In case you haven’t watched the news lately, Julian Assange of Wikileaks is responsible for the release of 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. Among those cables are many truly disturbing details about how politics really works in diplomatic circles. But the detail I found most troubling is that the Obama administration worked closely with Republicans to convince Spain’s courts to drop their investigation of war crimes in the Bush administration – i.e. torture. Remember water boarding? Remember how Bush’s counsel John Yoo said that water boarding was just fine and legal even though it went against the Geneva Convention? Water boarding makes you feel as though you’re drowning. We prosecuted Nazi war criminals for this form of torture. So Spain dropped their investigation. Putting pressure on foreign courts – threatening a foreign court to do it our way – is against the law.
Now here’s the interesting twist and a global synchro. Nigeria, with whom we have an extradition treaty, is about to charge ex-VP Cheney in connection with a bribery scandal in that country. The case allegedly involves a cash for contract deal that Halliburton was involved in when Cheney was its chief executive officer. Nigeria would issue this warrant through Interpol. At the same time, the Department of Justice plans to enlist the aid of Interpol in finding Assange and having him extradited to the U.S.
So how is this going to work, exactly? Will the Obama administration ignore Interpol’s request to extradite Cheney, but urge them to arrest Assange? Hello? What’s wrong with this picture?
What happened to that soaring rhetoric we heard during the presidential campaign about how terrible and horrifying torture is? What about that soaring rhetoric about closing Gitmo? About never making health insurance mandatory? About getting out of Iraq? What happened to all those other promises Obama made that have turned out to be just cheap talk?
The fact that the Obama administration feels compelled to protect men who condoned torture, a fact that Bush admitted in his book, ended my love affair with him and his soaring rhetoric. Personally, I hope that
Assange keeps leaking his documents. It’s one way to make transparency in government a reality, rather than a phony pledge.
Ann,
RE:
"I am usually quite naive, like most of my fellow Scandinavians. We live in small, transparent (or so we think…) countries where I can run into the prime minister at the Supermarket doing his groceries"
Our Ex-Prime-minster,Kevin Rudd (who is in the W/Leeks;
https://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/08/3088164.htm?site=thedrum )
was a Brisbane resident,and although I have never come face to face with him in my life.It would have been possible,technically, anyway.
And don't worry,most of my fellow Aussies are pretty naive,too
(not you,Nat…of course).
Most won't read past the sports scores
(probably for good reason when you read the rubbish they put in most newspapers for "News" ).
But in all fairness,even the naive Australians amongst us,don't trust Politicians.
WV = babler
(I think the WV might be trying to tell me something,along with the other bloggers reading this post.-)
Daz – great idea! We'll look into it.
I was just thinking.It would be good if you guys could do a weekly poll on your site,on stuff like …Do you believe 911 was an inside job?…Do you believe in alien lifeforms?…Do you believe in life after death?…etc.
Example: Like the one on one of my favorite magazine's (NEXUS) website,when you scroll down on the left hand side of this page;
https://www.nexusmagazine.com/
I think it would be fun,and it would make people want to return on a weekly basis to check on the results.
Those two guys do make some good points, Daz. Then again, so do the 911 truthseekers. But I just don't feel this about assagne, that he's some sort of CIA mole.
Ray – I'm with you. We tend to distance ourselves from other americans when we travel.
Ann – wow, you run into your PM at the grocery store? That's pretty cool. What's your bottom line take on the sexual allegations?
Hi, I see you have continued this discussion in a new post, but just to answer your question: Yes I am talking about the Swedish media concerning the rape cases. The Huffingthon Post has a lot of good information from an international point of wiew, but not concerning how the Swedish authorities has handled this case.
Brizdaz: I am usually quite naive, like most of my fellow Scandinavians. We live in small, transparent (or so we think…) countries where I can run into the prime minister at the Supermarket doing his groceries. But this case really smells so bad that even I notice! 🙂
Here is a link to an editorial on the Huffington Post about the connection between Wikileaks and American arrogance. https://tinyurl.com/24326j7
I don't recall where it was, but somewhere in Europe I was with a Navy sailor who was criticizing what a local was saying and generally being loud and obnoxious. He had the nerve to say that as an American he had the right to say anything he wanted to say. People like that caused me to avoid going anywhere outside the US with an other Americans unless I trust them to not be the Ugly American.
