British Government Observes International Law Regarding Netanyahu Immunity | Violates International Law On Political Asylum Granted to Assange

Petition  Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested for war crimes when he arrives in London Benjamin Netanyahu is to hold talks in London this September. Under international law he should be arrested for war crimes upon arrival in the U.K for the massacre of over 2000 civilians in 2014 Sign this petition 76,065 signatures SOURCE | here SOURCE http://rinf.com/alt-news/editorials/british-government-benjamin-netanyahu-immune-from-arrest/ British Government: Benjamin Netanyahu immune from arrest Aug 22, 2015 RINF Alternative News As the petition for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reaches in excess of 75,000 signatures, the British Government has issued an official statement which clears the war criminal of any wrong doing, despite tens of thousands of UK citizens calling for his arrest for the massacre of more than 2000 civilians in 2014. Today the British Government issued this statement: Under UK and international law, visiting heads of foreign governments, such as Prime Minister Netanyahu, have immunity from legal process, and cannot be arrested or detained. The British Government has invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as head of the Israeli Government, to visit the UK in September. Under UK and international law, certain holders of high-ranking office in a State, including Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs are entitled to immunity, which includes inviolability and complete immunity from criminal jurisdiction. We recognise that the conflict in Gaza last year took a terrible toll. As the Prime Minister said, we were all deeply saddened by the violence and the UK has been at the forefront of international reconstruction efforts. However the Prime Minister was clear on the UK’s recognition of Israel’s right to take proportionate action to defend itself, within the boundaries of international humanitarian law. We condemn the terrorist tactics of Hamas who fired rockets on Israel, built extensive tunnels to kidnap and murder, and repeatedly refused to accept ceasefires. Israel, like any state, has the right to ensure its own security, as its citizens also have the right to live without fear of attack. The UK consistently urged Israel to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties, to exercise restraint, and to help find ways to bring the situation to an end. The UK continues to urge the parties to give priority to reaching a durable solution for Gaza which addresses the underlying drivers of conflict, and to take the necessary practical steps to ensure Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery. We welcome the fact that Israel is conducting internal investigations into specific incidents during Operation Protective Edge. Where there is evidence of wrongdoing those responsible must be held accountable whatever their position in society. Both parties must also demonstrate robust and credible internal investigations which are in line with international standards. We have also encouraged the Israeli authorities, as we do all countries, to cooperate with the independent Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the preliminary examination into the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 13 June, 2014, whilst noting that Israel is not a State Party to the ICC. The UK is a close friend of Israel and we enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship, built on decades of cooperation between our two countries across a range of fields. Our priority for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the achievement of a two-state solution, based on 1967 borders. We continue to believe that negotiations will be necessary in order to achieve this, and that both parties need to focus on steps that are conducive to peace. The UK Government will reinforce this message to Mr Netanyahu during his visit. SOURCE http://rinf.com/alt-news/editorials/british-government-benjamin-netanyahu-immune-from-arrest/ ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- COMMENT Britain’s David Cameron and his government are selective when it comes to observing international law. Israel may commit large-scale civilian slaughter with impunity, and David Cameron's Britain is in full support.  But, of course.  That's to be expected. Cameron relies on 'international law' in this instance, to justify Britain’s refusal to act against Israel. On the other hand, Britain doesn't have the same regard for international law when it comes to the political asylum granted by Ecuador to Julian Assange. 1. The Right of a State to Grant Asylum. The right of a state to grant asylum is well established in international law. It follows from the principle that every sovereign state is deemed to, have  exclusive control over its territory and hence over persons present in its territory. One of the implications of this generally recognized rule is that every sovereign state has the right to grant or deny asylum to persons located within its boundaries.' Traditionally, thus, in international law, the right of asylum has been viewed as the right of a state, rather than the right of an individual.  