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.
Villager.
Stop your errant nonsense with the StormFront guff.
Troll away all you want but dont assume we cant all see it as the cheap pathetic hollow setup shit that it is.
Sad methodology Villager,just very sad that’s how low youve chosen to play it out.
You and Anon just look ridiculous really.
Ben.
Nice choices..The Wolf and El Becko.
Here’s a recentish Jeffrey Masterpiece of Stratism.
He just gets better,tastier.
Check out the wondrous young Tal on bass too.Fantastic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ZPWFKrocc
Music CAN unite the world.
Nite yoll.
From memory I think it was decided that ‘Stephen’ was sent to this blog for a purpose. He developed nicely as a troll over time but like all trolls eventually left. Seem to remember that he was a solicitor? I had forgotten about him. Nasty reminder from ResDiss at 10.36pm last night.
~~
PS I noticed that the Wapping Eight were all wearing poppies yesterday for their first day at the Old Bailey. The first day of a five month trial. Such good patriotic people. Think of the Sun headlines and coverage from 2003 and their support for war.
The various charges for the eight include
conspiring to pervert the course of justice
conspiring to intercept communications between October 2000 and August 2006 by listening to mobile phone messages
conspiring to make corrupt payments to public officials
conspiring to pervert the course of justice by removing and concealing evidence
Why don’t they all plead guilty, save the state money and spare Cameron’s embarrassment through to the Spring!
From memory I think it was decided that ‘Stephen’ was sent to this blog for a purpose. He developed nicely as a troll over time but like all trolls eventually left. Seem to remember that he was a solicitor? I had forgotten about him. Nasty reminder from ResDiss at 10.36pm last night.
~~
PS I noticed that the Wapping Eight were all wearing poppies yesterday for their first day at the Old Bailey. The first day of a five month trial. Such good patriotic people. Think of the Sun headlines and coverage from 2003 and their support for war.
The various charges for the eight include
conspiring to pervert the course of justice
conspiring to intercept communications between October 2000 and August 2006 by listening to mobile phone messages
conspiring to make corrupt payments to public officials
conspiring to pervert the course of justice by removing and concealing evidence
Why don’t they all plead guilty, save the state money and spare Cameron’s embarrassment through to the Spring!
Apologies. Don’t know how that went up twice? I had not put the Captcha answer in either.
I was going to add that perhaps ‘Stephen’ returned in another guise! 🙂
Just saw this. What a shame.
28 October 2013
Fleetwood Mac cancel tour dates as John McVie has cancer
McVie is one of the co-founding members of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac have cancelled shows in Australia and New Zealand after bassist John McVie was diagnosed with cancer.
A statement on the band’s Facebook page on Sunday apologised to fans for cancelling the 14 dates in November and December as part of their world tour.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24704029
P Charles is off to Sri Lanka soon to represent his mother at the commonwealth gathering.
This is in spite of the dreadful record of abuse of human rights there including murder and disappearances using white vans.
I listened to this report on the World Service earlier. There is a short video.
‘BBC investigates Sri Lanka disappearances
24 October 2013
Journalists and activists in Sri Lanka have accused the government of threats, intimidation, and violence against those who criticise the authorities.
It comes as the Commonwealth heads of government, who subscribe to freedom of expression in the Commonwealth Charter, are preparing to meet there.
The BBC’s Fergal Keane reports on a newspaper at the centre of the claims, and the country’s notorious white vans.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24662898
The greater war crimes of the Sri Lankan government, condemned by the UN, are not referred to.
This is a further report by Fergal Keane.
Sri Lanka’s unanswered questions over human rights
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24648595
Meanwhile, the ‘Queen’s Baton’ has just been trailed round Sri Lanka. Another YCNMIU.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-queens-baton-relay-24536464
Can a kindly muzzy explain to us why the yiddish occupiers have started planting so many Gharqad trees in the WB, in fact the Palestinians are perplexed the devils are not spitting on them anymore or shooting their children?! Something is amiss? Has the of late very quiet Ehud Brog finalised the next false flag and sent out SMS like the Odigo 911?
Mary
5:54 am
“Apologies. Don’t know how that went up twice? I had not put the Captcha answer in either.”
Macky does a Mary, Mary does a Macky! M A C K R Y !!!
Has Hasbara Central taken con-troll? LOL 🙂
Anyway, nice to hear them say “Don’t know”.