Ray
These two guys also make a good point.
https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=15682
Something to mull over,as well.
KNIHT * ,Not a WV,but what can you make of it.
* Clue ; You might want to THINK about it.-)
Bank Of America Sets Up Swat Team To Combat Wikileaks
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-sets-up-swat-team-to-combat-wikileaks-2010-12#ixzz17QIVpK3h
WV = cropha (to come a cropper-as in crop ha ha ha to the banksters)?
I missed your comment, Ann, until Daz's came up. Are you talking about the media in Sweden or in the U.S.? The Huffington post is covering it well.
Ann,
RE: "I don’t understand why the media isn’t doing their job on this."
If you are looking for truth to come out of the 'main stream media'.
Then all I can say to you is,"Good Luck".
I agree. The prosecution process has been driven by the Swedish authorities in a manner very unusual for Sweden, I think. The two females who accused him of sexual harassment dropped the charges at first but were encouraged by the state prosecution to continue. The decision to charge was made without written documentation and only based on a phone call from a person in the Swedish police. Then the state dropped the charges as well for a wile, and then another prosecutor was put on the case, and the case opened again. This information has been reported in the Swedish media, but I have failed to find an internet newspaper question the whole process! No investigation to the government motives in pressing this case so hard seems to have been done by the two largest newspapers, at least. I don’t understand why the media isn’t doing their job on this.
The rape charge feels like part of the smear job to me. Regardless, Wikileaks MUST continue.
Even though he is no longer CEO of Halliburton, it continues to manipulate the government of not only the US, but any country that deals in oil, construction or anything else the company has its greedy hands in.
As for Assange taking his life in his hands, see the movie The International. It is about a global bank that first destroys the reputation and if that doesn't work assassinates anyone that interferes with its agenda.
If Assange is guilty of rape he deserves punishment, but is it real or is it "The International?"
In any case if something happens to him Wiki Leaks has to continue.
Ray
CJ, Thanks for your input! I totally agree with you on Cheney. When I look at his sneering face, I see a demonic person kind of like what the character played by Charlize Theron in "The Devil's Advocate" saw when she looked at the beautiful people who worked at her husband's law firm. The snarling demon beneath.
There's a reason why Cheney acquired the name "Darth Cheney". Like Obi-wan Kenobi said of Darth Vader, "He's more machine than man now."
I hate saying it, but the day Cheney drops dead will be a day worth celebrating. I hope he goes to the same place as his friend Saddam Hussein. They can be eternal buddies together in their evilness.
wv: nesse (I love Nessie!)
Sansego, regarding not believing that a satan actually exists, its been my experience that there is not a "satan" entity, per se, but that there are "satanic frequencies" and their polar opposites, "christ frequencies", with many shades of gray in between, from infinitely high to infinitely low. No doubt Mr. Cheney has chosen to express his beingness on the satan frequency!!
I pretty much stand by my controversial statement that he is not a biological human entity, but is rather an android or transgenic, for lack of a better description: part biological, part bionic/robotic. He doesn't need a physical heart to continue to exist. I expect where he originated and was created, there are multiple "body parts" inside him that are quite different from what we would expect to find upon examination! No, I'm not saying this in jest. Looking at him psychically, I do not see the face of the man most people see. What I see psychically is too horrific to try to describe. Pure unadulterated evil. Interesting WV: "zingl" cj
I don't think any censorship issue about free speech is "little." But you're right about there not being too many sites left to visit! 🙂
RE:
"In essence, it was a corporation's attempt to silence free speech.
I think I'll be taking my business elsewhere."
I think it's a bit hasty to boycott a good site,just because of a little censorship issue.Otherwise there wouldn't be many sites left to visit.
Wouldn't you agree? ,-)
maddening!
thanks for letting us/me know about the amazon thing – my business will now go elsewhere, too!