There is little dispute as to this general principle of international law. It is confirmed in international and regional instruments as well as in state practice. First, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides in Article 14(1) inter alia the right of each individual to "enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution".  The late Professor Hersch Lauterpacht noted that this wording was introduced by the British delegation, interpreting it as meaning "the right of every state to offer refuge and to resist all demands for extradition.".. Professor Lauterpacht commented that such a right is one, "which every state.., possesses under international law. Second, the Declaration on Territorial Asylum adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1967 provides in Article 1(1) that, "[a]sylum granted by a State, in the exercise of its sovereignty, to persons entitled to invoke Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,... shall be respected by all other States."  Further, the Article 1(3) of this Declaration vests the state of asylum with authority "to evaluate the grounds for the grant of asylum."   [...] Under international law, states have a right to grant asylum and a duty not to prevent those who wish to emigrate or seek asylum elsewhere from doing so. SOURCE |  PDF - Duke University | here Ecuador relies on Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights (1948), among an extensive number of other instruments  | here British hypocrites own words regarding asylum here: "the right of every state to offer refuge and to resist all demands for extradition." Check out what else the sneaky, hypocritical, British government is getting up to: Tories plan to withdraw UK from European convention on human rights [Chris] Grayling said a Tory government would withdraw from the convention if parliament failed to secure the right to veto judgments from the European court of human rights (ECHR). Tories would reverse more than half a century’s tradition of human rights authority residing in Europe by giving parliament the right to veto judgments. The authority of the court in Strasbourg would be severely curtailed, with parliament given the final say in deciding whether or not to adopt ECHR decisions. SOURCE |  here Move also clears the way for military abuses: "The impact would be wide-ranging. UK armed forces would cease to be subject to human rights legislation overseas"  [ibid] ꕤ

Iran Air Flight 655 | Shot Down by US Navy Captian | USS Vincennes | US Govt Lies & Cover-Up

SOURCE | here America’s Flight 17 The time the United States blew up a passenger plane—and tried to cover it up. By Fred Kaplan Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci answers questions from the press regarding the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 at the Pentagon on Aug. 19, 1988. Photo by Josn Oscar Sosa/U.S. Federal Government SELECTED EXTRACTS ONLY [... ] ... it’s worth looking back at another doomed passenger plane—Iran Air Flight 655—shot down on July 3, 1988, not by some scruffy rebel on contested soil but by a U.S. Navy captain in command of an Aegis-class cruiser called the Vincennes. [...] ... and one of the Pentagon’s most inexcusable disgraces. [...] ... the Iranian Airbus A300 wandered into a naval skirmish—one of many clashes in the ongoing “Tanker War” (another forgotten conflict)—in the Strait of Hormuz. [...] ... the U.S. Navy captain, Will Rogers III, mistook the Airbus for an F-14 fighter jet. [...] ... the American SM-2 surface-to-air missile that downed the Iranian plane killed 290 passengers, including 66 children.  [...] after the 1988 incident, American officials told various lies and blamed the Iranian pilot. Not until eight years later did the U.S. government compensate the victims’ families, and even then expressed “deep regret,” not an apology. The USS Vincennes returns from deployment on Oct. 24, 1988, just months after shooting down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by Ronald W. Erdrich/U.S. Navy As the Boston Globe’s defense correspondent at the time, I reported on the Vincennes shoot-down, and I have gone back over my clips, chronicling the official lies and misstatements as they unraveled.  Here’s the truly dismaying part of the story. On Aug. 19, 1988, nearly seven weeks after the event, the Pentagon issued a 53-page report on the incident. Though the text didn’t say so directly, it found that nearly all the initial details about the shoot-down—the “facts” that senior officials cited to put all the blame on Iran Air’s pilot—were wrong. And yet the August report still concluded that the captain and all the other Vincennes officers acted properly. For example, on July 3, at the first Pentagon press conference on the incident, Adm. William Crowe, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the Iranian plane had been flying at 9,000 feet and descending at a “high speed” of 450 knots, “headed directly” for the Vincennes. In fact, however, the Aug. 19 report—written by Rear Adm. William Fogarty