I am in Berlin for the annual Sam Adams Award – this time to William Binney, formerly Technical Director of the NSA. There will be an address by Edward Snowden (and a short contribution from me). It really is a tremendous event, with some very senior former intelligence professionals making revelations about the extent to which the security state is out of control, a tool of immoral governments dominated by corporate interests.
The event is at the Berlin-Moscow Venue, 52 Unter Den Linden, and starts at 7pm (6pm UK time). It will be livestreamed on the Sam Adams website.
7:00-7:05 Wilkommen by Joerg Dreger, Managing Partner, Dreger Group
7:05-7:12 Ray McGovern, veteran CIA senior intelligence officer (27 years) and presidential briefer; SAA cofounder and Master of Ceremonies: Moment of Silence for Ambassador Robert White; acknowledgement of David MacMichael, retired Senior Estimates Officer in National Intelligence Council; Overview of history/purpose of Sam Adams Award
7:12-7:15 Annie Machon, former M15 intelligence officer (speech + introduction of Katharine and Craig)
7:15-7:20 Katharine Gun*, former GCHQ intelligence officer
7:20-7:25 Craig Murray*, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan
7:25-7:28 Coleen Rowley*, former FBI Special Agent and Minneapolis Chief Division Counsel (brief remarks +introduction of Todd P., Jesselyn & Tom)
7:28-7:33 Jesselyn Radack*, former ethics adviser, US Department of Justice and National Security; Human Rights Adviser, Government Accountability Project (GAP)
7:33-7:37 Todd Pierce, Major, US Army Judge Advocate (ret.); Guantanamo Military Commissions Defense Counsel
7:37-7:45 Thomas Drake*, former senior intelligence service executive, National Security Agency (NSA) – (speech + introduction of Ed Snowden)
7:45-8:00 Edward Snowden* (by video link), former NSA contractor; former CIA systems administrator
8:00-8:05 Ray McGovern segue to SAA Award Announcement; Reading of SAAII citation by Annie M. & Elizabeth M.(English and German versions, respectively); conferral by Thomas Drake of Sam Adams Integrity in Intelligence Corner-Brightener Candlestick to William Binney, former National Security Agency (NSA) Technical Director, World Geopolitical and Military Analysis, NSA, and co-founder, Signals Intelligence Automation Research Center
8:05-8:20 Acceptance speech by William Binney, former Technical Director, World Geopolitical and Military Analysis, NSA, and co-founder, Signals Intelligence Automation Research Center; Q & A
8:20-8:25 Wrap-up by Ray McGovern
8:25-8:30 Closing remarks by Joerg Dreger
8:30-9:00 Reception
*denotes former Sam Adams Award recipient
Owner of ex-PM’s Blair Force One jet revealed as former Labour donor
Jet used by Tony Blair belongs to Richard Caring, the owner of the Ivy and Annabel’s, who once loaned the Labour party £2 million
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/11367303/Owner-of-ex-PMs-Blair-Force-One-jet-revealed-as-former-Labour-donor.html
‘It is reckoned among aviation experts to be the best long-range private jet on the market, able to fly 7,000 miles and 13 hours non-stop — perfect for a former prime minister with interests in such diverse countries as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Rwanda, Peru and Colombia, among others.
Mr Blair was seen disembarking from the plane three times in 2013 in Bangkok, Sardinia and New York state. The plane has also been spotted in Switzerland, Ukraine and Israel on dates that coincided with visits from Mr Blair.’
The state is trying to kill me. I’m not winging about it, it’s just a solid fact. They have been creating this system of persecution for years. Anyone who has been through it sees it clearly. Terrorism, torture and trauma. I think i’m entitled to some fucking indignation tbh. Perhaps others feel that worthless. Well fuck you.
And fuck this criminal Mafia government/establishment. I’m rich to be able to see it’s downfall.
@anon: and what would happen if a British muslim used such insulting language?
Syriza great news for all who care about people more than money…
Alan Moore – The Decline of English Murder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g6b1-61mmg
Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)
24 Jan, 2015 – 9:44 pm
“Are you sure it’s illegal? If it is, then envisaged new legislation should take care of that.”
