We need a multinational, universal, publicly feasable super hero.

Well, Hell. Not so fast. Looks like Sweden doesn't want our latest Super Hero to save the world just yet. Maybe he can cut a hole in the wall with his X-ray eye laser beams or something like that. Visit me http://www.have-camera-will-travel.com/

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Thu, 2010-12-16 13:27

#5

Blighter, me thinks you watch too much television. Wagging dogs! Sin Sellers! Spiritual Diseases! Bleeding tongues! Power elite! (anything like power mower?) Egomaniacs with causes! and Oodles of all of the above!!! Sounds like a good made for tv movie to me. It would definitely require a good riot scene to top it off. Something with lots of British kids with Cockney accents and bad teeth perhaps. (Think Dick Van Dyke only younger) Visit me http://www.have-camera-will-travel.com/

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Thu, 2010-12-16 16:26

#6

h jenkins

Believe me, no Cockney worth his salt would ever think of Dick Van Dyke. We're all too busy desperately trying to forget him. Helvigo Jenkins

Helvigo Jenkins

Thu, 2010-12-16 21:36

#7

Highhat

I was just going to write the same as WillSimpson

Thu, 2010-12-16 23:01

#8

Assange is free (for the moment) I think he still has time to save Christmas or maybe the new year. Word has it, there's a fairly good internet connection at the estate where he'll be staying in England. Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Fri, 2010-12-17 16:14

#9

Kurt Rellians

I don't know everything about who Julian Assange is and what he has been doing, or why, but why is it some people want to turn him into a superhero? On the face of it it seems foolish to me to think he can get away with divulging confidential national interest, diplomatic and intelligence information so the whole world can see. I would have expected automatic prison sentence should follow (not forever but a punishment sentence at least). What if citizens of allied countries had leaked this sort of info during world war 2, or the wars against Iraq? Of course we'd have been put in prison. We were serious about beating Adolf Hitler, and we have to be serious about these matters if we want diplomacy or intelligence gathering to work and be effective in the national interest, or in the interests of preserving democracy in the world. Diplomatic relations could be harmed, intelligence gathering agents or military employees etc can have their lives put in danger. We have rules of free speech, but not a right to confidential state detail. Government in the hands of someone who allows free reporting of all diplomatic conversation and intelligence would be a complete mess. Someone with a bit of vision about how to control the excesses of capitalism or solve unemployment would be a better kind of superhero. That's what we need now.

Fri, 2010-12-17 18:20

#10

Good question Kurt. I think maybe people don't have much to look forward to and are looking for something to grasp or to have faith in, and Assange represents that fleeting concept to many lost souls. It'll blow over and along will come another knight in shining armor, sooner or later and he too will ultimately only disappoint. In the meantime, I'm going to milk it and him for all it's worth. Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Fri, 2010-12-24 05:49

#11

Blighter, I do like my country. I can't account for what you experienced in New York. I avoid the place, it's full of New Yorkers and I don't really care for them very much as a society. Your paranoid characterization of the US as a country plotting to vegetate the human mind is a sublimely simple and narrow minded thing to say. About the only thing me and my acquaintances plot are fishing and photography trips to the mountains and such. It's your own problem if you can't turn off your television "matey" So, you keep rambling on about the terrible things you imagine the US is doing and I'll drop little turd bombs on you whilst you do it, because to me, you are the same thing as a white southern US redneck talking about how much he doesn't like the niggers living down the street. Get my drift there "matey" Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Sun, 2010-12-26 15:53

#12

Hi Radio I happen to think America is a good country in many ways, so I am not a US-hater by any means, but I cannot see that it is healthy for any country (mine included) to be allowed to cover up its misdeeds. One thing I've learned in life, if people think they can get away with something, they will do it again and again. You should therefore be grateful to Assange for doing what your Congress failed to do and what your so-called free press failed to do i.e. shine a light in some very dark places. This may be painful for America and perhaps the UK too, but surely it will prevent such abuses in future? America has made some very poor foreign policy decisions over the past 60 years or so and maybe, just maybe, Assange's intervention will help restore a degree of sanity to the decision making process. Just a thought.

