Illegitimate Transfer of Inalienable European Rights via Convention(s) & Supranational Bodies Establishment of Sovereignty-Usurping Supranational Body Dictatorships Enduring Program of DEMOGRAPHICS WAR on Europeans Enduring Program of PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR on Europeans Enduring Program of European Displacement, Dismemberment, Dispossession, & Dissolution
No wars or conditions abroad (& no domestic or global economic pretexts) justify government policy facilitating the invasion of ancestral European homelands, the rape of European women, the destruction of European societies, & the genocide of Europeans.
U.S. RULING OLIGARCHY WAGES HYBRID WAR TO SALVAGE HEGEMONY [LINK | Article]
Who's preaching world democracy, democracy, democracy? —Who wants to make free people free?
AIDAN KILLIAN: HOLY TRINITY OF WHISTLEBLOWERS 2015 DUBLIN VIDEO [2:40]
IS JULIAN ASSANGE A RAPIST?
------------------------------------------
Chris Anderson from Ted Talks said WikiLeaks in just a few years have released more classified information than all the media in the world.And even once it was released, the other media didn't report these documented facts.
But, yet, as soon as there was dubious, unfounded allegations of a sexual nature about Julian Assange - Pfffffffft - all over the internet: Raping Julian Assange; Is Julian Assange a rapist?
So since these guys failed, refused and neglected to report the truth before, obviously, you can't take their view without looking into it. So, I looked into it.
He had sex with two women and the condom brokein both case.[FALSE - x1 broken condom]
[ P A U S E ]
Woman-A contacted Woman-B and said:
Hey, the condom broke and I'm worried I might have an STD, and I can't contact Julian Assange. Will you come to the police station with me?
Woman-A brings Woman-B across Stockholm, passes many police stations on the way, meets her friend (who is personal policeman), and the policeman breaks protocol by not recording the conversation.
[POLICEWOMAN friend & associate of said woman]
I'd love to have seen how it went:
Hey, when I was making sweet, consensual love to Julain Assange, the condom broke and I can't contact him. Maybe he's just being a male prick, or maybe he's busy saving the world. But maybe you can help me contact him?
What I'm hearing here is:
"The founder of WikiLeaks, enemy of the most powerful people of governments in the world raped you?"
"That's not what I said. I specifically did not say that."
She refused to sign the statement.
She text her friends, saying the policeman made up the charges, and even put on twitter:
"I was not raped by Julian Assange." "It's like you're not listening to me."
"What, there's a black man. Where? I'll shoot him in the back!"
[LAUGHTER]
The prosecutor dropped the case in 24 hours, saying there is no case. They brought in the condom to check for DNA. There was no DNA in it.
But, hey, Sweden, what the f*ck would science know?
[LAUGHTER]
So, anyway, if there's any crime broken here - if there's any crime committed here - it's the crime of having a pointy penis. [LAUGHTER]
I'm pretty sure it's not illegal to have a sharp shaft or [we'd be ?] rounding up the needle-knobs.
Hey, what are you in for?
"Errr ... 7 years armed robbery.
How about yourself?" "Errr ... I've got a case of the pyramid pecker."
Anyway, of course the condom broke, it's Julian Assange; he's the best in the world at breaking through all forms of protection.
[LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE]
[2:40]
------- end -------
SOURCE
AIDAN KILLIAN: HOLY TRINITY OF WHISTLEBLOWERS 2015 DUBLIN VIDEO [2:40]: IS JULIAN ASSANGE A RAPIST?
"This clip is taken from Aidan Killian's "Holy Trinity of Whistleblowers," A comedy show about whisteblowers. This clip shares the facts about the dubious allegations of a sexual nature against Julian Assange.
To this day there are no charges and yet Sweden and the UK have conspired to break human rights and have Assange surrounded by armed guards in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where Julian continues to show his unwavering journalistic integrity while under house arrest."
------------------------------------------
COMMENT
Noticed attention-grabbing title of this video: Is Julian Assange A Rapist?
Surprised to find humour in the material, as I was prepared to be outraged by yet another smear Assange offering.
Did notice some inaccuracies:
1. "... the other media didn't report these documented facts."
My understanding is that the WikiLeaks pre Sweden police allegation releases were a widely reported media sensation. However, I guess it is likely that the orchestrated global media circus surrounding the take-down of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks publisher, may have eclipsed the attention given to whilstleblower releases.
Key 2010 WikiLeaks releases:
the Collateral Murder video on 5th April 2010 (depicting US war crimes); and
the Afghan War Logs: 2004-2010 (comprising 91,000 US reports), on 25 July 2010);
---- above, prior Sweden police allegations ----
the Iraq War Logs (comprising 391,832 US reports) that same year: October, 2010.
Flimsy police allegations in Sweden were dismissed by Prosecutor Eva Finne.
