Hi. This concludes with a powerful on-topic youtube ad by Alaska's Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Click on the URL just below to see it. -Ed
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26710.htm "Why is Assange still alive?" The Wretched Mind of the American Authoritarian By Glenn Greenwald October 30, 2010 "Salon" -- Decadent governments often spawn a decadent citizenry. A 22-year-old Nebraska resident was arrested yesterday for waterboarding his girlfriend as she was tied to a couch, because he wanted to know if she was cheating on him with another man; I wonder where he learned that? There are less dramatic though no less nauseating examples of this dynamic. In The Chicago Tribune today, there is an Op-Ed from Jonah Goldberg -- the supreme, living embodiment of a cowardly war cheerleader -- headlined: "Why is Assange still alive?" It begins this way: I'd like to ask a simple question: Why isn't Julian Assange dead? . . . WikiLeaks is easily among the most significant and well-publicized breaches of American national security since the Rosenbergs gave the Soviets the bomb. . . . So again, I ask: Why wasn't Assange garroted in his hotel room years ago? It's a serious question. He ultimately concludes that "it wouldn't do any good to kill him, given the nature of the Web" -- whatever that means -- and reluctantly acknowledges: "That's fine. And it's the law. I don't expect the U.S. government to kill Assange, but I do expect them to try to stop him." What he wants the Government to do to "stop" Assange is left unsaid -- tough-guy neocons love to beat their chest and demand action without having the courage to specify what they mean -- but his question ("Why isn't Julian Assange dead?") was published in multiple newspapers around the country today. Christian Whiton, a former Bush State Department official, wasn't as restrained in his Fox News column last week, writing: Rather, this [the WikiLeaks disclosure] is an act of political warfare against the United States. . . . .Here are some of the things the U.S. could do: . . .Explore opportunities for the president to designate WikiLeaks and its officers as enemy combatants, paving the way for non-judicial actions against them. I emailed Whiton and told him I'd like to do a podcast interview with him for Salon about his WikiLeaks proposal and he replied: "Thank you for the invitation, but I am starting a trip tomorrow and will be on a plane just about all day." I replied that it didn't have to be the next day -- I'd be happy to do it any day that was convenient for him -- and he then stopped answering. As I said, the real objective is for them to beat their chest in public and show everyone how tough they are -- take 'em out, Whiton roared -- but they then scamper away when called upon to be specific about what they mean or to defend it (let alone to participate in the violence they relentlessly urge). Whiton was just echoing his fellow war cheerleader, torture advocate Marc Thiessen, who wrote this in The Washington Post, under the headline "WikiLeaks Must be Stopped" The government has a wide range of options for dealing with him. It can employ not only law enforcement but also intelligence and military assets to bring Assange to justice and put his criminal syndicate out of business. "Military assets": apparently, according to this brave and battle-tested warrior -- Marc Thiessen -- the U.S. can and should just send a drone over London or Stockholm and eradicate Assange, or just send some ground troops into Western Europe to abduct him. Speaking of war cheerleaders, The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg today points to an Editorial by The New York Sun's Seth Lipsky which fantasizes -- as Goldberg puts it -- that "Lincoln, and FDR as well, would have pretty much tried to hang the Wikileaks founder for treason." Apparently, the fact that Assange is not and never was an American citizen is no bar to hanging him for "treason": when you wallow in self-centered, self-absorbed imperial exceptionalism, everyone on the planet has the overarching duty of loyalty to your own government, and you think everyone is under the auspices of American rule. There are multiple common threads here: the cavalier call for people's deaths, the demand for ultimate punishments without a shred of due process, the belief that the U.S. is entitled to do whatever it wants anywhere in the world without the slightest constraints, a wholesale rejection of basic Western liberties such as due process and a free press, the desire for the President to act as unconstrained monarch, and a bloodthirsty frenzy that has led all of them to cheerlead for brutal, criminal wars of aggression for a full decade without getting anywhere near the violence they cheer on, etc. But that's to be expected. We lived for eight years under a President who essentially asserted all of those powers and more, and now have a one who has embraced most of them and added some new ones, including the right to order even American citizens, far from any battlefield, assassinated without a shred of due process. Given that, it would be irrational to expect a citizenry other than the one that is being molded with this mentality. * * * * * One of the most progressive ads of the election cycle comes -- ironically, sadly, and revealingly enough -- from Alaska's GOP incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski, against GOP nominee and tea party candidate Joe Miller: *** ----- Original Message ----- From: jackie goldberg