Friday, 17 December 2010
CNN and Wikileaks Julian Assange
16 December 2010 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is granted bail
Mr Assange is expected to be freed in the next hour after his paperwork is completed
The founder of whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been granted conditional bail by a judge.
The 39-year-old was granted bail in London earlier this week but prosecutors objected to the decision and he remained in jail.
The Australian is fighting extradition to Sweden over sex charges involving two women. He denies the allegations.
His supporters have offered to put up a surety of £240,000 to guarantee he surrenders to bail.
The appeal was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London by Mr Justice Ouseley.
Earlier the judge made a ruling banning the use of Twitter to give a blow-by-blow account of Thursday's proceedings.
The ruling was made just before 1300 GMT but it is understood it may take up an hour to process his release paperwork.
'Politically motivated'
Mr Assange has received the backing of a number of high-profile supporters including human rights campaigners Jemima Khan and Bianca Jagger, and film director Ken Loach.
Wikileaks has published hundreds of sensitive American diplomatic cables, details of which have appeared in the Guardian in the UK and several other newspapers around the world.
Mr Assange's supporters claim the charges are politically motivated He has come under criticism in the US where former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said he should be hunted down like the al-Qaeda leadership.
Mr Assange argues the allegations against him are politically motivated and designed to take attention away from the material appearing on Wikileaks.
He is accused of having unprotected sex with a woman, identified only as Miss A, when she insisted he use a condom.
He is also accused of having unprotected sex with another woman, Miss W, while she was asleep.
Mr Assange is expected to be freed in the next hour after his paperwork is completed
The founder of whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been granted conditional bail by a judge.
The 39-year-old was granted bail in London earlier this week but prosecutors objected to the decision and he remained in jail.
The Australian is fighting extradition to Sweden over sex charges involving two women. He denies the allegations.
His supporters have offered to put up a surety of £240,000 to guarantee he surrenders to bail.
The appeal was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London by Mr Justice Ouseley.
Earlier the judge made a ruling banning the use of Twitter to give a blow-by-blow account of Thursday's proceedings.
The ruling was made just before 1300 GMT but it is understood it may take up an hour to process his release paperwork.
'Politically motivated'
Mr Assange has received the backing of a number of high-profile supporters including human rights campaigners Jemima Khan and Bianca Jagger, and film director Ken Loach.
Wikileaks has published hundreds of sensitive American diplomatic cables, details of which have appeared in the Guardian in the UK and several other newspapers around the world.
Mr Assange's supporters claim the charges are politically motivated He has come under criticism in the US where former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said he should be hunted down like the al-Qaeda leadership.
Mr Assange argues the allegations against him are politically motivated and designed to take attention away from the material appearing on Wikileaks.
He is accused of having unprotected sex with a woman, identified only as Miss A, when she insisted he use a condom.
He is also accused of having unprotected sex with another woman, Miss W, while she was asleep.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Assange and the Little Twist of Perception
Even with the growing support for Julian Assange, it is interesting to note that this is mostly because he's a white guy. There is far more interest in him being either gaoled or freed than there is interest in bringing to judgement the monsters, the Great Molestors, employed by America to perform its systematic and ethnically focused tortures...and the vicious bombing of innocent peoples family homes...even though these continue today.
Resisting a Military Invasion is Not a Crime
I think one thing that defines the US & UK and Australia in the invasions of both Iraq and Afghanistan is that we have developed a sick righteousness where we believe that anyone who fights against us is a criminal/terrorist rather than a warrior fighting for their loved homeland against vastly superior and vicious forces. It is not a crime for people to fight against people who invade their country; it is far more of a crime not to.
Our sense of moral, cultural and racial righteousness blinds us to this fact and enables all kinds of tortures and incarcerations, deceits of self and others, and false-trials, simply to maintain this illusory righteousness as this 'buffer' enables us to feel comfortable in the face of inflicting terror on mostly children. The median age of Afghani people is 16. That's who are being killed for our 'vision'.
As for Iraq, well, a million indiscriminate deaths -men women and children-during the time of the continuing invasion. Somehow this is good for Iraqis? A million dead and for their own good? Those defending their nation butchered tortured and incarcerated as criminals. And why? To assuage the damage done on 9/11? To revenge it by killing these 'Arab' children en masse?
Many of us have lived long enough to know there is no 'great judgment' for good acts or evil ones; there is no karma like that in this world. We know that the idea related to treating each other as equals is basically a good one and it's an important one. Each nation has to work out its problems, as does each person, and hopefully without having to fight off invasions by bully-nations intent on their own 'vicious rights' revenge agenda.
Resisting an armed invasion by whatever means possible in any situation possible, in any place possible; is not a crime. We would do exactly the same to have any honour at all, and to have any good future at all.
Our sense of moral, cultural and racial righteousness blinds us to this fact and enables all kinds of tortures and incarcerations, deceits of self and others, and false-trials, simply to maintain this illusory righteousness as this 'buffer' enables us to feel comfortable in the face of inflicting terror on mostly children. The median age of Afghani people is 16. That's who are being killed for our 'vision'.
As for Iraq, well, a million indiscriminate deaths -men women and children-during the time of the continuing invasion. Somehow this is good for Iraqis? A million dead and for their own good? Those defending their nation butchered tortured and incarcerated as criminals. And why? To assuage the damage done on 9/11? To revenge it by killing these 'Arab' children en masse?
Many of us have lived long enough to know there is no 'great judgment' for good acts or evil ones; there is no karma like that in this world. We know that the idea related to treating each other as equals is basically a good one and it's an important one. Each nation has to work out its problems, as does each person, and hopefully without having to fight off invasions by bully-nations intent on their own 'vicious rights' revenge agenda.
Resisting an armed invasion by whatever means possible in any situation possible, in any place possible; is not a crime. We would do exactly the same to have any honour at all, and to have any good future at all.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Australian Forces in Afghanistan
The only worthy and decent way to support our soldiers is to question the current madness of the war against Afghani children.
Australia and Our Great Friend in Afghanistan
The Taliban forces that the brave, well equipped, Australian soldiers are fighting every day in Afghanistan have a median age of 16 years old.
16 year olds, with many much younger.
They are killing kids running with scissors and feeling proud and patriotic about it, just like the Americans do.
16 year olds, with many much younger.
They are killing kids running with scissors and feeling proud and patriotic about it, just like the Americans do.
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