If a Democratic Administration outed a CIA agent, the rightwing would demand the impeachment and removal of the president. But a Republican president gets a pass because a fall guy was offered. I have no doubt that Cheney was behind the outing of Valerie Plame. That guy is so evil, I wonder how he is able to live for so long without a functioning heart. It makes me wonder if he had "made a deal with Satan" (not that I believe Satan actually exists) sometime in the mid-1990s. Even old friend Brent Scrowcroft said in the early 2000s that he no longer recognized the person Cheney became.
Daniel Elsberg is calling for a boycott of amazon for kicking Wikileaks off its servers. https://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/pentagon-papers-leaker-daniel-ellsberg-calls-boycott-amazoncom/
In essence, it was a corporation's attempt to silence free speech.
I think I'll be taking my business elsewhere.
The repubs didn't blink an eye when Valerie Plame was outed. But they're sure roaring about Assange.
Sansego,you are spot on.
Thanks for reminding me about "Fair Game".I'll have to make an effort to go see it tomorrow.
I saw that interview with Benazir Bhutto (I'm sure it's still on YouTube somewhere)and thought to myself,she's dead…not because of the interview,but because she was too popular and the wrong person to run Pakistan.In other words,she was honest and had the peoples best interest at heart.Instant death sentence,for sure.
Cheers / Daz
I think there is a lot that we don't know, a lot that is hidden. For example, I believe Dick Cheney is evil, without a doubt. He is like Darth Vader and I believe he was the true mastermind behind 9/11 (Osama Bin Laden was once on the CIA payroll, but I don't know if he was still CIA by the time operation 9/11 came around).
I believe that when a president comes into office, they are taken aside and told what they can and can't do, and if they stray from the plans of the Military Industrial Complex, they will end up like JFK. The trade off is that they can accomplish their "pet projects" and be guaranteed millions through their post-presidency memoirs. It really does not surprise me that Obama is letting Bush administration officials off the hook. He's following his marching orders. The question for us is…do we want to see Obama have a post-presidency or do we want another JFK?
I know I must sound like a conspiracy nut, but much of politics is reading nuance and between the lines. Nothing is ever at face value. The great thing about WikiLeaks is that it is in keeping with our supposed "Apocalyptic" timeframe ("a revealing", the truth is coming out). Yeah, our government is embarrassed that the truth is coming out.
There's a new documentary on Benazir Bhutto that is out in New York City now. I read online that she was assassinated within days of saying in an interview that Osama Bin Laden is dead. We haven't heard from Bin Laden in a long time, so I believe that he is probably dead and we'll never find his body.
Tonight, I finally saw "Fair Game", which I LOVED! It shows you just the lengths people in power will go to destroy anyone who stands in the way and exposes them for the liars that they are. I love the Wilsons!!! Anyone who speaks truth to power should be heroes to everyone who cares about the truth.
wv: pianc (panic?)
Daz – you'er a treasure of info. Of to check your link.
I agree with both cj and Rob/Trish on their views on war and remembrance.Maybe we need a compromise to remember the fallen like this site in Britain :
https://www.ppu.org.uk/poppy/index.html
A blog I like to read quite a bit, written by Alex Robinson (a New Zealander),had a post I found to be a very intriguing read about war and sacrifice called "The harvest of fools (the sacrifice – part 3)"
https://toolonginthisplace.blogspot.com/2008/06/harvest-of-fools-sacrifice-part-3.html
She has a blog called "too long in this place" and it has some really fascinating articles on the darker sides of synchronicity.Well worth a read,whether you agree on her views or not.
Very entertaining and engaging site.
to tell you the Truth Rob,, wrong,, I'm thinking you got i (he trys to say politely), ass backwards,,
Hey, synchronicity. Obama just issued his first pardons.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/
As you know, Trish and Rob, I have also had at least one life extremely relevant to this current one, in which I was killed by Union soldiers in the Civil War and my body was tossed onto the farmhouse where my family had been slain by those soldiers and we were all incinerated. So I, too, know the fresh feel of the atrocities of war. There have been other lifetimes in which I was involved in war; in which I have killed and been killed, with tragic consequences. One of those was as a Mongol, and I cannot even bear to look at a picture of a Mongol today. I definitely don't call you or anyone a coward for refusing to serve. As stated previously, I would not serve if called. If that makes me a bad or disloyal or unpatriotic American, so be it. Like you, my soul has had enough of killing to last many lifetimes, and I want no more of it. cj
CJ, I've had many military lives that I've experienced in regressions and readings. In one, I clearly remember taking a bayonet instead of killing the enemy. So, I've already been 'shot at dawn' for my unwillingness to kill. I guess I'd had enough of it by that life.
