The revelation that undercover Met officers spied on the family of Jean Charles De Menezes after they murdered him, leaves me utterly appalled.
You have to consider this in the context of the lies that the Met assiduously spread about De Menezes – that he entered the tube without buying a ticket, that he vaulted the ticket gates, that he ran away from officers, that he was wearing a bulky jacket.
All of these were lies. In truth the poor man had entered the tube normally and legally, walked calmly and sat down with a free newspaper. He wore a short tight denim jacket. Then totally without any cause or justification from his actions whatsoever, his murderers shot him multiple times in the head. Just because his Brazilian complexion looked a bit Arab.
I can think of no category of lie worse than that told by a murderer against the reputation of their victim.
The police did everything they could to mislead the media, planting lies and encouraging stories they knew to be untrue. Personally I find it extremely suspicious that numerous CCTV cameras were found not to be working, and have little doubt that the police destroyed that evidence.
There can be no other motive for spying on De Menezes’ family than either the hope of gaining information to feed to the media to discredit the man they murdered, or to attempt to pervert the course of justice.
They did not have to worry – their were plenty of others to pervert the course of justice for them, including the DPP and above all, Sir Michael Wright, as disgusting a piece of scum as ever sat on an English bench, who directed the inquest jury that they could not return a verdict of unlawful killing. (I was delighted to find that, when I googled Sir Michael Wright, my article on him came high on the first page. Is that result tailored by Google for me, or is it general?)
The recent revelation that the Met spied on Menezes’ family sparked very little public interest. It should. It is a still more appalling outrage than the Murdoch press hacking Millie Dowler. At least the Murdoch gang had not actually murdered Millie Dowler themselves. The De Menezes family were being spied on by their son’s and brother’s murderers.
Hi Glenn; I didn’t see your post til now. Have not read Blums’ new book but it is getting good feedback.
http://williamblum.org/
@Ben: Yes, right, and it was this view of economics first and people second that shaped the people at posh school and university in the 1980s… to become the political decision-makers of today.
Peacewisher; I don’t use the word ‘forcemeat’ for no reason. Labour and the Democrats just follow the smell of their next fund-raiser banquet and the political winds will predict precisely where they should go.
Even now, it’s difficult to persuade liberals that AIPAC is not their friend.
BTW; For years I’ve been pushing tax-payer funded campaigns. Each candidate would be given roughly $20 million. I can’t get no traction on it. Too many fear back-water shenanigans.
Read the piece you didn’t link to, Ben. I’m not linking to it either. Its conclusion is based on an outright, demonstrable, lie. Another Israel-firster, by the look of him.
Here’s a response to the (same) crap he handed out in 2009. I’m guessing the author lives in Boston š
http://saoirsi.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/james-howard-kunstler-were-all-antisemites-now/
Nothing’s changed, except that another thousand or two have died, and bombing hospitals is now routine.
I am not surprised that the ‘force’ infiltrated this family though it disgusts me no less. Some might know that the pathologist, Dr Kenneth Shorrock, was in private practice with Drs Milroy and Forrest in SHEFFIELD when he was called to examine the near headless corpse of dear Jean Charles. You will wonder why he was called down over 170 miles to the metropolis when there were eight forensic pathologists in the Great Wen. Admittedly, one was of the calibre of Patel who ‘examined’ Ian Tomlinson, another police victim. Shorrock had been charged by the General Medical Council of ‘serious professional misconduct’ on eight counts well before the instruction to examine Jean Charles de Menezes.
This article by me in a series about Dr Kelly contains information re. Dr Shorrock’s involvement and my futile attempts to bring a possible miscarriage of justice to the inquest.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-unnatural-death-of-dr-kelly-the-forensic-pathology-the-subversion-of-due-process-continues/5343704
About 2 years ago his name was withdrawn temporarily (or similar) from the Home Office list of forensic pathologists. It has been removed completely since.
The report of the hearing by a panel of the General Medical Council of the charge against this forensic pathologist are here
http://dhalpin.infoaction.org.uk/23-articles/dr-david-kelly/146-shorrock-gmc
The panel found – ‘Both of the forensic pathologists who gave expert evidence before the Panel took the view that Dr Shorrockās conduct fell below the standard to be expected of a pathologist carrying out a post-mortem examination and reporting on it to the coronerās court and to the criminal court. The Panel has already found proved that Dr Shorrockās actions were unprofessional, inconsistent, unreasonable, inappropriate, not based upon the medical and pathological information available to him and likely to bring the profession into disrepute.’
It concluded – ‘In the light of this guidance, and in all the circumstances, the Panel has determined to conclude this case with a reprimand. It considers that this is a proportionate and appropriate sanction in the light of Dr Shorrockās serious professional misconduct.’
Sir Michael Wright, who acted as coroner at the inquest on Jean Charles, had not performed in that role before. His profile published by the Crown Office Chambers makes no reference to his being a coroner and neither does it record his serving at the Southwell inquest
http://www.crownofficechambers.com/profile/95/sir_michael_wright
I brought my concerns to five people or bodies about a possible miscarriage before the inquest. Not ONE answered, including the public solicitor handling the inquest. It is possible that one party I spoke and wrote to was infiltrated in this shoddy country.
Forcemeat is a completely new word to me, Ben. I can guess, but may guess wrong. Something to do with the mm’s 24/7 “news”?
