They Can't Cage A Song
Punishing the WikiLeaker Misses the Point
By ERIC MARGOLIS, QMI Agency
August 15, 2010 "Toronto Sun" -- George Orwell wrote: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
A true journalist’s job is to expose government wrongdoing and propaganda, skewer hypocrites, and speak for those with no voice. And wage war against mankind’s two worst scourges: Nationalism and religious bigotry. Not to lick the boots of government.
I’ve always felt kinship for free thinkers, rebels, and heretics.
That’s why I am drawn to the plight of Pte. Bradley Manning who apparently believed Ernest Hemingway’s dictum: “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
The 22-year-old U.S. Army intelligence analyst caused a worldwide furor by releasing to WikiLeaks secret military logs that exposed ugly truths about the brutal conflict in Afghanistan, including widespread killing of civilians.
To again quote Orwell: “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
Manning also released a suppressed tape of a U.S. Army helicopter gunship killing two Reuters journalists and a civilian.
A civilian hacker, employed by some shadowy U.S. government intelligence “contractor” spying on the Internet turned Manning in.
Revenge was swift.
Manning was thrown into solitary confinement and faces a long prison term.
His case recalls another courageous whistleblower, Israeli technician Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed Israel’s large nuclear arsenal, was kidnapped, served 17 years in solitary, and still remains a semi-prisoner.
WikiGate provoked a flood of bombastic pro-war propaganda from America’s mainstream (read: Government guided) media, its rent-a-journalists, and Canada’s wannabe Republican neocons.
Manning’s revelations were blamed on his being gay, a loner, or maladjusted.
The Soviets used to lock away such “anti-state elements” and dissenters in mental institutions.
The neocons tried to divert attention by trumpeting the plight of a wretched Afghan girl whose nose had been cut off by her backwards tribal in-laws.
She was turned into a pro-war martyr.
This crime was immediately blamed without evidence on Taliban and served up as the reason why the Western powers had to garrison Afghanistan.
No pictures of Afghans blown to bits or maimed by U.S. bombs were published. No mentions of oil and gas.
Uncoincidentally, a few months ago, in response to Europe’s growing opposition to the Afghan War, the CIA reportedly advised NATO the best way to keep marketing the Afghan War to the public was claiming it was a crusade to protect women’s rights.
Inconveniently, the U.S. and Canada’s Afghan allies — Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazara — mistreat their women as badly as Taliban’s Pashtun.
When I served in the U.S. Army, we were taught it was our duty to report up the chain of command all violations of the Geneva Conventions and war crimes. These included killing civilians, torture, reprisals, and executions.
Manning reportedly sought to report to his superiors just such crimes committed in Afghanistan by some U.S. forces and their local allies and mercenaries.
He was ignored. Just as was the courageous Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin when he warned Ottawa that prisoners were being handed over to the brutal Afghan secret police for torture and execution.
Manning’s motivations for whistleblowing matter not. What does matter is he revealed to the public the brutal nature of the colonial war in Afghanistan and the bodyguard of lies protecting it from public scrutiny.
If Americans and Canadians really knew the truth of this resource-driven war, and its carefully concealed cost, they would end it very quickly.
---
After 27 years, this is my last Sun column. I am grateful to the Sun for allowing me to freely express my views even when it disagreed with them. My Sunday column continues at my website: ericmargolis.com and at the Huffington Post, LewRockwell.com, Bigeye.com and newspapers abroad.
Twitter @ericmargolis
By ERIC MARGOLIS, QMI Agency
August 15, 2010 "Toronto Sun" -- George Orwell wrote: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
A true journalist’s job is to expose government wrongdoing and propaganda, skewer hypocrites, and speak for those with no voice. And wage war against mankind’s two worst scourges: Nationalism and religious bigotry. Not to lick the boots of government.
I’ve always felt kinship for free thinkers, rebels, and heretics.
That’s why I am drawn to the plight of Pte. Bradley Manning who apparently believed Ernest Hemingway’s dictum: “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”
The 22-year-old U.S. Army intelligence analyst caused a worldwide furor by releasing to WikiLeaks secret military logs that exposed ugly truths about the brutal conflict in Afghanistan, including widespread killing of civilians.
To again quote Orwell: “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
Manning also released a suppressed tape of a U.S. Army helicopter gunship killing two Reuters journalists and a civilian.
A civilian hacker, employed by some shadowy U.S. government intelligence “contractor” spying on the Internet turned Manning in.
Revenge was swift.
Manning was thrown into solitary confinement and faces a long prison term.
His case recalls another courageous whistleblower, Israeli technician Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed Israel’s large nuclear arsenal, was kidnapped, served 17 years in solitary, and still remains a semi-prisoner.
WikiGate provoked a flood of bombastic pro-war propaganda from America’s mainstream (read: Government guided) media, its rent-a-journalists, and Canada’s wannabe Republican neocons.
Manning’s revelations were blamed on his being gay, a loner, or maladjusted.
The Soviets used to lock away such “anti-state elements” and dissenters in mental institutions.
The neocons tried to divert attention by trumpeting the plight of a wretched Afghan girl whose nose had been cut off by her backwards tribal in-laws.
She was turned into a pro-war martyr.
This crime was immediately blamed without evidence on Taliban and served up as the reason why the Western powers had to garrison Afghanistan.
No pictures of Afghans blown to bits or maimed by U.S. bombs were published. No mentions of oil and gas.
Uncoincidentally, a few months ago, in response to Europe’s growing opposition to the Afghan War, the CIA reportedly advised NATO the best way to keep marketing the Afghan War to the public was claiming it was a crusade to protect women’s rights.