This time, I never thought of it as a choice. I just knew from age 18 that I wouldn't be going 'back' into the military. They called us cowards, but what takes more courage–going into the army for two years or facing up to three years in prison? That's what I was looking at.
Interestingly, my father, a WWII marine who served in the South Pacific, was behind me all the way.
Rob, you obviously had the courage and the wherewithal to choose jail or leaving the country instead of going to war, and I honor and respect your decision, while at the same time recognizing that there were many who did not have those choices, for various reasons. If I were a man, I would be a conscientious objector because my spiritual convictions dictate that I cannot take the life of another. However, under those circumstances, I well remember that others of my spiritual persuasions were given "desk" jobs, non-combat duties, and still had to serve. This is a highly individual subject and its resolution depends upon the situation in which the person finds himself or herself. To say no one has to go to war is to say that occasionally one must risk death rather than follow the law. That happens. If the gov't had said to you, "Rob MacGregor, you will be shot at dawn if you do not go into military service", would you have had the courage to stand before a firing squad? Only you can answer that. It's a very complex question and one that requires examining the conscience and the reasons for refusing to go to war, and how powerful those reasons are. I'm not attempting to be argumentative. This is just a really sensitive issue. Regarding Cheney and his henchmen…and the wiki-leaks, I hope it ends without bloodshed but I don't see that happening. cj
an extraordinarily thought-provoking, action-provoking post – would that i but had the mental energy to participate in the discussion – however, i believe that this little snippet will sum up my feelings: tell it like it is, macgregors!!!
and rob, to you, a man with the courage of his convictions, what can i possibly say! words are not enough! way to go!
No one has to go to war, even during the Vietnam draft era. Dick Cheney didn't go. He avoided it, and became VP.
I avoided it, too. Just said I wasn't going to participate in an unjust war. Back then I thought some wars were justified, others weren't. So I wasn't a pacifist. Unlike Cheney, I pulled the go-to-jail card. But never regretted my decision.
Later, I received a presidential pardon from Gerald Ford at the end of his term. It was very generous of him, but I sent it back with a note that it wasn't necessary. I said I didn't do anything that needed pardoning.
– R
Yes yes yes a zillion times YES! We all know who started these wars. BushCo. Be that as it may, a new administration, although inheriting the wars from the previous administration, COULD begin to do things differently in that regard. And yes yes yes some troops have come home, but there are thousands who remain there….changing the "name" of their duties yet still ready for combat in the event it is needed.
I'm frankly disgusted by the entire political scenario and would like to see the slate wiped clean and a new beginning instituted, but that ain't gonna happen as long as people like Cheney and his under-the-radar gang of mobsters continue to pull the strings. cj
I usually try to avoid political discussions but…CJ I totally agree with you. I have known some wonderful people who came back from Vietnam completely different. It is a day of respect and to remind us of the terrible loss.
I don't know why anyone is shocked that Obama hasn't delivered, his mentor died (Kennedy), I had always thought the plan was that Kennedy would "advise" Obama, a man with so little experience.
I do believe that recently though, Obama was truly upset by recent elections and hopefully he will begin to be his own person and Lead.
Cheney, is just plain scary. He is a man full of secrets and agendas. The last time I saw him he looked awful, I did not know about this pump and the question I ask myself is why don't we know about this pump? We are paying for it. Aagghh!
The thought that Assange could end up having a fatal accident seems quite plausible, someone is hiding him and guiding him.
What bothers me most about him is how someone with such a low level job could have gotten a hold of such sensitive documents and gotten them to him.
Lastly, public privacy is a joke. We are all being watched and monitored, don't kid yourself.
You are going to love my WV: crityp
cryptic?