of U.S. Central Command—concluded (from computer tapes found inside the ship’s combat information center) that the plane was “ascending through 12,000 feet” at the much slower speed of 380 knots. “At no time” did the Airbus “actually descend in altitude,” the report stated. When I pointed out this discrepancy at the press conference where the report was handed out, Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci waved me away and said, “It’s really questionable whether a different reading would have affected the judgment” to shoot down the plane. (I still find this astonishing.) There were other equally disturbing discrepancies between Crowe’s July 3 press conference (which struck me as suspicious even at the time) and Fogarty’s Aug. 19 report. Crowe had said the plane was flying “outside the prescribed commercial air route”; the report said it was flying “within the established air route.” Crowe had said the plane’s transponder was “squawking” a code over the “Mode 2” military channel; the report stated that it was squawking over the “Mode 3” civilian channel. Crowe had said the Vincennes issued several warnings; the report confirmed this, but noted, “Due to heavy pilot workload during take-off and climb-out, and the requirement to communicate with” two air traffic control centers, the pilot “probably was not monitoring” the international air-distress channel. Adm. George B. Crist, head of U.S. Central Command, issued a “non-punitive letter of censure” to the ship’s anti–air warfare officer, but Secretary of Defense Carlucci withdrew the letter. Not only that, but two years later, Capt. Rogers was issued the Legion of Merit “for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service” as the Vincennes’ commander “from April 1987 to May 1989.” One more shocking bit, which I didn’t know until just now: In 1992, four years after the event (and shortly after I moved on to a different beat), Adm. Crowe admitted on ABC’s Nightline that the Vincennes was in Iranian waters at the time it shot down the plane. Back in 1988, he and others had said that the ship was in international waters. It also came out that some other Navy officers had regarded Rogers as “aggressive” and found it strange that he was moving his Aegis cruiser into those waters to pursue Iranian patrol boats—overkill at best, asking for trouble in any case. The distractions of the chase, possibly combined with the fact that the Aegis radar-guided missile system was new at the time, may have led to his fatal misjudgment. Not long after the shoot-down, Iran asked the United Nations Security Council to censure the United States for its “criminal act” against Iran Air Flight 655. Vice President George H.W. Bush, who was running to succeed Ronald Reagan as president, said on the campaign trail, “I will never apologize for the United States—I don’t care what the facts are.” Finally, in 1996, President Bill Clinton’s administration expressed “deep regret” and paid the Iranian government $131.8 million in compensation, of which $61.8 million would go to the victims’ families. In exchange, Tehran agreed to drop its case against the United States in the International Court of Justice. Many Iranians continued to believe, for many years, that the shoot-down was deliberate. They found it hard to believe that the United States Navy, with its polish and dazzle, could have committed such a ghastly deed by mistake. And they were ready to believe that America—“the Great Satan,” after all—was capable of such evil. [ ... ] First, things like this happen when the zones of war and normal life intersect. Best to avoid mingling the two or, if it can’t be helped, to hold the reins tight, as they slip out of control too easily. More than this, it’s best to own up to horrible mistakes. America might have come away with a better image, at a crucial moment in Middle East conflicts, if President Reagan or George H.W. Bush had quickly acknowledged what was clear to several senior officers, admitted blame, and compensated the victims. [...] SOURCE | here MORE  |  here COMMENT That was very interesting. I would have read about this some time ago, but I have poor recall of the details.  It was good revisiting. The dishonesty, the cover-ups, and the arrogance shouldn't be surprising ... but I'm always shocked. Iran Revolution 1979: " ... royal reign collapsed shortly after on February 11 when guerrillas and rebel troops overwhelmed troops loyal to the Shah in armed street fighting, bringing Khomeini to official power."  "Iran voted by national referendum to become an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979, and to approve a new theocratic-republican constitution whereby Khomeini became Supreme Leader of the country, in December 1979."  [source | here ] So the present Iran authorities (in power since 1979 revolution) accepted compensation 1996. No use complaining that the US does not get prosecuted if governments are willing to accept compensation in exchange for dropping law suits. ꕤ

Iran | Civilian Aircraft Downed by US 1988 | 290 Killed

