Paul Leake chooses his blog over his party
More trouble caused by anonymous cowards
Posted in The Political Weblog Movement
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Hurricane of blame hits British shores
Independent – Blair tells Murdoch: ‘gloating’ BBC is ‘full of hatred for America’
Independent – What Tony said to Rupert, and why it speaks volumes
Guardian – Blair attacks BBC for ‘anti-US bias’
And the response from Rupert’s camp? Let’s just call it ‘varied’….
Sunday Times – Companies are paying fees of up to 40K to advertise their products covertly on BBC programmes
News Of The World – Cocaine Kate’s 3-in-a-bed lesbian orgies
Here’s the initial response from the BBC:
BBC – Blair ‘attacked BBC over Katrina’: The News Corporation boss was speaking at a seminar hosted by former US President Bill Clinton, as part of his Clinton Global Initiative forum. Mr Clinton said he had seen the report Mr Blair was referring to, and there was “nothing factually inaccurate” in it. But he said it was designed “almost exclusively” to criticise the Bush administration’s response to the crisis.
Because – at the time – that was the f**king story! Not exclusively on the BBC, but almost every outlet of the hitherto-whipped American media. And for very valid reasons.
Note also how – in Rupert’s world – criticism of the Bush administration equates to hatred of America. (This mechanism has been in place since post-11/9 insanity kicked in.)
Here’s another free-thinker who dares to tell the ‘truth’ and assures us that the stakes are high: In an age of Islamofascist terrorism, the damage done by BBC disinformation to Western democracies is simply incalculable. Al Qaeda doesn’t need Al Jazeerah to get its message out. BBC “News” does the job of spreading hatred of America all by itself.
Message: Beware of anyone criticising the Bush administration. They hate America. They are in league with the terrorists.
Posted in Rupert 'The Evil One' Murdoch
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Censored by anonymous cowards
Europhobia – A Shot by Both Sides murder roundup
I need to reserve comment on this for the moment, but the issue should be highlighted.
Posted in The Political Weblog Movement
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The Whisper Campaign
1. Whenever you walk past someone buying, holding or reading a copy of the Sun newspaper, say the following word under your breath: “wanker”
2. The prime whisper zone is anywhere just behind the target as you are passing by or walking in the opposite direction
3. Do not stop, do not falter in your stride, do not respond to any reaction/query that may result (after all, the last thing you expect is to be accosted by people who are hearing voices in their head)
4. For readers of the Daily Mail or Express, you may choose a fruitier word; perhaps one relating to an intimate aspect of the human anatomy
5. If you’re really in an unforgiving mood, try this on any newly-empowered law enforcement officer: “shoot me”
6. That is all.
I’ll see you in a month. Be good. Be careful.
If you wish to join Chicken Yoghurt and myself on the 30-day tax strike, you’re more than welcome to. Just remember that the best day to start is always today.
(Oh, one more thing… Anne Milton for shadow cabinet! Parliament needs a nurse. Preferably one clad in rubber and carrying a 10 litre bucket of lubricant.)
(OK, just *one* more thing – the new Make LabOUR Party banner is available via The UK Today. You can sign the pledge here.)
Posted in The Reality-Based Community
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No deer for a month
Chicken Yoghurt is on the wagon!
And I’m climbing on in sympathy.
I like to think of it as a partial (and perfectly legal) tax strike.
Bloggerheads will slow down over the next 4 weeks, as I’m teaming this up with a Get Stuff Done month.
There will be fun worksafe and kid-friendly links at Bubble, work will continue behind the scenes on The Political Weblog Project (I’m creating a PPT file for the planned seminar), and I hope to leave you all with something special to carry on with while I’m gone.
*Plus*… well, I’m not going to tell you. You’ll know it when you see it.
Cheers all.
Posted in Updates
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Arts and crafts this evening
This just in from the Space Hijackers:
ARMS DEALER DLR SEX TOY PARTY!
DSEi, the worlds largest arms fair is currently taking place at the ExCel Centre in London’s Docklands. Lots of rich business men are going to play with big rockets.
We at Space Hijackers realise that they must be compensating for a lack of weapons capability somewhere else, and intend to help them focus their tension in more productive ways. Bring on the pocket rockets!
For an afternoon of planning and prop making:
Meet 5pm, Wed 14th Sept
Limehouse Town Hall
646 Commercial Rd
E14 7HA
[MAP]
The plan is then to take to the trains on Thursday to show the arms dealers a very good time. Time (for Thursday’s action) to be confirmed at the meeting and on the Space Hijacker messageboards.
Posted in It's War! It's Legal! It's Lovely!
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A slightly chilly day in hell
(The image to your right is an uncredited picture that is appearing on websites and in email inboxes around the planet.)
