Comments
beautiful magpies
Lane Cove magpies
Delta has made its mark
Congratulations on dream
Insightful but not exhaustive explanation of Assange's situation
In Julian Assange is Not a Martyr - The U.K. High Court continues to cave to U.S. pressure.(13/5/21), Zack Thomas gives a detailed and insightful account of Julian Assange's current circumstances. Zack analyses the recent decision by the UK High Court to allow the U.S. prosecutors to appeal Judge Vanessa Barraitser's decision of 6 January that Julian Assange was psychologically capable of enduring circumstances in the American prison system. [1]
However a number of questions remain unanswered for me, including:
- Why has Julian Assange's Defence team not appealed against Vanessa Barraitser's ruling which upheld all of the U.S. prosecution's case against Julian Assange? Whilst, of course, we should be concerned about the psychological harm that being locked for 175 years in a United States' dungeon will cause Julian, why are they only focused on this and not the former?
- Where can a comprehensive record of the High Court hearing of which Zack Thomas has written be found?
Footnote[s]
[1] Whilst ruling that prison conditions in the U.S. were too harsh for Julian Assange, Judge Vanessa Barraitser, nevertheless, implicitly ruled that Julian Assange's 23 hours per day solitary confinement, so far for 2 years and 4 months - a fate far worse than those endured by terrorists, murderers and embezzlers in Britain's prison system, was not too harsh.
Resource Scarcity
Unpaid work of older people
City of Melbourne, don't spend money! (Media release)
Melbourne protest for Julian as Gabriel & John visit Chicago
As John Shipton and Gabriel Shipton visited Chicago in their "Bring Julian Assange Home" tour of the United States, Melbourne supporters of Julian Assange protested outside the British Consulate from 7:30 AM until 9:00 AM in the early morning of Friday 19 June.
AFP/Vic Pol were very pleasant. Warned us re quarantine hotel behind 90 Collins St. We all know where covid outbreaks are leaked from in Melb. Not the usual 'Leaks' we're interested in but good to see authorities serving and protecting the public as they should. #FreeAssangeNOW pic.twitter.com/vninftYG18
— RaineBelgrave (@BelgraveRaine) June 18, 2021
AFP/Vic Pol were very pleasant. Warned us re quarantine hotel behind 90 Collins St. We all know where covid outbreaks are leaked from in Melb. Not the usual 'Leaks' we're interested in but good to see authorities serving and protecting the public as they should. #FreeAssangeNOW pic.twitter.com/vninftYG18
— RaineBelgrave (@BelgraveRaine) June 18, 2021
Motion for Julian Assange now cannot be put for 7 more weeks!?!
Below is some of the correspondence between myself and Julian Hill MP, who advised me yesterday, on 15 June (this was first mistakenly written as '15 March' - apologies, JS 21 June), that he had put a notice of motion that is included in the above article. The text of the e-mail was:
Hi James
I have given notice of the motion below.
Have asked for some debate time - will see if we can get any allocated.
Julian
I then published the above e-mail and e-mailed Julian Hill, thanking him for his efforts and I also made posts to Twitter to advise other supporters of Julian Assange of this very welcome development. However, earlier today, at 1:02 PM on Wednesday 16 June, he e-mailed me, advising me:
... neither [Andrew Wilklie's proposed motion nor my proposed motion] were selected for debate this Monday but that’s common as there is usually a lot of stuff from earlier weeks, so I’d expect we will get some debate time in the next sitting in August.
My response to Julian Hill was:
… I will not be the only person who will feel badly disappointed by this news.
Monday 9 August [the first sitting day on which it will be possible to move a Private Members' Motion] is nearly seven weeks away!
Which other Private Members' Motions does the Selection Committee think could possibly be more important and more urgent than yours? In all of that coming seven weeks, Julian Assange, who is in poor health, will remain locked up in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day. This further delay in action to bring about Julian Assange's freedom could well result in his death or severe detriment to his health.
Can you explain to me more about the process of selection? Is there any way it can be speeded up? Can you give me the names of those who are on the Selection Committee?
Julian Hill has not yet responded.
I posted this bad news to Twitter:
Bad news friends. Julian Hill has just informed me that the Selection Committee has not allowed his motion 2 be put this Monday. It cannot be put as a Private Members Motion until Mon 9 Aug in the next sitting - nearly 7 weeks away! https://t.co/vTGi2y0jbC https://t.co/InjG5Teo4M https://t.co/BWFQqD5ux8
— Malthusista (@malthusista) June 16, 2021
What can be done about this?
That (by my count) 24 supporters of Julian Assange in this country's Federal Parliament cannot be an effective voice for the illegally imprisoned Australian citizen Julian Assange on the floors of our Parliament should be considered unacceptable. Other means to hold the Federal Government to account for its unconscionable conduct, whether inside or outside of Parliament, will have to be found.
As well as members of the Group, members of the major parties should also be approached by their local constituents. It should be put to each of those MPs:
Regardless of whether or not you support Julian Assange, do you find it acceptable that supporters of Julian Assange in our Parliament have been prevented from being able to comprehensively put their case to Parliament and from being able to debate it in Parliament?"
If that member agrees with you that this is not acceptable, ask that member to move a formal motion to suspend standing orders so that, without any further delay, Julian Hill be allowed to put his foreshadowed motion (included above) and that Andrew Wilkie also be allowed put his own foreshadowed motion.
Should youfind the time and energy to approach your local member as I have suggested, please advise me of how he/she responds, whether that response is favourable or unfavourable.
Koala as Australia's ambassador for habitat preservation
The "Bring Assange Home" group can force debate in Parliament
Editorial comment: The following, appears to be from an e-mail, I sent to the office of one of the members of the "Bring Julian Assange Home" Parliamentary Group - JS, 14 June 2021.
Thank you, Nate, for your concern and for your input.
Frankly, I am mystified, firstly, as to why, apparently, so little has been said so far on the floor of Parliament about Julian Assange and, secondly as to why, with only one exception, not one of the 22 members of the Australian "Bring Julian Assange Home" Parliamentary group that I have e-mailed have even bothered to respond to my e-mails, other than with automated responses. (Comment: I now appreciate that, whilst I consider this matter urgent, each of these members have an extraordinarily large amount of emails and phone calls to deal with. - JS)
The exception is this response from Liz, a member of Andrew Bartlett's Hobart office, on Friday 28 May:
I will pass on your email to Andrew. Please be assured he is continuing to look for every opportunity to lobby for justice for Julian.
In March this year Andrew and George Christensen, as co-chairs of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group, met with Mr Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Canberra to relay their concerns about the ongoing attempts by the United States to extradite Julian. You can read about the meeting in more detail here Parliamentarians take Julian Assange case to US Embassy (22/2/2021).
That short article, referred to by Liz, describes how Andrew Wilkie, Mr Julian Hill and George Christensen of the "Bring Julian Assange Home" parliamentary group, " met with Michael Goldman, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Canberra. The article concludes:
Mr Hill said he believed the delegation had received a fair hearing. “This is a matter of principle,” Mr Hill said. “You don’t have to like or agree with Julian Assange, but he deserves fair treatment like any other Australian. The US should do the decent, humane thing and drop the prosecution, accepting the UK court’s decision that Mr Assange is unwell and should not be extradited.”
