The disgraceful judges of Britain’s High Court – who have gone along with torture, extraordinary rendition, every single argument for mass surveillance and hiding information from the public, and even secret courts – have ruled that it was lawful for the Home Office to detain David Miranda, a journalist as information he was carrying might in some undefined way, and if communicated to them, aid “terrorists”.
Despite the entire industry, both private and governmental, devoted to whipping up fear, it is plain to pretty well everyone by now that terrorism is about the most unlikely way for you to die. A car accident is many hundreds of times more likely. Even drowning in your own bath is more likely. Where is the massive industry of suppression against baths?
I had dinner inside the Ecuadorian Embassy on Sunday with Julian Assange, who I am happy to say is as fit and well as possible in circumstances of confinement. Amongst those present was Jesselyn Radack, attorney for, among others, Edward Snowden. Last week on entering the UK she was pulled over by immigration and interrogated about her clients. The supposed “immigration officer” already knew who are Jesselyn Radack’s clients. He insisted aggressively on referring repeatedly to Chelsea Manning as a criminal, to which Jesselyn quietly replied that he was a political prisoner. But even were we to accept the “immigration officer’s” assertion, the fact that an attorney defends those facing criminal charges is neither new nor until now considered reprehensible and illegitimate.
As various states slide towards totalitarianism, a defining factor is that their populations really don’t notice. Well, I have noticed. Have you?
Nick Cohen the shill for BLiar’s war on Iraq, like Aaronovitch and Rent(a)tool.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/mar/03/10-years-right-invaded-iraq
~~
Yes John. We are ALL God’s children. I watched some of the closing ceremony although I have not watched any of the events. I do not like snow or ice! I thought the ceremony was more tasteful than London’s and much more creative. Not as jingoistic either. No dummy queens jumping from helicopters and not the constant wrapping everything in the national flag, the butcher’s apron in our case.
~~
The mods will be busy with the delete button as you say. I just complimented the Russians for leading the medal table and saying well done for Sochi and suddenly there was a mass arrival here. No response is best.
John and Mary
If you understood the first thing about Russia you would understand that the Sochi Olympics and the despots in charge would be the last place to go looking for all that is good about Russia. Might I suggest that I know rather more about Russia and Russians than you are ever likely to – I shall be kind and assume that you are just Putin’s useful idiots rather than his fellow travellers for the present.
Mary I second your remark. A great games.
Getting back to the topic Binoy Kampmark argues: “The material Snowden supplied, the subject matter in Miranda’s possession when he found himself being detained at Heathrow, was vital. It served a fundamental purpose: to expose massive, unaccounted surveillance by supposedly free states against their own citizens and those of allied countries.”
See more at: http://newsjunkiepost.com/2014/02/23/freedom-of-the-press-government-does-not-know-best/#sthash.tj5KxD91.dpuf
Mary
Does the stance of Nick Cohen et al on the Iraq War just mean that they are non people (and hence not God’s children) and that all views on any other subjects can just be dismissed? Do you apply a similar principle to all who disagree with you on this blog?
Mary
I have read the Media Lens links you provided very carefully and no where can I see a clear and definitive statement from the writers that they believed that that there was a massacre at Srebenica that amounted to genocide. Without seeing Kamm’s and Monbiot’s original articles and the pieces they were complaining about it is not possible to conclude whether their charges of “genocide denial” are supportable – you seem only to want to present one side of the case, presumably with the view of encouraging others to support that side.
Perhaps you could confirm whether or not you believe that there was a massacre at Srebenica that amounted to genocide? I most definitely do.
John
Since you are an expert on all thinks Russian perhaps you might wish to elucidate on whether or not the charge of “massive, unaccounted surveillance by supposedly free states against their own citizens and those of allied countries” might also applies to Russia – or would that amount to not seeing the good side about Russia?
PS Do you think Left Unity would be in favour of a 13% flat income tax rate and pension and NHS cuts here in the UK just like in Russia?
Res
I am reading War and Peace. How will my knowledge of Russia be through the book.
“Does the stance of Nick Cohen et al on the Iraq War just mean that they are non people (and hence not God’s children) and that all views on any other subjects can just be dismissed?”
I just read his piece and I must say in my opinion he is a most repugnant man with no good qualities whatsoever.
His first line: “Ten years on, the case for invading Iraq is still valid” is a lie in itself. Which case is he talking about? The yellowcake from Niger? The links to Bin Laden? The WMDs? That was the case put to us, they weren’t valid then and they certainly aren’t valid now.