September 1
Prosecutor Marianne Ny, the 3rd prosecutor to lead the case over the course of 10 days, resurrects the investigation into ’lesser rape’ after politician Claes Borgstrom, who was running under a Social Democrat ticket for Justice Minister position becomes the legal representative for the two women.
October 22
Iraq War Logs published.
November 20
Sweden issues Red Notice which Interpol posts on its front page.
December 6
UK authorities acknowledge European Arrest Warrant from Sweden.
December 7
Assange goes to police station, is put in prison until 16 December 2010. Then released on bail. He is placed under house arrest.
2010-2015
Prosecutor refuses to take Assange statement.
The investigation has been frozen since 2010.
2015, March
(the statute of limitations on some of the alleged crimes will become effective in August 2015 - source)
Prosecutor now, at the last moment, agrees to interview Assange in London.
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
T H E A T R E
OF
OFFICIAL NEUTRALISATION
Theatre props & star performers:
Sweden police allegations of 'sexual misconduct' against, publisher, Assange,USproclaimed 'enemy combatant', 'cyber terrorist' - who not only released the 'Collateral Murder' video and Afghanistan War Logs, but had also just freshly released the Iraq War Logs, exposing further US war crimes ... leading to US foaming at the mouth and calls for his assassination;
a European Arrest Warrant (EAW), rubber-stamped;
an Interpol Red Notice, rubber-stamped;
Sweden authorities leaking to the press, what at this stage is merely an investigation (an intended breach);
Sweden Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt (and Australia's PM, Julia Gillard) making highly prejudicial press statements;
were the props, actors and effective agents of an performance and exercise in intentional and prejudicial smear, isolation and discredit. Much like the .
Stage
provided by eagerly waiting world media.
Cast
politicians and their spokespersons, from several countries.
Show
'Assange Arrested for Rape.'
Review
a media orgy.
Audience
gullible, passive, accepting, and 'wowed' ... accepting the state narrative and absorbing the state deployed propaganda.
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
UK EXAMPLE OF GOVT
SABOTAGE
For anyone that thinks that government is above such campaigns, check this out. It's the GCHQ online sabotage ops manual - which was passed around counterparts at USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
If this is the online sabotage manifesto, imagine what they have in their arsenal for dealing with those they consider 'dangerous':
The 4 D's
1) DENY
2) DISRUPT
3) DEGRADE
4) DECEIVE
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
GCHQ - online sabotage:
'The Art of Deception: Training for Online Covert Operations'
One of the many pressing stories that remains to be told from the Snowden archive is how western intelligence agencies are attempting to manipulate and control online discourse with extreme tactics of deception and reputation-destruction. It’s time to tell a chunk of that story, complete with the relevant documents.
Over the last several weeks, I worked with NBC News to publish a series of articles about “dirty trick” tactics used by GCHQ’s previously secret unit, JTRIG (Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group). These were based on four classified GCHQ documents presented to the NSA and the other three partners in the English-speaking “Five Eyes” alliance. Today, we at the Intercept are publishing another new JTRIG document, in full, entitled “The Art of Deception: Training for Online Covert Operations.”
[ ... ]
... key, discrete revelations: the monitoring of YouTube and Blogger, the targeting of Anonymous with the very same DDoS attacks they accuse “hacktivists” of using, the use of “honey traps” (luring people into compromising situations using sex) and destructive viruses. But, here, I want to focus and elaborate on the overarching point revealed by all of these documents: namely, that these agencies are attempting to control, infiltrate, manipulate, and warp online discourse, and in doing so, are compromising the integrity of the internet itself.
American politicians and political pundits made media calls for the kidnap and illegal transfer of Julian Assange for trial in the US, as an 'enemy combatant' - and called for his assassination.
Imagine the potential US pressure that could be brought to bear on the governments of Sweden, Australia and Britain, leading up to (and following) the December 7, 2010 arrest of Julian Assange.
Not that the politicians in these colluding states would require a great deal of arm twisting in order to oblige their US counterparts.
Were it possible to even imagine any resistance to US demands for Assange, it's even easier to imagine that any such notion would be met with brutal opposition and illegality from the US.
Take a look at what happened to the Bolivian president's plane during the Snowden US manhunt. It was grounded because European authorities obliged their US masters. And take a look at FBI flying into Iceland WITHOUT PERMISSION.
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
Assange on the Untold Story of the Grounding of Evo Morales’ Plane During Edward Snowden Manhunt
EXTRACT ONLY
AMYGOODMAN: Were you shocked when the U.S. forced down President Evo Morales’s plane?
JULIANASSANGE: Yes and no. I didn’t—we didn’t expect that they would do that. But we had seen from what they—Snowden was shocked—that we had seen in our battles over the past few years that similarly illegal conduct occurred. For example, they flew a private jet with six FBI agents and two prosecutors illegally into Iceland to interrogate people and commission them to try and steal information from us. So, we had seen this type of illegality before.