I have just re-read the post of Craig’s dated 11/11/11 that I linked to yesterday and which ResDiss commented upon, commending the posts of ‘Stephen’.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/11/the-day-democracy-died-in-europe/
‘Stephen’ dominated the proceedings, having exchanges with Craig and mostly disagreeing with others who usually put him right.
I made some good contributions – links about Poppy Day, little children being indoctrinated with war propaganda, Michael O’Higgins inauguration as Irish President and his speech appealing for peace, ShannonWatch, etc.
I posted this comment. The link within still works. Hague and Cameron et al attacked Libya in the middle of March 2011. I see the evil was named Operation Unified Protector! and that it was an ‘intervention’.
‘Back to Libya, the sourcing of oil and the past and present connection of Hague to a oil company run by a Conservative donor.
.
Hague facing questions over Libya deal
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, is facing questions over his role in a controversial oil deal in Libya involving a company run by a Conservative donor. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/8882816/Hague-facing-questions-over-Libya-deal.html ‘
I have just added the heading.
John Goss replied:
‘Mary, you might be interested to know that Buckingham, mentioned in the Hague posting above, is a Tory party donor, oil-tycoon, mercenary and a colleague of Hague’s. Wouldn’t it be great if the whole lot could be brought down over their greed for oil?
http://unity.lv/en/news/469015/ ‘
That link is dead.
Buckingham is still running Heritage Oil. Current board.
http://www.heritageoilplc.com/about-us/board-management.aspx
Note Sir Michael Wilkes, KCB CBE
Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Sir Michael Wilkes KCB, CBE, retired from the British Army in 1995 as Adjutant General and Middle East Adviser to the British Government. As Adjutant General, Sir Michael was the most senior administrative officer within the Army and a member of the Army Board. During his distinguished career, he has seen active service across the world while also commanding at every level from Platoon to Field Army, including commanding the 22 Special Air Service Regiment and serving as the Director of Special Forces. On leaving the Army in 1995 he was appointed Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief of Jersey, where he served until retiring in 2000.
Nothing changes.
Macky
I agree that the comment you refer to from Anon was nasty and unnecessary.
Mary
So Stephen politely disagreeing was just another nasty troll. Perhaps you might wish to tell us all what the accepted form is for disagreeing with you or your supporters on your blog – or isn’t dissent allowed?
@7.28am Infantile.
What happened is the truth and what I said is the truth.
I was trying to edit what I had typed in the comment box as I had to break to go to another window to check a spelling. Then when I returned I could not work out why the cursor wouldn’t let me type and I was surprised to see that the two posts had appeared (at identical timings) when I scrolled up. My post was still in the comment box.
That was Villager 7.58 not 7.28 am
God! These trolls are so wearing and boring. In addition, they rarely inform.
@Villager Babu – thanks for Jiddu, as s jew I have a special affinity for his work, its only the mind that allows me to satisfice this picture that otherwise speaks a thousand words !
Mind you the even “higher” minds like satanyahu,kerry,rifkind,fabius (and some of trolls here like Anon) are able to gas 426 children at Ghouta to start war, and still keep an oblivious straight face when caught out -damn its bloody Assads fault, he should have stopped them from breathing in the gas, bwahahahaha!! All thats required is a dershowitzian mind best found under a yarmulke !
The membership of the Energy Committee taking ‘evidence’ from the Big Six energy companies today. Don’t hold your breath that anything will change.
Energy and Climate Change Committee – membership
Mr Tim Yeo was elected by the House to be the Chair of the Energy and Climate Change Committee on Wednesday 9 June 2010.
The following membership has been in place since Wednesday 3 November 2010:
Member
Party
Mr Tim Yeo (Chair) Conservative
Dan Byles Conservative
Barry Gardiner Labour
Ian Lavery Labour
Dr Phillip Lee Conservative
Mr Peter Lilley Conservative
Albert Owen Labour
Christopher Pincher Conservative
John Robertson Labour
Sir Robert Smith Liberal Democrat
Dr Alan Whitehead Labour
Reminder ref Yeo who is still listed as chairman on the Parliament site, although it was said that he stepped down in June.