Sun, 2010-12-26 19:15

#13

Hi Broosh....long time no talk. Ever wonder why the majority (not all) of Americans don't like this guy? I'll explain it to you. I'm being serious on this one. Here is why I don't buy your argument. I have elected officials who are ultimately answerable to an established and constitutional electoral process. A process that was paid for in blood and that I believe in. This is how my system works. Assange is not a part of my government and is only interested in hurting my government. My government is "OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE." So, when he attacks my government, he is attacking me and my neighbors. It is my and my neighbors job to regulate our own government. Assange is out of line and an enemy to most American citizens. I know that to many Europeans, taking pride in ones country is not a popular thing. We aren't Europeans, though many of us came from there. There's a reason we came from there and that reason is we wanted to find a different way to do things. A way that was different from European, so we'll never share your mentality concerning our politics. Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Mon, 2010-12-27 01:26

#14

Hi Radio Good to talk to you again. I fear you misunderstand Europeans. Many of us take pride in our respective countries and are quite patriotic. But we feel the most patriotic action we can take for our country is to constantly challenge and question what our politicans do to ensure they stay on the straight and narrow. The least patriotic thing we can do is to blindly support them, because that's how you open the door to abuse and corruption. I try to follow what is happening in America and it seems to me that many of the elected officials in whom you have such faith have been doing a catastrophically bad job. The unnecessary wars and financial shambles of recent years can be laid almost entirely at the door of your politicians. You are the mightiest power in the world with huge resources and talent to tap into and in less than 10 years your politicans have brought America almost to its knees. By drawing attention to some of the failings in your system Assange is actually doing you guys a huge favour. Nor is he without his supporters in your country. No less a person than the new Chairman of the House Monetary Policy Subcommittee, Ron Paul, has spoken out in favour of Assange and his right to free speech. And Paul, as I'm sure you know, is no wishy washy European style leftwinger, but a fairly hard-headed Republican/Libertarian. My final point is this. What happens in America affects every single person on this planet, including those of us outside the States who don't have a vote in your political system. Assange is intervening in American politics on behalf of the disenfranchised non-Americans of the world. For too long we have had to sit on the sidelines and watch helplessly as breathtakingly bad foreign policy decisions are taken by successive US administrations. We've watched your politicians lie to your voters about external threats and deceive patriotic Americans into going abroad to fight for non-existent causes. Instead of being angry at Assange, you should be directing your rage at the politicians who have trashed your economy and squandered American lives on pointless, fraudulent wars. Sorry for the rant, but you can tell I'm a bit fired up about this. Hope you had a good Christmas, by the way.

Mon, 2010-12-27 04:55

#15

A very well argued post Brooosh! I’m very impressed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXbCwq4ewBU

Mon, 2010-12-27 18:06

#16

Thanks Mangone. At the risk of rubbing salt into the wound, this article looks at a few aspects of today's America from a European viewpoint. It's by an American living in Europe, who gives the German perspective on America. To someone like me who actually likes America and wants it to do well, it doesn't make comfortable reading. http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/149324

Mon, 2010-12-27 19:28

#17

Thanks for the link Brooosh. I read a few articles and I liked this one - Is the American Dream Over? http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,726447-4,00.html If you look at RD’s two main assertions - That the majority of Americans do not like Assange. That they do not like him because he attacks them by attacking the government. He wraps these assertions in patriotic rhetoric which suggests that Assange is somehow trying to dictate US policy, to usurp the power of officials who were elected by a system ’paid for in blood’. He continues the theme with ‘My government is "OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE."‘ - which is, interestingly, the exact opposite of what the Tea Party are saying - and then goes on to say, essentially, that attacking the government is attacking America. Well, that means that most of the Republicans and almost all Fox ‘news’ viewers are anti-American… maybe he has a point ;O) “Ever wonder why the majority (not all) of Americans don't like this guy?” “I have elected officials who are ultimately answerable to an established and constitutional electoral process. A process that was paid for in blood and that I believe in. This is how my system works. Assange is not a part of my government and is only interested in hurting my government. My government is "OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE." So, when he attacks my government, he is attacking me and my neighbors. It is my and my neighbors job to regulate our own government. Assange is out of line and an enemy to most American citizens.” This is a wonderful example of right-wing logic. To most of us it doesn’t make sense because we see through the bogus argument - that Assange is attacking America, or even the American government - to the core of what the NeoCons really believe, which is, that the truth gets in the way of profit! Without lies people wouldn’t be willing to fight wars to make politicians rich. Who made all the money under George W? Big Oil, bankers, armament manufacturers and reconstructers who didn’t reconstruct. Who paid for it - the American people! When has Assange or Wikileaks ever tried to dictate US policy? When has Assange or Wikileaks ever suggested they were part of the US government? What is it that Wikileaks is really attacking? Well, if it is attacking anything it is attacking deception. So if revealing the truth is attacking the government then the government must have been lying! Hence if attacking lies is attacking RD and his neighbours what does that make them? Angry :O)

