The far right CIA funded Henry Jackson Society, Vice President Jim Murphy, officially supports torture. Here is the odious Douglas Murray putting the Henry Jackson Society view on This Week.
I have searched everywhere I can, and in a week where every politician in the World has expressed his views on torture, I can find nothing from CIA poster boy Jim Murphy. He is a founder member of the Henry Jackson Society, so I think it is fair to presume he supports their official view as shown in this video.
The BBC had a choice of two Murrays. The could have chosen Douglas Murray, full time paid propagandist for the USA. Or they could have chosen Craig Murray, ex-Ambassador sacked by Labour for blowing the whistle on CIA torture ten years ago, and now proved to have been right. Guess which the BBC chose.
Any more detail on the CIA funding?
Jermynstreetjim, yep. 🙂 The worrying thing is I hadn’t had a drink when I wrote that. God knows what could happen now. I will try to make amends with one of Gavin Ewart’s strong poems of conscience for those who still have a soul.
http://salamanderoasis.org/poems/e/ewart-gavin/wardead.html
Gavin Esler has not published any significant poems to my knowledge (which is evidently in decline). Thanks for the correction Jim. Otherwise I might have gone on making such an error till the Yanks blow us all to smithereens, smithereens, smithereens . . .
I forgot to include this link earlier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Game
A close examination of the statement the council put out Sunday night shows that even in what should be diplomatic defeat, despotisms are still able to cajole the West into pretending that there is moral and military equivalence between a proven atrocity-maker and its victims
http://henryjacksonsociety.org/2012/05/30/russia%E2%80%99s-syria-win/
The HJS doesn’t do irony.
@Ben re Torture. In this case, it seems that torture was used for the same reason as in the middle ages by the Catholic Church… to extract false confessions that could be used for propaganda purposes to incite public hatred. This is quite bizarre because I’m sure there would have been enough Iraqis with bad experiences from Saddam’s regime to get information for their propaganda machine through slipping them a few dollars.
It seems to me that waterboarding and rectal feeding was pure sadism. Maybe that was also the case in the middle ages? But… as Rees-Mogg said yesterday on AQ… following [sadistic] orders was not a sufficient defence in the Nuremburg trials.
Peacewisher at 9.47 pm. It is a good link. You have to open up the comments. And when you do you will find my satirical video about Anna Ardin and Irmeli Krans (hope I got that right), which is short and still aims to amuse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nIrLS3gI8A&feature=g-upl
Here is another video about Anna Ardin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_cXUMcLrf0
I should be supporting her in some respects. Like her I am a vegetarian. Like her I am a Christian. In those respects I would support her except that Theresa May claims to be a Christian. Hitler and Mussolini were vegetarians. I’ve read her thesis (bet she hasn’t read mine). In it she questioned anti-Castro groups (wonder how she knew how to find them?) about what was wrong with a Communist system that, despite embargoes, has survived quite well. The one question she did not ask any of these groups that any independent researcher would have asked is: If the will of the Cuban people was if there was an overthrow of Castro’s regime what would the new government do about Guantanamo Bay prison and the military base there? She did her thesis on Cuban politics and never mentioned Guantanamo. Her examiners are equally culpable in granting the degree.
There is no doubt about it in my mind that she’s an agent or recruit. Prove me wrong you trolling rogues. Now there’s a task.
Hmmm! Looks like the current Swedish Labour Party is as corrupt as Labour was under Blair.
I thought “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was an excellent read… certainly blew apart my view of the country as a kind of socialist utopia!
craig 13 Dec, 2014 – 7:00 pm : “Buy the Mail on Sunday in the morning. Look at the leader page.
…. or even better, don’t buy the Mail on Sunday in the morning.
Nosey Parker and The Shatner’s Bassoon Orchestra striking up yet more voodoo symphonies of incompetent rage rather than professional analysis,.
What’s new?
We beat on..
“There is no doubt about it in my mind that she’s an agent or recruit. Prove me wrong you trolling rogues. ”
Ah the familiar cry of the Lesser Spotted Conspiracy Theorist. “You cannot disprove it therefore it must be true”. Reminds me I must get myself down to the Church of the Orbiting Teapot today and lay a packet of Typhoo upon the Holy Saucer.
If you’re making a proposition it’s up to you to provide supporting evidence.
LOL
Frank Gardner answers questions about the report. On Twitter and edited!!!
Twitter Q&A: The BBC’s Frank Gardner answers your CIA report questions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-30453008
And from the BBC Washington correspondent, Jon Sopel……
Nedialens
Pure propaganda from Jon Sopel, using his BBC platform to excuse torture –
Posted by mack on December 13, 2014, 9:36 pm
911 as backdrop, of course. Neglecting to say that torture (as we all know) extracts FALSE confessions and does not get reliable, actionable ‘intelligence’.
‘America has not come under serious attack since 9/11 on its home soil – so you would think that would be a source of celebration.
Big backslaps and high fives to the guys charged with keeping the country’s citizens safe.’
