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.
Hi Sofia Kibo Noh,
Glad to see you back and I listened to you. Thanks!
Those Whatafeck are clever people.
Have you noticed the full on diversion in the mejdia? They are throwing every bit of crap they can find, to cover up the all mighty fuckups and the plunder. Those great train robbers were amateurs compared to the fucking politicos and their sponsors. Why steal millions when you can get away with billions?
What do you think of our newest Best Friends? Those Chinese by now have forgotten about the opium wars and we are all good pals now. Apparently our cupboard love towards the old Uncle Sam is on the wane.
“…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”
whatever. I object to your bullying, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on another poster, Fedup. Not to the ‘ziofuckwits’ etc generally: your language, when not directed at a single person, rises to almost approproiate levels. You debase it by its overuse on a lone target.
MJ: absolutely right about compensating for the lack of news from the occupied territories. Mary should of course keep posting those important reports. If someone were equally bothered about Chechnya I would say the same.
A reminder of a recent appeal from Craig (4-Jul-2013):
The advice was primarily targeted at the commenters, but unfortunately it seems that self-regulation isn’t working too well.
Ben,
Hubble has taken new images of Ison. They were taken on the 9th of October and are currently “embargoed”. That is you can tell they are there in the Hubble database but they are not available for download.
“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”
The UK parliament vote against bombing Syria was an incredibly narrow one and accompanied by shrieks of fury from government ministers who supported it. It led to consternation in the US and more time for the UN. It’s possible that it was set up in advance, although that would argue for a government as experienced and devious as one of our local councils, and it’s also possible that it wasn’t, and that the overwhelming hostility towards the idea from the people was a decisive factor in giving our MPs the courage to vote against it. Either way.
” Please address the argument, not the person.”
Thanks. I hadn’t seen Craig’s comment. This is wise and I endorse. Allow me to ask; what would you do if the commentator requires a response with ceaseless nagging, in spite of one’s stated disinterest? I know the answer, but wish to hear it.
Still in the attack mode, and on goes the charade. Standing by in the wings only to come to fore into the ziofuckwit farrago, and carry the tail end, until the next bout of attacks begin. The threads are littered with this technique, so original and so unique!
Jon. if you’re anything like me you’ll be looking at the posts of the past day or two and wondering what, if anything, is the point in continuing. The site has largely been taken over by people who can shout loudly and well, that’s about all. Well done for staying the course thus far.
Haemoglobin: your suggestions, please.
Fedup: no. Night all.
Pykerite. 10 24pm
Someone. 10 41pm
Thanks for the good news.
Glen Greenwald writes about “…the lethal power-subservient pathologies plaguing establishment journalism.”
Plenty of power-subservient pathology on display on this thread though today. Would I be a foaming conspiracy theorist if I asked whether this pattern was part of the same dynamic?
All those who get so upset that this blog gives regular exposure to the criminality of the state of Israel might ask themselves why the corporate media avoid these stories. It seems an increasing slice of humanity seems well able to answer this question and to seek to inform themselves elsewhere.
The US is busy imploding. Remember how the old Soviet Union suddenly wasn’t there anymore.
Who will arm and fight wars for Israel in the future?
Maybe it’s time to start making peace.
…
Fedup.
Thanks.
“Have you noticed the full on diversion in the mejdia?
Yes.
It reminds me of school when the teacher gets cross ‘cos everyone’s stopped listening to her droning on about differential equations and are looking out of the window watching the flames coming out of the Headmistress’s office.
Great to see so many alternative sources of info these days and looking forward to Glenn Greenwald’s new offering.
“It reminds me of school when the teacher gets cross ‘cos everyone’s stopped listening to her droning on about differential equations and are looking out of the window watching the flames coming out of the Headmistress’s office.”
Nice.
“your suggestions, please.”
Well i’ll give you mine.
This ‘debate’ we’re having now on moderation, should’ve been initiated and facilitated by Jon weeks ago while the threads were languishing to 17 pages and Craig in Ghana for 25 days straight.
But no, despite the writing on the wall, zero initiative by Jon whose only defence is i’m waiting for instructions from Craig. In the real world if i had an assistant who couldn’t get a proposal together based on views from constituents and present it to me cohesively and well-crafted, i woud’ve fired him. But Jon’s only whimper is that he doesn’t get paid, but that is not a defence for lack of initiative. If he doesn’t have it in him, unwilling or incapable, he should resign. A little anarchy here for a bit could not possibly drag this blog down any further. He could stick to the back-end techie work if he wishes to do Craig a favour.