[source:  twitter] Caught my attention on Twitter. I'd forgotten about the passenger jet shot down. Not sure who posted it; was too lazy to make a note at the time. Well, too tired & sleepy.  Signed out now.  Can check tomorrow, I guess. I'd like to keep going, but I think I'd better get out of this chair before I have an embolism or something.  lol UPDATE America’s Flight 17 The time the United States blew up a passenger plane—and tried to cover it up. By Fred Kaplan  EXTRACTS ... Iran Air Flight 655—shot down on July 3, 1988, not by some scruffy rebel on contested soil but by a U.S. Navy captain in command of an Aegis-class cruiser called the Vincennes. A quarter-century later, the Vincennes is almost completely forgotten, but it still ranks as the world’s seventh deadliest air disaster (Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is the sixth) and one of the Pentagon’s most inexcusable disgraces. SOURCE  |  here UPDATE Was curious what was happening circa 1988 & here's just a couple of events: 1988 ECHELON surveillance  |  ('Five Eye') Duncan Campbell revealed existence of the ECHELON surveillance program in 1988  / (US-Anglo 'Five Eye' alliance satellite trunk communications sweeping intercepts).  | here South Africa (Eastern Cape) spy cover was blown Olivia Forsyth spy of apartheid era     imprisoned by ANC in Angola     escaped to British Embassy     recruited by 'notorious' Craig Williamson     infiltration of ANC supporters     spying on lefties     defection to ANC     journalist One of the most notorious of the Eastern Cape spies was Agent RS407 Olivia Forsyth - code name "Lara" - who infiltrated activist groups at Rhodes University as a student and sang freedom songs while passing on information to the security police. In 1988 her cover was blown and she was detained and tortured in an ANC prison camp in Angola, from which she escaped.  |  LINK  |  here South Africa government spy organisation links with: 1986 assassination Sweden PM Olof Palme *** key suspect no longer has an alibi for the night in question  *** "Larsson passed police the name of Bertil Wedin, a Swede with links to South African security services, as the man who organised the killing. Wedin, now living in northern Cyprus, denies this and police say he is not a suspect." "Kerstin Sharp, a Swedish prosecutor who has worked on the case since 1997, said earlier this week that Larsson's tip about Wedin was not part of the police investigation." Source | The Guardian |  here ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- Sweden does not follow up on the assassination of their iconic Prime Minister, but Sweden mounts a European Arrest Warrant, Interpol Red Notice, and dramatic London arrest of journalist Julian Assange ... to 'make inquiries' about Sweden police 'allegations' ... that were contradicted by the alleged 'victims.' Think about that for a moment & consider that 5 years down the track, Sweden has refused to interview Julian Assange (granted political asylum) in London, where Sweden has interviewed 44 others in the 2010-2015 period.  Sweden’s double standards on Julian Assange http://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/civil-liberties/sweden-s-double-standards-julian-assange ꕤ

Cecilia Malmström | European Commissioner for Home Affairs | Interferes Judicial Process 2012 | Prejudicial Statement

⟴   Malmström Worked closely with US interests | 2012 joint briefing with US attorney-general Eric Holder |  Malmström has co-authored an article with Holder  | here CHECK THIS OUT PEOPLE PREJUDICIAL PRESS STATEMENT BY SWEDISH MINISTER Top EU official tells Julian Assange: 'Just go to Sweden and answer the questions' Martin Bentham 3 December 2012 09:24 London 2012-12-03 09:24:50 Monday 3 December 2012 09:24 GMT One of Europe’s leading officials has waded into the row over the Julian Assange case by telling the WikiLeaks founder that he should “just go” to Sweden to face the sex crime allegations against him. Cecilia Malmström, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, said Mr Assange, 41, who is sheltering in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, should “answer the questions” about his alleged attacks on two women. She also dismissed his claim that he would be extradited to the US, saying that she did not “believe for a minute” that it would happen and that it was only a “purely theoretical” risk. “I’m not engaged in this, I know there are talks. But he’s accused of rape, of sexual harassment and if he’s innocent, which he might be — I don’t know — why doesn’t he just go and answer the questions? I don’t believe for a minute that’s why he would go to the US,” Ms Malmström said. Her comments, made after a briefing with journalists in Brussels, will be welcomed by ministers as they try to extradite Mr Assange to Sweden on a European arrest warrant. The WikiLeaks boss fled to the Ecuadorean embassy, where he is now reported to be suffering from a chronic lung condition, in June to claim asylum after judges ruled that he should be sent to Sweden to face prosecutors. He claims the Swedish extradition bid is a ploy to secure his transfer to the US and denies the allegations against him, which include having sex with a sleeping woman and having unprotected intercourse without consent. But Ms