Mon, 2010-12-27 21:28

#18

Interesting if somewhat depressing article, Mangone. There seems to be a collective madness or perhaps stupidity among modern Americans, especially on the right. They declare their love for their country and then support government policies that are highly damaging to their country. Many of them claim to be staunch Christians and then act in ways that are about as far removed from the teachings of Christ as it's possible to be. The people who protest the loudest about socialism in healthcare are the same ones who spit blood if anyone dares to tamper with their Medicare (which is as I'm sure you know the US government funded healthcare system for the over 65s). Then there are all those politicians who have spent the past nine years wrapping themselves in the flag and 9/11, who earlier this month tried to deny healthcare to the heroic 9/11 first responders who are now dying. Most insane of all many people blame Obama for all the debt and mess the country is in, so naturally vote in more Republicans, the very people who created the mess in the first place. Then they wonder why Europeans think they're crazy. I actually find it all very sad, because America has the potential to be a great country and a role model for the rest of the world, yet seems hellbent on destroying itself. I'd be very interested to read how RD responds to your points about Assange and the illogicality of it all.

Tue, 2010-12-28 09:54

#19

You might have to wait a fair while as the Right usually simply shout down dissenting arguments rather than answering them - so I'll offer a little aid... There are always at least three possibilities of which the ‘don’t know’ is probably the least considered and often the most difficult to deal with. However, to simply argue that Wikileaks was an enemy of the States… If I were RD I’d probably start out by arguing that :- Keeping secrets from the people is an old, tried and true, method of pursuing, what the ‘powers that be’ consider to be, the best interests of the people when it is suspected that the truth might bring a knee-jerk reaction which would be counter productive to their most pragmatic winning strategies. In other words people are too stupid to know what’s good for them which is why they need governing by professional experts who have access to information that is restricted. Also governments are constantly forced to play power poker with both friendly and opposing forces and the use of bluff is an extremely important weapon in the basic arsenal necessary for playing the game successfully to gain the best advantage. Although it is probably true that Wikileaks did not steal top secret material there is no doubt that it was responsible for releasing secret information to the world and so greatly reduced the government’s capability to bluff successfully. It can be argued that reducing the effectiveness of the US government in its negotiations, relations and disputes, with both allies and enemies, weakens America itself and, if so, it follows that Wikileaks is, even by simply revealing the truth, actually doing harm to the US and is therefore an enemy.

Tue, 2010-12-28 16:34

#20

Highhat

A real christmas tale and a good beginning to the New Year Mangone. Well done.

Tue, 2010-12-28 17:34

#21

chuck

I think a lot of Americans were, and still are, genuinely puzzled about 911. For many the feeling is 'after all we've done for the world look what we get!' That turned to anger which in turn became 'to hell with the rest of the world'. Wikileaks is salt in the wound.

Wed, 2010-12-29 05:46

#22

I outlined my argument as to why Wikileaks could be seen as an enemy of the US because I wanted people to think about whether the old ways actually worked. Do they prevent wars or cause them? As I said keeping secrets from the people is a tried and tested method of government but is it actually of benefit to the people? Certainly it was not in the case of 911 and the following Iraq war. Instead secrecy was simply used by the government as a way of perpetuating their deceptions. I think we all realise that this was not an exclusive fault of the Bush administration but rather a development of modern government around the world which seeks to whitewash internal corruption and create a fascade of morality and fairness. Wikileaks is a natural development that has arisen to try and bring some checks and balance to governments around the world by revealing secrets that highlight some of the more sinister aspects of governmental policy and also to occasionally release classified documents that may give anyone who might be interested a clearer view of what is going on behind the scenes. I’ve argued elsewhere that we are at a crossroads in our evolution and that if we don’t find a way to cooperate as a species rather than competing as individuals then the writing is on the wall. It becomes ever more obvious that our world is changing! Climate Change is perhaps the most obvious of the many changes but there are many more and I believe that it was most probably consequences of man’s development that triggered these changes. The problem is that rather than facing up to these changes and planning worldwide solutions mankind’s leaders are still bickering over who and what is to blame. While it would be useful to know for certain what the causes are… that should not, and cannot, be allowed to get in the way of preparing for the consequences of Climate Change in particular and the longer we delay the greater these consequences will be. Business as usual cannot be the default if we wish to prosper rather than simply survive the coming storm. We have to pull together as a Brotherhood of man!

