and dangerous suggestion.
Dreo, point taken and i don’t visit American blogs. Mine was a rhetorical comment in strong contrast with your example. Anyway what business is it of mine to ask someone why they don’t leave or vice-versa — i was am just highlighting the base stupidity of such a question. Maybe health and safety wise its just better to tell ’em to bugger off? Since, its not their ‘home’.
Superb activism from SCM (and on topic too!)
http://www.liveleak.com/c/SurveillanceCameraMan
“Maybe health and safety wise its just better to tell ‘em to bugger off? Since, its not their ‘home’.”
Yes, I do think “bugger off” would be better.
As for it not being their “home” I think you may need to make some small allowance for people who have been here long-term. “Old regulars” I call them. And it’s probably unavoidable if they (we!) feel somewhat ‘invaded’.
Having said that, I have argued in the past for “dissidents” to be allowed to stay and speak their minds. I think it makes for a more interesting place. And that remains my position.
I phoned the local builder and said I wanted a skip outside my house. He said: “Well, I’m not stopping you”.
ps Dreoilin, yes to the above 🙂
Might suggest that all those who wish to make statements and comments which they do not want to be challenged and questioned upon (or not at least in a manner with which they may disagree) go and set up their own blogs where they can censor and ban responses to their own observations to their own desire (they can even leave a link as they leave) – but just don’t claim to be committed to free speech as this blog claims to be. In the meantime please stop reverting to type and calling for the censors to be brought in here. There have to be some limits e.g racism, threatening behaviour, obscene language – but most of the calls for censorship relate to political views and nothing else.
As for the comedians who think Libya undr Ghadaffi represent good models for freedom of expression might I suggest that they spend a bit of time looking at the Reporters without Borders and the Index on Censorship websites – though I daresay the ignorant and the stupid will just claim that they are US dupes or similar and can therefore be excluded from the closed loops in which they live.
On Libya this is of relevance
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2013/04/freedom-of-speech-in-libya/
And on international comparisons of press freedom the following is worth noting
http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2013,1054.html
How is your favourite doing! Clue many here will need to scroll towards the bottom of the page.
I phoned the local builder and said I wanted a skip outside my house. He said: “Well, I’m not stopping you”.
LOL @ Tech
He was probably Irish 🙂
Laurel says, “Hardy, I’m thinking of buying a Labrador.”
“Don’t do that” says Laurel, “have you seen how many of their owners go blind?”
G’night all
Resident Dissident: are you suggesting that the situation has improved since Blair promoted Gaddafi? The piece you link to says:
“In the post-uprising reality, newspapers and television channels that dared investigate claims of corruption and human rights violations, committed mostly by rogue militant and fundamentalist armed groups, face violent attacks; television channels have been vandalised, journalists kidnapped and tortured, or forced into silence or exile, and in some cases imprisoned and prosecuted under Gaddafi-era laws, as in the case of Amara al-Khatabi, who is accused of defaming Libyan judiciary after his newspaper published a list of judges it said were involved in corruption.”
So really, all we are saying, by saying that living in the UK is preferable to living in the other examples you cite, is that we are failing to reap the consequences of our elected representatives’ actions, isn’t it? *We* are not being shot, so it should fail to matter that others are?