tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70799400185507768842024-03-05T17:13:53.542-08:00JaraparillaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-46083875499108871772019-10-18T02:38:00.000-07:002019-10-23T18:05:05.451-07:00Spygate and Australia<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzKIuiQiYbcUxPnFOqkCh-HCfjllP6UEaLHSzwSco5qn7nm6tPS6brXgcMujW69oAgg-d-2nyszrWcxbSnWNLi_DxI8LiZMAgKua5nPlvhPAUT58mw-T0KVXK1WB2_KQMBKhHmIV-_Qs/s1600/papadownhill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="717" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzKIuiQiYbcUxPnFOqkCh-HCfjllP6UEaLHSzwSco5qn7nm6tPS6brXgcMujW69oAgg-d-2nyszrWcxbSnWNLi_DxI8LiZMAgKua5nPlvhPAUT58mw-T0KVXK1WB2_KQMBKhHmIV-_Qs/s400/papadownhill.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Downer, George Papadopolous and Hillary Clinton</td></tr>
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<h3>
<b>Introductions</b></h3>
A few months ago I <a href="https://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2019/08/trumps-russiagate-push-back.html" target="_blank">wrote about</a> US President Donald Trump's "Spygate" investigation of the Mueller "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation into what's commonly called "Russiagate". Trump declassified documents and asked his Attorney General William Barr to investigate, with the help of US Attorney John Durham, whether US intelligence had conspired to help stop him becoming President.The investigation has just been <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ag-barr-expands-controversial-review-origin-russia-investigation-n1068971" target="_blank">expanded</a> (20 October 2019).<br />
<br />
The facts should become public soon, aside from redactions for "national security" purposes, but we already know quite a lot. This article focuses on the Australian connections, particularly former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. <br />
<br />
We now know that key figure Joseph Mifsud was a Western spy, even though former FBI chief Mueller falsely claimed he was a Russian agent. Mifsud met Trump campaigner George Papadopoulos on 24 March 2016, promising to put him in touch with Russian power-brokers. He introduced a woman who pretended to be related to
Putin. Papadopoulos <a href="https://static01.nyt.com/packages/pdf/politics/2017/statement_of_the_offense.filed_.pdf" target="_blank">testified</a> to Mueller's investigation that Mifsud told him that Russia possessed thousands of Hillary Clinton emails.<br />
<br />
A few weeks later, around 10 May 2016, Papadopoulos met former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer at the Kensington Wine Rooms in London and (according to Downer) told him that Russia had "dirt" on Clinton. Downer said he passed that information on to Australian intelligence agencies. That information eventually set the official Russiagate investigation in motion.<br />
<br />
But Papadopoulos <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/former-trump-aide-says-declassified-mueller-report-would-reveal-uk-australian-intelligence-involved-in-anti-trump-witch-hunt_2852129.html" target="_blank">insists</a> he never talked about Mifsud's "dirt" information during his one hour meeting with Downer (although he does <a href="https://www.thenationalherald.com/212864/papadopoulos-told-kotzias-that-the-russians-had-hillarys-emails/" target="_blank">admit</a> passing that information on to Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on 26 May 2016). Papadopoulos' book claims Downer was aggressive and recorded their conversation, which Downer denies.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The phone comes out again. He must have grabbed it and held it up at least four times. He is so aggressive, so hostile... I believe Australian and UK intelligence were involved in an active operation to target Trump and his associates.” </blockquote>
In an oddly disengaged 30 minute July 2019 <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/russia-if-youre-listening/full-interview-with-alexander-downer/11138740" target="_blank">podcast</a> Downer said his meeting with Papadopoulos was suggested by the Israeli embassy in London. While rudely eating, grunting, snorting and tapping what sound like glasses and spoons, Downer frequently indulges in strange hypothetical musings about whether what he just stated as fact might actually not be true.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I wasn't recording him. I wouldn't as a diplomat record meetings that I had with people. That would be very unprofessional. But I suppose logically if I did record it, I'd have a copy of the recording. So everything he said would be on the record. But no, we didn't have a recording of it. If I was playing with my phone during the meeting, it would have been because I was checking my SMS messages and my emails, which I don't think you should do during a meeting, but occasionally I do do."</blockquote>
He claimed it was just a friendly chat - with another official "who worked at Australia House at the time" present - and laughed at the idea he might be involved in a grand conspiracy.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This sort of idea that there's a kind of ASIS, ASIO, MI6, MI5, FBI, CIA, Ukrainian government or something like that... some conspiracy to bring down the Trump administration, that this is treason, that I should be in Guantanamo Bay... I mean, it's a little bit sad that people take that sort of thought seriously. "</blockquote>
Perhaps I am "a little bit sad". In this article I will examine what we know about Australia's involvement in the Russiagate saga. The Australian media do not seem to be very interested. <br />
<br />
Let's start by introducing two Aussie guys named Michael Smith and Mike Smith (no known relationship): <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2BmOWRDclEQjYy2_Xx_cIEOrJvP7Ma4ckdS5p15WJq-_Znb1S6Y3ba5tx6uuCASeeqSyBhcHnH5VTLQCm-eTtTCYoDaLZPJpvRD8A9TezZf_vl9uwW1MkbxRyGG3U1NDZL4zEBHSuHs/s1600/michael+smith.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="229" data-original-width="333" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2BmOWRDclEQjYy2_Xx_cIEOrJvP7Ma4ckdS5p15WJq-_Znb1S6Y3ba5tx6uuCASeeqSyBhcHnH5VTLQCm-eTtTCYoDaLZPJpvRD8A9TezZf_vl9uwW1MkbxRyGG3U1NDZL4zEBHSuHs/s200/michael+smith.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Smith</td></tr>
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<b>Michael Smith</b> is a retired Australian detective who writes a <a href="https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> about all sorts of stuff, including the Clinton Foundation. Some of the links below come from his blog. He has been contacted by Barr's team and <a href="https://www.lifezette.com/2018/01/aussie-complaints-to-be-filed-with-fbi-on-clinton-foundations-dealing-down-under/" target="_blank">provided evidence</a> as part of their investigations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BnTq5KDykW57VM-7NzvEM5qpRCX6ny4r_J_AccmlhOe62NURjSH15qYJHn5nWMUk1hx3lAer-NxU_c8KZKwjxqzxnJnXLDMXhmgPLi9tFnIrBCMPeJE6FL407M8GBsgjoHLDGeAJBUM/s1600/mike+smith.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="303" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BnTq5KDykW57VM-7NzvEM5qpRCX6ny4r_J_AccmlhOe62NURjSH15qYJHn5nWMUk1hx3lAer-NxU_c8KZKwjxqzxnJnXLDMXhmgPLi9tFnIrBCMPeJE6FL407M8GBsgjoHLDGeAJBUM/s200/mike+smith.jpeg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Smith</td></tr>
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<b>Mike Smith</b> was Chief of Staff to Alexander Downer from 1998 to 2002. Mike has a <a href="https://www.ict.org.il/Worker.aspx?ID=620#gsc.tab=0" target="_blank">long and impressive CV</a> as a "faceless" bureaucrat in the intelligence world, specialising in "Counter-Terrorism". He was Australian Ambassador for Counter Terrorism from 2006 to 2008. He is on the Board of Advisors of the International Centre for
Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in the Hague and part of the Advisory Council of the
Global Center on Cooperative Security (GCCS) in Washington DC. More about him later. <br />
<h3>
Clinton Foundation in Australia </h3>
On 22 February 2006, Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Bill Clinton signed a $25 million Memorandum of Understanding, marking the first round of Australian taxpayer donations to the Clinton Foundation. Downer now distances himself from the donation.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I didn't make a donation. I was the Foreign Minister and AusAID entered into a contract with the Clinton Foundation... I didn't instruct the contract. I was just the minister who did the signing ceremony."</blockquote>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijR7OZ8eOepnU4wksdPnJsFEiGi6p6rgptgbPPJ0vYT6tf9g-8Zv3Q4msXOQbm28xaiQ4E6SQU7_0JxqHpNS_f94q_RfQzYr6oHAJx7jk_wzFxVqRLS5V4ARuVRxx9QqYTfwr22vhLuuI/s1600/downer+bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijR7OZ8eOepnU4wksdPnJsFEiGi6p6rgptgbPPJ0vYT6tf9g-8Zv3Q4msXOQbm28xaiQ4E6SQU7_0JxqHpNS_f94q_RfQzYr6oHAJx7jk_wzFxVqRLS5V4ARuVRxx9QqYTfwr22vhLuuI/s320/downer+bill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Downer and Bill Clinton</td></tr>
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By December 2008 the Clinton Foundation was <a href="https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2018/02/recent-australian-government-data-direct-clinton-foundation-taxpayer-donations-total-130m.html" target="_blank">boasting</a> that Australia was its largest Western Government donor. And the money kept pouring in. Between 2006 and 2014, the Clinton Foundation received around $88 million from Australian taxpayers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2ZiMfhPaciG23pUzVTnJCeICQ3xu33CBcMfU5kEa9iMQ9ngOtEL3rjd_uw-g3XJhGzOPvOgjEq0nYclLloaR7zTtAG4JkLERwo3p8t8F7uWqkXTSz11pEQDx46CIPBGUOtq54Ty6wl0/s1600/clinton+gillard.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="340" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2ZiMfhPaciG23pUzVTnJCeICQ3xu33CBcMfU5kEa9iMQ9ngOtEL3rjd_uw-g3XJhGzOPvOgjEq0nYclLloaR7zTtAG4JkLERwo3p8t8F7uWqkXTSz11pEQDx46CIPBGUOtq54Ty6wl0/s320/clinton+gillard.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
After losing power in 2013, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard became chairman of the Clinton-affiliated Global Partnership for Education in 2014. She promised she would "loudly barrack from the sidelines" if Hillary ever ran for President, then personally endorsed Clinton's candidacy in April 2015. Gillard even appeared in a Clinton campaign video, attended the DNC convention on 25 July 2016, and wrote a New York Times op-ed urging readers to "shame sexism" by voting for Clinton. So much for staying on the "sidelines". <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmaMNc_NpnpMPLXUOxopRXRSLRUr2z0ivZdbpyU2PSM0Nm-hwAUQ5pzkK-GfvlTC_55hFLdHsjm0mMaYT12MpTtzzi7uhyphenhyphen2-m5umldjDDLCIIZDmZTyJoGwpdOGGgDKnR1VSA18nM6k0/s1600/clinton+bishop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="748" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmaMNc_NpnpMPLXUOxopRXRSLRUr2z0ivZdbpyU2PSM0Nm-hwAUQ5pzkK-GfvlTC_55hFLdHsjm0mMaYT12MpTtzzi7uhyphenhyphen2-m5umldjDDLCIIZDmZTyJoGwpdOGGgDKnR1VSA18nM6k0/s320/clinton+bishop.png" width="320" /></a></div>
In September 2014, new Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop pledged five years of support for the Clinton Health Access Initiative, a sister organisation of the Clinton Foundation. Total donations from Australian taxpayers hit $130 million. From <a href="https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2018/02/recent-australian-government-data-direct-clinton-foundation-taxpayer-donations-total-130m.html" target="_blank">Michael Smith's blog</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">By mid 2016 Australian donations to the Clinton Foundation (and related entities) from DFAT alone had topped $100M AUD. A further $24M was donated ostensibly for climate change related CF programs - $10M directly by Kevin Rudd and about $14M by Gillard. And new donations were still being arranged.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">When Hillary Clinton lost the November 2016 election, donations to the Clinton Foundation from other nations quickly dried up. Everybody already knew it was a <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/clinton-foundation-donors-got-weapons-deals-hillary-clintons-state-department-1934187" target="_blank">money-laundering scam</a>.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">The International Business Times reported in 2015 on curious links between donors and State Department approval. IBT wrote that the State Department approved massive commercial arms sales for countries which had donated to the Clinton charity. More than $165 billion worth of arms sales were approved by the State Department to 20 nations whose governments gave money to the Clinton Foundation, data shows. The countries buying weapons from the US were the same countries previously condemned for human rights abuses. They included Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.</span></blockquote>
<span class="HPS-Normal" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica";">On 23 November 2016 the Observer (owned by Trump's son-in-law) <a href="https://observer.com/2016/11/foreign-donors-begin-pulling-out-from-clinton-foundation/" target="_blank">reported</a> that WikiLeaks releases helped drive the final nail into the Clinton Foundation's coffin: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="HPS-Normal" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica";">Clinton Foundation scandals emerged as a major blow to Hillary Clinton’s campaign this past election, as emails released by WikiLeaks and from FOIA requests revealed pay-to-play schemes and overt conflicts of interest between the Foundation and Clinton’s State Department... Per the Foundation’s latest tax filings, contributions fell by 37 percent when Hillary Clinton announced her presidential campaign in 2015—and pay-to-play evidence first began to surface.</span></blockquote>
<span class="HPS-Normal" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica";"></span><br />
<span class="HPS-Normal" style="background-color: white; font-family: "helvetica";">On 28 November 2016 Australia's Murdoch media <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/australia-ceases-multimilliondollar-donations-to-controversial-clinton-family-charities/news-story/219577919ed8dfbd79cf808321234eba" target="_blank">reported</a> that the government had "not renewed any of its partnerships with the scandal-plagued Clinton Foundation". But o</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">n 17 March 2017 the Australian Senate foreign affairs committee was <a href="https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2018/02/recent-australian-government-data-direct-clinton-foundation-taxpayer-donations-total-130m.html" target="_blank">told</a> "Phase 3" of an existing project valued at $3,320,540 was still expected to run through to 30 June 2017.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">What did Australian taxpayers get in return for these millions of dollars? Our media are not even asking the question. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Instead it's left to bloggers like Michael Smith to point out that the Clinton Foundation headquarters in Australia is a <a href="https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2019/10/clinton-foundation-hq-in-australia-regulator-reports-overdue-staff-gone-and-the-lawn-needs-mowing.html" target="_blank">suburban shack in outer Melbourne</a> and all the nominated directors have fled the country. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXN4BaP6Dfj8E6OUvuuAHQAitDMzSsi8L8iGQzSqoqbHDCcGcotGS9_MAj4f5DRdUGG3Ylmv_m72BXcz75CPLg9pG2CljNRCblNtjF8aCpPXCEkgGoPs6iqtBEtVfcHv5nP3n7GVYuic/s1600/clinton+melbhq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="800" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXN4BaP6Dfj8E6OUvuuAHQAitDMzSsi8L8iGQzSqoqbHDCcGcotGS9_MAj4f5DRdUGG3Ylmv_m72BXcz75CPLg9pG2CljNRCblNtjF8aCpPXCEkgGoPs6iqtBEtVfcHv5nP3n7GVYuic/s320/clinton+melbhq.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="country" style="font-family: "helvetica";">Australian HQ of Clinton Health Access Initiative Australia Ltd </span></td></tr>
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<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">FBI Investigating Downer</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">According the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-fbi-is-investigating-the-clinton-foundation/2018/01/05/1aca0d4a-f1cf-11e7-97bf-bba379b809ab_story.html" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> the FBI's long investigation into the Clinton Foundation is still open.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">The FBI has been investigating the Clinton Foundation for months, reviving a probe that was dialed back during the 2016 campaign amid tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents about the politically charged case, according to people familiar with the matter. The inquiry resumed about a year ago...<br /><br />The Clinton Foundation probe dates to 2015, when FBI agents in Los Angeles, New York, Little Rock and Washington began looking at those who had made donations to the charity, based largely on news accounts, according to people familiar with the matter.<br /><br />But in 2016, Justice Department prosecutors rejected a request from FBI agents to expand and intensify their work. They asked that the bureau not take any investigative steps that could become public, out of worry this could affect the impending election.</span></blockquote>
On 16 January 2018 Lifezette <a href="https://www.lifezette.com/2018/01/aussie-complaints-to-be-filed-with-fbi-on-clinton-foundations-dealing-down-under/" target="_blank">reported</a> on the information that Australian investigator Michael Smith gave to FBI investigators regarding Alexander Downer and the Clinton Foundation:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The materials Smith is giving the FBI focus on a 2006 memorandum of understanding between the Australian government and the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton HIV/AIDs Initiative (CHAI). Smith claims the foundation received a “$25M financial advantage dishonestly obtained by deception” as a result of actions by Bill Clinton and Downer, who was then Australia’s minister of foreign affairs.<br />
<br />
Also included in the Smith materials are evidence he believes shows “corrupt October 2006 backdating of false tender advertisements purporting to advertise the availability of a $15 million contract to provide HIV/AIDS services in Papua New Guinea on behalf of the Australian government after an agreement was already in place to pay the Clinton Foundation and/or associates.”<br />
<br />
A third complaint concerns what Smith describes as “the $10 million financial advantage dishonestly obtained by deception between April 1, 2008, and Sept. 25, 2008, at Washington, D.C., New York, New York, and Canberra Australia involving an MOU between the Australian government, the “Clinton Climate Initiative,” and the purported “Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute Inc.” </blockquote>
On 31 May 2018 a Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-curious-case-of-mr-downer-1527809075" target="_blank">article</a> noted that Alexander Downer's story of his meeting with Mifsud does not match the FBI version.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“We also know that it wasn’t Australian intelligence that alerted the FBI. The document that launched the FBI probe contains no foreign intelligence whatsoever. So if Australian intelligence did receive the Downer info, it didn’t feel compelled to act on it.”</blockquote>
Downer said he passed Papadopoulos's "dirt" to Australian spies and forgot about it until WikiLeaks started releasing Clinton emails months later, when he realised "with a shudder" that it might be important. He then alerted Australian intelligence. <br />
<br />
But it seems Downer had already passed the information to the Charg<span class="module__title__link">é</span> d'Affairs at the US Embassy in London, Elizabeth Dibble, who was previously a principal deputy assistant secretary in Hillary Clinton’s State Department. Dibble also has <a href="https://twitter.com/The_War_Economy/status/1002523620487450624?s=20" target="_blank">links</a> to the mysterious Link University in Rome, which also has links to Mifsud, Papadopoulos and many other figures in this story. But more about that later. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQEekP_hG-jTtphEdVXij4bRA-A6Qin7K_A2iIIF9yy0lGmzQolaz3mVhJU76RDhx_ovywB0QppU126_uPYcPKCs-zxh5gCrYeRUyA2MeaEEdCX6jTQGxRWRETPMIHw8G_vr3FzH13RY/s1600/cbd.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQEekP_hG-jTtphEdVXij4bRA-A6Qin7K_A2iIIF9yy0lGmzQolaz3mVhJU76RDhx_ovywB0QppU126_uPYcPKCs-zxh5gCrYeRUyA2MeaEEdCX6jTQGxRWRETPMIHw8G_vr3FzH13RY/s1600/cbd.png" /></a></div>
<br />
According to Greg Miller’s book "The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dibble was coming into the subject cold, and initially was under the impression that Russia had already passed the material to the Trump campaign. The entire conversation was over in 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
Dibble thanked Downer and, within minutes of his departure, called the top FBI official at the embassy. The report was relayed through classified channels back to Washington, where it landed with a jolt on the seventh floor of FBI headquarters. </blockquote>
A recent <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2019/10/03/unauthorised-disclosure-claim-joe-hockey/amp/?__twitter_impression=true" target="_blank">article</a> from the New Daily suggests this may be the reason why Australian PM Scott Morrison said it would be highly “unusual” for Australia to hand over Downer's diplomatic cable in response to a US request. But it's also quite possible that US intelligence can easily obtain any Australian cable they want.<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Mifsud's Australian Invitation</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Joseph Mifsud was invited to the Australian government's World Summit on Uncontrolled Migration in Adelaide, on 8-9 March 2016. Adelaide is Alexander Downer's home town, where his wealthy family have dominated generations of politics since <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-journey-into-downers-dark-past-20050601-gdlfj2.html" target="_blank">dispossessing Aboriginals from the region</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">According to tweets from UK analyst <a href="https://twitter.com/CJBdingo25" target="_blank">Chris Blackburn</a>, whose research helped trigger "Spygate", Mifsud was scheduled to meet with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. But Mifsud was told he couldn't travel due to a heart condition. The event got cancelled anyway. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Blackburn <a href="https://twitter.com/cjbdingo25/status/1066674388689436672" target="_blank">says</a> Mifsud's invitation was sent by John Bruni, the founder of Sage International, a private intelligence company based in Adelaide, and Mark Ryan, a former Navy Wing Commander who "</span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">worked for BAE in Saudi Arabia on the infamous Al-Yamamah arms deal [and] was also the head of an Aussie intelligence agency"</span>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJhe3OtWcOtKOJuZyrs39TOYQRr0Xop9fp8LziUy5cN-XhIxz0A_4q_B97FyLG5VQl289mF0yx8G6uEk_i209uLcOlhOkXPsCbQw6F44NjZF7fioRvH7_cEGAVheOwMjkiNSdw-d-S0s/s1600/rusi2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="487" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJhe3OtWcOtKOJuZyrs39TOYQRr0Xop9fp8LziUy5cN-XhIxz0A_4q_B97FyLG5VQl289mF0yx8G6uEk_i209uLcOlhOkXPsCbQw6F44NjZF7fioRvH7_cEGAVheOwMjkiNSdw-d-S0s/s320/rusi2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Bruni and Mark Ryan promoting the Adelaide event (image via Chris Blackburn)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Both <a href="https://www.sageinternational.org.au/uncategorised/dr-john-bruni-returned-for-another-3-year-term-on-the-rusidss-a-national-board/" target="_blank">Bruni</a> and <a href="https://www.rusi.org.au/RUSI-SA-Office-Bearers" target="_blank">Ryan</a> are directors of the Royal United Services Institute of Australia (RUSI), a thinktank funded by the </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Australian Defence Force. This <a href="https://twitter.com/cjbdingo25/status/1066674388689436672" target="_blank">thread</a> from Blackburn shows Bruni is also a friend of Alexander Downer. It's interesting that Bruni is an Italian name, given how many people in this story are connected to Link Campus in Rome (more about that below).</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvU2JPAsU8MTpptYxTP8SW6zNRuYlUbfb6mm6ID_oaOYiZuCnpSDg5CZDvNkyAXT4vAL2F90OYH1tGvguxAiJTRW0lDzAhsQUEF-XSIW5qqtfJu2nrdJTuR7W5vo2mHJ6waIqJuRwTXM/s1600/bruni+downer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="451" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvU2JPAsU8MTpptYxTP8SW6zNRuYlUbfb6mm6ID_oaOYiZuCnpSDg5CZDvNkyAXT4vAL2F90OYH1tGvguxAiJTRW0lDzAhsQUEF-XSIW5qqtfJu2nrdJTuR7W5vo2mHJ6waIqJuRwTXM/s320/bruni+downer.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">George Papadopoulos also <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1183128030090317824?s=20" target="_blank">tweeted</a> about Mark Ryan, claiming he was ex-Director of Australia's Underwater Acoustic Intelligence Agency. That agency would be heavily involved in surveilling undersea Internet cables and part of Australia's network of spy agencies. I cannot find Ryan publicly connected to it. But in April 2016, a month after this cancelled meeting, a controversial $50 billion contract was awarded to build 12 new submarines in Adelaide. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfkApci-dZcxu95vtrbVDYtRi7c584npOXU_9Wn7Z92_Mx1K9TNtoyrJqbmottRI0gyVjJ1gNjwZYC9eCrZJo0ZZnDuzt7KOoEUEJuwm7HPV6Od9poEY_U5ZyX8eBnykVmksZ_awhnGg/s1600/os+spies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="908" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfkApci-dZcxu95vtrbVDYtRi7c584npOXU_9Wn7Z92_Mx1K9TNtoyrJqbmottRI0gyVjJ1gNjwZYC9eCrZJo0ZZnDuzt7KOoEUEJuwm7HPV6Od9poEY_U5ZyX8eBnykVmksZ_awhnGg/s320/os+spies.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Australia's network of spy agencies (via Wikipedia)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">FBI Director James Comey (later sacked by Trump for alleged Clinton partisanship) and </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-16/us-spy-boss-makes-secretive-visit-to-australia/7251590" target="_blank">were both in Australia</a> on secretive visits in the first half of March 2016. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">A week after the cancelled </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">8-9 March 2016 </span>World Summit on Uncontrolled Migration in Adelaide, Joseph Mifsud <a href="https://themarketswork.com/2018/08/10/papadopoulos-mifsud-manafort-coincidences/" target="_blank">first met</a> George Papadopoulos (in Rome on March 14). </span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Follow The Money</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">It's important to remember that Papadopoulos was an energy consultant with a particular focus on Cyprus-Greek-Israel agreement over the Leviathon Gasfield (off the coast of Gaza, so it should rightly belong to the Palestinians, but that's another story). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">As Downer said:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">"We had a bit of a discussion about oil and gas in the Easter Mediterranean, which is I think the interest the Israelis had in him."</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">As Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/timor-spy-scandal-former-asis-officer-facing-prosecution-20150621-ghtp17.html" target="_blank">ordered</a> Australian spies to bug Timor L'Este's government offices in 2004, which resulted in an unfair division of profits from oil and gas deposits in the Timor Sea. Downer later worked </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">as a consultant </span>for Woodside Petroleum, who developed those same oil and gas fields. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Downer was also the UN special adviser on Cyprus for six years from 2008, a
period when Woodside acquired a 30% stake in </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">the Leviathon Gasfield</span>, which shares a maritime border with
Cyprus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">It seems a senior government official's defence of the "national interest" nowadays includes quite a lot of get-rich-quick personal opportunities. </span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">"A Brennan Operation"</span></h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<div class="css-901oao r-hkyrab r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" id="tweet-text" lang="en">
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">It's also important to remember the bigger picture here, of which Downer and Australia are just a small part. The big fish Trump wants to catch are Democrat politicians and former heads of the CIA and FBI.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"> Trump has said:</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">“It
was a corrupt election, whether it’s [James] Comey or [Andrew] McCabe
or [Peter] Strzok or his lover Lisa Page. There was a lot of corruption.
Maybe it goes right up to President Obama. I happen to think it does.
But you look at [John] Brennan and you look at [James] Clapper, and you
get some real beauties.” </span></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="css-901oao r-hkyrab r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" id="tweet-text" lang="en">
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"></span></div>
<div class="css-901oao r-hkyrab r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" id="tweet-text" lang="en">
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Pulitzer winning journalist Sy Hersh <a href="https://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-killed-seth-rich-story.html" target="_blank">said</a> the whole </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">campaign to stop Trump was "a Brennan operation". </span>Former CIA boss John Brennan - now a news analyst for NBC - was highly critical of Trump during the 2016 election campaign. In 2018 Trump said that he had revoked Brennan's security clearance.<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">The Spygate team rolled into action as soon as "<a href="https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/796222841612042240" target="_blank">pied piper</a>" candidate Trump became Hillary’s GOP rival. Brennan set up a working group of CIA, FBI & NSA agents including FBI director Andrew McCabe, who was fired by Trump's AG Jeff Sessions in March 2018.<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">McCabe, who </span></span></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">wrote a book claiming "the FBI is under attack by the president",</span> is still under investigation: prosecutors have a 15 November 2019 deadline to produce documents or the judge will drop the case.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">McCabe was also the guy who <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_365336261">covered up the murder of Seth Rich</a></span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> - but I suspect Trump, who still wants Julian Assange jailed for life, will not want to talk about that. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Mike Smith's Network </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">So what about that other Mr Smith, Downer's former chief of staff, who I introduced at the start of this article? He's not one of the big fish but he's part of a network of intelligence operatives who are now under the Spygate spotlight. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">On 18 November 2018 </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Papadopoulos</span> <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1063948108671766528" target="_blank">tweeted</a>: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">"</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Big development: Joseph Mifsud is tied directly to Christopher Steele and Alexander Downer’s former chief of staff. He was also on Jamal Khashoogi’s payroll."</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Interestingly, just two weeks earlier, Downer wrote a highly controversial <a href="https://www.afr.com/opinion/jamal-khashoggi-was-a-player-not-a-bleeding-heart-liberal-alexander-downer-20181104-h17h9k" target="_blank">op-ed</a> saying murdered journalist Jamal Kashoggi was no nice guy and people should understand why the Saudis killed him. Says a lot about Downer, doesn't it? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Tweets from </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Papadopoulos</span> are not necessarily inside information. He once <a href="https://www.lifezette.com/2018/09/six-facts-say-papadopoulos-right-to-think-downer-fbi-set-him-up/" target="_blank">appears</a> to have thought that Downer was Christopher Steele. He's also busy flogging his book and his wife's swimsuit business. But he does have Trump contacts and he remains certain that Alexander Downer will soon be exposed. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Here are some selected Australia-related quotes from his tweets, in chronological order: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
"Australian oil company, Woodside, was actively competing with
American oil companies trying to do business in Israel and Cyprus. I was advising American
companies at the time. No wonder Downer wanted to talk oil in London and
then began recording me with his phone. Set up." - 20 September 2018<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">"Mueller’s own team told me that Alexander Downer was recording (spying) on me." - 6 June 2019<br /><br />"Mid April 2016 Australian wanna be honeypot, Erica Thompson, starts to make contact and tries to seduce me (too ugly). Late April CIA asset, Joseph Mifsud, drops the fake Russia info in my lap. May 10, Alexander Downer and wannabe honeypot spy and record my conversation. Declass!" - 8 June 2019<br /><br />"The heat is now on the Clinton errand boy, and wannabe spy, Alexander Downer. The world will love to see the secret recordings of my “meeting” with him. They will be out as soon as Mifsud provides his deposition to Durham. Glorious." - 25 July 2019<br /><br />"Here is Alexander Downer with Stefan Halper a week before Halper and Azra Turk started to spy on me. Halper was in on it with Downer. This is why the Australian and U.K. governments are begging congress and the administration to not declassify. They were willfully in on the scam." - 5 August 2019<br /><br />"Alexander Downer, and the Australian government, were willfully complicit in the conspiracy to spy and interfere in the 2016 election. Keep the heat on them or you will never get to the bottom of the greatest spy scandal in US political history." - 9 September 2019<br /><br />"Follow the pipeline deals I was involved in and you will understand why the UK, Australia, Turkey and Italy were involved in the spying operation against me, and ultimately, President Trump." - 15 September 2019<br /><br />"Downer was a fool. I played him the entire meeting that I knew was designed to spy on my energy related work and then to ask a bizarre last minute question about Clinton-Russia. The transcripts will prove it all, folks. They exist. The Australians already flipped on him." - 1 October 2019<br /><br />"We will soon find out who directed Alexander Downer to spy on me. The Australians don’t freelance without our rubber-stamp, this came from the top of the CIA." - 4 October 2019<br /><br />"The Australians are trying to obstruct the investigation. They must answer why Downer claims that the “Israelis” directed him to spy on me. Furthermore, they must release the tape of my meeting with him to clarify Downer’s intent to guide a conversation towards anything but US-OZ" </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">- 4 October 2019<br /><br />"Breaking: Mark Ryan, exDirector of Australia's Underwater Acoustic Intelligence Agency, and Alexander Downer’s former chief of staff, was meeting with Joseph Mifsud a couple weeks before he drops the “info” on me! Looks like Mifsud was in on it with Aust. Bad news for Australia!" - 13 October 2019<br /><br />"I always found it bizarre that Downer was speaking to me about his ties to an obscure intel group named “Hakluyt.” Who was he representing when he spied on me? I think it’s time for Australia to completely throw him under the bus. He has caused enough damage to relations with USA" - </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">13 October 2019</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Hakluyt, a security firm which was stacked with former MI6 spies, is now called Holdingham Group Ltd. Alexander Downer was an advisory board member. He resigned in May 2014 when he became Australia's </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">High Commissioner in London, but he was still seen attending gatherings. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Downer's former chief of staff Mike Smith is on the <a href="https://www.globalcenter.org/advisory-council/" target="_blank">Advisory Board of Global Centre</a>. So is Richard Barret, former chief of counter-terrorism at MI6. According to Chris Blackburn, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Barrett is a friend of Jonathan </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-vw2c0b r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Winer</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> from US Department of State. </span>All of these people have links to Arvinder Sambei, the FBI laywer who sent </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Papadopoulos</span> to meet Mifsud in Rome. </span><br />
<br />
This Epoch Times <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/mueller-overlooked-mifsuds-contacts-in-western-counter-terror-circles_3059658.html" target="_blank">report</a> describes a huge web of contacts which I have barely begun to describe. Many are connected to the Link campus in Rome.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Starting at least in March 2013, Sambei traveled to Nepal, Pakistan,
Singapore, and East Africa to give counterterrorism workshops to law
enforcement hosted by the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Committee
Executive Directorate. The workshops were organized by the GCCS and
funded by the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Denmark,
according to documents on the GCCS website (<a href="https://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/UN-East-Africa-Police-and-Prosecutors_Nairobi-Workshop_Agenda-Post-meeting-Final.pdf" target="_blank">pdf</a>, <a href="https://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Islamabad-Agenda.pdf" target="_blank">pdf</a>, <a href="https://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/14Apr15-17-Agenda.pdf" target="_blank">pdf</a>, <a href="https://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/18_20March_Kathmandu_Agenda.pdf" target="_blank">pdf</a>).<br />
<br />
Until July 2013, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive
Directorate was headed by Mike Smith, a former Australian diplomat and
former chief of staff to Australia’s foreign minister, Alexander Downer.
Smith was with Sambei at one of his counterterrorism workshops in April
2014 in Singapore.</blockquote>
<br />
In 2018 the New York Times suggested Alexander Downer was on a "fishing expedition" when he met George <span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Papadopoulos</span> in London. It now seems that his role was to extract information about Russian "dirt" on Clinton - which he already knew had been planted by Mifsud - and pass it on to certain people in US intelligence. In this way, it would appear as if the information had come directly from <span style="font-family: "helvetica";">Papadopoulos</span>, via his Russian contacts for the Trump campaign, rather than from a wide network of Western intelligence agents determined to stoke conflict with Moscow and see Hillary Clinton become President of the USA.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorPL9nqQr4P50ugjhF1tytXPO9MtGR7c_KaRyTvi9u8i6jIGXjVgVPtcpWTTxs6Tll_EWjiik02JdYxLnbB7n34022Sjg7yphMzqa3PKDAP1Nf3ELGHXv45QATIy58lb2eowTzJtcKG4/s1600/erica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="340" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorPL9nqQr4P50ugjhF1tytXPO9MtGR7c_KaRyTvi9u8i6jIGXjVgVPtcpWTTxs6Tll_EWjiik02JdYxLnbB7n34022Sjg7yphMzqa3PKDAP1Nf3ELGHXv45QATIy58lb2eowTzJtcKG4/s320/erica.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erika Thompson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
For anyone wondering about that "honeypot" Erika Thompson reference above, here's the official story via <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-22/george-papadopoulos-alexander-downer-meeting-what-happened/10286868" target="_blank">ABC News</a>: she's "a career diplomat working as a political counsellor" at the Australian High Commission, whose boyfriend Christian Cantor just happened to be "the head of the political branch in the Israeli embassy".<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
She asked Downer if he'd like to meet Papadopoulos, explaining he was known to Cantor and was part of the Donald Trump campaign. </blockquote>
Papadopoulos already knew Cantor, who is now <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMCantor" target="_blank">Israel's Ambassador to Colombia</a>, and described him as "someone who just hated Trump, he hated his guts".<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
All of a sudden, [Cantor] decides one day to introduce me to his
so-called girlfriend, who just happened to be an Australian intelligence
officer and the assistant to Alexander Downer. </blockquote>
Papadopoulos <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1137133534043230208?s=20" target="_blank">tweeted</a> that Erica Thompson "starts to make contact and tries to seduce me" in mid April 2016, a full month before he met Downer. According the ABC report, she was the unnamed Australia House official at those drinks, she chose the Kensington Wine Rooms location, and she even wrote the cable sent later to Australian intelligence. <br />
<br />
I'll leave the last word here to Mr Downer, noting that he said <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/see-no-evil-20061118-gdouxu.html" target="_blank">much the same thing</a> when he was accused of covering up $300 million in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime. Is he still untouchable?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I did exactly the right thing... This is quite important news if it's true that the Russians - and of course it IS true! What he told me was true, that the Russians, um, were um, apparently Russian intelligence was interfering with the American election. <br />
<br />
"So let's spin the counter-narrative here, what would it have meant if I had decided to cover that up, and not tell the Americans? <br />
<br />
"If any finger is pointed here, it's first of all at the Russians."</blockquote>
<b>UPDATE:</b> Australian <span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">Ambassador to USA Hockey made a "proactive offer of assistance" to the White House inquiry into the Mueller Report before a formal request had been made of Australia. Australia's Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has </span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">a secret timeline of events which "is highly sensitive and contains matters which relate to ongoing inquiries in the United States." Via </span></span><br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><a aria-haspopup="false" class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-1dbjc4n r-1loqt21 r-1wbh5a2 r-dnmrzs r-1ny4l3l" data-focusable="true" href="https://twitter.com/BrettMasonNews/status/1187163630464188416?s=20" role="link"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">@BrettMasonNews</span></a>.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">ICYMI when Downer's role was first revealed, <b>Joe Hockey</b> <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/australian-ambassador-rejects-lindsey-grahams-depiction-of-alexander-downers-role-in-sparking-russia-probe_3106045.html">jumped to Downer's defence</a>. It was earlier <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/joe-hockey-discussed-downers-russia-revelations-with-fbi-20180101-h0c58c.html">reported</a> that Hockey "personally
steered Australia's dealings with the FBI" with regard to Downer's information on Russian "dirt". From the <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2018/05/27/downer-papadopoulos-trump/">Daily Caller</a>: </span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"><b>Downer</b> sent a cable back to Australian government authorities
within 48 hours of the Papadopoulos encounter. The information was not
provided to the FBI until months later when <b>Joe</b> <b>Hockey</b>, Australia's ambassador to the U.S., passed it to American authorities in late July 2016. </span></span></blockquote>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-57631037842749342712019-08-06T20:26:00.001-07:002019-10-17T17:01:31.970-07:00Trump's Russiagate Push-back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlJDYBF9gqk4iUd9fhYHXuWz6b73lTw3s38RCoqDAYrD6gPtek_4rv9OKgzp8X76SGsrA3_tDVIXTNyMNNyAtMDSl-oYVoJtF2eWW9fQINTU3yLA-tXfp0Cs1OZVGwGtUZlzZ2CLu74Q/s1600/bombshell.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlJDYBF9gqk4iUd9fhYHXuWz6b73lTw3s38RCoqDAYrD6gPtek_4rv9OKgzp8X76SGsrA3_tDVIXTNyMNNyAtMDSl-oYVoJtF2eWW9fQINTU3yLA-tXfp0Cs1OZVGwGtUZlzZ2CLu74Q/s400/bombshell.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Donald Trump has <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/australia-in-trump-s-sights-for-russia-hoax-investigation-20190525-p51r28.html">declassified</a> thousands of documents related to the RussiaGate scandal and his Attorney General William Barr is set to release the findings of his investigation soon. So what can we expect?<br />
<br />
First of all, let's note that it is extraordinary for a US Attorney General to be investigating the nation's intelligence agencies. But these are extraordinary times. It's already <a href="https://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-killed-seth-rich-story.html">clear</a> that sections of the FBI and CIA worked with foreign intelligence services (in Britain, Italy and elsewhere) and the global media, colluding to try to stop Trump's election. They did this by smearing Trump, his family, WikiLeaks, and anyone even remotely associated with his campaign as Russian agents.<br />
<br />
The "blame the Russians" strategy was concocted way before the November
2016 election, after Hillary Clinton first realised she had lost control
of thousands of emails. Clinton was already hawkish on Russia as
Obama's Secretary of State, exploiting fears of Russian military power
as an excuse to keep expanding NATO. Hyping confrontation with Russia
was central to her election campaign strategy. Expanding that concocted
hysteria to blame Russia for her failures was a "no brainer".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCmXD3E81a6cqB6d3GY8kmFRAxTBy3r609dKtXruZf-3aiWwrAuI9htWZYnfQwA5u5CFFXewWvM1R4_IpZkeTD9OQDQJnPIlm97DbNuTIpmb7huKeZ-A6GVai0KPjZbbFh7WybyckW4g/s1600/hillarypigpen.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="800" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCmXD3E81a6cqB6d3GY8kmFRAxTBy3r609dKtXruZf-3aiWwrAuI9htWZYnfQwA5u5CFFXewWvM1R4_IpZkeTD9OQDQJnPIlm97DbNuTIpmb7huKeZ-A6GVai0KPjZbbFh7WybyckW4g/s400/hillarypigpen.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We already know that the mysterious Joseph Mifsud (probably a UK intelligence agent) contacted Trump campaigners like George Papadopolous and Carter Page, promising he could put them in touch with Russian power-brokers. He introduced a woman who pretended to be related to Putin. It was all a set up. Papadopolous blabbed what he thought he knew about Russia to former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who then passed it on to Western intelligence agencies. Downer's role was to initiate public proceedings so pro-Clinton media would have dirt ready to dump on Trump.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMkvsublA6DzBugtSj1qYmfSA8vkiTBJHTP9bw-HcJnUnvfpd5uE_9JHP49GsC7aRd1evZXirZcJ7ElwVe74BNuAjEj-zDvapB3q8SyCfaGpKEyyXIbzFJ1casjTLpf5EOh9L9_4tsug/s1600/papa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="591" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkMkvsublA6DzBugtSj1qYmfSA8vkiTBJHTP9bw-HcJnUnvfpd5uE_9JHP49GsC7aRd1evZXirZcJ7ElwVe74BNuAjEj-zDvapB3q8SyCfaGpKEyyXIbzFJ1casjTLpf5EOh9L9_4tsug/s400/papa.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But before Mifsud there was Glenn Simpson's Fusion GPS group, who were hired by the Clinton DNC and later produced the discredited Steele dossier, which falsely claimed Trump enjoyed "golden showers" from Russian prostitutes. Christopher Steele worked for MI6's Russian desk, who regularly feed stories to the Guardian's Luke Harding, who helped promote the dossier and even wrote a book called "Collusion". It was all a set up.<br />
<br />
The question now is how much more Trump will reveal to the public, and when. No doubt he wants to take down enemies like former FBI Directors James Comey and Andrew McCabe, but surely he won't want to critically damage public confidence in the FBI and CIA. All the senior FBI staff that worked for McCabe have already resigned or been fired.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6nnXYSsR4BaTTl4aKacRHvjgaQLp1qy8x-mzhXDWXEL0tHs_YDTRXqWQIfPUeKdWEasxFqqsCU3YXbEgzYBRmZyp4QF9HPpXUz8gJa8GxrISRYij8RJ9o0VJhhUFd5K_fa-xMjjnbvo/s1600/strzok.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="625" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK6nnXYSsR4BaTTl4aKacRHvjgaQLp1qy8x-mzhXDWXEL0tHs_YDTRXqWQIfPUeKdWEasxFqqsCU3YXbEgzYBRmZyp4QF9HPpXUz8gJa8GxrISRYij8RJ9o0VJhhUFd5K_fa-xMjjnbvo/s400/strzok.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Who will go to jail? Will Trump personally implicate fellow elites like "Crooked" Hillary Clinton or make sure only low-level staffers face charges?
Will Trump make backroom deals to keep some things secret, in exchange for... well, what? What would the Democrats and others give him to protect their own reputations?