He helped murder a hell of a lot more Iraqis than Saddam did and still counting, war is still waging in Fallujah ten years on with no end in sight.
Bloody psychopaths, no shame, still got the brass neck to pretend the did nothing wrong.
Jay
You’ll get nearer to the soul of Russians through Tolstoy than any of Putin’s productions. Anyone who knows Russians will know that “soul” is very important – its obe of the few things the despots cannot touch.
Fred
You didn’t read the piece he wrote today that I referred to – what is objectionable about that and why is the Iraq war of relevance.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/22/stop-state-terrorists-seize-assets
You may of course want to indulge in the statutory five minutes hate.
“You didn’t read the piece he wrote today that I referred to – what is objectionable about that and why is the Iraq war of relevance. ”
Everything is objectionable about that. Is he going to seize the assets of Bush and Blair?
I suppose the terrorists trained at Fort Benning aren’t really terrorists as far as he’s concerned.
Why did you mention the Iraq war if you don’t think it’s relevant? You asked a question, I answered it, the man is a liar, he has no conscience and no remorse for the hundreds of thousands he helped murder. They should seize every penny he as made from peddling his war mongering lies. It’s people like him the world wants rid off.
Why did you mention the Iraq war if you don’t think it’s relevant?
I didn’t
Getting back to the topic of the blog Binoy Kampmark argues: “The material Snowden supplied, the subject matter in Miranda’s possession when he found himself being detained at Heathrow, was vital. It served a fundamental purpose: to expose massive, unaccounted surveillance by supposedly free states against their own citizens and those of allied countries.”
See more at: http://newsjunkiepost.com/2014/02/23/freedom-of-the-press-government-does-not-know-best/#sthash.tj5KxD91.dpuf
“I didn’t”
So who wrote: “Does the stance of Nick Cohen et al on the Iraq War just mean that they are non people (and hence not God’s children) and that all views on any other subjects can just be dismissed?”?
Don’t keep trying to deny it, anyone can look back and see for themselves.
I answered your question as far as I’m concerned, yes, most definitely, the man has shown himself to be a heartless liar. I wouldn’t believe a word he said about anything.
“Australian Air Force Orders Eight Boeing Spy Planes”
http://247wallst.com/aerospace-defense/2014/02/21/australian-air-force-orders-eight-boeing-spy-planes/
I think the author is thinking of Venezuela primarily. Then Ukraine and then any other country which the USUKIsNato axis alights upon.
The White Army Still Marches
by Paul Lojeski / February 22nd, 2014
Dark vipers
slink through
the shadows
of Democracy,
reactionary
forces waving
bloody hands
in the night.
Under diplomatic
cover they slip
into countries
whose elected
leaders Wall
Street doesn’t
abide, leaders
who resist the
slavery of capital,
who steer a course,
instead, towards
decency. Once
there, they plot
and scheme,
instigating violent
unrest, turning
the streets
a sea of red
and a smiling
assassin puts
a bullet
in the leader’s
heart and the
United States
of Counter-
Democracy
declares another
victory for freedom,
while the invisible
killers quietly
move on to
another target.
Are you next?
From Dissident Voice
KingofWelshNoir: “I also know in my heart why no one does anything against the State oppression: life’s too comfortable. Instead of making Molotov cocktails we’re busy making ones with mini parasols and pineapple chunks on them”
Indeed, not only too comfortable, and kept in passive inaction by numerous “bread & circuses” factors, but also by the fear to oneself & to your family & friends, if you dare raise your head high enough to draw the attention.
Which is why the bravery shown by recent whistleblowers simply defies description; the US deliberately made a show of the long drawn-out torturing of Manning, in order to terrorise other potential whistlebowers, and the same with its hidden hand directing the persecution of Assange, yet despite these terrifying deterrents, Edward Snowden still chose to put his conscience before his comfortable lifestyle, and before his fear of the likely danger to his own life & liberty, and possibly to that of his love-ones also.
These are very, very rare individuals, as most of us simply don’t have the required bravery of our convictions, coupled with the almost suicidal concern for the well-being & dignity of unknown others; I think that no matter how terrible the penalty yet still may become, there will always be whistleblowers, willing & prepared to martyr themselves because of their conscience. We lesser mortals who profess to share the same values as these people, are just fit enough to shake their hands; as for their detractors & critics, they are worth less to mankind than any dirt between the toes of such whistleblowers.