Wed, 2010-12-29 16:52

#23

Nice conversation guys. Sorry I've been out of the loop since before Christmas. I'm dealing with a health issue at the moment, but am feeling better at the moment. The problem I'm having here is that there seems to be a disconnect between reality and fantasy. I see lots of buzz-words/buzz-phrases typed and spouted, but there seems to be a serious lack of factual insight to most of what is being argued. Mangone, You seem like a rational and reasonable fellow, but your delving off into subjective characterizations of my beliefs make it nearly impossible for me to take you seriously. I fleetingly thought the other day you were in tune, but now I'm not so sure. In short, you have many opinions and very little direct knowledge. A very dangerous (well not dangerous, more deflating in your case) combination. To help you out just a little, back away from what you think I am or what I'm arguing and consider other explanations. The possibilities are endless. Now, see if you can pin me down on something. That's the game here buckaroo. Here's my latest opinion...(may change tomorrow, depends on how I feel) Assange is nothing, a nobody, with loser followers and admirers. He has far more established credentials and credibility as a criminal (previous convictions in Australia?) than he does as a Journalist. The only way he will ever be of significance will be if he manages to be prosecuted by the US, successfully defend his case and/or then mount a successful challenge in the Supreme Court. I wouldn't bet on that happening. His truly biggest problem is that he can't seem to keep is dick in his pants. The documents he has possession of are US State Department interdepartmental mails. They don't go above a Secret classification, and just about every embassy in the world has been tapping the communications of other embassies for years and obtaining this type of information since day one. Having it does sell advertising in Newspapers though. So, the news organizations who play this correctly will stand to help their own bottom lines by attracting advertising until it runs the string out. Assange may eventually wise up and realize the releasing it all at once is stupid. If he has let the cat out of the bag, he's screwed himself every which way but loose. The documents he has possession of are in truth nothing more than internal gossip. The real stuff, he can't get near. He doesn't have any CIA files, He doesn't have anything above SECRET level. All he has are daily chit-chats between office workers. The assumption that "The Truth" can be found in these documents is about the same as saying that the TRUTH can be found written on a Subway Wall. The "BIGGEST" thing he put out is the video of the helicoper shooting of back in the summer. Well, there's something to celebrate. He managed to get someone to steal the gun camera footage of a fight that shows civilians getting killed. Not that Assange did anything, never saw his ass running around a battlefield reporting on battles, have you? We'll, it's horrible...yes it is. Those folks got their asses shot off. Happens every day in a war, good guys, bad guys, neutral guys, kids, women, donkeys. Everything gets the fuck shot up in war. Americans didn't invent the idea, every Army on the planet has killed civilians and journalists. So, something that is pretty commonplace in actuality,I ask you is that a truth you want to see every night? Because seeing it every night isn't going to make it stop happening. Why? Because you can't possibly see it all. It's so fucking commonplace that it would take forever to show you everything. The quickest way to stop a war is to win it. Proved over and over again. So, if we added up the sum total of world TRUTH and calculated what percentage of WORLD TRUTH he possesses, I'd estimate it to be less than .0001 percent of WORLD TRUTH. That of course assumes that these documents contain the TRUTH. What if these documents aren't the TRUTH? What is the probability that some of these documents are bogus or have been modified in some way? Is that a possibility? There needs to be a chain of evidence here to confirm authenticity. If you don't understand that concept, stay as far away from a court of law as possible. One or two well planted LIES can be passed off as TRUTH very easily. Hard to say isn't it? One can only assume or guess unless one actually KNOWS the truth. The other problem with the TRUTH is that is incomplete. Why is the US responsible for being the source of TRUTH. If every country in the world wanted their embassy communications made public, where is it? So, taken on the whole, there's no possibility that the Universal TRUTH is going to come out as a result of his actions. The Anarchists of the world aren't going to unite the forces of good to overcome the forces of evil. The laws will remain the laws and those who break it will be subject to prosecution. All that is going to happen is some people will make headlines and/or careers, some will make a bankroll of money milking the event from one angle or another. Assange will get his 15 minutes of fame and find a few more stupid 20 year old women who'll think he's special enough to fuck (which is probably why he did all this stupid shit to begin with, the evidence is there if you care to look. Stupid people will still be stupid. Ignorant people will still be ignorant. Also, the really stupid people involved in this bullshit will end up in prison. People with first hand knowledge will still know what you and I don't know and we'll never know what most of that is. In the meantime, go ahead and delude yourself that this is going to make the world a better place. From my view of the road, this is all just a sideshow in a circus. The most interesting aspect of the whole thing is watching and listening to the stupidity, which I intend to exploit like any good capitalist should. Come on boys...you are not being very muse like. You're being too predictably socialistic Brits and it's nothing new. Oh, and try to let go of FOX news. They are irrelevant. Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Thu, 2010-12-30 11:45

