Thursday, August 31, 2006

'The Century of the Self'

A superb four-part documentary on the history of propaganda.

"This series is about how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy." - Adam Curtis, writer and producer of the series.

Available to view on Google Video (you'll have to download the Google Video player, but it's worth it):
Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four

More Adam Curtis documentaries:
The Mayfair Set (This site, theDossier, is a major resource for video and audio documentaries)
The Power of Nightmares

A biography and interview with Adam Curtis

Adam Curtis used his BAFTA speech last year to criticise the media's sensationalisation of the supposed ricin terrorists.
The Guardian story
Prison Planet's view
The ricin case timeline

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Are the UK Terrorist Suspects Guilty of Thought Crime?

Entrapment in the UK?
"From what is typical in terrorist scares, it is likely that the individuals arrested in the UK August 10 are guilty of what George Orwell, in 1984, called 'thoughtcrimes'. That is to say, they haven't actually DONE anything. At most, they've THOUGHT about doing something the government would label 'terrorism'. Perhaps not even very serious thoughts, perhaps just venting their anger at the exceptionally violent role played by the UK and the US in the Mideast and thinking out loud how nice it would be to throw some of that violence back in the face of Blair and Bush. And then, the fatal moment for them that ruins their lives forever ... their angry words are heard by the wrong person, who reports them to the authorities. (In the Manhattan flood case the formidable, dangerous 'terrorists' made mention on an Internet chat room about blowing something up.)

Soon a government agent provocateur appears, infiltrates the group, and then actually encourages the individuals to think and talk further about terrorist acts, to develop real plans instead of youthful fantasizing, and even provides the individuals with some of the actual means for carrying out these terrorist acts, like explosive material and technical know-how, money and transportation, whatever is needed to advance the plot. It's known as 'entrapment', and it's supposed to be illegal, it's supposed to be a powerful defense for the accused, but the authorities get away with it all the time; and the accused get put away for very long stretches. And because of the role played by the agent provocateur, we may never know whether any of the accused, on their own, would have gone much further, if at all, like actually making a bomb, or, in the present case, even making transatlantic flight reservations since many of the accused reportedly did not even have passports. Government infiltrating and monitoring is one thing; encouragement, pushing the plot forward, and scaring the public to make political capital from it is quite something else."
From Empire Burlesque.

For a view of the wider picture; to understand where this is all heading, listen to this very credible man, David Ray Griffin, a philosopher-theologian: 911 and the American Empire

Monday, August 21, 2006

Getting 'through the Cookery without Starting a Fire in the Lavvie'

I came across a page on theregister.co.uk on the impossibility of terrorising the world/UK with peroxide bombs made in airplanes.

From the site:
"Don't forget to bring several frozen gel-packs (preferably in a Styrofoam chiller deceptively marked "perishable foods"), a thermometer, a large beaker, a stirring rod, and a medicine dropper. You're going to need them.

Easy does it

Once the plane is over the ocean, very discreetly bring all of your gear into the toilet. You might need to make several trips to avoid drawing attention. Once your kit is in place, put a beaker containing the peroxide/acetone mixture into the ice water bath (Champagne bucket), and start adding the acid, drop by drop, while stirring constantly. Watch the reaction temperature carefully. The mixture will heat, and if it gets too hot, you'll end up with a weak explosive. In fact, if it gets really hot, you'll get a premature explosion possibly sufficient to kill you, but probably no one else.

After a few hours - assuming, by some miracle, that the fumes haven't overcome you or alerted passengers or the flight crew to your activities - you'll have a quantity of TATP with which to carry out your mission. Now all you need to do is dry it for an hour or two."
Just think, on the basis of this rubbish proposition from the authorities, hundreds of UK Muslims are being subjected to raids and searches. So, it's an excuse, it's not about a bomb that couldn't be made at all. For what then? You'd better start researching quick, the truth is still out there but the propaganda is everywhere.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Did Someone You Know Fight in WWII?

Well, remember what they fought for - and against.

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"

I just watched this video of Donna Marsh O'Connor, mother of a 9/11 victim, and it put me in tears.

"A time comes when silence is betrayal."
Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

The Enabling Acts

The American Constitution is now the Bush Constitution. He has taken upon himself the power to decide whether any law, existing or new, is constitutional.

Bush administration spokesmen told a Boston Globe reporter that 'the president will faithfully execute the law in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution.'
"But the words 'in a manner that is consistent with the Constitution' are the catch, legal scholars say, because Bush is according himself the ultimate interpretation of the Constitution. And he is quietly exercising that authority to a degree that is unprecedented in US history.

Bush is the first president in modern history who has never vetoed a bill, giving Congress no chance to override his judgments. Instead, he has signed every bill that reached his desk, often inviting the legislation's sponsors to signing ceremonies at which he lavishes praise upon their work.