New York Times – Bush Takes Responsibility for Failures in Storm Response
Reuters – Bush: ‘I take responsibility’
AP – Bush Takes Responsibility for Blunders
BBC – Bush takes storm responsibility
A very, very long discussion thread at Fark.com
Kevin Drum ponders on responsibility
Bush’s actual words were:
“Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government didn’t fully do its job right, I take responsibility.”
‘responsibility‘ – confession; crying out; admission of guilt with the expectation of no further consequences in exchange for coming clean.
‘to the extent that’ – as far as it goes; weasel words; limitation device usually applied to level of responsibility or culpability.
This is a damage-limitation exercise, where the blame still lies with anyone but the administration. There is nothing in this statement that acknowledges any error on their part… at all. Not even an admission that Bush made an error appointing the incompetent and woefully under-qualified crony Mike Brown.
And efforts are still being made to assure the public that blame lies with local and state officials.
Speaking of which:
Daily Kos – Blanco didn’t goof on state of emergency
Media Matters – Limbaugh advances numerous falsehoods while discussing Hurricane Katrina
Whilst we’re in the realm of the wingnut, it bears mentioning that an impassioned discussion is going on right now in America about what the right chooses to call ‘personal responsibility’. The basic thrust of it is that it is not the government’s job to protect you. You have to take care of yourself.
Here’s Bill O’Reilly on the case (please note the outright lie at beginning of his rant): The lesson here is that if you rely on the government for anything you’re likely to be disappointed. No government can protect you from danger or provide you with a decent living. You must provide for yourself in a country of 300-million people.
But the same people assure us that the Bush administration needs to wage war, scupper foreign governments, spread the ideology of profit (at a profit), kidnap, torture and bomb civilians, and invade the privacy and curtail the rights of their own people…. in order to protect them.
I think the most suitable response to that can be summed up with the words used by this chap addressing Dick Cheney in New Orleans.
>:o[
Some more video for you to enjoy:
Reporters gone wild
Daily Show – Meet the F**kers
Related articles:
Washington Post – End of the Bush Era: Recent months, and especially the past two weeks, have brought home to a steadily growing majority of Americans the truth that President Bush’s government doesn’t work. His policies are failing, his approach to leadership is detached and self-indulgent, his way of politics has produced a divided, angry and dysfunctional public square. We dare not go on like this.
Posted in George W. Bush
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Weblogs by (former) residents of New Orleans
No doubt you’re aware of KatrinaBlog.org, but I thought you might also be interested in some of the following weblogs, all of which are written by people who – until a week or so ago – used to live in or near New Orleans. I’ve highlighted a few key posts as well:
NO Bull: New Orleans Bulletin of Politics and Government
Highlighted post – Those Wedding Bells (Part 5 of what the author describes as ‘an extended road trip’)
Your Right Hand Thief
Highlighted post – Beautiful mind: My privileged family is in Florida right now, but we’re not going to stay. We will move back and rebuild in New Orleans. Like Blake says, “New Orleans 2.0“!
Blake Haney
Highlighted post – See above. Here, he also links to Eight Big Lies About Katrina
Hobson’s Choice (by James R MacLean)
Highlighted post – Reflections on Hurricane Katrina-3: I want to stay away from this high octane polemics because I think it’s contributed to the refusal of netizens to reject statements entirely on their immediate, transitory ideological implications. However, it’s been extremely difficult to avoid being drawn into this polemics because of the debate over FEMA’s response to Katrina has encompassed every domestic and foreign policy debate there is is.
(Note – James also features some incredibly detailed factual posts on the hurricane and the overall issue of poverty. AFAICT, James has yet to ponder publicly on his strangely prophetic choice of web host.)
Looka
Highlighted post – No permalinks, unfortunately, but the author links to this account of Gretna police holding hurricane survivors back at gunpoint and had this to say about his own situation on Wednesday August 31: I’m … numb. When I’m not numb I’m a sobbing wreck. Fortunately, everyone’s keeping me busy; my family, spread out between Lafayette, Shreveport and Birmingham, have difficulty contacting each other but seem to have a relatively easy time contacting me, so I’m a messaging hub and Internet looker-upper. It’s good to be busy, and I’ve taken leave from work until next week, ’cause I have to confess that I really couldn’t give a crap about a single thing going on there right now, and that’s not fair to them.
Harmony St. Charles
Highlighted post – New Beginning Or Next Chapter?: I’m trying to decide what to do with this blog and it isn’t easy. Memory lane is way too painful a place to visit right now. As we have no plans to return to New Orleans the chronicle of my life there has abruptly come to an end.