Malmström, who comes from Sweden, dismissed his claims about the threat from American prosecutors. “He is asked to come to Sweden because he’s accused of some crimes. He stays in the embassy. For the moment there is no solution. Whether Sweden would extradite him to the US or not, that is up to the Swedish authorities to decide. I don’t think that would happen. That’s purely theoretical.” Ecuador’s ambassador to London, Ana Alban, has called for Mr Assange to be granted safe passage so that he can receive hospital treatment. Ministers have said that they will not prevent Mr Assange, an Australian citizen, from receiving medical treatment, but have warned that he will be arrested if he leaves the embassy. SOURCE http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/top-eu-official-tells-julian-assange-just-go-to-sweden-and-answer-the-questions-8375231.html COMMENT   “I’m not engaged in this, I know there are talks. But he’s accused of rape, of sexual harassment ... Cecilia Malmström ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- (1) disregarding for a moment that these are flimsy and highly suspect Sweden police allegations, publicly contradicted by the alleged 'victims' [here]; (2) Setting aside the remarks from a woman minister, calculated to stir up a frenzy of outraged, public response by invoking alleged accusations of 'rape' and 'sexual harassment,' as an obligatory AND 'beyond-question' rationale, slyly imposed upon the target of political persecution, to leverage demand for submitting to what amounts to risk of life imprisonment or death sentence, attached to WHAT IS UNREASONABLE DEMAND for TRANSFER to SWEDISH SOIL for an 'INTERVIEW' ... that could be conducted in United Kingdom ...  regarding mere *investigation* of highly suspect Sweden police allegations (allegations which were previously dismissed by a competent Swedish prosecutor); ... read on:   Malmstrom is a Swedish minister who has either taken it upon herself, or has been instructed, to stage a press propaganda smear of Assange, while innocently batting her eyelids, stating to the gathered press: I don’t know — why doesn’t he just go and answer the questions? Cecilia Malmström * not responsible for this matter * So, this is not her area of responsibility and she is not in a position to make credible assessments or statements (leaving aside the problem of political figures making such prejudicial public statements concerning matters before the courts). Oh, puleez!  As if Swedish minister, Malmstrom, and her fellow politicians don't know exactly what the score is. As for the progress of the Swedish inquiry, it is incumbent on the Swedish prosecution to take the first - and ALL necessary steps - towards furthering any legal matter, including this Swedish 'inquiry'. Of course, the shift of focus is from the more pertinent question:  Why had Sweden *not* made appropriate interview arrangements, as at Malmstrom's Dec 2012 statement:  2 years into the fake 'inquiry' - despite ample opportunity and legal precedent? July 2012 Ecuador Embassy notification of willingness to facilitate interview for which Assange is available August 2015 Reality Sweden Refused to Interview Assange in Britain Where Sweden Interviewed 44 Others Between 2010 & 2015 POLITICAL PERSECUTION The Target of the prejudicial propaganda and media smear was not interviewed by Sweden, although interview was sought by Assange throughout, and ample opportunity was given for such an interview in Britain. THREE (3) YEARS after Malmstrom's performance for the world media, Sweden has shown itself unwilling and uninterested in furthering their bogus 'inquiry' into flimsy, Sweden police allegations. Sweden has interviewed 44 persons in Britain between 2010 and 2015, but has not interviewed Julian Assange in London, because:  THIS is political persecution and Sweden is both committed and determined to force Julian Assange onto Swedish soil, so that he can be extradited to the United States. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT  ⟴   Malmström Worked closely with US interests | 2012 joint briefing with US attorney-general Eric Holder |  Malmström has co-authored an article with Holder  | here ---------------------- ꕤ  ----------------------   Please Support Journalist Julian Assange Justice4Assange https://justice4assange.com/ ꕤ

Massive US Intelligence Incursion on Civilian Population Planned | 'US Wants Private Companies to Spy on Americans'