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/energy-and-climate-change-committee/membership/
Tim Yeo steps aside as energy chair – but stink remains
New calls for select committee chairmen to be banned from holding jobs and shares where there’s a conflict of interest.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/politics/53526/tim-yeo-steps-aside-energy-chair-%E2%80%93-stink-remains
Lobby row Energy MP Tim Yeo ‘filmed boasting about introducing businessmen to Government’
The Conservative MP who scrutinises energy policy has been filmed boasting that he can be paid to introduce businessman to members of the Government.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10108457/Lobby-row-Energy-policy-MP-Tim-Yeo-filmed-boasting-about-introducing-businessmen-to-Government.html
Nothing changes.
@Mary, you shouldn’t need to explain yourself iro the common occurrence of double postings, but then again you were kind enough to take the time for a such a embarrassingly immature, who even gives juveniles a bad name !
@Res Des, your ” nasty and unnecessary” is welcomed, but also, perhaps not so surprisingly, mild.
Re Stephen, I recall him also, and his views were carbon copies of some yours & other current Contrarians here, putting forth the exact same arguments; I refer to the exchange I had with him (& Angrysoba) here, especially as we ended-up discussing Orwell, who I know you often refer to;
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/12/christopher-hitchens-rip/?showmore=1
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF)
‘I am donating one million dollars and my first-born son to the IDF in August’ – Marc Belzberg. UR supposed to be an American
first,second,third,forget about it.$27 million, tax-deductible greenbacks sent off to the land of Apartheid.
Fond memories ! I forgot that Stephen, just like another previous Mary obsessive called Ken, had also given me honour of being the last person addressed here !;)
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2011/12/christopher-hitchens-rip/comment-page-2/#comment-335080
Thanks for the heads up and link Macky. I would say you won on points! Stephen was certainly persistent and strident throughout that thread in his support for Christopher Hitchens.
He even had the nerve to insult Craig thus:
stephen
16 Dec, 2011 – 12:42 pm
All this post demonstrates is your bad taste, profound ignorance and increasing detachment from reality.
stephen
16 Dec, 2011 – 12:51 pm
Craig – why didn’t you have the intellectual honesty to attack Christopher Hitchens while he was alive and able to defend himself but only now do so when he is dead and unable to respond to your accusation of “intellectual prostitution”???
Is such behaviour the sign of a man of honour or a whore?
Craig answered the latter by saying he was sure he had said plenty of things about Hitchens whilst he was alive!
I am pleased that I was correct earlier today when I said that Stephen was a solicitor. My long term memory is not impaired and not bad for an ‘old biddy’ or whatever insulting names the current trolls call me.
Craig must have had access to the e mail addresses because I quoted him here.
Mary
18 Dec, 2011 – 8:18 am
Fedup
Stephen has already been outed as a troll by Craig some time back. A solicitor somewhere away from the mainstream. I think it was Redditch. Their purpose is to divert and squelch.
Q Did he ever reappear here in a new guise? 🙂
US to destroy Paradise Island
28.10.2013
Pagan Island, an idyllic Pacific Island in the Marianas, home to thousands of species of flora and fauna, some of them unique, and enjoying a perfect ecological balance, is facing Armageddon: in March of this year the US military announced its intention to use the Island as a live-fire training range. In plain English, they plan to blast it to pieces.
This is not the first time the US military will either take over an island or trash it, and then leave it uninhabitable for decades to come. It has happened before, countless times. It happened in San Clemente, it happened in Diego Garcia, it happened in Vieques, in Ka’ula, in Kaho’olawe, in Farallon de Medinilla, in Kwajelein, Enewetak and Bikini.
/..
http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/disasters/28-10-2013/126015-us_paradise_isle-0/
If they have to bomb, why don’t they bomb something of their own for a change, Hawaii? Washington? One of their Virgin islands?
The UN is dead at the wheel, international law is consigned to history and UNESCO moribund. As for the “international community”, they are probably too busy stuffing their faces with junk food containing GMOs.
It looks an absolutely beautiful part of the planet.
https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-military-plans-save-pagan-island
Pagan Island also contains a valuable resource – volcanic pozzolan
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/06/13/japan-tsunami-debris-on-pagan-island-financial-problems-may-lead-to-a-second-environmental-mess/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Islands
Mary: “I had not put the Captcha answer in either.”
“What happened is the truth and what I said is the truth.”
Macky: Words to the effect: i did not type in “Mary” into the name box.
There’s only one other explanation: Divine Intervention to show up who the real trolls are. Lets call it the Virgin Mary (or Mackay or Mackry) Syndrome! 🙂
PS Who needs a novel to read when you have some real-life ‘characters’ here to provide us with such fine entertainment.
