More Wikileaks released!

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Cueball Cueball's picture

Wikileaks is down again today.

lombar

It's 'harmless' yet Assange should be assasinated. He should have said he was feeling 'evil today'. I wonder if he fancies himself a christian? These cavemen need to be removed from office before a Canada flag on a backpack becomes a target like the US flag.

Caissa

Tom Flanagan, a former senior adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, says he regrets his "glib comment" calling for the assassination of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

"I regret that I made a glib comment about a serious issue," Flanagan said Tuesday in a statement to CBC News. "If Mr. Assange is arrested on the recently announced Interpol warrant, I hope [he] receives a fair trial and due process of law."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/12/01/flanagan-wikileaks-assange.html#ixzz16ssx3N5q

6079_Smith_W

Re: Mr. Flanagan.

Two comments actually. If he had just left it at the opening comment about what Obama should do I would have written it off as theatrics, and voicing what many are thinking, and probably cut him some slack.

But the second, more sober statement about not being concerned if Assange should disappear underscores his words as much more irresponsible - and monstrous.

And it is interesting that Flanagan makes a comment on the Interpol warrant, which presumably has nothing to do with the leaks or the subject of Flanagan's interview. Would it be relevant for me to bring up Flanagan's unpaid parking tickets when talking about his comments? I don't think so.

 

Catchfire Catchfire's picture

Ezra Levant: Wikileaks boss living on borrowed time

Quote:

Assange became a computer hacker and took the nickname Mendax, which means liar in Latin. He was convicted for hacking into Nortel.

His run-ins with the law continue. This month, Interpol issued an arrest warrant against him for rape. Assange claims the sex was consensual. But the Swedish prosecutor says Assange refuses to present himself for interrogation.

Why is Assange still alive? Why is he being treated as a journalist or political activist? If someone had published the intimate details of the D-Day plans during the Second World War, he would never have been seen again.

Assange and his colleagues act like spies, not journalists. WikiLeaks could have its assets seized, just like the Taliban has. And U.S. President Barack Obama could do what he’s doing to the Taliban throughout the world.

He doesn’t sue them or catch them. He kills them. Because it’s war.

Obama has even ordered the assassination of an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki.

How does Obama see Assange any differently?

The Ottawa Sun decided it was okay to publish this.

josh

Flanagan's probably panicking because Assange's next target is the real power multinational corporations and banks:

 

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2010/11/29/wikileaks-julian-assang...

RevolutionPlease RevolutionPlease's picture

Catchfire wrote:

Ezra Levant: Wikileaks boss living on borrowed time

The Ottawa Sun decided it was okay to publish this.

 

As did the Toronto Sun yesterday. 

RevolutionPlease RevolutionPlease's picture

Eric Mang writes about Levant's scribblings on rabble:

 

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/ericmang/2010/12/ezra-levant-wondering-w...

 

Quote:

The Sun has published a foul piece of tripe where the author advocates murder. It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with Assange and Wikileaks. The moment we follow the lead of the Levants of the world, we abandon the rule of law, we defeat justice, we become evil.

6079_Smith_W

I find Levant's words most surprising because he has fashioned himself as an uncompromising advocate of free speech.

It is enlightening to see him argue that interests of national security and political expediency somehow trump the principle he claims to champion. We should remember that next time he starts talking about the all-holy freedom to express opinion, however objectionable.

Caissa

I think you need to read between Flanagan's lines. I don't see remorse.

voice of the damned

Why is Assange still alive? Why is he being treated as a journalist or political activist? If someone had published the intimate details of the D-Day plans during the Second World War, he would never have been seen again.

Assange and his colleagues act like spies, not journalists. WikiLeaks could have its assets seized, just like the Taliban has. And U.S. President Barack Obama could do what he's doing to the Taliban throughout the world.

Since I'm pretty sure Levant is a climate-change denier, I'm wondering if he was so incensed when Wikileaks published the East Anglia Climate Research Unit hacks.

And yes, my question is rhetorical.

voice of the damned

double post

Snert Snert's picture

Quote:
We should remember that next time he starts talking about the all-holy freedom to express opinion, however objectionable.

 

To be fair, this is confidential information, not someone's opinions. I think the difference is meaningful.

Buddy Kat

I think we are all getting a good lesson on free speech….and how blatently one sided it is. We are raised to be rats and informers from an early age. From elem. school  thru high school and even the work place the name of the game is finking, squealing on fellow citizens. Taking it one step furthur there is crime stoppers and turn in yer neighbour programs…all designed around free speech. Without free speech and the ratting syndrome jails would be empty and lawyers would be poor.

 

Enter the crooked politician or country exposed by said free speech and lo and behold they scream terror, assassination, Interpol.,,,well if that’s the state of affairs and how one sided free speech has become it will just be a matter of time before people put two and two together and figure out how they are being duped and made into fools.