And given the very real threat presented by Trump's dangerous brand of racist Fascism, how would any such secret bargains be helpful to anyone else?<br />
<br />
Will others in the Republican Party allow Trump to make such secret deals, or will they demand transparency? It's worth noting that Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who fought Trump for the GOP nomination, was also mentioned by journalist Sy Hersh as one of the people who "started that group with Simpson". Will Trump protect people in his own party?<br />
<br />
No doubt Trump will want to expose the "fake news" media outlets who lead the Russiagate narrative - especially CNN, NBC, and Jeff Bezos' Washington Post. But he probably won't want to let Julian Assange and WikiLeaks off the hook while his Department of Justice is still determined to prosecute them. Current US charges against Assange relate entirely to 2010 revelations, not the 2016 US elections. Bill Binney and others have forensically <a href="https://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-killed-seth-rich-story.html">proven</a> that WikiLeaks 2016 revelations were the result of leaks, not hacks, and allegations of Russian collusion via Guccifer 2.0 are farcically incorrect. It's hard to see how Trump can expose the entire Russiagate fraud and absolve himself without also exposing these lies. But it's easy to see how the both sides of US media (Murdoch's Fox News being the right-wing counterpoint) might ignore evidence of Assange's innocence as much as possible.<br />
<br />
What about timing? Will Trump release everything Barr discovers now, or hold some information up his sleeve for the 2020 election?<br />
<br />
There may also be an element of self-preservation in Trump's decision making. Some of the people involved in plotting his downfall are extremely powerful psychopaths who would happily seek revenge by any means possible. We all know what happened to John F. Kennedy.<br />
<br />
By the way, I'm also expecting the lawsuit from Ed Butowsky to be settled out of court, with large financial sums changing hands in exchange for non-disclosure agreements. We'll almost certainly never know <a href="https://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2019/08/who-killed-seth-rich-story.html">who killed Seth Rich</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg3kmwKxQq5Yr_ZtBt2t4w6jCzec2eu5Qq3YHEWbNTbA7GcRuwvQrycf7ERtuTFMJKq5V4goYwFhffkOkOVP4OCTGY_0xkbvSs7WBqP00_0y00rbMEJv6qshe8mrSfJVBmcHnDeiQWxs/s1600/newstruth.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg3kmwKxQq5Yr_ZtBt2t4w6jCzec2eu5Qq3YHEWbNTbA7GcRuwvQrycf7ERtuTFMJKq5V4goYwFhffkOkOVP4OCTGY_0xkbvSs7WBqP00_0y00rbMEJv6qshe8mrSfJVBmcHnDeiQWxs/s400/newstruth.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Bottom line: expect Trump to win again in 2020, and it will all be the Democrats' fault. If Barr's exposures make it impossible to keep ignoring the Clinton DNC corruption exposed by WikiLeaks, or maybe after the Democrats get hammered again next year, perhaps they will finally unite behind someone progressive and implement genuine reform. But don't hold your breath.<br />
<br />
The Russiagate scandal is a dangerous example of partisan US politics gone crazy. Worse yet, it exposes how partisan US politics has infested the global media, international intelligence agencies, and the politics of US allies such as Britain and Australia.
The hard truth is that partisan politics now infects every Western intelligence agency and every newsroom. Media on "both sides" betray us all. The Democrats suck. Trump sucks. Putin sucks. China sucks.
We will be told only what they want us to know, for their own advantage, and nothing more.<br />
<br />
This is exactly why we need WikiLeaks.<br />
<br />
END<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-35591302207270824162019-08-05T16:48:00.003-07:002019-08-08T20:01:34.242-07:00How The USA Invaded Australia<br />
<br />
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<section class="section section--body" name="c7a3"><div class="section-divider">
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="7f40"><img class="graf-image" data-height="800" data-image-id="1*aHgkwmghGb0pbiVZcrV2bw.jpeg" data-width="1280" height="250" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*aHgkwmghGb0pbiVZcrV2bw.jpeg" width="400" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">The US military spy base Pine Gap is located about 20 kms from Alice Springs in Australia’s outback.</figcaption></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8650">
We don’t talk about <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Gap" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Gap" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pine Gap</a> any more. Or <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Communication_Station_Harold_E._Holt" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Communication_Station_Harold_E._Holt" rel="noopener" target="_blank">North West Cape</a>, or any other US military spy bases in Australia. Forty years since the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-forgotten-coup-how-america-and-britain-crushed-the-government-of-their-ally-australia" href="http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-forgotten-coup-how-america-and-britain-crushed-the-government-of-their-ally-australia" rel="noopener" target="_blank">overthrow</a> of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Australians still don’t even want to <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/16/asio-chief-defied-gough-whitlams-order-cut-ties-cia-1974" href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/16/asio-chief-defied-gough-whitlams-order-cut-ties-cia-1974" rel="noopener" target="_blank">admit</a> that the CIA was <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M7iDLEY5Ss" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M7iDLEY5Ss" rel="noopener" target="_blank">involved</a>. Meanwhile, Pine Gap has <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/pine-gap-drives-us-drone-kills-20130720-2qbsa.html" href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/pine-gap-drives-us-drone-kills-20130720-2qbsa.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">morphed</a> into an integral part of the US drones program, which regularly <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/a-visual-glossary/" href="https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/a-visual-glossary/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">kills innocent people</a> in countries we will never visit. Such wanton destruction terrifies and alienates local populations, increases the likelihood that their support will turn to terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and makes a mockery of our stated National Security goals. It’s time Australia parted company with Team USA’s military madness, and closed all US bases on Australian soil.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="7dd4">
But is that even possible now?</div>
</div>
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</section><section class="section section--body" name="648a"><div class="section-divider">
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<div class="section-content">
<div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5d0b">
As Edward Snowden revealed, US intelligence bases like Pine Gap now help triangulate positions for US military drone targets around the world. And a new anonymous whistle-blower, who worked within the US drones program for years, has told <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/a-visual-glossary/" href="https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/a-visual-glossary/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Intercept</a> that up to 88% of people killed in US drone airstrikes are not the actual target. In fact, the chances of hitting the target are so low that successful strikes are called “jackpots”. To keep civilian casualty statistics low, the US military <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/manhunting-in-the-hindu-kush/" href="https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/manhunting-in-the-hindu-kush/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">designates</a> any victims in the immediate vicinity of their targets as “enemy killed in action”. But there’s no reason for Australians to tolerate such semantic games: whatever the actual statistics, there’s no denying that bases like Pine Gap are now being used to kill innocent civilians.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="6b0c">
This is certainly not the stated purpose for which Pine Gap was built.</div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="e811"><img class="graf-image" data-height="500" data-image-id="1*p0O3B0utz3s3SM9eyumOTw.png" data-width="865" height="231" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*p0O3B0utz3s3SM9eyumOTw.png" width="400" /></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="bd4f">
Until 1988, the sprawling base 20km from Alice Springs, in the very heart of Australia’s outback, was officially named the “Joint Defence Space Research Facility”. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://wlcentral.org/node/2784" href="http://wlcentral.org/node/2784" rel="noopener" target="_blank">insisted</a> that his 1976 decision to renew the USA’s original 10-year lease at Pine Gap was driven by the need to detect Soviet missile launches during the Cold War. Even Whitlam argued that Pine Gap was “not part of some weapons system”. A decade later, Australian Labor Party leader Bill Hayden used the exact same words to allay continuing public concerns. But if that was true back then, it is certainly not true any longer: Pine Gap now helps target and kill people on a daily basis.</div>
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<div class="graf graf--p" name="7344">
Of course, Pine Gap also contributes significantly to a US National Security Agency collection program code-named ‘’<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XKeyscore" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XKeyscore" rel="noopener" target="_blank">X-Keyscore’</a>’, which provides the NSA with almost unlimited surveillance of anyone anywhere in the world. So ironically, the Australian politicians who should be making the decision to close Pine Gap are themselves being spied on by the USA — via Pine Gap! Little wonder the Australian major parties are now so pathetically weak and compromised, and always so eager to tow the US line. It’s doubtful they would be able to close Pine Gap even if they wanted.</div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="b844"><img class="graf-image" data-height="356" data-image-id="1*rbZ4OWN1h_a9dYIX_jbPkw.png" data-width="464" height="306" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*rbZ4OWN1h_a9dYIX_jbPkw.png" width="400" /></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="ffbd">
So how did it come to this? Evidence suggests that Whitlam became increasingly concerned about bases like Pine Gap and the CIA’s role in Australia, even if some of his comments on the subject were clearly disingenuous. After becoming Prime Minister in 1973, he issued public criticism to placate the left wing of his party, while privately assuring the US there was nothing to worry about. But more disturbing details kept emerging. Whitlam became the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://knlive.ctvnews.ca/mobile/the-knlive-hub/canada-s-role-in-secret-intelligence-alliance-five-eyes-1.1489170" href="http://knlive.ctvnews.ca/mobile/the-knlive-hub/canada-s-role-in-secret-intelligence-alliance-five-eyes-1.1489170" rel="noopener" target="_blank">first Australian PM</a> to even know about the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Five Eyes</a> intelligence alliance (between Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and USA), which emerged from the secret WWII <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UKUSA_Agreement" rel="noopener" target="_blank">UKUSA Agreement</a> between UK and US spy agencies. When Whitlam <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.sbs.com.au/theother911/" href="http://www.sbs.com.au/theother911/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">discovered</a> that Australian intelligence personnel were working as proxies of the CIA in destabilising the Allende government in Chile, he angrily ordered them home. At least some of the spies ignored him. Whitlam later ordered the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Security_Intelligence_Organisation" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Security_Intelligence_Organisation" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="Australian Security Intelligence Organisation">Australian Security Intelligence Organisation</a> to terminate all communications with the CIA. But again, ASIO chief Peter Barbour <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/16/asio-chief-defied-gough-whitlams-order-cut-ties-cia-1974" href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/oct/16/asio-chief-defied-gough-whitlams-order-cut-ties-cia-1974" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ignored</a> the PM’s order.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="228e">
<b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Is this why Whitlam was removed as Prime Minister by Governor General Sir John Kerr on November 11th, 1975?</b></div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="8e69"><img class="graf-image" data-height="496" data-image-id="1*025xfLPO8vc0uWfjLUPJnQ.jpeg" data-width="412" height="400" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*025xfLPO8vc0uWfjLUPJnQ.jpeg" width="332" /></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="13e7">
Australians recently learned that the issue of government supply - which was always cited as the critical reason why the Queen’s Governor General was “forced” to remove Whitlam - was <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/new-revelations-about-the-dismissal-continue-to-emerge-after-40-years-20151023-gkhb1a.html" href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/new-revelations-about-the-dismissal-continue-to-emerge-after-40-years-20151023-gkhb1a.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">just a ruse</a>. Kerr had already decided to remove the PM at least a week earlier, and Malcolm Fraser agreed to the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QqQIoADABahUKEwjw0Ze39ffIAhXmxqYKHYnFAUw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnational-affairs%2Fmalcolm-fraser-delivers-proof-john-kerr-lied-over-the-dismissal%2Fstory-fn59niix-1227596628557%3Fsv%3D2431aaa4ed6dc5f78af70d86a9d76858&usg=AFQjCNFEMgYCNizKVFfcIMrg793vuIqqyg" href="https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QqQIoADABahUKEwjw0Ze39ffIAhXmxqYKHYnFAUw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnational-affairs%2Fmalcolm-fraser-delivers-proof-john-kerr-lied-over-the-dismissal%2Fstory-fn59niix-1227596628557%3Fsv%3D2431aaa4ed6dc5f78af70d86a9d76858&usg=AFQjCNFEMgYCNizKVFfcIMrg793vuIqqyg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">conditions</a> he demanded before the deed was done.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="03b0">
But Australian journos today are conveniently forgetting what we learned from rogue US defense contractor <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_John_Boyce" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_John_Boyce" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Christopher Boyce</a>: Sir John Kerr, who had been an <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerr_%28governor-general%29" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerr_%28governor-general%29" rel="noopener" target="_blank">executive board member</a> of the CIA-founded Association For Cultural Freedom for the previous 20 years, was <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_John_Boyce" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_John_Boyce" rel="noopener" target="_blank">referred to</a> by the CIA as “our man Kerr” and “an asset”.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="71fb">
<b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">Was the CIA behind Gough Whitlam’s dismissal? Of course they were.</b></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8c5e">
Two years after The Dismissal, US Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher visited Whitlam in Australia and promised that the United States would “never again” interfere with Australian politics.</div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="2fc6"><img class="graf-image" data-height="642" data-image-id="1*2Iz6eprGXC9sv259E-J_Lw.png" data-width="465" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*2Iz6eprGXC9sv259E-J_Lw.png" /></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="39b6">
Of course that was another lie. The truth is that the CIA has <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/lessons-of-history-cia-in-australia.html" href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/lessons-of-history-cia-in-australia.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a long history</a> of interfering in Australian politics.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="414b">
There used to be <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://australianmap.net/pine-gap/" href="http://australianmap.net/pine-gap/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">protests</a>. But our status as a US client state has become almost completely normalised. Australian troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though no politicians can adequately explain why. Australian award-winning journalist <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://justice4assange.com" href="https://justice4assange.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Julian Assange</a>, who embarrassed the US government with WikiLeaks publications, has been <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://ozwikiwatch.blogspot.com" href="http://ozwikiwatch.blogspot.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">abandoned</a> for nearly five years. Our citizens are even <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hicks" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hicks" rel="noopener" target="_blank">tortured</a> in Guantanamo Bay or <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamdouh_Habib" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamdouh_Habib" rel="noopener" target="_blank">rendered</a> for torture by the CIA and the government in Canberra does nothing to help them, unless protestors create enough embarrassment. Meanwhile, the United States has opened a new base for <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://nautilus.org/briefing-books/australian-defence-facilities/us-marine-rotational-force-darwin/" href="http://nautilus.org/briefing-books/australian-defence-facilities/us-marine-rotational-force-darwin/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">US Marines near Darwin</a>, which will continue expanding as part of President Obama’s Pivot To Asia, and has even <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://newmatilda.com/2015/10/24/troubled-waters-locals-fear-mysterious-tiwi-islands-port-is-being-eyed-off-by-the-united-states-military/" href="https://newmatilda.com/2015/10/24/troubled-waters-locals-fear-mysterious-tiwi-islands-port-is-being-eyed-off-by-the-united-states-military/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">begun constructing</a> a secret new <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-13/us-considering-permanent-naval-base-darwin-china-not-happy/6090884" href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-13/us-considering-permanent-naval-base-darwin-china-not-happy/6090884" rel="noopener" target="_blank">US Navy base</a> nearby.</div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="dfff"><img class="graf-image" data-height="332" data-image-id="1*9mYCHV9nzZBnAO8Q8EMtFA.jpeg" data-width="424" height="313" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*9mYCHV9nzZBnAO8Q8EMtFA.jpeg" width="400" /><figcaption class="imageCaption">CIA’s James Angleton on the ASIO office raid by Whitlam’s Attorney General Lionel Murphy.</figcaption></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="f242">
So did Australia lose our sovereignty when Whitlam was dismissed in 1975? No, we were never really a sovereign nation anyway. The truth is that Australia was an obedient British colony until World War Two, and now we are just another obedient US Client State. Even Whitlam’s ministers used to curry favour with gossip at the US Embassy. And even then, the USA was monitoring communications of Australian officials via Pine Gap’s <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquacade_%28satellite%29" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquacade_%28satellite%29" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Rhyolite</a> satellite.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="b100">
<b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">How can we ever have sovereignty without privacy?</b></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="3b8f">
Like the rest of the Five Eyes nations, we are in thrall to the US <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y06NSBBRtY" rel="noopener" target="_blank">military-industrial complex</a>’s global military madness. Other lackey governments like Sweden, Ukraine and Japan are also under the spell. Even Washington D.C. itself, as a recent biography of CIA founder Allen Welsh Dulles <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="https://theintercept.com/2015/11/02/the-deepest-state-the-safari-club-allen-dulles-and-the-devils-chessboard/" href="https://theintercept.com/2015/11/02/the-deepest-state-the-safari-club-allen-dulles-and-the-devils-chessboard/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">makes clear</a>, is under the control of the Deep State.</div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="0314"><img class="graf-image" data-height="376" data-image-id="1*cm43vwNFVSfuSYFotO4YNg.png" data-width="561" height="268" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*cm43vwNFVSfuSYFotO4YNg.png" width="400" /></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="8803">
<b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">So perhaps the real question is not who controls Australia, but who controls the Deep State?</b></div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="de44">
As they say, follow the money. Whitlam was overthrown because the CIA thought he threatened the United States “National Interest”, a vague and endlessly malleable term which has slowly expanded from Cold War anti-Communism to globalized Neoliberalism Fascism.</div>
<div class="graf graf--p" name="5f10">
Even Pine Gap is now <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" data-href="http://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/the-corporatisation-of-pine-gap/" href="http://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/the-corporatisation-of-pine-gap/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">run by US corporations</a>.</div>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="e891"><img class="graf-image" data-height="835" data-image-id="1*VubNnupHSrGd55I-0s85Wg.jpeg" data-width="599" height="400" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*VubNnupHSrGd55I-0s85Wg.jpeg" width="286" /></figure><br />
<div class="graf graf--p" name="feb6">
<b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">UPDATES:</b></div>
<ol class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li" name="a8e8">Latest evidence suggests that when Fraser started blocking supply on October 15, 1975, he knew how the CIA/Kerr plan would unfold. In London, the Palace was <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://theconversation.com/archive-records-shed-new-light-on-uk-role-in-whitlams-dismissal-49885" href="https://theconversation.com/archive-records-shed-new-light-on-uk-role-in-whitlams-dismissal-49885" rel="noopener" target="_blank">informed</a> as early as August: the Queen gave the nod but made it clear that she did not want to be publicly associated. In the final weeks, Fraser ordered wavering Liberal MPs to <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.afr.com/news/politics/afr10featuresgraphic--20151110-gkvd2c?&utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=nc&eid=socialn:twi-14omn0055-optim-nnn:nonpaid-27062014-social_traffic-all-organicpost-nnn-afr-o&campaign_code=nocode&promote_channel=social_twitter" href="http://www.afr.com/news/politics/afr10featuresgraphic--20151110-gkvd2c?&utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=nc&eid=socialn:twi-14omn0055-optim-nnn:nonpaid-27062014-social_traffic-all-organicpost-nnn-afr-o&campaign_code=nocode&promote_channel=social_twitter" rel="noopener" target="_blank">burn copies of an internal memo</a> questioning his supply-blocking tactics.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="33ca">For an excellent overview of the Whitlam Dismissal, including CIA involvement and latest revelations, see <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://danielmathews.info/blog/2015/11/forty-years-on/" href="http://danielmathews.info/blog/2015/11/forty-years-on/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">this blog post</a> by Dan Mathews. As Dan notes, it is no longer possible to accept Kerr’s self defence at face value. Even Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull has agreed that Kerr should have confronted Whitlam with his concerns rather than working behind his back. Kerr wrote in his diary that Whitlam “was not entitled to know… my thinking… because he was not open to reason”. In fact Kerr was the one blind to reason.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="1098">The ALP has now <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.pennywong.com.au/media-releases/senate-motion-on-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-dismissal-of-the-whitlam-government/" href="http://www.pennywong.com.au/media-releases/senate-motion-on-the-40th-anniversary-of-the-dismissal-of-the-whitlam-government/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">supported</a> PM Turnbull’s call for release of secret documentation about the Dismissal. But not the CIA stuff, of course, or Whitlam’s meetings with Kissinger — just the communications between Canberra and London (note that Turnbull is a Republican). On the 40th anniversary of the Dismissal, ALP leader Bill Shorten avoided further comment by arguing: “I was only 8 at the time.”</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="e237">Journalist Brian Toohey <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.afr.com/news/policy/defence/arthur-tange-and-gough-whitlam-spy-mystery-was-there-a-crucial-information-gap-20151102-gkoofp" href="http://www.afr.com/news/policy/defence/arthur-tange-and-gough-whitlam-spy-mystery-was-there-a-crucial-information-gap-20151102-gkoofp" rel="noopener" target="_blank">provides full details</a> of how Whitlam was about to expose the CIA’s role at Pine Gap, and CIA funding for the Coalition parties, on the afternoon of the Dismissal. Richard Stallings, the CIA agent in charge of Pine Gap, was living in a Canberra house owned by the leader of the Country Party (part of the Liberal Coalition). It’s now clear that the head of the Australian Defence Department was also keeping secrets from Whitlam.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="8233">The US Consul-General in Melbourne advised the State Department that News Corporation chief Rupert Murdoch had <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/murdoch-editors-told-to-kill-whitlam-in-1975-20140627-zson7.html#ixzz3rFxeSEJV" href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/murdoch-editors-told-to-kill-whitlam-in-1975-20140627-zson7.html#ixzz3rFxeSEJV" rel="noopener" target="_blank">directed</a> his editors to “kill Whitlam” some ten months before the Dismissal. Murdoch’s papers played a key role in spreading lies, particularly in the election that followed the Dismissal. In November, 1974, US Ambassador Marshall Green reported to Washington that Murdoch privately predicted that “Australian elections are likely to take place in about one year, sparked by refusal of appropriations in the Senate”.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="9785">Whitlam’s <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://November%2011," href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="noopener" target="_blank">appearance</a> at the National Press Club on November 11th, 1985: <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mtPk_Deb-c&feature=youtu.be" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mtPk_Deb-c&feature=youtu.be" rel="noopener" target="_blank">youtube</a>.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="13f8">A <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1977CANBER06245_c.html%C2%A0…" href="https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1977CANBER06245_c.html%C2%A0%E2%80%A6" rel="noopener" target="_blank">1977 US cable via Wikileaks</a> shows that the Fraser govt terminated a Sydney Lawyer’s private prosecution of Whitlam for fear of revealing national secrets. Nothing to hide?</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="67bc">Also recommended: Green Left Weekly <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/60590" href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/60590" rel="noopener" target="_blank">summary</a> of events.</li>
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<div class="graf graf--p" name="8c6a">
<b class="markup--strong markup--p-strong">NOTES:</b></div>
<ol class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li" name="2772">As Christopher Boyce revealed, the CIA was also infiltrating Australian Unions: Oxford graduate <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hawke" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hawke" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bob Hawke</a> spent a decade as president of the Australian Council of Trades Union. Three Americans involved in supporting Bob Hawke’s campaign for Presidency of the ACTU all <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/lessons-of-history-cia-in-australia.html" href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/lessons-of-history-cia-in-australia.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">worked</a> for the CIA. WikiLeaks cables show Hawke was a frequent US Embassy information source before he became a very US-friendly Prime Minister whose government opened Australia’s financial regulatory system to global markets. Whitlam <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-real-word-about-whitlam-20130408-2hh5k.html" href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-real-word-about-whitlam-20130408-2hh5k.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">described</a> Hawke as ‘a pro-Israeli fanatic’.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="edc9">In a new “Official History” of ASIO, author John Blaxland <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/asio-on-the-brink-the-story-behind-the-dismissal-told-by-its-own-documents-20151012-gk72fq" href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/asio-on-the-brink-the-story-behind-the-dismissal-told-by-its-own-documents-20151012-gk72fq" rel="noopener" target="_blank">claims</a> that ASIO chief Peter Barbour “revealed a surprising level of courage and inner strength” when he ignored Whitlam’s order to cease communicating with the CIA. Others might call it treason. Blaxland’s book has been <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/asio-facts-dont-always-conform-to-reality-20151020-gkddnk.html" href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/asio-facts-dont-always-conform-to-reality-20151020-gkddnk.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">criticized</a> as deliberately misleading and even, in some places, plainly false.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="7e79">Comic Aussie TV media <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lJaWcAYrE4" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lJaWcAYrE4" rel="noopener" target="_blank">claiming</a> US cables “dispel long-held notions that the USA played a role in Whitlam’s dismissal”. Nothing to back that up.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="8917">A 1973 US <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1973CANBER06656_b.html#efmAumDeb" href="https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1973CANBER06656_b.html#efmAumDeb" rel="noopener" target="_blank">cable</a> (2 years before Whitlam’s dismissal) lauded his “POSITIVE PERFORMANCE IN PROTECTING OUR KEY DEFENSE INSTALLATIONS IN AUSTRALIA AGAINST LEFT-WING PRESSURE.” Later cables were somewhat less delighted. Whitlam’s private meetings with Henry Kissinger remain <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" data-href="https://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/P820125-0398_b.html" href="https://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/P820125-0398_b.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">classified</a>.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li" name="e420">When Henry Kissinger put the US military on nuclear alert in 1973, orders were relayed through bases like West Australia’s North West Cape (<i class="markup--em markup--li-em">image below: the base is officially named after Australian PM Harold Holt, who mysteriously drowned in 1967</i>). But the Australian government was not told about the alert till after it was canceled. US bases make Australia a military target, but the US government is not overly concerned about Australians’ safety.</li>
</ol>
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<figure class="graf graf--figure" name="8c11"><img class="graf-image" data-height="620" data-image-id="1*7vZrhilvb_LswA2FqlE8yQ.png" data-width="1181" height="209" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*7vZrhilvb_LswA2FqlE8yQ.png" width="400" /></figure></div>
</div>
</section><section class="section section--body" name="e874"><div class="section-divider">
<hr class="section-divider" />
</div>
<div class="section-content">
<div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
<div class="graf graf--p" name="758d">
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, or via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a>.<br />
<br />
Thank you.
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-75422974604111763102019-08-01T18:03:00.000-07:002019-08-08T19:58:19.207-07:00WHO KILLED (THE) SETH RICH (STORY)?<b>UPDATE: Joe Lauria went to NZ "a few months ago" (before the Mueller
report came out) and recorded a 4 hour interview with @KimDotcom. Three
segments can now be heard on Consortium News <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=Tm-Vt8RDJEk">here</a> at 46 mins, 1:14 mins and 1:39 mins. I
transcribed the main bits from the first part, and pretty much
everything in parts two and three. They are added at the end of this post. </b><br />
<br />
We're not supposed to talk about Seth Rich any more. Even though his murder remains unsolved. Even though there's still no firm proof he WAS or WAS NOT a WikiLeaks source. Following a pathetic "myth busting" podcast series by Michael Isikoff called "<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-the-true-origins-of-the-seth-rich-conspiracy-a-yahoo-news-investigation-100000831.html" target="_blank">Conspiracyland</a>", it seems The Powers That Be have declared that any further discussion of the Seth Rich case is <i>verboten</i>. So of course I am wading in.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://medium.com/">Medium.com</a> has been <a href="https://medium.com/search?q=seth%20rich" target="_blank">leading</a> the censorship charge, deleting all but two stories that mention Seth Rich. <a href="https://twitter.com/caitoz/status/1150952865088675840?s=20" target="_blank">Caitlin Johnstone</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/caitoz">@caitoz</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYqz23PvkZQ" target="_blank">others</a> have had stories from years ago removed without explanation. Meanwhile Wikipedia pages (too often edited by vested interests) have become so <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/6cne3j/these_archived_seth_rich_wikipedia_entries_show/" target="_blank">strident</a> about "conspiracy theories" that they are now <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Seth_Rich" target="_blank">almost comical</a>. <br />
<br />
Now isn't that strange? It reminds me of a favourite <a href="https://www.e-flux.com/journal/25/67875/in-conversation-with-julian-assange-part-i/" target="_blank">quote</a> from Julian Assange, explaining his original concept for WikiLeaks: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It was an epiphany to see the signal of censorship to always be an opportunity, to see that when organizations or governments of various kinds attempt to contain knowledge and suppress it, they are giving you the most important information you need to know: that there is something worth looking at — to see if it should be exposed — and that censorship expresses weakness, not strength.” </blockquote>
So what's the "opportunity" here? What "weakness" are they trying to hide by censoring discussion of Seth Rich? In the wake of the <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1154033949867413504?s=20">fizzed-out</a> Mueller inquiry, it seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? If Seth Rich really WAS a WikiLeaks source, then those endless US Deep State claims that Assange colluded with Russia are blown right out of the water. <br />
<br />
Of course, WikiLeaks likely had TWO SOURCES for the #DNCleaks and #PodestaEmails. And Seth Rich may or may not have been one of them. But either way, there's still no conclusive publicly-available evidence that the data obtained by WikiLeaks was hacked, rather than leaked - which probably explains why all the US charges against Assange are related to WikiLeaks 2010 revelations, not the 2016 US election.<br />
<br />
The US Department of Justice clearly doesn't want to defend those flimsy Russiagate allegations in court. Especially after the frivolous DNC Russiagate lawsuit just got <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/dnc-loses-racketeering-suit-over-2016-election-hack/" target="_blank">thrown out</a>. <br />
<br />
Which brings us to Ed Butowsky. <br />
<br />
Ed Butowsky is a "wealth manager" and former Fox Business Network commentator from Dallas, Texas. He's not especially likeable. He secretly records strangers' phone calls, throws old friends under the bus, and has no problem with Trump's brand of Fascism. But he has a very interesting court case in the works, and it might put these Russiagate claims - and the official Seth Rich "botched robbery" narrative - under intense scrutiny. <br />
<br />
Furthermore, Butowsky's lawsuit is set to align with Trump's push-back against the Mueller "witch-hunt", with US Attorney General William Barr due to release a review into how the 2016 Trump campaign's ties to Russia were investigated. In late May 2019 Trump declassified "potentially millions of pages of intelligence documents related to surveillance activities on his campaign" and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/australia-in-trump-s-sights-for-russia-hoax-investigation-20190525-p51r28.html" target="_blank">said</a> Barr would have "full and complete authority" to examine them. <br />
<br />
We'll take a detailed look at Butoswki's court claims below. But first let's look at the main players, in more or less chronological order. <br />
<br />
* <br />
<br />
<b>1. Seth Rich</b><br />
<br />
Seth Rich was a young Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffer who was shot twice outside his Washington, D.C. home, at around 4:00 am on July 10, 2016. He died in hospital less than two hours later. His two assailants, who were caught on a grainy video from a nearby grocery mart, hurriedly left the scene without taking his wallet, phone, keys, watch or a necklace worth about $2,000.<br />
<br />
According to <a href="https://archive.is/qhvkv">FOX News</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
"Rich had been at Lou’s City Bar a couple of miles from his home until about 1:15 a.m. He walked home, calling several people along the way. He called his father, Joel Rich, who he missed because he had gone to sleep. He talked with a fraternity brother and his girlfriend, Kelsey Mulka.<br />
<br />
Around 4:17 a.m., Rich was about a block from his home when Mulka, still on the phone with him, heard voices in the background. Rich reassured her that he was steps away from being at his front door and hung up. Two minutes later, Rich was shot twice. Police were on the scene within three minutes. Rich sustained bruising on his hands and face." </blockquote>
<br />
<b>2. Julian Assange </b><br />
<br />
Shortly after Seth Rich was murdered, WikiLeaks offered a $20,000 reward to help find his killer. Julian Assange told Dutch TV: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Whistleblowers go to significant efforts to get us material, often very significant risks. There’s a 27-year-old that works for the DNC who was shot in the back, murdered, just two weeks ago, for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington." </blockquote>
Are you saying Seth Rich was your source? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I am suggesting that our sources take risks and they become concerned to see things occurring like that." </blockquote>
These comments were widely interpreted as suggesting that Seth Rich was a WikiLeaks source. Assange has never confirmed or denied that. Given how WikiLeaks encourages whistle-blowers to protect their own anonymity, it's possible he may not even know. <br />
<br />
<b>3. Ed Butowsky </b><br />
<br />
Ed Butowsky claims he contacted Joel and Mary Rich, the parents of Seth Rich, on December 17, 2016. He said he had a message for them from Julian Assange, which he had received from a mutual friend, Ellen Ratner, who was the sister of Assange's long-time lawyer (now deceased) Michael Ratner. That message was that Seth Rich had been a WikiLeaks source for the DNC leaks. <br />
<br />
According to Butowsky's lawyer: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
During that conversation, Mr. Rich told Mr. Butowsky that he already knew that his sons were involved in the DNC email leak, but he and his wife just wanted to know who murdered Seth. Mr. Rich said he was reluctant to go public with Seth’s and Aaron’s role in leaking the emails because “we don’t want anyone to think our sons were responsible for getting Trump elected."</blockquote>
Notice that Mr Rich *<b>allegedly</b> said that both his sons were involved, whereas the *<b>alleged</b> message from Assange only mentioned Seth. This could be important! But more about that later. <br />
<br />
Also note that two years ago Ed Butowsky told CNN a somewhat <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/videos/cnnmoney/2017/08/02/butowsky-fox-news-seth-rich-cuomo-intv-ctn-full-interview.cnn" target="_blank">different</a> story (see 15:30 mins) about how Seth Rich's parents had reacted to his message:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I said: I heard something about WikiLeaks. They said to me: you know what? We don't believe you. I said: fine." </blockquote>
Also worth noting from that old video: Butowsky was able to arrange a meeting with Trump's former Press Secretary Sean Spicer with just one phone call. <br />
<br />
<b>4. Ellen Ratner </b><br />
<br />
Ellen Ratner has reportedly denied passing such a message to Butowsky but she was filmed in a November 9th, 2016 <a href="https://youtu.be/0M3Z4eE6cJA" target="_blank">clip</a> saying she had met with Julian Assange for 3 hours the prior Saturday: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"He said the leaks were not from the Russians. THEY WERE FROM AN INTERNAL SOURCE FROM THE HILLARY CAMPAIGN OR FROM SOMEONE WHO KNEW HILLARY, AN ENEMY. He does not think they're from Russians. Russia got credit for something WikiLeaks should have got credit for." </blockquote>
Now you can re-read that quote a few times and reasonably imagine the second sentence is just Ratner's opinion, drawing her own conclusions about "an internal source" from what Julian has repeatedly said: it wasn't the Russians. Or you could assume it's all coming from Julian. Whatever. <br />
<br />
Anyway, Butowsky says he told Isikoff in confidence about the message he got from Ratner, then Isikoff asked Ratner about it, and Ratner denied saying it. So then Butowsky was angry at Isikoff for betraying his confidence, but also angry at Ratner for denying it. Which is when, he says, he decided to tell everything. According to Ed Butowsky, he's just an unlucky chump who tried to help out the Rich family and has ended up in a convoluted mess. <br />
<br />
<b>5. Rod Wheeler </b><br />
<br />
Butowsky says he offered to provide the Rich family with a private detective to help them find out who killed their son. The guy he hired was Rod Wheeler, a former homicide detective with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. Rod Wheeler has also worked at Fox News (from 2002).<br />
<br />
Wheeler made some explosive claims about the Seth Rich case in May 2017, then back-tracked and <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiakoerner/the-private-detective-who-ignited-a-clinton-conspiracy#.byGjZoOr4" target="_blank">denied</a> them. His original claims were reported by Malia Zimmerman of Fox News. Fox later deleted their story and then <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/statement-on-coverage-of-seth-rich-murder-investigation">apologized</a> for sloppy reporting. You can still read an archived version of their deleted story <a href="https://archive.is/tLllD" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Malia Zimmerman also deleted a bunch of tweets after <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/online/fox-news-reporter-who-wrote-retracted-seth-rich-story-still-pursuing-the-conspiracy-on-twitter/">complaints</a> by
CNN's Oliver Darcy <a href="https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy">@oliverdarcy</a>.<br />
<br />
Specifically, the deleted Fox story featured this quote from Wheeler: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“My investigation up to this point shows there was some degree of email exchange between Seth Rich and Wikileaks. I do believe that the answers to who murdered Seth Rich sits on his computer on a shelf at the DC police or FBI headquarters.”</blockquote>
<br />
Wheeler <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/rod-wheeler-seth-rich-murder-fox-news-lawsuit-2017-8?op=1&r=US&IR=T" target="_blank">sued</a> Fox in for misquoting him but later dropped the case. <br />
<br />
The deleted Fox story also cited an anonymous federal investigator:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A federal investigator who reviewed an FBI forensic report detailing the contents of DNC staffer Seth Rich’s computer generated within 96 hours after his murder, said Rich made contact with WikiLeaks through Gavin MacFadyen, a now-deceased American investigative reporter, documentary filmmaker, and director of WikiLeaks who was living in London at the time.<br />
<br />
“I have seen and read the emails between Seth Rich and Wikileaks,” the federal investigator told Fox News, confirming the MacFadyen connection. He said the emails are in possession of the FBI, while the stalled case is in the hands of the Washington Police Department.<br />
<br />
The federal investigator, who requested anonymity, said 44,053 emails and 17,761 attachments between Democratic National Committee leaders, spanning from January 2015 through late May 2016, were transferred from Rich to MacFadyen before May 21. </blockquote>
Following Rod Wheeler's turn-around, a website called <a href="http://debunkingrodwheelersclaims.net/">DebunkingRodWheelersClaims.net</a> was set up with a load of content allegedly from him. These include claims that the family of Seth Rich only wanted Wheeler searching for the murderer(s) and Seth's brother Aaron specifically and repeatedly told Wheeler to forget about Seth's computer, phone records, work problems or other potential investigation leads. Presumably much of this website's contents will be used in Ed Butowsky's lawsuit. <br />
<br />
The website also includes an October 4 2018 <a href="http://debunkingrodwheelersclaims.net/letter-from-nsa/">letter from the NSA</a> to Butowsky's lawyer, responding to a FOIA request for information about the Seth Rich case. The NSA declines to provide information on "national security" grounds and states that requested documents are classified SECRET and TOP SECRET by Executive Order 13526. <br />
<br />
<b>Now why would a "botched murder" on a Washington street be classified TOP SECRET? And how does Seth Rich's murder affect "national security"?</b><br />
<br />
<b>7. Sy Hersh </b><br />
<br />
Ed Butowsky says he talked to veteran investigative reporter Seymour "Sy" Hersh "five days after Trump's inauguration" (which would be January 25 2017). A friend named Larry put them in touch and Butowsky recorded at least the first of several phone conversations because Sy Hersh talks too fast for him to make notes. Audio of that conversation was first <a href="https://bigleaguepolitics.com/audio-seymour-hersh-states-seth-rich-wikileaks-source/">published</a> on August 1, 2017. The full audio is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VaQcglmZvY">here</a> and a rush <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/175V-hbF6wmjUmRDC14cDqhLo2jD3Mw5o/view">transcript</a> is here. <br />
<br />
Seymour Hersh clearly states that Seth Rich was a WikiLeaks source and the FBI know that. He says Seth Rich wanted money for his information, which was held in a secure online Dropbox, and warned that others could access the Dropbox "if anything happens to me". <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This is according to the FBI report. What they find is he makes cont- first of all this is what you have to know, you have to know some basic facts, one of the basic factors, in that there’s no DNC or Podesta emails that exist beyond May 22nd. May 21st, May 22nd is the last email from either one of those groups. And so what the reports says is that sometime in late spring, we’re talking June you know summers in June 21st, late spring would be after, I presume, I don’t know, I’d just say late spring, early summer and he makes contact with Wikileaks. That’s in his computer and he makes contact...<br />
<br />
"So, they found what he’d done. He had submitted a series of documents, of emails. Some juicy emails from the DNC... All I know is that he offered a sample, an extensive sample, you know I’m sure dozens of emails and said “I want money”. Then later Wikileaks did get the password, he had a Dropbox, a protected Dropbox, which isn’t hard to do, I mean you don’t have to be a wizard IT, you know, he was certainly not a dumb kid. They got access to the Dropbox. He also, and this is also in the FBI report, he also let people know, with whom he was dealing, and I don’t know how he dealt, I’ll tell you about Wikileaks in a second. I don’t know how he dealt with Wikileaks and the mechanism but he also, the word was passed according to the NSA report, “I’ve also shared this box with a couple of friends so if anything happens to me it’s not going to solve your problem”.</blockquote>
Hersh says he too had communicated with someone at WikiLeaks:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"So the question then is is was there any money in the kid's finances, did suddenly $25,000 show up? I mean I've gone to Assange's people, I know somebody, I don't like Julian but I've gone to somebody who works for him, that was close to him, and once everything was okay we were speaking on Signal as a classified... something the government can't break into, encryption stuff, it's good actually Snowden is on it..."</blockquote>
Hersh explains how he knows about the FBI report into Seth Rich's murder: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have someone on the inside who will go and read a file for me and I know this person is unbelievably accurate and careful. He's a very high-level guy, he'll do a favor."</blockquote>
<br />
Butowsky wants to get his hands on the FBI report but Hersh says that's not feasible because "you never know if there's a marking or a phrase that would trigger who where it came from". However, he says he can get his hands on the warrant, which is "interesting" because "you don't need a warrant if somebody's dead, you only get it if you think there's a roommate". This suggests the FBI may have been interested in other people besides Seth, such as his "friends" who allegedly had access to the Dropbox. <br />
<br />
Butowsky's lawsuit also states: <b>"In a separate phone call with Mr. Butowsky, Mr. Hersh said he obtained his information about Seth Rich from Mr. McCabe, the deputy FBI director."</b><br />
<br />
Andrew McCabe was was in charge of the FBI's Russiagate investigation but was fired two days before he was eligible to retire. He then wrote a book titled "The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump" which states: "The FBI has always been the nemesis of criminals. Today the FBI is under attack by the president of the United States.” Secret text messages between McCabe and Jeremy Fleming, deputy director of Britain's MI5, have recently <a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-31/secret-mccabe-texts-mi-5-counterpart-begin-trickle-out-spotlighting-uks-early-role">leaked</a>. They suggest Russiagate was largely a UK-based operation. Almost every senior officer at the FBI has since been replaced, whereas Fleming was promoted to head of GCHQ. <br />
<br />
Was McCabe's FBI working with British intelligence to stop Donald Trump get elected, or to de-legitimize his Presidency due to alleged Russian influence? These are absolutely bombshell revelations, but they fit neatly with the wider "narrative" that Sy Hersh says he was chasing in January 2017: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I have a narrative of how that whole f***ing thing began, it’s a Brennan operation, it was an American disinformation and f***ing the f***ing President, at one point when they, they even started telling the press, they were back briefing the press, the head of the NSA was going and telling the press, f***ing c**k-sucker Rogers, was telling the press that we even know who in the GRU, the Russian Military Intelligence Service, who leaked it. I mean, all bullshit."</blockquote>
<br />
Hersh seems certain that the Seth Rich murder is only part of the much bigger Russiagate conspiracy, where Democrats have blamed Russia for everything. He talks about Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson and the debunked dossier from former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele. He mentions Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who in 2017 <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/online/marco-rubio-everyone-should-respect-seth-richs-parents-pleas-to-stop-politicizing-sons-murder/">asked</a> everyone to "respect Seth Rich’s parents" and "stop politicizing Seth's murder". <br />
<br />
Hersh also says: "I can tell you right now, Mattis knows what I know." James Mattis was Trump's Secretary of Defense at the time, but later resigned. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I've been doing this story since the late summer because I smelled it in August, okay good, the fallback was going to be Russia... Putin may be a prick but he's he's played a weak hand, if you play poker, he's played a weak hand brilliantly. He's f***ing smart and he will eat you." </blockquote>
<br />
*<br />
<br />
Butowsky <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI7xdFqAN_o">says</a> he sent the recording of Sy Hersh to the Rich family "and I never heard back from them... They never said Thank You." He thought that was very strange. <br />
<br />
He also says his friend Larry told him that nobody would publish Sy's story about Seth Rich. However Joe Lauria <a href="https://twitter.com/unjoe">@unjoe</a> (whose <a href="https://t.co/a3Nm19rqmt?amp=1">Consortium News</a> team has done excellent reporting on all this) spoke to a friend of Sy's, who believes he was still working on the story, but once Butowkski's audio came out his sources dried up. At that point Sy Hersh had no option but to stay silent in order to protect his sources, some of whom may have been in serious danger.<br />
