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.
still, shouty, sweary free speech is still free speech and, as such, relatively fine with me. as long as it’s not directed at one person. whereas someone using the cover of ‘free speech’ to push the same person in the teeth with it over and over again, with few other subjects of conversation, is not. Which is why I don’t regret losing that particular aspect of Habbakuk. I mean, if someone did that to someone else at your table in a pub, repeatedly, it would be crazy to expect everyone else in the pub to leave, rather than politely eject that one person.
Thanks Tech. I don’t like to repeat myself, but I’ve written that notion using different words, too many times and i’m running out of linguistic jingo.
AlcAnon; Howzit? I don’t care about encryption or anonymizers anymore. Let the chips fall; becoming a fatalist.
TC, thats daily life. Nothing beautiful about it.
Beauty comes through the refinement of self-knowledge through self-study, not through squabbles about politics.
Thanks Alcanon.
Unfortunately, while the avatar can be deleted, one can’t delete email addresses from gravatar. As far as I know.
Thanks for the Greenpeace stuff, Technicolour. Cheered me up to think they are legit.
[I’ve been staring at 3 + something = 8 for the past 4 minutes. I must need a cup of tea. Where’s Suhayl anyway?]
However you don’t have the fucking right to go around being facetious and insult me as you go along. The fact that you see yourself as some kind of a lease holder and little cyber bourgeois, as an “older hands” somehow entitles you to be as horrible and as curt as possible, evidently.
I am on record, and I state again there ought to be a mandatory course of hormone therapy that you should be undergoing. I feel sorry for Mr. Dreo, your neighbours, the supermarket cashiers, and anyone else who has the misfortune of coming across you.
Your mindset is clearly shown for what it is; (And neither does attempting to suck up to Jon and/or Mary.) and in your avatar. “Relaxing” that you found it to be.
Every fucker coming across Dreo gets it in the neck, sort of an equal opportunity harridan;
=====
A rhetorical question that is answered with the;
There you have it then! Now that cleared up we can all join hands and sing along.
===
Jon you are preaching to the choir there mate, it was not me who kicked off, despite the fact that you are pushing all of the blame my way. But I will not turn the other cheek regardless of however unchristian that may prove to be.
“However you don’t have the fucking right to go around being facetious and insult me as you go along….I feel sorry for Mr. Dreo, your neighbours, the supermarket cashiers, and anyone else who has the misfortune of coming across you.”
For goodness’ sake man, get a grip. Read your own words! (best tip one can give any writer, worth years of therapy) Dreoilin, aren’t you meant to be having a nice cuppa and reading this kindle comic classic?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Three-Men-Boat-Nothing-Classics/dp/0141441216
It’s great.
TC: “as long as it’s not directed at one person. ”
TC, you’re behind the curve like Jon. There may be some truth in what you say as it applies to last winter when Habbabkuk first appeared. And for obvious reasons related to her inane news-roll she may have been the easy, though also sloppy and rational target. Having moved on from that he was one of the sharpest critics and observers on these threads in recent months. Its more than a subtle point that even Jon fails to see, probably because he doesn’t wish to take responsibility for the initial period when he was hibernating. Jon woke up way after when Habby had toned down realising there were loads of other nincompoops here to fry. Anyway what was the worst he said to Mary?
His fatal analogy was not dis-similar to the one that the Judge used when Rajat Gupta, ex-CEO of McKinsey was caught up in an insider-trading case. Gupta pleaded that he had given huge amounts to charity. The Judge responded that even if Mother Theresa had robbed a bank and then given huge amounts to charity, she would still be subject to charge and prosecuted.
Your comparison to a social pub-table is utterly and completely false. Besides i thought you had agreed with Dreo’s remark last night re “dissidents, or maybe i misunderstood you. Anyway, i’m glad for the amount of support that has been shown towards Habbakuk on this support through the day.
But if you want to continue your pub-setting example, what would they do with Passerby/Fedup? Why is it that only Craig’s blog embraces this abuse:
https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=nw#hl=en&q=ziofuckwits&safe=off
All under Jon the moderator’s watch.
The answer is obvious. Clue: if you are a rabid, obsessive, foul-mouthed Palestinian supporter here, you are secure. That means the moderator is unfit for the purpose of a truly international/global blog and just another of one of those myopic one-trick Palestinian ponies. Sooner or later that word will get out into the blogosphere to the detriment of its reach and appreciation. That’ll be sad for i don’t believe that is Craig’s worldview.
