Newsmedianews | Northern Ireland - a perspective by Sean Mc Aughey

by Sean Mc Aughey
Sean Mc Aughey is a former University of Ulster Student's union President and has worked in public relations.
He is now a freelance journalist and a regular contributor to the Blanket, which describes itself as “a journal of protest and dissent”.
His material is published unedited on this page.
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At Least 32% of U.S. Mass Shooters Trained to Shoot by U.S. Military
10 May 2023; posted by the editor - General, Features, International, United States

By David Swanson
It’s been two years since I wrote on this topic. At that time, at least 36% of U.S. mass shooters had been trained by the U.S. military. Since then, a grand total of nobody at all has written on the topic.

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Tags: mass shootings, David Swanson, United States

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Wikileaks et al. - The Free Flow of Information printable version

08 Mar 2011: posted by the editor - Features, Journalism, United States

Part 5 . Wikileaks vs Western Hypocrisy
By Karl F. Stewart
Objective journalism is a fallacy. The expression is a trite way of saying journalism is scientific, which is nonsense. All reporting is subjective. If a journalist is doing his or her job properly, then the individual is obligated to report the event in as clear a fashion as possible as deduced from one's personal understanding of the event. And a journalist has one of two options. The person can either lie through his or her teeth or try to report the event as honestly as possible.

Unfortunately, most mainstream journalism has been, and sadly is, political and commercial propaganda / spam. The New York Time's slogan used to be, 'All the news that's fit to print.' Now it reads, 'All the news the White House tells us we can print.' The truth will never be untimely for the majority. But it will always be uncomfortable for the minority.

As we review the politicians, journalists and pundits who have cried for Wikileaks' demise, or re-dimensioning of importance, the following statement comes to mind : 'I've been made to feel inadequate my whole life by someone who turns out to be a total hypocrite.'

The blood's on Western society's hands, not Wikileaks'
No one can prove Wikileaks has been responsible for the murder or death of anyone, anywhere as a result of the release of documents. Any accusation would simply be a conjecture. Ironically, support for this opinion comes from a statement Sarah Palin made following the Arizona shooting of 8 January 2011. Palin said, "... journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn."

Western voices, though, seem to claim Wikileaks is responsible for all sorts of atrocities. Sarah Palin, apparently not realizing she would later come under a similar personal attack, trumpeted, "He [ Julian Assange ] is an anti-American operative with blood on his hands." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, "There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people ..." And NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, "Leaks may put soldiers as well as civilians at risk ..."

However the truth is quite evident. As a cause-effect result of the Western coalition's invasion of Iraq, verifiable Iraqi civilian deaths in 2010 alone were 4,036. "... as long as this conflict continues, its death toll can only rise with each passing year and so, too, the pain and grief associated with it" [ Iraq Body Count ].

Total coalition forces deaths since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom [ sic ] and Operation Enduring Freedom / Afghanistan [ sic ] are calculated to be 7,113. An estimated 32,033 U.S. troops have been wounded just in Iraq, of which 20 percent are stated to suffer serious brain or spinal injuries [ Iraq War Facts to 30 January 2011 ]. "Iraq vets come home physically, mentally butchered" [ Inter Press Service, 2007 ].

There's been a lot of controversy over Wikileaks' release of Collateral Murder. Some have suggested the men accompanying the two reuters reporters were armed. But in the U.S., where the National Rifle Association estimates "there are well over 250 million privately-owned firearms ...", states like Sarah Palin's Alaska allows citizens to carry firearms either openly or concealed without a license. Even Starbucks allows its customers to carry firearms openly in its chain stores when it's considered legal by the state where the chain store operates. That's democracy. Exactly what the U.S. wants to bring to Iraq - Operation Iraqi Freedom. So where's the problem with Iraqis carrying firearms?

I don't know what the daily death rate in Alaska is, but in Iraq it was more than 100 people a day in 2010. Maybe if we stretch our imaginations, we could understand why someone in Iraq would want to walk around armed.