 

As it is right now the US looks like it is jam packed with the most gullible and easily led morons on the planet. Here it is the conservative we have to watch out for, especially now that the gullible senile, suffering from environmental created dementia old farts of the country have been duped by them. But were watching and we are aware….one day we will not get mad neocon we will get even !

Snert Snert's picture

Quote:
From elem. school  thru high school and even the work place the name of the game is finking, squealing on fellow citizens. Taking it one step furthur there is crime stoppers and turn in yer neighbour programs...all designed around free speech. Without free speech and the ratting syndrome jails would be empty and lawyers would be poor.

 

I haven't really been reading many of the leaks.

 

Are you saying, Buddy Kat, that these leaks are exposing crimes? To be clear, I mean crimes as defined in the Criminal Code.

6079_Smith_W

@ Snert

Perhaps, but enough to immediately sanction murder? Sorry, but his article is a bit over the top, even without his past "moral" stands.

Snert Snert's picture

It's way over the top.  I'm not agreeing with Levant in the least.  I just don't think he's being contradictory.  When has he championed the right to expose confidential, stolen communications in the name of free speech?

Cueball Cueball's picture

It is entirely lawful to expose unlawful activities such as credit card number theft. I had no idea that Hilary Clinton was in such bad financial shape as to require the credit card numbers of high ranking UN officials.

6079_Smith_W

Snert wrote:

It's way over the top.  I'm not agreeing with Levant in the least.  I just don't think he's being contradictory.  When has he championed the right to expose confidential, stolen communications in the name of free speech?

Well I realize it is not quite the same thing, but he has certiainly said that the principle of free speach is more important than not expressing racist and discriminatory things. Given that, I think this overreaction is a bit out of character.

Bear in mind that I am acknowledgine a difference between opinion and so-called confidential information, but I think part of free speech means that government doesn't always get to decide what the public can and cannot know just by giving it a "secret" label.

Sometimes that veil of secrecy and privilege is abused.

Snert Snert's picture

Quote:
but I think part of free speech means that government doesn't always get to decide what the public can and cannot know just by giving it a "secret" label.

Sometimes that veil of secrecy and privilege is abused.

 

I completely agree.

 

Apparently, most of our critical state security secrets reside with the CBC. That's the only plausible reason for why they refuse so many requests for information, ya?

Cueball Cueball's picture

For example, hiding the fact that the Secretary of State is ordering her people to steal credit card information.

Catchfire Catchfire's picture

Wikileaks website pulled by Amazon after US political pressure

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The United States struck its first blow against WikiLeaks after Amazon.com pulled the plug on hosting the whistleblowing website in an apparent reaction to heavy political pressure.

The main website and a sub-site devoted to the diplomatic documents were unavailable from the US and Europe on Wednesday, as Amazon servers refused to acknowledge requests for data.

The plug was pulled as the influential senator and chairman of the homeland security committee, Joe Lieberman, called for a boycott of the site by US companies.

"[Amazon's] decision to cut off WikiLeaks now is the right decision and should set the standard for other companies WikiLeaks is using to distribute its illegally seized material," he said.

"I call on any other company or organisation that is hosting WikiLeaks to immediately terminate its relationship with them."

The department of homeland security confirmed Amazon's move, referring journalists to Lieberman's statement.

WikiLeaks tweeted in response: "WikiLeaks servers at Amazon ousted. Free speech the land of the free – fine our $ are now spent to employ people in Europe."

Frmrsldr

Snert wrote:

To be fair, this is confidential information, not someone's opinions. I think the difference is meaningful.

Yeah, but unlike the D Day plans and preparations, this was post de facto. Not a priori.

Frmrsldr

6079_Smith_W wrote:

Snert wrote:

It's way over the top.  I'm not agreeing with Levant in the least.  I just don't think he's being contradictory.  When has he championed the right to expose confidential, stolen communications in the name of free speech?

Well I realize it is not quite the same thing, but he has certiainly said that the principle of free speach is more important than not expressing racist and discriminatory things. Given that, I think this overreaction is a bit out of character.

Bear in mind that I am acknowledgine a difference between opinion and so-called confidential information, but I think part of free speech means that government doesn't always get to decide what the public can and cannot know just by giving it a "secret" label.

Sometimes that veil of secrecy and privilege is abused.

Absolutely.

There is a difference between national security and saving politicians, the Pentagon and military officers from personal embarrassment.

Would Nixon or the state murdering Daniel Ellsberg have been justified?

 

Brian White

Flanagan's remarks will cause a chill in Canada. People WILL be afraid.  This guy was/is  a buddy of Harper. 

