Wikileaks

[Jillers]

No, please.

[Bananafish]

Why is 'sexual' in quotes?

They probably couldn't take the time to specifically identify how the prisoners were tortured sexually so they used a blanket term to identify things like rape or mutilation/torture of genitals etc at least that's what I think it means, idk

[Bananafish]

WikiLeaks cables: Sudanese president 'stashed $9bn in UK banks'

Speculation that Omar al-Bashir siphoned $9bn in oil money and deposited it in foreign accounts could fuel calls for his arrest

- - -

US criticises court that may decide on Julian Assange extradition, WikiLeaks cables show

Leaked dispatches reveal diplomats' disdain for Council of Europe's stance against extraditions to US and secret renditions

US officials regard European human rights standards as an "irritant", secret cables show, and have strongly objected to the safeguards which could protect WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from extradition.

In a confidential cable from the US embassy in Strasbourg, US consul general Vincent Carver criticised the Council of Europe, the most authoritative human-rights body for European countries, for its stance against extraditions to America, as well as secret renditions and prisons used to hold terrorist suspects.

...

Assange would have the right to appeal against any extradition decision to the European court of human rights if all other legal avenues failed. His lawyers are already forming human rights arguments to block his extradition within the EU.

The cables also single out high-profile individuals within the Council of Europe for criticism, in particular British secretary general Terry Davis – now retired – who is described by the Americans as an "unpopular lame duck.

EDIT

WikiLeaks: Cuba banned Sicko for depicting 'mythical' healthcare system

Authorities feared footage of gleaming hospital in Michael Moore's Oscar-nominated film would provoke a popular backlash

[empath]

Why is 'sexual' in quotes?

They probably couldn't take the time to specifically identify how the prisoners were tortured sexually so they used a blanket term to identify things like rape or mutilation/torture of genitals etc at least that's what I think it means, idk

That's entirely possible, as is a blanket term used because the writer was squeamish about the specifics.

Another alternative is - when examining the text - that it's the typical "office communication illiteracy"; in interoffice memos and the like, punctuation seems to suffer first, and quotation marks get misinterpreted and used for emphasis instead of CAPS or *asterisks*, like:

Just a little token of our "gratitude".

[goat]

EDIT

WikiLeaks: Cuba banned Sicko for depicting 'mythical' healthcare system

Authorities feared footage of gleaming hospital in Michael Moore's Oscar-nominated film would provoke a popular backlash

I'd like to imagine that they tried the US' route of calling socialism or communist, but quickly realized that that trick wouldn't work.

[Jillers]

Why is 'sexual' in quotes?

They probably couldn't take the time to specifically identify how the prisoners were tortured sexually so they used a blanket term to identify things like rape or mutilation/torture of genitals etc at least that's what I think it means, idk

That's entirely possible, as is a blanket term used because the writer was squeamish about the specifics.

Another alternative is - when examining the text - that it's the typical "office communication illiteracy"; in interoffice memos and the like, punctuation seems to suffer first, and quotation marks get misinterpreted and used for emphasis instead of CAPS or *asterisks*, like:

Just a little token of our "gratitude".

[insert grammar rant here]

Because to read that in any other way but that "sexual" means anything but sexual, or else the write is quoting what someone said, but does not necessarily have the evidence to back it up, is wrong.

Though I'm sure the writer was either squeamish about the subject matter, or meant it for emphasis. And more than likely, because of how goddamn often I see it, I bet it was for the emphasis, which makes whoever wrote this an idiot.
Not because they don't know the quotation rules, but because this is purported to be a journalist endeavor (you know, actual journalism, exposing things that the public should probably know, freedom of speech all that) and don't know the quotation rules.

Unless they were squeamish, or meant it the way I read it. In which case, they should carry on.

In conclusion, I've concluded nothing, and now I'm angry.

[Bananafish]

what the fuck is this shit

[Bananafish]

EDIT

WikiLeaks: Cuba banned Sicko for depicting 'mythical' healthcare system

Authorities feared footage of gleaming hospital in Michael Moore's Oscar-nominated film would provoke a popular backlash

I'd like to imagine that they tried the US' route of calling socialism or communist, but quickly realized that that trick wouldn't work.

Michale Moore denied it btw

E:

TIP SUBJECT: BRAZIL'S LANDLESS MOVEMENT INVADES AMERICAN-OWNED FARM

The Landless Workers' Movement has a presence in about 23 of Brazil's 26 states, and its members number about 1.5 million peasants.