SOURCE http://www.sott.net/article/300055-U-S-intelligence-agencies-want-even-more-cooperation-from-private-business-to-monitor-people U.S. intelligence agencies want even more cooperation from private business to monitor people RT Tue, 11 Aug 2015 13:46 UTC Image © Beawiharta / Reuters The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence wants to make it easier for private, "uncleared" companies, which don't usually aid the intelligence community (such as ridesharing company Uber) to contribute to next generation surveillance needs. The strategy to encourage unconventional partners to collaborate with intelligence agencies is part of a recently released, unclassified roadmap that outlines the future of data analysis. The "Enhanced Processing and Management of Data from Disparate Sources," as the plan is called, explains six areas that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), led by James Clapper, believes will be crucial for surveillance community in the near future. "One of our goals for the coming year is to try and extend our outreach via whichever trade associations are willing to take it on, into the uncleared community as well," David Honey, the ODNI director of science and technology, told Nextgov. "That's why getting this information on to the ODNI's open website was so important to us. We want to have that outreach to the nontraditionals to include the uncleared performer community so that they can gain insight into what the challenges are that we face so that they can come forward with ideas." Accessing private sector research and syncing it with ODNI threat assessments for the future means "the right technology will be ready at the right time at the right price," Nextgov reported. For example, ride-sharing company Uber could offer the government tools that could be molded to fit intelligence-gathering needs, Honey said. "Maybe they've got scheduling algorithms that would help us with our logistics problems," he said. "If we can leverage those kinds of tools, maybe we gotta adapt them a little bit, but that certainly beats having to go and pay for those things from scratch." Comment: It's hard to believe that a relatively recent business like Uber could be better at logistics than the U.S. government. This is likely just a bland excuse given to hide the real purpose, to be better able to monitor as many people as possible. Some areas ODNI is seeking to develop, according to Nextgov, include: "expertise in determining the biases of social media site moderators, geolocation in the presence of encryption, room temperature quantum computing, and immersive virtual world user experience." While the intelligence community's go-to technology development firms are reliable partners, Honey said some of the nontraditional players have the luxury of thinking outside intelligence-gathering frames that could lead to applications valuable to ODNI. Honey said US intel agencies and those reliable partners are crowdsourcing updates to their five-year science and technology strategy in order to match ODNI needs with corporate projects via a classified website. Spy agencies "need to be able to post the challenge in a way that the system automatically alerts the right technology suppliers," Honey said, adding "if you're a technology provider and you are posting new solutions, the solutions need to be able to find their way to the customer" with ease. With that in mind, he said ODNI may create an unclassified public online portal for those without a security clearance to offer suggestions for the strategy. Honey said ODNI will gather interested businesses next week to begin developing ways to measure the intel community's progress in addressing their five-year strategic plan. "If you are too close to the classified information, you are going to try to create a faster horse," Honey said. "Quite often, people who have just a general knowledge of what we're trying to do are in a better position to help us think about new solutions, than those who are deeply ingrained in the machine." The Obama administration has requested $53.9 billion to fund the ODNI in 2016. SOURCE http://www.sott.net/article/300055-U-S-intelligence-agencies-want-even-more-cooperation-from-private-business-to-monitor-people ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- SUMMARY US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)   Head:  James Clapper, Director ODNI Program:  'Enhanced Processing and Management of Data from Disparate Sources' 6-Area Plan Civilian Surveillance Partner Outreach Areas of expertise sought: biases of social media site moderators geolocation in the presence of encryption room temperature quantum computing immersive virtual world user experience Seek to utilise non-traditional players outside of intel community to exploit: thinking outside the box / ie outside intelligence-gathering frames may create public online portal for anyone who wishes to assist the totalitarian state in becoming more totalitarian nutting out how to measure the progress/success of the 5-year strategic plan ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT What happens in the US doesn't stay in the US. Expect this to be applied by US intelligence partners as well, in some form or other. That's $53.9 billion in 2016 for this sector assigned to keeping the subjugated population under totalitarian control ... Mein Gott! And this is only a fraction of what this totalitarian state spends on maintaining surveillance and other forms of such control. Hypocrites have smeared the Russians for years for what they themselves have done and continue to do.    lol PS ... sounds like they're hiring hackers.  lol Oh, and this social media surveillance stuff sounds seriously sick.  ꕤ

FREE ASSANGE | 10 Reasons Assange Held 5 Years No Charge, London