<br />
Ed Butowsky says he also contacted reporter David Weigel <a href="https://twitter.com/daveweigel">@daveweigel</a> and later asked why the Washington Post was not publishing the story. Weigel said he had to run everything by Brad Bauman, a "minder" who Butowsky says had been assigned to the Rich family by the Democrats. <br />
<br />
"Nothing ever got printed!" complains Butowsky. But he says it's all coming out now.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There's a LOT MORE about to happen. A LOT MORE... Plus there's a lot of stuff that's gonna come out from the White House. <br />
<br />
"Am I gonna get money? I sure hope so! I've spent about $800,000 for this crap, for this made-up story about me <br />
<br />
"All the evidence is coming out and it's being worked on right now. You'll see real soon." </blockquote>
<br />
* <br />
<br />
It's worth noting at this stage that the Washington Times also <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/sep/30/retraction-aaron-rich-and-murder-seth-rich/">retracted</a> a story about Seth Rich. According to <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/seth-rich-apology-731426/">Rolling Stone</a> "the retraction and apology are part of a settlement between the Times and Aaron Rich, who had sued the paper for defamation." <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The op-ed, written by retired Navy admiral James Lyons, claimed that it was “well known in the intelligence circles” that both Seth and Aaron Rich had “downloaded” the thousands of emails taken from the DNC in 2016 and that Wikileaks paid them for the data.</blockquote>
<br />
Here's the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4425381-Aaron-Rich-complaint-v-Butowsky-Couch-America.html">text</a> of Aaron Rich's 60-page lawsuit, which also names Ed Butowsky, Matt Couch <a href="https://twitter.com/RealMattCouch"><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">@RealMattCouch</span></a> and Couch's America First Media as defendants.<br />
<br />
Also worth noting that in May 2017 "officials with knowledge of the matter" <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fbi-involved-seth-rich-case-officials/story?id=47565705">told ABC News</a> the FBI was not investigating the Seth Rich murder. <br />
<br />
Isikoff's recent podcast <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fbi-chief-asked-agents-about-seth-rich-conspiracy-theories">said</a> Andrew McCabe personally inquired whether the bureau was looking into the murder and was told “There’s no there there.” Whatever that means. <br />
<br />
<b>So two years later, is the FBI still claiming they are not involved? Has anybody asked them or submitted a FOIA request? </b><br />
<br />
* <br />
<br />
OK now let's look at some of the details of the lengthy Butowsky lawsuit, starting with this bit, which really caught my eye:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
52. On May 23, 2017, Fox News retracted the May 16, 2017 article, claiming that the article did not meet its editorial standards. Fox News did not identify any errors in the article, and there were none. Within the network, rumors began to circulate that the story was killed by <b>Sarah and Kathryn Murdoch</b>, the left-leaning Hillary Clinton supporters and daughters-in-law of Fox News founder <b>Rupert Murdoch</b>. One month prior to the May 23, 2017 retraction, Sarah and Kathryn Murdoch were credited with driving out conservative Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. See Don Kaplan, “Rupert Murdoch’s sons’ progressive wives helped oust Bill O’Reilly from Fox News Channel,” New York Daily News, April 19, 2017 (https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/murdoch-sons-progressive-wives-helped-oust-bill-o-reilly-article-1.3075872). <b>Kathryn previously worked for the Clinton Climate Initiative, and her husband James was a donor to the Clinton Foundation.</b></blockquote>
<br />
Is it possible that Rupert Murdoch and/or his family killed the Seth Rich story? They were certainly in a position to do so, because nearly everybody involved worked for Fox at some stage:<br />
<ul>
<li>Ed Butowsky says "I got recommended Rod Wheeler by somebody." Presumably it was a contact at Fox, because they had both worked there. </li>
<li>According to Butowkski's lawsuit, Ellen Rattner also told said that she had informed both Fox News producer Malia Zimmerman and Bill Shine, who was then the co-president of Fox News, about her meeting with Mr. Assange in London. </li>
<li>Fox 5's Marina Marraco also got the story from Rod Wheeler and tried to scoop Zimmerman. Her story was also <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170907152218/http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news/private-investigator-there-is-evidence-seth-rich-contacted-wikileaks-prior-to-death">deleted</a>. </li>
</ul>
Butowsky's lawsuit claims the original Fox story was killed even though there were no factual errors in it and CNN's Oliver Darcy <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/10/media/seth-rich-fox-news-timeline/index.html">noted</a> that nobody involved with the story was ever punished: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In a statement after Wheeler filed his lawsuit, Jay Wallace, Fox News' president of news, said the network had "no evidence that Rod Wheeler was misquoted by Zimmerman." That raises a question: If Fox maintains that Wheeler was not misquoted, what was wrong with the story? Was there an issue with a second source Zimmerman claimed to have, someone she identified as a federal investigator?<br />
<br />
In the meantime, last month Wilson received a promotion. He is now managing editor of FoxNews.com. And Zimmerman has continued to report for Fox News.<br />
<br />
A person with knowledge of the situation told CNN last week that employees have been left puzzled as to why no one has been held accountable for one of Fox News' most high-profile mistakes.<br />
<br />
"No one knows," the person said. "This is like a huge question mark internally. This is a giant mystery." </blockquote>
<br />
Now isn't that strange? I guess the alternative "conspiracy theory" would be that someone at Fox decided to make up this story in order to damage the Democrats. But then how do you explain Sy Hersh's similar claim, citing an FBI source, a few weeks after Trump's inauguration? Or <a href="https://twitter.com/KimDotcom">@Kimdotcom</a>'s repeated <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=from%3AKimdotcom%20AND%20seth&src=typed_query">claims</a> of Seth Rich's involvement? This story was clearly not just a Rupert Murdoch thought bubble. But he may have been the one who killed it.<br />
<br />
* <br />
<br />
Here are some more selected excerpts from the court submission (<a href="http://lawflog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019.07.15-Amended-complaint-stamped.pdf">PDF here</a>) by former policeman Ty Clevenger <a href="https://twitter.com/Ty_Clevenger">@Ty_Clevenger</a> who is now the attorney for plaintiff Edward Butowsky. I've chosen these particular bits (many mentionin WikiLeaks or Assange) because I am especially interested to see how the court will deal with them. Highlights in bold are mine.<br />
<br />
Note: "RCH" = Russian Collusion Hoax (Butowsky's term). <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
35. In 2015, the administration of President Barrack Obama began spying on prominent Republican presidential candidates, as well as Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders, in an effort to support Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. At that time, the Central Intelligence Agency (“CIA”) was headed by Director <b>John Brennan</b>, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) was under the effective control of its deputy director, <b>Andrew McCabe</b>. Mr. Brennan and Mr. McCabe are ruthless and unscrupulous Democratic partisans, and they were determined to destroy any candidate who might threaten the candidacy of Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Brennan even created a “working group” within the CIA to sabotage Mrs. Clinton's political opponents, particularly Donald Trump. The “working group” included Mr. McCabe and other FBI employees, as well as employees from the National Security Agency (“NSA).<br />
<br />
54. In his bogus lawsuit, Mr. Wheeler selectively quoted texts and emails from Mr. Butowsky to make it appear that Mr. Butowsky had pushed the May 16, 2017 Fox News story at the behest of President Trump. In reality, Mr. Butowsky never had (and never has) met President Trump nor spoken with him. Although Mr. Butowsky knew people who worked in the Trump White House, he had actively supported Carly Fiorina in the Republican primary. After she dropped out of the race, he supported Marco Rubio and Chris Christie. In a separate phone call with Mr. Butowsky, Mr. Hersh said he obtained his information about Seth Rich from Mr. McCabe, the deputy FBI director. <br />
<br />
60. Under coercion from Mr. Bauman and the lawyer Defendants named in this lawsuit, Joel Rich stopped speaking with Mr. Butowsky and the Rich family started attacking Mr. Butowsky publicly (albeit not by name). Prior to the time of Mr. Bauman's involvement, the Rich family acknowledged to friends and relatives that Seth and Aaron were involved in the DNC email leak, but then they suddenly changed their story. On information and belief, Mr. Butowksy alleges that Joel, Mary, and Aaron Rich were told that Aaron could be charged with felony computer crimes if they did not cooperate with their new handlers, i.e., Mr. Bauman and the lawyer Defendants.<br />
<br />
62 ... Mayor Bowser and Chief Lanier, for example, blocked city investigators from pursuing any information that might undermine the RCH narrative. The lead homicide detective assigned to the case, Joseph Dellacamera, was flatly prohibited from revealing the connection between Seth Rich and <b>Wikileaks</b>. See, e.g., Patrick Howley, “Seth Rich Police Detective: Department Gave Me ‘Strict, Strict Rules,’ If I Talk I’ll Get ‘Re-Assigned’,” August 2, 2017, BigLeaguePolitics.com (https://bigleaguepolitics.com/seth-rich-police-detective-department-gave-strict-strict-rules-talk-ill-get-re-assigned). For his part, <b>Mr. McCabe ordered FBI agents to hide all information connecting Seth Rich to Wikileaks</b>, and to deny its existence in response to any FOIA requests.<br />
<br />
63. The scam continues even now. In his March 22, 2019 report on alleged Russian collusion, Special Counsel Robert Mueller stated unequivocally that Russian hackers were responsible for sending DNC emails to <b>Wikileaks</b>, but he was later forced to admit that his investigators had never examined the DNC's servers. Instead, Mr. Mueller had relied on exclusively on a redacted copy of a report that <b>CrowdStrike</b> had produced for the DNC. So far as the Plaintiff is aware, the U.S. Department of Justice had never before relied exclusively on a private company's report about an alleged computer crime (as opposed to the government conducting its own investigation), and Mr. Mueller certainly did not disclose in his report that he had failed to examine the servers. Furthermore, <b>Mr. Mueller never made any attempt to interview Mr. Assange, who would know better than anyone else how Wikileaks obtained the DNC emails</b>. Mr. Mueller's investigation was a farce, at least so far as Seth Rich and DNC “hacking” were concerned.<br />
<br />
67. In an unprecedented act on August 9, 2016 on Dutch television station NOS, <b>Wikileaks founder Julian Assange</b> spoke specifically about Seth Rich: “Whistleblowers go to significant efforts to get us material, often very significant risks. There’s a 27-year-old that works for the DNC who was shot in the back, murdered, just two weeks ago, for unknown reasons as he was walking down the street in Washington... I am suggesting that our sources, ah, take risks and they, they become concerned to see things occurring like that...” Mr. Assange had not before, and has not since, discussed the identify of any confidential source for Wikileaks. Wikileaks also offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of Seth Rich's killers, yet the anti-Trump media treated this information as if it was part of a hoax. <br />
<br />
<b>Bill Binney</b> presented overwhelming scientific evidence that the DNC emails published by Wikileaks were obtained from an internal leak versus an external hack. He will testify that it was scientifically and technologically impossible for the Russians (or anyone else) to have downloaded the DNC emails remotely via hack. Instead, both the metadata and download time for the stolen emails indicate that they were downloaded onto a thumb drive or something similar.<br />
<br />
69. <b>Larry Johnson</b> is a retired officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. He and Mr. Binney both observed in a February 14, 2019 article that while some U.S. intelligence agencies reported “high” confidence that Russians hacked the DNC, the NSA reported only “moderate” confidence. See “Why the DNC was not hacked by the Russians,” https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/02/exclusive-cyber-security-experts-release-damning-report-why-the-dnc-was-not-hacked-by-the-russians. As explained in the article (incorporated herein by reference), the NSA's monitoring systems would have collected an electronic record of any internet-based hack on the DNC, which in turn would have prompted a “high” confidence conclusion by the NSA that Russians were responsible for obtaining the emails. The absence of a “high” confidence conclusion means there is no electronic record of a Russian hack on the DNC. Meanwhile, agencies that expressed “high” confidence, like the FBI and CIA, have been implicated in promoting the Russia Collusion Hoax, e.g., via the fraudulent dossier of Christopher Steele.<br />
<br />
70 ... <b>Donna Brazile</b> had called Joel and Mary Rich and asked why Mr. Wheeler was investigating the murder. If Seth Rich died as the result of a “botched robbery,” Ms. Brazile should not have cared one way or another whether the Rich family hired a private detective.<br />
<br />
72. Aaron Rich's suspicious behavior continued after Mr. Wheeler was terminated. Mr. Rich claimed that he was only seeking the truth when he filed suit against Mr. Butowsky, but he refused to sign a waiver authorizing <b>Wikileaks</b> to reveal what it knows about Seth Rich's involvement in the DNC email leaks. His attorneys subsequently claimed that they would issue their own subpoena for <b>Wikileaks</b>. They have since reneged, however, because they realized that <b>Wikileaks</b> would likely construe the subpoena as a waiver, in which case it would likely release records showing that Aaron Rich and Seth Rich were both responsible for leaking the DNC emails.<br />
<br />
73. Several analysts, including Mr. Johnson, have noted a glaring problem in the DNC's timeline of the email “hack.” According to the DNC and <b>CrowdStrike</b>, Russian hacking was detected on May 5, 2019, but CrowdStrike and DNC did not shut down the DNC servers until more than a month later. If hackers had access to the system – as opposed to a leaker within the DNC – then CrowdStrike never would have waited so long to shut down the servers. Furthermore, the DNC never allowed outside investigators to examine the servers that purportedly were hacked by Russian agents. As noted above, Special Counsel Robert Mueller was forced to admit that his findings were based on a redacted report from a third party.<br />
<br />
74. There are other reasons to question the DNC version of events about the Seth Rich murder. After the May 16, 2017 FoxNews.com article was retracted, the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) claimed that the FBI had never been involved in the Seth Rich investigation, and the anti-Trump media trumpeted this claim as proof that the Fox article was a fraud. <b>In Aaron Rich's lawsuit against Mr. Butowsky, however, he stated that he had been cooperating with “state and federal law enforcement officials” to solve his brother's murder.</b> Similarly, the FBI originally claimed that it had no responsive documents about Seth Rich when records were requested in 2018. After Plaintiff's Counsel sued the FBI pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), counsel for the FBI asked the FBI to search for records in its Washington Field Office (“WFO”) and with its Computer Analysis Response Team (“CART”). The FBI agreed to search the WFO, and it responded that the WFO had offered assistance to the MPD during the murder investigation and that MPD had declined the offer, but there were no records of those communications. On the other hand, the FBI flatly refused to search for responsive records in CART, even though CART is the most likely place to find any pertinent email evidence. The FOIA lawsuit remains pending.<br />
<br />
75. After this lawsuit was filed, and around the time that Attorney General <b>William Barr </b>received authorization to declassify materials related to the RCH, the FBI asked for an extension of time in the FOIA litigation referenced above. Counsel for the FBI said the FBI had decided that it needed to produce additional documents. The additional documents are scheduled to be produced not later than July 22, 2019.<br />
<br />
82. ... As you know, Ms. Governski and I have exchanged emails about whether your client, Aaron Rich, is willing to voluntarily authorize <b>Wikileaks, Julian Assange, and/or Kim Dotcom</b> to discuss any relationship that they may have had with Mr. Rich or his brother, Seth Rich. Thus far, it appears that your client is unwilling to authorize such disclosures. This is very telling. On the one hand, Mr. Rich boldly denies that he and/or his brother leaked DNC emails to Wikileaks. On the other, he refuses to authorize disclosures from the witnesses who are in the best position to know who leaked those emails. That begs a question: if your client has nothing to hide, why is he hiding it? Under Rule 11(b), you have a duty to answer that question. Furthermore, you should ask your client some pointed questions about what funds may have been transferred to him or his brother through eBay accounts. And you should remind him that every trip to a safe deposit box is recorded on video and preserved. <br />
<br />
84. More than a year after the issue was first raised, and despite repeated inquiries from Plaintiff's Counsel, no subpoenas have been issued to <b>Wikileaks, Julian Assange, or Kim Dotcom</b> by Defendants Governski or Gottlieb. Contrast that with the fact that Defendants Governski and Gottlieb issued a subpoena within a matter of hours for the private communications of Plaintiff's Counsel. The reason for this disparity is straightforward: Defendants Governski and Gottlieb know that if Mr. Butowsky issues a subpoena to Wikileaks, the subpoena will be ignored pursuant to its policies for protecting sources. If, however, Defendants Governski and Gottlieb issue a subpoena to Wikileaks on behalf of Aaron Rich, Wikileaks will likely construe that as a waiver of confidentiality, in which case the damning emails would finally be released. That's the last thing they want, so they have reneged on their earlier statements about issuing their own subpoenas.<br />
<br />
90. Notwithstanding the fact that <b>Mr. McCabe</b> was fired from the FBI on March 16, 2018 for lying to federal investigators, and not withstanding the fact that he is the subject of at least two criminal investigations, Defendant CNN hired him as an on-air commentator so he could continue promoting the RCH on its programs. No fair-minded journalism company would hire Mr. McCabe, but then CNN is more of a partisan infotainment enterprise than a journalism company. </blockquote>
<br />
* <br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
Murder is a terrible thing. So is deliberate ignorance. <br />
<br />
There's still no proof that Seth Rich's murder WAS NOT just a "botched robbery". There's also no proof that he WAS or WAS NOT a WikiLeaks source. In fact he could have been a WikiLeaks source who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As DC police chief Joey Dellacamera said: "if you want to silence someone, you shoot them in the head, not the back".<br />
<br />
Whatever the truth, the way this story has been handled is very strange indeed. Personally I have never said much about Seth Rich because it's impossible to know the truth without further evidence. But increased censorship and multiple coinciding narratives of FBI involvement suggest there is something here worth examining further. <br />
<br />
Former CIA Ray McGovern says the term "conspiracy theory" was first popularised by former CIA boss Allen Dulles when he was batting away criticism of his role investigating the assassination of President J. F. Kennedy. It is clearly now being used to silence valid questions about the murder of Seth Rich. Covering up a crime is also a crime. <br />
<br />
I sympathize with Seth Rich's family, but if Seth was trying to sell these emails, then it's a crime. If other people were involved, the police should be looking for them. Ed Butowsky seems to think that Seth's family are trying to protect not just Seth's memory but also his brother Aaron. Ed has some compelling evidence. Without any more media interest, it seems the only way to test that evidence is in a court of law. Let's just hope Ed Butowsky is genuinely interested in revealing the truth and not just planning to extract money, sign a non-disclosure deal, and walk away. <br />
<br />
If Seth gave the emails to WikiLeaks for free, then he's a hero who helped expose Clinton DNC corruption. His family might not want him remembered as the guy "responsible for getting Trump elected" but neither should Julian Assange be critized as such. It was US voters who elected Trump. WikiLeaks (and maybe Seth Rich) only provided them with 100% true information so they could make a more informed decision. <br />
<br />
If Seth had zero involvement with WikiLeaks, then let the frauds who have exploited his name be exposed. But that can't be achieved by silencing discussion and running away from facts. <br />
<br />
If the FBI under Comey and McCabe worked with British intelligence to create a false Russiagate narrative in order to discredit Trump and WikiLeaks, then a whole lot of people should be facing jail, while Julian Assange should be walking free as a hero. Any facts that can be provided by US Attorney-General William Barr's investigation should be welcomed by everyone. <br />
<br />
More broadly, there's an extremely dangerous dynamic at work in US media these days. While all major networks toe the same ideological bottom lines as the major parties (basically: war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength), everything else is Red versus Blue. It seems the truth no longer matters to either side. Murdoch's Fox ("Faux") News blindly supports the Trump GOP while CNN, Washington Post, MSNBC and others remain so staunchly Democrat that they frequently earn derision for "Fake News".<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Julian Assange is facing 175 years in a US prison for the crime of publishing the truth. Kim Dotcom is also facing extradition to a US jail. And Chelsea Manning is in jail again and facing bankruptcy for refusing to participate in this farce. How is that fair and just?<br />
<br />
The truth will out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>UPDATE 1: </b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Joe Lauria @UNjoe went to NZ "a few months ago" (before the Mueller report came out) and recorded a 4 hour interview with @KimDotcom. Three segments can now be heard on Consortium News <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=Tm-Vt8RDJEk">here</a> at 46 mins, 1:14 mins and 1:39 mins. <br /><br />I transcribed below the main bits from the first part, and pretty much everything in parts two and three. It's brave of Kim to speak out while he is still under threat of extradition to the USA. </b><br />
<br />
KIM: They lost because they cheated with Bernie Sanders. That is why these leaks took place... It was actually a DNC insider, a Bernie supporter, who saw the manipulation that took place and said "I can't accept this." And that is how the information ultimately ended up with WikiLeaks. It wasn't a Russian hack. <br />
<br />
KIM: I formed a political party in NZ called the Internet Party and... announced that we will have an Internet Party in the USA... I was approached by a young gentleman over Twitter with the Twitter handle Panda-something and he told me that he's working with the Democrat Party and he was fed up with what was happening in the US and he would be interested to talk with me. And then I took that straight into an encrypted channel whwere we chatted about what's going on and we had a few back and forth and he told me that he had information that would be quite shocking if it was made public. He believed that there was massive corruption going on within the DNC. He was very concerned about voter fraud... So I said look, this was all very interesting, but I was in the middle of my case and I was involved in this massive fight against the US so I did not want to be the recipient of any of that information. So I put him in touch with someone that I know in the data security space that is very knowledgeable and has worked with WikiLeaks in the past and I simply established the contact between that person and this person. And everything that happened after that is what we know know as the DNC leaks / hack." <br />
<br />
Kim then talks about the DNCleaks data being uploaded on a data stick, not via a download, as Binney and others have proven. <br />
<br />
KIM: I do believe that there was an intrusion component. Intrusion meaning that someone has opened the door to DNC servers. Because if you can plug in a USB device and download all these files, then obviously you can upload something onto the server that will open a door for more analysis, for more data to be retrieved. I would think that is the logical thing of what happened.<br />
<br />
Kim explains how the person who used a thumb drive to download files could also have given someone else access to the server so they could install a backdoor, which could then have been used to access files. <br />
<br />
Kim: "What I do know for sure is that it was a DNC insider who opened that door." <br />
<br />
Joe: "The same one you had the encrypted conversation with?" <br />
<br />
Kim: "Yes." <br />
<br />
Joe: "Did he say that he did that?" <br />
<br />
Kim: "No he never said and I never asked." <br />
<br />
Kim notes that Podesta used Gmail, so his emails were not stored on the DNC server, but he explains how getting access to the server could provide someone with access to his Gmail (in any case, Podesta's email password was "Password"). A file could be modified, provided as an attachment to a familiar-looking email, and easily trick the user. <br />
<br />
Joe: "Do you have any ideas about HOW the files were transferred to WikiLeaks?" <br />
<br />
Kim: "It is apparent from analysis of the metadata that it was copied onto a memory stick." <br />
<br />
Joe: "And then? Would that memory stick be humanly passed over, perhaps?"<br />
<br />
Kim: "Perhaps. But I wouldn't know the answer because I wasn't involved in that." <br />
<br />
* <br />
<br />
Joe tells Kim about Ellen Ratner's alleged message from Julian Assange (without mentioning her name) and how Butowsky said Seth's parents responded to it by saying "We already know". <br />
<br />
Kim: There was a lot of speculation because there was also a financial component. Now I don't understand that any money has ever change hands. I wouldn't know about this. But it would be a potential motive why they are so aggressively fighting any kind of publication about Seth's involvement in this. <br />
<br />
And they asked me as well to cease any release of any information and then, when I honoured that, and I said that I would only speak to a US representative if certain guarantees are provided that I am safe and my family is safe, only under those circumstances would I provide the information. And then the Rich family attacked me on that. So I followed their suggestion by their lawyers saying to me, you know, this is what we would like you to do. I followed that and then they kept attacking me anyway. <br />
<br />
So to me it was very suspicious how they have dealt with anyone who was trying to shed some light on this and you read between the lines and you see how they they react to things. And also their relationships, the fact that this guy Baumann gets involved, who is really a PR person for the DNC, and now runs the whole communications strategy and defends and basically stifles any kind of conversation about this topic. The fact that the family allowed that guy to get involved when there was some, you know, at the very least, if I was the parent of Seth Rich, I would would be saying, well, I mean this whole robbery story just doesn't add up. You know, they didn't take anything. They had ample time, you know, after he was shot, just to take his watch or take a wallet or whatever, you know. I mean, it just didn't add up. <br />
<br />
And then when he got to the hospital, based on the reports that did later leak, he wasn't fatally shot. There was an eyewitness report from someone who was in the OR [operating room] - I think it was a teaching hospital and this guy was like a visiting doctor and he wrote an account about what happened and he was basically operated on and released into his room. And everyone was operating on him, everone who did this work on him, was sure that he was going to survive. And then all of a sudden he was moved from his hospital room into a special unit of the hospital that's like, locked off for special cases, and then he died. <br />
<br />
These are things that made it into the public domain and a lot of people have been investigating what happened to Seth Rich from the time that he left the bar where he had a drink that night. You know, on the way home, on the phone with his girlfriend, and you know, every minute of what happened. <br />
<br />
And then another very striking thing about this case, right. In the US, especially in Washington DC, almost every road corner has a camera. Either business operated cameras or police cameras. And one investigator found that on that route, from him leaving the bar to where he was shot, there were 23 cameras. But none of the footage was ever used, or surfaced, or requested by anybody. You know, and when you think about this, when you are the DC police and you are investigating a murder, why would you not knock on the door of every house that had a camera on the path that Seth took, and get the footage? These private investigators knocked at all these doors and they said "No one ever asked us for the footage". That is very unusual in a homocide investigation, wouldn't you agree? <br />
<br />
What I do know, based on what other investigators have found, it that there was no proper investigation into the killing of Seth Rich. And the question is why? Why not? What is there to hide? Why is this not being properly investigated like any other murder case? <br />
<br />
JOE: How did the DNC discover, do you think, that Rich was the one who ??? it? <br />
<br />
KIM: Look I have no idea and I honestly don't even know what happened, what lead to his death, I mean we can all just speculate. All that I do know from all the evidence that is now out there is that it wasn't properly investigated. <br />
<br />
Joe mentions the Hersh recording. <br />
<br />
KIM: That was a very interesting recording. I listened to that. You can ask any psychologist, this guy was recalling conversations that he had, opinions the he heard from people that were involved with this, and you don't make this stuff up on the fly in a phone call the way he did. Especially when you are a credible journalist that has won a Pulitzer. You would expect that someone like that is not pulling out of his ass spontaneously these types of serious allegations. And then to his own reputation... later saying it's all wrong, never said that, and then the recordings come out and he sticks by his guns and says I never said this, you wonder what was going on in the background that lead to him changing his position in this way. <br />
<br />
Joe then explains that his CIA contact, who put Hersh and Butowski in touch, said that Sy had complained that "those clowns in Texas" recorded his conversation, which had dried up his sources (as mentioned previously: remember this conversation is months old). <br />
<br />
JOE: But what Sy does say on that tape is that the FBI has the computer and that Rich emailed these documents and emails to WikiLeaks. Would that be possible? To compress files of that size into emails? <br />
<br />
KIM: Yeah, and the metadata of the files wouldn't be changed. So you can take the files off the memory stick, copy them onto your computer, and pack them into a zip file, and email the zip file. The metadata of the files inside the zip file would still be the metadata that includes the original copying from the DNC onto a memory stick. That is how this group of experts could do the forensic analysis on the data. <br />
<br />
By the way, let me be very clear. I have never been involved in either putting "Panda" in touch with WikiLeaks directly or any submissions of any files whatsover and given my own situation - under indictment, under surveillance, on bail - I did not want to do anything that can affect my own situation and my family situation. So all I did is really put a guy in touch with another guy and they took it from there. <br />
<br />
* <br />
<br />
JOE: I've seen your tweets where you says Seth Rich was ???<br />
<br />
KIM: And that's a fact. It's not a made up story... Just like everything else that has to do with me, the US government knows very well that this is true because they have access to Twitter direct messages. And even though I deleted it after contact with him and moving the conversation onto an encrypted platform, you know, Twitter never deletes anything. Even if you as a user choose to delete a private message they still keep it on their servers. So it's very easy for them. <br />
<br />
JOE: Do you have a copy of you encrypted discussion with him? <br />
<br />
KIM: No, no. I destroyed everything on that computer after I had those conversations. <br />
<br />
JOE: But you can't destroy everything, they can go in there and find anything on a hard drive, can't they?<br />
<br />
KIM: Well, I mean, of course, after the raid and everything that happened, first of all there are encrypted platforms on which you can communicate that are safe. And if you don't use a Windows operating system but let's say a Linux operating system that you strip down to the bare bones, and you only use the communication tools that are Open Source, that are known to be safe, you are fine. I created a laptop just for those communications. And on top of that I was running something that is known as a Virtual Machine. So every time I would use it for communications, I would wipe the Virtual Machine and the next time I get on it's all as fresh as new, as it was when I set it up, without any log or any file remaining on the machine. And even when all of that was done, when I felt like this may be a trap or something, I just completely wiped that machine and threw the hard drive into the fireplace (laughs). So I didn't want there to be anything that could be used. <br />
<br />
Joe asks if Kim communicated securely with Seth's family, but Kim says "No, that was just by email. <br />
<br />
"They suggested a way forward: send what you have to the government. They suggested a way forward and I said "Thank you, that's exactly what I will do."<br />
<br />
JOE: So if a miracle happened and the Department of Justice said "We want to talk to you about Seth Rich" you would be OK with that? <br />
<br />
KIM: Yes. That offer is still on the table and has never changed. <br />
<br />
JOE: You have no doubt, you are 100% certain, the DNC files<br />
<br />
KIM: The DNC files, and I believe the DNC access, which lead to an email being created that Podesta clicked on and that allowed the attacker to infiltrate. I think Seth would have needed some support, someone he trusted, in order to do everything the way he did, you know. I don't think that he would have been capable of doing that just by himself. Because you need to know where to plug this thing in, what command to type in. He may have the instructions from the person I put him in touch with but I don't know, I can just speculate, you know. I think, if I was Seth, I wouldn't have trusted the person I put him in touch with, you know, so I would have looked somewhere close, someone I can trust who has some IT knowledge. <br />
<br />
JOE: Do you think that will ever become open knowledge? <br />
<br />
KIM: I don't see, in the short term, anything happening. The police investigation is basically dead. It hasn't been properly investigated at all. <br />
<br />
JOE: Nobody knows where his computer is, apparently. <br />
<br />
KIM: And isn't that, in itself, the biggest indictment against the government? Because they did get his laptop. Everybody confirms that. They did get his laptop and where the f*** is it? How can that disappear? That is a crucial piece of evidence in the custody of the US government and it disappears. If that is not an indication of foul play, what is? That in itself says enough. The fact that something like that happens is outrageous. <br />
<br />
Joe mentions that he has written two pieces about this and been attacked but won't stop.<br />
<br />
KIM: The smartest way to go about this is really to put - and this is not going to be a short ride - there are a couple of things that are very strong evidence. For example, just for example that I knew something was going to happen. I am not the kind of Nostadamus guy who gets on Twitter or gives an interview and makes predictions about the future. When I told Bloomberg in an interview that Julian Assange is going to become the biggest roadblock for Hillary Clinton in this election, that was prior to any of the leaks. And I was pretty precise in what I said. I don't just go and give interviews before any of this happens making predictions without knowledge, you know. I knew that information was going to become available and I knew because of the person that I put "Panda" in touch with that it's going to end up with WikiLeaks. <br />
<br />
JOE: The way he handled it, Julian Assange, was quite clever, when he was interviewed on that Dutch TV station. He said it but he didn't say it, who the source was right? <br />
<br />
KIM: Yeah but you know (deep sigh)<br />
<br />
JOE: He put up a $20,000 reward for this capture. Either that's the truth and it was Rich, or some diversionary tactic by WikiLeaks to get us off the trail of the real...<br />
<br />
KIM: I have to say, that is one thing that I don't agree with. That I don't like about this. I mean I can understand that WikiLeaks wants to have a pristine record about protecting their sources, even after they [die] but my opinion, personal opinion, I don't know why Julian decided to do this. When an entire country is held hostage by this Russia narrative, with the potential for significant conflict, you almost have an obligation to put your protection of a now dead source over the global implications that this investigation, this entire Mueller charade, basically launched and started and funded by Hillary Clinton, that that would have on the world, the impact that would have. I personally would have made a different decision. I would have said, you know, in this case it is just too important that the truth is known. But here's what I am afraid of. And I never spoke with Julian about this, in fact. Maybe Julian doesn't even know for sure where it came from, you know. Because there is another party involved, remember I put Seth in touch with somebody else, maybe that person took over and became the channel without Julian actually knowing where it all originated. But again this is speculation, you know. I don't know. Maybe that is why he's careful. It makes sense. <br />
<br />
JOE: He knows what you've said. <br />
<br />
KIM: Yeah but why would he believe me? I am a donor, I'm a supporter of WikiLeaks, but I'm also a flambouyant guy, I have my own battles with the US, you know, maybe he just wasn't sure what to make of this. But in a way I have to say, I decided to speak about this after Julian in my mind made the very clear remarks about Seth Rich. Until then I kept it to myself. <br />
<br />
Joe says there's a lot at stake. <br />
<br />
KIM: There's a lot at stake and I am getting criticized a lot for not providing everything and the full picture, and to have written a letter to the Special Counsel and not really releasing what I know. <br />
<br />
JOE: But you just told me what you know. <br />
<br />
KIM: Yeah I did. <br />
<br />
JOE: And you're gonna let me write this. <br />
<br />
KIM: Yeah and I've not told that to anyone else. But the thing is, it would have been better if Julian, if he knows what I believe he knows, that Seth is the source, then I think he should have said more, you know. I think to imply it with the reward and to say, to even speak about his case and you know, there's this example of a young man in the US working for the DNC, like he said it but he didn't say it. <br />
<br />
JOE: To try to protect his source. <br />
<br />
KIM: But if you protect your source you don't say anything at all... But I also don't want to criticize him because I don't know all the facts, I don't know what motivates him. Maybe he made a promise of some sort, I don't know. If I made a promise to someone I would stick to that, it doesn't matter what anybody says. If there was some kind of commitment, it's easy for me to say I would have done things differently but I don't know all the facts. <br />
<br />
Joe notes that Mueller did not try to contact Assange, Kim Dotcom or Craig Murray. <br />
<br />
KIM: I mean, come on. Not to speak or even seek information from WikiLeaks clearly shows that this is not a real investigation. That is like the biggest red flag. How can you not talk to the main witness who has release all this stuff? And how can you rely on the intelligence community for your information, that has their own agenda? They want to have conflict with Russia because their apartment, spying on Russia, thousands of analysts getting billions of dollars every year from US taxpayers, of course you don't want to change that. Of course you want everyone to believe that this is a Russian plot, to justify getting all this money, and even increase your budget. So how could Mueller, who by the way is part of this whole Deep State operation, rely on that information. It's just ridiculous. It makes the whole investigation a joke... He could have spoken or in some way get the information from both WikiLeaks and myself and discredit it. If he's an investigator who has evidence that shows whatever the information that he received is wrong, he can put that out there and discredit us. He didn't even try that... Because I believe that they already know exactly what happened. And the reason that Seth Rich's laptop disappeared is because there was stuff on it that completely verifies what Julian implicated, what I have said, and it's completely against this Russia narrative which they actually tried to use to get rid of Trump. That was the goal, you know, to destroy him and his image and hopefully find something that allows them to impeach him. <br />
<br />
JOE: That's right. <br />
<br />
KIM: But here's what I wanted to say. Because earlier you spoke about writing a story about Seth. Well there are a few important matters that need to be written about and I don't think it can be done in a small way. Number one is my interviews that I've given and my tweets that I've made prior to the release of anything at all. Very specific. I knew that WikiLeaks would come out with the DNC and Hillary Clinton stuff. Very specific, and both a televised interview and many of my tweets, right? And if you look at my history, of tweeting or giving interviews, I have never done this before, I'm not Nostradamus who makes predictions all the time. Completely out of character. But I did that because I knew something was coming, right? Then the analysis of the actual files by the former intelligence community members that determined based on forensic evidence that this data cannot have been transferred online so it was not a hack. It was a copying process from a computer to an external device. Under a court of law, this evidence would survive. Any of the other stuff that the intelligence commmunity has been putting out there about Guccifer, and this being a hack, and downloaded, and all this stuff would not survive a test in a courtroom, okay? That's another important thing. Then of course what Sy Hersh has said, right? <br />
<br />
JOE: Well his FBI source said that they looked at the computer...<br />
<br />
KIM: Exactly. I mean, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, even though it was taped without his knowledge... I mean it's just not credible that he pulled this out of his ass, it was too specific. If someone tells a lie it's not, you know, I don't have a psychology degree but I'm pretty good at reading people and when I listen to that, it was him just in the flow, telling the truth from his own memory. It doesn't sound like this was a creation of him mind. <br />
<br />
JOE: Why would he make it up anyway? <br />
<br />
KIM: Exactly. There no motive for him - I think him and Butowsky hardly even knew each other, he didn't have to impress anyone - <br />
<br />
Joe notes it was his ex-CIA contact who put them together, they never knew each other. <br />
<br />
KIM. So I think that's an important piece that needs some more weight. And then of course the whole way the Rich family has dealt with it. It's just not, like why would a mother and a dad not pursue every avenue to find the truth? How would they know if he did it or not? They would never know this. You know, why shut it downbefore questions were even asked, before I could even give a statement or WikiLeaks could be asked about this? Why would you not seek all the information that you can gather about the murder of your son? How can you be so sure that he didn't do it? In my mind that is a question that should be put to your readers. You know, like put yourself in their situation. I'm a parent. I've got five kids. If one of them would be murdered I would take every avenue to find out exactly what happened. I would not leave any stone unturned. I would want to listen to anyone who comes forward with anything at all. Just to see is there anything there, could this be possible, I wanna get to the bottom of this, who killed my kid? <br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a>.<br />
<br />
Thank you. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-47421148793972495202019-05-18T19:59:00.001-07:002019-08-08T17:21:50.842-07:00Real JournalismThe arrest of Julian Assange triggered an all-too-predictable debate within the journalist community, many of whom vehemently detest the WikiLeaks founder, about whether or not he is a "real journalist". <br />
<br />
Never mind all the journalism awards Assange and WikiLeaks have won, never mind that WikiLeaks have revealed more secrets in 12 years than the rest of the world's media combined, never mind their 100% record for publishing verified true documents. No. What really matters, according to the haters who obsessively joke about Assange's cat and his personal hygiene, is that WikiLeaks just "dumps" information without doing any analysis, which is what they believe makes a "real journalist". <br />
<br />
First of all, that's just uninformed garbage. WikiLeaks do copious amounts of analysis. They don't just "dump" information, although they DO provide verifiable documents to back up their reporting. They have been doing detailed analysis since their first release in 2007, as anyone can see by reviewing their releases on wikileaks.org. And that, along with their absolutely minimal redaction policy, puts them several notches above the rest of the media for anyone who chooses not to just believe whatever they are told. <br />
<br />
So what's going on with this phoney "real journalism" debate? <br />
<br />
Firstly, it's about professional journalists feeling threatened and inadquate because of "alternative" media, and the masses of unpaid bloggers and social media commentators, who increasingly expose their mistakes and deliberate propaganda. Journalists like to pretend they are a special breed. Their parents spent thousands of dollars on journalism courses and they've battled their way up the corporate ranks to hold down a job in a dying industry. It's so unfair when people are mean to them. <br />
<br />
Secondly, it's about the day in 2010 when WikiLeaks published their massive archive including Cablegate, the Iraq and Afghan War Logs, with zero redactions. But that was not just an irresponsible "dump". Journalists seldom mention that the password to the archive was published by Guardian editor David Leigh, while the location of the archive was identified by German media. This lead to dozens of people downloading a "safety" copy of the archive, and accessing its contents. I was online when @wikileaks asked followers what they should do - release the full archive on their site, or allow malicious actors to exploit information from their own downloaded versions? Nearly everyone agreed they should "dump" it ASAP. So they did. <br />
<br />
Thirdly, it's about US First Amendment protections for journalists, specifically: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." But those First Amendment "freedom of speech" rights are not just for journos, even though "the press" (named after the old printing presses) is specified. They apply to everyone. <br />
<br />
So when they say "Julian Assange is not a journalist", what these gatekeepers of information really mean is that they think he should go to jail for publishing the truth. And the rest of us should just back off and stop questioning their tattered authority. Just buy the damn paper, watch the evening news, and shut up.<br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a> (yuck I know) or via direct bank transfer (Gary Lord, Bank of Queensland, BSB: 124-147 Account: 22887565).<br />
<br />
Thank you.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-34703125153128350922018-04-21T04:51:00.003-07:002019-08-08T17:23:11.226-07:00Heroes Of Veracity v. Mountains Of Pure Bullshit <br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
We stand on the cusp
of a revolution which may go either of two ways. Certainly the status
quo cannot hold. Western nations have been accelerating towards
Fascist authoritarianism for some time. The advent of online
communication and social media threatened to give ordinary citizens
more say in how their societies are run, but governments have
successfully blunted this opportunity with draconian “anti-terror”
laws. Where does that path end? Anyone can brand their enemies a
terrorist – as the USA has done to Julian Assange, for example –
and these laws are already being abused for political gain.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
But it doesn’t end
there. The “Fake News” epidemic is another sign that the status
quo cannot hold. Look at all the attacks on Russia being made with no
hard proof – Putin rigged the US election, he tried to kill
Skripal, he was behind chemical attacks in Syria, etc – then look
at the real world consequences of these stories: Russian ambassadors
expelled around the world, sanctions, a deadly bomb attack on Syria
by US, UK and French warplanes, nervous talk of nuclear war. Are we
suddenly in a world where wars can be started by lies, without hard
proof? Or have wars always been started with lies, but now it’s
just much harder to hide them from 24/7 global discussion?
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In any case, the
centre cannot hold. Western democracies face a crisis of legitimacy.
On critical issues like global warming, leaders simply ignore the
will of the people. Meanwhile the West looks away as Israel commits
slow genocide in Palestine, or while the Saudis massacre whole cities
in Yemen. But still they dare call their own selective military
actions “humanitarian”? No, we are not the good guys any more and
we cannot pretend to be. So a threshold approaches…
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Either the
Establishment collapses, bringing an end to Neoliberal inequality, or
we enter a new era of global dystopia, where an ever-shrinking select
few control the news, the economy, the military and – increasingly
– the robots. Don’t laugh: billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon
Musk are well aware how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will change the
world, even if most people still have no idea. The old Jetsons
cartoons promised a future where robots did all the work and people
had almost unlimited leisure time. But what if the robots take all
the jobs and people are left to die on the sidewalks? If robots are
the means of production, and the global elite own the robots, well
then the working class is no longer necessary.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Add to that bleak
future waves of immigration due to climate change and our continued
disastrous wars, and it becomes clear that huge changes await us in
the near future. The Establishment can only continue by cracking down
harder and harder on any threats to their control. They will
eventually have to effectively throw Democracy (what’s left of it)
out the door and rule by force. Or they will collapse, and then the
big question is: who and what will take their place?
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At the moment I
think UK Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn is a key figure. He promises
a return to old ways, a more gentle and caring government, an end to
foolish wars and maybe even some accountability for past war crimes.
No wonder they are so desperate to stop him. But how far will they
go? Some senior military people have already threatened not to
acknowledge his victory if he wins an election and becomes PM.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Meanwhile in the USA
the Clinton Democrats are in their death throes, desperately hurling
every weapon they can find at every target who opposes them, madly
trying to blame everyone but themselves for Hillary’s 2016 appalling
loss to a bloated, bigoted, bullshitting reality TV star. The
Democrats are not trying to hide their massive influence on the media
and intelligence services, who have formed a laughable “Resistance”
and are doing whatever they can to sucker the public into supporting
them again (never mind their exposed corruption, that’s never gonna
change).
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Midterm elections
are coming up. If the Democrats fail badly, it could be the end of
this farce. But if they win, they will continue blaming Russia for
every evil under the sun until they can bring down Trump and take
over again. Then what? Pure bullshit rules, with a naked cabal of
corrupt politicians, lying media hacks and psychopathic military
leaders seeking endless wars for profit.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Of course, that’s
much the same as what Trump is delivering these days anyway. It’s
just a different bunch of assholes in charge. But we do like to cling
to the hope that maybe Trump is different, maybe this time, or next
time, he will dare say NO to the Deep State spooks and the military
warmongers. Keep dreaming, kids, it’s all we’ve got.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The USA is past the
point of no return. The best we can hope is that the Democrats
collapse in a broken heap, leaving angry voters looking to rebuild
something more useful. That’s how Corbyn came to power in the UK,
but it’s hard to see shadowy Democrat elites making the same silly
mistake as Labour and allowing an old socialist with “no chance”
on the ballot. Anyway, how long would it take for the Democrats to
rebuild? Do we have that much time? Keep dreaming.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Here in Australia,
everything is utterly fucked. I can’t even begin to describe how
bad things are or I will not stop. The best thing we’ve got going
for us is the Greens, and they are going nowhere in a hurry these
days. In New Zealand, a new young Prime Minister looks promising –
but don’t they always? Hello, disillusioned Justin Trudeau fans.
