Random noise, incoherent thoughts, whatever.
The Guardian reports on an incredible chain of events that led to an overnight arrest of a suspected “terrorist” in the London underground.
It seems like checking voicemail while waiting for the train is making you look like a terrorist these days.
Way to go Osama Bin Laden, your plan is working perfectly!
-TPP
Leaked information of Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation into the London subway shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian immigrant living in the same building with some of the subway bombers, reveals that the police made deadly mistakes prior to killing a completely innocent man, and then tried to cover their mistakes with reports that in no way accurately described what happened.
When de Menezes left his home, someone misidentified him as one of the bombers.
He was not wearing a heavy winter jacket, as reported, but a denim jacket, which would’ve been completely normal.
He also was not running from the police, but taking the escalators down at normal pace, then running inside a suwbay car, as people usually do, if they’re afraid to miss the train. He then takes a seat, gets bumrushed by the cops, they restrain him, and shoot him in the head while he’s in the ground with police on top of him.
It’ll be interesting to see how the London police is going to handle this.
More news on this:
The Independent
Telegraph
The Guardian
The Times
BBC News
The Financial Times
-TPP
The Washington Post article describes torture techniques CIA and the US Army used while interrogating an Iraqi General, who walked into a US Army base and surrendered soon after Baghdad fell to the US troops.
Turns out hitting people repeatedly with the butt of an M16 rifle and then sitting on their chest while said person is restrained inside a sleeping bag tied with eletric wire can cause sudden death. Who would’ve thunk it?
-TPP
The United States has long declined to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) claiming it would trump the US Constitution. In addition to the United States, the following six countries also have declined: China, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Qatar and Israel. What a distinguished group.
Foreigners have long suspected the real reason is that the US just wants to do whatever the hell they please around the world, including within the borders of other sovereign states, without having to be accountable for their possible illegal actions to anyone but to themselves. How convenient.
Given this week’s news about two “minor” screwups in the war of terror, one has to wonder if those foreigners are right.
The first piece of news is regarding the murder of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. An army investigation recommended 17 American soldiers to be charged for murder, conspiracy and negligent homicide of 3 prisoners. Well, the army commanders took the recommendations to heart and decided not to charge ANY of the 17 soldiers. One received a letter of reprimand and one was discharged.
The second piece of news is regarding a German national detained in Guantanamo Bay since 2001. A military tribunal concluded in 2004 that he was in fact a member of Al Qaeda. The decision cited classified intelligence sources. Those classified documents were recently declassified and not only did they not indicate Mr. Kurnaz as a member of Al Qaeda, they pretty much said the exact opposite. So the United States has held this man in custody for close to 4 years now and has known he’s innocent of the charges of being an Al Qaeda member for at least 2 years, but yet somehow he’s still detained at Guantanamo Bay.
Do as we say, not as we do?
As an aside, it appears to be a rather bad thing to be a foreigner accused of crimes in the US or against the US. You have no rights, you’re assumed guilty until proven innocent and if you find yourself wronged by the US, you have no right to appeal or no recourse to get just compensation for being wrongfully imprisoned. What a great “justice” system the US has.
-TPP
TSA is asking airlines to hand over passenger data for all passengers that flew on domestic flights this June. It’s certainly nice of them to make the request public this time. However, they’re not asking as much as demanding the data.
If you took a domestic flight during June, now would be a good time to contact the airline and “ask” them not to hand over your information.
-TPP
Apparently the House Speaker, Dennis Hastert (R-IL), has an inside track to the mind of Osama Bin Laden. The Honorable Representative thinks Osama Bin Laden would have an easier time operating, if John Kerry won the elections. Wow.
When did the Republicans become the sole experts on the war on terrorism?
-TPP
The sorry state of privacy in the United States is once again demonstrated by the US Department of Transportation dismissing a complaint against Northwest Airlines. Northwest Airlines was one of the airlines supplying the US Government with passanger data, against their stated policies and expectations of their customers, to help “fight the War On Terrorism”.
Do you know who is using your information and how?
-TPP