Another point in favor of bearing arms in Iraq is that it's estimated 250,000 'private security contractors' are working in the country. On 16 September 2007, Blackwater military contractors shot and killed 17 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad. Neither the Blackwater employees who killed the Iraqis in Baghdad nor the military personnel responsible for the killing of Iraqis in the Collateral Murder video were convicted of murder. My impression is that the price Iraq has to pay for the brand of democracy the U.S. is bringing to the world is probably too expensive for Iraq to bear.

According to Threat Level, Bradley Manning, accused of leaking the Collateral Murder video to Wikileaks, stated there's a second video "which shows a May 2009 air strike near Garani village in Afghanistan that the local government says killed nearly 100 civilians, most of them children."

NATO airstrikes killed at least 65 Afghan civilians, including 40 children, in a remote mountainous area of eastern Afghanistan in February 2011.

And on 1 March 2011 nine Afghan boys who were collecting firewood were murdered by NATO helicopter fire. Gen. David H. Petraeu, current Commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), released a declaration saying he was "... deeply sorry for this tragedy and apologize to the members of the Afghan government, the people of Afghanistan and most importantly, the surviving family members of those killed by our actions."

Could you imagine the furor the U.S. and its allies would invoke if just one person were suspected to have died as a result of Wikileaks' release of documents? But of course, all Julian Assange would have to say to placate public disdain is : "I'm deeply sorry for this tragedy and apologize to the surviving family members of those killed by our actions." And the world would be right again, wouldn't it?

It's easier to prove mainstream journalists are part of a CIA psyops program than it is to demonstrate Wikileaks is CIA controlled

An excellent source documenting CIA involvement in journalism can be found here, Source Watch. This is an excerpt from Source Watch's research:

From Subverting the Media by David Guyatt: "In an October 1977, article published by Rolling Stone magazine [ The CIA and the Media ], Carl Bernstein reported that more than 400 American journalists worked for the CIA. Bernstein went on to reveal that this cozy arrangement had covered the preceding 25 years. Sources told Bernstein that the New York Times, America's most respected newspaper at the time, was one of the CIA's closest media collaborators. Seeking to spread the blame, the New York Times published an article in December 1977, revealing that 'more than eight hundred news and public information organisations and individuals,' had participated in the CIA's covert subversion of the media.

"As these stories hit the news, Senate investigators began to probe the CIA sponsored manipulation of the media - the 'Fourth Estate' that supposedly was dedicated to acting as a check and balance on the excesses of the executive. This investigation was, however, curtailed at the insistence of Central Intelligence Agency Directors, William Colby and George H.W. Bush - who would later be elected US President. The information gathered by the Senate Select Intelligence Committee chaired by Senator Frank Church, was 'deliberately buried' Bernstein reported.

"Slowly, the role of Mockingbird in muzzling and manipulating the press began to be revealed. In 1974, two former CIA agents, Victor Marchetti and John D. Marks, published a sensational book entitled The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence."

The number of sources citing the CIA's cooping of mainstream journalism into its covert operations is endless. You can also look here, CIA press, for a dated review on the subject.

Today the government doesn't have to infiltrate mainstream journalism. The government simply embeds journalists into their operations.

On sources of funding and how Wikileaks is a cash cow, but for others
A number of people have discussed the issue that Wikileaks had been interested in raising five million dollars. This has created a stir among some and lead to accusations Wikileaks was backed by the CIA or Soros [ see Media Spam ]. Paradoxically, few raised red flags when Human Rights Watch received $100 million from Soros and his Open Society Foundation in September 2010.

Associating with Wikileaks can be profitable, or at least professionally notable. The New York Times has published a book, Open Secrets: WikiLeaks, War and American Diplomacy. The Guardian newspaper published WIKILEAKS: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy. The rights to the Guardian book were bought for a future film by Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks. An ex-associate at Wikileaks, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, wrote a book, Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website. He also apparently took with him files from Wikileaks and has now opened his own organization called Open Leaks.

Julian Assange is writing a book, too. Some suggest Assange, though, will be spending his money from the book on legal fees.