Gosh, cancel that last message, Ben. I now understand exactly what it means. Thank you, David Halpin for your principled stand. Hopefully, the De Menezes family will one day get justice.
Ben careful that you don’t get swept along with the falsehoods.
GW was the classic switchero getting rid of Al Gore and setting up the user of exotic substances and an alcoholic to front the war on the planet.
Representation, or various methods of selecting the representatives that ought to be considered on their own, are a red herring issue. Taht is without the comprehensive scrutiny of the motivators (bribes/blackmails/technicalities) that later come to play on the minds of the so called reps as they get on with their business of doing the representation in the legislature. AIPAC et al are the money reallocation (laundering) constructs, that in turn as ever the rules of purse holder gets a certain percentage back apply.
Just reading through the various libertarian, and “free man” etc concepts in US there emerges a glaring singular lack of political education that has been assiduously brought on by multi billion dollar spending on mis-education to keep the population dumb and only trained up to the levels required by the prevalent industry.
Project paper clip was more than sequestrating the personnel, in fact it was the process of osmosis of fascism that seems to have taken hold without any attention getting paid to it.
Damn good “forcemeat” analogy.
Fedup; Thanks to you for recognizing ‘forcemeat’.
The problem with politics is People. But if we take the ridiculous costs for electioneering, and the resultant disparity between ‘have’s and ‘have nots’ the game can be played with monopoly money as it always has.
If you take campaign donations out of the mix it levels the playing field a might.
It’s not a perfect solution, but something different has to be attempted.
I still think using the voter registration roles as they do for jury duty, and have those ‘good and true’ jurors selected through the same process, campaign lies, which are accepted as necessary evils, will disappear when candidates are vetted under oath.
It’s just a thought.
In the new etc, who talks to who is determined by oligarchs and wannabe oligarchs, on the basis of corporate profits. Likewise, who gets to keep their head of state.
Who gets to keep their head indeed Komodo in a system of capital power. The apprehension and/or skepticism of a bipolar world must deepen the thought, must expand the selfish logic until the illusion grips, the image too fragile to succeed. The capital system is weak, exploited beyond all hope of survival and thus guaranteed to crash; our hint for self sufficiency and safety.
Post crash assumes atonement, absolution. The intention to give back, to surrender that which has been taken, not to mention lives. Although Gaza will be obliterated, petrified, wiped off the map, this intention can only expand.
Ben – I think performance-related pay and the abolition of whips would be worth a try too. If an element of our representatives’ pay were conditional on their attendance to issues registered by them on election as being their priorities, that might focus their tiny little minds on the job in hand rather than scrambling up the party greasy pole. I would also like to see institutional scorn and contempt for ministers of state, combined with a two-year ban on their employment, when they leave, in any other organisation than MacDonald’s. Two years there would equip them for life in the real world….hey, that’s not a bad idea for before,/i> they seek election, too.
The capital system is weak, exploited beyond all hope of survival and thus guaranteed to crash; our hint for self sufficiency and safety.
In a rational universe, yes, Mark. But haven’t you noticed the fat rats always survive intact? I wish I could be optimistic.
mark golding,
I am not expunging the horrific murder of JCdM at all!
JCdM was killed for a reason, I was highlighting some little known facts regarding the Met/SB surveillance &/or facilitation.
What’s your reason as to why he was killed?
‘I just want my constitution back’.
Needles in Haystacks
Intelligence Gathering, Subjects and Citizens
by BINOY KAMPMARK
I just want my Constitution back.
-Thomas Drake, former NSA senior executive, July 29, 2014
Both Thomas Drake and Jesselyn Radack are familiar names in the world of whistleblowing. They are currently visiting Australia, giving talks and presentations on the subject of how estranged subjects of the state can reclaim their citizenry. In a neat, taut presentation by both speakers at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on Tuesday, both outlined the seminal points of the whistleblowing mandate and the consequences of not being one. (We know all too well the consequences that face those who do take that pathway of conversion.)
Drake is one of the few in the growing collective of whistleblowers that has a direct line of inspiration for former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, having himself worked as a senior executive of the National Security Agency. Radack represented Drake in the legal proceedings against him, and was herself a whistleblower in disclosing FBI misconduct in the interrogation of John Walker Lindh, known more popularly as the āAmerican Talibanā. Snowden has also retained Radack as one of his legal representatives.
/..
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/07/30/intelligence-gathering-subjects-and-citizens/
Ba’al; Oh yes. That freakin’ revolving door has to be eliminated. It should be treated somewhat like ‘separation of church and state’.
Votes made favoring one industry or company would eliminate the opportunity for employment in same for a prescribed period of time (to be determined)
Firearms officer E17 charged with murder of Azelle Rodney. Well done his mother for taking the case to the wire against all odds over 9 years. 8 bullets were fired and six went into his head.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28567569
6th Aug 2014
A Channel 4 News investigation reveals Wikipedia edits to pages on Jean Charles de Menezes, Lee Rigby and Damilola Taylor made from government computers.
http://www.channel4.com/news/wikipedia-edit-changes-lee-rigby-charles-de-menezes-damilola
“… The spokesman for the family of Jean Charles de Menezes today spoke of his shock after hearing that users on government computer networks were found to have altered key information in his Wikipedia entry and sought to cover up police failings. …”
[my emphasis]