Ron Ridenour
Vanessa Baraister may enter the English Book of Guinness for illogic, inconsistency, incompetence, and bootlicking, Ron Ridenour writes.
What a day! For me, it started with waiting for my model of honest journalism being released from a torture chamber hellhole at Bellmarsh solitary confinement prison. Julian Assange is imprisoned for showing the world, with 100% factual information and documentation, how many governments in the world, especially the United States, act illegally, immorally, and corruptly. In the case of the United States, Assange and Wikileaks, which he founded, have shown how it murders and tortures millions of people for profit and domination, and do so in the name of promoting "humanitarian values", "democracy", "human rights".
The Gothic figure of magistrate Vanessa Baraister, as renowned journalist John Pilger calls the extradition court authority over Julian Assange, may enter the English Book of Guinness for illogic, inconsistency, incompetence, and bootlicking (albeit there is great competition for the latter).
Two days before, Baraitser agreed with all of the U.S.'s arguments about why Assange is a danger to the security of her adorable United States, because he revealed national security secrets. She meant that her ally every right to try him in a pro-Deep State court where defendants have no right to show public interest as a motivation for their "crimes" of revealing information to a citizenry supposedly living in a democracy, meaning having the right to know what is going on.
However, since hundreds of medical experts and the rapporteur on torture for the United Nations had testified that Julian was subjected to physical and mental illness from incarceration in the British maximum security prison for killers and violent terrorists, with having already spent seven previous years holed up in a small space in the Ecuadorian Embassy, and that he would most likely die in a U.S. prison, she denied extradition on the grounds of health safety.
Great! So, Julian would get out of prison, one would think, pending a long appellate process the U.S. was set upon. But no, today, January 6, the gothic lady maintained that her prisons were "humanitarian". Although Julian cannot mix with prisoners, is held in a windowless cell 23 hours a day, can rarely see family or friends, even lawyers, has no access to radio or computer, he does have access to a pay telephone in a hallway when it is his turn every once in a while.
As a prison, Belmarsh is ordinarily reserved for the most violent and dangerous prisoners, which Assange is certainly not. Known as "Britain's Guantanamo Bay," some inmates participated in high profile terrorist attacks. At least one ISIS executioner, nicknamed " Jihadi John" resides there. Three prisoners have died at Belmarsh this year under unexplained circumstances, and another was discovered dead in his cell just last month. But Baraitser assures us her prison is a safe place.
In her written judgement, Baraitser exhibited indifference to Assange's safety.
"They [the defense] alleged that the U.S. authorities discussed more extreme measures such as kidnapping and poisoning Mr. Assange. I have declined to make findings of fact regarding whether this took place, as the allegations are currently being investigated in Spain. I merely note here that if the allegations are true, they demonstrate a high level of concern by the U.S. authorities regarding Mr. Assange's ongoing activities." ASSANGE DENIED BAIL DESPITE BEING 'DISCHARGED'- Consortiumnews
Yes, U.S. authorities might want to murder this man for telling us the truth but, he is safe inside British prisons is her logic. Not a thought about throwing the case out of court for illegdally wiretapping everything Julian did and said during years in the embassy, including illegally spying on attorney-client discussions and stealing all of Assange's legal documents and other possessions.
Bail denied! Baraitser concluded. Best to keep him imprisoned in a corona-infested hellhole, hoping that he will die before higher courts take up the appeals, which could take years.
Enraged and in tears, I looked for solace. Instead, the news came that cop Rusten Sheskey would not be charged for shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back while he was getting into his car. The black father's three young children were in the back seat. The cop claimed that he feared the man's knife, which Black had told the cop he had in the car. We saw the video taken of the encounter. The victim is not seen with a knife in hand as the cop shoots him at point blank range. Just another day killing N....
You Tube took the full video off the screen, claiming it is "inappropriate" and "offensive". But today, the district attorney of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the attempted murder occurred, You Tube has another video in which we can see a bit of the encounter.
No charges filed against officers in shooting of Jacob Blake l GMA - YouTube
The next news of the day was to hear and see President Donald Trump tell his supporters outside the White House that the election was a fraud and they should "march on the Capitol". Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said the dispute could be resolved through "trial by combat".
Several hundreds to two thousands marched on the Capitol and were met by Capitol police, who removed barriers, allowing them to brake into the sacred Senate chambers with little resistance from guards inside. U.S. Capitol protest: Police took selfie with rioters in DC chaos (news.com.au)
Members of the Senate, and Vice-President Mike Pence were rushed out, others hid under furniture with gas masks on as seditionists sprayed gas, broke furniture and hit some people.
It took hours before sufficient cops, National Guardsmen and FBI agents came to secure the area. The tally: four people killed, at least one a Trump rioter, and around 50 arrested.
Just imagine black people storming Capitol Hill. What would happen? Jacob Blake, George Floyd? Or even white anti-war revolutionists? Would cops have let them in, some asking for selfies as we can see from photos?
I think of 9/11 when the terrorists had carte blanche to hijack passenger planes and ram them into buildings while the entire military might of the United States Military Empire was distracted by its war games away from the Capitol, and the Pentagon unprotected!
Contact the author: ronroramagmail.com.