Let’s see if Kim Dotcom can wake up the Kiwis a bit; at the moment
he still faces a hostile media and entrenched Five Eyes control
behind the scenes. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The European Union
is a mess, as beautifully illustrated by widespread Establishment
support for Spanish Fascist violence against peaceful demonstrators
in Catalonia.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Which brings me back
to Julian Assange. What happens to him now? I cannot believe he will
ever sign away his right to free speech, as Ecuador’s President
Lenin Moreno insists he must. So his six year incarceration in the
embassy becomes even more tortuous without access to the Internet,
visitors (except his lawyers) or even a phone. How long can he
survive in that hostile environment, which is getting dangerously
close to solitary confinement? And what the hell is happening back in
Ecuador, where Moreno is blaming everything on this predecessor,
Rafael Correa, including the “inherited problem” of Assange’s
political asylum. Moreno insists he will still protect Assange “as
long as his life is in danger”, but meanwhile he is cosying up to
US diplomats. I often think Julian is the canary in the coalmine of
global dystopia; if he goes down, we are all in deep, deep trouble.
Maybe if Julian can just hang in there till the next election, Corbyn
might do the right thing? Keep dreaming…<br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a> (yuck I know) or via direct bank transfer (Gary Lord, Bank of Queensland, BSB: 124-147 Account: 22887565).<br />
<br />
Thank you.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }</style>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-52354998113218248702017-12-06T12:46:00.000-08:002019-08-08T17:23:30.626-07:00Julian Assange: The Flashing Red Light<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB-3l1-v14Hw53mx64ZvOMl6jYLE_W4xhqxQoMbmNJoU95G_nFRyIDdqyvb7YmwOkiZyVk6z_G9o3FkWSrtiYaMenMVL67VGwD_gfYLOE2YmfGMfmcUwd6JpyIJbINH03al6cteP6TQo/s1600/ja+censored.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB-3l1-v14Hw53mx64ZvOMl6jYLE_W4xhqxQoMbmNJoU95G_nFRyIDdqyvb7YmwOkiZyVk6z_G9o3FkWSrtiYaMenMVL67VGwD_gfYLOE2YmfGMfmcUwd6JpyIJbINH03al6cteP6TQo/s320/ja+censored.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
According to Julian Assange, censorship is always a sign of fear. It expresses weakness. It is like a flashing red light that tells everyone, "Hey, there is something to see over here." It is also a tacit admission by censors that their system can be reformed through the power of free speech - why else would they fear it? <br />
<br />
In fact, as Julian <a href="http://www.e-flux.com/journal/25/67875/in-conversation-with-julian-assange-part-i/" target="_blank">told</a> Hans Ulrich Obrist in May 2011, this understanding is a key to how and why WikiLeaks was first established:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"So, it was an epiphany to see the signal of censorship to always be an opportunity, to see that when organizations or governments of various kinds attempt to contain knowledge and suppress it, they are giving you the most important information you need to know: that there is something worth looking at - to see if it should be exposed - and that censorship expresses weakness, not strength." </blockquote>
<br />
From this perspective, it is fascinating to look at how many powerful people and supposedly benign institutions have tried - and failed - to silence WikiLeaks. What we discover is that Julian Assange himself has now become that flashing red light. By repeatedly trying to silence and smear him, the censors of truth have only exposed themselves. <br />
<br />
In 2010, just when WikiLeaks revelations about Iraq, Afghanistan and the US State Department began rocking governments around the world, Julian was falsely labelled a "Double Rapist" on the front pages of global newspapers. Interpol issued a warrant for his arrest, even though the allegations (which remain unproven, because Sweden never filed charges, so innocence should be presumed) were not considered crimes in other countries. On December 7th, 2010, the British police threw Assange into Wandsworth Prison and locked him in solitary confinement for ten days, only releasing him after supporters posted a massive £140,000 bond. He was shackled with an electronic GPS ankle bracelet and forced to report daily to the local police station. Senior US political figures called for Assange to be arrested, tortured or assassinated. US banking giants, with the help of PayPal, cut off WikiLeaks' access to funds. <br />
<br />
Publicly, the British government insisted that Assange was being treated like any other suspect. But we now know that the UK Crown Prosecutor privately assured Sweden that this would not be treated like a normal case. In fact they even asked the Swedes not to come and question Assange in London, which would have been normal procedure. And then they destroyed the paperwork, before the case was even closed! And we only know this thanks to documents obtained by an Italian journalist, <a href="https://twitter.com/SMaurizi" target="_blank">Stefania Maurizi</a>, who is still pushing for more information. The British press have been too busy assassinating Assange's character to even investigate the case. <br />
<br />
The US media, the CIA, the Australian government, and many others have similarly tried to smear or silence WikiLeaks and Assange over the past eight years. But self-censorship has also become a major problem: people exposed to so much relentless anti-WikiLeaks propaganda are prone to fall silent, or modify their views, lest they too be branded an "enemy of the state". On Twitter, for example, many journalists insist they support WikiLeaks journalism, but repeatedly express contempt for Julian Assange. It's difficult to get these people to even discuss the facts of his case, because they don't really want to know. They ignore you or block you instead. <br />
<br />
What we see is that Assange and WikiLeaks have broken no laws, but instead have broken an unspoken taboo. We are not supposed to look at power too closely, lest the whole artifice of society crumbles. Supporters of the Establishment everywhere assure us that chaos is the only alternative. We are encouraged to tolerate a degree of corruption because after all, that is how the world works. Business is business. None of us are perfect. Now run along, children. <br />
<br />
Can YOU handle the truth? Most people, it seems, cannot. Most don't want to break the taboo. They are scared of what they might find. They are scared of the unknown. They are scared of possessing knowledge, because then they might be obliged to do something about it. Better to know nothing than become complicit through inaction.<br />
<br />
With an untrustworthy media and the explosion of social media, we find ourselves surrounded by myths. The corporate media peddles myths about who is good and who is bad. For example, compare reporting on Saudi Arabia with Venezuela, or Israel and Russia. This year, many Europeans were shocked to see their leaders endorsing Spain's violent attacks on Catalonian protestors. But the same leaders had worked together in 2013, forcing the Bolivian President's plane to land when the USA thought Edward Snowden was traveling on board. We rarely see networks of power at this level exposed so clearly. <br />
<br />
The persecution of WikiLeaks and Assange reveals how corrupt power works in this world. With enough money and the right connections, you can become untouchable. But if you dare push too hard to discover the truth, you will be relentlessly attacked and destroyed. This is not acceptable in a world where the Neoliberal orthodoxy is collapsing, inequality is on the rise, and we urgently need to solve global problems like climate change, resource wars, and the consequent massive flows of asylum seekers. <br />
<br />
So don't believe the hype. Don't censor yourself. Get involved. Speak up. Support those with the courage to put their lives on the line for the truth. Together we can change the world.<br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a> (yuck I know) or via direct bank transfer (Gary Lord, Bank of Queensland, BSB: 124-147 Account: 22887565).<br />
<br />
Thank you.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-45009095821534207482017-06-30T18:26:00.001-07:002019-08-08T17:23:52.672-07:00"Hello Snowflakes" - Epic Twitter Rant from Julian AssangeThis is a compilation of tweets from @JulianAssange today. These tweets come in response to a push for social media organisations like Twitter and Facebook to censor content that is deemed "dangerous". <br />
<blockquote>
Hello snowflakes. I will do a small tour now of some censorship double standards that I have a deep personal experience of, namely threats to kill.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
I don't think people should threaten to kill others, but I don't think companies should be in the game of determining what is a threat and what is not because any such system will be played by those with greater access to the internals of the system.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
This is clearly the case with Twitter and other mediums, where [there are] biases about how close to the in-group that runs the censorship system the complainer is, and their relative social standing of the complainant. This is true of all justice systems which is why - except for the greatest extremes - we should avoid them, because they are inevitably bringers of intense injustice to the most excluded or marginalized - i.e those people who need justice the most are the least likely to get it. This is why Twitter et al should get out of the justice game and let users chose how to interact with others without adjudication.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Now for some examples of the reality I live with every day. I would like people to compare these extremes to the judicial beheadings [Twitter founder] @Jack and others have served upon those who don't match their politics, or who do not have the type of prestige that @jack seeks to being himself close to.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
First of all, let us start with the basic compilation of death threats
against me (and my staff) for attempting to educate people by telling
them the truth (there is no greater sin). This abridged compilation by
2012. It forms part of the background of why I applied for and received
asylum. Do you like the soundtrack? </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZuQW0US2sJw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZuQW0US2sJw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
I am proud of it. It is Flight of the Bumble Bees by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov slowed 9000x. Here it the original:</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aYAJopwEYv8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aYAJopwEYv8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Is that cool or what? You have to have fun while compiling your death
threats. Here's the extended version which includes some against
@WikiLeaks as a whole and @xychelsea too from memory:</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b-DIZvcK6Rc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b-DIZvcK6Rc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Now for the more recent. Starting with Hillary Clinton's joke about droning yours truly which came out in 2016 (though we had heard about it years before):</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://www.twitter.com/wikileaks/status/783320767522037760">https://www.twitter.com/wikileaks/status/783320767522037760</a>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9az798tgKWo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9az798tgKWo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
Here's Hillary Clinton herself responding; missing is "I would never condone killing the staff of any media".</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://www.twitter.com/wikileaks/status/783424443070738433">https://www.twitter.com/wikileaks/status/783424443070738433</a> </blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZLTUolUqZ1UcoY93HAMD_ZmaqRxsVsP8RmqPX01ipVCo09NeyVxblcoHRdbBHhQuCmBOOnh1aWuJtYyTOqcAWkJ1Ki4FbLVxG_5-zVxeH2mzmsquqhfPGq_wMB4mgdYnmoEs4nvIBI8/s1600/hc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="603" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZLTUolUqZ1UcoY93HAMD_ZmaqRxsVsP8RmqPX01ipVCo09NeyVxblcoHRdbBHhQuCmBOOnh1aWuJtYyTOqcAWkJ1Ki4FbLVxG_5-zVxeH2mzmsquqhfPGq_wMB4mgdYnmoEs4nvIBI8/s320/hc.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote>
She said it was a joke--a bit like her election campaign? It's certainly not good to threaten our staff or torture our alleged sources.
Here's a fun poster from the Washington Times. Goes with the article "Assassinate Assange". A "?" added later.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101204115811/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20101204115811/</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/2/assassinate-assange/">http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/2/assassinate-assange/</a></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7GWzACHJIGsQyhYx5M3t8iMHoCfwjHmPnihUKg11uGKT2WaT1cUtorAXh9mtUkXgPe-AyU_PRjDfG3ihUhZsqbXz244FfzNFOy2PnjIXDDiitoTBn0wUIwav8teogml9AXdDu_pbuTA/s1600/aa.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7GWzACHJIGsQyhYx5M3t8iMHoCfwjHmPnihUKg11uGKT2WaT1cUtorAXh9mtUkXgPe-AyU_PRjDfG3ihUhZsqbXz244FfzNFOy2PnjIXDDiitoTBn0wUIwav8teogml9AXdDu_pbuTA/s320/aa.jpg" width="281" /></a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
It was no joke to the 40k Libyans she killed while Secretary of State in a bid to stamp her lunatic ticket.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Fgcd1ghag5Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fgcd1ghag5Y?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br /></blockquote>
<blockquote>
Here's noted Obama hagiographer, @MikeGunwald then at @TIME, now promoted to "Senior writer" at Politico. Quality sycophant.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyqoEByIN6_sUcmFc4RIoW2lh0dGxDvcefwSe7Rnz0ym3J5PRuE-aB6QSPAlWFuJbr3AkoJe7y3QjfCC2pF0wnh18Hi6itnFelULLdozV_uKuFM4CUDGdkTSNVNNprJhGkntTFeGPEyc/s1600/mg.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="602" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyqoEByIN6_sUcmFc4RIoW2lh0dGxDvcefwSe7Rnz0ym3J5PRuE-aB6QSPAlWFuJbr3AkoJe7y3QjfCC2pF0wnh18Hi6itnFelULLdozV_uKuFM4CUDGdkTSNVNNprJhGkntTFeGPEyc/s320/mg.jpg" width="320" /></a>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
These "journalists" love nothing more than to threaten to help assassinate me and my staff and my sources for telling the truth. They couldn't dream of our accuracy or independence. I have abiding contempt for their lack of standards and craven character.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Here's the NY based Mediaite which is owned by Dan Abrams a former ABC "journalist"; sister is an Obama judge.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<a href="http://twitter.com/Mediaite/status/871798225551884288" target="_blank">twitter.com/Mediaite/status/871798225551884288</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHJKUFkf2IPNGcyG4K7wBDKYQlQWCz6SPkqwsbYSw3570DBzzdjwfxgmdfrADcveIpt6wW_E8Spkxc_J5k9_tTIjobNQD2sBwOITpw2TfVHJdkIh_dcsMg4I3Faw-sP4n_317QNCY4Xg/s1600/ml.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="617" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHJKUFkf2IPNGcyG4K7wBDKYQlQWCz6SPkqwsbYSw3570DBzzdjwfxgmdfrADcveIpt6wW_E8Spkxc_J5k9_tTIjobNQD2sBwOITpw2TfVHJdkIh_dcsMg4I3Faw-sP4n_317QNCY4Xg/s320/ml.png" width="320" /></a></div>
The article is from June 6 this year. Notice how all the snowflakes were up in arms about this threat to kill someone for speaking. No? </blockquote>
Julian then listed over two dozen tweets that included threats to kill him, his family, and/or WikiLeaks staff. He tagged them all with the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tolerantliberal?src=hash" target="_blank">#TolerantLiberal</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
There's thousands more on killing me, our other people, maiming, bombing, kidnapping, imprisoning for trying to educate people. What can I say? Liberals ain't liberal. They've fallen into bed with the
worst elements of state hardpower & love censorship and death. </blockquote>
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a> (yuck I know) or via direct bank transfer (Gary Lord, Bank of Queensland, BSB: 124-147 Account: 22887565).<br />
<br />
Thank you.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-53328000626602904382017-01-20T03:34:00.002-08:002019-08-08T17:22:28.922-07:00Did USA Interfere in Australia's 1975 Election?Originally published in <a href="http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2017/01/19/us-interference-australian-1975-election/" target="_blank">New Daily</a> as "Heavy Meddle: Did USA interfere in Australian election?" Republishing here because it was almost impossible to read on that site.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2017/01/19/us-interference-australian-1975-election/">http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2017/01/19/us-interference-australian-1975-election/</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
While Americans digest the news that Russia almost certainly tried to influence the election that delivered Donald Trump the presidency, new research indicates the US is an old hand at trying to sway votes in other countries.<br />
<br />
Political scientist Dov Levin of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University says the US has attempted to influence elections overseas as many as 81 times between 1946 and 2000.<br />
<br />
Levin doesn’t include Australia in his data set, even though he admitted to The New Daily this week the 1975 dismissal of the Whitlam government had been “one of the primary candidates” he’d examined.<br />
<br />
“However when I checked this case out, the documents from a recent comprehensive collection of declassified US government documents on US foreign policy towards Australia during those years provided no evidence of such an American intervention in the 1975 election campaign for one of the parties,” Levin said.<br />
<br />
Others, closer to home, are more inclined to believe the Americans did interfere in one of the most turbulent periods in Australian political history.<br />
<br />
Australian author Andrew Fowler told The New Daily it was broadly accepted America tried to interfere in the Australian political situation in 1975 that led to the Whitlam government being dismissed and then voted out in favour of Malcolm Fraser weeks later.<br />
<br />
Fowler, author of The War on Journalism: Media Moguls, Whistleblowers and the Price of Freedom, told The New Daily while the evidence America wanted to see the end of the Whitlam government was circumstantial, “there is a considerable amount of it”.<br />
<br />
Others, like Australian-born, British-based journalist John Pilger are even more convinced that the 1975 poll was subject to US interference.<br />
<br />
In his book A Secret Country, Pilger wrote that former CIA agent Victor Marchetti explained the US-Australian relationship thus: “So long as Australians keep electing the right people then there’ll be a stable relationship between the two countries.”<br />
Nixon and Nixon weren't fans of the Whitlam Government. Photo: Getty<br />
Nixon and Kissinger weren’t fans of the Whitlam government. Photo: Getty<br />
<br />
The comfortable relationship between Australia and America, which had endured since World War II, almost came to an end when Australians elected the left-leaning Whitlam in 1972.<br />
<br />
The new PM believed that a foreign power should not control his country’s resources and dictate its economic and foreign policies. He was particularly discomfited by the existence of American bases on Australian soil.<br />
<br />
Whitlam demanded to know if and why the CIA was running a spy base at Pine Gap near Alice Springs, a giant vacuum cleaner which, as Edward Snowden revealed, allows the US to spy on pretty much everyone and anything.<br />
<br />
Marchetti, the CIA officer who had helped set up Pine Gap, later told Pilger: “This threat to close Pine Gap caused apoplexy in the White House … a kind of Chile [coup] was set in motion.”<br />
<br />
Author Fowler said Australia’s politicians repeatedly stated there was little difference between America’s best interests and those of Australia.<br />
<br />
“But we know from the statements of former prime ministers Malcolm Fraser and Paul Keating that is not the case,” he said, adding: “The problem is they don’t tell us that when they’re in office.<br />
<br />
“The Anzus alliance only matters to the Americans to serve their own interests. The most important part of the alliance, Pine Gap, helps them fight foreign wars. It is no longer just a listening post.”<br />
<br />
The War on Journalism records that by 1974 the dominant Murdoch press turned solidly against Whitlam.<br />
<br />
The new US Ambassador to Australia, Marshall Green, appointed by US President Richard Nixon, was freshly drafted in from Chile, where the CIA had helped topple the democratically elected President Salvador Allende the previous year.<br />
<br />
Before long, communiques to the US State Department reported that Murdoch had issued confidential instructions to editors of his newspapers to “Kill Whitlam”.<br />
<br />
With key figures in the Labor Party describing the then bombing in Vietnam as “corrupt and barbaric” and threatening to close the US bases in Australia, the CIA stepped in.<br />
<br />
In 1975 senior CIA figure Theodore Shackley wrote to ASIO: “The CIA feel that if this problem cannot be solved they do not see how our mutually beneficial relations are going to continue.”<br />
<br />
Pilger records that on November 10, 1975, Whitlam was shown a top secret telex message sourced to Shackley, the head of the CIA’s East Asia Division, who had helped run the coup against Allende in Chile. Shackley’s message was read to Whitlam. It said that the Prime Minister of Australia was a security risk in his own country.<br />
<br />
The day before, Governor-General Sir John Kerr had visited the headquarters of the Australian Defence Signals Directorate, another of Australia’s national security agencies, and was briefed on the “security crisis”.<br />
<br />
On November 11, 1975, the day Whitlam was to inform Parliament about the secret CIA presence in Australia, he was dismissed by the Governor-General.<br />
<br />
Dr Alison Broinowski, Vice-President of the group Honest History, told The New Daily America’s interference in the Australian electoral processes in 1975 appeared obvious.<br />
<br />
“From writings by Marian Wilkinson, Christopher Boyce, John Pilger, Jenny Hocking, James Curran, and others, it is clear that Whitlam came close to closing down the bases and getting sacked in return,” she said.<br />
<br />
“The trouble is those who know the whole story are either dead or won’t say how or whether the US actually changed the outcome of the election. If they did, it would only be one of many around the world, before and since.<br />
<br />
“The hypocrisy in relation to Russian interference, if it happened, is breathtaking.”<br />
<br />
For his part, Professor Curran, lecturer in history at Sydney University, is less convinced of US involvement in 1975’s tumultuous events.<br />
<br />
In his widely praised book Unholy Fury: Whitlam and Nixon at War, Professor Curran records the bad blood between President Richard Nixon, US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the Whitlam government.<br />
<br />
Nixon dismissed the Australian PM as a “peacenik”, Kissinger called him a “bastard”, while senior Australian ministers claimed the White House was being run by “thugs” and “maniacs”.<br />
<br />
Professor Curran told The New Daily that while there was a long history of the US interfering in foreign elections, “it doesn’t include Australia in 1975”.<br />
<br />
“There was clearly some kind of CIA activity in Australia that was at the very least being actively considered in 1975,” he said.<br />
<br />
“But I found no smoking gun – no documentary evidence – to suggest that the US was involved either in Whitlam’s downfall or the 1975 election.”<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, with British, American and Australian US intelligence agencies all working against him, a Governor-General later recorded as being closely supported by the CIA and with the Murdoch press baying for his blood, the Whitlam government fell.<br />
<br />
The history books record that an emissary of the US government, Assistant Secretary of State Warren Christopher later told Whitlam the “US Administration would never again interfere in the domestic political processes of Australia”.<br />
<br />
Critics argue there is really only one reason the promise has been kept: Australia has been entirely compliant with America’s wishes. That may all be about to change. Trump may not just be about to herald a shake-up in America, but a shake-up of the alliance in which generations of Australian politicians and bureaucrats have placed so much faith.</blockquote>
You can read more on this topic <a href="https://medium.com/@garymlord/how-the-usa-invaded-australia-76ccd169b641#.lgm8wqrxd">here</a> and <a href="http://danielmathews.info/blog/2015/11/forty-years-on/">here</a>.<br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a> (yuck I know) or via direct bank transfer (Gary Lord, Bank of Queensland, BSB: 124-147 Account: 22887565).<br />
<br />
Thank you.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-82337564358000607392016-11-30T20:48:00.000-08:002019-08-08T19:58:43.899-07:00Former PM Condemns Australia for Abandoning Assange and Abdicating Sovereignty<style type="text/css">h1 { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }h1.western { font-family: "Liberation Serif",serif; }h1.cjk { font-family: "Noto Sans CJK SC Regular"; font-size: 24pt; }h1.ctl { font-family: "FreeSans"; font-size: 24pt; }p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }a:link { </style><i>Originally published at <a href="https://wlcentral.org/node/2784" target="_blank">WikiLeaks Central </a>on 1<sup>st</sup>
December 2012.
</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESEk3VHauDheycJdPQiXz4XbBLMraYWZfe0AoMP_H1KjMJrJ7GfiU0z-K0EuWKJEEp5vtjJgeJLZQQZE9WjoA24JNW_xvoOXHzGZthUL3bDBmqEfk8rOKxdfGB1zEURRN-NqOsucDSd8/s1600/clientState+fraser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESEk3VHauDheycJdPQiXz4XbBLMraYWZfe0AoMP_H1KjMJrJ7GfiU0z-K0EuWKJEEp5vtjJgeJLZQQZE9WjoA24JNW_xvoOXHzGZthUL3bDBmqEfk8rOKxdfGB1zEURRN-NqOsucDSd8/s320/clientState+fraser.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>In</b><b> a
wide-ranging exclusive interview with <a href="https://wlcentral.org/">WL
Central</a>, former Australian Prime Minister <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Fraser" target="_blank">Malcolm
Fraser</a> has accused the current Gillard government of acting as
though Julian Assange "doesn't exist, that he's not an
Australian citizen." Mr Fraser slams the existing relationship
between Australia and the United States as "far, far too close"
and claims Australia is "a strategic colony of the United
States, under current circumstances."</b><br />
<br />
Condemning both major parties for doing "everything they can
to help the United States and nothing that would offend the United
States", Mr Fraser claims that "in many ways our parliament
has abdicated Australian sovereignty".<br />
<br />
"If we could ever again get a government that would stand up
for Australian independence, that government would of necessity have
to do a number of things that the United States would not like,"
said Mr Fraser, citing a range of issues, from US bases to
immigration policies, where the government was failing in its duties.<br />
<br />
"And nobody is held accountable. Nobody pays the price.
Nobody loses their job. Nobody is demoted. Nobody is fined. Now, you
have to have accountability."<br />
<br />
The former right wing Liberal Party leader says today's supposedly
left wing ALP government is "far more right than I was".
Defending his own record in government, which included conscription
for the Vietnam War, the establishment of "shared" military
facilities such as Pine Gap, and rumours of CIA involvement in the
dismissal of the Whitlam government, Mr Fraser insisted that even
former ALP PM Paul Keating, who recently condemned Australia's'
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bigideas/paul-keatingkeith-murdoch-oration/4374140" target="_blank">diminishing
influence</a>, "underestimates the danger of the current
relationship with the United States."<br />
<br />
Full transcript below the fold. Audio <a href="http://soundcloud.com/jaraparilla/malcolm-fraser-interview-1-dec" target="_blank">link
here</a>.<br />
<br />
* * * * * * * * *<br />
<br />
TRANSCRIPT (starting after 1 min chat)<br />
<br />
ME:<br />
"I've really enjoyed following your tweets. I guess it's
interesting to see a person in your position using Twitter as a way
to make your voice heard because it's something that the rest of us
all struggle to do."<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well I think it's important that people be heard. The way
political parties operate today, you get a great deal of
regimentation and not much individuality. There's certainly
individuality on Twitter."<br />
<br />
ME:<br />
"There certainly is - there's no shortage of it! Speaking of
individuals, Bradley Manning's finally had his day in court, Julian
Assange is still in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. How do feel
that the Australian government, in particular, has handled the issues
of WikiLeaks, and Assange in particular?"<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"The government to me appears to have acted as though Assange
doesn't exist, that he's not an Australian citizen. Quite clearly the
United States has been very annoyed and put out at what has happened.
The government has demonstrated - and the Opposition would be no
different - on more than one occasion that they want to do everything
they can to help the United States and nothing that would offend the
United States. You know in many ways our parliament has abdicated
Australian sovereignty. That's something that I think is more than
disappointing."<br />
"Assange... Bradley Manning, if he you know did as alleged,
took secrets or whatever, and then gave them to WikiLeaks, or for
that matter to anyone else, then he is guilty of all sorts of things
under American law. It would seem though from some of the reports
that he's been pretty harshly treated in the lead-up to the trial. At
least now he gets his day in court.<br />
<br />
"For Assange, at one level what WikiLeaks has published is no
different from any newspaper publishing something that they get told
by a public servant. It might be more serious, it might be more wide
ranging - it certainly has been - but if you are going to say that if
any whistle-blower or any person in the public service who tells
something to a newspaper - and then that newspaper publishes it - is
guilty of a serious offence, well then that is going to stifle the
media in a very, very major way. The person who gives the information
might well be, and probably is, guilty of an offence, but so far we
have not tried to suggest that the person who publishes it is guilty
of an offence."<br />
<br />
ME:<br />
"I guess from Bradley Manning's point of view, if you
are a witness to war crimes then you have an obligation to speak up
for them. So as far as, I guess that's a legal argument in his case."<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well I guess it is. But the West in recent times - and
not only the United States - has been prepared to condone things from
their own administrations or from their allies which they would
certainly brand as war crimes or terrorist acts if undertaken by an
opponent. In other words, you know, double standards most certainly
apply. The torturing that went on in American jails in Iraq or
Afghanistan or Guantanamo Bay, the way that 'enhanced interrogation'
was approved right at the very top by Rumsfeld and the President
himself, and his signatures on documents approving the techniques -
I've seen it - that, I think, is really guilty of War Crimes. The
other thing about it is -"<br />
<br />
ME:<br />
"I was just wondering, in your own time as Prime Minister of
Australia, how you would have dealt with something like WikiLeaks.
Obviously, the technology is totally different, but I was looking
through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Fraser" target="_blank">your
Wikipedia entry</a>, and you were Minister for the Army in 1966 and
actually handling Vietnam conscriptions, and became Minister for
Defence in 69, and resigned in 1971 because you thought the Prime
Minister was getting too involved in your portfolio, allegedly, which
lead to the downfall of Prime Minister Gorton. People would say,
especially with regards to the, with the possibile CIA involvement in
the overthrow of the Whitlam government, those issues of US
involvement with Australian politics go a long way back. So how do
you think that things have changed since then?"<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"I don't really believe that the CIA has been involved in
domestic Australian politics. I didn't at the time, I don't now.
There are many faults that we have in the relationship that we have
with the United States, including during the Vietnam War. Because
while we made a very substantial contribution - about 8,000 troops
for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_the_Vietnam_War" target="_blank">Phuoc
Tuy Province</a> - we had no say in terms the overall strategy and
conduct of the war. And you know I think that's very difficult. And
even in those days I said I would never want to be involved in a war
with the United States unless I had somebody in the inner councils,
with strategy in relation to [the way] that war was undertaken. You
know, we've never achieved that.<br />
<br />
"But at another level, Americans influence on our defence
machine, on the purchase of defence equipment, on the way that
equipment operates, joint exercises, joint planning, I think the
relationship between Australia and the United States is far, far too
close. I am told - I can't prove it but I am told - that when a new
White Paper comes out on Defence programs a few years ahead, as
happened two or three years ago, that America is almost involved
every step of the way. Now this should be an Australian matter. There
are many things where we might have interests in common with the
United States, but there are certainly Australian interests which we
do not share with the United States.<br />
"You know, we live in this part of the world, the United
States doesn't. They can ultimately withdraw to the Western
Hemisphere. We are part of East South East Asia and this is where our
future lies. And what Paul Keating said about it all the other day is
totally right, but I think Paul underestimates the danger of the
current relationship with the United States."<br />
<br />
9:50<br />
ME:<br />
"I think you have spoken out about, I think you had a letter
to the 'White Paper on Australia's Asian Century' where you spoke
about US drones coming to the Cocos Islands and troops in Darwin and
the possibility of a [US] Naval Base in Perth and again - without
trying to have a go at you, I'm just looking back at history - and
like, Pine Gap started in the 60s and got underway in the 70s, and
then we've got North West Cap and the Geraldton base, which are all
part of ECHELON, and that's a history of perhaps conceding
sovereignty to the US over time. And again I am just interested, how
you think it's come to the point, that the US influence has become so
sort of toxic now."<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well, the relationship has gone far further and is far
deeper than it used to be. There'd be, um, Pine Gap, as originally
established, was an information gathering operation. It was not
something that was integral to American space warfare or nuclear
warfare. North West Cape, as I am advised, is now critical in
relation to cyber warfare, it's um, well it's again warfare in space.
Its purpose has changed very significantly from that which it was in
the earlier days.<br />
"But look, a number of things have changed. The Cold War is
over. I believe the West needed to show a concerted, if possible,
unified, approach to the Soviet Union, which I regarded as an
aggressive, outward-thrusting power, looking for opportunities. You
know, we forget these days, and it's before most Australians were
born: they put down the Hungarian Revolution in 56, they put their
tanks into Czechoslovakia for the third time in 1968, there were
Communist insurgencies in Thailand, in Malaya, an attempted Communist
coup in Indonesia. So it was really a very, very different world.<br />
<br />
"But when the Soviet Union blew apart, there was then an
opportunity to establish a different kind of world. Instead of having
two major Superpowers sort of balancing each other, as the Soviets
and the United States did, there was just then one Superpower,
absolutely supreme militarily and economically. Now there was a great
opportunity to try to make a partner of Russia, for example. But that
was blown totally by pushing NATO, whose job had been done - its job
was to hold the Soviet Union and not to allow them to take over all
of Europe, they only took over half of it, but that half had been
freed. Instead of saying NATO's job was done, that's fine, that's
great, they pushed NATO to the very boundaries of Russia, including
all the countries of Eastern Europe, and trying to include the
Ukraine and Georgia. Now, in other terms that would be like trying to
include Mexico in an offensive alliance against the United States. If
anyone tried to do that, they'd go bananas. So the chance to
establish a co-operative relationship with Russia was pushed aside.<br />
<br />
"And in addition to those mistakes, I think the United States
has changed very significantly. It has become deeply divided
ideologically, we've seen the recent debate and the Tea Party's
philosophy is deep and strong. The idea of American supremacy, of
American Exceptionalism, of America's obligation to spread
Christianity and Democracy worldwide, is very deep in a lot of
America. And I don't think that existed through the 50s, 60s, 70s.
It's a different America, in my book."<br />
<br />
14:53<br />
ME:<br />
"Would you agree with Eisenhower's characterisation of the
military-industrial complex, and do you think that those people have
perhaps acquired too much power in the US, and that same sort of
power is now corrupting Australian policy and politics?"<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well, it's not power from Australian terms. It's the
influence and power of the American Defence machine within Australia.
It's influence over our own Defence Department, over our Armed
Forces, over the equipment they buy, over their operational
procedures. We really, we are a strategic colony of the United
States, under current circumstances."<br />
<br />
ME:<br />
"I know in 2006 you warned against the continued involvement
in the Iraq War and the possibility of Islamophobia growing in
Australia, and the treatment of David Hicks, and in 2007 you
supported a Getup campaign along those lines, and the following year
you were being called out by a Liberal MP as a "frothing at the
mouth leftie". And after that you resigned from the Liberals. Do
you think that Australian politics has moved so far to the right
that, like, you were the leader of a right wing government in
Australia but looking at Gillard's government today do you feel that
they are in some ways more right than you ever were?<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Oh, they're far more right than I was. Because whatever my
reputation in terms of - and I suppose I was regarded as leading a
right wing government because of my attitude to the Soviet Union,
which I did regard as a dangerous force in the world. But if you look
at the record of my government in relation to human rights, human
rights legislation, the Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman, the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Freedom of Information legislation -
which was stronger then than it is now - the way Vietnamese refugees
were treated compared to the way refugees are treated today, the
values which I carried out in government are really the values which
I still fight for."<br />
<br />
17:20<br />
ME:<br />
"Just going back to what you said about not believing that
the CIA was involved in Australian politics. I know that Gough
Whitlam in his book, he said, he claims that Warren Christopher, the
former US Secretary of State, said to him that "the USA would
never again interfere in Australian politics." So I guess his
interpretation is that that word "again" implies that they
did interfere. And Sir John Kerr was a member of a CIA-backed
"Association for Cultural Freedom" before he became
Attorney General. Do you have any comment on that?<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well, you know, what you've said, I know that Association. I
think many of its members were good and honourable people and they
were determined to oppose Communism and it was their way of doing it.
I knew a little of what they were doing and I didn't know of anything
that was untoward or that would cause concern. They were certainly
very much opposed to Communism. But I was too. I still do not believe
that the United States was involved in any way.<br />
"Look, if you look at the record, Gough had many grand ideas,
but he could not run a team. And look at his changes of ministers and
the arguments he had with his own ministers, look at the scandals
that went on for 18 months before the end of 75. The 1974 budget was
budgeted for increasing expenditure of 14% in real terms, and you
know if anyone tried to do that today they'd be told they had to get
out of power very quickly. The next budget was a 22% increase in real
terms. So you didn't have to look to any foreign influence, you just
had to look to things that Gough did himself.<br />
<br />
"One of things I would agree with Gough... No if I could
just... Gough had a sense of Australian identity. Keating had a sense
of Australian identity. And I think I did. And I would agree with
both of them when they stood up for Australia and for Australia's
independence. Now, the United States may not like that. If we could
ever again get a government that would stand up for Australian
independence, that government would of necessity have to do a number
of things that the United States would not like. I mean one of them:
take troops out of Darwin!"<br />
<br />
20:20<br />
ME:<br />
"One of the interesting things which Gough Whitlam set up
which your government overturned was a Ministry of Media. I'm just
looking now at what's happened with the media landscape in Australia
and round the world, particularly the Leveson inquiry in the UK, and
perhaps Rafael Correa's changes to the media in Ecuador, and
wondering if others?"<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well, I think it's an absolute nonsense to say that the
media can self-regulate. This is like saying that banks can
self-regulate, that you don't need a Reserve Bank. Or it's like
saying that the corporate community does not need an ASIC to see that
corporations stay within the law and don't rob their shareholders
blatantly and openly. So there needs to be an appropriate supervisory
structure for banks, er, for the media. It will be interesting to see
how the debate unfolds. You know I don't, I wouldn't want a Ministry
for Media, I wouldn't want a Minister involved in doing this. It
needs to be independent. But I also think it needs to be established
by a statute, so that the media itself will have to pay attention to
what it does. But once it's established by statute, that's the end of
whatever the government does. If the government want to have any
influence on it, they are going to have to change the law. And you
really need a process which will enable you to put people in charge
of that media supervisory body who are totally independent. You know,
one way of helping to ensure this may be that the appointment has to
have the agreement of both the government and the opposition. But it
would not be all that easy to get the balance of such a body right.
But I am sure that if it is going to be effective, it would need to
be established by legislation."<br />
<br />
22:56<br />
ME:<br />
"Yeah, personally I think if you have corruption in
government then it's hard to see how anything that is set up to
control the media or the banks is going to be effective. And I guess
that's why I'm a strong supporter of WikiLeaks because I think that
transparency that WikiLeaks provides is really the key to change in a
real sense. For example, the Visa-MasterCard blockade on WikiLeaks is
an example of corporate ability to try to silence media. Now we're in
a landscape where the media - the mainstream media as it's called -
is struggling to make profits, so perhaps that whole media landscape
is changing and the way ahead is more to be defending independent
voices such as Julian Assange's.<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well, independent voices certainly need to be defended.
Those independent voices though, need to stay within the law as it
is. If the law is wrong, then there has to be a campaign or an
attempt to get that law changed. Look, I passed the first Freedom Of
Information legislation. The major opponents of that legislation were
not my own ministers but the Commonwealth Public Service. And a lot
of things are classified, at different levels of security, that do
not need to be classified. I agree with you that maximum transparency
is very important. And people sometimes classify documents for no
other reason than to protect themselves.<br />
<br />
"Transparency, openness - but for that to work you need
something else. You need accountability. And if you take the <a href="https://wlcentral.org/node/www.law.mq.edu.au/public/download/?id=16234">Palmer
and Crowley reports</a> into the Department of Immigration, they
reveal great grievances were exposed, wrongs against individuals, an
Australian deported and nothing done about it even though it was
known that the Australian had been illegally deported. And nobody is
held accountable. Nobody pays the price. Nobody loses their job.
Nobody is demoted. Nobody is fined. Now, you have to have
accountability."<br />
<br />
25:50<br />
ME:<br />
"We've had calls for inquiry into the Iraq War..."<br />
<br />
MF:<br />
"Well, I've supported that. Because I believe we just
followed Britain and America. And I have no doubt that they knew that
what they were saying about Weapons of Mass Destruction was false.
They just thought they could get everyone's agreement, that's a good
reason to have the war."<br />
<br />
"I'd like to get back to something you said a while ago,
because I think it's not the most malign influence in the United
States. You referred to the Military-Industrial Complex. The changes
in American ideology which I think have done enormous damage were the
changes that were initiated really by the formation really of the
Neoconservatives, by their statement of principles which was
published in 1999. And by their consequent influence, especially in
the second Bush government, their influence in think-tanks like the
Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. And if you
look at that statement of principles clearly, and boiling it all
down, it's really saying America will only be safe if the whole world
is a Democracy. It's America's job to try and persuade the world to
be a Democracy. But if we can't persuade them, then we do it by force
of arms. I think that people who probably passed exams with First
Class Honours at Yale or Harvard were totally naive, even stupid.
They believed that if you get rid of Saddam Hussein, a benign
democracy would emerge and Democracy would flow from Iraq throughout
the Middle East. Now you might find that far-fetched but I really
believe that is what the Neo-".<br />
<br />
<i>(APOLOGIES: recording was cut short just before end of interview.
)</i><br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a> .<br />
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Thank you.
<i><br /></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-78536545460651788512016-11-30T20:38:00.003-08:002019-08-08T19:59:14.381-07:00The Guardian's Vendetta Against Julian Assange<div class="content">
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }a:link { }</style>
<br />
<i>Originally published at <a href="https://wlcentral.org/node/2363">WikiLeaks
Central</a> on 25<sup>th</sup> November 2011.</i><br />
<br />
Ever since Britain's The Guardian newspaper
co-operated with WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange to publish the
greatest document leaks in history, they have pursued a relentless
smear campaign against him. As Assange's likely extradition to Sweden
looms, this campaign has now ramped up to a point where it has <a class="ext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark" target="_blank">jumped the shark</a><span class="ext"></span>.<br />
<br />
Since March 2010, The Guardian has published over a dozen articles
criticising Assange (with only a small fraction of that number published
in support). There is a singular lack of substance to these ad hominem
attacks, which originate from a small circle of closely-connected
journalists. And curiously, nearly every one of these critical stories
includes the words “anti-Semite” and/or “Holocaust denier”.<br />
<br />
So does The Guardian believe Assange is an anti-Semite? Surprise,
surprise, the allegation is never made. Rather, Assange is smeared by a
tenuous association with an obscure journalist named Israel Shamir, just
one of several hundred journalists with whom WikiLeaks has worked in
recent years.<br />
<br />
Such a co-ordinated campaign of character assassination amounts to
shamefully abusive behaviour for a major media outlet. It's time those
involved were held to account...<br />
<br />
THE MAIN CHARACTERS<br />
<br />
<b>Alan Rusbridger </b><br />
<br />
As the Guardian's editor-in-chief, Rusbridger directs editorial
policy and has the final say on publication. If the Guardian is pursuing
an agenda, Rusbridger is behind it. From <a class="ext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Rusbridger" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a><span class="ext"></span>:
"He is a member of the board of Guardian News and Media, of the main
board of the Guardian Media Group and of the Scott Trust, which owns The
Guardian and The Observer, of which he is executive editor. Rusbridger
received £471,000 in pay and benefits in 2008/9."<br />
<br />
Given the nature of these allegations, perhaps it's worth noting that Rusbridger's <a class="ext" href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/03/02/eye-on-the-guardian-and-assange/" target="_blank"> wife </a><span class="ext"></span> is Jewish and his <a class="ext" href="http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/21934/guardian-editors-daughter-melanie-phillips-row" target="_blank">daughter</a><span class="ext"></span> was involved in an anti-Semitic controversy while working as a Guardian comments moderator.<br />
<br />
<b>David Leigh</b><br />
<br />
Rusbridger's wife's brother David Leigh is editor in charge of The
Guardian’s Investigations Team. An attitude of hissing contempt for
Assange runs throughout his book "Wikileaks - Inside Julian Assange’s
War on Secrecy", which Leigh published with Guardian colleague Luke
Harding. In that book, <a class="ext" href="http://nigelparry.com/news/guardian-david-leigh-cablegate.shtml" target="_blank">Leigh published the password to the CableGate files</a><span class="ext"></span> (plus the "<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">salt</a>") although the Guardian has ever since blamed Assange for the unredacted cables' release.<br />
Leigh has never properly explained what Assange did to deserve such
visceral treatment. He frequently refers to a secretive meeting where
Leigh claims the Australian wanted to release US cables unredacted
because "informants deserve to die". Assange claims he never made such a
comment, and WikiLeaks has always worked hard to redact leaked
documents. But even if he had said it, would that single comment justify
a <a class="ext" href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/12/the-guardians-david-leigh-talks-about-julian-assange-and-wikileaks/" target="_blank">never-ending</a><span class="ext"></span> campaign of hate from a <a class="ext" href="http://www.metro.co.uk/news/871435-guardian-journalist-phone-hacking-gave-me-a-thrill" target="_blank">supposedly</a><span class="ext"></span> respectable newspaper?<br />
<br />
<b>James Ball</b><br />
<br />
Now employed as a full-time journalist under David Leigh, the youthful James Ball is a former Wikileaks staffer who apparently <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/12/wikileaks-confidentiality-agreement-julian-assange" target="_blank">took a few things with him</a><span class="ext"></span>
when he left. He has made a career writing about his dissatisfaction
with Assange, and his “insider” experiences have formed the basis for
most of the Guardian's reporting. Ball claims to support the principles
of WikiLeaks, "but not the principals". He previously worked as a <a class="ext" href="http://www.jamesrb.co.uk/?page_id=2" target="_blank">researcher for Heather Brooke</a><span class="ext"></span>, the woman who passed the CableGate file to the New York Times and then wrote <a class="ext" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2023140/WikiLeaks-Julian-Assange-portrayed-predatory-narcissistic-fantasist-new-book.html" target="_blank">her own WikiLeaks book</a><span class="ext"></span> slamming Assange's character. Ball is now publishing a WikiLeaks book of his own. Ka-ching!?<br />
<br />
<b>Israel Shamir</b><br />
<br />
The man whom the Guardian regularly labels a “notorious anti-Semite
and Holocaust denier” was born to Jewish parents and served with the
Israeli Defence Forces before moving abroad and converting to Orthodox
Christianity. An independent journalist who claims to have worked with
the BBC and Haaretz, Shamir has adopted a variety of aliases while
reporting from various locations in post-Soviet Eastern Europe. Is he an
anti-Semite? Even some informed <a class="ext" href="http://www.kadaitcha.com/2010/12/15/curiouser-and-curiouser-how-deep-is-the-rabbit-hole/" target="_blank">anti-Zionist campaigners</a><span class="ext"></span> believe so. Perhaps you should make up your own mind. Here’s Shamir's own <a class="ext" href="http://www.israelshamir.net/English/BBC-Smear-Short3.htm" target="_blank">explanation</a><span class="ext"></span> of his controversial views.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing. Even if you DO believe that Shamir is an
anti-Semite, how does that justify The Guardian's vendetta against
Julian Assange? Assange claims to have only met Shamir twice; Shamir was
given the same level of access to a restricted set of WikiLeaks cables
as dozens of other journalists around the world; and WikiLeaks has
ridiculed The Guardian's claims that Shamir was paid for his services.<br />
<br />
So what's the real agenda behind this Guardian campaign of smear by association?<br />
<br />
THE STORIES<br />
<br />
17th Dec 2010<br />
<br />
Andrew Brown's <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2010/dec/17/wikileaks-israel-shamir-russia-scandinavia" target="_blank">Guardian blog</a><span class="ext"></span>
begins: "WikiLeaks's spokesperson and conduit in Russia has been
exposed in the Swedish media as an anti-semite and Holocaust denier..."