To: Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 11:18 AM Subject: Close races--Very important contests for our State My buddy Parke Skelton sent this along. Remember to get other people to the polls and to get there yourself. The insurance companies are pouring in dough to elect a "good friend of theirs" over Dave Jones (Insurance Commissioner), with whom I served. Dave is great! and needs your support. Insurance Commissioner is a critical position in California State government, as is Attorney General of the State. Kamala Harris, for Attorney General is in a dead heat with that "I love the death penalty" guy Steve Cooley from L.A. County. And finally, Gavin Newsom (Attorney General) is in a very, very close race with the cute, friendly and VERY CONSERVATIVE Abel Maldonado. Tell everyone, these races matter too. Thanks to all of you for doing your part, now and again on Tuesday. --Jackie - - - Hey, Jackie We need to stop the Insurance Companies from buying the Insurance Commissioner. We are trying to get this out to as many people in CA as possible over the next couple of days. The big insurance companies are spending millions to buy the office of Insurance Commisisoner and defeat a strong consumer champion Dave Jones.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pFZBNyqp5c Can you forward to everyone you know? And ask them to do the same? Thanks Parke P.S. No office, with the possible exception of Governor, will have more impact on the day to day lives of Californians than Insurance Commissioner. Especially as the state begins implementing national health reform. -- ParkeSkelton SG&A Campaigns 600 Playhouse Alley #504 Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 535-9616 *** ----- Original Message ----- From: Marcy Winograd To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 5:58 AM Subject: [PDLA] GOTV Offices in LA - Where to Volunteer Before Tues., Nov. 2, Election Day Please do what you can to get out the vote beforeTuesday. We need to establish majority rule in Sacramento, protect our air, land, and water, and make the corporations pay. Volunteer at an HQ in LA. The Newsom and Boxer campaigns need volunteers. If we elect Newsom Lt. Gov., he will chair the State Lands Commission, a little-known but powerful body that has the power to stop new offshore and onshore oil drilling. Thank you for your energy and activism, Marcy Winograd LOS ANGELES COUNTY CDP VOTE 2010 West LA 3916 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230 (310) 391-8232 Hours: 10am - 9pm every day (RE-elect Senator Boxer Campaign HQ here, too.) Gavin Newsom for Lieutenant Governor 1801 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 720 Los Angeles, CA 90067-5901 8AM to 8PM Office Telephone: 323-331-1881 Kamala Harris Campaign Office - LA HQ 5442 Crenshaw Blvd. Los Angeles, CA volunteer coordinator Alida Garcia - [email protected] NO on Prop 23 (Keep caps on greenhouse gas emissions.) 2202 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90405 volunteer coordinator - Alex Epstein (310) 591-7421 7374 Beverly Blvd. LA, CA 90036 volunteer coordinator - Bryce Carter (310) 591-7270 CDP VOTE 2010 Mid LA 2240 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018 (323) 735-6703 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (323) 735-6703 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Hours: 10am - 9pm every day Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley (DPSFV) 7221 Van Nuys Blvd., Unit B-2, Los Angeles, CA 91405 (818) 995-DEMS (3367) Hours: Mon-Fri: 2pm - 8pm | Sat: 10am - 6pm CDP VOTE 2010 East LA 4530 East Cesar Chavez Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90022 (323) 415-8021, Hours: 10am - 9pm every day Southbay CDP Democratic Headquarters 603D East University Drive, Carson, CA 90745 The corner of Avalon Blvd and University Dr. Email [email protected] or Telephone 310-421-VOTE for more information Democratic Headquarters 1311 Sartori Ave. Torrance, CA 90501 10AM-9PM CDP VOTE 2010 San Gabriel Valley/La Puente 15330 Amar Rd. Suite B, La Puente, CA 91744 (626) 968-0800 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (626) 968-0800 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Hours: 10am - 9pm every day United Democratic HQ Pasadena 260 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 449-2008 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (626) 449-2008 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Hours: Mon-Thur: 10am - 8:30pm | Fri: 10am - 8pm Sat: 9am - 5pm | Sun: 12pm - 8:30pm La Puente Satellite - Whittier 12200 E. Washington Blvd. Suite D, Whittier, CA 90606 (562) 965-9175 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (562) 965-9175 end_of_the_skype_highlighting GOTV Hours: Sat/Sun: Noon - 12pm La Puente Satellite - Baldwin Park 14180 Live Oak Ave., Suite F, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (626) 480-8086 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (626) 480-8086 end_of_the_skype_highlighting GOTV Hours: Sat/Sun: Noon - 3pm La Puente Satellite - Claremont 520 W. First Street, Claremont, CA 91711 (909) 263-1773 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (909) 263-1773 end_of_the_skype_highlighting GOTV Hours: Sat/Sun: 3pm - 8pm OFA SoCal Headquarters (Culver City, CA) 6700 Centinela Ave. Culver City, CA 90230 9AM-9PM ## ## -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ PDLA mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.svpal.org/mailman/listinfo/pdla ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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