#24

Well, RD, I’m pleased to see you seem to have dropped your assertion that Assange is an enemy of America. Your current argument seems to be that he is just a con man who is releasing information that was essentially already available and which is only irrelevant chitchat anyway. Strange that you say that I should forget Fox news as it is irrelevant... I noticed that very much the same arguments you have adopted were made on Fox by Alan Colmes in defence of a million dollar publishing deal made by Alfred A. Knopf for Assanges autobiography. Assange has said that he will use the money to pay Wikleaks legal expenses. Alan Colmes is someone Fox ‘News’ regularly allows to put forward views counter to the usual right-wing Republican ones (repeated and reinforced by just about everyone else on Fox) as its token offering toward its claim of being ‘fair and balanced’ To be honest it is rare that Alan is allowed to win any arguments on Fox and I wondered if it was because an Assange interview featured in another famous Murdoch medium this week... the Sunday Times. Perhaps Murdoch is putting a slightly more pleasant face on his media empire to further weaken the already precarious position of poor Vince Cable... Now I'd love to read some cables about Cable ;O) Late June '...in the Sun Kelvin MacKenzie let the cat out of the bag. Not a domestic cat, but something feral. "In a few weeks' time I expect my colleague and friend Jon Gaunt to win a major victory in the high court which will change the radio and TV landscape." It will, he says, have far-reaching consequences "with broadcasters allowed to express views for the first time". "They might at last be able to make money out of news (at the moment they lose a fortune), just like Fox so successfully does in the United States."' http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jun/29/vince-cable-foxifica... Although Jon Gaunt lost his legal action - despite citing the Human Rights Act in his defence claiming that when he described a local councillor as a "Nazi", a "health Nazi" and an "ignorant pig" during a radio interview he was simply employing his right of freedom of expression - he has now joined the Murdoch empire and fronts the Sun's online radio station, SunTalk. Perhaps in an effort to forestall any future brushes with Ofcom it seems that SunTalk is no longer live and so will probably escape the broadcasting restrictions which do not allow ‘views’. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sun_talk/ Vince Cable was right about Murdoch – but a business secretary is not meant to say it out loud. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/dec/21/vince-cable-murdoch-... “The media regulator Ofcom is this week expected to recommend that Rupert Murdoch's £8bn controversial buyout of BSkyB should be subject to a further six-month long inquiry – and in so doing hand culture secretary Jeremy Hunt the toughest political decision in his time in office” http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/29/ofcom-rupert-murdoch-bskyb-b... Yet it seems that David Cameron has promised that "Ofcom as we know it will cease to exist" and many feel that this was said as an encouragement to Murdoch... here foxy, here foxy...

Fri, 2010-12-31 13:00

#25

andrea

Ooops, sorry - I corrected a typo and my post re-appeared at the bottom of the thread! Daft, that. Where's Footsie when you need him? Interesting thread... If though, as RD asserts, Assange is leaking nothing of consequence, it begs the question as to why the US Gov (and others) are going to such lengths to assassinate his character and 'bring him to justice' (for 'crimes' he hasn't even been charged with). You might enjoy this article, Mangone (especially the vid) >>> http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8272. The guy who wrote it, investigative journalist Brad Friedman, is also worth a peruse >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Friedman Oh, and here's a follow-up from Greenwald, the lawyer in the CNN vid >>> http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/28/cnnn http://www.ukauthors.com http://www.ukapress.com

http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukapress.com

Thu, 2010-12-30 17:04

#26

Mangone, I haven't dropped my assertion that Assange is an enemy to the US. I don't consider him an enemy, he's too stupid to be of consequence IMO. What I consider him to be is irrelevant, a lot of people consider him an enemy, and that thought doesn't bother me at all. He is not a sympathetic character in my eyes. I could care less if he's imprisoned, murdered, made an international celebrity or what ever. I've said it before, he'll get what he gets. What ever his fate may be, I'll be there to write about it. Hero or Goat, makes no difference to me. I can't get into the discussions on FOX news. I don't do FOX, I am uninterested in FOX news. If what I'm saying jives with something somebody there is saying...whoop-deee-dooo. Here's where I'm coming from. I retired from The Wall Street Journal in 2007 after 25 years. Fox and The WSJ are owned by Rupert Murdoch. Our general take on things are probably going to be similar. I don't believe the Journalistic standards are as high at either organization as they were at The Wall Street Journal of the 1990's. I can't say though, I don't work there anymore. I'm just a retired old newspaperman with my own little personal agenda. Every opinion I have formed as been a result of my own personal research and not something I'm repeating verbatim from any particular news source. If there was a single news organization that I considered a cut above the rest it would be The Christian Science Monitor. So, lets back away from all this happy crap for a moment. I'd like to know what you (or anyone else) finds to be the most ridiculous aspects of this whole thing. That's what I'm after. And Andrea, The assertions that Assange's character is being assassinated by the US politico-elite is not holding water imo. To the contrary, it seems to me he and his admirers are doing most of the character assassination of the US legal and political system. I hear more "conspiracy theories and rhetoric" from the anarchists than I do from government officials. There's no evidence at all the US is involved with the Sweden rape charges, nor any other influence pandering with other world governments to Assange's detriment. Assange dug his own holes and he's trying to smoke screen things with paranoid misdirecting comments that don't don't stand up to serious scrutiny. If you can't see it, your critical thinking skills need attention. People claiming it is happening is not the same thing as it happening. Most of the claims have been coming from Assange (and company). IE, Illegal Investigations (that's a total laugh), bribes to the two women in Sweden (both deny, Sweden denies), Assassination plots, the US Government isn't going to assassinate anybody under these circumstances, how friggn stupid would that be? The US certainly has a right to investigate anyone suspected of committing a crime. An investigation is not a prosecution and a prosecution is not a conviction. There is evidence to suggest that Assange and Bradley Manning were in direct communication concerning the theft and leaking of government documents. Sorry if that's illegal, but if it is true, they all hang. The guy Adrian Lamo who turned Manning in knew this. Let me also remind you, Sarah Palin is not a US Government official. She holds no office. She's a private citizen and a television celebrity and one who isn't taken too seriously by most of the people I know. But, she does make for entertaining television if you are horny for a middle-aged Alaskan babe with a rifle. Not my cup of tea. Nothing she says makes a difference about anything. Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Fri, 2010-12-31 09:41