Thanks, Tech. I’ll download it. 🙂
Kindle has me ‘reading up a storm’. I’m almost single-handedly keeping Amazon in business, but I’ll have to worry about that later.
I need to go out first and bring some cut flowers to the neighbours, who are terrified of me.
‘Dreoilin”s sanity, sense of justice, sense of humour and humanitarianism have enriched this board, as well as my own perspective, enormously. Even if they had not I would have objected to your bullying, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on another poster, Fedup.
If you were not being quite so obviously preposterous, I’d suggest that you are not deleted – why bother, it will just happen again – but warned about your extreme behaviour towards another poster. Have no idea what Dreoilin thinks, but that would be my suggestion.
There are two ways to go blind, Dre, and one of them involves ‘Kindle’. 🙂
Ben is there any risk that the eunuch without a condom above can go blind? 🙂
On Media Lens a few minutes ago ….
Exclusive: Glenn Greenwald Will Leave Guardian To Create New News Organization
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/exclusive-glenn-greenwald-will-leave-guardian-to-create-new
Ben, Dre
Of note is that gravatar not only knows the email addresses of all blog posters. They also knows every single post you have ever made with that email across all sites using gravatar. They also have the IP address you posted the entry from and the IP address of every single reader of gravatar enabled blogs and the specific pages they read. Valuable info to someone I would think.
Here’s gravatar’s disclosure policy.
http://automattic.com/privacy/
Pykrete: great news if true, thanks.
AlcAnon: I’m with Ben. It feels as though it should be scary but, you know, bring it on. This whole being almost expected to be ‘anonymous’ lark (‘handles’, nicknames, blah) always felt v odd anyway.
Ben,
I’ve had glasses since I was four (and at four I had a black leather patch on one eye too). My only problem with reading recently has been the font size. My eyes were red and tired. But with Kindle I can increase font size as I wish. It’s great!
———————
“Have no idea what Dreoilin thinks, but that would be my suggestion.”
Thanks again, Tech. I should ignore him, really, and not engage. Like John G said, this morning, was it: ‘Take my own advice’.
———————-
“Automattic discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only in response to a subpoena, court order or other governmental request”
To hell with them. Never mind. I always assumed my IP address was easily found from this blog. And elsewhere.
“Guest Column — Glenn Greenwald
All the proof that you need that you cannot trust the mainstream media
“The Perfect Epitaph for Establishment Journalism””
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/14/independent-epitaph-establishment-journalism/print
The procedure is all too well honed and soon kicked in; Dero attacks and then retreats (she will be back later to insult some more). villageC whose history for moaning and attacking is a matter of record. Is joined by the den mother, who waxes lyrical about the ” Even if they had not I would have objected to your bullying, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on another poster, Fedup. ”
Fucking pathetic,
This is not sustained attack on this blog for having the audacity of carrying the “ziofuckwit” without deleting the posts, and banning the poster! This blog ought to be paying fealty to the ziofuckwits, and genuflect like the other “free speech” media and stop dead in its tracks any discussion/dissent about the shitty little strip of land. As well as issuing a “free to insult” card to all the fucking whiny zioufuckwits to go about insulting all and sundry. then they won’t be moaning about ; “All under Jon the moderator’s watch.” or telling him; Thanks for your immoderate suggestion, Jon. Now you can fuck off!
The shite masters have no fucking shame, and carry on regardless.
Indeed internet is not filled with these disinformation merchants to excuse the and justify the genocide in Palestine and facilitate the longevity of the venal, corrupt and ghastly fucking apartheid regime in zionistan.
It is the apartheid zionistan that is the obscenity is going missing on the indignant ziofuckwits and their support network.
“Glenn Greenwald Will Leave Guardian To Create New News Organization”
Good for him. I always thought he was the kind of guy to “put his money where his mouth is”. I wish them all the luck in the world. I’ll certainly be a subscriber.