AMYGOODMAN: On that point, very quickly, on Iceland, the FBI flew into Iceland without asking the government’s permission?
JULIANASSANGE: The U.S. flew a private jet with six FBI officers and two prosecutors—one from New York and the other one, we believe, from Alexandria, Virginia, where the ongoing WikiLeaks grand jury is taking place—into Iceland under false pretenses, pretending that they were investigating a hacking threat to the Icelandic government. Once there, they then started interrogating an informant. Now, this informant had approached the U.S. Embassy with information. Now, it’s interesting to speculate exactly why the approach was made, whether it was because of a fear of threatened prosecution or a desire for financial reward, but then started interrogating them, taking them around hotel rooms in Iceland.
The public statements made by Australia's Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, proved untrue
.
Gillard red-faced after calling WikiLeaks 'illegal'
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been left floundering after she labelled the actions of the WikiLeaks 'illegal', but couldn't say how.
7 Dec 2010 - 2:05 PM UPDATED 24 Feb 2015 - 5:02 PM
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has been slammed for labelling the actions of the WikiLeaks website and its founder Julian Assange 'illegal', as the slow but steady publication of classified documents continues.
Ms Gillard has described the website as "illegal" but when directly asked what Australian laws it was breaking, she was unable to identify any.
"The foundation stone of it is an illegal act," Ms Gillard told reporters on Tuesday.
The "foundation stone" was the leaking of the documents to the website, not the publishing of the cables.
"It would not happen, information would not be on WikiLeaks, if there had not been an illegal act undertaken," Ms Gillard said.
It has been widely reported the man behind previous leaks of classified documents, Private Bradley Manning, is likely responsible for this latest leak of more than 250,000 classified documents from the United States State Department.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis chastised Ms Gillard for her "clumsy" language on the issue.
"As far as I can see he (Mr Assange) hasn't broken any Australian law," he told Sky News.
"Nor does it appear he has broken any American laws."
We note with concern the increasingly violent rhetoric directed towards Julian Assange of WikiLeaks. “We should treat Mr Assange the same way as other high-value terrorist targets: Kill him,” writes conservative columnist Jeffrey T Kuhner in the Washington Times.
Such calls cannot be dismissed as bluster. Over the last decade, we have seen the normalisation of extrajudicial measures once unthinkable, from ‘extraordinary rendition’ (kidnapping) to ‘enhanced interrogation’ (torture).
In that context, we now have grave concerns for Mr Assange’s wellbeing.
Irrespective of the political controversies surrounding WikiLeaks, Mr Assange remains entitled to conduct his affairs in safety, and to receive procedural fairness in any legal proceedings against him.
As is well known, Mr Assange is an Australian citizen.
We therefore call upon you to condemn, on behalf of the Australian Government, calls for physical harm to be inflicted upon Mr Assange, and to state publicly that you will ensure Mr Assange receives the rights and protections to which he is entitled, irrespective of whether the unlawful threats against him come from individuals or states.
We urge you to confirm publicly Australia’s commitment to freedom of political communication; to refrain from cancelling Mr Assange's passport, in the absence of clear proof that such a step is warranted; to provide assistance and advocacy to Mr Assange; and do everything in your power to ensure that any legal proceedings taken against him comply fully with the principles of law and procedural fairness.
Julian Assange has committed no crime in Australia: AFP
Date
A statement released by the federal police just before 1pm said: "The AFP has completed its evaluation of the material available and has not established the existence of any criminal offences where Australia would have jurisdiction.
Elsewhere, a writer referred to the treatment of Julian Assange as theatre.
Considered the:
dramatic Sweden government leak to press, the European Arrest Warrant, Interpol Red Notice, dramatic British arrest earlier calls for assassination (Nov 2010); and
prejudicial statements of heads of government;
and see for yourself that this was, indeed, a perverse form of theatre.
Considering that this was played out on the world stage, on the basis of nothing more than some flimsy and dubious Sweden police 'allegations' (not also irregularities concerning the Sweden 'investigation').
Not also that this drama was played out, regarding previously legally dismissed and subsequently publicly denied and contradicted 'allegations', coming from Sweden authorities.
Sweden allegations against Julian Assange and the media circus are pure theatre.
Theatre such as this - a theatre where global powers are players on the stage - does evolve by accident.
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
"In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
This is the spectacle of a high-powered coterie of allied states, participating in a staged, deliberate, determined, concerted, and single-minded assault with the sole aim of: neutralising Julian Assange (and WikiLeaks), 'enemy combatants', 'cyber terrorists'.
Assange just happens to be publisher of WikiLeaks, who published whistleblower material, revealing evidence of US war crimes.
In a sense, US war crimes are also allied war crimes.