#27

Thanks for the links Andrea! It’s great to see the slick-shit-spinners flounder in the face of unremitting logic and simple morality. The Glenn Greenwald vs Fran Townsend WIKILEAKS DEBATE has Townsend suggest that the cables were simply dumped onto the Internet with no thought of the consequences however here is a link to the ORIGINAL LETTER from Julian Assange's attorney, Nov 26, 2010, formally asking the US Government for help in redaction. http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Letter-from-... Amazing how quickly CNN and Fox seem to have exchanged several key tactics as they continue to settle into the reversal of their roles as regards defending and attacking the administration. RD: To be honest it seems to me that most of your posts are essentially about you. I’m not suggesting that’s a bad thing only that I have better things to do than to constantly point out the flaws in whichever media viewpoint you have decided to adopt for your latest post. Like so many people, you’re just looking for the latest excuses to hang onto your gut-feelings. How many different ways will you say that you don’t like Assange before you realise that we all know that? It’s not that I cannot see the point of continuously shooting down the constant balloons of misinformation, misdirection and media malevolence floated toward Assange and Wikileaks but simply that by now most of the people who care, one way or another, have either made up their minds or never will. Although you seem to suggest you are the Voice Of Denver, that your radio speak for the average American Joe, I can see no evidence to support that and, even were it to be so, it’s not a voice that particularly interests me. Having said all that you do make me smile and I loved your take on Sarah Palin. However, I’m far more interested in reading the views of someone like Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and world renowned political dissident. Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal - "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership.” http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/20101130.htm I am slowly trying to concentrate all my thoughts on how best to make people realise the true dangers of Climate Change and how essential it is that the people of the planet unite in common cause to SAVE THEMSELVES! It is not a few people here and there that will be effected by Climate Change but every single one of us! In the last few weeks alone the global weather has demonstrated just how fragile our societies really are because they are reliant on certain things remaining constant: staying within expected limits. At the moment the effects of extreme weather are, for the most part, merely disruptive but as the longer-term effects of crop failures, water pollution and climate change start to really bite we must be ready! Our response to the challenges that are already upon us cannot be piecemeal they have to be global… or at least globally orchestrated. It was probably the advent of global corporations that acted as one of the main triggers of Climate Change and surely if we can unite around the planet to facilitate business we can do the same to save our species!

Fri, 2010-12-31 17:59

#28

Mangone, It was almost fun talking with you. Opportunities missed... oh well. One thing I keep confirming year after year and that is your typical Brit writer doesn't really know much about journalism. You are pretty good at catch phrases and buzz words, and for that I thank you. As for my posts being mostly about myself...naaaa, I've written a total of about 2400 words on this thread, maybe 150 words directly relating to myself (or my health), primarily in an effort to be conversational. I can now see that it's a waste of time. Oh, and here's a little secret I'll let you in on. Noam Chomsky hasn't been relevant for years. Every journalist this side of 1975 has known it since 1974. Get with the program mate. Chomsky HA! The holy grail of fools. Anytime a social liberal can't come up with something intelligent to add to a conversation, they start quoting Chomsky. If I could only find a way to market that fact. There has to be a way to make a buck on it. Next time you get the opportunity to interview for a writing job at lunch or dinner with a notable news organization, make sure and drop Chomsky's opinions into the conversation. That will get you in the door, no questions asked. hahahah... Using Chomsky even quit working as a pick up line in New England bars back in the 80's. cutting edge...we're living on the edge I tell ya. Andrea, do you actually have an opinion you can articulate or do you just quote other people? When did you lose it girl? Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Sat, 2011-01-01 06:46

#29

A Very Happy New Year to All!