Secret cables were not very secret
How secret can secret be if more than three million people had access to the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (Siprnet) where the diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks supposedly came from. The Guardian wrote :

"... a diplomatic dispatch marked Sipdis is automatically downloaded on to its embassy's classified website. From there it can be accessed not only by anyone in the state department, but also by anyone in the US military who has a computer connected to Siprnet. Millions of US soldiers and officials have 'secret' security clearance. The US general accounting office identified 3,067,000 people cleared to 'secret' and above in a 1993 study. Since then, the size of the security establishment has grown appreciably. Another GAO report in May 2009 said: 'Following the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001 the nation's defence and intelligence needs grew, prompting increased demand for personnel with security clearances.' A state department spokesman ... refused to say exactly how many people had access to Siprnet."

It should also be stated that the documents Wikileaks released were anything but secret. Wikileaks lists the level of classification for those documents released. If we want to say any document the government handles is to be considered a secret to be hidden from the public, then I guess the documents are secret. If instead we wish to discriminate between what is classified as secret and what is not, then only six percent of the documents released were classified secret.

..15, 652 secret
101,748 confidential
133,887 unclassified

I would suggest human beings around the world should be asking themselves whether a video such as Collateral Murder should be considered a secret. According to me, the public not only has the right to know how their fellow human beings are being murder indiscriminately in distant lands but should be deeply troubled by such events.

A fitting poem to conclude with by Bonita M Quesinberry
Hypocrites
Some people are hard and cold,
their souls to the devil sold;
kind words never spoken,
their friendship merely a token:
sincerity they lack,
and you never turn your back.

With all they play a game:
you fool, they aren't the same.
They remain a hypocrite,
full of jealousy, ready to spit.
Their venom will poison you:
making you one, too.

So, don't listen, don't look:
observe, they're like an open book;
their sins written on their face.
For them there is a place.
Just turn and walk away,
listen not to what they say.
Karl F. Stewart

Homepage: http://humanityinchaos.com

Tags: Wikileaks, journalism

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Friday, January 14, 2005
Leading Human Rights Solicitor "Shut Down” by Law Society
Society claims ‘substantial history of complaints going back ... years’
Exclusive report by Sean Mc Aughey
Sources and friends close to lawyer Padraigin Drinan are saying the official reasons behind an enforced closure by the Law Society of the offices of Ireland’s foremost human rights defender and solicitor remains wide open for damaging speculation.

Former clients who contacted the Law Society say they were immediately re-directed to a voice mail inbox belonging to the Deputy Secretary; Suzanne Bryson who was unavailable.

On Wednesday a Law Society spokesman was asked if Ms Drinan’s certificate to practice been fully revoked. The spokesman described the measures against Ms Drinan as a “removal of her provision to practice.” and added that a full Law Society press statement on the matter would be available.

In a statement released on Friday, January 14, 2005, the Law Society said: “Ms Drinan has a substantial history of complaints going back a number of years. These have led to a series of decisions by the Law Society to bring proceedings against Ms Drinan before the Disciplinary Tribunal, established for this purpose by the Solicitors (NI) Order 1976, as amended. The Disciplinary Tribunal operates independently of the Law Society.”

However, no clarrification of the substance or nature of the ‘complaint’ was given. The statement continues: “Complaints against Ms Drinan came before the Disciplinary Tribunal in May 2004. On considering the evidence presented by the Law Society, the Tribunal found that the complaints had been duly substantiated. It may be helpful to explain that in addition to imposing certain fines and costs penalties, the Tribunal Order records as follows; ‘The Tribunal noted with regret the Respondent’s (Ms Drinan) previous history of proven complaints before the Tribunal which were all similar to the complaints today. They formed the view that the Respondent was not functioning at any acceptable level as a single practitioner and that in the interest of the public and the Respondent herself, they are ordering that she is restricted from practising on her own account or in partnership. She may accept employment from another solicitor provided they have at least seven years post qualification experience. The Tribunal also orders that she shall not work in any practice using her name on the title or as one of the principals.’ The Tribunal were prepared to defer the implemantation of the Order for a reasonable period to allow Ms Drinan to make alternative arrangements. This deferment initially applied until September 2004 with a subsequent deferral to a date than fixed by the Tribunal at 6 January 2005.