Black Sundae
Highlighted post – Three cheers for the “nanny state!”: When terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center, and innocent people were trapped under the wreckage, they were not left to claw their own way out in the name of some corruption of “self-reliance.” Government employees rescued them because that’s what governments are for. That is the very least one can expect from a government, and ours has just failed miserably at every single level.
unapologetic.com
Highlighted post – Sunday, September 04, 2005: nearly a week after I left new orleans, I’m realizing very quickly that although I knew this was going to be a cat. 4 storm, I didn’t pack for it. I guess I -like everyone else- didn’t realize what exactly that meant. That being said, I’m certainly not in need of anything – but I find myself with an interesting assortment of material posessions which at least until I can go back and do some salvage qualify as all I’ve got…. (list follows)… what a freak. how many people left new orleans with absolutely nothing – how many didn’t even get out – and i here i escaped with my japanese art films. *sigh*
Sporked.net
Highlighted post – Today, Let’s try not to cry.: And I really mean it this time. Crying only gets you so far, and there is so much work to be done. My parents come back today to start cleanup on their home. They will be staying with us for the duration. Tuesday supposedly we close on the house, but the evil developer is trying to sell it from under us, and I really think it’s going to get uglier before it gets better. There is this crazy post-Katrina real estate boom here in Hammond, and he knows he can sell it for much much more right now. And that is what he’s trying to do.
Sturtle.com
Highlighted post – Sunday, September 04, 2005: (Imagine) everyone – everyone – for as far as you can see, everyone you’d encounter in the course of a normal day. Imagine all of them gone. No one is where he or she would normally be. Each and every one of those lives disrupted, on hold, indefinitely. No one you know is living a normal life, at home, comfortable. See what I mean? Mind-blowing.
Home of the Green Baron
Highlighted post – I am alive
Babies are Fireproof
Highlighted post – Marksville: It’s Tuesday evening, and I wanted to post about one of the shelters here in Marksville, the one in Garan, Inc. This was a garment factory until a few years ago, when the work moved south to Mexico. On Friday, my friend Paige and I visited and talked to Roland Scallan, who’s running the place. It’s not a state-run shelter. As far as I can see, it’s a building owned by the Marksville sheriff, T-Bill, and Roland was supposed to be in charge of a new communications company T-Bill plans to set up there…. Roland is a retired banker. He has gray hair and a tan. The look in his eyes is kind of wild. He’s dressed in a polo shirt and khakis; his name tag gives his name but no job title, because he doesn’t have one. “I’m not Red Cross, I’m nothing. Not social services. I’m a civilian who’s become the person in charge here.”
They Have Their Own Thoughts
Highlighted post – bootstraps: Yesterday, or a week ago, time has so lost relevance, some woman in some line I was standing in, said she doesn’t feel sympathy for those people who ended up in the Superdome because there were buses evacuating people and they chose not to go and so they caused their own problem. That’s another one of those “if those people would just pull themselves up by the bootstraps” sentiments. At the moment I was too numb to react but as I think on it, I get sicker and sicker about it. I know she’s just ignorant. I know she doesn’t understand that these are not people who could be leading middle class lives if only they’d do a little something for themselves. Like it’s easy or something.
The Blog of GayGayBrad Zippernut
Highlighted post – Katrina: Chapter One: After checking on the condition of the livingroom, I discovered that my diningroom window was breathing like something out of a horror film. The glass was breaking and pieces of my window were flying away. I frantically grabbed another shower curtain, some large, heavy cardboard and a 2X4. I nailed the hell out of the materials cursing to God and crying as the wind and rain beat me in the face. I then grabbed my bedding and went into the bathroom where I had no windows. Somehow, I eventualy fell asleep but was awakened by the sound of light rain. It was calm and unlike the hurricane raging outside. I opened the bathroom door to my bedroom and found that the water was coming through my ceiling.
If you find any more, do let me know and I’ll add them to the list.
Posted in Humanity
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Play the man, not the ball
Guardian – Death in Bobur Square: The May 13 massacre of hundreds, possibly thousands, of innocent civilians at Andijan in eastern Uzbekistan was carried out by soldiers and paramilitary units dispatched to kill by the regime of President Islam Karimov – protege of Vladimir Putin and, until recently, a crucial ally to Britain and America in the “war on terror”. The dead were among thousands who had gathered to protest for democratic and economic reforms, and in support of businessmen arrested and held on trumped-up charges. To date, there has been no official tally of how many perished, nor an official acknowledgement of the atrocity by the authorities, who have refused an international investigation.
Meanwhile:
As refreshing as it is to see the police blaming the arms dealers and not the protestors for the drain on their resources this time around, it does need to be noted that “anti-terror laws could be used to stop the country being held to ransom by (fuel price) protesters”. Same game; different field. The arms fair is mostly being dealt with via a news blackout on who’s actually attending.
And, while all of this is going on, most people will be more concerned about some blokes what won some cricket match. No wonder Murdoch wants to own cricket; it will allow him to further secure an audience more likely to not give a tuppeny-stuff about little things like murder, torture, and the growth of the corporate empire.
