LIB-LABOR Stasi State: Mandatory Mass Surveillance of Australians & TPP

Mandatory data retention passes Australian parliament Summary: The government and Labor have jointly ensured that the telecommunications data of all Australians will be retained for two years for warrantless access by law-enforcement agencies. By Josh Taylor | March 26, 2015 -- 07:40 GMT (18:40 AEDT) Follow @joshgnosis The Australian government has relied on the votes of the Labor opposition to pass legislation on Thursday that will force telecommunications companies to retain customer data for two years for warrantless access by law enforcement. The legislation -- which will see call records, assigned IP addresses, location information, billing information, and other customer data stored for two years -- passed the Senate on Thursday with the support of Labor senators. The government and Labor shot down over a dozen amendments from the Greens, and several amendments from crossbench senators including those from David Leyonhjelm, Dio Wang, and Nick Xenophon. The amendments would have forced the data to be held in Australia, would have required warrants for all accessing of the data, and would have limited the storage to three months -- bringing Australia closer into line with international standards. Instead, the government agreed to a number of amendments from Labor, including requiring a warrant for accessing the data of a journalist for the purpose of identifying a source. The government will appoint a "public interest advocate" to argue on behalf of journalists -- who won't be aware that their data has been sought by law enforcement. There was also intended to be an amendment limiting access to the data for the purposes of civil litigation, but Attorney-General George Brandis on Thursday admitted that through third-party access orders and subpoenas, data could be made available through the court for cases such as copyright infringement. In the end, the Bill was condemned by Leyonhjelm, and Greens Senator Scott Ludlam, but ultimately passed 43 to 16. The Bill will need to be returned to the House to agree to the amendments, but with a government majority this is a mere formality. The legislation passed without the Australian public knowing the cost of the scheme to telcos to build systems to store the data, nor how much the government intends to contribute to the set-up. Earlier in the week, Brandis revealed that the cost per customer per year for the operation of the scheme will be $4, but the cost of building the systems, contained in a confidential PricewaterhouseCoopers report, remains unknown. Brandis said the government's contribution will be detailed in the Budget in May. Telecommunications companies will be given 18 months after the legislation is passed into law to get systems in place in order to comply with the legislation. Armed with a degree in Computer Science and a Masters in Journalism, Josh keeps a close eye on the telecommunications industry, the National Broadband Network, and all the goings on in government IT. Follow @joshgnosis http://www.zdnet.com/article/mandatory-data-retention-passes-australian-parliament/ COMMENT This isn't what a democratic government is for; this is a totalitarian state in action. Note: (1) MASS surveillance; and (2) WARRANTLESS access to data.  The Liberals and the Labor party have sold out every single Australian with this data retention legislation. Data retention is not only a totalitarian violation of civil liberties; it also exposes all Australians to third-party legal action (based on evidence obtained from data retained by internet service provider Stasi deputies). Personal data of Australians will not even be retained on Australian soil and there is no provision for regulating the destruction of that data: WHAT HAPPENS TO DATA THAT IS STORED AFTER THE MANDATORY RETENTION PERIOD? The new laws do not prescribe any rules for the de-identification or destruction of the retained data after the expiry of the two-year retention period. [Lexology] Furthermore, Australian taxpayers will foot the bill twice over for the 'privilege' of having their civil liberties pissed trampled on by bent, corporate serving politicians, aiming to maintain an iron grip on the freedom of all Australians, as taxpayers shall pay for:  (a) the undisclosed federal government contribution to this totalitarian surveillance scheme; and (b) the service provider costs that shall pass onto consumers. The driving force imposing this totalitarian state in Australia, is the practical alliance between the Liberals and their Labor Party sidekicks. Imagine what politicians are hiding from the public when they're targeting journalists with surveillance and secret probes into forcibly collected data. This isn't about national security; this is about control:  control of the press and control of the people, by politicians who serve American and corporate interests, without regard for public welfare or standards of acceptable conduct - which is why whistleblowers, and whistleblower publishers such as WikiLeaks, are important.  Just look at the Trans-Pacific Partnership 'free trade' agreement ('TPP') that government has hidden from public view during several years of negotiations.  What a rort.  They're negotiating away Australia's rights and democracy, and on a course to assign national sovereignty to the very corporations that politicians serve. It's thanks to WikiLeaks - and NOT these corrupt government actors, who dodge transparency and accountability - that the public has even come to know the contents of the SECRET TPP document.  So what does that tell us about the political order in Western democracies, and what does that say about government witch-hunts, criticism and propaganda unleashed at the independent publisher, WikiLeaks, and Julian Assange? The Lib-Labor Stasi, corporate-serving practical political alliance, is about to sell out Australia by signing up ALL Australian as subjects of the TPP (unregulated trade) agreement, which is a vehicle for corporate management of federal, state and local policies.   Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Investment Chapter WikiLeaks Link - here ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ TPP a corporate-managed FTA Signs away democracy & sovereign rights [12:26]  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qaY46i0ECw8  VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT NEXT ELECTION )))   BILL SHORTEN   (((  2009 audition to US Consul General * Criticises Union Movement * #WikiLeaks - here. VOTE THE BASTARDS OUT NEXT ELECTION Hmmmm ... think I might get a bit melodramatic when I come across news that particularly annoys me. I've come back to edit 'pissed on' to 'trampled on'.  LOL