Whilst Julian Hill MP, Andrew Wilkie and Liz from Andrew Wilkie's Tasmanian Office hope that their "receiv[ing] a fair hearing" from Michael Goldman, the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Canberra will influence United States President Joe Biden to drop his country's effort to extradite Julian Assange or will influence British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to release Julian Assange from his illegal imprisonment at Belmarsh Prison, I believe that other more forceful approaches are needed.
One approach is shown in the motion I asked all of them to put to put to Parliament in an e-mail I sent to all of them in the early morning of Monday 24 May. That motion is in the above article, but I will also include it here:
This Parliament finds it unacceptable that Australian journalist Julian Assange, who is not guilty of any crime, continues to be held in London's Belmarsh prison in solitary confinement for 23 hours every day, whilst those who started the 2003 Iraq war have yet to be held to account for this crime against humanity.
Accordingly this Parliament calls upon the British government to immediately expedite, and in a more transparent fashion than previously, all outstanding legal matters concerning Julian Assange including his own appeal against his continued imprisonment.
Should the British government fail to do so, this Parliament instructs Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne, as a matter of urgency, to raise this at the United Nations and at the International Criminal Court.
As the above article show, the House of Representatives is meeting later today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday). Then it will break for 11 days before resuming on Tuesday 15 June.
Those who, like me, hope to see our government act to free Julian Assange or, failing that, be held to account for failing to do so, should contact the offices the Parliamentarians listed in the above article and let him/her that you expect that motion to be moved and seconded by members of the "Bring Julian Assange Home" Parliamentary group and that you expect him/her to vote for that motion.
Why no motion to debate Assange's fate in the Oz Parliament?
John Quiggin, "Lower birthrates may just be the tonic we need"
Breeder reactors -ncldes video of Power Sattelites
Stones thrown at illegal US convoy in Haseke, Syria
The embedded tweet below shows Syrian Residents of Haseke in the north-east of Syria, throwing stones at an armed U.S. army vehicle, passing through. United States forces are illegally in Syria at the invitation of the separatist Kurdish separatist YPG.
Some of the YPG's overseas supporters, for example, Australians for Kurdistan, bizarrely, portray it as a national liberation movement, in the same sense as the Vietnamese National Liberation Front from 1956 until 1975, but the YPG openly welcomes, within Syrian Kurdistan, the military forces of the same United States, which has devastated Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere, in addition to fighting a war against Syria with its terrorist al-Qaeda proxies which the YPG claim to oppose.
As occurred in Yugoslav federation, following the secession of Slovenia 1991, the United States intends to break up Syria into smaller states of different ethnicities as part of its campaign to overthrow the popular elected government of President Bashar al-Assad. Within each of these 'independant' states, minorities, like these Arabs in Haseke, in the north-east of Syria, are likely to face 'ethnic cleansing'.
US Army convoy was stoned in Syria
In the city of Al-Jawadiya in the province of Haseke, the townspeople threw stones at a column of US military equipment.
The American occupation of northeastern Syria and the theft of oil are increasingly displeasing local residents. pic.twitter.com/X65VoVgCoZ— Amazon (@Amazon1Amazon) May 17, 2021
Syria News: insightful, informative coverage of Palestine
The following, adapted from the above article, was posted as a comment to Netanyahu Unleashes Herds of Israeli Terrorists against the Palestinians (12/5/2021) by Arabi Souri | Syria News in order to lift the profile of this article. You should consider donating to Syria News which is a very informative and insightful journal.
Do Melbourne pro-Palestine protesters think the Palestinian resistance can triumph whilst US forces and their terrorist proxies rampage through neighbouring Syria and Iraq? /node/6121
Can Palestine be liberated while the US illegally occupies Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq? Apparently Melbourne's pro-Palestine movement thinks Palestine can be liberated while Syria has much of its territory illegally occupied and US troops also illegally occupy Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the Palestine protest, I also found it curious that no mention was made at all about Syria and all the other conflicts going on in the Middle East, right next door to Palestine. There's a terrible war going on in Syria, right at this moment, and I felt it striking that not a word was said about this.
World Freedom Day: March to support Julian Assange in Melbourne
In the Melbourne Freedom March, commencing at 12:00pm today, Saturday 15 May, from Batman Park [1], supporters of Julian Assange will be forming a contingent for the march.
We believe that, given that Julian Assange has committed no crime and has already served the outrageous 50 week sentence for his supposed misdemeanor of skipping bail in 2012, his continued detention - just so that the U.S. can, finally, after 9 years, present its 'case' for extradition - is totally illegal under British law, international law and even U.S. law. That Julian Assange is made to serve this illegal continued imprisonment for 23 hours each day shows astonishing malice on the part of the British magistrate Vanessa Baraitser who is hoding Julian behind bars on behalf of her U.S. masters.
An Australian government with any backbone and with any moral compassion would act immediately to demand the release of Julian Assange and his return to Australia to be with his two children and their mother Stella Moris.
Join us in our march to demand that the Australian government act to end this continued illegal imprisonment and torture. Please be outside the main (Saint Kilda Road) entrance to Flinders Street Station at 11:15pm (and no later than 11:30pm).
We will be marching from Batman Park behind our large banner (pictured above), handing out leaflets and making speeches.
Footnote[s]
Batman Park is on the north bank of the Yarra River, 800 metres to the west of the corner of Flinders Street and Saint Kilda Road (i.e. 800 metres from where the main entrance to Flinders Street Station is located).
Big end talking up foreign students, and 'over-development'
Government also illogical about immigration
The Insiders illogical on mass immigration
Here's why I couldn't make yesterday's vigil for Julian Assange:
My apologies to Melbourne supporters of Julian Assange for not attending yesterday's weekly vigil or Julian Assange commencing at 6:30pm outside Flinders Street Station.
The reasons I could not make it are:
-
At the time when I normally have to leave home to be at the vigil, the paint on the second side of the banner, shown below, was still wet. The banner also required further work to make the font sizes on the second and third lines match the font size on the first line;
-
Painting even just those words (Julian's likeness had been painted previously) on the second side of the banner that afternoon was hard work and exhausted me.
However (whilst not wanting what makes our vigils necessary to continue - the illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison), I look forward to seeing you all again at 6:30pm next Friday at Flinders Street Station and at other protests with that banner, which can now display its message to both passengers leaving Flinders Street Station and passing motorists.
Weekly vigil for Julian Assange, 6:30pm Fri 6 May at Flinders St
As Julian Assange's father John Shipton continues his "Home Run for Julian" world tour, Melbourne supporters of Julian Assange continue to inform fellow Melburnians about Julian Assange and his ongoing illegal detention in London's Belmarsh Prison for more than two years.