Sun, 2011-01-02 11:41

#30

When wolves become shepherds Then sheep close their eyes! When truth becomes treason Justice withers and dies. Laws become twisted with excuses and lies The guilty laughing As innocence cries. “Two more cases from the 10 reports purported to be leaked from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) claim that soldiers were likely behind the deaths of two more bystanders during the April/May rally.” "The 10 allegedly leaked reports obtained by The Nation concluded that 13 of 16 fatalities investigated were likely caused by soldiers acting on duty. They urged police to investigate and courts to consider the cases in accordance with law." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Reports-link-two-more-civilian-deat... What really stings about these deaths is that there seems to be absolutely no reason for them. One man is paying his bill at the front of a restaurant and the other is a taxi driver watching soldiers shooting at a van. Despite testimony from the first man before he died, a collaborating forensic report and collaborating accounts from several witnesses the investigators concluded that the shooting was "likely to be that of a soldier" acting on duty... Duty to slaughter innocents? Predictably, the government refuse to confirm any leaks which contradict their ‘version’ of the truth. So far as I know the official government line is still that no-one was killed by their soldiers. This is an untenable position and it might well backfire on PM Abhisit if the reports are ever finally officially released. Regarding Wikileaks (not responsible for the leaks above)... Thai Foreign Ministry : We should not give credence to Wikileaks. (unless the cables criticise our enemies). Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said “What happens in Thailand, we tell the media and the people.“ Which is quite true. The govenment tells the media what is happening and they tell the people. Some say it is the same with the juduciary... the government tell them what the verdict is and they tell the people. Mind you with a, promised, upcoming election, things could change. Perhaps the new army chief will have his men singing a little election ditty… purely as a guide toward avoiding any accusations of voting irregularities. We had a coup But we did it for you. If you want a democracy Then here’s what to do Vote for the Democrats Make sure that they win Then you’ll get a PM We’ll allow to stay in... Well, Probably. Sorry White Dwarf. I'll stop now. Just balancing the books :O)

Sun, 2011-01-02 14:41

#31

I feel that, to be fair, I should point out that it could well be that Abhisit has simply been repeating what Suthep and CRES told him and he might have been unpleasantly surprised to discover the truth - but there is little doubt that he knows now! I mention this as I fear that Abhisit might end up carrying the can for the deaths. Still, in a way, the baht does stop with him. Now, for something completely different. New Year US fire-power :O) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1o1JDiAWVA

Mon, 2011-01-03 07:09

#32

It’s a very interesting time in Thailand just now as the government having ‘sorted out’ the Red Shirts (UDD) by jailing many of their leaders has now turned its attention to the other side of the equation, the Yellow Shirts (PAD), with predictable results. Whereas the Reds had little pull with the Thai establishment the Yellows have a lot. I used to be convinced that the PAD was essentially a pressure group for the army and certainly whatever the PAD did the army would refuse to ‘interfere’ even when they invaded the National Security building and captured the staff and went on to close both Bangkok airports. However, things change and at the end of last year… “A Thai court has jailed 79 members of the "yellow shirt" movement over the invasion of a television station in 2008. They are the first convictions of members of the group, which also paralysed Bangkok's airports for several days.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12092906 This wasn’t a huge surprise as PAD has been unable to attract many people to its rallies recently and, quite amusingly for a so called Royalist group, it recently cancelled a rally saying that it would interfere with the celebrations for the King’s birthday - as if they hadn’t known when the celebrations were :O) So, what to do when you are a right-wing group losing its appeal? Well, always worth rolling out the old ‘call to patriotism’ that always stirs feelings and dulls brains. Now the verdict on the invasion of the TV station was due on the 28th but was postponed for a couple of days to enable all the accused to be present. The day after a group of seven Thai’s including MP for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth and a leading member of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Veera Somkwamkid were arrested for trespassing on Cambodian soil. “The group was arrested last Wednesday while inspecting a disputed border area near Ban Nong Jarn in Sa Kaeo's Khok Sung district. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court charged them on Thursday with encroaching on Cambodian territory and entering a military area. The Thai Patriots Network says the group was on Thai territory. It backs its claim with land documents and receipts of tax payments.” http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/214192/patriots-rally-to-demand-th... Curious, since the Thai government and even the group of seven themselves admit that they were over a kilometre into Cambodian territory. Still, no reason to let the truth get in the way of a nice bit of warmongering. Strange that the Bangkok Post didn’t mention that in the article, particularly since it had already posted this on New Year’s Eve… "... Arrested with Mr Panich were People's Alliance for Democracy co-leader Veera Somkwamkid, PAD activist Samdin Lertbutr, Tainae Mungmajon and three others identified only as Muay, Uan and Sab. The PAD is a pressure group which led protests against Cambodia over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple on the disputed border. Assistant to the foreign minister Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said yesterday Thailand asked Cambodia to consider the case prudently as the seven Thais had no intention of encroaching on Cambodian territory. “Mr Chavanond said the two foreign ministers had examined evidence as well as the area where the Thais were arrested. It was found the seven Thais had strayed about 1,200 metres into Cambodian territory. It was clearly marked as a Cambodian area, he said" http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/213863/thais-held-in-cambodian-jail It seems that Veera has risen in the ranks since October 2009 when ‘PAD Denies Direct Link to Veera Somkwamkid’s Protest in Front of Cambodian Embassy’