“As and from that date, Ms Drinan is not entitled as a matter of law to practise on her own account. If she continues to do so, she will not only be in breach of the Order of the Tribunal, but will also be committing a criminal offence. In these circumstances the Law Society is under an obligation to see that the terms of the Tribunal Order are complied with.

“Ms Drinan is not inhibited from practice as an employed solicitor.

“The inability of Ms Drinan to continue in practice on her own account is not an action taken by the Law Society but is a function of an Order made by the Disciplanary Tribunal. Ms Drinan has not to our knowedge at any time sought to contest or appeal the Orders made by the Disciplinary Tribunal.” The statement was signed by Don Anderson, for the Law Society.

An informed source close to Ms Drinan said it was believed that as a result of her civil rights involvement she was seen by the establishment as an embarrassing and troublesome ‘thorn in the side’ who had done nothing wrong other than to try to provide legal advice to those who could not otherwise afford it.

IRSP spokesperson, Terry Harkin described Ms Drinan as “someone who was on par with James Connolly especially in terms of helping the poor and the voiceless all over Ireland” and he asked “where will the most vulnerable in our society get legal help now ”?

“Padraigin Drinan,” he continued, “is a once in a lifetime heroine who ought to be recognized and elevated for her tireless work and not punished, bullied and intimidated by some of her colleagues, who have left her open to a humiliating whisper campaign. ”

A Spokesperson for the Anti Racism Network described The Law Society’s actions as “questionable” and she asked where was the Law Society’s energy when legal immigrants were imprisoned with their children, being bombed from their home or loosing their legs due to frostbite. The immigrants she said are only a small example of the many communities throughout Ireland who are indebted to Padraigin Drinan. ”

Padraigin Drinan speaking from her Belfast office said: “At this stage it appears that I am accused of being a poor business manager but not guilty of any financial impropriety. I have been instructed also that I must amalgamate with other solicitors. ”

But she added: ”I am heartened by the hundreds of calls from well wishers and supporters from all over the world including a call from among others, Gareth Pierce.”
background items

Thursday, 28 October 2004
Féile an Phobail, West Belfast
By Sean Mc Aughey
The West Belfast community was demonised for many years by both the establishment and the media and this reached fever pitch in March 1988 as a result of the tragic events which followed the SAS killings of three unarmed IRA volunteers in Gibraltar. In reaction to this unparalleled negative and damaging portrayal of the West Belfast community, local groups and their MP, Gerry Adams, decided to organise a festival. Its purpose was to celebrate the positive side of the community, its creativity, its energy, its passion for the arts, and for sport. And it aimed at providing events and entertainment at a price that the majority of the community could afford.

*1 The West Belfast Féile which is entering its 17th year is the largest community (people) powered festival in Europe. It is internationally regarded as a ten day long festival "on par" with the best community festivals in England and Ireland. The Féile includes, a colourful carnival parade, discussions, debates, concerts, exhibitions, children's events, i.e street parties, bouncy castles etc, sports, literary and drama events, Féile radio, widespread community events on a street to street, pub to pub basis and various political, cultural or historical tours and walks.