Wow – thanks for the update, Mike. Looks like in the link you sent that assange says in some of the unpublished cables there are references to UFOs. Can't wait to see those.
Julian Assange has answered questions online from UK Guardian newspaper readers:
https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/dec/03/julian-assange-wikileaks
Also the Guardian's summary of this:
https://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/03/julian-assange-live-online-answers
Mike – I was going to ask you about what was going on in the UK. Thanks for the update!
Butternut – love your diagnosis. Communicable anxiety disorder.
CJ – not to forget that bush started these two wars. Now Obama owns them.
I disagree, T&R. From where I'm sitting, I don't see Veteran's Day glorifying war. I view it as a day to honor MEN and WOMEN, many of whom were in the draft and who did not go willingly to war, yet were forced to go by our gov't when the draft was active, and who sacrificed mightily in battles they did not wish to fight. Among my friends are several VietNam veterans who are in that category and who are still suffering the nightmare repercussions from that horrific war, and from the heinous manner in which they were received when they returned to our shores. Not a single one of my friends who fought in VietNam wanted to go. However, none of them had the means to defect to other countries to avoid the draft, and so they went against their will and conscience. In my mind, the government is to blame for all the trauma they now experience, and they deserve the respect they did not receive then. That's what Veteran's Day means to me. And yes, I too prefer to see our commander-in-chief dancing on distant ground rather than killing, but his dancing didn't stop the current wars, (he did, after all, agree to send more troops over there), and I found his absence and his behavior on that day to be disrespectful. I have a peculiar point of view, I suppose. I honor the troops as humans, but as a pacifist I never, ever honor war or killing under any circumstances. cj
Almost 20 years ago, Dick Cheney spoke at my husband's graduation from Penn State. I think both of us were in shock at his 'Fear Festival.' Then he was still whipped up about communists coming through our southern borders. It went on and on… USA against the evil 'Other,' and they are everywhere! I think that he has a communicable Anxiety Disorder, should have been locked up for the public's safety long ago.
I prefer to see the president dancing with foreigners rather than killing them too.
Rumour in the UK press is that Assange could be arrested today in the UK over sex allegations. Detectives are supposedly preparing to detain him on claims of sexual assault in Sweden – an extradition warrant is expected. Only rumour, of course, as he hasn't been seen in public since Nov 5th.
It's possibly to try and stop further 'leaks' on banks – as they are such delicate cretaures!
WikiLeaks may be 'small fry' but there are a few hot potatoes. One example: "British and US officials colluded to manoeuvre around a proposed ban on cluster bombs, allowing the US to keep the munitions on British territory, regardless of whether a treaty forbidding their use was implemented."
Plus other stuff that has damaged the US reputation in UK and Europe – though Obama probably isn't too worried about this.
As for what the leaks contain in general, we must be very naive if we think that such things aren't said. The amazing thing is that so many low level people had access to such material. It does make you think about privacy laws in general.
>>I found it yet another slap in the face of Americans that he and the first lady chose to be out of the country (dancing around a bonfire with foreigners) on a day we have set aside to honor our veterans.
I prefer to see the president dancing with foreigners rather than killing them. It doesn't bother me that he failed to glorify war this year on Vet's Day. All that patriotic hoopla just encourages the worst in us, and more of the same senseless wars and killing.
