Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

I think we should be careful not to think of the politicians as evil. Yes, there is a great deal of selfishness, of wanting the job, but they also feel that it is the way the world works, the only way of achieving what is best for their citizens. Hilary Cliton's job is, after all, to look after the US. The US does a lot of good by being the "Leader of the Free World", that's just how the cards fall.

She is a very intelligent lady, and can sometimes be human. The problem is that she hasn't seen the light: that in this twenty first century, we do have the tools and solutions to create a different world. 

The American fascists are most easily recognized by their deliberate perversion of truth and fact. Their newspapers and propaganda carefully cultivate every fissure of disunity, every crack in the common front against fascism.

They use every opportunity to impugn democracy. They use isolationism as a slogan to conceal their own selfish imperialism. They cultivate hate and distrust of both Britain and Russia. They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.

They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection. Henry A. Wallace

Have a guess when that was written?

Re Richard Tonkin's post, I'd say yes, yet again we  see the fundamental underlying assault on law and justice that accompanies neoliberalism, as a wedge for policies of universal subjugation and exploitation.

Jay's response is the typical one- gobsmacked at both the arrogance and the wastage.

But we are not suppposed to know these things, or note the similarity of current events to Renaissance feudalism

Would Dante, Erasmus, Montaigne and Machiavelli, for example, be turning in their graves at our inablity to use just that historical evidence and precedent they were denied, by history in this later era of ours?

Perhaps I can (by stating what is to me the bleedin' obvious) put this stuff into perspective.

For a start, the large majority of politicians of any colour are totally amoral. In deed they can be considered as sociopaths. They are sufficiently intelligent to realise that their sociopathy is unacceptable to the general public which is why they cloak their deeds and pronouncements in secrecy and night creatures as they are, scream blue bloody murder when the light is shone on them.

In this regard Rudd, whom I've always despised, is elevated to a certain extent in my eyes, (although I would question his motives), and Gillard, whose cause I have in the past championed, is severely diminished. The Oprah thing and Wikileaks demeans us all; not to mention other failures.

Good to see you again Fiona; I was concerned for you. No tongue in cheek.

Fiona: Thank you, Scott.

According to Paul Brennan, Al Jazeera's reporter outside the court, people were using social networking site Twitter from inside the court with the judge's permission. "They have said that his lawyers are saying that he will have a curfew, and he will have an electronic tag," he said.

Out from behind bars for how long?

[AFP extract}

Stephens said in an interview with Al Jazeera, citing unnamed Swedish authorities, that "there has been a secretly impaneled grand jury in Alexandria," Virginia, just outside Washington.

If the report proves true, it could mean an indictment of Assange is possible.

 Like the aftermath of as yet unrevealed communications, Assange's legal battles have only barely begun!

A few moments of carelessness. A senior US leader gives a wink to an old friend in business, and decades of progress in world trade disappear.

The message to China, Russia and India is loud and clear. If you value your sovereignty and security, don't let the so-called multi-nationals in. Without a moment's thought, the multinationals will bow to US pressure. If you value your freedom, don't let the multinationals get a foot in the door.

What a delicious turn of events, with Kein Rudd's very forceful defence of Assange. He was already persona non grata with the Chinese. In one fell stroke, he alienates both the US State Department (though not necessarily Obama) and Labor leadership (though not necessarily Labor back-benchers)

O Kevin, Kevin, Wherefore art thou, Kevin?

Who needs soap opera?

Fiona: Yes, it's thrilling to watch life imitating art yet again, Jay.

Howard lets US military commission devalue our citizenship

The Howard Government is devaluing our citizenship with its support for the trial of David Hicks by a US military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The limited protections announced by the US Government cannot disguise how alien the practices of military commissions are to Australians’ expectations of a fair trial under our own criminal justice system. The processes are chalk and cheese.

Why has the Howard Government said it is satisfied with these practices when Great Britain, the other member of the “coalition of the willing”, is still expressing its strong reservations about the trial of its citizens by military commissions?

The Howard Government appears happy to overlook that:

Australian trials are conducted before independent judges and magistrates, while US military commissions are decided by US military officers.

Australian trials require a unanimous guilty verdict, while US military commissions require only a two-thirds majority – with unanimity only required to impose a sentence of death.

In Australia accused persons can be represented by the lawyer of their choice, with a safety net of legal aid, and communications with their lawyer are confidential.

Before US military commissions, the accused must be represented by a US military lawyer, with the option of a security-cleared US civilian lawyer only if they can afford one, and confidentiality must be waived.

In Australia, miscarriages of justice can be rectified by an independent appeals court, while decisions of a US military commissions can only be reviewed by a panel of three US military officers, appointed by Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, which is not required to consider submissions from the accused.

In Australia, the continued imprisonment of a person is decided by the court, whereas there is no guarantee that David Hicks or Mamdouh Habib would be released even if acquitted by a US military commission.

These practices are alien to Australia’s criminal justice system and the Howard Government’s acquiescence in them devalues rights we associate with Australian citizenship.

While Attorney-General Daryl Williams and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer refer constantly to their “discussions” with US authorities, it is impossible to see what these discussions have produced.

David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib have been in detention for more than 18 months, facing serious allegations of involvement with a terrorist organisation and a potential death sentence.

The two men have not been given consular assistance. They have not been given access to their lawyers. They have not been charged, nor is the Howard Government prepared to say what they might be charged with.

There is no evidence that the limited protections that would apply in any military commission, announced in an order by Donald Rumsfeld in March 2002, are due to the intervention of Mr Williams or Mr Downer.

Now the Prime Minister has seen fit to share with the Australian media admissions Mr Hicks has allegedly made, without telling either Mr Hicks’ family or his lawyers what these are.

This couldn’t happen under the Australian criminal justice system – but it apparently can happen at Guantanamo Bay.

At the very least, with trials now a possibility, the Howard Government should be ensuring that Mr Hicks and Mr Habib have full access to consular assistance and their Australian lawyers, and should be pressing for their return if they will not be afforded a standard of justice that meets the expectations of the Australian community.

In fighting a war on terror we must show by our actions, and not just our military might, that we will defend all aspects of the Australian way.

9 July 2003

It appears that the politician who wrote the above may be forced to eat his words if the yanks ever get their hands on JA.

Now, who was it who wrote the above? No doubt like many he will be hoping the yanks don't get their way.

At  least one Yank knows what he is talking about.

All readers good and true must sign the GetUp petition to send a message to Obama that the secrets that lie within are the crime, not the release of the atrocities within.

Like Ratzinger trying to shut down child abuse claims while claiming he wanted them investigated.

Will watch Pilger's War on Terror film again tonight.

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” Galileo

"Time is the father of truth, its mother is our mind." Giordano Bruno

"Perchance you who pronounce my sentence are in greater fear than I who receive it." Giordano Bruno

You know, today is not unlike the middle ages, right down to climate change (think about it), except these days we have sexier weapons.

This old wombat is looking forward to the new Renaissance.

9/11 led to two wars and the death of a hundred thousand civilians, but the Wikileaks saga is a far more defining moment of the century.

Just as. with 9/ll, the reaction of the US and its allies ultimately overshadowed the event itself,  so too, the the reaction of the US and its allies overshadow the contents of the leaks.