Fri, 2011-01-07 22:06

#33

So, how is the rioting in London going? Everything all better now? Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Tue, 2011-03-01 16:03

#34

Since the title of this thread is : We need a multinational, universal, publicly feasable super hero. what about Rupert? No not the bear. Well, two out of three ain't bad ;O) I've always said that anyone named Rupert can't be all bad... it's the Murdoch that follows it ;o) To set the scene a snipet from a post to this thread at the end of 2010... The media regulator Ofcom is this week expected to recommend that Rupert Murdoch's £8bn controversial buyout of BSkyB should be subject to a further six-month long inquiry – and in so doing hand culture secretary Jeremy Hunt the toughest political decision in his time in office” http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/29/ofcom-rupert-murdoch-bskyb-b... Yet it seems that David Cameron has promised that "Ofcom as we know it will cease to exist" and many feel that this was said as an encouragement to Murdoch... here foxy, here foxy... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, it looks like Rupert is all set to win again… This Sunday’s Guardian contained a comment piece from The Observer’s Will Hutton Titled: We're such a feeble nation that Murdoch was bound to triumph. As Hutton reminds us : “OfCom recommended that the issues raised were so profound the bid should be referred to the Competition Commission, which at the very least implied months of delay and Murdoch having to pay a very much higher price even if he did get the go-ahead.” However the Daily Telegraph’s recording of Vince Cable saying he was ‘at war’ with Murdoch gave Rupert an excuse to scream bias if his bid was referred to the Competition Commission and hence he was allowed to avoid it via a deal with the Office of Fair Trading and… “The word on the street is that the OFT will accept a Times-plus solution; Sky News run by an independent trust, separate from the newspapers, but funded by News Corp. Plurality is preserved.” “…once Murdoch owns the entire company he can integrate his print and television news operations into one“. “…the sheer market power of News Corp wholly owning BSkyB will make it impossible for most other news organisations to compete in five to 10 years' time. There is another concern – the impact on Britain's important cultural and creative industries will be devastating. I know of at least one major US television group which decided not to invest in the UK. It is a "post-mature" market that in its view is now de facto controlled by the Murdoch family. The market is being given to him gift-wrapped.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/27/rupert-murdoch-bskyb...

Wed, 2011-03-02 05:01

#35

Citizen Kane is 79 years old. He can't take it with him. Sooner or later, he too will simply be a character in a book/movie deal. He has done nothing innovative, he's simply bought up an ever growing share of a dying newspaper market and hired politicians to be talking heads in his television empire. In the 25 years I worked at The Wall Street Journal, we won 7 Pulitzer Group prizes and numerous individual Pulitzers for many of the writers. The Journal hasn't received a single Pulitzer since Murdoch purchased the newspaper. I'd bet you money it won't win a Pulitzer as long as Murdoch is alive. Reason...he has no credibility in the upper echelons of the publishing world, regardless of how rich he may be or what he may buy next week. Britain's cultural and creative industries have long since had their day in the sun. Murdoch doesn't even enter into the equation. Share your state secrets at... http://www.amerileaks.org

Share your state secrets at...
http://www.amerileaks.org

Thu, 2011-03-03 11:28

#36

As usual you have totally missed the point Denver ;O) 'Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he intends to accept News Corp's plans to spin off Sky News to address concerns over its planned takeover of BSkyB.' 'The move comes as News Corp seeks to avoid a full-blown competition inquiry into its plans to buy the 61% of BSkyB it does not already own after Mr Hunt said last month he planned to refer the deal to the Competition Commission.' 'A spokesman for an alliance of media groups (which includes BT, Guardian Media Group, Associated Newspapers, Trinity Mirror, Northcliffe Media and Telegraph Media Group) which wants the takeover blocked, said News Corp's proposals were "pure window-dressing", adding: "Smoke and mirrors will not protect media plurality in the UK from the overweening influence of News Corporation".' http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=156336666

Wed, 2011-03-09 04:40

#37