The Swedish media source he cites is <a class="ext" href="http://rixstep.com/1/20100821,00.shtml" target="_blank">Expressen</a><span class="ext"></span>, which is part of a right-wing media group owned by the Jewish <a class="ext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnier_family" target="_blank">Bonnier family</a><span class="ext"></span>.<br />
<br />
31st Jan 2011<br />
<br />
A Guardian <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/31/wikileaks-holocaust-denier-handled-moscow-cables?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">extract</a><span class="ext"></span>
from the Leigh/Harding book is titled: "Holocaust denier in charge of
handling Moscow cables". The extract quotes “one staffer” and “one
insider” - both of whom appear to be James Ball. It also describes
“internal WikiLeaks documents, seen by the Guardian” without revealing
Ball as the source.<br />
<br />
5th Feb 2011<br />
<br />
Writing in The Guardian, self-styled Web guru <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/07/age-wikileaks-style-vigilante-geek-over?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">Evgeny Mozorov</a><span class="ext"></span>,
pre-emptively declares Assange finished. He throws in an obligatory
Shamir reference, albeit fairly recognising him as “a stranger” to
WikiLeaks.<br />
<br />
16th Feb 2011<br />
<br />
Assange <a class="ext" href="http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/documents/ME-CFS_docs/Ian%20Hislop,%20Private%20Eye,%20No.%201283.pdf" target="_blank">contacts</a><span class="ext"></span>
Private Eye magazine to complain about an article linking him with
Shamir, including leaked emails suggesting Assange does not find
Shamir’s writing anti-Semitic. Liberal Conspiracy, "the UK's most
popular left-of-centre politics blog", gives a <a class="ext" href="http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/03/01/assange-goes-off-deep-end-blaming-jews-and-guardian-in-private-eye/" target="_blank">Hat Tip to James Ball</a><span class="ext"></span> for the story. Hmn, I wonder where Private Eye got those leaked emails?<br />
<br />
NB: Private Eye, which was <a class="ext" href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/03/02/eye-on-the-guardian-and-assange/" target="_blank">"frequently anti-Semitic"</a><span class="ext"></span> until the 1980s, is <a class="ext" href="http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/08/483153.html" target="_blank">not always so concerned about anti-Semitism</a><span class="ext"></span>.<br />
<br />
24th Feb 2011<br />
<br />
David Leigh tries to put the boot into Assange. In an article titled "<a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/24/julian-assange-tizzy-important-work?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">It's Julian Assange's own 'tizzy' that bamboozles</a><span class="ext"></span>",
he ridicules Assange's complaints, casts aspersions on his lawyers, and
then (bizarrrely) lectures him about keeping his private life out of
the media.<br />
<br />
1st March 2011<br />
<br />
A week after a judge rules that Assange should be extradited to Sweden, Private Eye's Ian Hislop <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/01/julian-assange-jewish-conspiracy-comments" target="_blank">opens fire in The Guardian</a><span class="ext"></span>.
Assange responds: "Hislop has distorted, invented or misremembered
almost every significant claim and phrase. In particular, 'Jewish
conspiracy' is completely false, in spirit and in word."<br />
<br />
3rd March 2011<br />
<br />
John Kampfner, CEO of Index on Censorship, <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/03/julian-assange-big-picture?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">cites</a><span class="ext"></span> Israel Shamir as his central reason for not supporting WikiLeaks.<br />
<br />
9th April 2011<br />
<br />
Esther Addley writes in The Guardian: "Douglas Murray, director of the
centre for social cohesion, challenged Assange over the website's
sources of funding, its staffing and connections with the Holocaust
denier Israel Shamir, who has worked with the site."<br />
<br />
2nd Sept 2011<br />
<br />
A Guardian <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/02/leader-wikileaks-unredacted-release?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">editorial</a><span class="ext"></span>
blames Assange for releasing the unredacted Cablegate files:
"[WikiLeaks] has dwindled to being the vehicle of one flawed
individual... occasionally brilliant, but increasingly volatile and
erratic." There is no mention of David Leigh's password gaffe, nor of
disgruntled ex-WikiLeaks staffer Daniel Domscheit-Berg, whose comments
to German media triggered the public exposure of the files.<br />
<br />
2nd Sept 2011<br />
<br />
Former WikiLeaks insider James Ball writes: <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/02/why-i-had-to-leave-wikileaks" target="_blank">Why I Had To Leave WikiLeaks</a><span class="ext"></span>.
In this article, Ball cites Shamir as his reason for leaving WikiLeaks,
although he also says "the last straw" was Assange's decision to
publish the full, unredacted CableGate file (never mind it was his new
editors at The Guardian who published the password). Ball also claims
that he was worried that after the most important cables had been
redacted, "a large volume of cables would remain, of little interest to
any media organisation." And yet, when the unredacted cables were
released, Ball took no further interest in them. He nonchalantly Tweeted
that the media had “had their turn” with the cables, and it was the
public's turn now.<br />
<br />
18th Sept 2011<br />
<br />
Nick Cohen goes to town with a disgusting smear piece in The Guardian: "<a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/18/julian-assange-wikileaks-nick-cohen?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">The treachery of Julian Assange</a><span class="ext"></span>".
Cohen claims that the Shamir allegations render anything Assange ever
says or does meaningless: "One can say with certainty, however, that
Assange's involvement with Shamir is enough to discredit his claim that
he published the documents in full because my colleagues on the Guardian
inadvertently revealed a link to a site he was meant to have taken
down."<br />
<br />
26th Sept 2011<br />
<br />
Ignoring basic media principles, David Leigh <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/sep/26/julian-assange-unauthorised-autobiography-review?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">reviews</a><span class="ext"></span>
the “unauthorised autobiography” of Assange: "It's a shame Assange
couldn't get on with the Guardian... Assange shows, regrettably, that he
is living in a fantasy world."<br />
<br />
2nd Oct 2011<br />
<br />
Karin Olsson, Culture Editor at Sweden's Expressen, is invited by a
Guardian editor to write another substance-free smear piece: "<a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/02/assange-hero-zero-swedes-pitiable?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">Julian Assange: from hero to zero</a><span class="ext"></span>".
She calls Assange “a paranoid chauvinist pig [who] cuts an increasingly
pitiable figure”. As with the Nick Cohen article, this smear is widely
reprinted in newspapers around the world, including Australia's Fairfax
media. Once again, Assange's over-hyped association with Shamir is the
central pillar of the attack. And as usual with these Guardian smear
pieces, readers' comments are overwhelmingly disgusted at the author.<br />
<br />
8th Nov 2011<br />
<br />
James Ball wades back into the fray, ostensibly in protection of women's rights: <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/nov/08/israel-shamir-julian-assange-cult-machismo?CMP=twt_gu" target="_blank">Israel Shamir and Julian Assange's cult of machismo</a><span class="ext"></span>. While slammming both men as misogynists, Ball repeats <a class="ext" href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2011/10/where-now-wikileaks.html" target="_blank">tired claims</a><span class="ext"></span> that Shamir gave unredacted US cables to the President of Belarus. Readers comments – including <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/discussion/comment-permalink/13195830" target="_blank">mine</a><span class="ext"></span> – are again overwhelmingly hostile to the author.<br />
<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
<br />
The stories above are <a class="ext" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/davidleigh3/status/116526645640298496" target="_blank">by</a><span class="ext"></span> <a class="ext" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/davidleigh3/status/112452902735462400" target="_blank">no</a><span class="ext"></span> <a class="ext" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/davidleigh3/status/112088715928666114" target="_blank">means</a><span class="ext"></span> a <a class="ext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/22/julian-assange-memoir-argument" target="_blank">conclusive</a><span class="ext"></span> list of Guardian <a class="ext" href="https://twitter.com/#%21/davidleigh3/status/109172400079380480" target="_blank">attacks</a><span class="ext"></span>
on Assange. And of course WikiLeaks has been unfairly treated in many
other media outlets – particularly in the USA – although curiously the
Shamir controversy is generally ignored elsewhere.<br />
<br />
So why is The Guardian, of all papers, pursuing such a petty,
unprofessional, and unsubstantiated smear attack on Julian Assange? Is
his barely noteworthy association with an obscure journalist really
cause for so much fuss? Is this an embarrasingly unprofessional
editorial grudge born from personality differences? Or can it all be
about <a class="ext" href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26823" target="_blank">maintaining control of target audiences</a><span class="ext"></span> in the newly digitised media world?<br />
<br />
Wikileaks has laid bare the naked corruption of <a class="ext" href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed--the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html" target="_blank">our ruling elites</a><span class="ext"></span>
and their media enablers. So what is The Guardian's agenda here? Who is
driving this vendetta and why? Alan Rusbridger has some explaining to
do.<br />
<br />
PS: More discussion on this post: <a class="ext" href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2011/11/guardians-vendetta-against-julian.html" target="_blank">http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com/2011/11/guardians-vendetta-against-julian.html</a><br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE 1: </b><br />
<br />
An interesting timeline from the comments at my blog:<br />
<br />
17/12/10, 4pm - Andrew Brown publishes blog with all source links
still in Swedish language. Obviously a rush job as they didn't even
bother to translate these sources. Brown even apologises for this at the
end of the article. As well as smearing Israel Shamir it also seeks to
smear his son, Johann Walstrom - Witness E in the Swedish case and a
favourable witness for Assange - by association with his father.<br />
<br />
17/12/10, 7pm - The Guardian writes 3 articles on the Belarus cables
and 3 on the Cuba cables. It then uploads all its redacted Belarus and
Cuba cables to Wikileaks. Some are very heavily - and apparently
unnecessarily - redacted. Bear in mind that Israel Shamir was the first
journalist to write about the Guardian "cable cooking".<br />
<br />
17/12/10, 9pm - Nick Davies publishes the notorious "10 Days in
Sweden" hit piece, which shamelessly distorted the leaked police
protocol, kicking off the personal smear attacks against Assange in the
English-speaking media.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE 2: </b><br />
<br />
Andrew Brown is the religious ("belief") editor at the
Comment Is Free (CIF) section of Guardian. He lived in Sweden previously
and still writes about it regularly. He invited Karin Olsson to write
the Assange smear, as she admits <a class="ext" href="http://www.resume.se/nyheter/media/2011/11/03/expressens-kulturexport" target="_blank">here</a><span class="ext"></span>.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE 3: </b><br />
<br />
Following Channel 4's "WikiLeaks: Secrets and Lies"
smear-filled TV documentary, wikileaks.org has published full details of
the Guardian's involvement and producer's correspondence: <a class="ext" href="http://www.wikileaks.org/Guardian-s-WikiLeaks-Secrets-and.html" target="_blank" title="http://www.wikileaks.org/Guardian-s-WikiLeaks-Secrets-and.html">http://www.wikileaks.org/Guardian-s-WikiLeaks-Secrets-and.html</a><br />
<br />
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<b>REALITY CHECK:</b> The system is broken. We are ruled by criminals. <br />
<br />
I want to keep fighting for truth and justice but my resources are
limited (while our enemies' resources are unlimited). Please help
support my efforts on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jaraparilla">Patreon</a>, or via <a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">Paypal</a>.<br />
<br />
Thank you.
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-35573747186107180702016-09-20T02:19:00.005-07:002016-09-20T02:19:59.188-07:00My #CensusFAIL Parliamentary Submission This is my submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the 2016 Census failure. <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Economics/2016Census/Submissions" target="_blank">Submissions</a> close tomorrow. <br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; line-height: 120%; }</style>
<br />
<div align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<u><b>2016
Census Submission To Parliamentary Enquiry</b></u></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
20<sup>th</sup>
September 2016</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The 2016 Census has
been an extraordinary failure at every level, and should have been
abandoned as soon as this became clear. Unfortunately, it is all too
typical of the unaccountable Neoliberal ideology plaguing Australia
and the Western world today.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
We need to see
this #CensusFAIL in the context of the government's continued
invasions of citizens’ privacy (with both major parties complicit).
As Edward Snowden revealed, we are now helping the USA spy not just
on all citizens of Australia, but on all citizens of the world.
Neither major party has a problem with that. Quite the opposite: both
major parties have supported draconian Data Retention legislation
robbing citizens of the right to privacy. It is an appalling
situation.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
The ABS decision
to retain names and addresses for Census 2016 was never adequately
explained, because it is indefensible. We citizens were told by the
(ir)responsible MP that "it doesn't matter" because so many
of us willingly give up our privacy to companies like Facebook. But
in fact intelligent citizens want nothing to do with such companies.
And anyway, nobody is going to charge you $180/day if you don't join
Facebook.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
<b>THE GOVERNMENT
SHOULD BE PROTECTING CITIZENS' PRIVACY, NOT EXPLOITING IT. </b>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
If the government
abandons its responsibility to me, and fails to protect my privacy,
there is no reason why I should willingly co-operate with further
attempts to exploit me. Now I see the government wants to privatise
the ASIC database. What happens if a future government decides to
privatise the Census database? This is where we are heading. <br />
<br />
The
ABS wants to hold onto my name and address for years, tied to my
family's personal information, and yet government institutions around
the world are hacked regularly and this information (on millions of
Australians) represents a prize target for hackers. Sorry, but I have
no confidence that the government can be trusted.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
And by the way, I
used to work with IBM on the Gold Coast. IBM handled #CensusFAIL
security and an ex-colleague Phillip Ny made headlines when he said
that this data would "inevitably" be lost. He deleted that
tweet, presumably under pressure of losing his job, but he was right.
Those of us who understand software security have a much better idea
of the threats than petty bureaucrats and careerist politicians.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
The people who
should be facing court over this #CensusFAIL disaster are the
imbeciles at ABS who have wasted countless millions of dollars and
destroyed public confidence in their institution.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
The damage has now
been done: millions have not completed the census, millions more have
provided unreliable data because they rightly do not trust their
government. Nobody but the fools responsible should be punished for
it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.5cm;">
Sincerely,
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Gary Lord.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-87219256348608260092016-08-03T03:18:00.001-07:002016-08-03T03:36:12.659-07:00Oz #CENSUSFAIL and IBM <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcOHIuIRb52MCB2uMjlpDaHPQvhmeKVrIJZiRjHy3_Y7FPLkA7NkJV7znHf2K8DWWBFosLUYqnzDJFCFpd1X1DHNZHjJob9Vjoo9_2qe6TsQ1jZREhKW4yG3CptTtFls_C8TWY15W2Uc/s1600/censusIBM2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRcOHIuIRb52MCB2uMjlpDaHPQvhmeKVrIJZiRjHy3_Y7FPLkA7NkJV7znHf2K8DWWBFosLUYqnzDJFCFpd1X1DHNZHjJob9Vjoo9_2qe6TsQ1jZREhKW4yG3CptTtFls_C8TWY15W2Uc/s400/censusIBM2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Today Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-03/census-turnbull-defends-security-of-private-details/7685664" target="_blank">assured</a> citizens that the security of their Census 2016 data was 'absolute'.<br />
<br />
"The security of their personal details is absolute and that is protected by law and by practice," he said. "That is a given."<br />
<br />
But at almost the same time, Philip Nye, whom the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/ibm-global-security-exec-says-census-hack-inevitable/news-story/b579f3ad2c87c231a6716219c699a9b8" target="_blank">Australian</a> called "an IBM global security executive" on the Gold Coast, declared on Twitter that Australia’s sensitive census data will “inevitably” be hacked.<br />
<br />
Nye made another important point: how would Australians even know if their census data was hacked? <br />
<br />
“Since Australia doesn’t have mandatory disclosure laws, will we ever find out when Census data is inevitably breached?,” Mr Nye asked Prime Minister Turnbull and Gold Coast MP Steven Ciobo.<br />
<br />
(<i>NOTE: The government has proposed a "mandatory disclosure" bill to
force organisations to disclose when they’ve had a ‘serious data
breach’, but it is yet to be passed</i>.)<br />
<br />
Philip Nye deleted his tweets soon after the Murdoch media picked up on them, presumably because <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/press/au/en/pressrelease/35506.wss" target="_blank">IBM have been the outsourcing partner for the Australian Bureau of Statistics</a> (ABS) since 2011, when more than 2.6 million households across Australia submitted Census forms via IBM's web-based eCensus solution. <br />
<br />
Of course, that was before Edward Snowden <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden" target="_blank">revealed</a> in 2013 that all our phones and computers were being spied on by the US National Security Agency (NSA), with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XKeyscore" target="_blank">help</a> from Australia's Pine Gap spy base.<br />
<br />
So who are you going to believe? The Prime Minister who turned the NBN into a <a href="https://newmatilda.com/2016/01/21/false-balance-abc-news-boss-directed-journalist-nick-ross-to-target-alps-nbn-plan-for-insuran" target="_blank">farce</a>, or a security expert from IBM (who actually handle the ABS security) plus a <a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/i-dont-trust-abs-with-my-personal-data-exabs-staffer-20160517-goxl3e.html" target="_blank">former ABS staffer</a> plus many other IT experts and privacy advocates? <br />
<br />
The government is still <a href="http://www.afr.com/news/politics/scott-morrison-abs-defend-census-against-privacy-accusations-20160803-gqk6rf" target="_blank">insisting</a> the 2016 Census will go ahead as scheduled on August 9th, despite calls from <a href="https://t.co/hcg5zwzS13" target="_blank">Independent</a> Senators and <a href="https://t.co/gptxuzN5Df" target="_blank">MPs</a> and the <a href="https://t.co/3RpUA0VB9J" target="_blank">Greens</a> to delay it and respond to privacy concerns.<br />
<br />
It's also worth noting that IBM <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/black-ibm.html" target="_blank">helped Adolf Hitler track all the Jews in Nazi Germany</a> and manage their transportation to concentration camps. They still prefer not to talk about it.<br />
<br />
<b>Full Disclosure:</b> I spent seven years working as a Technical Writer at IBM's Gold Coast office. In my opinion IBM is a corporation with no moral compass. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-55071537742710598982016-07-09T00:25:00.000-07:002016-07-09T00:54:36.092-07:00Some Thoughts On Australia's 2016 ElectionWell I have not read any interesting analysis of Australia's recent election, so I will write something myself... <br />
<br />
First thing to say: this boring, meaningless election was completely unecessary. PM Malcolm Turnbull cited his government's inability to pass union-bashing laws as an excuse to call a double dissolution election, but the Governor General should have denied his request. Industrial Relations laws hardly bring the nation to a standstill, so there was no real emergency. Anyway, the Abbott-Turnbull government was barely able to pass ANY laws through the Senate, because they flatly refused to compromise their blinkered neoliberal ideology. And of course the fact that this IR bill was barely even mentioned during the campaign (or since) proves that it was just a pathetic excuse. <br />
<br />
Turnbull called the election early because his popularity was sinking steadily ever since he ousted the even less popular Tony Abbott. He should have called an election back then, citing the need for citizens to endorse the change of leader, but (a) he is too arrogant, and (b) his party was badly fractured and he could barely control his cabinet, let alone the country. And now, after barely scraping a win, he faces resignation calls from his own side. Karma?<br />
<br />
This is the fate of nearly all Western political leaders today: the longer they stay in power, the less popular they become. The only things that seem able to sustain them are relentless "terror" fear-mongering and wars. So while the Liberals ruthlessly ridiculed the ALP's Rudd-Gillard-Rudd shenanigans, they end up facing the same conundrum. After a few expectant months, voters start to see past the smiling cheerleader's face and realise that nothing is really changing that will be of benefit to their lives. So given an opportunity, they express their disgust. <br />
<br />
It was the same thing with the #Brexit vote in the UK, which stunned the world a week before Australians voted. And such expressions of disgust will continue until the major parties abandon their failed neoliberal agenda. It's worth noting that both the Coalition and ALP have seen their percentage share of the vote falling steadily since Gough Whitlam was ousted in 1975. The Reagan-Thatcher neoliberalism which blossomed in the 1980s is now toxic but we're still waiting for something to replace it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeAt1cqg-t0SP0UleHQfugNrZWkNK4GkCXq6304_r6ARPJFDIWTQLfqHEiEfq0DhX1wt52bUsVK9YEAJIxCX9nmSrBs9UragSDCxauo6gaykerGSmQNDJCYhtQfbQJlyaC34l2d-kmwQ/s1600/ausvotes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeAt1cqg-t0SP0UleHQfugNrZWkNK4GkCXq6304_r6ARPJFDIWTQLfqHEiEfq0DhX1wt52bUsVK9YEAJIxCX9nmSrBs9UragSDCxauo6gaykerGSmQNDJCYhtQfbQJlyaC34l2d-kmwQ/s320/ausvotes.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And so we've seen 2016 election results favouring independents and minor parties, including the hate-filled Pauline Hanson team. The Coalition have stoked xenophobia as an excuse for war and then as justification for treating refugees like hardened criminals, so there's more karma when crazed bigots steal seats off them. By the way, only one Australian newspaper editorial backed Labor (Melbourne's Sunday Age). Hanson voters tend to be under-educated and badly informed. Where do you think they get their information? <br />
<br />
It's also worth asking why the Greens did not do better in these circumstances. In the early weeks of the campaign, both major parties went to great lengths to attack the Greens, with the usual help from Murdoch and the increasingly right-wing ABC. New leader Richard Di Natale was excluded from all the leaders debates, even though journalists complained they were boring. But I've seen criticism that Di Natale failed to differentiate the Greens from the major parties, and I think there's some truth in that. I manned a Gold Coast booth for the Greens on election day and heard a lot of disenchanted young voters complaining "they are all the same." <br />
<br />
I remain hopeful that the Greens can do a lot better. With no signs that media hostility will decrease, social media is the key. It's not enough to tour the country tweeting photos of the happy, smiling people you meet. Creative memes, informational graphics and clever hashtag campaigns are far more likely to interest new voters. But instead of another blistering Youtube speech from Senator Ludlam, for example, the 2016 Greens campaign seemed to get side-tracked with minor announcements. I'd like to see a more relentless focus on the big issues: climate change, corporate power and government transparency. <br />
<br />
It's now a week since the election and the votes are still being counted, but any new government is likely to be very unstable and already there's talk that Australians might need to go to the polls again soon. If that's the case, I'd like to urge readers to get involved NOW with the Greens, who are the only party in Australian politics really capable of changing things. At the small booth I manned, for example, there was a 5.99% swing to the Greens. While that wasn't enough to unseat our super-safe Liberal Party MP, it could be the difference between Queensland getting one or two Greens into the Senate. The local Greens candidate confirmed that having somebody there with How-To-Vote-Greens cards makes a noticeable difference to the final results. <br />
<br />
So what are you waiting for? Go to <a href="http://greens.org.au/">greens.org.au</a> and get involved. Otherwise the next election will be just as boring and meaningless as this one was. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-34891899882242965632016-06-04T05:53:00.003-07:002016-06-04T07:48:54.870-07:00Australian Human Rights Commissioner Embarrassed Over #ASSANGE<br />
An embarrassing
letter from Australia's Human Rights Commission (published below)
falsely claims that Julian Assange "has been charged". It says Mr
Assange "has an opportunity to defend himself before the Swedish Court",
when in fact he has been denied this opportunity precisely because,
after more than five years, he still has NOT been charged. The letter
further states that the Assange case is outside the Australian Human
Rights Commission's jurisdiction, even though their own motto (as shown
in the letter) is "Human rights: everyone, everywhere, everyday."<br />
<br />
Dated
9 Dec. 2015, the letter is signed by Kelly O'Grady, the Executive
Assistant to the President of the Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs.
It was sent in response to a request for assistance from an Assange
supporter named Chris.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljtTD7tIytsMFa_hErXqErHJQv04BloOmDnrYKywMYW14tu0IgRniz9VGhmUHVi6pxHEHrFMcTwW-b_gehucir_8oX7PkJt7BGlhEg82Fl_o9sFA7JYphWP4dS9Pj1DYBEldQZV3NdjY/s1600/2016-06-04_16.58.11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljtTD7tIytsMFa_hErXqErHJQv04BloOmDnrYKywMYW14tu0IgRniz9VGhmUHVi6pxHEHrFMcTwW-b_gehucir_8oX7PkJt7BGlhEg82Fl_o9sFA7JYphWP4dS9Pj1DYBEldQZV3NdjY/s320/2016-06-04_16.58.11.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<br />
To make matters even more embarrassing <span class="st">for Gillian Triggs</span>, less than a month later, the United Nations ruled that Julian Assange <a href="https://justice4assange.com/UN-Working-Group-on-Arbitrary.html" target="_blank">has been unlawfully detained</a> and should be immediately released and paid compensation by both Sweden and the UK. <br />
<br />
<span class="st">And
then perhaps the ultimate embarrassment for a left-wing spokesperson: being rightly exposed by right-wing media commentator Miranda Devine. The <i>UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention</i> announced its decision on</span><span class="st"><span class="st"> Friday 5 February 2016.</span>
Two days later, Miranda Devine published the following article in
Rupert Murdoch's Sydney newspapers (this was not published online): </span><br />
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<br />
<span class="st">Professor
Triggs needs to realise that Julian Assange is also an asylum seeker.
He has been granted political asylum by the government of Ecuador, and
the United Nations has ruled that he has been unlawfully "arbitrarily
detained" since 2010. He has NOT been charged by the </span><span class="st">disgracefully and willfully incompetent </span><span class="st">Swedish
prosecutor, who still has not even gone to London to question him. And
how is anyone supposed to defend themselves in a court of law when they
have not even been charged with anything? </span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Julian Assange did NOT choose to seek political asylum in order to avoid a court case in Sweden, as the letter above insinuates. The Ecuadorean government granted him asylum because of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuQW0US2sJw" target="_blank">"multiple high-level threats against his life and liberty"</a> from the USA. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">It's time for </span><span class="st">Gillian Triggs to apologise for the letter above, <a href="https://justice4assange.com/" target="_blank">set the record straight</a>, and speak up for the </span><span class="st"><span class="st">human rights of award-winning Australian journalist </span>Julian Assange. </span><span class="st"><br /></span><br />
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<br />
Julian Assange is Australia's one and only political refugee. He has been deprived of his basic human rights - including the right to fresh air, sunlight, and medical attention for 6 months of pain - precisely because he dared expose the US government's human rights abuses.<br />
<br />
How is it possible that Gillian Triggs is not even aware of these basic facts? Who's rights is she really protecting? Australian citizens, or the US government?<br />
<br />
<span class="st">When fellow journalist Peter Greste was awarded the </span><span class="st">Australian
Medal For Human Rights in 2015, Gillian Triggs praised him at the
ceremony, which took place one day after the letter above was sent. If that's not "outside her jurisdiction", then why is Assange?</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div class="ProfileHeaderCard-screenname u-inlineBlock u-dir" dir="ltr">
<span class="st"><b>Note:</b> attempts to contact </span><a href="https://twitter.com/GillianTriggs/with_replies" target="_blank">@</a><span class="u-linkComplex-target"><a href="https://twitter.com/GillianTriggs/with_replies" target="_blank">GillianTriggs</a>
on Twitter today have been unsuccessful. I will keep trying for a
response and update this post with more information as it comes to hand.
Please let me know if you have any more relevant information: <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla" target="_blank">@jaraparilla</a>. </span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-14197641134812932932015-09-03T00:42:00.001-07:002015-09-03T00:42:41.126-07:00Australia's Future: US Client State? Fascist State? Both?<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism - ownership of government by an individual, or by a group.”</i> <br /> - US President Franklin Roosevelt.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism, because it is a merger of State and Corporate power."</i> <br /> - Italian Fascist Dictator, Benito Mussolini.</blockquote>
<br />Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has <a href="http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2015/08/27/minister-for-defence-address-to-the-american-chamber-of-commerce-in-australia-qt-hotel-canberra/" target="_blank">spelled out</a> the Abbott government's chilling vision for the future of Australia's Defence Forces. There are two key themes: closer integration between government and industry, and closer integration with the United States. In other words, lots of US corporations will be making lots of money from Australian taxpayers, especially if we continue to be involved in ill-considered US military adventurism. But don't worry, voters - there will be opportunities for Australian businesses to reap profits too!<br /><br />In his <a href="http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2015/08/27/minister-for-defence-address-to-the-american-chamber-of-commerce-in-australia-qt-hotel-canberra/" target="_blank">Canberra address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia</a> on August 26th, Mr Andrews outlined key elements of the forthcoming Defence White Paper, which seeks to guide strategy for the next decade or more. The government wants a "high technology future force" but this "will depend on our capacity to partner with... the US industrial base, as we are doing now." <br /><br />In fact, these plans will ensure that Australia loses all pretense of sovereignty and becomes fully consumed into the sprawling US "military-industrial complex" (as former US President Eisenhower famously termed it in his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower's_farewell_address" target="_blank">1961 farewell speech</a>). Mr Andrews seems delighted at the prospect, repeatedly embracing closer integration between Canberra, Washington, and military industries.<br /><br />"In the past," he says, "not enough has been done to recognise the importance of industry’s contribution to Defence and national security more broadly." Does he want medals awarded to the CEO's of major arms companies, or statues erected in their honour? No, he wants a "new way of doing business".<br /><br />In the future, says Mr Andrews, "it will be mandatory for Defence to consider Australian industry in the formal capability development process."<br /><br />"For the first time, government will recognise the vital role of Australian industry as a fundamental input to Defence capability." <br /><br />Does that sound like the government is ready to outsource the defense of our nation to private companies? The language being used certainly sounds like all-too-familiar "privatisation" talking points.<br /><br />Mr Andrews warns that "our defence industrial base is no longer structured or managed to provide major platforms in a timely manner." Apparently, whatever these "platforms" are, this is the Labor Party's fault. <br /><br />"When the Government was elected in September 2013," says the Defence Minister, "six years of prolonged under-investment was placing Australia’s security in jeopardy." <br /><br />The irony is that Australia remains one of the safest nations on earth, where people from countries we help destablize flock (if they can) to seek refuge. Our government is helping the USA spy on all our citzens, plus our neighbours, so there's very little chance of anyone springing an attack, even if they wanted to (<a href="https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091010005351AAsoFhb" target="_blank">which they don't</a>). Our Navy boats can even <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australian-breach-of-indonesian-territorial-waters-angers-jakarta-20140117-310kk.html" target="_blank">invade Indonesian waters</a> with impunity! The only real enemies we face are the terrorists our government has helped the USA <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/19/how-the-us-helped-create-al-qaeda-and-isis/" target="_blank">create</a>.<br /><br />But Defence White Papers are all about imagining potential future enemies, not building peace. In this paranoid worldview, where fears can be exploited for profits, the only way to be safe is to "build an even closer partnership between government and industry" which will "spur more affordable war winning technology." In other words, ever more money for ever more weapons.<br /><br />And of course: "The US Alliance will remain fundamental to our security and defence planning, and the highest priority for our international cooperation."<br /><br />Mr Andrews repeatedly embraces the Orwellian term "rebalance" to describe the USA's expanding military presence in Asia-Pacific region. It's a puzzling term: does it imply that the Pacific rim was once "balanced" - perhaps after the USA bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or does it suggest that the US military itself has been out of balance since they launched their ill-considered attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan?<br /><br />At any rate, Andrews wants to "enhance military interoperability with the United States" (such as the very expensive Talisman Sabre war games), "exercise joint collective capabilities" (hello Pine Gap and the NSA) and "demonstrate our mutual resolve" (to do what?). He praises the growing US Marines base in Darwin, saying Canberra wants to see more "enhanced cooperation", particularly between the US and Australian air forces and navies. And, perhaps with a nod to <a href="http://pnac.info/" target="_blank">Jeb Bush's Neoconservative friends</a>, he welcomes US plans to "sustain & advance US military superiority for the 21st Century... within a resource constrained environment."<br /><br />Yes, Minister, we all know how "constrained" US military spending is. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />On the vexed question of submarines, Kevin Andrews says he has been "fundamentally guided by the key principles laid out by the RAND Corporation, which we commissioned to conduct a detailed review of the Australian naval shipbuilding industry". But the RAND Corporation, originally formed by the Douglas Aircraft Company, is a global think tank mostly financed by the US government and US corporations. If Australian government and military decision-making is now "fundamentally guided" by such US entities, have we already been absorbed into the US military-industrial complex? <br /><br />"To date," the Defence Minister continues to boast, "Australia is the only country approved to acquire and operate both the <a href="http://defense-update.com/20120825_australia-buying-growler-modification-from-the-united-states.html#.Vd-IpMqli1E" target="_blank">Super Hornet and Growler </a>– two aircraft that are at the absolute forefront of the United States’ air power capabilities, reflecting Australia’s position as a trusted capability partner."<br /><br />Indeed. The US military jealously guard their top secret hardware and software, prompting many allies to complain when they do not get full access to control billion-dollar purchases. But is Australia really a "trusted partner" or just an obedient, well-trained "poodle"? Either way, the US military industry is already making good money from us. Australia is buying eight P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft from the US, as part of a $5 billion investment, plus fifty eight F-35A Joint Strike Fighters (JSF), at a cost of <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australia-to-buy-58-joint-strike-fighters-20140422-zqxvr.html" target="_blank">at least $12 billion</a>, even though they have been widely ridiculed as a massive waste of money. And there's more where that came from.<br /><br />"US prime companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have been identifying international opportunities and awarding contracts to some of Australia’s most innovative companies," declares Mr Andrews with pride. And over fifty Australian companies have been "approved" for the new <a href="http://www.defence.gov.au/ustradetreaty/" target="_blank">Australia-US Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty</a>. These, presumably, are the businesses that stand to reap profits from future years of "defence" spending. No doubt they are generous political donors too.<br /><br />If this is really the future for Australia's military spending, we are all in a lot of trouble. Businesses are designed to grow from continued profits, and there are only two ways to continually grow military industries: either endless wars, or reckless, wasteful over-spending. <br /><br />Only a deeply irresponsible government would commit Australia to such a path. So where is the Opposition on this - ready to speak up for Australian sovereignty? Or are we already a US Client State?<br /><br />And where are the saner voices within the Australian military? Our grand-parents and great-grand-parents died fighting the threat of Fascism as it spread across Europe. Will we now meekly surrender to this new threat of Neoconservative, Neoliberal, 21st Century Corporate Fascism? <br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-82236447011577936312015-08-12T18:33:00.001-07:002015-08-12T21:39:23.847-07:00Australian Journo Grills Foreign Minister on Assange Case<i>Transcript of exchange between a Canberra journalist* and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop:</i><br />
<blockquote>
<br />
<b>Journo:</b> Ms Bishop, do you have any comment on the latest news about Julian Assange?<br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop: </b>No. Next question.<br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: But Ms Bishop, it's been five years since accusations of so-called "minor rape" were levelled against Mr Assange - an Australian citizen - and the Swedish prosecutor has failed to pursue the case before the legal statute of limitations expired. She previously insisted it was against Swedish law to question Mr Assange in the UK, and yet Sweden questioned 44 other suspects in Britain over the past 5 years. Have you raised this lack of due process with your Swedish counterpart?<br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: As I understand, there were two women involved. And the statute of limitations is only expiring on one woman's allegations. It therefore remains a legal case between the Swedish government and Mr Assange, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment. <br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: So does the Australian government plan to keep doing and saying nothing for another five years? Seriously?<br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: We have given Mr Assange the same level of consular support that we give to other Australian citizens in similar situations.<br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: That's not true. For example, you personally intervened to speak up for an Australian woman who was detained in the Middle East. And former Foreign Minister Bob Carr joked in his book about how he had upset Mr Assange's mother by ignoring the case. He lied on national TV a week before the last election when he said he had no idea about the US Grand Jury investigating WikiLeaks - <br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: Let me just repeat myself once again. This is a consular matter. It's up to the High Commissioner in London to provide whatever assistance he thinks is necessary. <br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: But the High Commissioner in London is Alexander Downer, who was complicit in the "supreme crime" of invading Iraq as part of the US-lead "Coalition Of The Willing". He was also complicit in the cover-up of Australian Wheat Board sales to Saddam Hussein. He's hardly a fitting person to trust when it comes to protecting an Australian whistle-blowing journalist from the US government, is he?<br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: That's an outrageous thing to say. Who let this person in here?<br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: Ms Bishop, can we just go back to the latest news from Sweden? Will you at least consider expelling the Swedish Ambassador to Australia?<br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: What? Why on earth would I do that? <br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: Well, for starters, he has misrepresented the case and tried to <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/ambassadors-rage-doesnt-dispel-facts-20121128-2ae99.html" target="_blank">intimidate</a> Australian journalists into silence. <br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: Well, that sounds like a very good idea.<br />
<br />
<b>Journo</b>: Expelling the ambassador?<br />
<br />
<b>Julie Bishop</b>: No, silencing journalists. Security! Remove this man! </blockquote>
<br />
(* <i>not an actual journalist, nor - sadly - an actual conversation. Of course no journalist prepared to question the Foreign Minister in this way would even be allowed access. But it would be nice if they could at least try.</i>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-31964018776572205842015-06-20T00:55:00.000-07:002015-06-20T00:55:36.374-07:00#3years2long Message From Christine Assange<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This is the text of the message from Julian Assange's mother Christine, which was read out in her absence (due to flu) at the Sydney #3years2long rally yesterday: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Welcome!...and
many thanks to supporters old and new for being here today, to stand
up for justice for Australian journalist Julian Assange, and his work
as Editor in Chief of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Although
uncharged with any crime, anywhere in the world, at the request of
the US , the UK Govt has detained Julian for nearly 5 years now,
under constant 24 hour surveillance and house arrest.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Today
marks 3 yrs of his refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.