Alternatively, its never too late. He should reinstitute all “banned” folk and hold this debate and in the meantime continue to snip selectively, particularly objectionable posts, until a code is considered. Craig would obviously have the right to veto.
Whats difficult about it?
AA; Haven’t seen much on ISON the last couple days. What’s your take on the reductio ad absurdem ?
Ben.
“Is that where Rumpole got ‘She, who must be obeyed”?
It’s a little know fact that John Mortimer was in reality the non de plume of the great Wathafeck sage Ahnevrsedvat who spent some time observing the comical customs of the British in order better to understand the Wathsfeckian Dyspraxic Monkey, whose spectacularly inept mating displays provide such a reliable cure for depression.
Regarding the suppressive habits of Power he had this to say, “I suppose that writers should, in a way, feel flattered by the censorship laws. They show a primitive fear and dread at the fearfull magic of print.”
Yes, the Wathafeck sure understand primitive cultures.
There you go, under the new settlement rules Craig has a right!
There again that can change any time soon, and his right may only be safe until the time that he was in Ghana, after which time the settlers can tell him who he should ban and who he should unban, after all this is not a blog but some sort of a fucking hasbara central and Craig should know better!
They settle there, they settle here, they fucking settle everywhere! Where in the bible the cyberspace was fucking given away again? Sure as fuck we will be soon presented with some lake titicaca scrolls, that are accidentally discovered and tell how Abraham promised and gave away the cyber space too.
Fedup, with the best will in the world, can you explain why you could not be described as ‘a foul mouthed Palestinian supporter’? I disagree with the ‘rabid and obsessive’ having engaged with you on several other subjects in previous, momentarily happier times, and learnt something as a result, I seem to remember.
‘foul mouthed’ sounds really silly, actually. i can quite see why you could not be polite when talking about atrocities. i just disagree with bullying and aggression and snarking and nastiness on general principle.
Ben,
Assuming you mean ISON and not the blog, the semi-official story at the moment is that the academics who tasked the Hubble images were pissed of that the raw images from the last Hubble shots were downloaded and posted by amateurs before they even had their own “official” processed versions out. So they’ve solved that problem by just embargoing the latest raw data until they release it officially.
Could be any day now. Could be weeks. Who knows. NASA database also just finally updated with post Mars orbit updates – no major changes.
Full Definition of RABID
1
a : extremely violent : furious
b : going to extreme lengths in expressing or pursuing a feeling, interest, or opinion
____________________
ob·ses·sive adjective \äb-ˈse-siv, əb-\
: thinking about something or someone too much or in a way that is not normal : having an obsession : showing or relating to an obsession
___________________
TC please expound.
“‘foul mouthed’ sounds really silly, actually. i can quite see why you could not be polite when talking about atrocities.”
And therefore calling you, habby and me a cunt.
Beware the Stockholm Syndrome!!!
And would the Quran tell you, you Fuckedup eunuch, that this part of your jihad?
I dae you tp post in the same language under Craig’s nose you empty condom shrinking coward.
dare
“Assuming you mean ISON and not the blog” 🙂
So, the USG pissing contest does little to quell Rome’s burning? Who was it said, “May you live in interesting times”? Must have been an asshole.
Ben.
That’s shocking.
Are you sure that the combined pissing efforts of the United States Government, Unix Support Group, Utrecht School of Governance (Netherlands), UNIX Security Guards (hacker group), Universal Security Group (Microsoft), Unión Solidarista Guatemalteca (Guatemalan Solidarity Union), Universities of Shady Grove (Maryland), l’Union Socialiste de Gabonaise (Gabonese Socialist Union; political party), Utilities Solutions Group, Unified Security Gateway, University System of Georgia,United States Gypsum, Ulysses S. Grant, Undergraduate Student Government, as well as Ultimate Sex Gods are having no effect?
Well I reckon more piss isn’t the solution then.
Dreoilin, re “disruption” – My thoughts exactly.
Villager, thanks for reposting. The summary banning of Habbabkuk viz-a-viz the kid-glove treatment of Fedup-Passerby will surely become a migraine for Jon.
I still don’t understand what *exactly* triggered it — haven’t read the exchange leading up to the banning as I was cutting my toe-nails at the time.
But I do recall that there was some extraordinary objection to the use of the word “sodomised” and suspect that there is something in that word that resonated painfully for our overworked, unpaid and underappreciated moderator.
