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.
Well, science & philosophy frequently saved the tribe. The Egyptian ‘magicians’, for example, who worked out the tidal nature of the Nile, so that crops could be planted at the appropriate times. The ancient mariners, who similarly worked out the stars, and traded across the world as a result. Take your point about mosquitoes – but even then, lemon or citronella is much better at repelling them than the modern alternatives.
As for philosophising in a loincloth, Ghandi was pretty good at it (and quite active too). Still, I like your image of the future generally…
Native peoples – from Europe to Asia, the Americas and Oceania – have brought fire, deforestation and animal extinctions everywhere they’ve settled. The geological and fossil record proves this. For those peoples most sophisticated in their exploitation of natural resources, their destructive power was most spectacular. Let’s not kid ourselves about primitive people. They scratched and clawed their way through life no different to anyone else in the last two million years. Only these days, they do it while listening to their iPod.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24605864
Confirmed – unless there is some intervention the Co-op Bank will be owned 30% by the Co-op Group but two hedge funds will have a stake of 43% – I know who my guess is as to who will control the Bank. If the Bank of England had any balls it would refuse to confirm any directors appointed by the hedge fund as being fit and proper – especially given the ethos of the bank and what its customers are likely to believe.
Ben,
Out of curiosity what do you think of the conspiracy theories surrounding HST’s death?
Yes, ‘slash and burn’ was an agricultural process of ancient people, but modern day forestry experts are often criticized by the Public for allowing burns to play out naturally for the health and vitality of the rest of the terrain. Their negative impact was from a very small, unimportant footprint. The overwhelming impact from large metropolitan concentrations (over population) has a far greater effect.
AA; I hadn’t heard of any theories. I often wonder about people who commit suicide where family and friends and likely to find. Juan found him.
Sofia
Elsipogtog Frack Off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmH4irplxqw
Snuff films? Gawd. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104×3165807
He was a lousy husband and a rotten dad, but I am highly dubious, especially the thin connection based upon the coincidence of his death occurring about the time of the arrest (Bonacchi?)
Read his later work (2000’s) and you’ll see he was clearly not in his prime. If he was working on a 9/11 pastiche, it probably wouldn’t burn any barns down.
From Mary :
“Another ‘you could not make it up’. I re-read this Wikipedia account about Lady Judge (nee Barbara Singer and then Barbara Thomas)…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For once, something informative from Mary….
Lady Judge has received quite a few mentions in “Private Eye”, as many of you will probably know. Those mentions usually (but not always) also refer to her previous name – Thomas – because in one of her previous appointments (I think it was something to do with the nuclear industry) she went under that name.
But funnily enough I had no idea that Lady Judge/Barbara Thomas started off as Barbara SINGER – presumably her maiden name! This must be because “Private Eye” never mentioned it,n perhaps judging it to be irrelevant to anything.
Would I be correct in thinking that SINGER might well be a Jewish name and that Lady Judge/Barbara Thomas is Jewish….?
Whatever the answer to the above, my thanks to Mary for filling a gap in my extensive knowledge.
*******************
Always look on the bright side of life!
Well Done and Good luck to Melanie Patrick For the kool Iraq infographic it’s been longlisted for the Information is Beautiful Awards:
http://plutopress.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/iraq-body-count-info-graphic-for-media-lens-poll/
From the ComRes poll supported by Media Lens which interviewed 2,021 British adults, asking:
‘How many Iraqis, both combatants and civilians, do you think have died as a consequence of the war that began in Iraq in 2003?’
An astonishing 44 per cent of respondents estimated that less than 5,000 Iraqis had died since 2003. Fifty-nine per cent believed that fewer than 10,000 had died. Just 2 per cent put the toll in excess of one million, the likely correct estimate.
Ben,
That surprises me you hadn’t heard. There are variations but the common theme is that HST was closer to TPTB than he let on. A film was said to exist featuring a long ago Bohemian Grove gathering. HST was said to be in possession of the film (he filmed it allegedly) and it was apparently blackmail dynamite (against HST as well as everyone else in it). The film was somehow at risk of surfacing (HST intended to release it?). Then he committed suicide.