Things happen.  People wonder. 

I have said before that Harper is potentially our Milosevic.  He has shown several times that he has NO respect for democracy.

He uses hatred of Quebec to further his political aims.  And we have the nutty Ignatief refusing to combine with the rest of parliament to oppose him fully.  This has disturbing parallells with the 1930's in europe and also the rise of the serbian dictator.

Flanagan has shown you a window to Harpers soul. 

Fascist  leaders can happen anywhere, even here. It is happening right in front of our eyes.

The monster has a pet.  But who is the pet? Harper or Flanagan?

Catchfire wrote:

Tom Flanagan calls for the assassination of Julian Assange ('cause he's "feeling manly")

Frmrsldr

You're absolutely right Mr. Brian White.

Herr Harper has always scared the hell out of me.

http://original.antiwar.com/thomas-knapp/2010/12/01/if-this-be-treason-2/

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Wikileaks is your friend. Hillary Clinton is your enemy. Never forget that.

http://original.antiwar.com/roberts/2010/12/01/a-government-caught-up-in...

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Anyone who believes the US government about anything is the epitome of gullibility

Cueball Cueball's picture

Quote:
Nor, contra US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's surreal claim, is the latest Wikileaks release "an attack on the international community." If such a "community" exists, identifying it with the parasite states sitting atop its regional populations is like designating canine breeds on the basis of the ticks which infest each dog's fur.

Nice one.

 

 

NDPP

Brian White wrote:

I have said before that Harper is potentially our Milosevic.

NDPP

Hardly -  Milosevic refused Rambouillet and US domination which is why Canada and NATO bombed helpless Yugoslav civilians with DU and the NDP cheered it all on incidentally. And why Milosevic was murdered in the Hague.  Harper is by contrast a US puppet.

Catchfire Catchfire's picture

Glen Greenwald: The moral standards of WikiLeaks critics

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Do you have that principle down?  If "a single foreign national is rounded up and put in jail" because of the WikiLeaks disclosure -- even a "single one" -- then the entire WikiLeaks enterprise is proven to be a "disaster" and "Assange is a criminal" who "should be in jail."  That's quite a rigorous moral standard.  So let's apply it elsewhere:

What about the most destructive "anarchic exercise in 'freedom'" the planet has known for at least a generation:  the "human disaster" known as the attack on Iraq, which Klein supported?  That didn't result in the imprisonment of "a single foreign national," but rather the deaths of more than 100,000 innocent human beings, the displacement of millions more, and the destruction of a country of 26 million people.  Are those who supported that "anarchic exercise in 'freedom'" -- or at least those responsible for its execution -- also "criminals who should be in jail"?  

How about the multiple journalists and other human beings whom the U.S. Government imprisoned (and continues to imprison) for years without charges  -- and tortured -- including many whom the Government knew were completely innocent, while Klein assured the world that wasn't happening?  How about those responsible for the war in Afghanistan (which Klein supports) with its checkpoint shootings of an "amazing number" of innocent Afghans and civilian slaughtering air strikes, or the use of cluster bombs in Yemen, or the civilian killing drones in Pakistan?  Are those responsible for the sky-high corpses of innocent people from these actions also "criminals who should be in jail"?

Catchfire Catchfire's picture

Juan Cole: Top Ten Middle East Wikileaks Revelations so Far

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1. The British government’s official inquiry into how it got involved in the Iraq War was deeply compromised by the government’s pledge to protect the Bush administration in the course of it.

2. Afghan President Hamid Karzai routinely pardons drug dealers and corrupt officials.

3. Karzai’s brother, Ahmad Wali, is called a corrupt drug dealer. He is chief of the provincial council of Qandahar and said to be more powerful than the province’s governor. A US official wrote, “While we must deal with AWK as the head of the Provincial Council, he is widely understood to be corrupt and a narcotics trafficker. End Note.”

4. The Boston Globe reports of Senator John Kerry that he urged the return of the Golan Heights to Syria in return for peace: “In the meeting last February with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Kerry said Syria should be involved simultaneously in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “needs to compromise and work the return of the Golan Heights into a formula for peace,’’ according to the summary of Kerry’s remarks.”

5. Israeli General admits that Israel’s narrow focus on its qualitative military edge often conflicts with the global interests of the United States.

6. Former US-appointed interim prime minister of Iraq in 2004-early 2005, Iyad Allawi, is Alleged to have urged a US attack on Iran. He denies the report.

Buddy Kat

Snert wrote:

Quote:
From elem. school  thru high school and even the work place the name of the game is finking, squealing on fellow citizens. Taking it one step furthur there is crime stoppers and turn in yer neighbour programs...all designed around free speech. Without free speech and the ratting syndrome jails would be empty and lawyers would be poor.