The Festival aims to provide events of interest for everyone at a price that the majority of the community could afford while simultaneously serving also to elevate a positive West Belfast self image contolled by its people despite the forces acting against the people and the official resources denied them. The Féile continues to grow into a major tourist attraction. The August Féile continues also to easily attract "top of the range" participation from local and International entertainers, artists and commentators. This year's Féile line up included, Arthur Scargill leader in 1984 of the National Union of Mineworkers presenting The 10th Annual Frank Cahill Memorial Lecture and The P.J. McGrory Memorial Lecture - Long Road to the Truth delivered by Mrs Geraldine Finucane who was shot and wounded at the time of her husband Pat's, assassination 15 years ago. Top British band Big Brovaz, Irish Traditionalist singer/songwriter, Donal Luney and Andy Irvine, Christy Moore and Declan Sinnott, novelist Roddy Doyle, comedian Rich Hall and Bob Marley`s band, the Wailers demonstrating that the Feile is going from strength to strength and most definitely growing in popularity not only among the audience but the artists, as well. The choice of August for the Féile by the West Belfast Community and many other Republican communities like Ardoyne and New Lodge is pertinent. Because, August 9th 1971, brought a re-introduction to nationalist areas of widespread house raids, arrests and imprisonment without trial or a release date. The yearly anniversary of Interment was previously marked in the community by a display of bonfires of defiance. But, the bonfires provided the RUC and British Army with the ideal opportunity for provaction and delivered in British terms "a fool proof" excuse for the entire "Mechanism of the State" to "justify" any injury or death perpetrated by State violence and especially the use of plastic bullets, when framed within the same context of a nationalist bonfire.

Teenager shot dead returning home from Internment night bonfire.
The DPP refused to initiate proceedings on the grounds that it was impossible to establish which RUC officer fired the fatal shot. The jury found that at the time of Seamus' killing that he was not engaged in any rioting and that there was no rioting at the time of his killing.

*2 "The fatal shot" that killed 15 year-old Seamus Duffy from the Oldpark area was fired from a passing RUC patrol on August 9th 1989. The plastic bullet crushed his heart and tore a four-inch laceration in his left lung.

*3 Seamus Duffy was returning home from an internment night bonfire and there was no rioting in the area. The initial RUC response indicates according to The Relatives for Justice group, the RUC believed Seamus Duffy did not die as a result of being hit by a plastic bullet and that they would appoint a 'top policeman' to investigate the exact circumstances of the death.

*4 Secretary of State, Peter Brooke said: 'There are no grounds for suggesting their use (Plastic Baton Rounds fired by RUC officers) last night was other than in accordance with the law'.

*5 Darkness
Over a very short period of time, bonfire culture in most Republican communities has been easily transformed to the community-orientated ethos that permeates participative festivals. Bonfires were already long since stigmatised as negative and destructive by the collective wisdom and experience of the community and most especially by those members of the community who vividly recall how life once was before the bright lights and colour of the Féile. A time, when, West Belfast was in darkness because the various combatants shut down the streetlights and fear was a way of life. The local dogs barking were for those of us making our way home hoping to avoid a beating from the British Army patrols, a most welcomed concert of sorts, alerting with pin point accuracy the exact location of the four, eight, 16 or 32 blackened faces of the British Army foot patrols in the area.

“Riddles' Field" - Daddy Makes A Dream Comes True (Thanks to the Féile)
When I reflect on the quality of life my teenage children are currently enjoying and compare this to my teenage days, I owe a lot to the efforts of the many people behind the West Belfast Féile who are continually raising the esteem of our people and enhancing our quality of life. There is clearly a massive gulf between my teenage days and that of my teenage children today in terms of confidence, opportunities and simply attending a concert by their favourite "pop stars" in West Belfast. This in itself remains a source of immense joy and pride. Especially, when I think about what used to be -"Riddles' Field", (Beechmount Leisure Centre) and look at the here and now concert venue, where teenage dreams are fulfilled. My daughters were in seventh heaven a few years ago at the Féile in "Riddles' Field" during a Westlife concert and then the Atomic Kitten concert. My teenagers' expectations are obviously higher today and undoubtedly more realistically obtainable thanks to the Féile. My children's confidence is part of the vibrancy that makes West Belfast Féile buzz. This buzz has been harnessed, channelled and most importantly of all, encouraged by the various F éile projects and events.