The coterie of Western allied states are all responsible for supporting US foreign policy, invasions, and military aggression around the world. Remember, these are closely allied, predator states. Ruling Western Mafia states. A gang of aligned, imperialist, Mafia states, who have acted (and continue to act) cooperatively and globally, on behalf of the interests of their ruling corporate masters (rather than in public interest) - and have historically done so, without a conscience.
These states long history of exploiting countries, governments and people abroad, for resources and regional strategic aims. These are the powers who have a long history of bringing down democratically elected governments, that often involve orchestrated smear campaigns and have involved both MI6 and CIA arranged, cooperative coups
British imperialism in Iran - Challenged Result: MI6-CIA Coup & installation of a puppet government
Overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran Mohammad Mosaddegh
Britain (MI6, under the name "Operation Boot") USA
(CIA, under the name TPAJAX Project)
Mossadegh had sought to:
audit the books of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC).
AIOC is was British corporation (it's now known as BP).
alter the terms of AIOC's access to Iranian petroleum reserves.
ie - exploited Iran wanted a better deal for its nation.
Anglo-Iranian Oil Co refused to co-operate.
Iran govt voted to:
NATIONALISE the assets of AIOC.
expel company representatives from Iran.
Britain's MI6- and the CIA simply arranged a coup - on behalf of AIOC (now BP) & and installed a puppet government that would act in the interests of the imperialists.
This is not 'conspiracy theory' - this is admitted history.
CIA admits role in 1953 Iranian coup Declassified documents describe in detail how US – with British help – engineered coup against Mohammad Mosaddeq
Anyone, who cannot connect the dots and see the machinations at work, of bringing down a whistleblower publisher with bogus allegations of 'sexual misconduct,' with intense media smear, with the misuse of European law, with the denial of political asylum (and violation of international law conventions) by way of Ecuador Embassy siege, to neutralise such a 'troublesome' publisher, is either an idiot or a liar.
Above are the very same global powers that aim to take down Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
This is incorrect. There is only ONE broken condom.
So there's no serial, sharp, condom-breaking 'needle' or 'pyramid' prick (to borrow some of the comedian's terminology) ... lol.
3. "... personal policeman."
The police contact - was both friend and political party associate of Assange's hostess (press secretary for the Sweden Social Democratic Party adjunct, Brotherhood Movement. In that sense, I guess one could say the police contact could, indeed, be construed as 'personal policeman'. But the police officer in question is actually female. [more info: FAQ]
One final point regarding the comedy video. I'm really uncomfortable with the title, even in a comedy video. Assange is not a rapist; he's a politically persecuted journalist/publisher, who was granted political asylum by Ecuador in 2012.
Assange is the target of a Sweden, US and UK campaign to decommission him and WikiLeaks, by locking him up for the rest of his life, after extraditing him to the US. If they're not going for the death penalty ... which is unknown because the US won't say. The US investigation remains classified.
Sex accusers boasted about their 'conquest' of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
TNN | Dec 9, 2010, 12.56 AM IST
EXTRACT ONLY
On August 14, the day following the night of "crime", Assange delivered a 90-minute speech about how the first casualty of war is truth.
[AA] was in attendance (as was [SW]) but showed no signs of the previous night's "trauma".
The two women can be seen in a video of the conference.
At 2 o'clock that night, while hosting a party in Assange's honour at her flat, [AA] tweeted: "Sitting outside; nearly freezing; with the world's coolest people; it's pretty amazing.
Thought this was a fairly comprehensive article for such an early piece. As in, really early: only 2 days after the arrest of Julian Assange.
Well done, whoever wrote that detail rich story in Times of India.
As this post is getting massively long, will most likely comment on the Times of India article elsewhere.
It's an article worth noting, I think, as there are some important details in the article. And as far as I can see from a quick skim, it looks accurate.
---------------------- ꕤ ----------------------
PINOCHET
Julian Assange and America's vendetta against WikiLeaks
EXTRACT
As the contrast with the extradition case of Augusto Pinochet shows, it's one law for whistleblowers, another for war criminals
Assange has not been charged with any crime, yet he has been under house arrest in England for close to two years, ever since a European arrest warrant was issued by Sweden (importantly, by a prosecutor, not by a judge). Assange and his supporters allege that the warrant is part of an attempt by the US government to imprison him, or even execute him, and to shut down WikiLeaks. In April 2010, WikiLeaks released a US military video under the title Collateral Murder, with graphic images showing an Apache helicopter unit killing at least 12 Iraqi civilians, including a Reuters cameraman and his driver. In July 2010, WikiLeaks released the Afghan war diary, tens of thousands of secret US military communications that laid out the official record of the violent occupation of Afghanistan, the scale of civilian deaths and likely war crimes. The Swedish arrest warrant followed just weeks later.Chilean dictator Pinochet for torture committed under his rule from 1973 to 1990. Based on Garzon's indictment, Pinochet was arrested in 1998 while travelling in London. After 16 months of hearings, the British courts finally decided that Pinochet could be extradited to Spain. The British government intervened, overruling the court, and allowed him to return to Chile.