Socialist Perspective - Assange Hunted by Imperialist Powers to Disrupt WikiLeaks

ARTICLE Wikileaks, Sex & Imperialist Law http://www.bolshevik.org/1917/no35/ibt_1917_35_12_wikileaks-hands_off_assange.html COMMENTS Note the following re above article: a) Reference to 'charges' in two instances should read 'allegations' in lieu of 'charges', as there are no 'charges' to date (2015). b) Link to quoted material referred to in article (in text format) returns a 404 error. Valid link for Stratfor analyst remark:  here. c) Additional link to material quoted in article - Red Notice issue re sexual assault allegation anomaly & trying to disrupt WikiLeaks - here. Really good article by International Bolshevik Tendency (IBT) based on inspiring address by  Roxanne Baker, in support of Julian Assange.  So, there I was writing off the lefties (in general) as pseudo-lefties and corporate stooges, but that's not necessarily the case for all lefties. Wow, I think I really like the Bolshevik perspective. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What I got out of this: Largely hoovering references in the article - Persecution of Julian Assange is an attack on democratic rights, particularly press freedom Any differences on left, a matter of > subservience to ruling-class > acting as imperialist propaganda conduit Assange & WikiLeaks: challenged the powerful by exposing monstrous crimes committed in Iraq & Afghanistan Savage persecution of Chelsea (Bradley) Manning shows ‘enemies of the state’ USA ill treatment & erosion of democratic rights SW:  TERMINATED interview & REFUSED to READ or SIGN transcript on learning intent of Sweden police Sweden Police uploaded SW transcript to police data system & AMENDED transcript subsequently UNUSUAL intervention of Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny is possibly indicative of 'political string-pulling from high up'. AA = link w. US govt funded Ladies in White LIW is supported by CIA asset Luis Posada Carriles Carriles = terrorist & former CIA agent. Born in Havana. SEE also Carriles & CIA Cuba link: http://palgrave.typepad.com/yaffe/2011/03/cia-spies-and-videotapes-cuba-exposes-us-programme-of-subversion-.html Other interesting info - See also:  2009-10 Cuba - CIA USAID op undermines Cuba's hip-hop protest scene http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7c275c134f1b4a0ca3428929fcece82d/us-co-opted-cubas-hip-hop-scene-spark-change --- AA = brother in Sweden intelligence a liaison in WA to US intelligence services as referred to in above article: http://www.bolshevik.org/1917/no35/ibt_1917_35_12_wikileaks-hands_off_assange.html and as referred to in Counterpunch article, 2010: http://www.counterpunch.org/2010/12/07/information-terrorists/ -- Socialist Workers Party Alliance for Workers’ Liberty Naivety - given evidence that Sweden obliges CIA NO chance ‘fair trial’ prejudicial press / implacable hostility of ruling elites re WikiLeaks revelations On USA going after ASSANGE - Stratfor intelligence analyst: this is about trying to DISRUPT WikiLeaks Much discussion neglects to examine POLITICALLY motivated character of Sweden law enforcement allegations Assange - No chance fair trial high risk of extradition or rendition SOCIALISTS must oppose extradition Assange is being hunted by America for daring to shine a light on the crimes of IMPERIALISM USA conducting a witch-hunt against whistleblower publisher WikiLeaks, which remains active as at 2015. Julian Assange is an advocate of freedom of press & information, whose revelations have exposed lawlessness. Defending individual rights & liberties, such as those of Julian Assange (rights & liberties which ruling political elites seek to erase, in this instance and generally speaking) provides a BASIS for: 1) challenging a system of global oppression 2) challenging imperialist rule - the cause of such oppression 3) challenging an imperialist, oppressive rule that aims to SILENCE truth tellers Defending Julian Assange is defending civil liberties & challenging ruling elites - in what is a class struggle ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Note also: 1) Unsigned, unread statement - SW refused to sign or read, on learning of Sweden Police intent regarding Assange. 2) Transcript uploaded onto police database & SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED. 3) AA could be described as highly instrumental - see source article. 4) The key police witness is compromised by her personal relationship with AA.  Furthermore, the telephone 'statement' taken by that police officer (and friend) of AA, was taken over the telephone, which I understand is a breach of police procedures. 5) Matter was dismissed by a senior prosecutor for lack of evidence, but was UNUSUALLY revived again - almost 500km away in Stockholm. 6) Interpol Red Notice issue is also unusual (as pointed out by the US private intelligence service, Stratfor - which is also known as a 'shadow CIA'). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Anyway, they're just some things to think about. I'm off to find a home for my file-away marked up version of the article ... after I've checked all these links.  Excuse any typos - I'm in a mad rush.  Happy reading, Comrades.  ;) -------------------------------------------------------------------- QUICK LINKS: 1. WikiLeaks, Sex & Imperialist Law - here. 2. Ladies in White / Carilles - here. 3. AA - bother intelligence officer [Counterpunch] - here. 4. Example of USG / CIA subversive activity, Cuba - here. 5. Stratfor:  how to go after WikiLeaks - here. 6. Stratfor: Charges of sexual assault rarely Interpol Red Notice - Disruption of WikiLeaks quote - here. 7.  Women Against Rape For decades we have campaigned to get rapists caught, charged and convicted. But the pursuit of Assange is political"  - The Guardian - 23/08/2012  - here.