Ecuador granted Julian political asylum due to threats on his life
and liberty by the US Govt and its agencies.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Again,
bowing to US pressure, the UK Govt breached international law with a
3 year ongoing 24 hr police siege of the Ecuadorean Embassy,
preventing Julian leaving to take up lawful residency in Ecuador. This
misuse and waste of police time and money has cost the UK taxpayer
upwards of <span style="color: #383838;"><span style="font-size: medium;">£</span></span>10 mill
and climbing. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">London's
Lord Mayor has expressed concern that these resources would be better
spent on real policing. Perhaps
this money and police resources could be directed into a thorough
investigation of the longstanding serious allegations of unsavoury
criminal activity among a certain group of politicians in the UK
parliament!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">For
the past 5 years Julian has been denied legal rights and justice. For
the past 3 years the UK Govt has denied him even the basic human
rights given to prisoners..the right to have a minimum of 1 hour a
day of exercise, fresh air and sunshine.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Why
is this happening to an uncharged multi-award winning investigative
journalist? Could
it have something to do with Wikileaks busily exposing corruption in
high places?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Blockading
Julian in the embassy for the past 3 years has ironically backfired
on the US. With
more time on his hands Julian and Wikileaks have been even more
prolific, transitioning from being perceived as a maverick outsider
to a globally respected and trusted media organisation.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">With
a new state of the art submission system and sophisticated archival
and search facilities, Wikileaks is leading a transformation in
journalism, and is now a valued resource for investigative
journalists globally. Thanks
to whistleblowers and Wikileaks the world has recently been informed
about the details of the biggest so called Free Trade Agreement in
history, the TPP and her ugly sisters TISA and the TTIP.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">These
3 treaties were to be kept secret from the public until 5 years after
being signed. This
Trojan Horse of ruthless US corporations would turn our Parliaments
into brothels and our politicians into mere pimps of Wall St...A
corporate caliphate straddling the world like a giant octopus with
its tentacles reaching into and controlling every aspect of our
lives..undermining our environment, businesses, farms, health
services, civil rights, democracy and sovereignty.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Julian
and the Wikileaks team have reached out to protect
whistleblowers and journalists world wide. After
helping Edward Snowden to safety, in 2013 they set up The Courage
Foundation. The board of directors also includes lawyers, journalists
and whistleblowers from the CIA, FBI and MI5. The Courage Foundation
gives whistleblowers and journalists the skills and resources to
protect themselves from political persecution, and runs the Legal
Defence Fund for Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Since
being trapped in the Embassy by the UK Govt, Julian has found the
time to write and co-author 3 highly informative books and
produce 2 powerful films on power and corruption...all of which were
well received. His
book "When Google Met Wikileaks" is a constant reference
for those interested in the Surveillance State.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Last
year the European Parliament invited Julian to address them on
corruption based on the Wikileaks Cablegate documents.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Wikileaks
has been successful in its legal actions against the 3 big
corporations, Pay Pal, MasterCard and Visa, who were involved in the
illegal Banking Blockade against Wikileaks donations.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Shining
a light on the absurdity of Julians extradition case was instrumental
in getting the European Arrest Warrant legislation changed in the UK,
so that UK citizens can no longer be extradited without charge.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">We
need a brave new media for our Brave New World of Globalisation and
Mass Surveillance. The
world needs whistleblowers and journalists who will give us the
truth, so we have the correct information to solve our problems, and
protect ourselves from the abuses of power.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Julian
once described Wikileaks as "The Intelligence Agency of the
People"</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">It
is a fitting description!</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
truth..from the people.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">For
the people.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Funded
and defended</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">By
the people.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Julian
and the Wikileaks team have shown extraordinary courage under fire.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">The
UK Govt has shown extraordinary cowardice!</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Julians
fight for justice and freedom is everyones fight for justice and
freedom.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">His
future is our future and our children's future.</span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Despite
everything, Wikileaks and Julian are still standing, and we are all
still standing with them.</span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-74652836129945642582015-03-25T16:32:00.002-07:002015-03-25T17:08:54.142-07:00PROTEST! Scott Morrison Address To Sydney Boys High SchoolI am a former student of Sydney Boys High School (class of 1982) and I am appalled to hear that former student Scott Morrison MP has been invited to address a
<b>Sydney Boys High School fundraiser on 15th April</b>.<br />
<br />
I urge all students,
staff, parents and old boys to not only boycott but also protest loudly
against this event. Mr Morrison is a shame upon the school and the
nation. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfe85-khr3iONI1VrG7JETFWTZiAWP1kZr8PAy-967jE8x5MJSNmzTZ2DtAOHpCips_DxoeYd_TBItifVF7gbu8eAJeZ59sOVsyUNNhtmvl3RyA73NYkhX_JOT954ByT4NmFcj-U3fM3Q/s1600/SBHS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfe85-khr3iONI1VrG7JETFWTZiAWP1kZr8PAy-967jE8x5MJSNmzTZ2DtAOHpCips_DxoeYd_TBItifVF7gbu8eAJeZ59sOVsyUNNhtmvl3RyA73NYkhX_JOT954ByT4NmFcj-U3fM3Q/s1600/SBHS.jpg" height="152" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div>
<br />
There has been widespread media coverage of
Scott Morrison's heartless and criminal treatment of desperate asylum
seekers. Unfortunately the ALP is trying to be as tough as the LNP on
these issues, so only the Greens and a few Independents are speaking out
in parliament, but there are lots of outraged human rights groups and
even the UN has condemned Australia's actions.<br />
<br />
The most
well known case involves <b>Reza Barati</b>, a 23-year-old Iranian asylum
seeker who was bashed to death at
the detention centre on Manus Island on 17 February 2014. Morrison
totally washed his hands of the incident, refusing to keep the
Australian public and media informed about the murder, even though
Australia was responsible for Barati's well being (and all asylum
seekers).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com%2faustralia-news%2freza-barati/">http://www.theguardian.com%2Faustralia-news%2Freza-barati </a><br />
<br />
Another
case involved a 24 year old Iranian named<b> Hamid Kehazaei</b>, who got <b>a cut
on his foot</b> while awaiting processing in Manus Island. Due a lack of medical treatment, Kehazaei
contracted cellulitis, which developed into septicemia on Manus. He was
finally flown to Brisbane, but it was too late -he was declared brain dead after a
heart attack. His family had the unhappy task of switching off
his life support. Again Morrison washed his hands of responsibility,
with his own department of course taking over another useless inquiry. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/asylum-seeker-declared-brain-dead-medical-evacuation-manus-island">http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/asylum-seeker-declared-brain-dead-medical-evacuation-manus-island</a><br />
<br />
<b>The
UN has repeatedly condemned Australia's treatment of asylum seekers</b>,
saying Australia is systematically violating the international
Convention Against Torture by detaining children in immigration
detention and holding asylum seekers in dangerous and violent conditions
on Manus Island. Among many other things, the UN cites 2 asylum
seekers who say they were tied to chairs by
security staff and threatened with “physical violence, rape, and
prosecution for ‘becoming aggressive’” if they refused to retract
statements they had made to police about the murder of Reza Barati.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2015-03-12-un-australia-violates-torture-laws">http://mg.co.za/article/2015-03-12-un-australia-violates-torture-laws</a><br />
<br />
The 31-year-old <b>United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment</b> is one of the most
widely supported conventions in the world. Some 157 countries have
signed the convention. Australia ratified the treaty in 1989 and is
legally bound by it.<br />
<br />
The
recently released <b>Moss Review</b> shows that that <b>allegations of sexual
abuse of children and of women</b> in the Australian-run detention centre on
<b>Nauru</b> were known from as early as June 2014. At least one rape
allegation was reported in August 2014, while other
asylum seekers told staff they’d been threatened with gang rape. But it
was not until October, as days of combative protest seized the
detention centre, and <b>acts of self harm by children spiked dramatically
– from seven in 12 months, to 10 in three days </b>– that the government
chose to act.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/24/leaked-transcripts-from-moss-review-reveal-nauru-at-risk-of-dramatic-meltdown">http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/mar/24/leaked-transcripts-from-moss-review-reveal-nauru-at-risk-of-dramatic-meltdown</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>All
this happened on Scott Morrison's watch</b>, even though he has now been
moved to the Education portfolio. More stories about Scott Morrison
here: <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/scott-morrison">http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/scott-morrison</a><br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
And
all this time <b>Scott Morrison and the Abbott government have condemned
whistle-blowers</b> like Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs, or Save
the Children, rather than deal with the horrors being unleashed against
innocent children and some of the world's most desperate refugees (many
fleeing countries like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, where the Australian
government has helped contribute to chaos and destruction).<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
I
do not care that many uninformed, uncaring or racist Australians
willfully ignore or even celebrate such horrific activity: it is still
evil and criminally wrong. <br />
<br />
I *do* care that
<b>my old school, which should be teaching good values to the next
generation of Australians</b>, is elevating the stature of the man who
oversaw these horrendous policies.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<b>Sydney Boys High School should cancel
Scott Morrison's invitation to speak on 15th April - he is a shame upon
the school and the nation. </b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>I
urge all caring staff, students and ex-students to not only boycott
this event but also protest loudly against it until it is canceled. </b><br />
<br />
</div>
<div>
Regards,</div>
<div>
Gary Lord,</div>
Class of 1982.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-23281372218224330552015-03-19T19:12:00.000-07:002019-08-08T20:00:22.196-07:00 Freedom, Flight and The Falcon<i>Reposting my July, 2013 interview with Christopher Boyce, whose experiences
as a US whistle-blower were documented in the 1985 Sean Penn movie “The
Falcon and The Snowman.” First published at <a href="http://wikileaksparty.org.au/freedom-flight-and-the-falcon/" target="_blank">WLP</a>.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNjYiRtv2S-7hNbTdVHDKd6XOn9A9Gur359QPlctWxayQhlcfcP_DW79d60r1KYX0tU3RNG1yZL52tPzy9rb7U8DdkdlUXBKCjKxw-Zlyiln4pI4xwuZ5qB9pHJyZrtoKBkYAT6_ZaIY/s1600/FFchrisboycefirstfalcon-tfats1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNjYiRtv2S-7hNbTdVHDKd6XOn9A9Gur359QPlctWxayQhlcfcP_DW79d60r1KYX0tU3RNG1yZL52tPzy9rb7U8DdkdlUXBKCjKxw-Zlyiln4pI4xwuZ5qB9pHJyZrtoKBkYAT6_ZaIY/s1600/FFchrisboycefirstfalcon-tfats1.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
“I did what I did because I was 21 years old and full of myself,” says Christopher Boyce. “My main motivation, at that point, was to hurt the secret apparatus of the federal government. That’s what I wanted to do.”<br />
<br />
Boyce, now aged 60, spent 25 years in prison after being convicted of selling US government secrets to the Russians. In January 1980, after three years in custody, he escaped from a California penitentiary and went on the run, robbing several banks before being recaptured 19 months later. He now readily concedes that both the sale of the information and the robberies were major mistakes.<br />
<br />
“My revelations would certainly have had far more impact if I hadn’t done what I did,” Boyce admits. “Because ultimately, the crimes became the story, and not what was actually revealed.”<br />
<br />
“It’s the easiest thing in the world to condemn someone who commits treason, or somebody who runs around with a gun robbing banks. It’s another thing entirely to look beneath the veil at their motives and see what those motives reveal.”<br />
<br />
In 1974, Boyce found himself working in the secretive “Black Vault” communications center of a US aerospace firm, where he had free access to allegedly “misrouted” Central Intelligence Agency cables. And like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden some 40 years later, he became increasingly angry at his government’s covert actions around the world.<br />
<br />
What particularly incensed Boyce, however, were CIA discussions about removing Australia’s Prime Minister from power, along with CIA infiltration of Australian workers unions. At the time, Gough Whitlam was proposing the withdrawal of Australian troops from the Vietnam War and the closure of US military bases including Pine Gap. But Australia was nevertheless a loyal US ally, whom Boyce believed deserved to be treated with more respect.<br />
<br />
So, given that Whitlam was deposed anyway in 1975, does Boyce think his revelations had any real effect?<br />
<br />
“I do think that my revelations did have some sort of an impact,” says Boyce today. “Immediately following my trial for espionage in 1977, President Carter sent Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher to Australia for the express purpose of promising former Prime Minister Whitlam that the United States would never again interfere with the domestic affairs of Australia. To me, that was an accomplishment.”<br />
<br />
Until very recently, Boyce believed that the USA was staying true to its word. But Edward Snowden’s recent revelations of massive NSA global surveillance – including Australia – have prompted him to wonder if he has been naïve.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
“Most of the time, American domination of Australia is not heavy-handed in regards to Australian internal affairs,” suggests Boyce, who maintains an interest in “all things Australian” but only follows Canberra politics closely during elections.<br />
<br />
“Nevertheless, Australia always fights in America’s wars. Australian foreign policy is American foreign policy. From the American standpoint, Australian status as an American client state is not about protecting Australia. America doesn’t have friends. It has interests.”<br />
<br />
Boyce believes the USA “replaced the Brits” after Pearl Harbor and Australia today is a client state “like a very autonomous Alaska, so lightly harnessed as to make waywardness infrequent.”<br />
<br />
So given all that, would he do it all again?<br />
<br />
“No. I think Australians can take care of themselves. I think that Australian power brokers knew perfectly well of American interference in their internal political affairs, but I don’t believe the average Australian knew about it. I think alerting them to that was a good thing.”<br />
<br />
What if WikiLeaks had existed back in the 1970s?<br />
<br />
“The fact is, WikiLeaks didn’t exist back then, so it’s hard to answer that. Some people have asked me why I didn’t take what I learned to the press but the fact was I didn’t have the connections that someone like Daniel Ellsberg had. I didn’t know anybody at the New York Times and I probably wouldn’t have been taken seriously if I had approached someone there.”<br />
<br />
Of course, that is exactly what happened to young Bradley Manning, who tried unsuccessfully to contact the New York Times and Washington Post before finally sending his files to WikiLeaks. And Christopher Boyce, who survived years of confinement in isolation, along with a savage gang beating and a murder attempt, is well aware of Manning’s plight.<br />
<br />
“The government has treated Manning in a manner that amounts to torture for the express purpose of discouraging anyone else from doing what he did,” says Boyce, who particularly deplores Manning’s long spell of solitary confinement.<br />
<br />
“Month after month of that becomes torture. It becomes destructive to a person’s psyche and to their sanity.”<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
But as he also notes, courage is contagious. “There would not have been an Edward Snowden if there hadn’t been a Bradley Manning. The next Snowden who comes along will be following in both of their footprints.”<br />
<br />
So what would Christopher Boyce advise anyone thinking of blowing the whistle on the U.S. government today?<br />
<br />
“I would advise them that if they are going to do it, don’t do what I did. Don’t cooperate with a foreign intelligence outfit. Figure out what your ultimate destination is. Go there first and then speak out. That way, that which you are revealing will be the story, and not the chase.”<br />
<br />
Boyce says this is exactly what is happening to Edward Snowden today.<br />
<br />
“The media is focusing too much on the chase instead of focusing on what he has revealed – which is a huge, secret apparatus of the federal government spying on the American people. I think that the excitement of the chase is causing the media to lose sight of what Snowden attempted to achieve.”<br />
<br />
No doubt drawing on his own experiences as a whistle-blower on the run, Boyce is particularly concerned for Snowden’s safety.<br />
<br />
“He’s going to have a difficult time even getting to Ecuador, or anywhere else. He’s going to discover that the police and the military there are not the friends of the left wing President. They are the friends of Washington. And eventually, that left wing government will be replaced.”<br />
<br />
“When they capture him, they’re going to throw him into an isolation cell in a supermax prison and his life will become hell,” says Boyce.<br />
<br />
“Their effort will be to, in effect, torture him before the world just as they have tortured Bradley Manning. Their aim is to put fear in the hearts of anyone else who is thinking of doing the same thing. So that anyone who even considers it will think: ‘How can I endure that?’”<br />
<br />
It’s a brutally honest assessment from a man who has experienced the horrors of the US prison system first hand. And he doesn’t see much hope of Snowden escaping this destiny.<br />
<br />
“The only way that he’s really going to be safe from the United States will be to just vanish on his own and not rely on the help of any government. In order for him to do that, he will have to maintain a total discipline in his personal actions – he will have to utterly cut himself off from everyone he has known, from his family, from his friends, and just go into deep cover. I personally think that’s the only true safety he’ll ever find.”<br />
<br />
But Boyce also recognizes that Edward Snowden is acting on higher principles, with more important considerations than his own safety.<br />
<br />
“I don’t think Snowden’s greatest fear is that the federal government is going to get him. I think his greatest fear is that he will have accomplished nothing, and that nothing will have changed.”<br />
<br />
“As my wife Cait says, the average young American is more interested in if he has enough cream in his latte than in protecting his own civil liberties. I’m sure there are tens of millions of Americans that are outraged that they’re being spied on by their own government, but I don’t really think they’re ever going to do anything about it.”<br />
<br />
“The secret apparatus of the United States government is organized and it’s powerful, whereas the American people are not. They’ve become like soft sheep. And if they decided to complain, how would they do that? I don’t see anyone in Congress calling for huge reforms.”<br />
<br />
If that sounds like a bleak conclusion, consider the life experiences that inform it. Christopher Boyce today is a man who cherishes each day of freedom, even as the freedoms we all take for granted become increasing threatened. If we want to see a brighter future, it’s up to all of us to make it happen.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmwnDqwt_uL95ZPwUTgvCKWeS4vFWHM_JwZKJYiy6VRF97U3klkIJ_GVcMS5mRfAyNckZz8tgFTJPiyWqBBKq2Zb1uKTK8UtpAZ484xKWGLGBO955dSkkKDKYKNwqmPAAIIyFia8unRg/s1600/FFauthors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmwnDqwt_uL95ZPwUTgvCKWeS4vFWHM_JwZKJYiy6VRF97U3klkIJ_GVcMS5mRfAyNckZz8tgFTJPiyWqBBKq2Zb1uKTK8UtpAZ484xKWGLGBO955dSkkKDKYKNwqmPAAIIyFia8unRg/s1600/FFauthors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Cait and Christopher Boyce with Vince Font</i></div>
<br />
<b>NOTE: </b>Chris and his wife Cait, who acted as his lawyer before marrying him when he was released from prison in September 2002, are about to release a book about his experiences in jail and on the run, her 15 year battle with cancer (she postponed treatment to help him get paroled), and their life together ever since. For news about their new book “The Falcon and The Snowman: American Sons” (co-authored by their friend Vince Font) please follow <a href="https://twitter.com/CodenameFalcon" target="_blank">@CodenameFalcon</a> on Twitter or their highly readable <a href="http://thefalconandthesnowman.com/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
<br />
END <br />
<br />
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Thank you.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-49144857738794473602015-03-14T14:48:00.000-07:002015-03-15T14:18:19.792-07:00Anti-WikiLeaks Troll Gets BBC World Service PlatformI was gobsmacked this week when the BBC World Service invited Sandra Eckersley, a notorious anti-WikiLeaks online troll, to a radio discussion forum about (of all things) Australian counter-terrorism measures. Obviously this had nothing to do with WikiLeaks - so why was the BBC giving her a platform to air her views? Was there more to Sandra Eckersley than I knew?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG6xs8YKZ6O1rjUL-KYoS48GbUgXEXMEM_XQsuYKCDPNKvbxJdnJhmhx1kTpCJ2YiPgxNGkJu753vBBQALRBp5xai3qfe-f7l0RISUmvUqhz9MfXMiFQWKyaU-XcM8huwsqhH482vaLA/s1600/sandraek.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG6xs8YKZ6O1rjUL-KYoS48GbUgXEXMEM_XQsuYKCDPNKvbxJdnJhmhx1kTpCJ2YiPgxNGkJu753vBBQALRBp5xai3qfe-f7l0RISUmvUqhz9MfXMiFQWKyaU-XcM8huwsqhH482vaLA/s1600/sandraek.jpeg" height="237" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
The BBC World Service "Have Your Say" radio program was being
broadcast live from Sydney, for the first time ever, and the discussion
was titled "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02l7ssj" target="_blank">How Big Is Australia's Terrorism Threat</a>"?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ztcpcmH-311y7tFYlAEMF9Wm2ctk7-29zOIaIHRgBPadFJ_mxhkJ_IZlx3xr6EbRD3G3OLPB67dSI3EiqhjS3ISXW5GSMijcJm_mb77uVsYVEzc9MFBG40S3FqNBWvDBc0EATmAtRhY/s1600/saNDRA3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ztcpcmH-311y7tFYlAEMF9Wm2ctk7-29zOIaIHRgBPadFJ_mxhkJ_IZlx3xr6EbRD3G3OLPB67dSI3EiqhjS3ISXW5GSMijcJm_mb77uVsYVEzc9MFBG40S3FqNBWvDBc0EATmAtRhY/s1600/saNDRA3.png" height="270" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Sandra Eckersley (center, with sunglasses) and the BBC panel.</i></div>
<br />
Panel
guests included Neil Fergus, CEO of Intelligent Risk, Clare Murphy and
David Connery from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, plus
constitutional and civil rights lawyers. Media was represented by
infamous Murdoch shill Miranda Devine and the Guardian's Paul Farrell,
who has done some good reporting on anti-terror laws and events. So what
qualifications or expertise did Sandra Eckersley bring to this
discussion?<br />
<br />
Nothing.<br />
<br />
The presenter brought Sandra Eckersley into the discussion (at 14:48 minutes) but did not explain why she was there - instead he invited her to personally explain "who you are and what you do". Sandra then introduced herself as "an event producer professionally, but also a bit of a social commentator on Twitter and um, ah, with the newspapers". <br />
<br />
In other words, a nobody.<br />
<br />
Just another shrill voice in the endless ocean of tweets and online media comments. Not even a popular voice: despite posting over 72,000 tweets, @SandraEckersley has only 1,233 followers. She has written a total of <a href="http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/author.asp?id=3702" target="_blank">three</a> Humour & Satire articles for an obscure opinion site, focussing on hairdressing and fashion.<br />
<br />
<b>So why did the BBC think she deserved a seat at a table discussing Australia's anti-terrorism issues?</b><br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong: I am all for hearing more ordinary citizens' voices on air. But why Sandra Eckersley, of all people? <br />
<br />
Sandra later tweeted that she was invited to the discussion by someone at the BBC in London. Who was that? How did they get her contact details? Why did they think she would be suitable?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCvNbvaplOtI53Rm6k8blQNqZ371O4_HWZtuKNrO_383yf7__H4jBg8H8wRlXubvHMNwh6RdAur1oMcOXN9VYfAb4OX9NlnbYzo00GhaWK2S10mGOnYzglzkA-8Vmb-kJQibevbSjlo0/s1600/sANDRA4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCvNbvaplOtI53Rm6k8blQNqZ371O4_HWZtuKNrO_383yf7__H4jBg8H8wRlXubvHMNwh6RdAur1oMcOXN9VYfAb4OX9NlnbYzo00GhaWK2S10mGOnYzglzkA-8Vmb-kJQibevbSjlo0/s1600/sANDRA4.png" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><br />WHO IS SANDRA ECKERSLEY? </b><br />
<br />
It's no secret that the US government has a monster Grand Jury investigating WikiLeaks, with the NSA hoovering up as much information as they can collect on Julian Assange and his associates. They have also revealed a sizeable budget for online grassroots activism (aka propaganda) targeting perceived "enemies of the State" (as WikiLeaks and their supporters have been officially labeled). If you wonder what such initiatives might look like when implemented in real life, you only have to check out Sandra Eckersley and <a href="http://www.wikiwatch.org.uk/about/" target="_blank">her online friends</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3NTcEYq3roaiEWUfUt88BNexsyne7LtswWkDiYBFlJkGFPo499gOntfrTiIefjEGZs_LRt8lGBqbN0DBS0C_2riqxwYH44qfvYV2CrCCJwwfop_SFaWsfGgHWr6EINJovrrI0ffekgY/s1600/troll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3NTcEYq3roaiEWUfUt88BNexsyne7LtswWkDiYBFlJkGFPo499gOntfrTiIefjEGZs_LRt8lGBqbN0DBS0C_2riqxwYH44qfvYV2CrCCJwwfop_SFaWsfGgHWr6EINJovrrI0ffekgY/s1600/troll.jpg" height="320" width="312" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Sandra has dedicated years of her life to trolling the #WikiLeaks and #Assange hashtags on Twitter, spreading daily <a href="http://chirpstory.com/li/48502" target="_blank">lies and misinformation</a>. She also attends WikiLeaks events and rallies in person - so much so that after one Sydney event, Julian Assange's mother complained that Ms. Eckersley was stalking her. She made a live appearance in the audience of ABC TV's Q&A show to ask a misleading question about Julian Assange to WikiLeaks' lawyer Jennifer Robinson, and she made an official <a href="http://samtycke.nu/doc/abc/se-complaint-response.pdf" target="_blank">complaint</a> (allegedly 70 pages long!) about the ABC's excellent <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/07/23/3549280.htm" target="_blank">Four Corners investigation</a> into Assange's Swedish sex allegations. <br />
<br />
Sandra also appears to have been involved in a <a href="http://greekemmy.com/tag/sandra-k-eckersley/" target="_blank">fraudulent WikiLeaks Forum trick</a> to gather information on Julian Assange supporters, then abort the deceptive Avaaz.com petition which lured them in. The willfully deceptive WikiLeaks Forum has connections to <a href="http://www.wired.com/2013/06/wikileaks-mole/" target="_blank">an exposed paedophile who infiltrated WikiLeaks as an undercover FBI agent</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6W3fwktm3SAqBeDFiwdOTkTR1F_8sSK_BCBa_MwSXMoMcB6YyZhLv8xzryPq0eC1XkklqK9YVE95NKHKWEyQC9wos1sPbyNSFdLTPmkw7lqAX2DlzlUbd6DLgU7Sf3J5yj7GAVOnKLYk/s1600/WLF_sandra.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6W3fwktm3SAqBeDFiwdOTkTR1F_8sSK_BCBa_MwSXMoMcB6YyZhLv8xzryPq0eC1XkklqK9YVE95NKHKWEyQC9wos1sPbyNSFdLTPmkw7lqAX2DlzlUbd6DLgU7Sf3J5yj7GAVOnKLYk/s1600/WLF_sandra.png" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Interestingly, when she is not tweeting about Assange, Sandra frequently post tweets that support Australian Labor Party (ALP) policy. Sandra became active against WikiLeaks while the ALP was in power, so if she is being paid by someone, there could be an ALP link. <br />
<br />
Has Sandra also been to London? Has she stalked WikiLeaks supporters outside 3 Hans Crescent? Is that where she made contact with her BBC friends? <br />
<br />
Is Sandra Eckersley being paid to spy upon, harrass and spread disinformation about WikiLeaks, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks supporters? Or are we to believe she is just a normal (albeit strangely obsessed) citizen? Either way, the BBC World Service should explain why they invited her onto a show about terrorism in Australia, and who made that decision.<br />
<br />
The BBC has a poor reputation as a UK Establishment tool. Elevating people like Sandra Eckersley to media commentariat positions only further damages the BBC's credibility. <br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE 1: </b><br />
<br />
Sandra responds on Twitter that she was invited onto the BBC World Service show by BBC World Service producer Chris Ancil:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxod_LVKajDiPBajv2baZT9lDHrQEmJM3RjpJ5Ff5L5XnbOnAgqCPFzP-sBi3Xzl8EeRAQesQsjUcfqvT6bvG-OBUeM5w8UfNmrwg40VWDTUAKVavEmK4HrZQpkzhrEMzvnZJLPWqaeiI/s1600/sandra5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxod_LVKajDiPBajv2baZT9lDHrQEmJM3RjpJ5Ff5L5XnbOnAgqCPFzP-sBi3Xzl8EeRAQesQsjUcfqvT6bvG-OBUeM5w8UfNmrwg40VWDTUAKVavEmK4HrZQpkzhrEMzvnZJLPWqaeiI/s1600/sandra5.jpeg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I have now asked Chris Ancil to explain why he invited Sandra onto the show.<br />
<br />
Sandra also attempts to prove her credentials as an anti-terror expert by citing <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2006/s1770582.htm" target="_blank">this short comment</a> that appeared on ABC "Insiders"... um... nine years ago (whoop de doop). Ironically, "Insiders" is regularly criticized for exclusive use of, erm, "insider" voices.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE 2:</b><br />
<br />
BBC World Service producer Chris Ancil refuses to explain why Sandra Eckersley was invited on the show, who recommended her, or how he got to know her.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmEYYWAdonfybJPGzLJIFDPgUoTIJM1mqWRnmvEh9RnxA9WHvnFW6x1I2601gUCLnjEgZM_IODHpWGF56x_q4WHJ8Ind_xn7Vk5U-iV3WAJdGN4O61Z-0VcPHqARL5Mzww9BRbbZGERg/s1600/sandrabbc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmEYYWAdonfybJPGzLJIFDPgUoTIJM1mqWRnmvEh9RnxA9WHvnFW6x1I2601gUCLnjEgZM_IODHpWGF56x_q4WHJ8Ind_xn7Vk5U-iV3WAJdGN4O61Z-0VcPHqARL5Mzww9BRbbZGERg/s1600/sandrabbc.png" height="311" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxvt-S_45EYiInZUqIcnE6qRpLpj7H3ymJiCHR3zGxmMt144eODZJy-ZUj0WN6I4hLshnmNMvYAAgx5_sSbUJMt1HeRKV3ykK9bkyFeSctbGxLEWeQqNuewwjEXuJ1moL05oEBdJOdWg/s1600/sandrabbc2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxvt-S_45EYiInZUqIcnE6qRpLpj7H3ymJiCHR3zGxmMt144eODZJy-ZUj0WN6I4hLshnmNMvYAAgx5_sSbUJMt1HeRKV3ykK9bkyFeSctbGxLEWeQqNuewwjEXuJ1moL05oEBdJOdWg/s1600/sandrabbc2.png" height="304" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadXFPOP1lNwWolFjS7pi2kr15BVOzxUMiwNwFqMM-uuN2aWdTPso2i1Ms0_lYh1HUlv8zZbIXEuF55gixYuVkx_1EvsN4yvIe7u-a4FvcNuZkqBUmIoXM3TtQLlBv-afLuydS2Qu-mUw/s1600/sandrabbc3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhadXFPOP1lNwWolFjS7pi2kr15BVOzxUMiwNwFqMM-uuN2aWdTPso2i1Ms0_lYh1HUlv8zZbIXEuF55gixYuVkx_1EvsN4yvIe7u-a4FvcNuZkqBUmIoXM3TtQLlBv-afLuydS2Qu-mUw/s1600/sandrabbc3.png" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_7EaA_2e37jlUWql7EZdhD00otWsZT395bbMnH-CTNtOTQHuaipzqzOnLKMQQdq25GVng75xZ8FIWO1Top8w1S7pSD7tLL6yigqycr5oMZ2CRs3NzofBMngR1wf5p8hweZQ5Zn3pbjM/s1600/sandrabbc4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_7EaA_2e37jlUWql7EZdhD00otWsZT395bbMnH-CTNtOTQHuaipzqzOnLKMQQdq25GVng75xZ8FIWO1Top8w1S7pSD7tLL6yigqycr5oMZ2CRs3NzofBMngR1wf5p8hweZQ5Zn3pbjM/s1600/sandrabbc4.png" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
24.75 million people in Australia, over 4.75 million in Sydney, huge participation rates in social media, and we are supposed to believe that Sandra Eckersley was chosen at random to speak about a serious subject, despite her total lack of qualifications or experience in the area? Bullshit.<br />
<br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-80886661217055038032014-12-10T12:22:00.000-08:002014-12-14T14:28:33.237-08:00Book Extract: A Very Short History Of The CIA<i>With yesterday's heavily redacted release of only about 20% of the <a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/12/09/live-coverage-release-senate-torture-report/" target="_blank">CIA torture report</a>, it seems timely to post this extract from my forthcoming book...</i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); widows: 2; orphans: 2; }p.western { font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; }p.cjk { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.ctl { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }a:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
By this time, the cabal
of deeply ambitious politicians who controlled George W. Bush had
already seized control of the White House. Their success hinged on 25
electoral college votes from the state of Florida, where major US TV
networks twice rescinded predictions of a winner based on unreliable
machine-counted votes. The US Supreme Court eventually intervened to
stop a second manual recount in Florida, after the first was declared
unreliable. Bush was sworn in as President despite losing the
nation's popular vote by over half a million ballots.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
President George W.
Bush (aka “Dubya” or “Bush 43”) was only the second person
after John Quincy Adams to become US President after his father had
also served as President. George H. W. Bush (aka “Bush 41”)
had served as CIA Director (1976-77), Vice President (1981-89) and
then an unpopular one-term President from 1989 to 1993.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Some claim that Dubya's
grandfather <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescott_Bush" target="_blank">Prescott Bush</a>, a Senator from 1952 to 1963, was
also penciled onto a list of possible 1960 Presidential candidates
by his golfing buddy, President Eisenhower.
But Prescott Bush might also have had trouble winning the popular
vote, because as a director of the Union Banking Corporation he had
been convicted under the Trading With The Enemy Act for hiding Nazi
investments during World War Two.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3308.htm" target="_blank">Curiously</a>, the US
lawyer whose company <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=vh7sx2xtjGEC&pg=PA513&lpg=PA513&dq=Charles+Higham,+%E2%80%9CAmerican+Swastika%22&source=bl&ots=DPWVHHcnjq&sig=pNgChBPxjwli6mKF7Ha--hUolxo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PYpcVIr6J-PQmAXCroKICw&ved=0CE8Q6AEwCA#v=snippet&q=Bush&f=false" target="_blank">helped</a> Prescott Bush hide Union Bank's Nazi
assets was Allen Welsh Dulles, who Eisenhower later appointed first
civilian director of the CIA. Prior to WWII, however, lawyer brothers
Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles (who later became US Secretary of
State) handled German WWI reparation payments while operating a
Berlin office for US businessmen dealing with Hitler's regime. Many
of their wealthy US customers were disappointed when Japan's 1941
attack on Pearl Harbor triggered the United States' entry into war
against Hitler's Third Reich.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Widespread US <a href="http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/rise_of_american_fascism.htm" target="_blank">support</a>
for European Fascism has now been all but eradicated from the history
books, but in fact the 1930s saw large Fascist rallies across the
USA. In 1937, the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, William E. Dodd,
complained: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"A clique of U.S. industrialists is
hell-bent to bring a fascist state to supplant our democratic
government and is working closely with the fascist regime in Germany
and Italy. I have had plenty of opportunity in my post in Berlin to
witness how close some of our American ruling families are to the
Nazi regime. . . . Certain American industrialists had a great deal
to do with bringing </i><i>F</i><i>ascist regimes into being in
both Germany and Italy. They extended aid to help Fascism occupy the
seat of power, and they are helping to keep it there."</i></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A year later, President
Roosevelt spelled it out even more clearly:</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The first
truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people
tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes
stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in essence, is
fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by
any other controlling power... Among us today, a concentration of
private power without equal in history is growing." </i>
</blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i>- </i><i>President
Franklin D. Roosevelt , April 29, 1938. </i>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
President Roosevelt was
reportedly deeply suspicious of Allen Dulles, and authorized British
intelligence to wire-tap Dulles’ office. Roosevelt set up a new
intelligence agency, the Office of the Coordinator of Information
(which later became the CIA), and appointed Allen Dulles as head of
the New York branch. Ironically, Dulles’ primary task was to
investigate the very US business links he himself had established
with the Nazis. According to one author, “Roosevelt was giving
Dulles enough rope to hang himself.”
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When British wiretaps
proved that Dulles was continuing to work with his German business
clients, Roosevelt seized a batch of Dulles-linked firms, including
Prescott Bush's Union Banking Corp, under the Trading with the Enemy
Act. Prescott Bush was convicted by the U.S. government and fined one
million dollars. But Dulles himself was not charged with anything.
The COI became the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Allen
Dulles spent the duration of WWII as the OSS station chief in Berne,
Switzerland.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On April 12th, 1945,
less than a month before Germany surrendered and shortly after being
re-elected, President Roosevelt died. Although he was a heavy smoker
and had been wheelchair bound after suffering childhood polio,
Roosevelt’s sudden death has always been a favourite subject for
conspiracy theorists. The official cause of death was “brain hemorrhage” but Roosevelt’s doctor always (publicly at least)
insisted he was healthy and his medical records were never found.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Allen Dulles moved back
to Berlin at the end of hostilities. He helped many influential
former SS agents flee the country with their wealth and sometimes
even their reputations intact, as the CIA <a href="http://rt.com/news/199775-usa-nazi-intelligence-spy/" target="_blank">recruited</a> thousands of
ex-Nazis into the US intelligence services. At the same time, the CIA
was also <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/us/in-cold-war-us-spy-agencies-used-1000-nazis.html?_r=0%20&%20http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/17/world/unmasking-horror-a-special-report-japan-confronting-gruesome-war-atrocity.html?src=pm&pagewanted=3" target="_blank">recruiting</a> Japanese War Criminals who had performed gruesome
biological weapons experiments on live human beings, including women
and children, with the secret Unit 731.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As CIA Director, Dulles
went on to oversee the CIA's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_MKUltra" target="_blank">MKULTRA</a> mind control experiments and
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird" target="_blank">Operation Mockingbird</a>, a project to infiltrate and control mainstream
media organisations. He was involved in the 1953 coup in Iran and the
1954 coup in Guatemala, along with the deadly sabotage of Cuba by
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_40" target="_blank">Operation 40</a>. But in 1961, after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion" target="_blank">Bay Of Pigs</a> fiasco (details of which the CIA still refuses to disclose on the grounds that it "might confuse the public"), Allen Dulles
and his closest cohorts were finally sacked. President John F.
Kennedy angrily declared that he wanted to "splinter the
CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds."
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Two years later, Allen
Dulles was appointed to the Warren Commission, which investigated
Kennedy's <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/ky/ohwhy/Bush.html" target="_blank">assassination</a>. And we all know how that turned out.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
*</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
George Herbert Walker Bush
(“Bush 41”), an ambitious West Texas oil man, allegedly became a
CIA agent around the same time Allen Dulles was fired. He was appointed Director of the CIA by President Ford after
CIA boss William Colby was dismissed in the wake of the Nixon
Watergate scandal.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Colby, who later died
in a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070693/William-Colby-Former-CIA-director-killed-Vietnam-guilt-claims-son-Carl.html" target="_blank">mysterious</a> boating accident, was sacked because he had been too
open about CIA secrets exposed by the post-Watergate Church
Commission inquiry. Bush's job was to shut down the public flow of
information and restore CIA staff morale. No doubt he also had
personal reasons for wanting CIA secrets kept out of the public eye:
according to one Nixon staffer, when Bush heard about the Watergate "smoking gun"
transcript "<a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=B7T706Cg_JkC&pg=PA493&lpg=PA493&dq=Bob+Woodward+%26+Carl+Bernstein,+%E2%80%9CThe+Final+Days,%E2%80%9D+Bush&source=bl&ots=d0x6jCQ2CV&sig=al31NwqtHWmKwLMMvhHqGg9mkOU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=y4FcVPP_BaHXmgX0loJY&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Bob%20Woodward%20%26%20Carl%20Bernstein%2C%20%E2%80%9CThe%20Final%20Days%2C%E2%80%9D%20Bush&f=false" target="_blank">he broke into assholes and shit himself to death</a>".
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Speaking of death, a US
citizen was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letelier_assassination%20%E2%80%A6" target="_blank">assassinated</a> in the middle of Washington DC in 1976,
while Bush was CIA Director, and very few people nowadays even know
about it. Ronni Moffit was killed when Chilean secret service agents
blew up the car she was traveling in with her husband and her boss,
Orlando Letelier, the de facto leader of the Chilean resistance after
the 1973 US-backed coup that brought the dictator Augusto Pinochet to
power. The State Department and the FBI were aware the Chilean
agents had entered the USA on false visas, claiming they were “on
CIA business”. According to John Dinges, co-author of <i>Assassination
on Embassy Row</i>, "the CIA had inside intelligence about the
assassination alliance at least two months before Letelier was killed
but failed to act to stop the plans."
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bush lasted less than a
year as CIA Director. When incoming President Jimmy Carter replaced
him, Bush started plotting his own run for the White House. Like
Prescott Bush, the unpopular George H. W. Bush was considered
“unelectable” when he ran against Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan
for the 1980 GOP nomination. As Reagan warned the Republican Party
faithful:
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;">
<i>“A
coalition of multinational corporate executives, big-city bankers,
and hungry power brokers... want to give you George Bush... their
purpose is to control the American government.”</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Bush in turn ridiculed
Reagan's “trickle-down economics” - based on massive tax cuts for
the rich - as “voodoo economics”. Bush eventually lost the GOP
nomination, but used his strong political and financial connections
to pressure his way onto the winning Reagan-Bush ticket.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As Vice President under
Ronald Reagan, “Bush Senior” was involved in the Iran-Contra
scandal, where the CIA illegally sold guns to fund guerrillas in
Nicaragua (Bush escaped public censure and later pardoned all those
those indicted or convicted in the affair). Curiously, when President
Reagan was shot and nearly killed by John Hinkley Junior in 1981, the
brother of the “lone gunman” was scheduled to have dinner with
Vice President Bush's son Neil Bush on the following day. With Reagan
hospitalized, Bush's spokesperson repeatedly dismissed media
questions about this as a mere coincidence.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Riding the coat-tails
of Reagan's popularity to become President himself in 1988, George H.
W. Bush's election catch-phrase was, “Read my lips: no new taxes.”
GOP voters had been duped into thinking Reagan's “trickle-down
economics” was working miracles, but in fact the national deficit
tripled to $220 billion between 1980 and 1990. After President Bush
betrayed voters by accepting a Democrats plan to cut spending and
raise taxes, his polls never recovered.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As a one-term
President, George H. W. Bush also invaded Panama to overthrow former
US ally Manuel Noriega, instituted the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), and repelled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's 1990
invasion of Kuwait in what became knows as the Gulf War or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War" target="_blank">First Iraq War</a>. Bush was heavily criticized by pro-war “hawks” at home after US
troops chased demoralised Iraqi troops all the way back to Basra,
leaving the highway from Kuwait strewn with slaughtered bodies and
demolished vehicles, but then returned home without removing Hussein
from power.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
*</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Sworn into power on
January 20<sup>th</sup>, 2001 as the United States' 43<sup>rd</sup>
President, George Walker “Dubya” Bush, was surrounded by many key
figures who had previously served in his father's 41<sup>st</sup>
administration. Many of them were determined to go back to Iraq and
“finish the job”.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Vice President
<b>Dick Cheney,</b> who served as Secretary of Defence under Bush 41
then became Chairman and CEO of the Halliburton oil company, had
“reluctantly” appointed himself as George W. Bush's running
mate after claiming he he could not find anyone more qualified.
Cheney held onto $39 million dollars worth of Halliburton stock
options, even though he had <a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-548136.html" target="_blank">screened</a> other VP candidates for just
such conflicts of interest.
He assembled a secret energy task force of senior oil executives (at
a time when Peak Oil was still being dismissed as a fantasy) and
allegedly <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2010/06/04/7990/the-prelude-to-cheneys-katrina/" target="_blank">pitched</a> the coming invasion of Iraq to them as a solution
to all their problems
. After the invasion, Halliburton was awarded enormous no-bid
contracts and the company's stock price rose from about $6 a share
in 2002 to nearly $50 a share by end of 2005. Other oil companies
like Kellog, Brown and Root (KBR), which had links to the Bush
dynasty through Brown Brothers Harriman, also profited handsomely
from taxpayer funding. Cheney quickly became most powerful VP in US
history, redefining the role by assuming new powers without
challenge.<br />
<br /></div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">While
working as head of </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">President
Nixon</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">'s Office of Economic
Opportunity,</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><b>Donald
Rumsfeld</b> had hired both Dick Cheney and Frank Carlucci (who
became Secretary of Defence under Reagan and later head of the
powerful Carlyle Group). Nixon called Rumsfeld “a ruthless little
bastard”. On November 4<sup>th</sup> 1975, in a massive cabinet
shake-up dubbed the “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_Massacre" target="_blank">Holloween Massacre</a>”, President Ford
appointed Rumsfeld his Secretary of Defence, Cheney his Chief of
Staff, and Bush 41 head of the CIA. In 1983, as Ronald Reagan's Special Envoy to the Middle East,
Rumsfeld was dispatched to meet Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in
Baghdad, to whom the US sold chemical weapons. It was Cheney
who <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld" target="_blank">recommended</a> Rumsfeld become Bush 43's Secretary of Defence.<br />
<br /></div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Promoted
to 4-star US Army General by Bush 41, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell" target="_blank">Colin Powell</a> served under four Presidents and was frequently touted as a
Presidential candidate himself. While not personally involved, he
was a member of the US Army unit that committed the My Lai massacre
in Vietnam, and later assisted in the attempted cover-up. Powell was Bush 41's President of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during
the 1990-91 Gulf War. Bush 43 appointed him the USA's first African
American Secretary of State. Applauded as a “moderate” because
he insisted that an international coalition was needed to legitimize
the US invasion of Iraq, Powell disgraced himself in February 2003
by presenting forged, fake and plagiarized evidence of alleged Iraq
Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMDs) to the UN Security Council.
Powell later complained that he had been given only 4 days to review
the intelligence, and said Dick Cheney had joked with him: "You've
got high poll ratings; you can afford to lose a few points." <br />
<br /></div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">As
a senior CIA employee </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">who
spent 26 years with “the agency”</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span><b>Robert Gates</b> was also involved in the Iran-Contra
affair. Bush 41 had to nominate him twice before the Senate
confirmed his appointment as CIA Director in 1991. During his rocky
confirmation hearings, the New York Times reported that "Mr.
Gates distorted intelligence reports so they would conform to the
political beliefs of his superiors." Gates turned down Bush
43's offer to become the new Director of National Intelligence in
2005, but a year later he accepted an offer to replace Donald
Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense, a position he retained through the
unsuccessful Bush “surge” in troops numbers until their 2011
“draw down” under President Obama. <br />
<br /></div>
</li>
<li><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_O%27Neill_%28politician%29" target="_blank">Paul O'Neill</a>
</b>turned down an offer to become Bush 41's Secretary Of Defence,
but accepted the role of Secretary of the Treasury under Bush 43. He
was fired in December 2002 after publishing a report warning of a
looming US financial crisis. He later told reporter Ron Suskind that
the invasion of Iraq was already being planned at the very first
cabinet meeting of the new Bush administration, and the debate was
not "should we attack Iraq?" but rather "how do we go
about attacking Iraq?" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_O%27Neill_%28politician%29"></a>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In some ways, however,
the old guard from the Bush 41 administration were less bellicose
than the Neoconservatives (or “Neocons”) who now infested the
White House. Cheney and Rumsfeld were influential members of both
camps.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The <span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century" target="_blank">Project for the New American Century</a> (PNAC)</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century"></a>
was a </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Neocon</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
think-tank established in </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">1997,
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">based on the premise that as
the world's sole remaining superpower, the United States was now well
positioned for 100 years of global dominance. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Cheney
and Rumsfeld were among 25 signatories to the PNAC group's initial
“Statement of Principles”, along with Rumsfeld's deputy Paul
Wolfowitz, Dubya's brother Jeb Bush, and Cheney's Chief Of Staff
“Scooter” Libby. At least 18 </span>PNAC members or signatories,
including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Bolton">John
Bolton</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Abrams">Elliott
Abrams</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Perle">Richard
Perle</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bremer">Paul
Bremer</a>, were appointed to key positions within President G.W.
Bush's administration.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A month before the 2000
election and a decade after the end of the Cold War, while many were
sensibly arguing that the US should begin scaling back its massive
military spending, the Neocons <span style="font-style: normal;">released</span>
a PNAC document titled <i>Rebuilding America's Defenses</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
It argued that the USA should take a more pro-active role </span><span style="font-style: normal;">in
global </span>"constabulary duties”<span style="font-style: normal;">,
and urged massive investment in the US military so it could “</span>fight
and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars”. It
wanted the US military overhauled with modern, computerized weapons
such as drones, satellites and unmanned vehicles, and insisted the
USA needed to be able to dominate both space and cyberspace. But
Section V lamented the expected lack of US public and political
support for such radical and expensive changes, stating:
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.27cm;">
<i>"The
process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is
likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing
event––like a new Pearl Harbor."</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
*
</div>
<div class="western">
<br /></div>
<div class="western">
On August 6th, 2001, George W. Bush received a
presidential daily briefing, in which he was warned: “Bin Laden
Determined to Strike in U.S.” Bush listened to the briefing, then dismissed the CIA
staffer who delivered it:
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="western" style="margin-left: 1.27cm;">
“<i>All right.
