by Paul Pillar, June 21, 2015
A particularly sensible article by a former colleague of Ray
Will Justice Prevail? Assange’s 3rd anniversary in embassy of Ecuador
“Guantanamo Justice” in Britain (from Sunshine Press)
“19 June 2015 marks three years since Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, entered the embassy of Ecuador in London. He was granted political asylum under the 1951 Refugee Convention … Mr. Assange risks extradition to the US from both the UK and Sweden. He has been detained—without charge—in prison, under house arrest and in the embassy for nearly five years. He has not seen the sun in three years, as the embassy has no outdoor area. …”
For the entire statement from Sunshine Press, see:
https://justice4assange.com/3-Years-in-Embassy.html
Ray Comment:
The British say they will arrest Assange the minute he steps outside the Ecuadorian Embassy.
I am reminded that the now defunct Magna Carta, while mocked by the New York Times on its 800th anniversary four days ago – see: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/15/opinion/stop-revering-magna-carta.html?_r=0 – has still not been given a proper burial. Shame on Britain, where the English once had the backbone to stand up to a king.
It is time to end the pretense. There should be a proper funeral, memorial service, and burial for the Magna Carta after eight centuries of protecting the human rights now denied to Julian Assange, to those in Guantanamo and to thousands of others now aping our new form of “democracy.”
The lawless U.S. “Justice” Department now plays the role of king, and British lawyers shame their ancestors, as well as their profession, in bowing low to carry out Washington’s diktat regarding Julian Assange – as in so many other matters.
Sadly, this should come as no surprise. London’s agile lawyers did backflips to apply a veneer of legality to “justify” the U.S./U.K. attack on Iraq, launching what the post-WWII Nuremberg Tribunal defined as a “war of aggression” with its “accumulated evil” of kidnapping and torture, in which the British also cooperated.
“British Law” has become an oxymoron. And only a moron could be blind to the reality that Britain’s servile lawyers are putty in Washington’s hands. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch had no business being at Runnymede on June 15 to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta. Neither did the queen, nor any of today’s much more malleable British barons.
Veterans Urge Drone Operators to Refuse Orders to Fly
Many U.S. military veterans are counseling military drone operators to refuse to fly drone surveillance/attack missions, and are sponsoring prime-time television commercials urging drone operators to “refuse to fly.”
In a letter released today by KnowDrones.com, 44 former members of the US Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines whose ranks range from private to colonel … “urge United States drone pilots, sensor operators and support teams to refuse to play any role in drone surveillance/assassination missions. Such missions profoundly violate domestic and international laws intended to protect individuals’ rights to life, privacy and due process.”
http://warisacrime.org/content/veterans-urge-drone-operators-refuse-orders-fly
John Oliver on torture
(15 min.)
“Hohe Einsaetze fuer die G7” – High Stakes For the G-7
(“Analyse von Ray McGovern”)
German translation published on June 8 of Obama’s ‘G-1-plus-6’
Betrayed by Our Government
The Costs of Needless War: Deceased, Injured Veterans, Families; Moral Injury
Phil Donahue moderator: Kevin Lucey, Matthew Hoh, Ray McGovern, Cathy Smith
Sponsored by Military Families Speak Out
Left Panel Forum, John Jay University, New York, NY, May 30, 2015
How wonderful to have Phil Donahue back leading the discussion, 13 years after he was unceremoniously fired by MSNBC just three weeks before the U.S./U.K. attack on Iraq. Phil had the temerity to give airtime to guests opposed to the looming war. Owned largely by war profiteer General Electric, MSNBC explained in an internal memo leaked to the press that Phil would be a “difficult public face for NBC in a time of war.”
Ray led off the panel discussion, but contributed little that might be new to readers of this website. In contrast, the sharing by Matthew Hoh, Kevin Lucey, and Cathy Smith is not to be missed. Matthew speaks of the moral injury so prevalent among combat veterans (minute 23:40 to 33:10); Kevin then describes what led his son, Marine Cpl. Jeffrey M. Lucey to take his own life and the toll that such loss exacts on families and friends (minute 33:50 to 48:15); and Cathy Smith, mother of Army Pvt. Tomas Young, wounded in Baghdad and paralyzed from the waist down, speaks briefly of the ordeal Tomas and those around him endured for the ten years before he died (minute 1:00:00 to 1:05:00).
Tomas’s spirit was indomitable; while he was still able, he no doubt saved many young lives and limbs by warning others not to let themselves be betrayed by politicians. Included after the link below is a short excerpt from a letter Tomas wrote to Bush and Cheney before he died.
Body of War, a documentary directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, follows Tomas as he adjusts to his paralysis and reflects on the lies responsible for so much death and injury. Short clips of the film are shown as part of the discussion. A lively Q&A follows, punctuated – thank goodness – by a few hilarious moments courtesy of Phil.
After clicking on the link below, scroll either right or down to “Left Forum 2015 Military Families Speak Out.” The entire event runs 1 hour, 48 minutes. You may find the above breakdown into segments by minutes helpful.
Excerpt from Tomas Young’s “Last Letter” – A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran
”I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.“
http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_last_letter_20130318
Open Letter to Angela Merkel: End Germany’s Role in Drone Killings
The U.S. Satellite Relay Station at Ramstein plays an essential role in ALL drone killings in the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and Africa. Given recent revelations in the media, Merkel can no longer feign ignorance. The open letter from U.S. activists challenges her to summon the courage to show some independence and enforce German and international law.
If Berlin will not do this as a matter of principle, then it should at least look at it in terms of Germany’s self-interest. Will Germany be able to prevent retaliation from the extended family members and friends of those murdered? Is it not clear to Merkel that craven complicity in cowardly computer console killing is likely to backfire against the German citizens Merkel is sworn to protect?
Ed Snowden: Livestreamed Q & A w/Amnesty International in UK
June 2, 2015 (42 minutes, beginning at min. 3:15)
Many key questions asked and answered.