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FOREIGN SERVICE UPDATES

-- #Libya Diplomatic row arrest & detention of Sudan’s Consul-General in Libya / unauthorised visits to military prison #Libya Relations with #Sudan have been strained since Libya Dawn forced the Thinni givt to quit Tripoli #Libya Sudan publicly supports Thinni govt (Tobruk) BUT may quietly support Libya Dawn (Tripoli) accused of: arms + supplies provision Ban on Sudanese visiting #Libya lifted 6 wks ago {ban b/c fear visiting 'terrorists'} 2wks ago:  attaché at Sudanese embassy in Tripoli briefly kidnapped. Reason unknown. http://www.libyaherald.com/2015/04/09/diplomatic-row-over-detention-of-sudanese-consul/ -- #Libya rival forces warn Thinni govt against independent oil sales / will seize oil ports + facilities by force any attempt by Thinni to sell oil bypassing central bank + National Oil Corporation (NOC) will trigger military action. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/08/uk-libya-security-idUKKBN0MZ0EX20150408 -- #Libya Mar 15 al-Thinni accused #Turkey of sending weapons to Islamist rivals / terrorist militias in #Tripoli http://nationalinterest.org/feature/turkeys-secret-proxy-war-libya-12430 #Libya Mar 2015 proxy war > Egypt & UAE reportedly backing  al-Thinni (Tobruk, West recog.) >#Qatar + #Turkey back opposition NOTE Thinni govt = Tobruk (the West-backed interim govt - lost control) http://nationalinterest.org/feature/turkeys-secret-proxy-war-libya-12430 VIDEO Putin: Who gave NATO right to kill Gaddafi? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw5Ij_RFJ1Q ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ VIDEO Gaddafi: From Popular Hero to Isolated Dictator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4JbOlakWZo -- Qatar Bangladesh ambassador to Qatar / recalled http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/apr/11/ambassador-qatar-pays-conflicts-among-ruling-party-leaders -- Qatar Capital: Doha Pop: 2.169 million 2013 GDP per capita: 93,714.06 USD 2013 accepted 90,000 #Bangladesh workers in 2014 [dhakatribune] Qatar 2013 - foreign workers total:  1,449,234 Labour market info:  http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/32431/GLMM_ExpNote_08-2014.pdf?sequence=1 #Qatar - oil / gas+ low pop. = high GDP. One of world's biggest LNG exporters in past decade Diversification *INFRASTRUCTURE*  Qatar Qatar's non-hydrocarbon sector fuels 2015 economy http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-31809-qatars-non-hydrocarbon-sector-fuels-2015-economy/ COMMENT Still have trouble remembering the two governments, so there's more than my standard look ups.  But I'm not keeping a close watch on Libya and just take an interest as random articles come up, so it's easy to forget where things fit. Massive number of foreign workers in Qatar.  Massive GDP.  Small population.  Economy has broadened its base, which is a bonus now that oil prices have plunged ... but it's not like Qatar would go broke.  From prior checks, their economy is in substantial surplus.  Loads of expenditure on infrastructure, which means foreign companies are probably making big money there. I like looking at Putin and I find Gaddafi fascinating, so I've thrown in a couple of the videos I've viewed.  Had no idea Gaddafi's family were Bedouin.  Knew that there was some kind of IRA link and I was surprised by that because Ireland's such a long way from his desert oasis.  Don't know a whole lot about that.  Arms supply, I think it was.  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ PS  .... that video didn't show enough of Putin.  And, as usual, we can't hear him properly!  I don't care if I can't understand; I want to hear him speaking without the volume turned down and commentary laid over the top.  Can't be that hard to do a few basic written translations at the bottom of the screen.