The MST carries out long-overdue land reform in a country mired by unjust land distribution. In Brazil, 1.6% of the landowners control roughly half (46.8%) of the land on which crops could be grown. Just 3% of the population owns two-thirds of all arable lands.

http://www.mstbrazil.org/?q=about

The movement believes that land should server a "larger social function" and it often occupies private farms with the intent of protesting policies or redistributing the land to the poor.

On September 25, AgroReservas do Brazil, an American-owned farm, was invaded by 300-500 MST members who moved into employees' homes, blocked access roads, cut down trees, and demanded 10,000 hectares of the property's farmable land. The 70,000 hectare farm is owned by the Farm Management Company in Salt Lake City, Utah, and employs 300 Brazilians and four Americans. Although farm employees have not been able to access the housing area since the invasion began, they have been able to feed 7,000 cattle by entering the farm through neighboring farms, the farm's manager Macedo Genevil told Embassy Agricultural Attache. According to Genevil, military police officials have confined the MST to the housing area on the property, and farming equipment has not been damaged.

The Minas Gerais state government has agreed to send an undisclosed number of military police to the farm, but before the police can be mobilized, a state judge must issue an eviction order against the MST. During the week of September 26, the state judge decided to negotiate with MST leaders before issuing an eviction order, and Minas Gerais military police agreed to remain on the farm until the negotiations have concluded. A Police Commander told Embassy Legal Attache on September 30 that the judicial process to evict the MST could be lengthy, and labor union laws and inadequate staffing may require the state government to cease police protection in the near future.

Genevil subsequently told Embassy Agricultural Attache that the judge who wanted to negotiate with the MST has been replaced by a "new, more reasonable judge." Genevil sounded pleased with this decision and believed that an eviction order would be issued during the week of October 10. According to Genevil, the police will remain on the property until after farm managers meet with the military police chief to request a one week extension for police protection on October 5.

There is a reason for the expediency with which the judge was replaced though, there is potential for a lot of money to be lost and corporate interests interfering with the Minas Gerais judicial system to prevent that doesn't seem completely far-fetched imo

¶8. (SBU) AgroReservas is one of the largest and most technically advanced farms in Brazil, and the Foreign Agricultural Service often takes visitors such as the American Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau to the farm to show the scale of farm operations in Brazil. This invasion marks the first time that the MST has occupied an American farm, and while the invasion of the farm causes concern, post does not believe that the invasion was linked to the farm's connections to the United States. Embassy Agricultural Attache believes that AgroReservas was targeted because the farm is one of the largest and most profitable farms in the state. If this conflict is resolved quickly, post believes that the farm will sustain only nominal damage to homes and other items on the property. However, if the judicial process delays eviction of the MST and police protection ceases, the farm will remain unattended, leaving the farming system and its profits in jeopardy.

This is v interesting though

[empath]

what the fuck is this shit

It's called "intelligent discourse" - it happens when people start conversations/forum threads.

If you're so repelled by it, you might wanna stop giving us things to discuss.


Oh, and here's something topical that makes Oscar Wilde grin in his grave:

What are the differences between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I’m a villain. Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s Man of the Year.

[Dutch guy]

Oh, and here's something topical that makes Oscar Wilde grin in his grave:

What are the differences between Mark Zuckerberg and me? I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I’m a villain. Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he’s Man of the Year.

And he is very, very right there. The main reason I dont do facebook or similar sites. If people want to be my friends, they can be my actual friends and know my information because I give it to them personally.

[sdhonda]

No, Assange is still no better, as he gives out stolen secrets.

[JackSlack]

@sdhonda;

Do you believe it is ever right for a media outlet to publish state secrets?

Just asking.

[sdhonda]

No.

[Dutch guy]

No.

Then you are a sheep.

[sdhonda]

Please suh, I am a donkey.

[Metcarfre]

Please suh, I am a donkey.

I would not have pegged you as a Democrat.

[goat]

Then you are a sheep.

Please suh, I am a donkey.

I'm a goat!



(but the real question is: who is a cow?)

[Metcarfre]

Mike Cammaleri. I won with that correct answer, as evidenced in my userbar.

[Drinnik]

Then you are a sheep.

Please suh, I am a donkey.

I'm a goat!



(but the real question is: who is a cow?)

Buggrit millennium hand and shrimp, that's Foul Ole Ron, that's not my cow!