I was under the impression, these gay-friendly days, that sodomy between males is a natural, healthy expression of the most beautiful kind of emotion that can ever exist in the universe – love.
Why anyone would therefore object to the use of that word is as puzzling to me as objecting to the word “sex”. Although, there does seem to be some stigma attached to the idea of male heterosexual “sex” due to it now being understood as a fundamentally political act of violence against women – and clearly having nothing to do with ‘love’ nor the side effect of human reproduction. And Jon has displayed some discomfiture whenever I have employed “sex-themed” literary devices (as if that were a novelty in this sex-crazed era).
So I am still at a loss to understand what really happened. Any ideas?
@ Dreoilin
Japan gives typhoons numbers, not names.
Japanese kids are fine. The truth? Who knows?
“Tokyo Olympic games, 2020!” they say
“Catch 22,” I say.
Nobody has any clue what to do [and I mean really nobody, in- or outside Japan] and although we hear references to Chernobyl, there is no such proper comparison to begin with; the Soviet era nuclear plant was relatively new [about 7 years] and the GE built Fukushima plant has been at it for 40 years. Spent fuel rods have been stored a few floors up…
Tokyo has to be [and will be] hit by a massive earthquake, one that is [or has been] overdue for years… Can you imagine the total chaos if that happens in 2020?
@ James
You sound like a reasonable individual. I hope you believe in fairness. I hope you also believe that Apartheid is something very wrong, regardless where it rears its ugly head. In its current form, antisemitism is an Apartheid word, because it excludes a huge segment of Semites. I think it would therefore be fair to say, ‘anti/pro Israel/i, Jew/s, Palestine/Palestinian/s, Arab/s, etc.’
@ Rouge
Q: And others, who criticise, insult and disrupt, and, though having the same recourse as all of us to information on injustices in the world, rarely offer their findings, seeming rather to prefer to shut down discourse and to obscure the indefensible.
R: Yes, that phenomenon makes me wonder how someone can claim to defend open discourse while wilfully derailing ongoing discussions.
I take my cues [or try to take my cues] from the universe, because it has been around that much longer than I have [or ever will be]. It tells me that energy is a result/byproduct from/of opposite forces. This means that there is nothing wrong with having opposite opinions. Thus, those who purposefully want to shut out or shout down opposite views are acting against universal ground rules/blueprints.
@ Ben,
Q: If no one is happy, he must be doing something right. Jon seems very balanced and earth-bound.
R: My sentiments exactly, sir.
@ Technicolour,
Q: You debase it by its overuse on a lone target.
R: It would be nice if this site came equipped with an ‘ignore button’ next to a forum member’s name so you could click it and not have to scroll down to the next message.
Is it possible to, simultaneously, be a defender of free speech while demanding for others to be ‘shut up or banned?’ – [not referring to you in any way, this is a general observation]. Freedom of speech comes with a price tag…, and I’m willing to pay it [aka let people rant on].
@ Jemand,
Habbakuk suggested that a particular forum member had to be abused as a child [but the original post has been deleted, so I can’t recite it word for word].
“Habbabkuk (La vita è bella!)- 14 Sep, 2013 – 7:53 pm
[Mod: crosses the line from ordinary abuse to something extraordinarily unpleasant, deleted]
+
Jon
15 Sep, 2013 – 12:36 am
Oh dear. I make the suggestion that I’m finding it difficult to moderate, and then the really unpleasant stuff starts (e.g. suggesting that one’s debating opponent was raped as a child). With a mixture of relief and sadness, I’ve added Habbabkuk’s IP to the ban list.
I really did think that H could be persuaded to discourse with civility – he/she clearly has the intelligence for it. Thus, in some sense, I count banning him/her as something of a failure.
I appreciate this will disappoint a few people who believe that we should have a total free-for-all here. For anyone in that category, please appeal to Craig directly via the contact form (I will inform him separately anyway). Thanks.”
I hope you agree with the notion that what adults do [or teenagers over a certain age] on acts of mutual consent is their business and not mine. However, do we adults not have a universal duty to protect children [regardless what, where, who, how and why]?
As Habbakuk came across as a rather intelligent person, it didn’t make any sense [to me] why he would stoop so low. Arrogance isn’t a substitute for intelligence, obviously.
As a defender of free speech I’ve asked if Jon would reconsider his stance [after a while], but he has to run this site, not you or I.
@ Jon,
Sorry about the misplaced / in previous reply.