Probably total nonsense but it sounds a bit specific for something totally made up.
Ben
I intentionally didn’t mention the “snuff” film bit. That sounds to me like the sort of ludicrous crap you throw out on top of something less serious but real to throw people off the underlying track. Fact is that the story didn’t begin with a snuff movie. That got added later. I’ve watched this story on conspiracy sites since HST’s death. Probably nothing to it but the stories started right after his death. But perhaps that’s what HST would have wanted anyway 🙂
AA; He had quite a few people around him who loved him enough to tolerate the abuse. Ralph Steadman wrote that 40 years ago HST told him he wanted to go out young, and announced his preferable option of suicide. He lived his 9=lives with reckless abandon and long enough to be in constant pain. After Bush was reelected, he was depressed. Have you read Proud Highway? I never met the man, but I still think I have a feel for what he was like from everything I’ve read. Like his family, I believe he was tired of living.
If you want to peddle a lie, keep it as close to the verifiable truth as you can.
“But perhaps that’s what HST would have wanted anyway ”
Maybe, if he was writing it…. 🙂
This is oddly moving:
http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/show/sounds-of-peace-pedro-reyes-recycled-gun-instruments-find-new-home-in-free-jazz-band-vid
Ben
Main reason it still interests me is that when I first saw the Bohemian Grove film suggestion I thought, well that’s not beyond the bounds of possibility. Then people started posting about a “snuff” movie and that I wasn’t easily going to believe. Who invented the snuff movie and why when there was already a juicy enough conspiracy theory?
I suppose the most likely answer is that some people just make anything up regardless of who they might hurt.
HST, Hell’s Angels, Grateful Dead and Ken Kesey were BG regulars. The Angels were capable of just about anything, AA.
Hunter might have a connection to something like that, but he wouldn’t be the director, just an ether-headed drunk on a binge.
In the UK the Hell’s Angels supported the Greenham Common women 🙂
You know, I never was satisfied with the explanation he gave for why the Angels ‘stomped’ him.
Interesting how he concludes the episode….’Exterminate the Beasts’. Wonder if the falling out was over something else. He was very afraid of them.
Ben,
I’m searching for the original post if it is still online but so far I can’t find it.
From memory it said simply something like
“I am a friend of HST. This was not a suicide. A reel of 16mm film of a Bohemian Grove gathering filmed by him was about to go public. I am convinced they killed him to prevent that.
That was posted on the day his death was announced as I recall.
”
“In the UK the Hell’s Angels supported the Greenham Common women”
I understand they had to hire a PR firm to handle their PAC 🙂
16mm? That sound’s like late 60’s filmography.
It might not have said “filmed by him”. It may have just said “in his possession”. So far can’t find the original post but I know I read it at the time/
Gotta run. Return about 2 hours.
Must we all have to put up with this interminable dialogue between Ben Franklin and AlcAnon on someone called Hunter Thompson?
Surely there must be chatrooms where the two of them can prose away to their hearts’ content? Or perhaps Skype?
“Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush? They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill “gooks”. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are racists and hate mongers among us-they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them.”
– Hunter
‘Fracking basically pollutes ground water (if it is near fracking) that is not directly part of ecosystems.’
About as much clue of the ecosytem as your fascist PM, zilch.
Go join your new friends in the mauling of Mary. All the man against one woman, next stage would be rape would it?, we have reached new depth at a time when Craig is busy with other issues.
A stab in the back by Haderlumps. Off course this lot has only one goal to wreck Craigs blog.
Habb,
Showing a serious lack of education there if you’ve really never heard of Hunter S Thomson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0860219/
“next stage would be rape would it”
Oh for god’s sake. And your objections to the treatment of Dreoilin are – of course – nowhere to be seen.
Zombiespook