Latin America - Bolivia, Evo Morales | Venezuela

Fight Imperialism with Unity, Says Morales Evo Morales speaks at the University of Panama as part of the People's Summit, an alternative summit running in parallel to the OAS' Summit of the Americas, April 4, 2015. EFE Published 10 April 2015 (10 hours 37 minutes ago) U.S. imperialism is being challenged by regional organizations like CELAC, according to Bolivia’s president. Bolivian President Evo Morales accused the United States Friday of conspiring to undermine democracy in Latin America, including in his home country. During a keynote address to the People's Summit in Panama, Morales said the United States has been one of the most serious threats to Bolovia's national security, and his own presidency. “Where there is a U.S. embassy, there are coups,” Morales said. The president alleged the U.S. government has been plotting to overthrow him for years. “The (Bolivian) right-wing, the opposition and the U.S. ambassador have always conspired … against the (revolutionary) process,” he said. However, he said regional initiatives aimed at promoting Latin American solidarity are the region's best defenses against U.S. imperialism. “I think actually the member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), are a threat to the neoliberal, transnational (corporations) … but will never be a threat to U.S. security,” he said. The People's Summit   Morales is the only world leader to deliver a speech to this year's People's Summit, though Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has also stated he will attend the meeting. The summit brought together close to 2,000 representatives from social movements across the Americas to discuss issues ranging from U.S. sanctions on Venezuela to Puerto Rican independence. Organizers say the summit is a grassroots alternative to the Summit of the Americas, which is also taking place in Panama this week. In a statement, organizers said the summit is a forum for “the voice of our peoples, to highlight problems the other meeting (the Summit of the Americas) doesn't address.” On Thursday, the People's Summit led a rally through the streets of Panama City to condemn U.S. imperialism and express solidarity with Venezuela. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Fight-Imperialism-with-Unity-Says-Morales-20150410-0011.html COMMENT US efforts to subvert governments in Latin American countries is nothing new, so it's probably safe to take Bolivia President Evo Morales at his word.  :) Nothing else to add.  Brain's fried.  Think it's sleep deprivation.  If I'm woken, I cannot go back to sleep ... and then I can't switch off to sleep at the other end of the day.  Switch is temporarily out of order.  :)