A Teenage Nightmare I hold by comparison to my children, a teenage tale of woe. One of my favourite Rock n' Roll bands in 1975, Showaddywaddy had agreed to play in Belfast at the ABC. I was all set for my face to face with my teenage "Top of the Pops" idols and unfortunately this was as near as I got. Showaddywaddy pulled the plug on the Belfast tour when news surrounding the murder of the Miami Showband reached their agents. I was shattered. The people responsible for killing the Miami Showband musicians were pro-British and some were also members of a British Army Regiment. Showaddywaddy were a Sheffield Band.

On the 31st July 1975, a Loyalist gang murdered three members of the Miami Showband. Tony Geraghty (23), Fran O'Toole (29), Brian McCoy (33). Two of the UVF gang were also killed, Harris Boyle, described as a UVF Major from Portadown, and Wesley Somerville, described as a UVF Lieutenant from Caledon, Co Tyrone. Two men from the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were jailed for 35 years in connection with the murders of members of the Miami Showband. The Miami Massacre, a part of our past, had also a lasting impact for many engaged in the Arts and for one Belfast man the Miami murders would bring about his film debut.

Angel - Galway Film Fleadh Michael Dwyer: The thing that triggered Angel was the murder of the Miami Showband musicians...
Neil Jordan: Kind of. I was playing in a band and we used to travel up and down to Belfast and Derry and places like that and we'd be driving back late at night. It was in the 1980's when all those sectarian killings were happening. It was very black; you always presumed it wouldn't happen to you - that you were safe - and when the Miami were shot it seemed quite shocking. They were innocent and I felt totally numb I suppose and that put images in my mind. I like to write things with people in mind and I had written Angel with Stephen Rea in mind

*6 How are ye Jeffrey? - West Belfast Féile Talks Back
During the Féile Talks Back debate, a former IRA POW, Seanna Walsh—who was sentenced to twenty-two years when he was caught making explosives and mortar bombs— courteously welcomed The DUP's Jeffery Donaldson to the Féile debate. Mr Walsh then asked: “Jeffrey, when you talk about the IRA's capacity to make war, I can go out of here tonight with a couple of hundred pounds in my pocket and purchase the equipment to make Baltic Exchange/Canary Wharf type bombs. How are you going to remove that capacity? "

*7 The DUP man addressed the question in repetitive mantra. Seanna Walsh also said: "The point I was making was that I can produce homemade explosives and mortars. You cannot decommission that knowledge. What is more important is our commitment to peace and to politics. But all of the initiatives taken by the IRA to date have had absolutely no effect on the unionist community. Trust is a two-way street. We suspect that at the root of it unionists cannot deal with equality and sharing power and that the idea of republicans being in government was a bridge too far for them. Everything else is an excuse not to go there. ”

*8 The IRA and its weapons is being used as an excuse
About 24 hours after the Festival debate, Mr Gerry Adams, The West Belfast MP and President of Sinn Fein told PA News:
“ While I would not like to minimise what may be genuine fears and concerns within unionism, I do think the issue of the IRA and its weapons is being used an excuse.” The Sinn Fein president commended Mr Donaldson on his appearance at the festival and paid tribute to his colleagues on the committee, which organised the event. Mr Adams also said he would like to take part in a similar event in a loyalist area.

*9 Community Empowerment
Mr Adams sums up the spirit of the Féile in a sentence by saying he = would like to take part in a similar event in a loyalist area. Community festivals bring as in this case politicians face to face with the voter in the voter's home territory. The Shankill Road and East Belfast "Think Tanks" did likewise to enpower the community and expose the politicians. The voice of the community can be best heard at festival time.

References and sources used in this article:
*1 http://www.feilebelfast.com/ourhistory/
*2 http://www.relativesforjustice.com/victims/seamus_duffy.htm
*3 http://www.relativesforjustice.com/victims/seamus_duffy.htm
*4 http://www.relativesforjustice.com/victims/seamus_duffy.htm
*5 http://www.relativesforjustice.com/victims/seamus_duffy.htm
*6 http://www.iol.ie/~galfilm/filmwest/fleadhjordan.htm
*7 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3543518.stm
*8 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3543518.stm
*9 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3D3300413

by Sean Mc Aughey