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The most important battle for press freedom in our time
If he is extradited and found guilty of publishing classified material it will set a legal precedent that will effectively end national security reporting.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Scheerpost)—For the past two days, I have been watching the extradition hearing for Julian Assange via video link from London. The United States is appealing a lower court ruling that denied the US request to extradite Assange not, unfortunately, because in the eyes of the court he is innocent of a crime, but because, as Judge Vanessa Baraitser in January concluded, Assange’s precarious psychological state would deteriorate given the “harsh conditions” of the inhumane US prison system, “causing him to commit suicide.” The United States has charged Assange with 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one count of trying to hack into a government computer, charges that could see him imprisoned for 175 years. Continue reading
After CIA plot revealed, press freedom coalition says DOJ must drop Assange case
"A precedent created by prosecuting Assange could be used against publishers and journalists alike, chilling their work and undermining freedom of the press," said the groups.
A coalition of more than two dozen press freedom groups on Monday intensified an earlier call demanding the U.S. Department of Justice drop its charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying the demand is now even more urgent due to recent reports that the CIA plotted to kidnap—and possibly kill—the journalist. Continue reading
CIA plot to murder Assange is open season on independent journalism
If Assange is not freed then the war on truth is going to explode. All independent journalism and basic human rights are under threat.
A report that the CIA was plotting to murder or kidnap Julian Assange is credible and it should not be in the least bit surprising that the agency sometimes known as Murder Inc would stoop to such criminality. Continue reading
A day in the death of British justice
I sat in Court 4 in the Royal Courts of Justice in London on August 11 with Stella Moris, Julian Assange’s partner. I have known Stella for as long as I have known Julian. She, too, is a voice of freedom, coming from a family that fought the fascism of Apartheid. On August 12, her name was uttered in court by a barrister and a judge, forgettable people were it not for the power of their endowed privilege. Continue reading
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange and free press setback
It is imperative that everyone who understands the need for a free press, the people’s fundamental-democratic right to know, must act to defend Julian Assange.
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, is in greater danger of being extradited to the United States for publishing its crimes, and those of many other countries’ governments. Continue reading
Further blow to press freedoms as US wins appeal in effort to extradite Julian Assange
"This disingenuous appeal should be dismissed by the court and President Biden should take the opportunity to drop these politically motivated charges."
As Britain’s High Court on Wednesday handed the United States a win in its bid to extradite Julian Assange, press freedom and other human rights defenders renewed calls for the Biden administration to drop all charges against the WikiLeaks founder. Continue reading
Projection and deflection: Russia’s infrastructure
When you see a Western piece saying that Russia is deficient in this or that, it’s wise to see it as just a projection of the West’s shortcomings.
One of my most reliable guides to finding subjects to write about in these essays is to see what crimes the West is committing. It’s a very good bet that Russia will be accused of them. If the U.S. “accidentally” destroys an MSF hospital in Kunduz, then Russia must be routinely and intentionally bombing hospitals in Syria; if American officials pick the future prime minister of a foreign country, then Russia must be doing it more often and bigger; if Washington condemns reporters on dodgy evidence than Russians must do worse things. Likewise, Western deficiencies are minor at home but huge in Russia. (Admittedly it’s getting harder to say that—especially with the West’s dismal situation with COVID-19 but that doesn’t stop the trying; vide “U.S. takes the top spot on Bloomberg’s COVID Resilience Ranking as vaccine rollout speeds up return to normal.”) And so on: it’s all projection to deflect your attention. Continue reading
US/UK dark forces want Julian Assange dead from medical neglect and slow torture
Along with complicit establishment media, US/UK regimes want Julian Assange silenced by death behind bars. Continue reading
U.S. regime hides global support for Assange
On July 11, was published online by “Assange Helfen” or “Help Assange” a “Brief der 120 für die Freiheit von Julian Assange” or “Letter from the 120 for Freedom of Julian Assange,” and those 120 are prominent progressive Germans who are pleading with the U.S.-allied German regime, to demand that the U.S. regime cease its imprisonment of Assange in a British high-security prison for extradition of him to the United States in order for him to be to killed by the U.S. regime. Continue reading
A country that has lost its way: U.S. government and corporations combine to strip citizens of their rights
The Biden administration is calling on Americans to spy on friends, neighbors and family and reporting any “extremist” views to the authorities.