Please help us to bring Julian home for his two children and their mother, Stella Moris (@stellamoris1) by joining us again tomorrow evening (Friday) from 6:30pm outside Flinders Street Station, help us distribute leaflets, hold up our large banner (pictured below) and listen to speeches.
Monday 3 May, Sydney, World Press Freedom demos & for Assange
Could Russia win the friendship of the Polish people in 2022?
Below is my comment beneath the 56:00 minute video World War II Leaders -The hidden side of the Big Three relations on the RT Documentary Channel (rtd.rt.com).
This documentary describes how the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and various European countries, including Poland responded to Nazi Germany in the 1930's and after 1 September 1939, when Germany invaded Poland causing the outbreak of the Second World War. In that war, 55 million died by one estimate. I have also embedded the Video above for those who may be interested.
I admire Russia and President Vladimir Putin in 2022 and thank him for providing us with http://rt.com, this channel https://rtd.rt.com and https://sputniknews.com. I believe that the fate of fate of all humankind, including Russia, depends upon whether or not Russia and its allies can resist the US, which by one estimate, has killed 20 million since 1945 (https://globalresearch.ca/us-has-killed-more-than-20-million-people-in-37-victim-nations-since-world-war-ii in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Chile, etc.
I Still think that, in spite of this, Russia and other former Soviet Republics still need to take a look at their own histories that is more critical than that shown by Peter Kuznick above.
One of many cases in point is Poland. According to "Rising 44 - the Battle for Warsaw" (2003) by Norman Davies, after the German invasion which began on 1 September 1939, the Polish resistance around Warsaw and elsewhere was giving the German invaders a lot of difficulty until the Red Army attacked from the East 0n 17 September. Subsequently 22,000 captured Polish officers were murdered by the NKVD on Stalin's orders at Katyn Wood in April and May of 1940.
Then, 5 years later, after August 1944 after the Polish Home Army rose up in Warsaw against the German occupiers, the Red Army stood on the East bank of the Vistula River and did nothing as the nazis crushed the uprising. Then, after the Home Army was left with no choice but to surrender to the Germans on 2 October, the Red Army still did nothing as the nazis razed Warsaw to the ground. This criminal stupidity by Stalin devalues much of the worth of the terrible sacrifice that the Soviet peoples made in resisting nazi Germany.
Whilst this cannot justify the criminal military alliance by the rulers of Poland with the United States against Russia, today, in 2022, if the Russian government were to show remorse towards the Polish people for Stalin's past crimes against them, it is far more likely that Poles would come to see their rulers for what they are and act accordingly.
Whilst Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the Katyn Wood crime and apologised for it, I think if he wants to win the friendship of the Polish people he needs to go much, much further.
World War II Leaders - The hidden side of the Big Three relations
Appendix: Posts by a troll moved from above this comment to our 'Troll Posts' page
Previously, there had been a number of posts which, in my opinion, did not add to the discussion and my responses. I have finally moved all of those posts, including my own responses, to Troll 'contributions' to candobetter should any visitor decide he/she is actually interested in reading those posts. This is to allow my own post below, which I think far more relevant to the above article, to be found by visitors without the necessity of them having to scroll down for many screen pages to find this post.
Larger Vigil for Julian Assange, Flinders Street, Fri 23 April
Nine people attended the Friday night vigil for Julian Assange outside Flinders Street Station from 6:30pm on Friday 23 April.
Whilst this figure is still a very long way short of what is warranted by the continued illegal imprisonment of Julian Assange in solitary confinement at Belmash Prison, it enabled us to make our vigil more striking in its visual and vocal impact on passing Melburnians.
For the first time, with the aid of umbrella holders, filled with water to stablise the three poles holding up our very large (2.8m x 1.7m) banner, [1] pictured (again) below, we were able to keep our banner displayed in full for the full duration of the vigil, making its visual impact so much more effective than on previous occasions.
For most of the vigil, a group of Christian evangelists behind us kept talking very loudly through their public address system. At one point they committed to finish after 5 more minutes, but they continued until 8pm. Some of us attempted to give speeches over the loud noise coming from behind, but could not be heard very well. The video recordings of those speeches are not likely to be of much use.
So, against this loud backdrop of noise, we attempted to make speeches through a megaphone and handed out double-sided A5 leaflets to passersby [2]. Our speeches, in addition to our large banner, still aroused interest from passersby causing more to accept a copy of our double-sided A5 leaflet, with a number committing themselves to support other future actions that we might take in support of Julian Assange.
After the Christian evangelists left at 8:00pm, some of us spoke through the megaphone.
I personally spoke on three occasions on the megaphone. Three other participants also spoke. (I will upload the Video recordings of myself and others to YouTube. ) Whilst, I still think that making speeches greatly increases the effectiveness of our vigils, I think my own speeches suffered from my not having them written out prior to the vigil and my not having too many facts about Julian Assange's case, at my finger tips. Consequently they were repetitive and much less effective than they could have been.
Still, given that Julian Assange's case is so open-and-shut it should be possible, in under one minute, to make any curious and open-minded member of the public enraged at his treatment and, from that point onwards, have his/her undivided attention, whilst I proceed to explain all the other outrages committed against Julian Assange. Hopefully, I will be able to do this next Friday.
this time for the full two hour duration making its impact more effective.
Footnotes
[1] Unfortunately, the other side of the banner is blank, so if passing motorists and people heading past Flinders Street Station or into Flinders Street Station can see the banner, those walking out of Flinders Street Station cannot and vice versa. This coming week, before next Friday's vigil, I intend to rectify this problem by painting, on the reverse side, a similar likeness of Julian Assange and the text.
[2] The PDF file used to print the leaflet was originally attached to my article Barraitser's 'compassion' towards Julian Assange a ploy to avoid judicial scrutiny of the United States' illegal war on journalism? (12/1/21). This PDF file was later adapted to become my article Uphold the Rule of Law - demand that the Australian government act to end the illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange (11/2/21). Whilst we need a new, more up-to-date, leaflet about Julian Assange, please feel most welcome to download the existing PDF file, print more copies of this leaflet and hand them out.
Many Red Army soldiers died needlessly to defeat Hitler
The otherwise insightful and highly informative British/Syrian PressTV journalist Richard Medhurst recently tweeted:
Russia lost over 25 million people during World War II, more than any other nation. Around 80% of German casualties were inflicted by the Red Army. Hollywood and Western education teach the story differently but the world owes Russia a huge debt of gratitude for crushing the Nazis. twitter.com/RusEmbJakarta/…
I responded:
See "Many lessons of World War 2 'hidden' in plain sight from war historian Richard Overy (8/5/15). Whilst the courage & sacrifice of Red Army soldiers should not be forgotten, the terrible magnitude of this sacrifice was largely a consequence of:
- Stalin's purge the Red Army officer corps in 1938;
- Stalin's signing of the Molotov/Ribbentrop pact in August 1939;
- the Red Army's invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939 just as Polish resistance to the German invasion was stiffening (by one account account I have read);
- Stalin's supply of vitally needed raw materials, right up until the morning 22 June 1941, to the German Reich, as it conquered Western Europe, and thence tried to use the Luftwaffe to subjugate Britain in what became known as the "Battle of Britain"
- Stalin ignoring warnings, right up until the morning 22 June 1941, from Britain, the U.S. and even his own spy, communist Richard Sorge who worked in Germany's Tokyo embasssy, that Germany was going to invade;
- Stalin ordering the execution of one German soldier who tried to warn the Red Army of the impending invasion; and
- Russian popagandist Ilya Ehrenberg actually encouraging victorious Red Army soldiers to rape German woman;
Whilst the anger that Red Army soldiers felt towards German people near the end of the war was understandable, in the context, the widespread rape of German women by Red Army soldiers, amongst so much other brutality towards the conquered German people could only have persuaded many German soldiers to fight harder, thus causing the already terrible count of Red Army dead to go even higher.