British government intervening on behalf of dictator, torturer and murderer Pinochet, while its police footsoldiers have stood guard inside and outside the Ecuador embassy these last 3 years, holding Assange hostage, pending intended extradition of Assange to the US, to face a life sentence or death penalty, is an absolute outrage and it is perverse beyond belief: Assange exposed war crimes, while Pinochet committed them with US blessing.
Re: Comedy video remark about media coverage - here.
Politics wasn't a focus for me back in 2010, so I really have no recollection of what was in the media during the WikiLeaks releases, or the media frenzy that ensued following the editor's arrest.
Nothing. It's a complete blank to me. Blank doesn’t make much sense. Why blank? Surely there was something I would have seen somewhere. Nope. I don't watch TV. I don't listen to the radio. Generally. I prefer not to. I don't like the offerings. I prefer to look at what I want on the internet. So that probably explains why all of this passed me by at the time.
What's odd is that I knew that there was a leaks site, but I don't know how I knew, what it was really about, or where it was.
Although I was sort of curious because it was some vaguely taboo site (or that's how it seemed to straight-ass me), I wasn't really keen on looking at anything I imagined would maybe get me in 'trouble.'
Again, I don't know where I got the notion that I might have authorities come down on me if I look at a site that the authorities oppose. For a long time (even after I got game enough to check out the WikiLeaks site), I half expected the 'Stasi' to come and knock down my door. lol
Back in 2010, I must have heard something. But I guess I wasn't keen enough to know what goes unpublished in the press. Whatever this thing was, it sounded like it might be too deep, too technical, and way too boring for my tastes of the time.
Mostly interested topic-specific information. It could be anything: American Indians, psychology, history etc. And, ummm ... lots of Freddie Mercury during one stint. Made a video in honour of Freddie, lol. But once I was over it, I was over it, and never went back to edit. Wonder if I still have it somewhere, or if it's got lost during my new OS installation.
Aside from tangents of absorption in whatever subject took my fancy, I was largely drawn to sensational garbage in the media, glossy celebrity photos (preferably really embarrassing ones), and sites that mercilessly slagged off celebrities.
Just how deeply and honestly the Western mainstream media may have actually delved into subject matter of WikiLeaks releases, upon release, is unknown to me from first-hand experience.
But the bet is that, yes, once the allegations against Julian Assange hit the headlines, the media attention may well have surpassed the kind of attention that may have been given to United States whistleblowing shock releases.
Everyday public figure dramas are the renewable fountain of distraction. Distraction from our own dull affairs. Large sections of the media cater to this and often exploit this. So, predicaments such as Assange's are sensationalised like crazy across most media. By default, and because there's an excellent window of opportunity to stage a campaign of dissemination of smear and propaganda to the public. Well, most of the public. lol
Again, I have no recollection of the media sensation surrounding the allegations against Julian Assange. I must have seen something somewhere. I think I vaguely remember some sort of media big deal with lots of microphones and a close up head shot, but it just wouldn't have registered at the time. It was just some person there was a lot of interest in. Some drama. Something I knew nothing about. Some seconds of footage, I may have barely registered as I walked past the TV.
"Karl Rove's career in U.S. President George W. Bush's administration began shortly after the first inauguration of George W. Bush in January 2001." [here]
"... authors of [book] Bush’s Brain produce material that underscores the fact that for the first time in modern history a president attained office through outright criminality." [WSWS]
Rise of Bush & Rove, apparently, coincided with therise of "semi-fascist elements from the Christian right," and Rove is said to "represents the rise of political gangsterism in the Republican Party." [below & here]
"In 2002 and 2003 Rove chaired meetings of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), an internal White House working group established in August 2002, eight months prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. WHIG was charged with developing a strategy "for publicizing the White House's assertion that Saddam Hussein posed a threat to the United States." [here]
Long-term friend of thenSwedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt (prior PM, said to be the power behind the Sweden PM 'throne' - PM said to defer to him. Bildt exposed as US spy & in English (elsewhere) here (re Expressen's attempt at casting this as 'smear', see WikiLeaks press release - here.
Long-term friend & advisor of thenSwedish PM, Fredrik Reinfeldt
Julian Assange, journalist/publisher, WikiLeaks, who released:
the Collateral Murder video on 5th April 2010 (depicting US war crimes); and
the Afghan War Logs: 2004-2010 (comprising 91,000 US reports), on 25 July 2010);
before going on to release the Iraq War Logs (comprising 391,832 US reports) that same year: October, 2010.