Foreign Service Updates

--   INDIA - GEN. (RETD) VK SINGH - 'PRESSTITUTES' #India Min State - Gen (retd) VK Singh referred to media as 'presstitutes' / upset press - calling for removal of Singh Broadcast Editors' Association /BEA condemned Min State - Gen (retd) VK Singh controversial comments re media http://www.firstpost.com/politics/presstitute-comment-vk-singh-can-hate-media-but-govt-should-intervene-on-foul-language-2189647.html Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) the apex body of editors of news TV channels 15-member executive committee -- PANAMA - LatAm 7th Summit of the Americas - 35  Cuba delegation stormed out of event { think this was because of presence of Cuban dissenters  } Bill Clinton speaking @ civil society forum Nicaraguan delegation protested proposed inter-oceanic canal #Venezuela protesters in unions w #Cuba counterparts shout protest at  US sanctions on Venezuela Cuba dissidents, incl.  Leticia Herreria, Ladies in White, Orlando Gutierrez, Cuban Democracy & Resistance Directorate /  assaulted laying  flowers bust of Cuban indy hero Jose Marti http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2015/04/08/4230835/cuba-venezuela-tensions-rise-in.html  -- North Korea NorK says:  #Mexico has "forcibly detained" SHIP mths after ship ran aground off Mexico's Gulf coast 2014 blames US preventing rel. UN panel says: ship, Mu Du Bong, is owned by a NorK company under UN sanctions & should be "frozen" alleged ship owner - Ocean Maritime Management Co - sanctioned {claim that x2 Cuban fighter jets, missiles & live munitions in cargo of sugar found} OMM responded by simply renaming 13 of its 14 vessels to avoid detection NorthKorea - DENIES Mu Du Bong strictly a commercial ship not carrying anything prohibited by UN sanctions No relation to OMM http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/news/world/article_f192aa05-49ad-52f3-a4a8-a192b4bdad5b.html -- CANADA KILLS TWITTER GUY Newfoundland man shot dead after perceived threat tweeted at premier http://www.torontosun.com/2015/04/05/man-shot-killed-by-officer-investigating-threat-against-nl-premier-report -- TURKEY - ATTACK ON JOURNALISTS Diyarbakır in Turkey  Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink for propaganda re Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) charge of “membership of a terrorist organization” widely used in an arbitrary manner against journalists critical of authorities. source: http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=47770 TURKEY - 40 journalists are currently being prosecuted   source: http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=47770 Leading TV presenter Sedef Kabaş to stand trial for criticizing a prosecutor on Twitter.  Charged w exposing a official as TO target.  Maybe #Turkey needs to attend to terrorist problems & not persecute the press?  http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=47770 #Turkey #Germany Photographer Andy Spyra, flew to Istanbul to cover anniversary of Armenia  massacre, DENIED ENTRY https://cpj.org/2015/04/in-turkey-photographer-denied-entry-and-freelance-.php WARNING #Turkey:  increasingly hostile to international journalist -- LIBYA authorities take #Sudan general consul in Benghazi Abdel-Halim Omer into custody - unspecified location #Sudan demands swift & unconditional release of consul, describing actions as violation of  international customs. http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article54557 -- May Michael Bloomberg - Honorary Knighthood Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg named an honorary knight of British Empire.  (British Embassy) http://7online.com/politics/fmr-mayor-bloomberg-named-honorary-knight-of-british-empire/642943/ -- NORTH KOREA - DEPORTATION #NorthKorea deports American for 'plot-breeding and propaganda'   / secret videos made during humanitarian trips http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1188516 -- ROMAN SELEZNEV - KIDNAPPED BY US SECRET SERVICE US Secret Service overstepped authority / arrest of Roman Seleznev in Maldives Violated USA, Maldives & interl law illegal “abduction”  - Seleznev lawyers seek dismissal  USA Secret Service knew Seleznev in Russia in 2013 DID NOT use Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty b/w USA + Russia ABDUCTED Seleznev US has no extradition treaty with Maldives / no court order Seleznev’s abduction sets a terrible precedent Will put US citizens travelling or residing in other countries at greater risk USA Secret Service disregarded Maldives’ sovereign rights concocted scheme to kidnap Seleznev outside legal system  http://www.elkharttruth.com/news/national/2015/04/08/Russian-man-s-lawyers-hacking-charges-should-be-dismissed.html -- SCAM - LEBANON Internet scammers pretend to be US ambassador to #Lebanon Tried to con Lebanese ppl out of money using social media http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2015/Apr-09/293814-online-scammers-impersonate-us-ambassador-to-lebanon.ashx ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OTHER NEWS -- COPYRIGHT Singapore: Singtel provides subscriber details after court order #iiDallas http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singtel-turn-over-details-over-100-subscribers-over-illegal-dallas-buyers-club-downloads SEE 2014 - Torrent Freak Copyright infringement defence IP address does not necessarily identify a PERSON http://tinyurl.com/lj8eofl