Had the Soviet Union's leadership, instead, been humane and more competent, the sacrifice necessary to defeat Nazism would have been less by an order of magnitude, conceivably less than the 286,959 Americans who also died in the fight against Nazi Germany and Japan.
6:30pm Fri 23 April Flinders Street weekly vigil to free Assange
From 6:30pm until 8:30pm, this Friday 23 April, Melbourne supporters of Australian journalist Julian Assange will again be holding our weekly vigil at Flinders Street Station, where we will be holding banners, handing out leaflets. If you are free at that time, please come along, help us hand out leaflets and hold banners and listen to our speeches.
Help us force the Australian government act to end the illegal imprisonment, so far for almost nine years, of Julian Assange and to prevent the United States' attempt to kidnap extradite Julian Assange.
Weekly Friday vigil for Julian Assange @ Flinders Street Station
From 6:30pm until 8:30pm, this Friday 16 April, Melbourne supporters of Australian journalist Julian Assange will be holding our weekly vigil at Flinders Street Station. If you are free at that time, please come along, help us hand out leaflets and hold banners. We will be giving speeches to explain to passersby the facts about Julian Assange and to demand that the Australian government act to prevent the United States' attempt to extradite Julian Assange and to make Britain end its illegal imprisonment and torture of him.
Syrian peace not possible without popular opposition to war here
Syria has so far defended it sovereignty against the Western sponsored terrorism which commenced in March 2011, but at at a terrible terrible cost. According to one estimate, now several years old 80,000 Syrian Army soldiers out of a national death toll of 400,00 have been killed in this conflict. In addition much of Syria's industry, infrastructure has been devastated and many Syrian homes have been destroyed in the conflict.
Now, as the Syrian people try to rebuild their country, they face former U.S. Donald Trump's Caesar Act of June 2019, new harsher sanctions from the European Union, and ongoing sanctions from other countries, including Australia.
In addition, Syria still faces continued illegal occupation of much of its territory by United States, in the Eastern largely Kurdish region, where their is oil. Currently that oil is being stolen by the Kurdish YPG, whose military forces collaborate with the US occupiers and ship it off via pipelines through Turkey.
For all the setbacks suffered by the US recently, both in the Middle East and, domestically, with Donald Trump's 2020 COVID-19 debacle, involving 31,149,565 cases(9.42% per capita) and 561,789 deaths (0.17% per capita), the U.S. still remains a formidable force, and still seems to have resources sufficient to keep the Syrian conflict going, for as long as it takes to wear the Syrian nation into surrender - 5 more years? 10 more years? 50 more years?
Unless people in the United States, and countries allied with the United States, re-build their past anti-war movements, the U.S. will be able to continue its war against Syria, whether actual or through sanctions and terrorist proxies, for as long as it chooses.
In Australia, writers on Candobetter participated in a loosely based group of people in favour of reconciliation with Syria (Mussalah) for a few years. Susan Dirgham had the idea of promoting the Syrian concept of Mussalah, and a small fluctuating group of people met in Melbourne to discuss the situation and update each other. We attended or spoke at information sessions and demonstrations, and documented some of these activities in films, published in articles on Candobetter, and elsewhere. There were attempts to educate politicians and the mainstream press. Susan produced an educational newsletter about Syria. Eventually the loosely-based Melbourne meetings fell away, in part due to new work commitments and new directions and strategies undertaken by the participants.
Unless, anti-war groups in Western nations resume their campaign to end the sanctions against Syria and to get U.S. troops and other foreign occupiers out, it will be much harder for Syria to achieve peace. The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) is showing leadership in modeling new directions for Australian foreign policy and deserves support.
Friday 9 April vigil for Julian Assange very well received
The number of partcipants in our Friday 9 April weekly vigil for Julian Assange in front of Melbourne's Flinders Street Station, due other to commitments by some members of the group, was somewhat down - only 5 this week rather the 9 or 11 we had come to typically expect at our previous weekly vigils. Five people weren't enough to share around the arduous work of holding up my large 4.8mx1.7m banner [1] in addition to making speeches, handing out literature and engaging in discussion with interested members of the public, so the banner was left unfurled.
In spite of this the public responded particularly well, with a large proportion being interested enough to accept one or more of our printed leaflets. Whilst a sizable proportion of the public, who were passing through that street corner in front of the railway station, were still not concerned one way or the other, about Julian Assange, the number who expressed support for him vastly outnumbered those who showed their hostility. Many thanked us for our efforts and a sizeable number told me that they would be coming to Sunday's commemoration of the second anniversary of the British Government's illegal arrest and imprisonment of Julian Assange in Belmarsh Prison at 4:00pm on 11 April 2019 at the British Consulate at 90 Lyons Road, roughly 1.6km to the Northe-East.
Fanny gave a speech, but (yet again!) I was not able to figure out, fast enough to record Fanny's speech, how to use the video recording feature of my mobile phone, so Fanny's speech was not recorded. However, Anita was subsequently able to work out how to use that video recording feature and so my own subsequent speech was recorded. Later today (Saturday 10 April, I will upload that recording of my speech to YouTube and embed it in a more complete article about that vigil on /.
In time, in order to achieve our goal of forcing the Australian government to act effectively to achieve Julian Assange's freedom, we need to, and anticipate getting, far greater numbers to other planned events for Julian Assange. Such events include protests such as our planned commemoration of the second anniversary of Julian Assange's imprisonment. In the short-term future, to begin with, it should be possible to build protests numbering in the order of several hundred - enough to at least begin to make a few more politicians take notice.
So, if you have time, please attend the 4pm Sunday protest at the British Consulate.
Footnote[s]
[1] That banner has impressed members of the Melboune public on foot, or in cars. It has also, amangst others, impressed Denver Free Assange (@DNVFreeFA). So far, two members of the group each own one umbrell stand. Without those 2 umbrella stands, it would have been necessary for three people, at any one time to hold up the banner. Because it is such hard work to hold up my 4.8mx1.7m canvas banner for our vigils of duration of 2 hours or longer, a minimum of 5 or 6 people were needed to share the work around. It would have been very dificult for us to accomplish the other necssary tasks
[2] The commemoration of this second anniversary will by held at 4pm outside the Melbourne British Consulate at 90 Collins Street, roughly 1.6 km North-East of Flinders Street Station.
