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 said Macky.
Thanks for the links.
Ben: “Macky; Your links reminded me of how many commentators have been driven off (another few notches in the gun-handle). ThatCrab, GlennUK, Herbie to mention just a few”
Yes, not forgetting Cryptonym also; there are many other Posters who specifically mentioned that the constant trolling was why they rarely visited any more, and I think that Jon deserves some blame for this.
Sofia Kibo Noh 24 Oct, 2013 – 4:18 pm
“I’d like to see what he has to say re shamans.”
The only shamanesque article I have so far read is “The war on consciousness” by Graham Hancock. It’s ok, short and goes like this: Drug scare fears, eg robbery, are already criminal so the War On Drugs is really an assault on our consciousness. How dare they try to control my consciousness!
I have posted some of the very interesting responses to another article asking various “thinkers” (who doesn’t think?): “What does revolution mean to you?”
“Macky; Your links reminded me of how many commentators have been driven off”
They give me an insight into how they were driven off.
“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster… for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”
Just watching the ITV News, and there was a report on how the desperate the situation in Gaza is now since the new Egypt regime has clamped down on the life-line tunnels, that the father of one Palestinian family that was interviewed, had decided in order to both help feed his other children (who most days slept hungry), and to give his 8 year old daughter a better life, that he had decided to sell her; imagine the despair that forces a father to do this: the next News items was a longer report about another child, namely Prince George.
Fred: ““Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster… for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”
Something perhaps you should consider yourself the next time you take offense at a comment & then chose to escalate it to the nth degree.
“No doubt, after all it was issued as a dig at the person of your bitchy hate fixation.”
I don’t have a ‘bitchy hate fixation’. You have a fixation about me having a ‘bitchy hate fixation’, which is a different matter.
And no, my remark about having an Israel-free thread was NOT directed at Mary. But naturally you and your gang decided to interpret it that way. Such a thread would leave you and your little mates with almost nothing to say — which is a large part of your discomfiture about that suggestion.
And now I’ve had enough of your unfounded allegations. Like a lot of other people have had. You and Fedup/Passerby can take a hike. Fling poo all you like. I won’t be responding. As Clark and Jon noted, it’s difficult sometimes not to respond. But I’m fed up to my back teeth with the time and space you lot take up here.
Apart from everything else, you bore me to tears.
Macky, this one is a gem; Dreolin: ” I don’t do “tag team attacks”. I don’t do tag-teams”
How can anyone come up with a bare faced lie as this? She does nothing but join in the attacks and kick around and then the den mother comes in to complain about the little old ladies getting “bullied”. This sort of little old ladies these days carrying a ten inch sharp knife produce it, and proceed to hack away then slip the knife back into the big shopping bag hung on the zimmerframe and slowly walk away from their latest gbh.
So far as the viillageCT-techniC-anonC goes; “jokes and shit”, well that is to be expected from these lunatic ziofuckwits suffering from all manner of psychiatric maladies.
The funny part, still the letters of complaint are being posted, as though anyone gives a flying fuck! Old habits and all that shit.
Macky at 9:22 pm
A sterling effort, Macky, comprising much desperate scouring of the archives.
Alas, none of your links – and I have read them all – reveal Habbabkuk to be an “Islamophobe”, though your running commentary on each one of them is intended to suggest otherwise.
Saying that immigrants who engage in the orchestrated rape of children ought to be deported to their country of origin is not “Islamophobic”.
Being concerned about the number of Romanians and Bulgarians who may enter the country is not “Islamophobic” (or “racist” for that matter).
Yours and Clark’s opinion of Habbabkuk does not make him an Islamophobe.
To be an “Islamophobe”, one must have an irrational fear or hatred of Muslims. There is no evidence of that in any of Habbabkuk’s postings.
D- (must try harder!)
Dreoilin: “And now I’ve had enough of your unfounded allegations”
Not another soon to be broken vow to refrain from posting your anti-Mary snipes here.
@Macky
“Here’s a very early summary of my charges against him;”
Just who on earth do you think you are?
I daresay that like your hero George Galloway you “think the disappearance of the Soviet Union is the biggest catastrophe of my life” but now you appear to want to play the role of Andrei Vyshinsky.
I am also awaiting an answer to my question of 20 October
“I defy you (or Mary or anyone else for that matter) to find one instance where I have attacked Mary for highlighting one of Israel’s never ending human rights abuses or have supported such abuses. Either put up or shut up.”
Your diatribe against me of the 21 October totally failed to address the point – either find just one instance, or have the good manners to apologise for your slur.
I appreciate that you may not want to listen so could someone else neareer to his political position please tell him to stop embarassing himself.
Macky. My mother had a saying ‘They’re like the wind’, meaning the changeability of individuals’ views. You have provided some good evidence of that!
~~~
The Met Office (once part of the Mod but now part of St Vince’s empire btw) just love to scare the pants off the populace as if there is not enough to cope with at the present time. From midday today, Thursday, they have been putting out regular warnings of severe weather with winds of 80-90mph for Monday, ie in 4 days’ time.
The weather presenters, not meteorologists AFAIK, love using expressions such as ‘piling in’ of weather fronts, ‘pumping down’ of rain, etc etc. Is there an agenda to keep us all in a state of fear and worry?
There is nothing we can do on this occasion anyway apart from battening down the hatches so to speak.
Macky, you idiot and antisemite, you have always hated everyone including yourself, you are a selfhating semite, who hates himself so much and has chosen to attack the most fantastic copper bottomed fandabbydozzie brilliant, unique, master race who does not suffer from diabetes and is not a total ape shit kooky.