Then, after the media and the lawmakers have left the White House, Bush quietly files 'signing statements' - official documents in which a president lays out his legal interpretation of a bill for the federal bureaucracy to follow when implementing the new law. The statements are recorded in the federal register."
In just five years, Bush has filed more than 750 signing statements, by far a record for any president.
"The Constitution grants Congress the power to create armies, to declare war, to make rules for captured enemies, and 'to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces.' But, citing his role as commander in chief, Bush says he can ignore any act of Congress that seeks to regulate the military."

"Many of the laws Bush has challenged involve national security, where it is almost impossible to verify what the government is doing."

'The Enabling Act' was officially called 'Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich'. Its passing in March 1933 meant the end of democracy in Germany and the establishment of legal dictatorship. (The 'distress' had been secretly caused by the Nazis to create a crisis atmosphere.)
"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures...", Hitler told the Reichstag.
Source: History Place.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Level of Terror Threat still on 'Alleged'

After a year of investigation and a week of presumably very intensive interrogation of suspects and searching of property we are still on 'alleged' - everywhere, in the press, on TV and radio, no one will say 'plot', only 'alleged plot'.

On his blog, Craig Murray gives some points to bear in mind:
None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb.
None had bought a plane ticket.
Many did not even have passports.

And without bombs, airline tickets, and in many cases passports, a jury would not be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that these people intended to go through with suicide bombings.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

A Woman's World

An articulate lady voices her thoughts on Islamic fundamentalism.

Suspended Disbelief

We can get into all sorts of worry states with our imagination. And the more conflicting information we have, the harder it is to sort it all out.

There's so much confusion around at the moment that it's difficult to know where to turn.

So, I thought, how about going back to basics and applying common sense. Cut out all that we've been fed, all the fear and emotion, and see what's left.

Here's my first thought:
It's really confusing that the London bombers are described as such nice normal men by their family, neighbours and friends.

The men described in Times Online.
One year later:
no clues yet.

(In the Times Online article describing the bombers, the only bad thing said about any of them is this:
"He also gave a fascinating hint of his own smouldering political anger and dissent. As a Beeston resident, he expressed his discontent with the community’s squalor, saying he believed it would be many years before regeneration cash would transform the area."
Does that sound like "a fascinating hint of his own smouldering political anger and dissent"?)

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Watch 'Loose Change'

I said it below, I say it again, watch 'Loose Change' (Second Edition - Recut) then think again about what's happening in the world today.

It's about 9/11 - the very reason for the 'war on terror': but it's about what actually happened and all the questions that need answering.

The video is available with French subtitles or with Chinese subtitles.

What's it all about? See Armed Madhouse.

For a criticism of this documentary, visit the 9-11 Research Companion to Loose Change 2nd Edition where they aim to "foster an understanding that, despite its many errors, the film raises questions that urgently demand serious scrutiny".
Also see the video and audio presentations of: The Citizens Commission on 911.
Yet more here: Best (and worst) movies about Peak Oil, 9/11 and the War on Terror - including the excellent documentary series screened by the BBC called 'The Power of Nightmares'
.

After seeing Loose Change, you may like to see a video supporting the official explanation of the collapse of the Twin Towers:

BBC Horizon – The Fall of the World Trade Center

You may note that they are careful not to show those shots of the whole towers with the progressive explosions cascading down the building: they crop in to the top only, or show a long-distance shot.
They do not mention the collapse of Building 7, which is the biggest mystery of the day - but then, the official 9/11 Commission didn't bother with it either.
They claim no fire service could have dealt with the fire, yet a senior fire officer had already called through his estimation of the problem and his proposed solution.
They do not discuss the explosions noted by firemen and recorded by others.

Their conclusion, though, is important: the safety of high-rise buildings is in doubt.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Israel - the Stalking Horse

This article by Seymour Hersh, posted in today's New Yorker, discusses the pre-planning by Israel, with American cooperation, of the attacks on Lebanon.

It's all reminiscent of the Nazi attack on Poland in September 1939, which was also apparently provoked by a border incident (known to be fabricated in the case of the Nazis).

Why the continuing use of the word 'alleged'?

We had an announcement on the radio this morning by John Reid, UK Home Secretary, that the security level was being taken down one notch from 'critical' to 'severe'; 'imminent' to 'highly likely'. Weirdly, he still talks of the 'alleged terror plan'. Surely, someone in his position, at this stage in the proceedings, doesn't need to be protecting himself by using the word 'alleged'.

If he knew there was a plot he wouldn't need to keep saying 'alleged'; he'd just say 'plot' or 'terrorists' or 'suspects', whatever. So it must be that he/they doesn't know if there was a plot.

If suspects have been surveyed for 12 months, then an operation carried out, then surely it must be known whether or not there was a plot.

'A synthetic ruse ?

Sunday, August 13, 2006

The Spirit of Abe

"What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength of our gallant and disciplined army. These are not our reliance against a resumption of tyranny in our fair land. All of them may be turned against our liberties, without making us stronger or weaker for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, every where. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors."
Abraham Lincoln, from speech at Edwardsville, September 11, 1858
(I took this quote from a comment by James to The Scotsman newspaper)
More at: Abraham Lincoln on Preserving Liberty