Beautiful heartfelt, haunting song
Weekly Melbourne vigil for Julian Assange 6:30pm Fri 9 April
At 6:30pm this coming Friday 9 April outside Flinders Street Station, as the world approaches 11 April 2019, the second anniversary of the #e73a42;">illegal imprisonment of Australian journalist Julian Assange, his Melbourne supporters will again be holding their weekly vigil to demand that Scott Morrison his authority as Australian Prime Minister government to make Britain end it's imprisonment of Julian Assange.
As we have done at previous vigils, we will be displaying our banners (one of which is pictured to the left), making speeches and handing out leaflets. We will also be handing out an additional leaflet to promote the International commemoration of the second anniversary, this coming Sunday 11 April, of the British Government's imprisonment of Julian Assange. For details of other commemoration events in Australia and overseas, see Melbourne protest at British Consulate to mark 2nd anniversary of the arrest of Julian Assange - 4:00pm Sunday 11 April (4/4/2021) also published here on candobetter.net and the Twitter @Candles4Assange page.
Please be there, both this Friday 9 April at 6:30PM at Flinders Street Station and this coming Sunday 11 April at 4:00pm at the British Consulate at 90 Collins Street to help us get Australia's visionary, multiple award-winning journalist Julian Assange back to his wife Stella Moris and their two children.
Oct 2019 interview: Julian Assange could barely speak in court
In the Interview below from an October 2019 edition of RT's Going Underground, John Pilger describes to host Afshin Rattansi the refusal of magistrate Vanessa Barraitser to allow Julian Assange any of the rights which the British judicial system is supposed to allow an accused person, whilst confining him to solitary confinement 23 hours a day. John Pilger's testimony here is chilling.
Both Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, who as shown in the above article, stated on 11 April, 5 months prior to this interview:
"I am confident … that Mr Assange will receive due process in the legal proceedings he faces in the United Kingdom."
… should be made to watch this interview.
Good Friday Vigil for Julian Assange at Flinders Street Station
On Friday 2 April 2021, Good Friday, on which day the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is commemorated by Christians, Melbourne supporters of Julian Assange's supporters held another successful vigil from 6:30pm until 8:30pm at Flinders Street Station.
The terrible nine year ordeal so far endured by Julian Assange, as cruel, unjust and illegal as it is, cannot be likened to the cruel and gruesome end suffered by Jesus Christ on Good Friday. Nevertheless, supposedly endangering the lives of US servicemen at one point in time, the only crime of which Julian Assange has ever been accused has even less basis than Jesus' conviction for not recognising the authority of Rome.
At the vigil, supporters held up banners, handed out two leaflets, one which was adapted to become the article Uphold the Rule of Law - demand that the Australian government act to end the illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange (11/2/2021 - pdf here) and the other which was adapted from Open Letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison: Act now to end the illegal imprisonment and torture of Julian Assange! (11/3/2021).
During the vigil, I gave a 6:30 minute speech through the megaphone in which I explained to the passing members of the public how Julian's imprisonment and torture was illegal and I called upon Scott Morrison to use his authority as Prime Minister to demand that he UK release Julian Assange. That speech was recorded and will be embedded within an article to be published here later today.
What the interview revealed
Revealing interview
Speech in Support of Julian Assange at Melbourne UK Consulate
Below is a video of myself speaking for four and a half minutes in support of Julian Assange outside the British Consulate at around 4;30pm on Friday 26 March.
The speech is somewhat less polished than I had hoped it to be, in part, because I had left my written speech in my car so had to speak somewhat off the cuff. Nonetheless, I feel that even speeches such as this still serve to inform passing members of the public and arouse their curiosity. An example of a more polished speech in support of Julian Assange is that given by Mairéad Farrell TD (@Farrell_Mairead), a Sinn Fein member of the Irish Parliament. I have transcribed the transcript of Mairéad Farrell's speech here.
IPAN submissions to people's inquiry dates. Oral submissions too
Huge YouTube gaps in coverage of US-NATO war on Syria
BBC Video Documentary of Greek Civil War "no longer available"!?
YouTube advises that "The embedded Video is unavailable:
Video Unable
This video is unavailable
How many other videos, previously posted to YouTube, are no longer available?
Vigil for Julian Assange Fri 6:30pm at Flinders Street Station
This Friday (today) at 6:30pm Melbourne for Wikileaks (@Melbourne4Wiki) will be holding its weekly vigil for Julian Assange.
Please come along in order to help make fellow Melburnians aware of how this Australian hero has been illegally imprisoned and tortured for revealing to the world the truth behind the many instances, in recent years, of US meddling in other countries at the cost of many hundred of thousands of lives.
We especially need you to help us hold up our large (5mx1.7m) banner which has been praised overseas.
Whistleblowers thwarted OPCW attempt to fabricate war pretext
See Chemical weapons inspectors blew whistle on OPCW attempt to fabricate 'chemical wepaons' pretext for US war against Syria (12/3/21) | Candobetter and OPCW chief must ‘find the courage to address’ Douma coverup allegations, says group including 5 senior ex-officials of watchdog (12/3/2021) | RT from which it was derived.
Malacoota clear fell
Protest today for Julian Assange Sydney 5pm, Melbourne 6:30pm
In Sydney at 5pm today at Martin Place from 5PM until 6PM there will be a protest for Julian Assange and, in Melbourne from 6:30pm until 8:30pm, there will be the weekly Melbourne for Wikileaks (@melbourne4wiki) vigil for Julian Assange outside Flinders Street Station.
Mairéad Farrell defends Julian Assange in the Irish Parliament
In the following transcript from from a Video posted on 5 March to Twitter, Irish Sinn Fein MP Mairéad Farrell, in the Teachta Dála (TD) - the Irish lower house of Parliament - asked the government of Ireland to raise the issue of the attempt by the US government to extradite Julian Assange from the UK with the British government:
"'If wars can be started with lies, then peace can be started with the truth,' as per the words of Julian Assange. The case of Julian Assange is very simple: Acting as a journalist and publisher, in coordination with the Guardian, Der Spiegel and the New York Times, he exposed major war crimes by US Forces and its allies. The NUJ (National Union of Journalists) has said the charges attempt to criminalise actvities, that, for many NUJ members, is their daily work. As he is not an American citizen, his extradition by the British government would mean that the US would have carte blanche, across the globe to persecute journalists and pubishers for revealing state crimes. And I am asking you to raise his case both with the British ambassador and with the US Administration."
Albanese supports Julian Assange but not "many of his actions"?!
As reported on Yahoo News and elsewhere on 23 February:
"Anthony Albanese has thrown his support behind releasing Julian Assange from prison after 10 years without freedom.
"The Labor leader was asked at a caucus meeting in Canberra on Tuesday for his view on the ongoing detention of the Australian WikiLeaks founder.
"'Enough is enough,' he responded."