TEN REASONS ASSANGE DETAINED 5 YEARS, NO CHARGE LONDON HERE Assange has been granted political asylum and is under siege in the Ecuador embassy because WikiLeaks have exposed US and allied war crimes.  The authorities who have deprived Assange of liberty for almost 5 years without charge on flimsy Sweden police allegations of 'sexual misconduct,' are themselves stained by blood of war crimes which were exposed by WikiLeaks. As evidenced by: a litany of atrocities and illegal abuses (exposed by WikiLeaks and others); and the subsequent, politically motivated, persecution of journalist, Julian Assange; the West is controlled by a coterie of corrupt, lying, increasingly totalitarian, corporate-serving, politician and intelligence representatives of unseen, modern-day 'kings' of what has become a single, corporate imperialist,  supranational state. Unseen and unelected, these usurping 'kings' of surrendered Western national democracies and their politician servants, have consistently shown contempt for democracy, democratic freedoms, civil liberties, transparency, accountability, justice, and both international and domestic law. Lip service is paid to 'freedom,' 'democracy' and 'values' by the politician puppets of the powerful, even while these same puppets sanction violation of principles upon which they claim to rely. These are the same principles that are routinely misused and violated in order to commission, and to conceal, crimes and attrocities committed all over the world. Detaining Assange for almost 5 years, based on flimsy Sweden police allegations has been engineered in order to extradite Julian Assange to the US, by authorities whose position of corrupt power was exposed and therefore challenged. War crimes, state criminality, CIA torture, mass surveillance, and many more violations have been exposed. As a ground-breaking whilstleblower publisher and journalist, Assange is facing US extradition and a life sentence, or the death penalty:  in a nominally democratic usurped American republic whose plutocrat-controlled and campaign-bought politicians rightfully have no mandate to silence journalism - nor jurisdiction over foreign journalism.    To that end, the US is making moves to redefine journalism as 'espionage' and 'terrorism.' Assange is under siege because his gaolers and the war criminals that WikiLeaks exposed are one and the same. Each day for almost 5 years, these guilty, colluding, partnered supranational coalition of powers have committed the injustice of detaining Julian Assange on politically and otherwise expedient, flimsy Sweden police allegations, while deceiving the public by claiming to uphold 'justice.' In reality, these authorities have no regard whatsoever for justice (see release of Pinochet (crimes against humanity) by Britain; Britian & other(s) sidestepping Tzipli Livni arrest warrant (see alleged war crimes, Israel), & more). Meanwhile, the corporate serving press that's supposed to be the pillar of this exalted 'democracy,' disseminates a diet of propaganda and smear to the uninformed public. M O C K E R Y Mouthpieces of a nation lulled into commission of: ⟴ War Crimes ⟴ ⟴ CIA Torture ⟴ ⟴ Massacres ⟴ DECLARE Julian Assange 'Terrorist' for revealing TRUTH And Call for Assassination of Assange MILLIONS OF POUNDS BRITAIN SPENDS to POLITICALLY PERSECUTE JOURNALIST JULIAN ASSANGE |   https://govwaste.co.uk/   |  Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zty2WxVnklI [ FREE ASSANGE - AUG 2015 - 'MANIFESTO' ] ꕤ

PageLink - Gen Stanley A. McChrystal

Gen Stanley A. McChrystal "known for saying and thinking what other military leaders were afraid to" *one of the reasons cited for his appointment* to lead all forces in Afghanistan AFGHANISTAN post fm:  June 15, 2009 - June 23, 2010 Defence Secretary Robert Gates: "perhaps the finest warrior and leader of men in combat I (have) ever met." Last assignment: Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Commander, US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) Director, Joint Staff fm Aug 2008 - Jun 2009 Commander, Joint Special Operations Command fm 2003 - 2008 *criticized for alleged role in cover-up of the Pat Tillman friendly fire incident. reportedly: unflattering (and unprofessional) remarks about Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials attributed to McChrystal and his aides in a Rolling Stone article McChrystal recalled to Washington, DC Obama accepted his resignation as commander in Afghanistan ISAF COMMAND - Afghanistan assumed by: deputy commander, British Army General Sir Nicholas "Nick" Parker { pending the confirmation of a replacement } General David Petraeus = McChrystal's replacement ------ serving in the Pentagon as member of the Joint Staff, start of Iraq War in March 2003 {vice director of operations, J-3, since July 2002} McChrystal delivered nationally televised Pentagon briefings on US military operations in Iraq April 2003 shortly after the fall of Baghdad: announced, "I would anticipate that the major combat engagements are over." Commanded the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) for five (5) years Sep 2003 to Feb 2006 Commander, Joint Special Operations Command/ Commander, Joint Special Operations Command Forward, fm Feb 2006 to Aug 2008 Most of