EXTRACTS [this section - not strict order]
Bush’s hatchet man: two biographies of Karl Rove
Bush’s Brain and Boy Genius
By Joanne Laurier 19 July 2003
Both volumes are muckraking accounts of Rove’s career, but despite their varying levels of criticism, the journalist/authors cannot help but express admiration for him. At various moments, it becomes clear that the authors measure Rove by the standards of contemporary American culture: Rove is a success, a “winner” and not a “loser,” no matter how unattractive he is as a personality and political type.
Bush’s Brain begins by claiming that Rove is “something grander” than a presidential advisor. “His influence marks a transcendent moment in American politics: the rise of an unelected consultant to a position of unprecedented power,” which may “raise” constitutional questions. The book’s authors describe Rove as the “co-president of the United States.” This is a remarkable assertion, but even more remarkable is the failure of the authors to grasp that the rise of an unelected consultant takes place as the consequence of the rise of an unelected president! Rove’s prominence is one expression of the quasi-Bonapartist character of the Bush administration.
“Cabinet appointments were vetted through him [Rove], judicial nominations crossed his desk, as did the details of a proposed energy bill, administration policy on stem-cell research, steel tariffs, and health care policy. Nearly every speech was shown to Rove before it was delivered,” asserts Boy Genius.
This wide portfolio is all the more significant because Rove seems to have little interest in the substance of policy, outside of its impact on maintaining political office. He rose through the ranks of the Republican Party as a career political operative, concerned mainly with the process of manipulating public opinion to produce a desired electoral result.
While ahard-core right-winger, Rove is not a product of the Christian fundamentalists, the neo-conservatives, the Southern racists or other factions of the contemporary far right. He comes from a slightly earlier, but equally foul, political tradition—the McCarthyite red-baiter.
Born in Denver in 1950, Rove grew up in Colorado, Utah and Nevada. Beginning his political career as a die-hard Nixonite (from age 9), Rove “escaped the Vietnam draft, but loathed everything those anti-war protesters on TV stood for,” according to Boy Genius. “I came from a relatively conservative state, Utah, and it was hard to sympathize with all those Commies,” proclaimed Rove.
After dropping out of college, Rove’s first foray into dirty tricks campaigning was in Illinois in 1970.
The notion that Bush is unchallengeable, a quasi-mythical being, is patently absurd and, more than anything, demonstrates the political outlook of these supposed critics. The temporary success of the Bush-Rove team has less to do with their innate strength than with the historic collapse of liberalism and the prostration of the Democratic Party. The current crisis arising from the exposure of Bush administration lies about Iraqi “weapons of mass destruction,” whatever its immediate outcome, demonstrates the fundamentally narrow social base of the present regime and its inherent political weakness.
Bush’s eventual victory was only due to the machinations of the Republican Party on election night and in Florida in the subsequent weeks, a conspiracy in which Rove was centrally involved, culminating in the anti-democratic ruling by the US Supreme Court that shut down vote-counting.
To help his clients win office, Rove conducted “whisper wars”—a genteel way of saying slander campaigns—against political opponents. Whispers of homosexuality in the Texas state government purportedly undermined the gubernatorial campaign of incumbent Ann Richards in her unsuccessful 1994 fight against Rove’s client George W Bush. The same tactic was used in the 2000 GOP primary against John McCain. Rumors were circulated that McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, had become mentally unhinged as a result of his imprisonment.
Although Bush was Rove’s premier asset—“the keys to the kingdom”—the latter maintained a list of private business clients who paid for his political advice. Among them was tobacco giant Philip Morris, which hired Rove to provide “political intelligence.” Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Angolan anti-communist guerrilla leader and mass murderer Jonas Savimbi also paid Rove to lobby for them.
The authors of Bush’s Brain produce material that underscores the fact that for the first time in modern history a president attained office through outright criminality. Documents released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) some 19 months after the election reveal that the Bush team flew an estimated 250 operatives to Florida to disrupt the vote recount. Dubbed the “Brooks Brothers Riots” (after the upscale clothing worn by the disrupters), a successful effort was organized to stop the recount in Miami-Dade county of the estimated 10,000 “undervotes”—ballots for which no presidential choice had been registered by the original machine count.
The authors of Bush’s Brain contend that “Rove represents a new species of advisor,” a “product of the permanent campaign, the co-president, whose relationship with Bush, and his faithful guidance, have put him at the heart of power in a manner unknown to previous political consultants and U.S. electoral history.” But Rove must be placed within the appropriate political context—the takeover of the Republican Party by semi-fascist elements from the Christian right. He represents the rise of political gangsterism in the Republican Party, and his current political “success” is the product of the alliance of these forces with the Christian fundamentalists, for which he has been a leading facilitator.
In general, the authors elevate Rove’s role at the expense of other members of the Bush administration, such as Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Both books tend to exaggerate his significance in order to avoid a more probing analysis of the present government and the political and social crisis in America.