Fred
Mary first raised the issue of Nick Cohen’s stance on Iraq AFTER I had made the reference to his article in today’s Observer that made no reference whatsoever to Iraq. I then made the point that what Nick Cohen’s stance was of no relevance to what he was saying today – the evidence is there if you bother to check properly.
Please go and try your dissembling techniques somewhere else.
Mr Goss
“I suspect the moderator(s) is having the weekend off. They do such sterling work. I am expecting a few comments to be gone tomorrow. ”
___________________
That comment reminds me a little of those old Soviet doctored photos (where’s Yezhov gone?) and how the Soviet authorities used to ask subscribers to the Great Soviet Encyclopaedia to cut out certain articles with a razor blade and stick in something else (article on Beria replaced by an article on the Bering Sea).
Those who know something about the USSR will know what I’m talking about.7
John Goss
Everyone of my comments today has been made in response to comments already raised by others. Do you really think that any of the comments to which I replied had the right to go unanswered? Perhaps you should criticise the original posters, such as yourself, for taking the discussion off topic.
So for those who missed it Resident Dissident here it is again. Discuss.
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2014/02/23/freedom-of-the-press-government-does-not-know-best/#sthash.tj5KxD91.dpuf
Habba
And President Putin likes to keep the tradition of rewriting history going
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-18/russian-schools-to-teach-putin-s-version-of-history.html
Just imagine if Michael Gove were to try and go so far!
John Goss
I totally agree that the Government does not know best when it comes to freedom of the press – perhaps we might also wish to talk about regime on which you shower such praise deals with freedom of the press. Or we could talk about how Wikileaks effectively handed Snowden over to said regime
http://www.businessinsider.com/did-wikileaks-sell-out-snowden-to-the-russians-2013-9
Mary
could you please explain on what basis you consider Yanukovych’s election and subsequent behaviour to be democratic (the one thing that almost all Ukrainians East and West are agreed on are that he should go), and why are you silent when Russia interferes in the affairs of the Ukraine?
Macky
So what is the majority view on the behaviour of Putin and the oligarchs? Do you support really brave whistleblowers like Politskaya and Navalny?
John with regards to Commander Eck and two other officers of the German submarine U852 to death by firing squad.” There was a case of a British T class submarine committing a war crime.
But there was no charge. Maybe it was because we won the war ! Also there have been the outrages which were hushed up on which I could not possibly comment as a ex Submariner
If Cohen and the others who supported the war criminals’ invasion of Iraq in 2003 want to know how things are going there, then read this. Absolutely horrific. But of course the US and the UK have moved on from the scene of their crimes.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Offers Financial Bounty to Extrajudicial Killers
February 23rd, 2014 by Felicity Arbuthnot
http://dissidentvoice.org/2014/02/iraqs-prime-minister-offers-financial-bounty-to-extrajudicial-killers/
and a very nasty snake here crawls out from under the hay. Amongst other things he fails to mention that his nephew is in charge of de-Baathification.
Chalabi: Anbar crisis sign of ‘political failure’ in Iraq
BAGHDAD — Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraq National Congress, says that Iraq is in a “very difficult situation.”
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/02/iraq-opposition-ahmed-chalabi-interview-elections-iran.html
I too share Mary’s pride in Russia’s achievements at the Sub-tropical Olympics, just ended. It was a splendid performance, made all the more splendid when you consider it was achieved by the only major nation whose population is steadily declining year on year owing to decreasing life expectancy.
Resident Dissident, we’re British, we celebrate when we’ve had our best medal clutch since the 1920s. It’s nearly 100 years. I can understand that. I cannot understand people wanting to try and turn the blog into an anti-Russian site. We are all guilty of commenting off-topic. As to “we could talk about how Wikileaks effectively handed Snowden over to said regime” that is so provocative from someone who would rather, I suspect, have him handed over to the US (the worst human rights’ abuser in the world). But the topic is still the erosion of journalistic rights and the Binoy Kampark article, hot off the press today, has not been challenged.
Thanks Dave Lawton. What you say is true. But for me it is not about who is right or wrong in war, because war is horrific. It is about those who delight in things like capital punishment and torture, who seem to be the same people. They obviously have had no love in their lives. People without a heart are not worthy of my time. Not yours either I suspect.
“I just complimented the Russians for leading the medal table and saying well done for Sochi ”
_______________________
No you didn’t ‘just’. Here’s what you wrote :
“Well done Russia for Sochi and for winning. US fourth!”
I hereby award you the John Goss Order of Socialist Fibbing (2nd class).