You’ve covered your ass, now.” </i>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="western">
Then he <a href="http://www.salon.com/2006/06/20/911pdb/" target="_blank">went fishing</a>.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -1.27cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">*</span></div>
</blockquote>
You can read more about the CIA in Australia <a href="http://bushout.blogspot.com.au/2004/02/bushes-cia-and-american-fascism-as.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
The book I am working on is about much more than just the extract above, and it is still very much a work in progress. Stay tuned...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-43881478356523264492014-11-18T05:49:00.000-08:002014-11-18T13:24:27.147-08:00#G20Brisbane WTF? <i>Some of my international and interstate friends were disappointed by the lack of civil disobedience in protest actions surrounding the recent Brisbane G20 meeting. So as a Gold Coaster (an hour south) who has helped organise a few minor protests in Brisbane, I thought I would post a bit of a G20 review with some personal commentary on the Brisbane protest scene and Australian non-violent action in general.</i><br />
<br />
<b>To The Islands?</b><br />
<br />
First question: given how much financial expense and social disruption they cause, why are meetings like the G20 held in large cities like Brisbane (population 2.1 million)? Why not hold them on small islands instead? Well, as one perceptive follower tweeted me: "where's the show of force in that?"<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
G20 security is all about politicians accepting the fact that lots of people would throw eggs at them given half a chance.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a><br />
— Culley (@culleyetc) <a href="https://twitter.com/culleyetc/status/532500585174429696">November 12, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<br />
It would of course be much easier and cheaper for meetings
like the G20 to be held on small islands, and QLD has loads of suitable
offerings. But that would expose our leaders' PR talk-fests for the
elitist exercises they are. So instead, they shut down large cities,
cause maximum impact to citizens' lives and ensure global media
headlines. Because they can.<br />
<br />
This is of course just another manifestation of the cynical Politics Of Fear, which now has an iron grip on Western nations. Big global events like this generate billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded profits for the military and security forces, so no expense is spared "protecting" citizens (and our so-called "leaders") from any and all "possible" threats - that is, from over-hyped enemies that our politicians and military themselves have helped create.<br />
<br />
Check the video below. If civilian "terrorists" threatened innocent local lives like this, they would be arrested. But this dangerously stupid helicopter landing barely caused a ripple of pre-G20 news. The elites live by different rules.<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RXZAfYrMYko" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
At the time, Brisbane motorways were already jamming up as locals tried to leave the city. The CBD soon became a ghost town.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Brisbane evacuated for imminent alien invasion <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> Flee for your lives <a href="http://t.co/IXQmfqKbFq">pic.twitter.com/IXQmfqKbFq</a><br />
— Sir Muzz Ray esq. (@Muzzray) <a href="https://twitter.com/Muzzray/status/533097061307015168">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
For the record, no traffic on the river either...jus saying <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20?src=hash">#g20</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/6N5jN2sNMu">pic.twitter.com/6N5jN2sNMu</a><br />
— Keri (@keribear55) <a href="https://twitter.com/keribear55/status/533143613878722560">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
The climate of fear in Brisbane had been brewing for many months, if not years, with local politicians imposing draconian new laws, and rounding up suspects (Islamic, of course) in huge police raids. The Queensland Premier's Orwellian <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/queenslands-antibikie-laws-make-the-state-look-ridiculous-20140214-32qn4.html" target="_blank">"anti-bikie" laws </a>were still in place, and somehow <a href="http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/vlad-high-court-rejects-challenge-to-queensland-antibikie-laws/story-fnn8dlfs-1227122341122" target="_blank">survived</a> a High Court challenge on the eve of the G20. Meanwhile, the federal Attorney General was pushing the same rabid fear-mongering at a national level. Activists were well aware that any unwanted G20 dissent, no matter how justified and (in other times) legal, would bring the weight of these dystopian new laws down on their heads.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
step one when hosting a meeting for global capital: install a police state <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/enjoytheG20?src=hash">#enjoytheG20</a> <a href="http://t.co/UvmsdehJZ4">pic.twitter.com/UvmsdehJZ4</a><br />
— Scott Ludlam (@SenatorLudlam) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorLudlam/status/533093469724487680">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<b></b>
<b> </b><br />
<b>So Why Bother?</b><br />
<br />
Personally, having previously spent months trying to organise large-scale Brisbane protests for Assange, Manning and WikiLeaks - and sometimes finding myself alone in the middle of the city with a mask and a sign - I thought the best reaction to the Brisbane G20 might be a full-scale activist <b>boycott</b>. Why play <i>their</i> game, by <i>their</i> rules, on <i>their</i> chosen ground, when they have such ridiculously massive resources ready to rain down upon our heads? Why not use guerrilla tactics and protest elsewhere instead? Why not expose their wasted public "security" funding by taking away media opportunities to further demonize the usual suspects?<br />
<br />
But of course, <i>that would be exactly what they want</i>, right? Besides, protest groups were on their way from around the world - and who wants to rain on <i>that</i> parade?<br />
<br />
So I felt guilty for not being more fired up, but I also felt jaded by my Brisbane protest experiences. I decided to just watch, see what happened, and help out where and when I could. <br />
<br />
<b>The Peoples Summit</b><br />
<br />
A wonderful lady from Friends Of The Earth, Robin Tauberfeld, was at the heart of the counter-G20 <a href="http://briscan.net.au/program/" target="_blank">Peoples Summit</a>. There were many inspiring events organised around the city for days leading up to the G20. Things kicked off on Wednesday, as the coming heatwave was just beginning to build. I decided to go take a look the next day.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Heartfelt stories being shared at Musgrave Park just now <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> a beautiful moment of acknowledgment <a href="http://t.co/OShYKKDaIc">pic.twitter.com/OShYKKDaIc</a><br />
— Sir Muzz Ray esq. (@Muzzray) <a href="https://twitter.com/Muzzray/status/532702833930289154">November 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
With my friend @muzzray, I had a quick look around a bunch of Peoples Summit venues in the West End. There were two dozen people quietly discussing "Carbon Violence" at the Uniting Church, a dozen people getting ready for a food handout evening at the Media Center, about 50 people quietly listening to a talk on "Greek Austerity And Australian Solidarity" at another venue, and another dozen quietly listening to a talk about Free Trade politics in the Pacific Islands. All good informative stuff, but all very quiet too. Certainly nothing that posed an immediate threat to the Security State.<br />
<br />
I went back to the West End and bumped into Ciaron O'Reilly, a friend who had helped organise many protests for Assange, WikiLeaks and Manning. Ciaron has been a Brisbane activist since the horrific <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joh_Bjelke-Petersen" target="_blank">Joh Bjelke-Peterson</a> days of the 1970s and 80s, when protestors were regularly and cruelly bludgeoned by cops. While the cops are less aggro nowadays, some argue that Queensland has never really recovered from the right-wing Police State that Joh built.<br />
<br />
Ciaron told me that he had just been legally banned from entering the G20 zone. Over a dozen cops had surrounded him before some plain-clothes cops stepped forward to serve him a legal notice. Ciaron was formally declared a "Person Of Interest", but the reason was unclear. Perhaps because a year earlier he had successfully stuck an Assange/Manning protest sign in the windscreen of a car carrying US Secretary of State John Kerry in London? Or could it be that time he helped disarm a US B52 bomber? Or maybe it was just his long history of peaceful protest activism.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Catholic Worker and non-violent activist Ciaron O'Reilly barred from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> 'over Obama poster' <a href="http://t.co/nrlWH7vvpC">http://t.co/nrlWH7vvpC</a> <a href="http://t.co/tHa1aaMXFe">pic.twitter.com/tHa1aaMXFe</a><br />
— Stefan Armbruster (@StefArmbruster) <a href="https://twitter.com/StefArmbruster/status/532870318411358208">November 13, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
ICYMI arrested <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> protestor <a href="https://twitter.com/CiaronOReilly">@CiaronOReilly</a> UK 2013 arrest & helping <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assange?src=hash">#Assange</a> to car after UK Supreme Court hearing. <a href="http://t.co/Sq9prOa8aj">pic.twitter.com/Sq9prOa8aj</a><br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/533502653947318274">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Anyway, I tweeted pics while Ciaron did half a dozen media interviews. Journos seemed happy to have a story to run with - in truth, there was not much other excitement for them in town. Then just as we sat down with @muzzray to have a beer, who should come past but Sam Castro from the Melbourne activist group @akawaca. I hadn't seen Sam since the epic farce of the @WikiLeaksParty, which had left many of us badly bruised, and it was heart-warming to finally see her again. <br />
<br />
In fact, Ciaron had just been asking my opinion about the <a href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/my-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html">Great WikiLeaks Party Fiasco</a>, and I was telling him that @akawaca had been unfairly scape-goated by @WikiLeaks. So when Sam showed up, Ciaron generously said he apologized to her if his own criticism had been too harsh. We all had a beer and that was that.<br />
<br />
I mention this episode only because maybe it illustrates how and why the limited number of activists around Australia do not work together more efficiently. In a big country where interstate meet-ups are rare (never mind timezones like London) a major fiasco like the WikiLeaks Party can have long-ranging repercussions. Smaller local groups seem to work more effectively: think global, act local, right?<br />
<br />
But back to the G20... Of course there were plenty of other G20 protests going on around town, independent of the Peoples Summit.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Pro-Tibet rally in Brisbane. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SBSNews">@SBSNews</a> <a href="http://t.co/jdTRMxpe9P">pic.twitter.com/jdTRMxpe9P</a><br />
— Steven Wilson (@swilsonsbs) <a href="https://twitter.com/swilsonsbs/status/533386496095428608">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Ethiopian protest at Musgrave Park <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20?src=hash">#g20</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/612brisbane">@612brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/nUDSV0vppN">pic.twitter.com/nUDSV0vppN</a><br />
— Michael James (@MichaelJames_TV) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelJames_TV/status/533429879589453825">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<br />
Every group seemed to have organized police permits in advance and was staying inside their designated police zones. This sort of thing comes naturally in a Nanny State country where you cannot do anything without government permission: Australians today need to complete government-approved courses just to work in a bar, a kindergarten or a football club. So the police overkill around the Brisbane G20 was not particularly abnormal. The same day Ciaron was banned, a 21-year-old Queenslander was <a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/brisbane-g20/g20-brisbane-man-charged-for-barack-obama-threat-20141114-11mpjx.html#ixzz3JONLcUnD" target="_blank">charged</a> for using Facebook to threaten US President Barack Obama. Nobody blinked.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Video: Brisbane went into lockdown last night. Noone could move for 50 mins. <a href="https://t.co/kTxhCZPxE9">https://t.co/kTxhCZPxE9</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash">#auspol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PeoplesSummit?src=hash">#PeoplesSummit</a><br />
— greenleftweekly (@greenleftweekly) <a href="https://twitter.com/greenleftweekly/status/533371977461805056">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<br />
Friday
kicked off with a march against Aboriginal deaths in police custody. It
was a peaceful march which got good media coverage. Protestors noted
the excessive presence of cops, who lined both sides of the march all
the way.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Death in custody protest makes its way through Brisbane. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> <a href="http://t.co/PauMm3U4G3">pic.twitter.com/PauMm3U4G3</a><br />
— Kate Kyriacou (@KateKyriacou) <a href="https://twitter.com/KateKyriacou/status/533079941810618368">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<br />
This was the day of the main protest march but I was still tossing up whether to go. It was damned hot and I knew from experience exactly what to expect. But if I didn't go, I would feel guilty. You gotta walk the talk, right? I went to the train station and crossed the road in the scorching heat, then decided to go home and spend the day tweeting about the G20 instead. Not only would it be cooler, but I seriously thought it would be a more effective use of my time. Each as best we can, right?<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
There are snipers set up on rooftops throughout the city in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Brisbane?src=hash">#Brisbane</a>. At least least 7 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> demonstrations planned <a href="http://t.co/m7hUizrGc0">pic.twitter.com/m7hUizrGc0</a><br />
— 7News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) <a href="https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/533769571077857282">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Empty prison vans cruising the streets <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> <a href="http://t.co/XSbStw47L7">pic.twitter.com/XSbStw47L7</a><br />
— Mel Thomas (@photogramel) <a href="https://twitter.com/photogramel/status/533508323564208129">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Yet another police search at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/YxFVvDF9Q6">pic.twitter.com/YxFVvDF9Q6</a> People on trains also being randomly searched. via <a href="https://twitter.com/Muzzray">@Muzzray</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DaniIsdale">@DaniIsdale</a><br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/533433028429635584">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Police are questioning a man with an anonymous mask about possess a restricted item. He is filming police during Qs <a href="http://t.co/o7SYkZoJKG">pic.twitter.com/o7SYkZoJKG</a><br />
— Felicity Caldwell (@fel_caldwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/fel_caldwell/status/533418795553943552">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
The police lining the start of today's protest march <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20?src=hash">#g20</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20brisbane?src=hash">#g20brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/hLsaswhrLs">pic.twitter.com/hLsaswhrLs</a><br />
— Matt Wordsworth (@MattWordsworth) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWordsworth/status/533452063926018048">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Hundreds and hundreds marching, filling length of Herschel st <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20?src=hash">#g20</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20brisbane?src=hash">#g20brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/GVPBggO9Jg">pic.twitter.com/GVPBggO9Jg</a><br />
— Matt Wordsworth (@MattWordsworth) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWordsworth/status/533455864519081984">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Police have just punted a man with an amputated leg from protest cause he posed a security risk <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/g20brisbane?src=hash">#g20brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/dVE4YIFkqm">pic.twitter.com/dVE4YIFkqm</a><br />
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkDiStef/status/533458008857010176">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
About 4,000 protestors turn onto Merivale St headed for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/2ArFP5B4YB">pic.twitter.com/2ArFP5B4YB</a><br />
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkDiStef/status/533463701630627840">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Smallest <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrisbaneG20?src=hash">#BrisbaneG20</a> protest in days attracting biggest police following including Riot Squad. <a href="http://t.co/6yPSeJMnyV">pic.twitter.com/6yPSeJMnyV</a><br />
— Emmaline Stigwood (@normalemm) <a href="https://twitter.com/normalemm/status/533816674579779584">November 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
The brave protestors were doing their best in the scorching conditions, of course, but the Queensland Police were running the show exactly as planned. The route stayed well away from official activities, journalists were barely within shouting distance of protestors, and visiting dignitaries barely even saw them. <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Police now keeping a 50m exclusion between protestors and media. Several journos threatened with arrest <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="http://t.co/e3aquzwA3f">pic.twitter.com/e3aquzwA3f</a><br />
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkDiStef/status/533083303813734400">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Obama's press pool: "unlike back home, we didn't see any protest signs." Because <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> protests forced out of sight! <a href="http://t.co/TfRaMZZVZ1">pic.twitter.com/TfRaMZZVZ1</a><br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/533477449921609728">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> That tweet above says it all: protestors in the USA have more freedom of speech than those of us in a US Client State like Australia. While the G20 protestors messages may have reached other audiences loud and clear, Obama and his Washington press pack hacks apparently never even saw them.<br />
<br />
In situations like this, the only remedy is civil disobedience. Enter Ciaron O'Reilly again... <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Banned peace activist <a href="https://twitter.com/CiaronOReilly">@CiaronOReilly</a> arrested after entering <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> zone to challenge Obama on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assange?src=hash">#Assange</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Manning?src=hash">#Manning</a>. <a href="http://t.co/Lkk9tw2wiS">pic.twitter.com/Lkk9tw2wiS</a><br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/533492935703023617">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> Ciaron, who had not cut his hair since 1988 - the last time he was in Brisbane's Boggo Road jail - knew he would be arrested but went ahead and crossed the police lines anyway. As they put him into the van he shouted: "Free Julian Assange! Free Chelsea Manning! Free Edward Snowden!"<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
"FREE JULIAN <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASSANGE?src=hash">#ASSANGE</a>! FREE CHELSEA <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MANNING?src=hash">#MANNING</a>!" 'Prohibited person <a href="https://twitter.com/CiaronOReilly">@CiaronOReilly</a> arrested at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a>
<a href="https://t.co/CqAy4v8MY6">https://t.co/CqAy4v8MY6</a><br />
— WISE Up Wales (@WISEUpWales) <a href="https://twitter.com/WISEUpWales/status/533513828689260544">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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It was a message that was heard loud and clear across the Internet and on Australian TV news bulletins that night. But Ciaron spent the next 2 nights locked up, until the G20 leaders left town. He's now out on bail, awaiting hearing on December 4th.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Former Assange 'bodyguard' and Irish Australian anti-war activist Cairon O'Reilly to appear in court Dec 4 <a href="http://t.co/zwkGpFF7Ck">http://t.co/zwkGpFF7Ck</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assange?src=hash">#Assange</a><br />
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) <a href="https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/534480372050849792">November 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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The @akawaca group of "Climate Angels", featuring Guardian journalist @vanbadham, were also keen to test police boundaries. After a refreshing dip in Brisbane's fake riverside beach, they held a sit-down protest outside the South Bank venue where dignitaries were meeting. <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
The Climate Angels Protest has been Captivating at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vanbadham">@vanbadham</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/akaWACA">@akaWACA</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/actonclimate?src=hash">#actonclimate</a> <a href="http://t.co/THtvljNSrz">pic.twitter.com/THtvljNSrz</a><br />
— Matthew Rimmer (@DrRimmer) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrRimmer/status/533525547893026816">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> The Climate Angels refused to move until Prime Minister Tony Abbott came out and listened to them. Instead they got a short visit from Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who was happy to promote their anti-government climate stance. The Angels held their position, gaining considerable online and media attention, until Abbott quietly sneaked out another exit.<br />
<br />
The police then generously offered the Climate Angels a ride, either to a pub or back to their hotels. Van Badham later praised this as a sign that the bad old days of Bjelke Peterson were gone for good, and local media celebrated it as a "typically Aussie resolution to a standoff".<br />
<br />
But I couldn't help wondering if Ciaron O'Reilly, sleeping two nights in a police cell, would agree. Fascism with a friendly face is still Fascism. In the end, Ciaron was the only activist taken to a purpose-built Brisbane G20 courthouse, designed to hold up to 500 arrested protestors. Nobody else challenged the power of the State as directly.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
"<a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews">@abcnews</a>: Protester <a href="https://twitter.com/CiaronOReilly">@CiaronOReilly</a> says he's at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Assange?src=hash">#Assange</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Manning?src=hash">#Manning</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Snowden?src=hash">#Snowden</a> <a href="http://t.co/iorPAp8yfe">http://t.co/iorPAp8yfe</a> <a href="http://t.co/PczuY5tP7h">pic.twitter.com/PczuY5tP7h</a>"<br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/533125961949016064">November 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<br />
<b>Economic Cost & Benefits </b><br />
<br />
The major story surrounding the Brisbane G20 was the long-awaited US-China agreement to limit carbon pollution. But this deal was actually finalised at the end of the APEC meeting in Beijing a week earlier. <br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
"Wham, Bam! Thank you ma'am!?" Not the first time an Aussie PM has been screwed by the USA. Deserved this time. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> <a href="http://t.co/cE0SWNaP3d">pic.twitter.com/cE0SWNaP3d</a><br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/533739171819831296">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
In Australia, many applauded Obama's diplomatic humiliation of
our Climate Denialist Prime Minister, who had previously insisted that Climate Change would be
off the G20 agenda. Abbott further embarrassed himself with an opening speech to world leaders where he complained about his difficulties passing petty domestic legislation, including university fee deregulation and obligatory $7 fees for GP visits. When the G20 was over, his polls showed no improvement: instead, he is now facing leadership speculation rumours.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
"Gee they love Barry but they hate me. I don't get it, maybe it's the tie. But the focus groups..." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20Brisbane?src=hash">#G20Brisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/G20?src=hash">#G20</a> <a href="http://t.co/XAkIwE6bWv">pic.twitter.com/XAkIwE6bWv</a><br />
— Good Sir Knight (@BrigadierSlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrigadierSlog/status/533506770744782848">November 15, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
Original pic by <a href="https://twitter.com/mearesy">@mearesy</a> <a href="http://t.co/qV9d0jXET1">pic.twitter.com/qV9d0jXET1</a><br />
— Narns (@markynana) <a href="https://twitter.com/markynana/status/534095805393534976">November 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
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#G20Brisbane is generally estimated to have cost taxpayers "over $400 million", although firm estimates are difficult to obtain. The security spending alone was "well over $100m", including some high-tech resources that the QLD police will keep permanently (CCTVs, control room, riot gear etc). Cops were paid to come from interstate and even New Zealand. Multiple government agencies spent months planning and preparing, so I would not be surprised if the real figure is well over $1 billion (this at a time when both QLD state and Canberra federal govts are playing the "austerity" card to slash spending on social programs, ABC news, etc).<br />
<br />
There was also a huge economic cost to many local businesses, as locals panicked by media reports and political fear-mongering decided to just leave town en masse. Which tells you a lot about Brisbane's 2.1 million inhabitants: either they don't realise that working class citizens around the globe are being screwed by the G20 elites, or they don't care enough to protest. As I had already learned from experience.<br />
<br />
The Indian Prime Minister unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Brisbane, and a few days later the Queensland government announced that it would use taxpayer money to help fund an Indian company's massive new coal mine - <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/nov/18/carmichael-mine-environmental-impact-unknown-for-years" target="_blank">Adani's Carmichael mine </a>will be among the biggest in the world - after international banks had refused to support it. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile the USA, Japan and Canada announced billions of dollars support for a Green Climate Fund, which Abbott had ridiculed.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
US, Japan & now Canada contribute to what <a href="https://twitter.com/TonyAbbottMHR">@TonyAbbottMHR</a> calls "Bob Brown slush fund" aka Green <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Climate?src=hash">#Climate</a> Fund <a href="http://t.co/yHYqpspEYL">http://t.co/yHYqpspEYL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash">#auspol</a><br />
— Dr J (@jaraparilla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/534158550587568128">November 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
27 people were excluded from G20 security zones and 14 were arrested
during the summit and in the lead up. Most face minor charges such as
failing to state their name and address. Queensland Police boasted that this meeting "set a new template" for G20 meetings around the world. We shall see.<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
<b>Bottom line</b><br />
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<br />
<br />
Brisbane is a politically apathetic city, where high living standards help ensure wide-scale indifference to issues of social justice. This is sadly typical of Australia today and is not likely to change unless the "Lucky Country" takes a massive economic nose-dive.<br />
<br />
G20 observers may have been fooled by "Brisvegas" promoting itself as a global capital, but in fact it is just an over-sized country town where Rupert Murdoch owns nearly all the newspapers and endemic political/business <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzgerald_Inquiry" target="_blank">corruption</a> is quietly accepted with a shrug.<br />
<br />
With all due respect to everyone who came and made their voices heard - particularly Ciaron and the @akawaca team - if bums on seats & feets on streets are the currency of change, then the G20 illustrates that Australian "Leftists / progressives" (I hate labels) have a long way to go. Particularly in hot, sleepy Queensland.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-16361372325550155452014-03-10T18:22:00.001-07:002022-09-05T03:32:22.237-07:00My WikiLeaks Party Inquiry<div align="CENTER" style="break-after: avoid; margin-top: 0.42cm; page-break-after: avoid;">
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>My
WikiLeaks Party Inquiry</b></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="break-after: avoid; margin-top: 0.42cm; page-break-after: avoid;">
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>by
Gary Lord (@Jaraparilla)</i></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="break-after: avoid; margin-top: 0.42cm; page-break-after: avoid;">
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>A
full independent review of what <u>really</u> happened to The
Wikileaks Party.</i></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="CENTER">
“<span style="font-size: medium;">I am not a
politician.” - Julian Assange.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="LTR" id="Table of Contents1">
<div dir="LTR" id="Table of Contents1_Head">
<div style="break-after: avoid; margin-top: 0.42cm; page-break-after: avoid;">
<span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Table
of Contents</b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__464_1854052641">Mandate </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__119_1329855144">Terms
of Reference </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__466_1854052641">Objectives </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__133_1329855144">Scope </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__135_1329855144">Methodology </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__137_1329855144">Assumptions </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__121_1329855144">Review
& Approval </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__455_1854052641">About
the Author </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__471_1854052641">Historical
Background </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__701_1620251352">Party
Foundations </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__127_1329855144">The
Schism </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1104_1861965683">The
Preferences Debacle </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__129_1329855144">The
Walkout </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__473_1854052641">The
Fallout </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__708_1620251352">Election
Results </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__710_1620251352">Post-election
Activity </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1716_1576197072">Blogging </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1702_1576197072">Syria
Trip </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1718_1576197072">Pro-Russian
Propaganda </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1704_1576197072">The
WLP Review/Inquiry </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1706_1576197072">Abuse
Of WikiLeaks Supporters </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1708_1576197072">WA
Revote </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__139_1329855144">Findings </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__712_1620251352">The
NSW “Administrative Error” </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__714_1620251352">WA
Preferences </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__475_1854052641">Blaming
The Greens </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1186_866173384">Blaming
Julian </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1728_1576197072">Mitigating
Factors </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__1730_1576197072">Summary
Of Findings </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__141_1329855144">Recommendations </a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7079940018550776884#__RefHeading__703_1620251352">Sources </a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h1 class="western">
</h1>
<h1 class="western" style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;">
IMPORTANT NOTE!!!</h1><div class="western" style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;">Several years after this blog post was published, it became apparent that Julian Assange had been busy secretly helping to rescue Edward Snowden from Hong Kong and Moscow while these events were occurring. </span></div><div class="western" style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></div><div class="western" style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;">Julian's father and other trusted people were not able to make rapid executive decisions in his absence, which caused the collapse of the WikiLeaks Party. I leave the rest of this article as it was for historical purposes. </span><br /></div><h1 class="western" style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;">Mandate</h1>
This inquiry is mandated by the need to be transparent and
accountable to all disaffected WikiLeaks supporters around the globe,
including current and former WikiLeaks Party members, who have a
right to know what really happened to the WikiLeaks Party at the
Australian 2013 federal election.<br />
<br />
This inquiry is mandated by the WikiLeaks Party's own failure to
deliver a meaningful promised inquiry into their calamitous “errors”
in the September 2013 election, their continued damage of the
WikiLeaks “brand”, and their failure to uphold their own stated
values of transparency, accountability and justice.<br />
<br />
This inquiry is mandated by the dire state of our planet and the
urgent need for genuine change to our political, business and social
structures. Anyone associated with WikiLeaks should be setting an
example, not playing cynical power games.<br />
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__119_1329855144"></a>Terms
of Reference</h1>
Unlike the six embarrassing pages of garbage (including mis-titled
cover page and irrelevant email addendum) spewed up by WLP after five
months, this inquiry is not limited by deliberately arbitrary Terms
of Reference limitations. Instead it provides a comprehensive,
independent, public review of the WikiLeaks Party (“WLP”),
including:<br />
<ul>
<li>the creation of the party and the lead-up to the 2013 Federal
Election, where the allocation of preferences proved a critical
point of failure,<br />
</li>
<li>post-election responses and further activity of WikiLeaks
Party members,<br />
</li>
<li>the current state of the party,<br />
</li>
<li>outlook for the future of the Wikileaks Party.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__466_1854052641"></a>Objectives</h1>
<ul>
<li>To hold the WikiLeaks Party to its own professed standards of
transparency and accountability, as stated in its Constitution.<br />
</li>
<li>To examine communications between WLP decision-makers leading
up to and following the 2013 Australian federal election.<br />
</li>
<li>To expose the truth behind unpopular WLP preferencing
decisions in NSW and WA, including the unsubstantiated claim of an
“administrative error” in NSW.<br />
</li>
<li>To examine how WLP staff have behaved before, during and
since the election, and how this has affected the reputations of
WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.<br />
</li>
<li>To recommend future changes.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__133_1329855144"></a>Scope</h1>
This inquiry adopts as broad a scope as is required to get to the
truth about the WikiLeaks Party. There are no timeframe constraints
or other limitations.<br />
<br />
The scope of this inquiry is only limited by WLP's continued
failure to explain its own actions, and the author’s inability to
get straight answers from anyone still associated with WLP, including
several who seem to have left the party but remain silent on their
involvement.<br />
<br />
The author has made repeated unsuccessful approaches for
information to WikiLeaks Party directly, and the following people in
particular:<br />
<ul>
<li>John Shipton<br />
</li>
<li>Cassie Findlay<br />
</li>
<li>Greg Barns<br />
</li>
<li>Kellie Tranter<br />
</li>
<li>Gail Malone<br />
</li>
<li>Omar Todd<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__135_1329855144"></a>Methodology</h1>
This review is presented in the format of a formal audit for no
particular reason other than to make a mockery of the WikiLeaks
Party's own decision to adopt such pseudo-professional voodoo to
whitewash their actions.<br />
<br />
The author has examined all available public data, including:<br />
<ul>
<li>Written statements of resignation from ex National Council
members Leslie Cannold, Dr Dan Mathews, Luke Pearson, Sam Castro
and Kaz Cochrane, plus volunteers like David Haidon and Sean Bedlam,<br />
</li>
<li>Analysis from interested activists such as independent WikiLeaks-related news source @MarthaGroup (now
@Hazelpress),<br />
</li>
<li>Website content, media interviews and WLP press releases,<br />
</li>
<li>Twitter and Facebook commentary.<br />
</li>
<li>SMS responses from Sam Castro to questions others refused to
answer.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<div align="LEFT">
Where the author has relied on verbal information or
personal experience, this is clearly stated. See the <b>About The
Author</b> section below for background.</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
See the <b>Sources</b> section below for links to
original documents.</div>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__137_1329855144"></a>Assumptions</h1>
Given the reticence of WLP staff to publicly justify their
actions, answer simple questions, or respond to valid criticism, the
author has been forced to make assumptions about their reasons for
maintaining silence. Of course people have a right to remain silent,
but when they scape-goat others without explaining their own actions,
and where circumstantial evidence is compelling, assumptions
unfortunately become inevitable. Readers are of course welcome to
draw their own conclusions.<br />
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__121_1329855144"></a>Review
& Approval
</h1>
This independent inquiry will be reviewed and approved (or not) by
the general public. Corrections to factual errors will happily be
made if any mistakes are identified and <b>proven</b>.
<br />
This inquiry is intended as a positive contribution to further
public discussion and decision-making. Anyone disagreeing with any of
the facts presented in this review is welcome to leave a public
comment below (preferably) or contact the author:<br />
<ul>
<li>Gary Lord<br />
</li>
<li>garylord@gmail.com<br />
</li>
<li>@Jaraparilla
<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__455_1854052641"></a>About
the Author</h1>
<ul>
<li>The Australian author of this review is a long-time vocal
WikiLeaks supporter who since 2010 has helped organise many local
and national demonstrations in support of WikiLeaks and Julian
Assange's right to freedom. His tweets and blog articles have been
frequently re-tweeted by @wikileaks. He authored the OzWikiWatch
site (ozwikiwatch.blogspot.com), which maintained a check on
Australian government support (or lack thereof) leading up to the
2013 election. He has spoken frequently in public in support of
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.<br />
</li>
<li>The author is a former member of the Wikileaks Party who was
originally selected to join the Wikileaks Party National Council
(“NC”). Further background including reasons for not staying on
the National Council can be found on the author's blog here
(<a href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html">http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html</a>
).
<br />
</li>
<li>The author has had limited personal contact with the
following past or present WikiLeaks Party staff: John Shipton, Matt
Watt, Kaz Cochrane and Sam Castro. He has been in contact with
Julian Assange rarely and by email only. He has never met any other
National Council members, although he has communicated with most at
some time via Twitter or email.
<br />
</li>
<li>The author was previously listed online as the Queensland
spokesperson for the Melbourne-based WACA group (originally
WikiLeaks Australian Citizens Alliance), headed by Kaz Cochrane and
Sam Castro. This was arranged because (a) media seeking comments on
Assange, WikiLeaks and WLP were unwilling to talk to anyone without
a title of some sort and (b) nobody from WACA in NSW or Victoria
wanted to post their number publicly, as they were busy with WLP. In
effect, the role mostly involved screening calls and alerting Sam
and Kaz to any media opportunities. Following the election the
author asked to be removed as spokesperson because he has never had
involvement in day to day WACA affairs.<br />
</li>
<li>The author had discussions with John Shipton and Julian
Assange regarding (a) running as the 2013 Queensland candidate for
WLP, or (b) finding another suitable QLD candidate. The author was
not eligible under AEC rules and no other QLD candidate was
selected.<br />
</li>
<li>The author became QLD co-ordinator for election day voting
booths (aiming to help provide WLP supporters with How To Vote
flyers at booths in Northern NSW), an unofficial position he quit
before the election.
<br />
</li>
<li>The author was also a member of the WikiLeaks Party Social
Media group, a collection of trusted online activists whom the WLP
brought together to help spread a co-ordinated message leading up to
the election. The head of the group was current WLP NC member Omar
Todd.<br />
</li>
<li>Since the election, the author has maintained a campaign to
demand WLP deliver their promised inquiry into the NSW preferential
voting “admin error”
<a href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html">http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html</a>
. The author sadly remains a vocal online critic of recent WLP
activity and is now campaigning for the WLP to be terminated before
more damage is done (see #EndWLparty hashtag). This review sets out
the logic and events behind such criticism. Readers are asked to
avoid ad hominem attacks and judge for themselves based on the facts
presented herein (or in some cases, the facts deliberately with-held
from the public by WLP).<br />
</li>
<li>The author remains committed the WikiLeaks ideals of
transparency and accountability. He has no vested interest in either
supporting or damaging WLP, and is providing this report for his own
personal desire to see real transparency and accountability in
action.<br />
<br />
<br />
</li>
</ul>
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__471_1854052641"></a>Historical
Background</h1>
<i>This section examines the facts surrounding key events. If you
disagree with these facts, leave a comment or contact the author. For
conclusions based on these facts, see the <b>Findings</b> section.</i><br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__701_1620251352"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Party
Foundations</span></span></h4>
<br />
The WikiLeaks Party was incorporated as a political party in
Australia in 2013, while founder <b>Julian Assange</b> remained
unjustly trapped in Ecuador's London embassy, where he was granted
political asylum in August 2012.<br />
<br />
Mr Assange's biological father<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><b>John Shipton</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
performed much of the </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">initial
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">work required to set up the
party. </span>Former Liberal Party candidate <strike>staffer and disgruntled ex-Greens
member</strike> <b>Greg Barns</b> was appointed Campaign Manager for the 2013
federal election, which was held on 7<sup>th</sup> September.<br />
<br />
A Constitution was created and posted on the website:
<a href="https://www.wikileaksparty.org.au/statement-on-the-appointment-of-binoy-kampmark-as-julian-assanges-primary-running-mate/">https://www.wikileaksparty.org.au</a><br />
On July 25, seven WikiLeaks Party candidates for the Australian
Senate were announced in three states:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Victoria</b>:
<br />
</li>
<li>WikiLeaks founder <b>Julian Assange</b>,
<br />
</li>
<li>Author and Monash University gender studies lecturer <b>Leslie
Cannold</b> (who would take Assange's seat if he were to win but not
be able to return home),
<br />
</li>
<li>RMIT law lecturer <b>Binoy Kampmark</b>.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li><b>N</b><b>ew South Wales</b>:
<br />
</li>
<li>Human rights lawyer <b>Kellie Tranter,</b>
<br />
</li>
<li>Former diplomat <b>Alison Broinowski</b>.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li><b>Western Australia</b>:
<br />
</li>
<li>Refugee activist <b>Gerry Georgatos,</b>
<br />
</li>
<li>President of the National Ethnic Disability Alliance <b>Suresh
Rajan</b>.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Some of the above candidates were also
on the original National Council, which included:</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Friends of the Earth
activists </span><b>Sam Castro </b>& <b>Kaz Cochrane</b>,
<br />
</li>
<li>Sea Shepherd campaigner <b>Omar Todd</b>,
<br />
</li>
<li>Aboriginal activist <b>Luke Pearson</b>,
<br />
</li>
<li>Mathematician <b>Dr Dan Mathews</b>, who helped Julian
Assange create WikiLeaks,<br />
</li>
<li><b>G</b><b>ail Malone.</b><br />
</li>
</ul>
<b>Matt Watt</b> (aka @Karwalski, owner of the WikiLeaks Ute)
handled much of the technical/web issues and remains the Party
Secretary.<br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__127_1329855144"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">The
Schism</span></span></h4>
<br />
A schism within the party developed early on, with John Shipton
and Greg Barns taking an authoritarian approach to decision-making,
while a faction on the National Council demanded more democratic
processes based on respect for the WLP Constitution. This faction was
largely represented by Sam Castro, a strong personality with years of
experience in activism, but appears to have included all the NC
members who eventually resigned - Leslie Cannold, Kaz Cochrane, Dan
Mathews and Luke Pearson – plus other staff.<br />
<br />
In my own pre-election conversations with Sam Castro, she clearly
saw the WikiLeaks Party as a vehicle with the potential to grow
beyond Julian Assange's influence. This was not necessarily a bad
thing, especially while Julian remained under detention. We discussed
the possibility of WikiLeaks Parties springing up around the world
with a basic message of transparent, open government. There was no
reason such ambition could not co-exist with the primary goal of
getting Julian Assange safely home and into the Senate. But I suspect
others within the Party may have viewed Castro's ambitions less
favourably.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile John Shipton appeared to have ambitions of his own,
despite originally informing NC members that he was going to quit
“before the election” and “once the party is set up”. Media
appearances increasingly focussing on himself rather than his son or
the party's platform and candidates
<a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/like-father-like-son/story-e6frg8h6-1226663757794">http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/like-father-like-son/story-e6frg8h6-1226663757794</a>
. Perhaps he was granting interviews to the wrong people, or perhaps
he was just enjoying the limelight a bit too much. Either way,
discontent continued to simmer as the election approached . And
Shipton continued to hold onto several key roles in the party,
despite being challenged to at least drop all but one of his
positions.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
Dan Mathews
(<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/22/wikileaks-julian-assange">http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/22/wikileaks-julian-</a><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/22/wikileaks-julian-assange">assange</a>): “The WikiLeaks party has arguably suffered serious problems from
the outset, being pulled in radically different directions from its
base and membership, on the one hand, and the figurehead and
associates on the other... Barns spoke repeatedly of his
conversations with Julian, but it seemed to me that much less
communication apparently occurred between Julian and the National
Council. As such, in my view, a divide started to appear between an
insider group, including Julian, Shipton and Barns, and the rest of
the national council... Strong commitment at the center of the party
to deals seen as unscrupulous and unprincipled by supporters was a
train wreck waiting to happen."</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1104_1861965683"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">The
Preferences Debacle</span></span></h4>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<b>NOTE:</b> Under Australian law, all
political parties must allocate “preferences” for other parties
to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC): these preferences are
allocated in numerical order after all voters' primary choices have
been counted. The aim of this system is to ensure that if a voter's
first preference does not get elected (e.g. a minor candidate) they
can still have a say in the final outcome. Voters are allowed to
personally number all candidates on the lengthy Senate voting paper,
but in practice most just choose one party and allow that party's
submitted list of preferences to decide how their own preferences are
allocated.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
The original need for a WLP inquiry arose as a direct result of
public anger at how WLP allocated preferences in the states of New
South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA). In Victoria, where
Julian Assange was running as a candidate, the WLP preferences were
generally well received.<br />
<br />
The NSW preferencing debacle had a prelude: a few weeks before the
election, WLP NC member Cassie Findlay was handing out flyers at
Marrickville Markets in Sydney when Greens councillor Max Phillips
asked her about WLP preferences. He tweeted that he was told WLP
would be putting “rightwing micros like Shooters & Hanson”
ahead of the Greens
(<a href="https://twitter.com/maxphillips/status/366402575991455745">https://twitter.com/maxphillips/status/366402575991455745</a>
). This claim was dismissed by WLP supporters (including myself) who
could not believe that anyone in a position to know would be stupid
enough to tell random members of the public about WLP preferences
before they were announced.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE:</b> Max Phillips was only able to identify Ms. Findlay as
his source after preferences were announced.<br />
<br />
When preferences were finally announced, it was even worse than
Max Phillips' tweet suggested. From WLP's own published Inquiry:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>Over a period of several weeks
prior to the 2013 Federal Election, the WLP National Council members
attended internal meetings and conversed via email, telephone
conferencing and other electronic media to preference a record number
of Senate candidates.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>A WLP press release stated (inter
alia) that we “aren’t aligned with anyone”.....and will
“support and oppose the policies of other parties and groups
according to our stated principles”.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>The WLP publicly released its group
voting ticket on 17 August 2013, in which preferences for the
Australia First and the Shooters and Fishers Parties were placed
above the Greens in NSW, contrary to exchanges of emails between WLP
National Council members leading-up to the deadline with the AEC.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>In WA, the Greens were placed below
the National Party.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
The far right white supremacist Australia First party are
generally considered Fascists
(<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_First_Party">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_First_Party</a>
). WLP's election fate was ultimately sealed by this singular
decision to allocate preferences to Australia First above the Greens,
who are Australia's third most powerful party and the only major
party to consistently speak up for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks (see
OzWikiWatch <a href="http://ozwikiwatch.blogspot.com/">http://ozwikiwatch.blogspot.com</a>
).<br />
<br />
When news of the WLP preferences broke, there was an immediate
uproar on social media. The Greens and their supporters were
horrified that WLP had placed them behind Fascists and
anti-environmentalists in NSW, and behind the Nationals in WA (who
are part of a Coalition with the Liberal Party, which ultimately won
the election). Even loyal WLP supporters like myself were confused
and angry.<br />
<br />
In WA, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam had been by far the single most
supportive WikiLeaks/Assange supporter in parliament. He had even
travelled at personal cost to the UK and Sweden to meet Julian
Assange and plead his case with authorities. When WLP preferences
were announced, Senator Ludlum said he considered the National Party
to be the biggest threat to his own chances of retaining a Senate
seat.<br />
<br />
<b>The announcement of preferences was a major blow to WLP's
public support nationwide, particularly as much of the WLP support
base were people who would normally vote for the Greens. By contrast,
the Greens had preferenced WLP highly in every state where they had a
candidate.</b><br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
Although Julian Assange had previously
expressed support for right-wing Libertarianism and US Republican Ron
Paul, WLP supporters had no reason to believe the party would take an
anti-Greens right-wing stance, particularly given the principles
outlined in its Constitution and stated policies.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
The resignation statement from Dan Mathews, who had (sensibly, in
retrospect) advocated doing no preference deals at all, explained
what had been happening behind the scenes:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“At a national council meeting on 12
August, there was spirited argument between Greg Barns and several
members of the national council regarding a deal with Family First.
As part of its decision at that meeting, the national council
requested Barns to provide certain information.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Although Assange had not attended
the meeting, after receiving the council’s resolution by email he
quickly wrote a long email entitled “NC micromanagement of
preferences”, in which he expressed his displeasure with the
council in making such requests, and proposed an alternative
structure for preference decisions. Negotiations would be done by
lead candidates, with no restraints on them, and Assange having a
right of veto. He proposed giving the national council a role in
rubber-stamping the results of this process.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Thus, one member of the national
council was proposing to grant themselves a right of veto and to
reduce it to a rubber stamp. Given the eagerness of some to pursue
deals even with the far right, I and several others on the national
council were keen to retain the national council’s role in these
important decisions.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“I told the council that the party
could have been set up autocratically, but it was not set up that
way. It was set up with a reasonably democratic structure, with a
governing council with membership and representation from various
sectors supportive of, and related to, WikiLeaks. If it could be
overridden by the lead candidate when he disagreed, it would be a
sham. This received the support of several others on the council, and
it thus appeared that the council would not be reduced to a sham.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
But the National Council was indeed reduced to a sham, along with
the rest of the party. As Dan Mathews further explained:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“The council could not practically
decide the precise ordering of all parties, and some discretion was
left to the candidates and/or campaign teams to establish the
details. Nonetheless clear instructions were formalised by Barns in
an email sent at 8:16 pm Friday night, which said the following.</div>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>I would have preferred to
have had Shooters and FF in the mix but the final deals are:</i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>Victoria – Greens put
WLP at number 2 and WLP has Greens first of majors and drops Shooters
and FF/Christian groups below majors.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>NSW – Greens preference
WLP at 3, with Pirates at 2, and WLP puts Greens above FF, Shooters
and Christian Right.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>WA – Greens preference
WLP at 2 and WLP puts Greens first of major parties and above
Christian right and Shooters.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>The Shooters and some
parties on the right will probably put WLP below the majors as a
result of these deals.</i></blockquote>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Nothing further was heard until
Sunday, when I woke up to find that the Wikileaks party ticket in NSW
had the Shooters & Fishers — and the Nazi Australia First
party! — above the Greens. In WA, the Nationals were above the
Greens.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“I was dumbstruck.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
The online furore over WLP preferences quickly grew more
widespread, angry and vocal
<a href="https://twitter.com/KellieTranter/status/368988921402626048">https://twitter.com/KellieTranter/status/368988921402626048</a>
. It was already being reported in national media before WLP
belatedly issued a statement blaming the NSW preferencing on
unspecified “administrative errors”. The Wikileaks Party
statement:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“<i>The WikiLeaks Party isn't
aligned with any other political group. We'd rather not allocate
preferences at all but allocating preferences is compulsory if your
name is to go above the line.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“<i>In allocating preferences
between 53 other parties or groups in NSW some administrative errors
occurred, as has been the case with some other parties. The overall
decision as to preferences was a democratically made decision of the
full National Council of the party. </i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<i>According to the National Council
decision The Shooters & Fishers and the Australia First Party
should have been below Greens, Labor, Liberal. As we said, we aren't
aligned with anyone and the only policies we promote are our own. We
will support and oppose the policies of other parties or groups
according to our stated principles.”</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
There were suggestions that the two women who had submitted the
NSW preferences – Cassie Findlay and Gail Malone – had confused
the Australia First party with the similarly-named Family First
party. It was a lame excuse – particularly for anyone familiar with
previous National Council discussions - and it was not enough to
placate social media, where intense debate continued for weeks.<br />
<br />
WLP's WA candidate Gerry Georgatos – himself a disaffected
former Greens member<strike>, just like Greg Barns</strike> [<i>ed: Barns was a former Liberal Party candidate</i>] – finally admitted on
radio that “it was NOT an administrative error” in NSW but
refused to elaborate further.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
NSW candidate Alison Broinowski : “I
am prepared to go along with the explanation of it as an error.’’