assignment in Afghanistan at US Central Command forward headquarters in Qatar & in Iraq {nominally assigned Fort Bragg, Nth Carolina} Success: capture by JSOC forces of Saddam Hussein in December 2003 McChrystal's Zarqawi unit, Task Force 6-26 = well known for interrogation methods, Camp Nama = accused of abusing detainees = taskforce disciplined after Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal became public in April 2004 criticized for his role in aftermath of 2004 death by friendly fire of Ranger and former professional football player Pat Tillman. McChrystal = one of eight officers recommended for discipline by a subsequent Pentagon investigation. = Army declined to take action against him. late spring 2007 JSOC and CIA Special Activities Division teams launch new series of highly effective covert operations that coincided with the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 killing or capturing many of the key al-Qa'ida leaders in Iraq joint efforts of JSOC and CIA paramilitary units said to be: most significant contributor to the defeat of al-Qa'ida in Iraq McChrystal credited with = transforming and modernizing JSOC = into a "force of unprecedented agility & lethality" = key factor success of JSOC in success of war Iraq George W. Bush failed to promote McChrystal assigned 3-star: Dir. Joint Staff, Feb 2008 Senate Armed Services Committee stalled McChystal confirmation more info sought: alleged mistreatment detainees by Special Ops under McChrystal command in IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN AFGHANISTAN June 10, 2009 Senate approval to take command McChrystal was promoted to general assumed command of NATO ops Operation Khanjar commenced largest offensive op and beginning of deadliest combat month for NATO forces since 2001 LEAKED REPORT McChrystal submitted a 66-page report to Defense Secretary Robert Gates calling for more troops in Afghanistan "We are going to win." public: Sept 20, 2009 *warned that the war Afghanistan may be lost if more troops are not sent *30,000 - 40,000 more troops needed in Afghanistan Chief UN Weapons Inspector in Iraq (Scott Ritter) stated McChrystal: should be fired for insubordination for disclosing info he should have said only in private to the President of USA leaked report - aka the "McChrystal risk" boxed Obama into a corner about boosting troop levels in Afghanistan MICHAEL HASTINGS freelance journalist Article: "The Runaway General", Rolling Stone magazine, July 8–22, 2010 issue McChrystal and his staff reportedly mocked: *civilian government officials *Joe Biden *National Security Advisor James L. Jones *US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl W. Eikenberry *Special Representative for Afghanistan & Pakistan Richard Holbrooke McChrystal's staff = contacted prior to release of article and did not deny validity of the article = Hastings: bemused at degree to which soldiers were free when speaking to him = senior members of his staff dispute this = accused Hastings of exaggerating seniority of aides quoted & breaking the "off the record" trust of private conversations McChrystal apology to Joe Biden: "I extend my sincerest apology for this profile." McChyristal called in by Obama = McChrystal tendered his resignation | Obama accepted Obama statement re resignation: "... certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country." WHITEHOUSE - 4-STAR RANK WH announced that McChrystal would retain his four-star rank in retirement {law generally requires a four-star officer to hold his rank for three years in order to retain it in retirement} RETIREMENT CEREMONY McChrystal awarded the: Distinguished Service Medal by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Defence Distinguished Service Medal by Secretary of Defence Robert Gates PENTAGON INQUIRY Pentagon report = challenged accuracy of article "The Runaway General" (Michael Hastings) = disputing key incidents or comments reported in Hastings' article. Rolling Stone: = "... Pentagon’s inspector general offers no credible source—or indeed, any named source—contradicting the facts as reported in our story, 'The Runaway General." ------- At Yale University faculty, teaching courses in International Relations Chairman of the Board of Siemens Government Systems On the strategic advisory board of Knowledge International a licensed arms dealer whose parent company is EAI a business "very close" to UAE govt co-founded / partner McChrystal Group LLC Alexandria, Virginia-based consulting firm 2011 - advocated instituting a national service program in USA 2013 - endorsed stronger US gun control laws ------- OTHER McChrystal is the son of Major General Herbert Joseph McChrystal, Jr. (1924–2013) Entirely military family / and married into military family McChrystal said to: run 11-13 km daily eat one meal per day sleep four hours a night source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_A._McChrystal ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- COMMENT I know this isn't PC, but ...  Ummmm, I sort of like the sound of McChrystal (on first impressions). Seems strong, tough, and forthright. Sounds like some kind of superman.  Swoon ... lol ꕤ