Nonetheless, the ascent of this right-wing mediocrity, whose only apparent skill is manipulation and deceit, to the highest levels of power is telling. It is one expression of the decay of bourgeois democracy in the US and the degeneration of the ruling elite as a whole. In the final analysis, semi-criminal elements like Rove come out of the woodwork to attempt to rescue, by any means necessary, a fatally diseased American capitalism.
Richard Phillips: Can you comment on the latest details of the United States grand jury indictment and what happens if you’re extradited to Sweden?
Julian Assange: The new evidence that emerged from the Stratfor files—emails from a Texas-based private intelligence agency—show that the US government has obtained a secret grand jury indictment against me. The US ambassador to the United Kingdom, Louis Susman, stated in February 2011 that the US government would wait and see what happened with the current Swedish extradition case as to whether it would pursue extradition itself.
The US ambassador to Australia [Jeffrey L. Bleich], one week prior to Obama’s recent visit, also told the Australian media that the Australian government might have to consider its extradition obligations in relation to me, presumably in case I returned to Australia. And while WikiLeaks has many of its people under legal attack, the organisation itself is also under an extra-judicial financial blockade. There are some 40 people who have been swept up in operations by the FBI, Scotland Yard or other police forces.
... Even if we are successful in the Supreme Court, the situation will be similar because the United States is likely to unseal its espionage charges through the grand jury and apply directly for my extradition from Great Britain.
RP: Do you have any detailed information on direct collusion between Britain, the US and Sweden over your extradition?
JA: What we can say publicly is that on December 8, 2010, the Independent newspaper published a report about informal contacts that were already occurring at that stage between the US and Sweden in relation to my extradition. The Australian embassy in Washington also sent a cable to Canberra round this time, stating that the US intelligence and criminal investigation into WikiLeaks was of “unprecedented scale and nature.” It also said that the criminal prosecution in relation to me was “active and vigorous”. That material was the result of a Freedom of Information request and printed in the Sydney Morning Herald a few months ago.
The UK crown prosecution service has also refused a request under the Freedom of Information Act in relation to communications over potential extradition arrangements, stating that it would affect Great Britain’s diplomatic relations with other countries. In the middle of last year, the UK’s extradition reform panel, which was appointed by the home secretary, met with Eric Holder, the US attorney general, and a number of members of the Defence Department in the United States. In addition, there have beenother recent meetings between Carl Bildt, the Swedish minister of foreign affairs [and close friend of Karl Rove], and William Haig, the UK foreign affairs minister.
RP: Can you comment on the role being played by Australia’s Gillard government?
JA: The reaction by the Gillard government to WikiLeaks activities, in particular our release of the US diplomatic cables, was publicly the worst of any nation. Gillard falsely stated that our organisation was engaged in illegal activities. This was found to be false by an Australian Federal Police investigation.
Together with the attorney general, she initiated a “whole of government task force” against WikiLeaks, recruiting the Australian Federal Police, the external intelligence agency ASIS, the domestic intelligence agency ASIO, the defence department and the attorney general’s department. Publicly, Gillard has not issued a single statement of support and we are not aware of any private support.
The US government is trying to erect a new interpretation of what it means to be a journalist. It wants any communications with a source to be viewed legally as a conspiracy. In other words, it wants journalists to be completely passive receptacles for others. But this is simply not how national security journalism has been traditionally done. If they succeed, it will be the end of national security journalism in the West as we know it.
These attacks on us have also been picked up by other countries and used to legitimise their own crackdowns. For example, two Swedish journalists are currently being jailed in Ethiopia. They were investigating a Swedish oil company by the name of Lundin—Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildthad previously been a director of the company—but have been sentenced to 11 years jail in Ethiopia on terrorism charges. The Ethiopian prime minister says that it is perfectly acceptable to treat journalists this way and has pointed to my circumstances as justification.
The issues facing WikiLeaks are entirely political and therefore a matter of public concern. My message to people everywhere is: do not wait until WikiLeaks is bankrupted or its members extradited to the United States before acting. It will be too late then. If people act strongly now, then the organisation will succeed. WikiLeaks has a lot of support and we’re battle hardened now. We’re not going down without a fight and if everyone pulls together then we will win.
Rove Suspected In Swedish-U.S. Political Prosecution of WikiLeaks
EXTRACT
Rove has advised Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt for the past two yearsafter resigning as Bush White House political advisor in mid-2007.
Legal Schnauzer blogger Roger Shuler scooped me on the story about Rove's Swedish work in a Dec. 14 column, "Is Karl Rove Driving the Effort to Prosecute Julian Assange?" But a big part of our role as web journalists should be following up on each other's work.
Shuler is an expert on how Rove-era "Loyal Bushies" undertook political prosecutions against Democrats on trumped up corruption charges across the Deep South, including against former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, his state's leading Democrat. The Siegelman case has turned into most notorious U.S. political prosecution of the decade, as readers here well know. It altered that state's politics and improved business opportunities for companies well-connected to Bush, Rove and their state GOP supporters.