The American people have increasingly become aware that government surveillance and corporate censorship have combined to keep people ignorant and controlled. What is taking place has generated some dark humor. A friend of mine, also a former CIA officer, wrote to me recently and said tongue—in—cheek that he retains a lot of respect for the agency because it is the only major government national security entity that does not read our mail and emails. Those jobs are the responsibility of the NSA and FBI. I responded that I would imagine that CIA does in fact read quite a lot of mail where it operates overseas but it is probably done the old—fashioned way by recruiting an underpaid mail clerk as an agent. Continue reading
The Assange case isn’t about national security, it’s about narrative control
Julian Assange once said, “The overwhelming majority of information is classified to protect political security, not national security.” Continue reading
The empire depends on psychological compartmentalization
Britain’s High Court has granted the US government limited permission to appeal its extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, meaning that the acclaimed journalist will continue to languish in prison for exposing US war crimes while the appeals process plays out. Continue reading
You ordered healthcare, you got airstrikes: Notes from the Edge of the Narrative Matrix
Americans: healthcare please Continue reading
Key witness admits lying about Julian Assange, a major blow to U.S. extradition case, yet Western media ignores this development
Former WikiLeaks volunteer, who became an FBI informant for $5,000, says he fabricated important parts of the accusations in the U.S. indictment.
Conclusive evidence: Julian Assange committed no crime of hacking or seeking access to telephone recordings of Icelandic MPs. This revelation comes from the witness who lied about that, in order to please the United States prosecution against the publisher in the extradition trial, in London, last summer. Key witness in Assange case admits to lies in indictment–Stundin Continue reading
The horrifying rise of total mass media blackouts on inconvenient news stories
Two different media watchdog outlets, Media Lens and Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), have published articles on the complete blackout in mainstream news institutions on the revelation by Icelandic newspaper Stundin that a US superseding indictment in the case against Julian Assange was based on false testimony from diagnosed sociopath and convicted child molester Sigurdur Thordarson. Continue reading
George Orwell’s ‘1984’ has become a blueprint for our dystopian reality
Tread cautiously: the fiction of George Orwell (Jun. 25, 1903-Jan. 21, 1950) has become an operation manual for the omnipresent, modern-day surveillance state. Continue reading
The system isn’t there to protect us from criminals, it’s to protect criminals from us
Iraq war architect Donald Rumsfeld has died. Not in a prison cell in The Hague, not murdered by bombs or bullets, but peacefully in his home, surrounded by loved ones, a week and a half shy of his 89th birthday. Continue reading
The weird, creepy media blackout on recent Assange revelations
As of this writing, it has been three days since the Icelandic newspaper Stundin broke the story that a key witness in the US government’s case against Julian Assange had fabricated allegations against the WikiLeaks founder. And yet, somehow, Assange is still in prison. Continue reading
Assange prosecution relied on false testimony from a diagnosed sociopath and convicted pedophile
The Icelandic newspaper Stundin reports that a key witness in the US prosecution of Julian Assange has admitted in an interview with the outlet that he fabricated critical accusations in the indictment against the WikiLeaks founder. Continue reading
‘Rules-based international order’ means Washington-based international order
The US government has shut down multiple news media websites based in the Middle East, including Iran’s state-owned Press TV, and al-Masirah TV which is owned by the Houthi group Ansarullah in Yemen. The Department of Justice said on Tuesday it had seized 36 Iranian-linked websites, claiming without evidence that they were associated with “either disinformation activities or violent organizations” and were shut down for a violation of US sanctions. Continue reading
With Bezos at the helm, democracy dies at the Washington Post editorial board
In the Soviet Union, everybody was aware that the media was controlled by the state. But in a corporate state like the U.S., a veneer of independence is still maintained, although trust in the media has been plummeting for years.