For starters, GCHQ extensively shares information with the NSA about British citizens. Such collusion with a foreign power is called ‘treason’; and last time I looked, no one on these islands voted to be the 51st state of America. In fact, the rest of Europe openly laughs at the UK for being America’s poodle (have the Ross Biffs no pride, they ask?); you know, the Europe that you are constantly told is an economic basketcase, despite the fact that it remains the world’s premier economic bloc (presently more powerful than America and Russia combined). It might be all that pesky human rights legislation that makes the present UK media and political class hate Europe so much. Those foreign continental chappies are nothing like our wonderful allies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“I know. But do you know any of those officials personally?”
I have met many of them. The majority are priviledged dickheads who have grown-up under three decades of neo-liberalism and have a very strange view of the world. They spend their time sitting wide-eyed in front of a flickering screen, as though it were a computer game. None of them have a clue about the real world, which they are meant to be policing.
Thank you RobG for your closely observed inside info, chilling though it is to hear.
“@anon: and what would happen if a British muslim used such insulting language?”
I would hope that no one would listen to dickheads like you calling for his arrest.
It has killed a friend of mine, And driven others mental, pumped them full of drugs that totality fucked them up. Good people, killed or maimed by the state.
Why? because they can. It makes them feel good, superior, part of a dominating class? My feeling is they enjoy hurting others. Most should be in the institutions they subject others to. They have far more worthy credentials.
RobG
“the present UK media and political class hate Europe so much.”
Hardly. Virtually the entire media and political ‘class’ is pro-EU to varying degrees. Many of them end up in expensive sinecures in its offices, troughing away virtually unheard of for years. There is a strongly anti-EU contingent in the Tory Party, if that’s whom you’re referring to, but it is not the one in power. And Labour, Lib Dems and Greens all strongly support our membership, as does most of the media including the BBC, which receives a lot of money from the EU.
EobG
““Are you sure it’s illegal? If it is, then envisaged new legislation should take care of that.”
For starters, GCHQ extensively shares information with the NSA about British citizens. Such collusion with a foreign power is called ‘treason’;”
__________________
You may call it what you like. But the question was : is it illegal?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=
““I know. But do you know any of those officials personally?”
I have met many of them.”
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I find that very hard to believe. But convince me. In which connection have you met many of them and are you talking about the upper echelons or the staff at the coal-face (you remark about sitting before flickering screens inclines me to think the latter)?
Mary
“Owner of ex-PM’s Blair Force One jet revealed as former Labour donor”
________________
What is so surprising – or reprehensible – about that?
HomeAloneara
““Your series of posts indicate two many pre-lunch cocktails and two many glasses of red during lunch.”
Just shown what a fuck up at guessing you are.”
__________________
OK, then let me guess again: you’re barking mad?
Dreoilin
“Syriza supporters gathered at their campaign kiosk in central Athens are celebrating after exit polls show a big win for the opposition party.”
_______________________
Yes, yes, Dreoilin.
I remember the wild celebrations in the centre of Athens when PASOK won in 1981.
But the modern Greeks have never been very clever at politics. The C20 saw many unstable govts, irresponsible govts, monarchs being slung out, brought back and slung out again, three different dictatorships (1920s/Metaxas/the Colonels), scandals, and hopes aroused only to be dashed again. And, by the way,
A SYRIZA govt will just be more of the same.
Remember : you read it in Habbabkuk first!
The day Resident Dissident dreads has arrived. As posted by its sister party here in the UK.
http://leftunity.org/the-future-has-begun/
I’ve noticed that since Leon Brittan’s death various commenters on here have regained thei “courage” and are accusing him openly of paedophilia.
Could that be because dead men cannot sue (in the UK)?
I do so admire people of courage…..
Habbabkuk, in reply to you let’s try out Craig’s Russian. This is transliteration; ie, how you would hear it spoken as an English speaker:
Otva li, piz da!