Cheney has actually had SIX major coronaries, and is being kept alive as a bionic human by the artificial internal/external cardiac device that isn't meant for permanent use but for him….yeah, it's permanent. He has no heart muscle. All of his own organ has been destroyed by the series of massive traumas. Even with the bionic heart, his own heart continues to be troublesome altho it has no capabilities to do its work. When I think oif the young people who could use that device and don't have access to it,(they're in extremely limited supply and the cost is prohibitive) it infuriates me. But considering that Cheney is most likely a non-human, (a half-mechanical, half-biological life-form), it's no surprise. Regarding Julian, I hope he has friends in high places who are forming a circle of protection around him at all times. He's a brave man. On a different subject, yet maybe not, how many times have I mentioned that our physicists are not willing to acknowledge that the laws of physics applicable on planet Earth are not the same laws necessary to support life on other planets? Yesterday, Earth physicists announced the discovery of a life-form ON THIS PLANET that doesn't require the established criteria for supporting life indigenous to Earth itself, and they stated that this "discovery" certainly expands the notion for contact with ETs. Well DUH. Why has it taken them this long to determine such a fundamentally simple hypothesis? Life-forms on this very planet now discovered that are outside their laws….a long-overdue acknowledgement. So, what will follow soon? Is this part of a ploy moving us closer towards disclosure of the presence of alien entities here? As said, this is off subject from the post, but I just had to comment on it. Concerning the current president, for quite awhile I've felt Obama should have gone to Hollywood and tried to become a movie star instead of becoming president. I found it yet another slap in the face of Americans that he and the first lady chose to be out of the country (dancing around a bonfire with foreigners) on a day we have set aside to honor our veterans. It was HIS job to place the traditional wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, not the job of the VP. Shame on him for so many, many actions and lack of actions. I like this WV: "ditionat" cj
To answer your question "so are there people who believe he's a good guy???" the best that I can,DJan,I would have to say NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I agree about the Obama administration not living up to its rhetoric, but really, what did we expect? That everything would change? It's never like that. I also think Cheney is evil and wish he had been caught out. He doesn't try to hide his views, so are there people who believe he's a good guy???
Aleksandar – interesting idea. Maybe he is.
Daz – I saw that article on the bank. Hmm. BOA? DOA?
Assange is the point of no return. We in former Yugoslavia were involved in wars based on lack of proper communication and manipulation. Julian Assange is Pandora with many beautiful things in his box.
After one more round of global competition and debts and environmental problems, we shall need stronger communities. I think Assange is unintentionally also doing something in this direction.
Here's the reason Julian is a dead man walking ;
In a rare, two-hour interview conducted in London on November 11, Assange said that he’s still sitting on a trove of secret documents, about half of which relate to the private sector. And WikiLeaks’ next target will be a major American bank. “It will give a true and representative insight into how banks behave at the executive level in a way that will stimulate investigations and reforms, I presume,” he said, adding: “For this, there’s only one similar example. It’s like the Enron emails.”
See details here;
https://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/11/29/an-interview-with-wikileaks-julian-assange/
Good Luck,Julian.You will definitely need it.
WV = siverce (service + sieve + subvert [all mixed up] ) ?
Julian Assange is a very brave
(or stupid) man,probably soon to be found dead of an apparent suicide or unexplained murder or accident,I would guess.-)
No surprise with Obama or Cheney in my books…just surprised there isn't more…yet.
It's funny I don't hear anyone in "the news media" saying "Wiki-Leaks are just a bunch of conspiracy nuts"
…isn't that the standard press response to something like this.-)
Remember: Think for Yourself!
The Truth is Out There!
I'm with Nancy. Sad face. 🙁
I absolutely could not agree more on all points. Absolutely nothing changed. Business as usual.
Cheney, Halliburton, etc is like a permanent nightmare, or an incurable communicable disease- they don't go away. They continually assault the American psyche. I am disturbed by the whole mess.
Funny, CJ!
Brownie – Cheney and Yoo are the most despicable of the bunch, with wolfowitz not too far behind. Bush was just their puppet. I always found it interesting that the man without a heart, darth vader himself, had had 4 attacks.
I'm sure that wikileaks is small potatoes. But even those potatoes are much larger than the truth potatoes we've been seeing elsewhere. And even small potatoes can break my support for O.
The wiki-leaks are small fries. No serious harm done! So we've found out that the current and last two Secretary's of State subtly had our military guards spy on some U.N. officials. That's to be expected and is done by everyone in the diplomatic corp!
I don't get how Cheney keeps being protected! Does he know too much? Maybe so….maybe he'll take down this adminstration.
And I find it disgusting that Cheney has a heart pump (which is normally used temporarily for people awaiting heart transplants) in him on an apparent permanent basis! And, we the taxpayers, have paid for his 'free' heart pump and surgeries, yet he and his rightwing ilk are against us having universal healthcare!
Sorry, had to let off that steam about Cheney!
~ Susan
I've been waiting for this one, guys. cj