Royal Dutch Shell & BG Group $70 Billiion Purchase Deal - LNG

BLOOMBERG ARTICLE http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-08/shell-will-buy-bg-group-for-70-billion-in-cash-and-shares Royal Dutch Shell Plc Europe’s largest oil co to buy BG Group Plc for abt $70-b making it foremost player in global natural gas Shell deal pushing further into producing, shipping & selling gas view to #China & emerging economies switch from coal + oil {Ben van Beurden = CEO Shell} Shell to increase oil + natural gas reserves by 28% Pioneer of LNG for shipment aboard tankers Shell & rivals anticipate LNG to play increasing role in emerging economies / alternative to dirtier energy sources, eg. coal deal: = share in Brazil’s largest deepwater fields = consolidation Australia gas =  +participation in US emergence LNG exp. Shell / BG deal = new co will be world’s biggest internationl LNG co = TWICE as big as its closest rival Exxon Shell / BG deal requires antitrust {competition law} approvals from regulatory agencies in #Australia, #China, #Brazil + #EU Helge Lund, BG fmr Norway state oil / Statoil ASA = highest paid oil executive in #EU if deal goes down: gets $43-m for 1yr Lund = business management at Norwegian School of Economics = MBA from the INSEAD bus. school France http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helge_Lund As BG Group CEO = basic salary £1.5 million = + bonuses TOTAL est.  £14 million salary per annum http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-08/shell-will-buy-bg-group-for-70-billion-in-cash-and-shares COMMENT I've no idea how big Exxon is, but this deal will make Shell a monster at TWICE the size of Exxon (which is probably a huge monster itself). Check out that guy's salary, if the deal goes ahead.  That's unbelievable.  LOL

SNOWDEN, ASSANGE & WIKILEAKS: USA - NSA Police-State Dictatorship & Corporate Media State-Aligned Propaganda