In fact, Anthony Albanese has never said this publicly. He was only reported by another Labor MP to have said this within a meeting of the Federal Labor Party Parliamentary caucus. He never repeated any of this in Parliament or anywhere else in public - certainly nothing was said by Anthony Albanese on his Twitter account (@AlboMP) or on anthonyalbanese.com.au (A search "Julian Assange site:anthonyalbanese.com.au" revealed nothing.
Althony Albanese was also reported to have said, at that meeting:
"I don't have sympathy for many of his actions …"
I can only guess at which of Julian Assange's actions Anthony Albanese has no 'sympathy' for. As far as I am aware, every informed person, who shares my hope for the well-being of all of humanity, is awed at Julian Assange's courageous efforts to reveal to the world so much about the criminal machinations of the rulers of the United States against their own people and the rest of humanity. Without Julian Assange and Wikileaks that the degree of damage inflicted by the United States on humankind in recent years would have been much greater.
If his support was as sincere as some of Julian Assange's supporters apparently believe, then 'left-wing' Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese would not allow himself to be seen to repeat that implicit smear of Julian Assange.
Ron Paul condemns US President Joe Biden's bombing of Syria
Sarah Abdallah (@sarahaxo) writes: “Biden should be impeached for his attack on #Syria, as should have Trump and Obama before him. But no one in Washington will pursue impeachment against a president who recklessly takes the US to war. War greases Washington’s wheels.”
Taxpayer funded housing inflation?
Venezuelan left attacked whilst traitor Juan Guaidó walks free!?
From Maduro Accuses Left and Communist Party of Being Agents of Imperialism (16/2/21) by Ernesto León | Venezuelanalysis:
In the last few weeks, there has been an escalation in the verbal attacks from the Venezuelan government against the revolutionary left. These attacks, by president Maduro and National Assembly speaker Jorge Rodríguez, have been directed particularly against the Popular Revolutionary Alternative (APR), a political platform that gathers several parties and organisations to the left of Maduro’s government. Very serious allegations have been made, including that the left opposition to the government is acting in cahoots with US imperialism.
Up until now, the attacks against the APR had consisted of intimidation, censorship in public and private media, and several acts of repression against APR candidates during the National Assembly election campaign. The most important and serious issue here is that these latest attacks could set the stage for a higher level of repression against the left wing and the workers’ movement.
One of the motives for intensifying the political campaign against the APR could be that, in order to bypass the economic sanctions from US imperialism, as well as overcome the deep economic crisis that currently exists, the Maduro government will go much further to the right, deepening its monetarist policies and increasing privatisations. These types of measures will always mean a heavier burden for the working masses to bear, and within that context the APR could play an important role, organising and leading mass protests against the upcoming package of economic measures.
…
… The APR and its component organisations have a track record of fighting against imperialism and imperialist aggression, opposing US sanctions on Venezuela. Furthermore, they have consistently demanded that Juan Guaidó be arrested for his participation in a failed coup in 2019, the attempt to overthrow the elected president, his call for a US military invasion, his collaboration with a mercenary incursion, etc. The Maduro government has chosen to let him walk free, while it attacks those who want the pro-imperialist traitors jailed for being “in cahoots with Elliot Abrams”!
…
My comment: For years I have despaired at the way the Bolivarian government of Venezuela has allowed Juan Guaidó, who openly sides with the United States against that government, to freely walk the streets of Venezuela. Given that at least 40,000 (a very outdated estimate) Venezuelans have died as a consequence of United States' sanctions that Juan Guaidó has repeatedly supported, for President Nicolas Maduro not to have put him on trial for treason is, at best, gross negligence on his part.
Were such a trial to occur in public, the case against Juan Guaidó would be seen by world public opinion to be overwhelming and conclusive.
New anti-war movement needed in the US, Australia & elsewhere
The following comment was posted in response to Moscow Warns Israel on Repeated Bombing: Syria May Lose Patience (20/2/21) at Syria News. Please consider giving Syria News financial support so that they may keep publishing.
Now that their proxy war has lasted almost 10 years, It's clear that Netanyahu and his US masters are resolved to keep this war against Syria going on for however long as it takes to force the Syrian people to surrender to their Takfiri footsoldiers - another year?, another 5 years?, another 10 years? another 50 years?
There is an urgent need in the US, Britain, Australia and other allies to again organise mass opposition to their wars in Syria and elsewhere and bring about regime change back there. In a sense, this happened, for a while, in Australia in 1972, with the election of the Gough Whitlam Labor government following the success of the Moratorium movement against the war in Vietnam. Sadly, that change of government was reversed in 1975.
Wikileaks is one force that makes possible the rise of such an anti-war movement. So it desperately important that we keep the United States' grubby hands off Julian Assange. Please see /JulianAssange.
Protest 11am Saturday Rundle Mall, Adelaide for Julian Assange
Post on Twitter: Adelaide For Assange (@ForAdelaide) Protest for #JulianAssange this Saturday, 11am - 1pm at the Malls Balls in Rundle Mall!
Rick Sanchez's guest on RT promotes Syrian dictatorship Big Lie?
#D2E6F3;font-size:88%;line-height:110%;">This comment was previously entitled "Illegitimate Syrian Government Big Lie rears its ugly head again" - JS, 18/2/21
Whilst, from here in Melbourne, Australia I greatly appreciate your most informative and very insightful program ("The News with Rick Sanchez"), I cannot say the same for former Naval intelligence Officer John Jordan, one of your two guests today (15/2/21).
Contrary to John Jordan's assertion that the "government in Syria is not elected" the Syrian government, was, in fact, democratically elected and is amongst the most popular governments in the world if not the most popular government. It is more legitimate than nearly every formal democracy in the West - Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, etc. - and vastly more legitimate than the US government itself or any of its vassal states - Saudi Arabia, the former government in Bolivia imposed by a coup, Ukraine, and the (hopefully former) Ecuadorian regime.
Could I suggest to John Jordan that he take the time to watch the video recording of the Syrian Presidential Elections Observers Report to the United Nations of 19 June 2014 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnFQd4wBXnk (above)? It is also embedded within the article "Syria's press conference the United Nations doesn't want you to see" (20/6/14) at /SyriansVotedForPresidentBasharAlAssad. As even attested to by Israel's Haaretz "88.7% of the 73.42% of eligible Syrian voters who voted, voted for President Bashar al-Assad. So, of 15,845,575 Syrians eligible to vote, eligible voters 10,319,723 or 65.13% voted for Bashar al-Assad."
Perhaps, if John Jordan still holds that the Syrian government was not democratically elected, he could tell us what questions he would have put to Syrian UN Ambassador and the four election observers during that 53 minute press conference.
I thank your other guest Michael Maloof for pointing out that the Syrian government is a legitimate government recognised by the United Nations, but I think even he would learn quite a lot from watching that video.
Youtube censors video of Israeli choking Palestinian boy
Some of the comment below was posted to Twitter.