(although I’m not sure if a former Ambassador would use such language)
Mr Goss
“The day Resident Dissident dreads has arrived. As posted by its sister party here in the UK.
http://leftunity.org/the-future-has-begun/”
________________
Seeing you posting again and seeing you mention Resident Dissident reminds me that to the best of my knowledge you never answered his question on how you saw the rôle of Solidarity in Poland and whether you supported it at the time.
As you’re a fan of LeftUnity I presume you would indeed have supported Soldarity.
Could you just quickly confirm that?
RobG
Thank you for your extensive, reasoned and to the point answer; I knew you wouldn’t disappoint.
“The day Resident Dissident dreads has arrived.”
Not at all – I have no problem with anyone winning deomocratic elections – and if they stick to the traditional Keynesianism that their more sensible supporters are advocating all the better. If Mr Goss thinks that Greece will come out straight out of the Euro (and in the meantime inflict substantial near overnightinflation on poor struggling Greeks near the end of their tether)and collapse the whole EU and NATO then he is sadly mistaken. In fact my prediction is that in 3/4 years time he will be attacking Syriza for their betrayal of the revolution etc.
BTW Left Unity is not a sister party at present however much you might want it to be
As well as answering my long standing question regarding Solidarity you might also wish to answer by question about Militant – you could also apologise for blaming the attack on Mariupol on the Ukrainians and your racist attack on myself, but I appreciate that might be too much of an intellectual challenge for one evening.
Habbabkuk, ot te bya tak khoro sho pahnet.
*sighs*
RD: The Ukrainian government are serial liars. The attack in Mariupol was almost certainly from their side, not the separatists. Motive? Why would the separatists want to attack their own people? Evidence: no separatists heavy weapons within range, but plenty of Ukrainians heavy weapons in the vicinity…
Peacewisher
“RD: The Ukrainian government are serial liars. The attack in Mariupol was almost certainly from their side, not the separatists. Motive? Why would the separatists want to attack their own people?”
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Amazing that we haven’t yet had anyone on here coming up with some tired old “false flag” theory, isn’t it.
False flags are obviously only for the evil USA and West……
PS to Dreoilin
You’ll bear with me, but I also remember the result of the 1981 Greek election being hailed as a “historic victory”.
(PASOK – leader Andreas Papandreou – the family Mr Goss has no time for now, but I’m sure he did at the time. 🙂 )
Hello. Cheltenham calling! Cheltenham calling!
BREAKING NEWS:Downing Street to review security procedures after hoax caller put through to Prime Minister David Cameron, Number 10 says
‘caller said to be Hannigsn @ GCHQ. 🙂
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30977267
No, Habby. We’re talking about war, and I’m sure both sides are capable of false flags. Not saying this is false flag; it could have been an accident.
@Habby: Blair, 1997 was announced as a historic victory as well. We’re well used to being disappointed!
Habbabkuk,
I have no idea what Syriza might or might not achieve.
I posted about the exit polls as an ‘item of interest’. I didn’t hail it as anything.
Someone on Twitter said
“The political situation in Greece is important because metaphorically it’s the first crack in a global dam.”
Abbott ingratiates himself with Her Maj by knighting the old lizard.
Prince Philip and former Defence chief Angus Houston named as Australian knights
Tony Abbott says the Duke of Edinburgh has served Australia with distinction throughout the Queen’s reign
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/26/prince-philip-angus-houston-named-australian-knights
The ‘news’ in the corporate media becomes more and more preposterous.
Glenn and a couple of others
Thanks for your responses re my question(s) on data harvesting.
From memory and without the benefit of re-reading your explanation, you seem to be saying that the data is not read in real time but is just stored and could be used as evidence at a later date against persons charged with criminal activity? If that is the case, where is the problem?
Someone else said that lists could be drawn up of anyone who has used a certain word – the example given was “Syria”, I think. So what? I have just used the word Syria and must say I don’t care if I’m on a list or not. Where is the threat to human rights and individual freedoms in that? Concretely, I mean, and not in the paranoid world inhabited by some of the people on here.
Some one else said – I think – that real terrorists and other evil-doers would simply take greater precautions when communicating. If that is the case, then all the authorities will end up with are long lists of people who have written certain keywords. Again, where is the concrete problem?