WASHINGTON—The Washington Post’s glaring conflicts of interest have of late once again been the subject of scrutiny online, thanks to a new article denouncing a supposed attempt to “soak” billionaires in taxes. Written by star columnist Megan McArdle—who previously argued that Walmart’s wages are too high, that there is nothing wrong with Google’s monopoly, and that the Grenfell Fire was a price worth paying for cheaper buildings—the article claimed that Americans have such class envy that the government would “destroy [billionaires’] fortunes so that the rest of us don’t have to look at them.” Notably, the Post chose to illustrate it with a picture of its owner, Jeff Bezos, making it seem as if it was directly defending his power and wealth, something they have been accused of on more than one occasion. Continue reading
Same as the old boss, Julian Assange edition
On February 9, the US Justice Department announced that US President Joe Biden, as in so many other areas, intends to serve Donald Trump’s second term when it comes to persecuting heroes guilty of exposing US war crimes and embarrassing American politicians. Continue reading
Ignoring pleas of press freedom defenders, Biden DOJ files appeal to extradite Julian Assange
"The Assange case represents the gravest threat to press freedom in a generation."
The Biden Justice Department on Friday formally appealed a British judge’s rejection of the U.S. request to extradite Julian Assange, confirming the new administration’s intention to run with its predecessor’s espionage charges against the WikiLeaks publisher despite warnings that the case endangers press freedoms around the world. Continue reading
Ecuador’s presidential election suggests return of people-friendly rule
On Sunday, Equadorians voted for a successor to imperial tool President Lenin Moreno. Continue reading
What to expect in 2021: Madness, mayhem, manipulation and more tyranny
What should we expect in 2021? Continue reading
Assange denied bail
After ruling for Assange against the Trump regime’s extradition request, UK Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied his legal team’s bail request for urgently needed/long denied medical care—unjustifiably saying the following on Wednesday: “I am satisfied that there are substantial grounds for believing that if Mr Assange is released today he would fail to surrender to court to face the appeal proceedings [sic],” adding, “As far as Mr Assange is concerned, this case has not yet been won…The outcome of this appeal is not yet known.” Continue reading
“No victory for press freedom”—Assange wins case but judge sets worrying precedent
Julian Assange will not be extradited to the United States as many feared, but his fate still hangs in the balance as it was the integrity of his mental health, not the right to a free press, that saved him.
Wikileaks cofounder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the United States, a London court decided Monday morning. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Assange would stay in the United Kingdom over fears for his psychological health. “I find that the mental condition of Mr Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” she said, noting that she did not believe the U.S. prison system had the capability to stop him killing himself. The Australian publisher had been facing up to 175 years in a supermax prison if taken to the U.S. The prosecution, representing the U.S. government, immediately announced that it would appeal the decision. Continue reading
Pardon Julian Assange
The US Constitution gave presidents “power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment (Article II, Section 2).” Continue reading
IMF seizes on pandemic to pave way for privatization in 81 countries
76 of the 91 loans the IMF has negotiated since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic come attached with demands for deep cuts to public services and policies that benefit corporations over people.
The enormous economic dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to fundamentally alter the structure of society, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if using the crisis to implement near-permanent austerity measures across the world. Continue reading
John Lennon at 80: One man against the Deep State ‘monster’
John Lennon, born 80 years ago on October 9, 1940, was a musical genius and pop cultural icon. Continue reading
Lawyers, politicians and diplomats for Assange
Since brutally dragged from Ecuador’s London embassy in April last year, confined to maximum security imprisonment, and subjected to guilt by accusation extradition hearings, establishment media have been largely silent about Julian Assange’s state-sponsored crucifixion for the “crime” of truth-telling journalism. Continue reading
Not telling people, then blaming them for not knowing all their government has done
Posted on August 20, 2021 by Bev Conover
We’re getting a taste of what the civil rights and antiwar movements of the ‘60s would have been like without the not-quite-yet corporate media reporting on the daily events. But over the past half century with just about all the major media gobbled up by corporations, the monied powers and politicians decided very little of their criminal actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen would be televised. Now some are criticizing the American people for not caring about the death and destruction the US has rained on Afghanistan when it wasn’t being served up as a nightly dinner course by TV. Continue reading →