Just to clarify, the comment by Anon without shades about acid squirting from poppies was not by me, Anon with the shades. Guano the kaffir-loathing ‘revert’ will tell you who wrote it.
Talking about novels, I am genuinely missing Suhayl’s presence here even though I did not partake in any of the tea ceremonies.
Come on Suhayl, not fair that you should be lurking around, if you are, getting all this material from the site and not sharing. 😉 Sincerely.
Pozzolan: Fly ash from coalfired power stations does exactly the same job, and it’s not sitting in the Pacific.
“The Court of Appeal has ruled Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt did not have power to implement cuts at Lewisham Hospital in south-east London”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24729477
This could be genuinely repentant, but I am suspicious she’s dressing for Halloween.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/28/nsa-surveillance-dianne-feinstein-opposed-allies
“he chair of the Senate intelligence committee, who has been a loyal defender of the National Security Agency, dramatically broke ranks on Monday, saying she was “totally opposed” to the US spying on allies and demanding a total review of all surveillance programs.
California Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein strongly criticised the NSA’s monitoring of the calls of friendly world leaders such as German chancellor Angela Merkel.
Feinstein, who has steadfastly defended the NSA’s mass surveillance programs, added that both Barack Obama and members of her committee, which is supposed to received classified briefings, had been kept in the dark about operations to target foreign leaders.”
@ Macky
“taking apart the unholy trinity of trolls, the malicious & the stupid, is too easy not to be fun !”
_________
If it’s so easy, why are you making such a hash of it?
I’d venture to suggest that (1) you yourself put off a lot of the regulars on here and are now seen by them as a crude, erratic laughing-stock and (2) your targets – the posters you laughingly call “trolls” – have, conversely, gained in status.
PS – and meanwhile Mary sits back, saying little and just smiling……
“The former official said the intelligence committees receive lengthy and detailed descriptions every year about all NSA programs, including surveillance. “They’re not small books. They’re about the size of those old family photo albums that were several inches thick. They’re hundreds of pages long.”
A senior congressional aide said, “It’s an absolute joke to think she hasn’t been reading the signals intelligence intercepts as Chairman of Senate Intelligence for years.”
The former official added that the “bottom line question is where was the Senate Intelligence Committee when it came to their oversight of these programs? And what were they being told by the NSA, because if they didn’t know about this surveillance, that would imply they were being lied to.”
A spokesperson for Feinstein did not respond to a request for more details in time for publication. And a spokesperson for Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the intelligence committee’s vice chairman, said the senator had no comment at this time.”
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/10/28/were_really_screwed_now_nsas_best_friend_just_shivved_the_spies
Very odd that this is happening now. Much angst over it. What’s coming?
Haaretz October 27, 2013
Snowden, Assange, Manning, Vanunu – the true heroes of our time
Whistle-blowers are still regarded as traitors, but the real traitors are those who were responsible for the acts they exposed.
By Gideon Levy
If the German chancellor was truly a brave stateswoman, she would invite Edward Snowden to seek political asylum in her country and honor him. Her colleague, the French president, should have done likewise. Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande should have thanked Snowden – the ex-CIA employee who revealed the arrogant wiretapping system that the United States has operated in their countries. But Snowden is hiding in Russia.
Germany and France are livid with the United States because of Snowden’s revelations (he alleged, among other things, that U.S. agencies listened in on telephone conversations of 35 world leaders), but their leaders aren’t brave enough to offer him the respect and refuge he deserves. Snowden has been banished and oppressed.
Similarly, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, and Chelsea Manning, who leaked U.S. military documents. Assange has been in hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since June 2012, while Manning was convicted to 35 years in prison last August.
All three are heroes of their time that only history will be able to fully appreciate. They will surely be better remembered than Merkel or Hollande. Three anonymous young men who decided not to shut up; three anonymous young men who decided to take action. They broke their countries’ laws because of their developed sense of justice and their bravery, were branded traitors and sentenced to persecution.
History is rife with similar acts of bravery, and no less rife with the oppression of those who did not shut up, who only in retrospect are considered heroes.
/..
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.554528
The whole piece is not behind the paywall on that link.
Mary; I’m sensing the security center is not holding. Feinstein’s bailing-out could be a middle-finger to Obama, since he’s said he didn’t know about the surveillance of Heads of State, wherein he clearly had to approve. It comes on top of the lie that people could keep their current health insurance, and it’s clear he knew that too.