[…]
‘On 11 September 2001, the United States came under attack from al-Qaeda terrorists, claiming the lives of 3,000 people when planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania – a war on terror was declared, and those responsible were hunted down and detained, and there were no further attacks on US soil.’
Cont:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30455969
@Mary: This seems to be actually saying: we’ll murder and torture who we choose, under the cover of “protection of our citizens”. How that can be the values of a civilised society?
Now put Blair and Straw on trial for torture, says diplomat who was fired when he warned Labour Government of UK collusion with US abuse
Craig Murray, Former British Ambassador To Uzbekistan
14 December 2014
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2873063/Now-Blair-Straw-trial-torture-says-diplomat-fired-warned-Labour-Government-UK-collusion-abuse.html
‘CIA paid me to use airstrip as rendition zone… and to look the other way’: Former airport director reveals secret Polish staging post for U.S. torture programmeDetailed picture of how CIA flew terror suspects to Szymany has emerged
Officials later flew them to a nearby ‘dark site’ for brutal interrogations
Mariola Przewlocka says anonymous officials paid six times the landing fee
Believes she witnessed arrival of 9/11 ‘mastermind’ on CIA Gulfstream jet
Cars with darkened windows secretly took travellers to Polish military base
Airport staff were banned from approaching aircraft and basic safety rules were sometimes flouted, she says
By Martin Delgado In Szczytno, Poland For The Mail On Sunday
13 December 2014
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2873010/CIA-paid-use-airstrip-rendition-zone-look-way-Former-airport-director-reveals-secret-Polish-staging-post-U-S-torture-programme.html
Peacewisher 7 54am
“How that can be the values of a civilised society?”
Yes, and with the values come a raft of obligations.
The US, as a signatory of The UN Convention Against Torture has has signed up to clearly defined obligations. Before it (and its vassals) can be recognised as as a civilised societies they need to comply with these obligations among others.
Article 4
1. Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law. The same shall apply to an attempt to commit torture and to an act by any person which constitutes complicity or participation in torture. 2. Each State Party shall make these offences punishable by appropriate penalties which take into account their grave nature.”
Article 6
1. Upon being satisfied, after an examination of information available to it, that the circumstances so warrant, any State Party in whose territory a person alleged to have committed any offence referred to in article 4 is present shall take him into custody or take other legal measures to ensure his presence. The custody and other legal measures shall be as provided in the law of that State but may be continued only for such time as is necessary to enable any criminal or extradition proceedings to be instituted.
Article 8
1. The offences referred to in article 4 shall be deemed to be included as extraditable offences in any extradition treaty existing between States Parties. States Parties undertake to include such offences as extraditable offences in every extradition treaty to be concluded between them.
2. If a State Party which makes extradition conditional on the existence of a treaty receives a request for extradition from another State Party with which it has no extradition treaty, it may consider this Convention as the legal basis for extradition in respect of such offences. Extradition shall be subject to the other conditions provided by the law of the requested State.
3. States Parties which do not make extradition conditional on the existence of a treaty shall recognize such offences as extraditable offences between themselves subject to the conditions provided by the law of the requested State.
4. Such offences shall be treated, for the purpose of extradition between States Parties, as if they had been committed not only in the place in which they occurred but also in the territories of the States required to establish their jurisdiction in accordance with article 5, paragraph 1.
Article 9
1. States Parties shall afford one another the greatest measure of assistance in connection with criminal proceedings brought in respect of any of the offences referred to in article 4, including the supply of all evidence at their disposal necessary for the proceedings.
Article 10
1. Each State Party shall ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment.
2. Each State Party shall include this prohibition in the rules or instructions issued in regard to the duties and functions of any such person.
Article 13
Each State Party shall ensure that any individual who alleges he has been subjected to torture in any territory under its jurisdiction has the right to complain to, and to have his case promptly and impartially examined by, its competent authorities. Steps shall be taken to ensure that the complainant and witnesses are protected against all ill-treatment or intimidation as a consequence of his complaint or any evidence given.
Article 14
1. Each State Party shall ensure in its legal system that the victim of an act of torture obtains redress and has an enforceable right to fair and adequate compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. In the event of the death of the victim as a result of an act of torture, his dependants shall be entitled to compensation.
Article 16
1. Each State Party shall undertake to prevent in any territory under its jurisdiction other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment which do not amount to torture as defined in article I, when such acts are committed by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. In particular, the obligations contained in articles 10, 11, 12 and 13 shall apply with the substitution for references to torture of references to other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 20
1. If the Committee receives reliable information which appears to it to contain well-founded indications that torture is being systematically practised in the territory of a State Party, the Committee shall invite that State Party to co-operate in the examination of the information and to this end to submit observations with regard to the information concerned.
Full document here, http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CAT.aspx
“Now put Blair and Straw on trial for torture” says Mr. Murray.
hear hear.
along with everyone else involved.
Off topic again sorry.
Anyone thinking of donating to the Assange, Manning and Snowdon statute fund?