<a href="http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/1723226/wikileaks-candidate-says-there-was-no-skulduggery-in-party-schism/?cs=3275">http://www.dailyliberal.com.au/story/1723226/wikileaks-candidate-says-there-was-no-skulduggery-in-party-schism/?cs=3275</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
WA candidate Gerry Georgatos: “It
was not an administrative error, it was a poor judgement call. I’m
not [going to come out] here and bullshit the audience. “
<a href="http://techgeek.com.au/2013/08/26/wikileaks-party-senate-candidate-nsw-preferences-poor-judgement-call-admin-error/">http://techgeek.com.au/2013/08/26/wikileaks-party-senate-candidate-nsw-preferences-poor-judgement-call-admin-error/</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
</div>
Gerry Georgatos nevertheless insisted that the state candidates
had the final say on WLP preferencing (as per Assange's email), and
it had been his own personal decision to preference the Nationals
ahead of the Greens' Scott Ludlam in WA. He was adamant that the
Nationals could not be considered a “major party” in WA and had
no chance of winning a seat.<br />
<br />
Georgatos (a campaigner for indigenous rights) argued that the
Nationals Party candidate was an indigenous Australian who had no
real chance of winning, but deserved a “token of support”.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
John Shipton
(<a href="http://www.altmedia.net.au/wikileaks-calls-for-electoral-reform/82216">http://www.altmedia.net.au/wikileaks-calls-for-electoral-reform/82216</a>
) : “David Wirrpanda is a very notable WA Indigenous person, so we
were happy to give him some publicity.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
Senator Ludlam ridiculed the claim that the WA Nationals had no
chance of beating him, and events later proved him right: Ludlam
ended up being voted out by a very narrow margin and had to appeal
for a recount, which was eventually dismissed due to missing votes.
He now faces a fresh election.<br />
<br />
As it turned out, given the process of allocating preference
votes, <b>WLP preferences were not critical to the result in either
NSW or WA</b>, although margins were extraordinarily slim at various
stages of the count. Nevertheless, Georgatos' claim that the National
Party candidate never had a chance was wrong.<br />
<br />
<b>Allocating WA preferences to a right-wing Coalition member was
at best a foolish gamble, </b><b>a PR nightmare,</b><b> and a
betrayal of WikiLeaks Party principles (as stated in the
Constitution).</b><br />
<br />
<b>NOTE 1:</b> WACA later claimed that an un-named National
Council member had caved in to pressure from Greg Barns and “a
candidate” to change the NSW preferences. Sam Castro also told me
that Gerry Georgatos had emailed Greg Barns asking if it was OK to
preference the National Party in WA, but Barns had failed to pass on
his concerns to the National Council. So why did Georgatos bother to
email Barns, if he really thought he had the final say? Or is that
what Barns told him? We don't know because neither has been willing
to explain the truth.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE </b><b>2</b><b>:</b> NSW Senate candidate Kelly Tranter
posted and then deleted a Twitter post saying that the Greens were
punished because they did a deal with the ALP, a party sending asylum
seekers “to gulags”. Later, explaining that post, she stated that
The Greens “spent weeks talking about the cruelty of the ALP and
then do a deal with them”.
<a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/18/wikileaks_party_scrambles_to_explain_election_decisions/">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/18/wikileaks_party_scrambles_to_explain_election_decisions/</a><br />
<br />
<b>N</b><b>OTE </b><b>3</b><b>: </b>There has been much
speculation that a deal was made with infamous “preferences
whisperer” Glenn Druery (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Druery">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Druery</a>
), who specialises in “helping” minor parties orchestrate
preference voting for mutual benefit. Although there was obviously
much discussion, I have seen no proof of any such deal. In fact, Sam
Castro says that at one stage she heard Druery tell Greg Barns that
he had “ruined everything”. Alison Brionowski also denied there
was a deal with Druery.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
Dan Mathews: “On 6 August, at a
national council meeting, Barns proposed a deal with a group of small
parties, organised by Glenn Druery. It is of course his job to talk
to other parties and I have no doubt he has worked hard and honestly
to do his job throughout. This group, including several far right
parties, proposed to deliver 7%-9% of the vote to us if we
preferenced them all highly. The national council rejected it."</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__129_1329855144"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">The
Walkout</span></span></h4>
<br />
Following the massive public furore over WLP preferences, National
Council members met to discuss what went wrong and how it could be
fixed. Details of these discussions were published in their lengthy
statements of resignation, which have never been seriously challenged
(see the <b>Sources</b> section at the end). Dan Mathew's statement,
quoted extensively in this inquiry document, is particularly
illuminating.<br />
<br />
It is worth noting that the resignation statements were relatively
subdued and generally did not name names, politely giving the party
an opportunity to remedy errors and continue operations without
specifically damaging anyone's reputation. It was only in the
to-and-fro arguments that followed, where WLP insiders continued to
deny responsibility and blame those who quit, that specific people
were named.<br />
<br />
Sean Bedlam soon revealed that John Shipton was the person who had
tried to approach him and establish a new power-base to challenge the
National Council. <strike>Others (Kaz Cochrane and </strike>Victorian volunteer co-ordinator David Haidon<strike>, from memory)</strike>
confirmed that Shipton had also approached him <strike>them</strike>. As Leslie Cannold
stated
(<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/julian-assanges-wikileaks-party-running-mate-leslie-cannold-quits-20130821-2sb99.html#ixzz2t73DpSHX">http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/julian-assanges-wikileaks-party-running-mate-leslie-cannold-quits-20130821-2sb99.html#ixzz2t73DpSHX</a><span style="color: #003399;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #003399;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">)</span></span></span>:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
‘‘As long as I believed there was
a chance that democracy, transparency and accountability could
prevail in the party I was willing to stay on and fight for it. But
where a party member makes a bid to subvert the party's own
processes, asking others to join in a secret, alternative power
centre that subverts the properly constituted one, nothing makes
sense anymore.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
‘‘This is an unacceptable mode of
operation for any organisation but even more so for an organisation
explicitly committed to democracy, transparency and accountability.’’</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Wednesday
21<sup>st</sup> August, 2013 – three days after preferences were
announced - was the day people started resigning. A week earlier I
had been offering John Shipton a bed in my house as he travelled up
to Queensland. Now, as news of Leslie Cannold's resignation spread
across the Internet, I was on Twitter demanding public answers and
refusing to take his frantic calls. I sent an angry SMS to Greg
Barns: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">“This is
just bullshit Greg. The people who did the wrong thing with
preferences and dragged us to the right should be the ones
resigning.”</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">No reply. But
I did get an SMS reply from John Shipton to my public tweets: </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">John Shipton:
“As for the NC being subverted who the fuck told you that? Some
fucking lowlife who wanted more shit spread around and could not wait
2 weeks til the election is over... Self righteous vain people. All
over.a two bit error that makes no difference to any result.”</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">I told John
to stop texting me privately and get his WLP version of events out to
the general public instead. I said the preference deal was a massive
stuff up and I was sick of doing damage control on Twitter when
nobody in the party was prepared to even defend their own version of
events.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">John Shipton:
“Rubbish and more rubbish . <b>We ensured Ludlam a win in WA .</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span>The Nats never get more than 3.5 . Stop believing negative
bullshit about us. Politics is all about damage intros and
perception. . You hate us yet we work all day and night... Jesus
wept.”</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
My reply:
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“John it is not about me: get on
Twitter and take a look. I have stood by Julian through thick and
thin. And I do not hate anyone involved with WLP. But this massive
fuckup was totally avoidable.”</div>
John:
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“What the fuck are you gonna say
upon finding that Cannold was a plant”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
This was an outrageous suggestion, especially because Julian
Assange had personally selected Leslie Cannold as his running mate;
if he could not take up his Senate seat, she would take it for him.
Of course, in the paranoid-inducing global Infosec world of
WikiLeaks, such treachery sometimes has to be contemplated, but there
never was and never has been any evidence to support such a wild
claim. It smacked of crazy desperation.<br />
<br />
Me:
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“If that is true then tell it to
Australia. A smart media manager can turn all tomorrow's bad
headlines to WLP's advantage. But to own the narrative you have to
get your version of the truth out there. WLP is not doing that. That
is what I am saying.” </div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
It was at this stage that Sam and Kaz and Dan and Sean and David
and Luke announced their resignations...<br />
<br />
Another SMS from John:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Really and truly treacherous . No
calls to me or Greg or anybody”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<b>NOTE:</b> In fact they had given up on Barns and Shipton and
had been trying unsuccessfully to contact Julian Assange in London.<br />
<br />
Me:
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Sam and Kaz have been getting
arrested for your son. They are wonderful committed people.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
John:
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Loved both those women: but one
day, when all is calm we can talk about what unfolded before my eyes
and heart.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
Well, John, we are all still waiting to hear your version of
events. All we ever got from WLP was a joke of an inquiry, five
months late. WLP has never properly explained “what unfolded”.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE: </b>I never heard from John Shipton again. His twitter
account @JohnShipton remains silent.
<br />
<br />
Of course the resignations provided an opportunity for the
mainstream media to inform the general public what was going on –
and curiously, many readers replied that they didn't even know the
WikiLeaks Party existed. In fact, the party later claimed that NSW
membership had actually <b>increased</b> after the resignations.<br />
<br />
They say there is no such thing as bad publicity: this shows that
the party could still have gone on to win votes if they had been able
to get their version of events out to the public. But their version
of events was something the WLP leadership was desperate to keep
private.<br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__473_1854052641"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">The
Fallout</span></span></h4>
<br />
Following the resignations, Julian Assange issued a statement and
made several Australian media appearances in an effort to limit the
damage.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
Julian Assange: “I made a decision
two months ago to spend a lot of my time on dealing with the Edward
Snowden asylum situation and trying to save the life of a young man
(Bradley Manning). Now, the result is over-delegation, so I admit and
I accept full responsibility for over-delegating functions to the
Australian party while I tried to take care of those situations.”</div>
<br />
Assange's efforts back-fired because he could not properly explain
the WLP “administrative error” and because he simultaneously
maintained that as party leader, he could do whatever he liked,
regardless of the party's Constitution or the National Council.<br />
<br />
By this time Crikey had published leaked WLP emails showing
Assange's efforts to over-ride National Council decisions on
preferences:
<a href="http://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/From21.pdf">http://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/From21.pdf</a>
This increased the pressure on Assange to either defend the final
preferencing decisions or explain the “error”. He managed to do
neither successfully.<br />
<br />
Assange's 30 August appearance on The Drum (
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbJJx5f1kAY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbJJx5f1kAY</a>
) was a final PR disaster, epitomised by his bizarre statement: ‘‘I
am not a politician, though I am running for election.”<br />
<br />
This lengthy prime-time TV appearance was just a week out from the
September 7<sup>th</sup> election. The last best chance to repair the
damage had just been blown.<br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__708_1620251352"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Election
Results</span></span></h4>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
WikiLeaks Party won just 0.66 per cent
of the national vote. No candidates were elected.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Australian political parties that win
over 1.4% of the national vote are eligible for government funding
that can amount to millions of dollars. This would have been
invaluable to the ongoing work of WikiLeaks. No such public funding
was earned.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__710_1620251352"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Post-election
Activity</span></span></h4>
<br />
<i>This section details further activity by WLP since the
election.</i><br />
<br />
<h3 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1716_1576197072"></a>Blogging</h3>
<br />
After the election, remaining WLP staff went largely silent on
social media, refusing to discuss what happened. But the party
continued to post bizarre articles on their website, including a
“Happy Birthday” hagiography of former Australian PM Paul Keating
(who supported Indonesian dictator Suharto) and climate denialist
pseudo-scientific nonsense that contradicts the party's own
Constitutional support for the environment (John Shipton has told
former NC members that man-made climate change was a hoax).<br />
<br />
<h3 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1702_1576197072"></a>Syria
Trip</h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In late December 2013, en route to
visit Julian Assange in London, John Shipton lead a Wikileaks Party
delegation to Damascus, where they met with Syrian President Bashar
Assad, who is widely condemned as a War Criminal. The visit appears
to have been orchestrated by delegation member Daoud Jamal, who
joined the WLP NC after the election. Gail Malone was also on the
trip.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Syrian TV news portrayed the WLP visit
as an official Australian “solidarity delegation”. There was no
specific mention of WikiLeaks or the WikiLeaks Party. The Assad
regime tweeted a picture showing the President addressing the seated,
smiling WLP members, who later admitted they were only allowed to ask
Assad two questions. It is clear they were used as a PR tool by
President Assad's regime at the height of the Syrian civil war.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
The trip brought international condemnation
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531903/Julian-Assanges-father-leads-Wikileaks-delegation-visit-Syria-meet-Assad-vow-open-Damascus-office.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2531903/Julian-Assanges-father-leads-Wikileaks-delegation-visit-Syria-meet-Assad-vow-open-Damascus-office.html</a>
and WikiLeaks was quick to distance itself from yet another PR
disaster:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
@WikiLeaks: ''Peace brokering a good
idea, but [it was] obvious [the] meeting would be spun without care.
Did not know or approve.''</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Shipton
later stated that he could not tell his son about the trip because
their communications were being monitored. This </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">was</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
a ridiculous excuse – </span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">is
nobody in WLP able to use encryption tools?</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 1.25cm; padding: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"><br />''</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">[Assad]</span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
invited us to call in and have a cup of tea, and it was difficult to
snub him,'' Mr Shipton said from London. </span></span></span>''We
just went along, said hello, didn't say anything much actually.” <span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
</span></span></span><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/wikileaks-party-defends-its-cup-of-tea-with-bashar-alassad-20131231-304ne.html#ixzz2vKdiuazY"><span style="color: #003399;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/wikileaks-party-defends-its-cup-of-tea-with-bashar-alassad-20131231-304ne.html#ixzz2vKdiuazY</span></span></span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="border: medium none; margin-bottom: 0cm; padding: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Media reports typically failed to distinguish between WikiLeaks
and the WikiLeaks Party, inflicting further reputational damage on
the former. To make matters worse, John Shipton threatened to sue the
Australian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister after they condemned
the trip as “stupid and reckless”
<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/assanges-father-to-start-legal-action-against-tony-abbott-julie-bishop-20140102-3080z.html">http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/assanges-father-to-start-legal-action-against-tony-abbott-julie-bishop-20140102-3080z.html</a>
:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
"Because of the defamatory
statements made against myself by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, we have asked barrister Clive A. Evatt
to begin defamation proceedings seeking $5 million in damages in each
case.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
For a party supposedly committed to Freedom of Speech, this was
yet another ridiculous move. It was also pathetic. Shipton was
clearly trying to save face with a legal threat that had no chance of
succeeding. Did he not realise that he was now the CEO of a political
party, and as such could not demand the privacy to which a normal
citizen is entitled?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="ext-gen92"></a>Shipton also <span style="font-weight: normal;">promised
to open a Wikileaks </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Party</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
office in Damascus,</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">and
said WLP would raise $40,000 funds for Syrian people's health. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Again,
the m</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">edia
were more than happy to use “WikiLeaks” instead of WLP in </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">their
</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">headlines:
</span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/wikileaks-reheats-syrian-assad-campaign/story-e6frg6so-1226821976235">http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/wikileaks-reheats-syrian-assad-campaign/story-e6frg6so-1226821976235</a><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"># </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> </span></span></span></span>
<br />
Strong WikiLeaks supporter Antony Loewenstein wrote an article
condemning the WLP Syria trip
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/14/wikileaks-partys-syria-visit-is-a-damaging-and-misguided-pr-coup">http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/14/wikileaks-partys-syria-visit-is-a-damaging-and-misguided-pr-coup</a>
Sadly but predictably, this article lead to WLP insiders condemning
Loewenstein.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Graeme
Dunstan, </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">an
old friend </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">of
Shipton's, </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">told
an email forum that</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
the WLP</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">
Syria trip was just like Jane Fonda in Vietnam. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">But
Fonda got to make a dozen radio speeches to the Vietnamese people
over several weeks, while WLP were only allowed to ask two questions
to Assad. Just before she left Vietnam, Fonda was photographed
sitting on a </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">North
Vietnamese </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">tank,
and this “</span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Hanoi
Jane” </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">image
became an enduring PR nightmare she always regretted. </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">WLP
got the PR disaster photo and nothing else.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">WLP
claimed they also met with Syrian opposition but were never able to
substantiate this claim. WLP NC member Daoud Jamal - whose Twitter
avatar when he joined the NC was a man with a machine gun in front of
a Palestine flag - has blogged explicit support for President Assad,
and has been assaulted at Sydney demonstrations by anti-Assad
protestors.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1718_1576197072"></a>Pro-Russian
Propaganda</h3>
<br />
WLP followed up their Syrian PR disaster with a series of
interviews with Voice Of Russia journalist John Robles, where
selected quotes were hand-picked for pro-Russian propaganda.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<b>Shipton:</b> The Russian diplomatic
skills are a triumph, and with the Shanghai Cooperative Organization,
the BRICs last year in Far East and this year Syria and the Ukraine.
There is diplomatic triumph second to none, and in our view the
Russian President and Foreign Ministry people wish to bring peace to
allow development.
<a href="http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_05/The-US-and-its-allies-a-horror-show-that-must-stop-John-Shipton-9806/">http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_05/The-US-and-its-allies-a-horror-show-that-must-stop-John-Shipton-9806/</a>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
"Shipton praised President
Vladimir Putin and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and called them forces
for peace." <a href="http://t.co/vFlms2Rm3v">http://t.co/vFlms2Rm3v</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
"The envy of Russia & Slavic
civilization by the West seems to be boundless."
<a href="http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_09/Western-envy-of-Russia-and-Slavs-boundless-John-Shipton-9691/">http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_09/Western-envy-of-Russia-and-Slavs-boundless-John-Shipton-</a><a href="http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_09/Western-envy-of-Russia-and-Slavs-boundless-John-Shipton-9691/">9691/</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
</div>
Even former Campaign Manager Greg Barns (who admits he is not even
a member of WLP) did a PR interview with the same Voice of Russia
journo:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Australia is becoming a rouge [sic]
state”
<a href="http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_06/Australia-is-becoming-a-rouge-state-Greg-Barns-9578/">http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_02_06/Australia-is-becoming-a-rouge-state-Greg-Barns-9578/</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“Certainly, I had nothing to do with
the trip, but I didn’t see any endorsement of Assad by those who
were on the trip … I wasn’t on the trip, I had no involvement.” </div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<h3 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1704_1576197072"></a>The
WLP Review/Inquiry</h3>
<br />
The hastily announced WLP “independent inquiry” was never
intended to be either independent or serious. As Leslie Cannold said
on the day she resigned (
<a href="http://waca.net.au/resignations-from-the-wikileaks-party-statements/">http://waca.net.au/resignations-from-the-wikileaks-party-statements/</a>
) :<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“An additional call was made to a
campaign staffer. In direct contrast to the public statement The
Wikileaks Party put out this morning in which we promised the public
that we would have an immediate independent review of the preference
outcomes, this person said that the review would be delayed until
after the election and that it wouldn’t be done independently. The
caller would run it. This is the final straw.” </div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
As we now know, that “caller” was
John Shipton. And again it is worth noting that Cannold did not name
Shipton as the “caller” at the time, presumably because she knew
Julian Assange would be damaged by association with his father's lack
of ethics. </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
The WLP inquiry was eventually sent
out to members by email on 4th February 2014, five months after the
election. The author was a WLP member who made it clear he did not
have enough information to draw any meaningful conclusions.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
Here's how Crikey's Bernard Keane, another strong WikiLeaks
supporter, described it:
<a href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/02/07/the-highly-emotional-and-volatile-world-of-the-wikileaks-party/">http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/02/07/the-highly-emotional-and-volatile-world-of-the-wikileaks-party/</a><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
It was conducted by Stuart Bell of
Bell Campbell Auditing, a WikiLeaks Party member approached by John
Shipton, Julian Assange’s father, to conduct the audit. The review
is six pages long, including the cover page and an attachment. In it,
Bell complains that his conduct of the review was “limited” by
his “inability or access to all relevant information and WLP
personnel, especially where there has been a severe fall-out over the
2013 preferencing issues in NSW and WA”.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
Bell had not been able to interview
anyone except for Shipton, but says he took written submissions or
phone calls from other key figures like Greg Barns. Bell also laments
“limited or no access to WLP official transcripts, minutes of
National Council meetings and official emails/correspondence”,
which forced him to accept the word of those he interviewed. However,
Bell rejected the “administrative error” claim by the party:</div>
<blockquote style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“<i>It cannot be shown that
it was an ‘administrative error’, based on the electronic and
verbal hyper-activity by the National Council members … It was a
combination of human errors caused by a highly emotional and volatile
atmosphere, where a number of key WLP members were instrumental in
causing confusion, not from malicious intent but due to a lack of
defined responsibilities.”</i></blockquote>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
Bell goes on to recommend that the
party make its preference allocation decisions earlier and that
someone formally be given the job of overseeing the allocation
process.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
The WLP inquiry (PDF:
<a href="http://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/WikiLeaks-Party-Independent-Review.pdf">http://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/WikiLeaks-Party-Independent-Review.pdf</a>
) was reviewed by the auditor in November 2013, after it had already
been approved by NC member Kellie Tranter on 26 October 2013. Of
course it is not normal for documents to be further reviewed after
they have already been approved, and there is no explanation for
with-holding the document a further three months. I asked WLP and
Kellie Tranter for comment but got no reply.<br />
<br />
<h3 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1706_1576197072"></a>Abuse
Of WikiLeaks Supporters</h3>
<br />
Prior to the formation of the WikiLeaks Party, WikiLeaks
supporters in Australia were a vocal, united and active group across
all states. Public demonstrations in support of Julian Assange's
right to freedom were held regularly, along with online activities.
Since the election, this unity and support has all but vanished, and
WLP has done nothing to replace it.<br />
<br />
The problem began when WLP insiders criticized those who resigned
(as described above). These personal attacks – accusing people of
being treacherous or even secret government agents – have never
been substantiated, and there has never been any apology for them.<br />
<br />
The problem was exacerbated when @wikileaks began to criticize
@akaWACA on Twitter, and Sam Castro in particular. Julian accused
WACA of using the WikiLeaks brand to build a power platform and
demanded they change name (this has belatedly been done).<br />
<br />
Then @wikileaks posted a link to an embarrassing old video of Sean
Bedlam (which Bedlam said he had tried unsuccessfully to get removed
from a disreputable website). What is the point of such vindictive
character assassination? Isn't this the same ad hominem muck-raking
UK media has done to destroy Assange's character? Admittedly, Bedlam
has posted angry tweets rudely describing his contempt for Julian
Assange. But surely a proper WLP inquiry, justifying the
unsubstantiated allegations of “treachery”, would have been a
better way to respond to such criticism?<br />
<br />
On the day the WLP Inquiry was released, Sam Castro claimed
<a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/431997851858526208">https://twitter.com/jaraparilla/status/431997851858526208</a>
someone had deleted all her emails prior to August 13<sup>th</sup>
2013 (including emails regarding the pivotal August 12<sup>th</sup>
WLP meeting) in multiple accounts. She supplied no proof of this but
said other WikiLeaks supporters had suffered the same problem. I
asked @wikileaks and @wikileaksparty to deny any involvement in this
but got no response.<br />
<br />
<h3 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1708_1576197072"></a>WA
Revote</h3>
<br />
WLP has recently announced that it will run the same candidates
when WA goes back to the polls.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“National Council has nominated our
2013 WA candidates Gerry Georgatos & Suresh Rajan."
</div>
<br />
Lessons learned? I think not. A recent email to members asked:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
"What do we stand for? ... Where
the truth is suppressed or distorted, corruption and injustice are
allowed to flourish." </div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
Hmmn. Members were also asked to have their say on how preferences
should be allocated this time around. A few hundred replied. The
Greens, ironically, were their #1 choice.<br />
<br />
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__139_1329855144"></a>Findings</h1>
<br />
<i>The findings in this section are based on the available
evidence as presented above. </i><br />
<i> </i>
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__712_1620251352"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;"></span></span></h4>
<h4 class="western">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">The
NSW “Administrative Error”</span></span></h4>
<br />
<i><b>UPDATE:</b></i> See also this Storify of discussion on 12th March 2014 - it seems the decision to call it an "admin error" may have been made by Kellie Tranter, over objections from Sam Castro and Kaz Cochrane, who nevertheless accepted the National Council vote to go with that explanation but then "went on strike" and called for meetings to resolve the issue: <a href="http://storify.com/jaraparilla/wlp-discussion-12-march-2014?awesm=sfy.co_pQwN&utm_campaign=&utm_source=direct-sfy.co&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_content=storify-pingback">http://storify.com/jaraparilla/wlp-discussion-12-march-2014?awesm=sfy.co_pQwN&utm_campaign=&utm_source=direct-sfy.co&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_content=storify-pingback </a><br />
<br />
WLP insiders have consistently blamed those who resigned for their
poor election results. This is not true. The damage was done by the
preferences, which totally shocked and alienated countless
supporters. The debacle was then exacerbated by the flimsy excuse of
an unsubstantiated “administrative error” and – finally - the
ludicrously cynical promise of an “independent inquiry” <b>after
the election</b>.<br />
<br />
Circumstantial evidence, combined with WA candidate Gerry
Georgatos's public admission, make it clear that the decision to
preference Fascists and anti-environmentalists in NSW was no
“administrative error”. At best, one might imagine that the
preferencing of Shooters & Fishers was deliberate sabotage of the
National Council vote while the preferencing of the Fascist
“Australia First” party was an accidental confusion with the
“Family First” party [<i>ed: or Australian Voice - see emailed comment from Dan Mathews in Comments below</i>]. But WLP have not even tried to substantiate
this possibility.<br />
<ul>
<li>Statements from those who resigned indicate that remaining
members of WLP, including John Shipton <strike>and Greg Barns</strike> [<i>ed: Barns did not have a vote</i>], previously
voted to submit NSW preferences with the Shooters and rightwing
parties preferenced.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Weeks before NC member Cassie Findlay personally submitted
the preferences (along with Gail Malone) to the AEC, she was already
publicly telling people this would happen.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Neither Cassie nor Gail nor Greg nor John is prepared to
publicly state what really happened.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Greg Barns continued to argue post-election that WLP
candidates could have won with the right-wing preferences he
desired.<br />
</li>
</ul>
While there is no “smoking gun” it is quite clear that the
National Council decision on NSW preferences was deliberately
subverted. This lack of respect for formal procedures was further
evidenced by John Shipton's attempt to build a new power base by
covertly approaching Sean Bedlam and <strike>Kaz Cochrane</strike> Victorian volunteer co-ordinator David Haidon when Leslie Cannold
resigned.<br />
<br />
<b>The decision to call this an “administrative error” can
most generously be explained by blind panic. The fast and furious
public backlash on social media seemed to genuinely shock the WLP
power-brokers. Having made a mistake, they exacerbated it by lying,
thus sealing not only the downfall of their own party, but also
denying Julian Assange a fair and reasonable chance to get elected
and come home as an Australian Senator.</b><br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__714_1620251352"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">WA
Preferences</span></span></h4>
<br />
WA candidate Gerry Georgatos was clearly under the impression that
he had the power to submit preferences as he pleased, whatever the NC
may have instructed. Either he was given the nod by someone more
senior (most likely Greg Barns, or via Greg Barns) or else he made
his own arrogant decision. In either case, he does not appear to have
been admonished – quite the opposite. Georgatos' decision to
subvert NC procedures confirms Julian Assange's admission that he did
not exercise proper oversight of the party.<br />
<br />
And either way, whatever Georgatos or Matt Watt may say, it was
clearly a foolish decision. It contributed to the broader national
anti-WLP backlash, it definitely and significantly endangered Scott
Ludlam's chance of a Senate seat, and (perhaps most importantly) it
must surely have left a damaging impression on Senator Ludlam and
other senior Greens, who may well choose not to spend so much time
supporting Assange and WikiLeaks in the future.
<br />
Assuming Senator Ludlam still has a future in parliament. The WA
re-vote is scheduled for April 5<sup>th</sup> 2014.<br />
<br />
<b>Allocating WA preferences to a right-wing Coalition member was
at best a foolish gamble, </b><b>a PR nightmare,</b><b> and a
betrayal of WikiLeaks Party principles (as stated in the
Constitution).</b><br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__475_1854052641"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Blaming
The Greens</span></span></h4>
<br />
There was a pre-election deal between WLP and the Greens, who
accepted that WLP would preference minor parties (but no major
parties) ahead of them. Gerry Georgatos' insistence that preferencing
the Nationals in WA did not breach this deal was clearly ridiculous:
they are a key part of the Liberal-National Coalition that has held
power in Australia for most of the past 20 years.<br />
<br />
With the deal broken, the Greens did not hesitate to attack WLP
for supporting Fascists and anti-environmentalists. This may have
lead some within WLP to call the Greens hypocrites and even
ultimately blame them for the ensuing debacle. But the Greens were
well within their rights to attack WLP, who (on the basis of their
listed preferences) should have been prepared for such criticism from
all sides.<br />
<br />
The fact that <strike>both Greg Barns and </strike>Gerry Georgatos was a <strike>were</strike> disaffected
former Greens member [<i>ed: it was Jamal Daoud not Barns who was also a disaffected ex-Green. Jamal later joined the NC but <a href="http://t.co/v8qoTlLIdy">quit acrimoniusly blaming Shipton</a>. Georgatos set up a breakaway group called The Real Greens</i>] obviously did not help in this situation. Indeed, it
seems <strike>to</strike> anti-Greens sentiment within the party may be a key reason why the Greens were preferenced so lowly in
the first place. Kellie Tranter and Omar Todd also posted tweets that
blamed for the Greens for WLP's own failures.<br />
<br />
<b>Personal prejudices appear to have negatively affected party
decision-making.</b><br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1186_866173384"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Blaming
Julian</span></span></h4>
<br />
It is impossible not to hold Julian Assange personally responsible
for much of what went wrong with the WikiLeaksParty. It is also
impossible to be sure exactly how much decision-making he was
personally involved with.<br />
<br />
What is abundantly clear, however, is that since the election he
has closed ranks with his father John Shipton (despite continuing and
embarrassing errors of judgement), supported unsubstantiated attacks
on his own supporters, and approved the cover-up of events
surrounding preferences and resignations. This is foolish and
disappointing behaviour.<br />
<br />
It would be nice to blame this on the paranoia induced by
relentless pursuit by extremely powerful forces, Julian's continued
captivity in the Ecuadorian Embassy, and his consequent inability to
meet supporters face-to-face. And nobody should be influenced by the
media's relentless smear attacks on Julian's character. But nobody is
perfect, and ultimately the WikiLeaks Party failures have exposed an
authoritarian element of the WikiLeaks founder.<br />
<br />
The author of the WLP Inquiry concluded:<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
“In the author’s opinion, it was a
combination of human errors caused by a highly emotional and volatile
atmosphere, where a number of key WLP members were <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">instrumental</span></span><span face="sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">in
causing</span></span><span face="sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">conf</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">usion</span>,
not from malicious intent but due to a lack of defined
responsibilities.”</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1.25cm;">
<br /></div>
In fact, it seems the responsibilities of the National Council
were adequately defined in the Constitution, but the leadership chose
to ignore and ultimately try to subvert the Constitution.<br />
As founder and self-declared President of the WikiLeaks Party,
Julian Assange must take full responsibility for its mistakes.<br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1728_1576197072"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Mitigating
Factors</span></span></h4>
<br />
It is worth pausing to reflect on other considerations which made
success for the WikiLeaks Party a serious challenge. These include:<br />
<ul>
<li>The Australian media (with notable exceptions including
Fairfax's Phillip Dorling and ABC Four Corner's) and major political
parties are generally hostile to WikiLeaks.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Volunteer staff were working on a casual or part-time basis.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Communication was hampered by international and interstate
time differences, lack of real world one-to-one contact between key
personnel, and the constant need to consider government
surveillance.<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>The party never got close to its declared funding goal and
had limited financial resources.<br />
</li>
</ul>
<b>NOTE:</b> Due to lack of solid evidence, this document has
generally not examined party financial issues.<br />
<br />
<h4 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__1730_1576197072"></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">Summary
Of Findings</span></span></h4>
<br />
The WikiLeaks Party has been an utter and complete failure for all
but a small handful of remaining members. It has betrayed its own
stated principles, ignored its own Constitution, turned against its
own National Council leaders with unsubstantiated attacks,
disillusioned its own members, and alienated WikiLeaks supporters
worldwide.<br />
<br />
The WikiLeaks Party has unnecessarily divided the previously
strong community of WikiLeaks supporters and virtually destroyed
active, vocal support for Julian Assange in Australia.<br />
<br />
The WikiLeaks Party has inflicted global reputation damage by
association with WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. Much of this has
resulted from foolish and avoidable behaviour, which politicians and
an antagonistic media have happily used to attack their prime
targets.<br />
<br />
Post-election WikiLeaks Party activity has been embarrassing and
counter-productive. The party no longer seems to know what it stands
for, and its reasons for continued existence need to be urgently
reconsidered.<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
The Australian Preferential Voting system is inherently dangerous
for any minor party (by design, it would seem). Many people,
including the Greens, are now calling for it to be abolished. WLP
should have dealt with this danger by either:<br />
<ul>
<li>Adopting NC member Dan Mathews' recommendation not to be a
part of any sleazy deals, or<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Publicly advising members that WLP would be taking a totally
cynical, Realpolitik approach to an inherently unfair system,
whereby the end (getting Julian Assange elected) justified the means
(giving preferences to Fascists etc).<br />
</li>
</ul>
Similarly, the WLP was created with an admirable Constitution, but
the leadership appears to have seen the National Council as at best a
rubber stamp, and at worst an obstacle for authoritarian
decision-making. Assange, Barns and Shipton in particular should have
either:<br />
<ul>
<li>Set up the party with a more authoritarian structure, or<br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Respected their own Constitution. <br />
</li>
</ul>
*<br />
<br />
In George Orwell's Animal Farm, “some pigs are more important
than others”. This appears to have been the attitude of Julian
Assange, John Shipton, and Greg Barns, who felt they had a right to
impose their will on the National Council, whatever was written in
their own Constitution. With no other evidence provided by them, such
a warped perspective is the only way to understand their allegations
of “sabotage” and “treachery”. Anyone who refused to do what
they were told was clearly a traitor intent on destroying all their
hard work.<br />
<br />
<h1 class="western">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__141_1329855144"></a>Recommendations</h1>
<br />
Julian Assange, John Shipton, and Greg Barns have had ample
opportunity to explain the allegations of sabotage and treachery from
the staff who resigned. They have failed to do so and should
apologize for making the allegations. Any money still owed to
ex-staff should be paid.<br />
<br />
Fundamentally, Julian Assange needs to reconsider his relationship
with those who support him around the world. Rightly or wrongly, many
strong supporters have complained for years of being “used” and
not fairly acknowledged for their efforts (e.g. “stealing”
tweets). A more humane and respectful approach should be embraced.<br />
<br />
<b>NOTE:</b> I
have previously suggested that Assange may have Aspergers and I again urge
him to consider this possibility when trying to understand why these
interpersonal conflicts continue to pursue his otherwise laudable
efforts.<br />
<br />
Many WikiLeaks supporters worldwide are deeply disillusioned with
the political process, and even question the value of voting,
particularly in the corrupted two-party democracies that dominate the
Anglosphere. Some, who would rather fight for change from outside the
political process, saw the WLP as a rare opportunity to make politics
work from “inside the tent”. This effort has failed and the
WikiLeaks Party no longer provides any clear avenue for further
advancement. For example, consider how the Pirate Party is pressuring
governments worldwide with copyright campaigns and good work on
Infosec, then ask what additional help WLP provides?<br />
<br />
The WikiLeaks Party is currently trying to organize for the WA
Senate re-vote in four weeks time. They are fielding the same
rejected candidates, with even less funding, even less supporters
(going by social media) and no apparent sense of purpose or
direction. It would best for all involved if members properly
acknowledged the party's mistakes and threw their support behind
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam instead.<br />
<br />
<b>Having betrayed its own principles of transparency and
accountability, the discredited WikiLeaks Party no longer serves any
useful purpose and should be shut down.</b><br />
<br />
<h1 class="western" style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="__RefHeading__703_1620251352"></a>
Sources</h1>
<ul>
<li>Resignation Statement from Dan Mathews:
<a href="http://danielmathews.info/blog/2013/08/statement-of-resignation-from-wikileaks-party-national-council/">http://danielmathews.info/blog/2013/08/statement-of-resignation-from-wikileaks-party-national-council/</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Guardian version of above:
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/22/wikileaks-julian-assange">http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/22/wikileaks-julian-assange</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Resignation Statements from Leslie Cannold, Dr Dan Mathews,
Luke Pearson, Sam Castro and Kaz Cochrane:
<a href="http://waca.net.au/resignations-from-the-wikileaks-party-statements/">http://waca.net.au/resignations-from-the-wikileaks-party-statements/</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>WLP Review released Feb 7<sup>th</sup> 2014:
<a href="http://wikileaksparty.org.au/downloads/WikiLeaks%20Party%20Independent%20Review.pdf">http://wikileaksparty.org.au/downloads/WikiLeaks%20Party%20Independent%20Review.pdf</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Crikey review of WLP Review:
<a href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/02/07/the-highly-emotional-and-volatile-world-of-the-wikileaks-party/">http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/02/07/the-highly-emotional-and-volatile-world-of-the-wikileaks-party/</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>My blog calling for WLP Inquiry:
<a href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html">http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Marth Mitchell Effect @MarthaGroup (now @HazelPress) analysis
of WLP: <a href="http://hazelpress.org/articles/4582449775">http://hazelpress.org/articles/4582449775</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Leslie Cannold interview with SMH following resignation:
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/julian-assanges-wikileaks-party-running-mate-leslie-cannold-quits-20130821-2sb99.html">http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/julian-assanges-wikileaks-party-running-mate-leslie-cannold-quits-20130821-2sb99.html</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Sam Castro talks to Cathy Vogan about reasons for resigning -
video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvbjMeI6PuY">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvbjMeI6PuY</a><br />
<br />
</li>
<li>Leaked WLP emails:
<a href="http://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/From21.pdf">http://media.crikey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/From21.pdf</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li> <i><b>UPDATE: </b></i>Storify of Twitter discussions regarding NSW "admin error" on 12th March 2014 : <a href="http://storify.com/jaraparilla/wlp-discussion-12-march-2014?awesm=sfy.co_pQwN&utm_campaign=&utm_source=direct-sfy.co&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_content=storify-pingback">http://storify.com/jaraparilla/wlp-discussion-12-march-2014?awesm=sfy.co_pQwN&utm_campaign=&utm_source=direct-sfy.co&utm_medium=sfy.co-twitter&utm_content=storify-pingback </a></li>
</ul>
END<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
<div>
<u><b>Please support my efforts. </b></u></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://patreon.com/jaraparilla">http://patreon.com/jaraparilla</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://paypal.me/jaraparilla">http://paypal.me/jaraparilla</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
Thank you.
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7079940018550776884.post-32461793827058201992014-01-10T04:06:00.000-08:002014-01-10T04:25:55.571-08:00Remember the WikiLeaks Party Objectives?As anyone who follows me on <a href="https://twitter.com/jaraparilla">Twitter </a>will know, I have spent the past four months demanding answers from the <a href="https://twitter.com/WikiLeaksParty/with_replies">WikiLeaks Party</a> after they failed to release their <a href="http://jaraparilla.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/wheres-that-wikileaks-party-inquiry.html">promised inquiry</a> into the 2013 Australian election debacle. Given the lack of response, and WikiLeaks' apparent endorsement (e.g. this interview <a href="https://twitter.com/774melbourne/status/420320831009345536">retweeted</a>) for their ongoing foolishness, I thought it might be a good idea to post here the draft party objectives.<br />
<br />
I wrote these objectives up in March 2013, based on brief notes from Omar Todd and personal discussion with John Shipton, who kept asking for them to be watered down and less specific. The text below was the fourth draft, which included feedback and agreement from the original National Council members. These Objectives were supposed to appear on the WikiLeaks Party website when it went live, but they were never posted.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Objectives
of the WikiLeaks Party</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="im">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The WikiLeaks Party aims to secure human rights and freedoms by promoting transparency
and open government.</span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="im">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">
We believe true democracy requires the provision of truthful, accurate, and
verifiable information. Uninformed citizens cannot make informed decisions. By
empowering citizens with the truth, we aim to illuminate our common historical
record, hold the powerful to account, and optimize our society’s ability to make
enlightened decisions on important issues. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
believe ordinary citizens have a right to privacy, but those who seek power - <b>including
ourselves</b> - must accept scrutiny and accountability. As a party, we will
promote the transparency of information held by powerful entities - including
governments, corporations, other associations, institutions and individuals - and the actions
performed by them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
will propose changes leading to less corruptible government and
business structures, while exposing corruption wherever we find it, from
secret deals with council lobbyists to interference by foreign
governments. And we will do everything possible to protect
whistle-blowers who help expose such corruption. </span></div>
<div class="im">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We will
advocate and support financially responsible government policies, which also
recognise the rights of citizens and the critically important economic value of
a sustainable environment. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
encourage <b>scientific research</b> and innovative
technologies that can enhance prosperity in a responsible way, and we
will promote freedom of the Internet as an important platform for
communication.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We recognise
the importance of equality between races, religions, genders and generations.
We will advocate for </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and promote respect for all other ethnic,
religious, social and political groups. </span></div>
<div class="im">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We will promote a humane, peaceful and
sovereign Australian foreign policy, and support initiatives that genuinely encourage
global peace, co-operation and understanding.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">WikiLeaks
has a proven track record as an incorruptible organisation that understands political
complexities and is willing to hold power to account. The WikiLeaks Party supports the vision and ideals of the WikiLeaks
organisation and we will always act as an agent of the people within the corridors
of power. </span></div>
</blockquote>
I highlight the words "including ourselves" because the WikiLeaks Party clearly does <b>not </b>accept scrutiny and accountability.<br />
<br />
I highlight the words "scientific research" because it became clear <b>after</b> the election that CEO John Shipton (Julian Assange's biological father) is a climate denialist, and the party website now includes <a href="http://www.wikileaksparty.org.au/the-thermostatic-throttle-posted-by-willis-eschenbach/">pseudo-scientific denialist nonsense</a>. Of course this would have been a big surprise to the party's many now-departed "Green" supporters, and the party has continued "Greens-bashing" ever since the election.<br />
<br />
Some have encouraged me to "get over" this and "move on". Why? I spent years supporting WikiLeaks - as did other party supporters who quit - and I think we deserve answers. If the WikiLeaks Party is not prepared to be held accountable then it cannot possibly ask to be taken seriously in elections. And if WikiLeaks is not prepared to put an end to this <a href="https://twitter.com/marthagroup/status/421189104781377536">nonsense</a>, their brand will inevitably be <a href="https://twitter.com/colleenmenzies/status/421529197257834496">damaged</a>, and that is a calamity for the entire global transparency movement.<br />
<br />
Julian Assange has succeeded because he is a political outsider - outside the tent pissing in. The WikiLeaks Party is inside the tent and pissing all over themselves. And right now critics are pissing themselves with laughter.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2