Maram Susli (aka 'The Syrian Girl') has been advised by the YouTube 'team':
Our team has reviewed your content, and, unfortunately, we think it violates our child safety policy. We've removed the following from YouTube:
Video: Israeli terrorist Choked Out Little Boy
This is truly Orwellian. A video of yet further brutality towards a Palestinian Boy, whose land has been stolen by the Israeli occupiers, is beaten up by one of the occupiers. Luckily it was captured on video. However the YouTube management decided that that video evidence of the Israeli's brutality towards the Palestinian boy "violat[ed] [their] child safety policy".
Would the YouTube managers truly have us believe that was there no witness with video a camera on hand that the Israeli would not have beaten up that boy? Would they have us believe that had that witness not been there that their "child safety policy" would not have been violated?
More likely the YouTube managers realise the idiocy of that statement, but believing that the Syrian Girl doesn't have the power to hit back at them, they just don't care.
Perhaps it's time that the Syrian Girl and the many other victims of YouTube censorship worked together on the other parts of the Internet, which are not under the control of the likes of the YouTube management and worked together to hold them to account for their unconscionable conduct.
Assange's circumstances, so far, no better following Biden's win
The removal of former United States President Donald Trump and his replacement by Joe Biden seems, so far, not to have improved Julian Assange's circumstances.
From Biden Regime Wants Julian Assange Crucified (10/2/21) by Stephen Lendman:
The … calls on Biden to drop spurious charges against Assange and order his release were rejected.
…
Criminalizing his truth-telling journalism continues — a US dagger thrust into the heart of constitutionally affirmed First Amendment rights bipartisan hardliners want undermined by repressive legislation.
If occurs, extraditing Assange to the US for politicized show trial persecution will be another major body blow to digital democracy, the last frontier of media freedom.
Crucifying [Julian Asange] for truth-telling journalism and whistleblowing revelations of government wrongdoing reflects the hallmark of totalitarian rule.
Censorship of what’s vital to know is likely prelude for much greater harshness to come.
We’re all Julian Assange. His fate is ours.
Facebook has shut down the WikiLeaks Shop page
From Melbourne 4 Wikileaks Facebook page:
Facebook has shut down the WikiLeaks Shop page.
@Facebook has banned the @WikiLeaksShop page without warning for posting graphics of our #FreeAssange t-shirts. You can still follow us on Twitter.
https://t.co/pL8cWHuKWc https://t.co/FUEKYWo2bK
Syrian Girl: Kurdish separatists take orders from US occupiers
The first half of Kurdish contras, the 2 February episode of the Iranian PressTV news service's Mideastream features Maram Susli, otherwise known as "The Syrian Girl" from Perth.
Whilst the struggle by the supposedly 'communist' YPG for Kurdish autonomy from Syria has become a fashionable cause for some in the West, including Australians for Kurdistan, Maram points out that the YPG (also referred to as the "Syrian Democratic Forces" or SDF) take orders from US forces illegally inside Syria. The SDF have effectively besieged two Syrian Arab cities. They are attempting to ethnically cleanse Kurdistan of its Arab population in order to secede from Syria. Such a secession would almost certainly cause Syria to become balkanised into a number of small statelets for each of Syria's ethnic groups. This, in many ways, would be similar to how Yugoslavia was disastrously broken up from 1991 until 1999.
Agrees that 'compassion' over Assange's mental state just a ploy
The following is from Assange vs the violence of imperial 'humanitarianism' (24/1/21) an Al JAzeera opinion piece:
In the United Kingdom court decision sparing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from extradition to the United States (for now, pending appeal), the intimately symbiotic relationship between humanitarianism and violence was evident once again.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that it would be “oppressive” to extradite Assange – but not because of the injustice of the US government’s campaign of retribution against him for exposing its massacres, misrepresentations and manipulations, but rather due to the fragility of Assange’s mental health.
The same “justice” system that has eviscerated Assange’s mental wellbeing with prolonged psychological torture, in the assessment of the UN special rapporteur on torture, now poses as his hope for salvation.
Like a large-scale governmental version of Munchausen by proxy, the state mystifies its own role in producing the pathology in question, then attempts to extract moral capital from exhibiting a modicum of care. Structural violence creates the need for humanitarianism, which mitigates some of the excesses of violence, ensuring the flourishing of both violence and humanitarianism.
Judge Baraitser not only declined to find that the US’s prosecution of Assange is for political “offences” – and therefore barred by the UK-US Extradition Treaty – but held that there is no judicially enforceable barrier against political extraditions at all: “the defence has not established that the UK-US treaty confers rights on Mr Assange which are enforceable in this court” since the treaty is “not yet incorporated into domestic law”. Perversely, according to this judgement, Assange (and other extradition targets) are subject to the treaty, but precluded from invoking its protections.
The fact that Assange revealed damning truths about state atrocities that would otherwise have remained concealed was also dismissed as irrelevant. “The defence have not established that the principle of the ‘right to truth’ is a legal rule that is recognised in either international law or domestic law.”
…
How Juan Guaidó's treason compares with Alexei Navalny's antics
The following has been expanded from a tweet in response to Tim Anderson's question, "Spot the difference between Alexei Navalny and Juan Guaidó":
Juan Guaidó & Alexei Navalny are both guilty of acting for the US rogue state against their own people, but the depravity of Guaidó's treason is vastly greater. Also, the Venezuelan government bizarrely allows the Quisling Juan Guaidó to freely walk the streets of Venezuela!? Fortunately, unlike Guaidó, nearly all members of the Venezuelan defence forces remain loyal to their country. I trust this Venezuelan government idiocy towards Juan Guaidó would not extend to any member of the Venezuelan Defence forces were he/she to similarly betray her/his country?
21st Century Wire defends war criminal Donald Trump!?
I posted the following beneath President Donald Trump’s Farewell Address (20/1/21) | 21st Century Wire:
Some see former United States' President Trump's failure to pardon Julian Assange as an act of cowardice, under the threat by the U.S. deep state to make the outcome of impeachment proceedings against him as even more harsh. I see it as something worse - an act of malevolence towards Julian Assange.
Other crimes committed by former U.S. President Donald Trump include:
1. Failure to renew even one nuclear arms control treaty that expired during his term of office;
2. Abandonment of the 'Open Skies' policy, which even President Eisenhower spoke in favour of. This allowed reconnaissance planes of either superpower to overfly the territory of the other superpower in order to verify that the other superpower wasn't preparing for war;
3. The murder of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis the deputy chairman of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) on 3 January 2020. This was found to have been illegal by Dr. Agnes Callamard, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions;
4. Continued U.S. military occupation of Iraq in defiance of the wishes of Iraq's Parliament;
5. Continued U.S. presence of U.S. troops in Syria and the theft of Syria's oil;
6. Sanctions against Venezuela which have cost at least 40,000 lives;
7. Grotesque mishandling of the COVID19 pandemic causing the loss of over 414,000 U.S lives.
8. etc., etc, etc.
Those, including Alex Jones and Paul Joseph Watson (see The Final Hours of Donald Trump) who still claim that Trump was opposed to the U.S. establishment, including the U.S. military-industrial complex, are, at best, deluded.