Inconveniently, the U.S. and Canada’s Afghan allies — Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazara — mistreat their women as badly as Taliban’s Pashtun.
When I served in the U.S. Army, we were taught it was our duty to report up the chain of command all violations of the Geneva Conventions and war crimes. These included killing civilians, torture, reprisals, and executions.
Manning reportedly sought to report to his superiors just such crimes committed in Afghanistan by some U.S. forces and their local allies and mercenaries.
He was ignored. Just as was the courageous Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin when he warned Ottawa that prisoners were being handed over to the brutal Afghan secret police for torture and execution.
Manning’s motivations for whistleblowing matter not. What does matter is he revealed to the public the brutal nature of the colonial war in Afghanistan and the bodyguard of lies protecting it from public scrutiny.
If Americans and Canadians really knew the truth of this resource-driven war, and its carefully concealed cost, they would end it very quickly.
---
After 27 years, this is my last Sun column. I am grateful to the Sun for allowing me to freely express my views even when it disagreed with them. My Sunday column continues at my website: ericmargolis.com and at the Huffington Post, LewRockwell.com, Bigeye.com and newspapers abroad.
Twitter @ericmargolis
17 opmerkingen:
Gezien de huidige politiek zal Wikileaks nog genoeg te doen hebben in de toekomst
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/world/15shadowwar.html?_r=3&hp
Ik begrijp de functie van dit weblog niet zo goed. Van her en der meningen van anderen plukken en met paste/copy op je eigen weblog plaatsen. Wonderlijk. Stan was vroeger al berucht om zijn neiging tot epigonisme Kennelijk is daar niet veel aan veranderd.
Wel, de Clerq, als u dit weblog niet begrijpt, kan ik u doorverwijzen naar Krapuul. Daar ligt het allemaal wat eenvoudiger en zult u uw mening zeker kwijt kunnen.
anzi
ISRAEL’S PRE-ELECTION ATTEMPT TO DEFLECT A NEW 9/11 INVESTIGATION
By Gordon Duff STAFF WRITER/Senior Editor
There never were plans for a mosque at “ground zero.” The entire story is made up by a public relations agency working with the Israeli government and the GOP. There are plans for an Islamic center in an old Burlington Coat Factory store blocks away. That far down the island of Manhattan, a couple blocks away is “across town.” The idea that Israel is financing the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy when Mossad agents were arrested, dancing in the streets on 9/11, is an obscenity.
Lees www.veteranstoday.com
anzi
Meneer de Clerq, omdat u er nadrukkelijk om vroeg, ben ik een kijkje gaan nemen bij uw wederwaardigheden. U stelt me niet teleur. Wat te zeggen over uw fietstochten?. Na alle 5 volzinnen van kilometers, komt het menu op tafel.
"Op tafel: brood, een bidon water en worteltjes. Niet vanwege de koningin, maar omdat het gezond is. En lekker. En omdat het moet van Mirjam".
Ja hoor,
anzi
stan zei
ach, een reactie van hans de clercq. hou vol hans, het leven is hard, en je oogst wat je zaait.
succes.
Juist Stan, precies zo is het. Je mag trouwens wel trots zijn op je lezers. Aanzienlijk niveau, als beide anonieme reacties representatief zijn. Ben trouwens benieuwd wanneer je Brodsky weer eens van stal haalt, of Dennis Meadows. Sterkte.
wat een bitterheid, wat een onverholen minachting. wat is er fout met je gegaan hans? heb je het niet getrokken? voel je je mislukt? kennelijk heb je je gram al die jaren in stilte gekoesterd en nu barst het ineens naar buiten. waarom pas nu? en vanwaar deze ressentimenten? laat me weten.
Om dan maar op uw niveau te blijven, meneer, komkommertijd?
anzi
Niet via dit publieke medium, Stan. Ik wil eventueel wel iets laten weten, maar dan alleen jij en ik. Niet met die halfgare anonieme intermezzi. En of ik het niet getrokken heb? Mislukt? Au contraire. Ik word aanstonds 62 en kijk terug op een rijk en gevuld leven.
En sorry, meneer de Clercq ,met een c ertussen, had nooit van u gehoord. Waarschijnlijk heb ik een hoop gemist.
anzi
Doorzichtig, de Clercg.
anzi
En misschien kan je dan gelijk je excuses aanbieden i.v.m. jouw halfgare intermezzi,held
anzi
Je wilt wel iets laten weten, maar niet via dit publieke medium. Wat je wel publiekelijk kenbaar wil maken is je minachting naar Stan toe. Hoe moeten wij, lezers, dit opvatten?
anzi
hans, ik citeer je:
'Niet via dit publieke medium, Stan. Ik wil eventueel wel iets laten weten, maar dan alleen jij en ik.'
hoe nu? ik heb niets te verbergen, sterker nog: jij bent begonnen mij publiekelijk te bekritiseren. ik nodig je dus bij deze uit je motieven publiekelijk bekend te maken.
stan
hans,
ik verneem niets van je. ineens sprakeloos geworden? hoe komt dat? eerst praatjes en nu ineens te laf om een reactie te geven. het was john berger die erop wees dat onder de grote invloed van de massamedia ‘er grote delen van de… arbeiders en middenklasse bestaan die zich niet helder kunnen uitdrukken als gevolg van de grootscheepse culturele deprivatie. De middelen om datgene wat ze weten te vertalen in gedachten is hen ontnomen… Ze bezitten geen voorbeelden die ze kunnen volgen, waarbij woorden ervaringen duidelijk maken.’
stan
Held op sokken dus. Aanzienlijk niveau, nou,nou,
anzi
Een reactie posten