It is hard to see a case for banning Habbakuk and not banning Fedup. Following Dreoilin’s advice, I think probably no-one should be banned, but I do think that a reasonable period of cooling off time would be a very good idea. Villager: my perspective is that Habbakuk started off as a potentially interesting breath of fresh air, but slowly became (and I’m not saying the attacks on him had nothing to do with it) increasingly obsessed until the point where his attacks on one poster and a couple of others were perhaps enjoyable for him, but not for anyone else in the virtual ‘room’ (hope that’s a better analogy than ‘pub’).
Villager; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN1J5sMv28Q
Dre; I should wear glasses (20 years ago had them; dumped them) but I manage with cheap reading glasses. My son (oldest) used to have something like 20/10 or some ridiculous number. I called him Hawkeye until he got hooked on online gaming. Now he wears glasses, so beware of any old computer monitors.
“so beware of any old computer monitors.” — Ben
Yes, they have an invisible flicker or something? Like TV. They’re certainly tiring.
I’m trying to go offline earlier recently. I sleep better.
I know a guy in Oz who uses cheap reading glasses. I think they work if what you need is simple magnification. But mine have two different prescriptions in the two lenses. So I have to get them made.
..and unlike dreoilin those posters were not seeking to engage, or question back, hence the calls for him to be banned. hmm.
btw i have often blamed my ancient screen but a friend of mine says her new apple kills her eyes. perhaps it’s just age…
Jemand said, on another thread:
Jemand
15 Oct, 2013 – 4:04 am
I suppose it’s about time that I put my pseudonym on the list of those who think that Habbabkuk’s summary banning was unfair, unjustified and demonstrable of inconsistency on this blog. The amazingly regular vulgar, hostile and low value ‘contributions’ from the one or two people who comprise the Fedup/Passerby/Macky gang of little rascals indicate to me that it is politics and not tone that gets you into trouble here.
If Jon could find a way (ie emotionally) of allowing Habbabkuk’s return and ‘rehabilitation’ while saving (Jon’s) face, I think the blog would benefit from his style of devil’s advocacy.
Here is your orders lad, get on with it!
The technique is so hasbara 101!
Ben, AlcAnon
Yes, Gravatar or no, we may as well accept everyone’s identity can be cracked if enough computing power is thrown at it.
But, the mind-boggling quantity of data being harvested requires awesome processing power.
We know now that keyparts of this hardware spend much of the time switched off while the melted bits are replaced. I suppose it casts a whole new light on the notion of cooking up the intelligence.
Then when someone like Edward Snowden embarrases them by telling the truth they throw more awesome power around and succeed only in entertaining the world.
Let’s remember these are the same kind of geniuses who have tried over thirty times to kill Castro. It’s hard to parody these clowns since they do such a good job of it on their own.
As the old Wathafeck saying goes, she who knows everything understands nothing.
It’s nothing to do with saving Jon’s face. I don’t think it did Habbakuk any good. Who cares about ‘the blog’ more than about a person?
Tech; Those old crt’s actually emit radiation of some import. My MacAir seems to have a mind of it’s own on screen brightness, and I have to manually increase from time to time. Its not the power saver doing it. Just not bright enough, and if you use it in a dark room with the only light coming from the screen, this is bad AIUI.
“but not for anyone else in the virtual ‘room’ (hope that’s a better analogy than ‘pub’).”
I and many others, Jemand most recent to add his name didn’t have a problem, though i did initially until i saw that the guy was actually challenging half-baked ‘ideas’ and talking sense.
I admire the way he retained his dignity despite the massive amount of abuse hurled upon him under Free Willy Jon the mod’s ‘watch’.
Unlike a pub table, this an open forum. If you attend, you’d better be open to ridicule and take the rough with the smooth. Hats off to Habbabkuk for not lowering himself to the imbeciles he gratuitously called the Eminences here. Those who got to wipe the floor for the only man who called the whole Syria ‘War’ and related cries of WW III a charade are the fools now resisting his return. As for Jon the Judge, he’s biassed and should simply resign. Meantime he has to live with his conscience and the Karma at play.
Dreoilin and Glenn-uk are right — ban no one, not even the empty condom eunuch Fedup, not even Krishnamurky.
“As the old Wathafeck saying goes, she who knows everything understands nothing.”
Is that where Rumpole got ‘She, who must be obeyed”?
Villager/Fedup.
I think the appraisal of Jon’s performance should be contextual…….
If no one is happy, he must be doing something right. Jon seems very balanced and earth-bound.