Is Karl Rove Driving the Effort to Prosecute Julian Assange?
EXTRACT
That Assange's legal troubles would originate in Sweden probably is not a coincidence, our source says. Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has been called "the Ronald Reagan of Europe," and he has a friendship with Rove that dates back at least 10 years, to the George W. Bush campaign for president in 2000. Reinfeldt reportedly asked Rove to help with his 2010 re-election in Sweden.
On the hot seat for his apparent role in the political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, Rove sought comfort in Sweden. "When [Rove] was in trouble and did not want to testify on the three times he was invited [by the U.S. Congress], he wound up in Sweden," our source says. "Further, it was [Reinfeldt] that first hired Karl when he got thrown out of the White House.
"Clearly, it appears that [Rove], who claims to be of Swedish descent, feels a kinship to Sweden . . . and he has taken advantage of it several times."
Why would Rove be interested in corralling Julian Assange? To help protect the Bush legacy, our source says. "The very guy who has released the documents that damage the Bushes the most is also the guy that the Bush's number one operative can control by being the Swedish prime minister's brain and intelligence and economic advisor."
PM's Biographer Sees Rove Influence In Swedish Politics
EXTRACT
George W. Reinfeldt: The art of making a political extreme makeover
Dr. Brian Palmer of Uppsala University in Sweden provided an illuminating interview on the Jan.13 edition of my Washington Update radio show regarding the influence of Karl Rove on Swedish politics as an advisor to the governing Moderate Party.
Press Council chair vows to fight for press freedom and disclosure standards for native ads
The chair of the Australian Press Council David Weisbrot has pledged to fight for press freedom and create a new model for defamation laws to help protect freedom of speech in Australia following the passage of recent terrorism Bills through Parliament.
Speaking to an audience at the Melbourne Press Club today, Weisbrot, who has headed the APC since March, said “times have changed” and the APC’s role “in advancing freedom of the press” cannot be “largely restricted to its complaints-handling function”.
“Freedom of speech and freedom of the press may have a strong cultural hold in Australia, but they rest on flimsy legal foundations,” Weisbrot said, in an address in which he also outlined plans for disclosure requirements around native content.
“Unfortunately, the traditionally fine balance has been tipping steadily against freedom in recent times. We’ve had 40 ‘anti-terrorism’ laws passed, often with insufficient Parliamentary scrutiny of the potential effects on free speech and press freedom.”
Outlining amendments to the ASIO Act – the new metadata retention laws – which Weisbrot describes as a “crushing blow to investigative journalism and freedom of the press” he said: “In these circumstances, it is not sufficient to hope that publishers will be successful in resisting these incursions, and the Press Council must take a stand in favour of free speech and press freedom liberty.”
As such, Weisbrot said the APC must “actively work to diminish private or civil obstacles to investigative reporting, press freedom and free speech” thus pledging to lead a process, to culminate in May, “to develop a Model Uniform Defamation Law for Australia of which we can finally be proud”.
In his speech Weisbrot also outlined the APC’s plans to develop and provide education and training programs for working journalists, cadets and others on the APC’s standards and on emerging issues such as metadata retention, secrecy laws, whistleblower laws and anti-terrorism laws.
“We urgently need to move away from the system of punishing individual transgressions in our industry and feeling that such action alone maintains high standards across the entire profession,” he said.
“While the need to identify and sanction poor practice will remain, there are much better strategies for achieving industry-wide improvement, and reassuring the community that this is the case.”
Weisbrot also outlined draft proposals for specific standards reporting of family violence, reporting of child sexual assault, respectful reporting around LGBTI individuals and issues, respectful reporting around race and religion and labelling/disclosure requirements around sponsored or native content “so as not to mislead readers about the nature of the material”.
He is also looking at drafting standards on the appropriation and publication of online photos and the “‘right to be forgotten’, with the need to balance the relevance of stale/sealed/expunged convictions versus the improper alteration or erasure of history”.
The APC chair also pledged to broaden the council’s membership, looking to engage with the multicultural press.
“The current leadership of the Council is strongly committed to engaging with the multicultural press in Australia and encouraging the Council’s inclusiveness, both in terms of formal membership as well as in access to Council programs and activities,” Weisbrot said.
Emeritus Professor of Law and Honorary Professor of Medicine at University of Sydney
David Weisbrot AM is an Emeritus Professor of Law and Honorary Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
David was President of the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) from 1999-2009, where he led 15 major national inquiries, including the landmark inquiries into the Protection of Human Genetic Information (Essentially Yours) and Gene Patenting and Human Health (Genes and Ingenuity). [here]
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All of the above sounds like bad news to me.
Forget the fluff about 'freedom of press'. This is like those US operations that are euphemistically named the opposite of the aggressive acts they involve.
Maybe the news should go underground like those blackmarket sites. LOL
EU-NATO IMPERIALISM ❌ 