[Bananafish]

It's called "intelligent discourse" - it happens when people start conversations/forum threads.

oh because it looked like pointless pedantry

[Bananafish]

"whoops"

Contrary to a claim made in a leaked US diplomatic cable whose contents we reported, Sicko – a documentary by film-maker Michael Moore – was not banned in Cuba. The film, which examines US healthcare through comparisons with some countries' publicly funded systems, including Cuba's, was in fact shown in film theatres throughout the island and on national TV (Cuba 'vetoed' healthcare film, 18 December, page 7).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/dec/21/corrections-clarifications

[Bananafish]

WikiLeaks cables: Bangladeshi 'death squad' trained by UK government

Rapid Action Battalion, accused of hundreds of extra-judicial killings, received training from UK officers, cables reveal

Since the RAB was established six years ago, it is estimated by some human rights activists to have been responsible for more than 1,000 extra-judicial killings, described euphemistically as "crossfire" deaths. In September last year the director general of the RAB said his men had killed 577 people in "crossfire". In March this year he updated the figure, saying they had killed 622 people.

The RAB's use of torture has also been exhaustively documented by human rights organisations. In addition, officers from the paramilitary force are alleged to have been involved in kidnap and extortion, and are frequently accused of taking large bribes in return for carrying out crossfire killings.

...

Brad Adams, the organisation's Asia director, said: "RAB is a Latin American-style death squad dressed up as an anti-crime force. The British government has let its desire for a functional counter-terrorism partner in Bangladesh blind it to the risks of working with RAB, and the legitimacy that it gives to RAB inside Bangladesh. Furthermore, it is not clear that the British government has ever made it a priority at the highest levels to tell RAB that if it doesn't change, it will not co-operate with it."

Amnesty International has also repeatedly condemned the RAB, while the Bangladeshi human rights organisation Odhikar has painstakingly documented the RAB's involvement in extra-judicial killings and torture since the creation of the force in March 2004.

I found some of the Amnesty reports on RAB but I don't know which ones specifically The Guardian cited

BANGLADESHI SECURITY FORCES USED EXCESSIVE FORCE DURING RAID (30 June 2010)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/bangladeshi-security-forces-used-excessive-force-during-raid-2010-07-01

Bangladeshi security forces used excessive force during a raid on the house of a senior opposition politician on 27 June, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

The Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) carried out a violent attack on those gathered peacefully inside the house of Mirza Abbas, a leading Bangladesh National Party (BNP) politician and former mayor of Dhaka, according to testimony given to Amnesty International.

BANGLADESH POLICE CRACK DOWN ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS (30 November 2010)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/bangladesh-police-crack-down-peaceful-protesters-2010-11-30

Bangladeshi security forces used excessive force against peaceful protesters participating in a national day-long strike on Tuesday, Amnesty International said today.

Reports from Dhaka and other cities suggest that members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and other police personnel attacked peaceful demonstrators with batons in over a dozen raids.

Witnesses and local observers told Amnesty International that more than 100 people were injured during the attacks.

BANGLADESH: JAHANGIR ALAM AKASH (UA) (16 January 2008)

https://bangla.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/updatee/jahangir-alam-akash-fear-of-torture

Jahangir Alam Akash, a journalist and human rights activist, was released on bail in November 2007 after over a month in detention. He has publicly stated that he has been tortured in detention by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) agents. The authorities have issued a new warrant for his arrest. If he is arrested, he is at great risk of being tortured again.

Jahangir Alam Akash was arrested on at 2am on 24 October 2007 by RAB agents who came to his house in the northwestern city of Rajshahi. He had produced a television report broadcast on 3 May 2007 alleging that RAB agents had shot a man offering no resistance in his home in front of his family. Jahangir Alam Akash has been charged with extortion, a charge widely believed to be false and politically motivated.

Jahangir Alam Akash has stated publicly that he was tortured by RAB agents, including with electric shocks, beating on the sole of his foot with a stick, and being suspended from the ceiling with his hands tied.

...

Jahangir Alam Akash is the local head of two NGOs, the Task Force against Torture and the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights. His concern with human rights has been a powerful influence on his work as head of the Rajshahi office of the independent TV station CBS News.

NGO stands for 'Non-governmental Organization'

[empath]

And is about as meaningful term as "lifestyle" - PeTA,, Doctors Without Borders, the Ku Klux Klan and Amnesty International are all NGOs. That's like saying 'thing'.

[JackSlack]

No.

If you were an editor at the NY Times, and you were leaked documents showing the current government had intentionally sabotaged a presidential election, would you publish the papers?

If the answer is no, then who on earth is meant to stop that? That's the role of the newspapers and media; to inform us. The importance of the media in forcing the honesty of the government is, I thought, unquestioned.

If the answer is yes, what's the difference between that, and Wikileaks?

[empath]

Simple; Wikileaks is releasing things that make sdhonda's idol look bad; therefore Wikileaks are CRIMINALS. Q.E.D.

Just as unilateral as the Beloved 'Omega Nation' - seems a perfect match...which begs the question as to why ze is in B.C.