Sorry, I’m in a mood today. Can you tell?
Every time I hear the word ‘Uzbekistan’, my mind immediately leaps to Tony Blair and his talk of overthrowing evil dictators and how that can’t be a bad thing. Of doing not what is popular, but what is right. But in the case of Islam Karimov, all the Blair government gave was a restrained ‘tut-tut-tut’ that followed the massacre of peaceful protestors… and only because they felt at the time that the matter couldn’t be swept under the rug.
(The response from the White House was even more delicious; And we urge both the government and the demonstrators to exercise restraint at this time. The people of Uzbekistan want to see a more representative and democratic government, but that should come through peaceful means, not through violence. And that’s what our message is. Yes, they really did urge the people getting shot in the street to use restraint.)
Before the massacre, Blair’s game was simple; keep a lid on it. When Craig Murray brought forth some uncomfortable truths about our vital ally in the ‘war’ on terror, Downing Street’s solution was simple… play the man, not the ball.
Just by the look on your face, I can tell you’re still wondering what the hell this has to do with cricket. Bear with me.
Murdoch’s ever-increasing network is built on a foundation of sport. Sport is even used as a defence mechanism to play down the insidious effect of his tabloid rag The Sun and/or its close relationship with the Blair government. (Take this typical assurance from ‘Honest’ John Prescott; (guffaw) “Oh, come now. People only read The Sun for the sports coverage.”)
Today, men from a range of governments with extremely poor human rights records will meet at a weapons jolly that we regularly host. They will meet to discuss, preview and buy weapons designed to kill people in the most efficient/brutal/intimidating manner possible. It goes beyond bordering on terror… it is terror. And we’re neck-deep in it.
“We will show by our spirit and dignity and by a quiet and true strength that there is in the British people, that our values will long outlast theirs.” – Tony Blair – 7 July 2005
*Our* values? Tony and I obviously have a slight compatibility problem.
My values don’t allow me to commit murder. Torture is also out.
My values also stop me from standing by while others get on with the nasty business of torture and murder, either at my behest or on my behalf. I may also have a slight problem providing such people with weapons and training.
And my values certainly rule out bleating about the need to protect the innocent if – all the while – I’m one of the heartless fucks ensuring that they continue to suffer.
If you want a clear idea of what Blair is trying to carve this country into, just take a look at what he’s chipping away; primarily, it’s the right to simple things like free speech, peaceful protest and anything else that threatens the Big Fat Lie of the ‘war’ on terror. Even the will to protest is slowly but surely being sapped by the harsh use of media and police (and – disturbingly – the threat of terror of and/or claims that such people are in league with terrorists) against anyone willing to say ‘boo’ to a goose.
/meanderant
I have days – like today – when I must admit defeat and watch an open-top bus cheered by thousands, when a few hundred people (plus the usual agenda-driven bods) is all we can draw together to express our outrage that an innocent man was shot dead under a new ‘shoot to kill’ policy that we were not told about. When perhaps another few hundred will take a stand against the selling of weapons to despots, knowing that their actions probably won’t even be reported unless arrests are made.
But I also have something to hang on to. It’s the dream that I can counter the negative effects on the will to protest so we can start winning back some of our rights.
How do I plan to do this?
Haven’t you guessed already ? I’m going to try to turn it into a sport.
Watch this space.
Links:
Scotsman – Mass protest feared at arms fair
Independent – Arms fair criticised for using Iraq war to market weapons
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Disarm DSEi 2005
Keep an eye on Indymedia UK for the latest DSEi news.
UPDATE – One good reason to love weapons technology. (Graphic. Not for the faint-hearted.)
UPDATE – Hooray for clusterbombs!
Posted in The Reality-Based Community
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Guantanamo Bay – the hunger strike continues
Four years since September 11th, and the Bush administration continues with one the boldest crimes it has perpetrated in the name of its victims:
BBC – Guantanamo strike in second month: A hunger strike by detainees at the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp has entered a second month, says the US military. A prison spokesman said 87 inmates were still taking part in the strike that began on 8 August. Lawyers for the prisoners put the figure at 210.
Guardian – U.S. Denies Guantanamo Bay Prison Abuse: Most of some 500 detainees from more than 40 countries have been held more than 3 years without charge or access to lawyers. One of the demands of the strikers is that they be charged and brought to trial, or freed.
Independent – Revealed: the diary of a British man on hunger strike in Guantanamo: More than 200 detainees are starving themselves to protest against conditions at the camp in Cuba where they are being held without trial. Here the Independent on Sunday publishes a shocking extract from the journal of Omar Deghayes, a British resident, who has been imprisoned there since September 2002
UPDATE – Oh, goody… UK link to terror snatches
Posted in The War on Stupid
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