Delay in attaching "Uphold the rule of law" for Julian pdf file
Tweetstorms cannot replace grassroots activism, street protest
This Friday (Saturday for Australians) we continue the Tweetstorms!
Use #WeAreAllAssange to spread the word and put pressure on our politicians.This Friday (Saturday for Australians) we continue the Tweetstorms!
Use #WeAreAllAssange to spread the word and put pressure on our politicians.
#Assange #JulianAssange #FreeAssangeNOW
I responded:
@Melbourne4Wiki 'Tweetstorms' are no substitute for grass-roots activism & street protests. It's time that we in Australia again started to organise street protests in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane & Perth: #streetProtestsNotTweetStorms" id="streetProtestsNotTweetStorms">'Tweetstorms' cannot replace grassroots activism, street protests'
Virus particles in Geelong sewerage make government cautious
Victoria has achieved elimination of Covid 19
Dingoes need feeding
The US not even making a pretence of abiding by the rule of law
I posted the following to Twitter:
The US & the UK are only upholding the 'law' of 'might is right' - They are not even bothering to make any pretence that they are upholding UK, US or International law. The UK's Judge Vanessa Baraitser & her US controllers belong behind bars.
Ivermectin is effective.
No authority to say lockdowns can end now
Reasonable fury as unannounced Kiwis arrive Melbourne lockdown
Furious about New Zealanders arriving in Melbourne
The lockdowns can end now
Tulsi Gabbard's bill demands charges against Assange be dropped
October 2, 2020
Press Release
Washington, DC—Today, Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) and Thomas Massie (KY-04) introduced H.Res.1175, a resolution that defends the freedom of the press, noting that newsgathering activities and news organizations ability to acquire and publish information are protected under the First Amendment. The resolution calls for the United States to drop all charges and efforts to extradite Julian Assange.
“Freedom of the press is a vital function of a free democracy in which the government is accountable to the people. Julian Assange published information that exposed lies and abuses of power at the highest levels of our government. His indictment under the Espionage Act sends a chilling message to every member of the media and all Americans,” said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. “U.S. government prosecutors now claim that any journalist or news organization that publishes classified material is liable to prosecution under the Espionage Act -- which would have led to the indictment of the Washington Post for the publication of the Pentagon Papers. The Federal government’s prosecution of Julian Assange sets a dangerous precedent. All extradition efforts and charges under the Espionage Act against Julian Assange must be dropped now.”
“At a time when government officials claim the right to perform warrantless surveillance upon all American citizens, there is an urgent need to zealously guard freedom of the press and to demand government transparency and accountability. The ongoing attempts to prosecute Julian Assange threaten our First Amendment rights, and should be opposed by all who wish to safeguard our constitutional rights now and in the years to come. I join my colleague, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, in calling for an immediate end to all charges against Mr. Assange,” said Rep. Thomas Massie.
…
Remove crooked judge Barraitser from Assange extradition trial!
The following was #comment-959177">posted to the article by Craig Murray, linked to above:
Thank you, Wikikettle, Craig.
We have also embedded the interview in "Assange Extradition Hearing mistrial – Interview with Craig Murray, former British Ambassador, in daily attendance" (4/10/2020) at /node/6040 [here].
Judge Vanessa Barraister and the prosecution apparently don’t care that the proceedings don’t remotely resemble a trial. In a trial, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty, is allowed to call upon witnesses to give evidence and to have witnesses for the prosecution cross-examination. Their 'case' against Julian is no more than:
"Might is right. We own Judge Vanessa Barraitser and the government which appointed her. Just sit back and accept your indictment and your punishment for daring to question the good intent of the United States government."
Given how Barraitser’s makes no effort to conceal her hostility to Julian Assange and her outrageous rulings against Julian’s defence team, surely it must be possible to demand that Judge Vanessa Barraitser be removed from this case though popular protest, another legal challenge or both.
Ivermecting studies - why developing countries?
Too many variables incomparable stats HCQinternational study
13 Presidents Past and Present Urge Halt to Julian's Extradition
#comment-177616">13 presidents past & present urge UK government to halt Julian Assange’s extradition proceedings and grant his immediate freedom (28/9/2020) - The Duran
As Julian Assange fights US extradition at the Old Bailey in London, over one hundred eminent political figures, including 13 past and present heads of state, numerous ministers, members of parliament and diplomats, have today denounced the illegality of the proceedings and appealed for Assange’s immediate release.
The politicians from 27 different countries and from across the political spectrum have joined 189 independent international lawyers, judges, legal academics and lawyers’ associations by endorsing their open letter to the UK Government warning that the US extradition request and extradition proceedings violate national and international law, breach fair trial rights and other human rights, and threaten press freedom and democracy.
Politicians endorsing the call to free Julian Assange include Jeremy Corbyn, former Prime Minister of Spain, Luis Zapatero, several members of the European Parliament, former presidents of Brazil, Lula da Silva and Dilma Roussef, and Australian parliamentarians from the cross-party parliamentary group to free Assange.
I posted the following #comment-177616">comment in response:
Whilst I welcome Jeremy Corbyn’s name being on the list, I don’t recall where he ever once said a word about Julian Assange whilst he was leader of the Opposition Labour Party. He never once visited the Ecuadorian Embassy to help those outside who were protesting against his outrageous detention.
Had he done so, it would not have been possible for the UK government to continue its criminal complicity in the illegal detention of Julian at the Embassy.
He could have just walked in to the Embassy, taken Julian’s hand escorted him to Heathrow Airport for a flight back home to Australia. What UK policeman would have dared interfere?
HCQ and Ivermectin
Free economics webinars - Australia Institute
Very concerning
Organ damage from COVID-19 can be avoided
Emergency laws
Vital evidence
Hans Brunner deserves high honours for his evidence in Appeal
Hans Brunner in Lindy Chamberlain doco Sunday 16 Aug 2020
IF you want to know more about Hans Brunner and the Lindy Chamberlain appeal, tune into the "Lindy Tapes" documentary, which premieres on Channel 7 Sunday 16th August at 8.30pm. Brunner pointed out that dingos were dogs, among other things. That's an indication of the state of education in our legal professions and the need for more science education.
https://7news.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-lindy-tapes-documentary-premieres-on-channel-7-c-1222738?utm_campaign=share-icons&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&tid=1597187672214
Inquiry into problem of feral and domestic cats in Australia
Duplication of this article due to website problem
Marriage brokers
Freedom of expression of ideas
LXRP causes more trouble in Seaford/Kananook Creek tracks
More trouble in the Seaford/ Kananook Creek area LXRP have ignored the apparently agreed stop work and continued pouring concrete in the Seaford Park Arboretum site and then have constructed a steel fence right along their new bike road, effectively fencing off the creekside nature reserve from the public. What on earth were LXRP thinking?
Port Adelaide protest against Nuclear Submarines, Fri 24 Sep
Protest this Friday 24 September in Port Adelaide against Prime Minister Scott Morrison decision to purchase nuclear powered submarines from the United States. The location of the protest is to be announced.