Hopefully not old news here.
http://labourlist.org/2013/02/jim-murphy-and-the-british-neo-cons/
http://zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/douglas-murray-youre-bigot.html
Yesterday Mary accused me of getting my information from the execrable Daily Mail.
So far this morning she has cited the Daily Mail twice.
Shame! Complain to Craig. He wrote the article. Only paper brave enough to publish it. The other was about the Polish prison that Craig spoke of.
Grow up whoever you are.
Craig – you did the heavy lifting but there must have been other officials around at the time who knew what was going on. Now that it’s all coming out, perhaps one of them may feel emboldened to stand with you. Do hope so.
Sorry, I am not sure if this link has been posted already.
Mr Straw seems to be somewhat rattled, judging by this.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/dec/12/questions-jack-straw-cia-torture-report
Kind regards,
John
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/12/13/24095BB100000578-0-image-m-18_1418514823424.jpg
The photo that accompanied Craig’s piece. The caption reads:
Accused: Our impression of how former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw (left) and ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair (right) might look in court
187 comments now.
We live in a corporate media cartel in which the BBC leads the pack. It cannot be fixed. We need a new media now.
We learn from Craig Murray the frustration of contacting every major British news outlet and been blanked by every one.
This position, this circumstance, this crisis is untenable. Media is our window to the world.
It’s our mechanism of self-understanding as a society and as such allows us to entangle and use the power of intention by discovering and uncovering the way the world works, and the way we fit into it.
The media is supposed to be a force that illuminates and informs, which empowers and educates. Instead, it does so selectively, and functions largely in the interests of sustaining the existing system, even when that system is hell-bent on suffering through perversion and deceptive hegemony.
I strongly believe militarism, terrorism, the police-state, are escalating symptoms of a global system that has failed, and is failing, and which cannot survive the 21st century in its current form. I believe we need people powered funding as patrons of NEW new media, possible through the collision of technologies such as crowd funding and crypto currency ie digital wallets. We can and will rip the heart out of the present media consortium.
NEW new media using ‘crowd factor’ would not dwell on sensational scandal, bad news or deceit for war and control, NEW new media will investigate power, to empower the public, will campaign for justice and will advocate for the marginalized, to help create social change and to empower all good citizens with the information needed to become change-makers in their own contexts.
NEW new media will be on front-lines of the revolution, covering real-world solutions to our global challenges proposed and enacted by practitioners, activists and communities everywhere.
The NEW new media conduit will be focused and delivered gratuitously to every home on and off-line. We just need to decide to pledge our bit-coins, to become a patron, above all to decide on who is willing, who can fulfill this community back-bone project and who is willing to give it their best shot, head-up the brain-storming and put it together. That is the Gordian knot.
I grabbed this dissection out of the Pandora’s box of 21c media coverage.
http://cissm.umd.edu/papers/files/media.pdf
@Mary: I detest many of the values that the Daily Mail espouses. However, they have been consistent since late 2002 in opposing Blair’s policies on Iraq, possibly more consistently so than even the Daily Mirror. They have a perfect right to be driving the agenda on this issue, and if their readers are now being asked to visualise Blair and Straw in court that will be a powerful driver to manifest such a reality. Hats off.
McClusky on Jim Murphy:
His victory would be all the SNP’s Christmases come at once.
“He supports austerity and ‘economic credibility’ with the City of London. He was a strong backer of the disastrous Iraq war, and made it clear he would have liked to see military action against Syria last year. He backs extending privatisation in the public services. He is a pioneer of tuition fees for students.”
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/mccluskey-jim-murphy-a-death-sentence-for-labour-1-3604463
How come that Malcolm Rifkind speaks for Craig Murray? Has the BBC no t even got the decency to ask the man himself?
Malcolm Rifkind this morning dismissed Craigs evidence, still, by citing his personal discrepancies which are not to debate and have all been rather tedious claptrap.
What a lowlife MSM we really have to make out that the official channels and organs of state and media, who have berated, lied and lambasted the public with falsehoods and diversion over our terrible conduct elsewhere, whether its the Belhadj family or the numerous people tortured in BagramC or Diego Garcia.
Jim Murphy is on his second day of triumphalism over his party leadership, media lovey number one, the man who has all the messages, but who’s ex voters have turned away in droves from his self serving kind of politics.
Today he denied taking messages from Milliband professing to be going it all alone in Scotland, that his words are what count, no change in his self important glory hunting yet, it is no wonder he did not get anywhere in 9 years of studying for a degree, spent mostly pontificating for the Murphy Labour party and how he is the salt of the earth.
@Mark Golding, more media commentary that you may find interesting;
http://www.fredoneverything.net/TwoTiers.shtml
“Though the British Crown is not expensive or greedy, its enemies like to pretend that it is.”
…………………
Thanks Node for posting that Mail on Sunday article, I had to laugh at the above quote, the Privy Purse has just been raised from £33 million, to £36 million quid, this doesn’t include protection, nor travel costs for the royal parasites.