John Oliver’s interview with Edward Snowden: Pseudo-satire in defense of NSA surveillance  By Thomas Gaist 9 April 2015 Comedy host John Oliver conducted an interview with National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden in Moscow recently that was broadcast Sunday on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” In the process, Oliver exposed his solidarity with the American state and its vast, illegal spying operations. He took the opportunity of the conversation to come out harshly against Snowden’s decision to leak large quantities of NSA documents. Pushing for a confession that his actions were potentially “harmful,” the British-born Oliver demanded to know whether Snowden had personally read every single document contained in the files that the former NSA employee transferred to journalists beginning in the summer of 2013. “I have evaluated all of the documents that are in the archive. I do understand what I turned over,” Snowden replied. “There’s a difference between understanding what’s in the documents and reading what’s in the documents. Because when you’re handing over thousands of NSA documents, the last thing you’d want to do is read them,” Oliver retorted sarcastically. He went on, “You have to own that. You’re giving documents with information that could be harmful.” Oliver repeated the favored arguments of the Obama administration and intelligence establishment to the effect that the preservation of “national security” required the elimination of civil liberties, such as Fourth Amendment protections against arbitrary searches and seizures. “We all want perfect privacy and perfect safety, but those two things cannot coexist,” Oliver said, comparing the NSA spy programs to a “Badass pet falcon,” which he asserted could not live together with “an adorable pet vole named Herbert.” Oliver’s attack on Snowden reached extraordinary and insulting heights. At one point, he interrupted the internationally respected whistleblower for sounding too much like “the IT guy from work… Please don’t teach me anything. I don’t want to learn. You smell like canned soup,” Oliver said to the courageous defender of democratic rights, who has now endured nearly two years of persecution and exile. Oliver’s hostility towards Snowden and Julian Assange of WikiLeaks is an expression of his staunch support, almost universally shared among well-to-do strata in American society, for the continuation of the US government’s surveillance programs. In a couple of brief asides, Oliver half-heartedly suggested that minor reforms to the system of authoritarian shadow courts and antidemocratic laws erected to legitimize the spying might be necessary. But the development and permanent maintenance of mass surveillance programs by the US government went unquestioned. If nothing else, the Snowden interview should help clear matters up for those who still had illusions about Oliver, Jon Stewart and their ilk. Behind their sophomoric antics, designed to dupe more naïve elements looking for something genuinely antiestablishment, lies a run-of-the-mill, conformist outlook, in keeping with the lavish material rewards they receive. (Oliver made an estimated $2,000,000 in 2013.) In one of a few moments when he adopted a serious tone, Oliver cited the failure of the New York Times to fully redact one of the NSA slides, an oversight he claimed was a “f***-up” that exposed a US intelligence operation against al Qaeda in Mosul, Iraq. In another, he warned viewers that WikiLeaks’ Assange was “even less careful than Snowden” about the material he was leaking. He mocked Assange, who remains trapped inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London as a result of his efforts to expose US war crimes, comparing him to “a sandwich bag full of biscuit dough wearing a Stevie Nicks wig.” Pointing to video clips of street interviewees who showed increased concern over surveillance after Oliver referred to reports that NSA agents view nude pictures sent by targets via email and text message, the comedy host contended that Americans’ interest in the matter does not extend beyond such matters. From here, Oliver arrived at the notion that the failure of even minimal reform of the surveillance operations to gain traction results from the fact that ordinary Americans can only be convinced to think about politics through appeals of the most backward kind. “Domestic surveillance, Americans give some of a sh** about. Foreign surveillance, American don’t give any sh** about,” Oliver said. When Snowden noted that such abuses are “seen as no big deal in the culture of the NSA,” and that agency employees “see naked pictures all the time,” Oliver issued another absurd slander against the US population. “This is the most visible line in the sand for people. ‘Can they see my dick?’” Oliver said. If wide sections of the population lack accurate knowledge about recent developments in government spying, it is the outcome of the systematic and deliberate efforts to conceal the truth by the corporate media to which Oliver belongs. Snowden made patient efforts to work around Oliver’s willful ignorance and class arrogance, seeking to explain that along with the “dick pictures” obsessed over by Oliver, the NSA is collecting every other form of data on the planet, from US and non-US individuals alike, in open violation of the US Bill of Rights and international law. “If you have your email somewhere like Gmail, hosted on a server overseas or transferred overseas or [if it] at anytime crosses outside the borders of the United States, your junk ends up in the database,” Snowden commented. “Google moves data internationally and NSA catches copies during this process, through PRISM, with Google’s involvement. All the major companies, Yahoo, Facebook, the US government deputizes them to be its surveillance sheriffs,” he added. Oliver is not engaging in political satire, of which there is a long and proud tradition, in any meaningful sense of the word. Genuine satire attacks the powerful, exposing their lies and hypocrisy. Oliver, on the other hand, instinctively aligns himself with the US ruling elite and its historically unprecedented surveillance apparatus, one of the foundations of a police-state dictatorship. Sunday’s installment of Last Week was an exercise in pro-NSA propaganda and cultural degradation. http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/04/09/oliv-a09.html COMMENT Great article.  Wish I could think like this guy.  All I thought was:  what an asshole Oliver is, but I'd never have been able to articulate why as well as the article author. Article also ties in nicely with the one I looked at earlier:       Beyond Manufacturing Consent       By: Paul Street Manufacturing Consent:  United States corporate media’s role as propaganda organ for that nation’s imperial establishment US corporate media’s biggest contribution to the engineering of mass “consent.”      US corporate media function of transmitting      ideology and propaganda      in service to .. interrelated hierarchies of empire. http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Beyond-Manufacturing-Consent-20150327-0024.html ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ OTHER Vilifying WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and Chelsea Manning by Hearsay http://wiseupaction.info/2015/04/11/vilifying-wikileaks-julian-assange-and-chelsea-manning-by-hearsay/ 'Vilification by hearsay' article in relation to the recent Sean Penn criticisms of WikiLeaks and Assange.