There you go
A crap motto pretending I am oh so so so so fantastic and take up even more room in the fucking place.
Etc.
There you have it, and you know it too.
I concur and harrumph harrumph
Anon: “Saying that immigrants who engage in the orchestrated rape of children ought to be deported to their country of origin is not “Islamophobic”.”
Better read through again, as he is talking about British citizens not immigrants, or do you share his view that despite being born here, they are not really British ?
Anon: “Alas, none of your links – and I have read them all – reveal Habbabkuk to be an “Islamophobe”,”
The more discerning & honest Posters will draw their own conclusions.
Mary,
“The weather presenters, not meteorologists AFAIK, love using expressions such as ‘piling in’ of weather fronts, ‘pumping down’ of rain, etc etc. Is there an agenda to keep us all in a state of fear and worry?”
No, Mary, there is not, though the bored and overly concerned housewives of Surrey might think the world is about to cave in.
Mary
Even the Met Office is in on the conspiracy – don’t worry about the wind you will be washed away tomorrow morning.
This piece is correct.
Fukushima – A Global Threat That Requires a Global Response
by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers / October 24th, 2013
The story of Fukushima should be on the front pages of every newspaper. Instead, it is rarely mentioned. The problems at Fukushima are unprecedented in human experience and involve a high risk of radiation events larger than any that the global community has ever experienced. It is going to take the best engineering minds in the world to solve these problems and to diminish their global impact.
When we researched the realities of Fukushima in preparation for this article, words like apocalyptic, cataclysmic and Earth-threatening came to mind. But, when we say such things, people react as if we were the little red hen screaming “the sky is falling” and the reports are ignored. So, we’re going to present what is known in this article and you can decide whether we are facing a potentially cataclysmic event.
Either way, it is clear that the problems at Fukushima demand that the world’s best nuclear engineers and other experts advise and assist in the efforts to solve them. Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds.org and an international team of scientists created a 15-point plan to address the crises at Fukushima.
/..
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/10/fukushima-a-global-threat-that-requires-a-global-response/
I have just googled Fukushima and there is no current link to it in the corporate media. The only link is this from RT.
News for fukushima
Fukushima readies for dangerous operation to remove 400 tons of spent fuel
RT - 7 hours ago
Fukushima operator TEPCO is getting ready for its toughest and the most dangerous clean-up operation. In November it will try to remove 400 …
http://rt.com/news/fukushima-operation-spent-fuel-618/
What pathetic and empty responses ref the Met Office.
PS I am not a ‘housewife’ btw. An outdated view is demonstrated by the use of that word.
Macky, the leader of the Rochdale gang and nine of those others convicted are Pakistani. Another was found guilty but couldn’t be convicted as he had done a runner… to Pakistan.
This guy is good to go to for Fukushima….
http://fukushima-diary.com/
These are, of course, just suggestions…I think some pressure is called for.
http://www.nirs.org/fukushima/expert-ltr-bankimoon-09-2013.pdf
Just to ensure its credentials are the right ones, reiterates its racist nonsense with this sort of rebuttal, who can argue with that?
Fedup are you pissed?
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/10/24-9
“Although I have been living far from Palestine for a few years and I am now in my forties, I still have nightmares about the Israeli army invading my house when I was a child and about the first time I was tortured. This is the reality most Palestinian former prisoners live with for the rest of our lives.
Click for larger image.
When I was a child, friends my age who were arrested before me said they “saw the stars at noon.” This was a saying we had. You can’t see the stars at noon when the sun is shining. But when children are under torture, especially when they are beaten in the head, they see a flash, even when they are blindfolded. This is what we called seeing the stars at noon.
I was arrested the first time, with a few other children, when I was 14 years old. Our hands were cuffed behind our backs and our eyes were blindfolded. The soldiers were beating us. I heard the screaming, and I was screaming, too. I fell down and someone took my hands and made me stand. Suddenly a huge hand slapped me in my face. I felt dizzy and I saw the flash. I fell down on my shoulder. It was very painful and then I blacked out. The minute I woke up, even though I was under torture, I shouted to my friends, “I saw the stars, I saw the stars!” Later, it became a joke among us: “He saw the stars, he saw the stars.” I didn’t realize that those stars come back and visit you the rest of your life.”
Hmmm. I wonder if this is a dog-whistle for our wildlife…
villageCtechniCaninC that line was first used by your elder dreo and you keep using the same fucking line over and over and over and over, over and ove…..
Is there any tragedy, or fear, Bankers can’t find profit in?
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/10/24-6
“And, THAT’S why I never let a Banker go”
“Ants on a log, Ma’am?’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apjvf9YNzEM
If you read Chapter VII, the UN has all the weight in the world to enforce agreement. But that’s yet another law that the US is unable to comply with. The US works hard to undermine the Security Council so it can use it as a photo-op backdrop for the wars it wants. In terms of the purpose of the Charter, peace, success is not the wars the UN starts, but the wars the UN stops. So Syria – no US aggression – that’s the UN working right.
That said, the countries that don’t like to blow up the world are trying to reform the UNSC. A few simple changes would help a lot. They got shot down in a vote this year ($$$!) but they’ll be back.
Thread needs more Zappa….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6AcvL7RcOw
” So Syria – no US aggression – that’s the UN working right.”
I agree fully, terror. But the USG had to step back and breathe something besides CO2 before inspections could proceed with some force of will. I agree that’s the way it should work.