 

I haven't really been reading many of the leaks.

 

Are you saying, Buddy Kat, that these leaks are exposing crimes? To be clear, I mean crimes as defined in the Criminal Code.

In a way YES...it's like a hate crime actually. Here we are a nation of raised rats and informers....and in government circles they scream accountability and whistleblowing legislation, etc. The crimes aren't the actual information in the leaks ...the crimes are what government reaction to leaks are....which is endangering free speech.

Now we have an example of whistle blowing and informing and the first reactions from governments is to label wiki leaks a terror organization...or Harpers minion calling for the guy to be assassinated ..for what? Doing what  every Canadain has been raised to do and what governments profess to do!

 

What we have going on is a hate crime against wiki leaks...uttering death threats is another one....plenty of proof for both those crimes too.

 

In a way wiki leaks is exposing governments for what they really are ....organized criminals and shoving it in everyones face to get a good look see of what is really behind the smoke screen charade they call diplomacy. One can just imagine the filth that is under the heading "top secret" ....which hasn't been released....and probably just as well as the reaction to UNCLASSIFED cables is over the top and criminal.

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkM5eyN8ytI&feature=user

Boom Boom Boom Boom's picture

Snert wrote:

Quote:
We should remember that next time he starts talking about the all-holy freedom to express opinion, however objectionable.

 

To be fair, this is confidential information, not someone's opinions. I think the difference is meaningful.

Hiding war crimes or state-sponsored terror or blatant criminal behaviour (spying on the UN and other diplomats) behind the cloak of "confidentality" sort of cheapens the currency of the word "confidential". Makes me wonder what crimes are being hidden or covered up by that word.

wage zombie

Excellent point Boom Boom.

Snert Snert's picture

Quote:
Makes me wonder what crimes are being hidden or covered up by that word.

 

When a suspect and a lawyer have a confidential conversation, who knows what they might be up to!? When a priest keeps a confession confidential, that confession could be *anything*!

That's the nature of the word, alright.

 

Anyway, again, I'm not agreeing with Levant. I'm just noting that these cables aren't someone's opinions or beliefs. And if we think that cables like this should be transparent, and available for all to see, we could go ahead and insist on that. Diplomacy as we know it would end immediately, of course, once confidentiality isn't an option anymore, but if you think that keeping diplomatic communications confidential is just enabling crime, perhaps you'd like to consider it.

Cueball Cueball's picture

I am just wondering Snert if this cable from the US embassy in Ottawa, with its assessment of the Canadian inferiority complex, sheds any light on why a libertarian "free thinker" like you, seems to hold views that are entirely in line with mainstream American media viewpoints, on each an every single issue, without fail.

You claim on the one hand to reject conformism of the kind normally associated with countries like North Korea, yet, you can't seem to manage to hold a single dissident viewpoint. You always end up agreeing with authority. But what is amazing about this is that you do it, while claiming it is the result of independent thinking.

It is a real treat. I am reminded of the Hitler Youth kid in Europa Europa explaining with complete conviction how "free" the people of Germany are under National Socialism.

Snert Snert's picture

Quote:
You claim on the one hand to reject conformism of the kind normally associated with countries like North Korea, yet, you can't seem to manage to hold a single dissident viewpoint.

 

In this environment, that might seem the case. If I were to head over to Free Dominion, they would ask why I can't hold a single conformist one (conforming with them, of course).

 

Thing is, I'm neither way-left nor way-right. There's a dirty, dirty word for that, but I'm loath to type it out loud! Anyway, it means I can enjoy disdain from both ends of the spectrum.

Slumberjack

The leaks have at least confirmed what many suspected all along.  The diplomats of powerful countries act as a type of enforcer of the sort that one can typically learn about from the accounts of Mafia circles.  They are sent around the global neighborhood to bully, extort, threaten, and make problems disappear.

Cueball Cueball's picture

But you don't head over to free dominion do you? Instead you trick yourself into believing that opposing non-donfomist ideas by opposing them in one of the few places where non-conformity is encouraged is an example of "indpendent thinking". It's a cool trick.

Must be satisfying to have the best of both worlds, an "independent thinker" who can conform with authority by rejecting non-conformism, at each and every turn. A very safe place to be, if you don't mind me saying so Magoo.

In anycase, you were saying that you were not saying that you agreed with Levant! What were you saying you agreed with? Were you saying anything? Nothing?

Cueball Cueball's picture
Doug

Slumberjack wrote:

The leaks have at least confirmed what many suspected all along.  The diplomats of powerful countries act as a type of enforcer of the sort that one can typically learn about from the accounts of Mafia circles.  They are sent around the global neighborhood to bully, extort, threaten, and make problems disappear.

 

There's no mystery in that, it's always been part of the job. The surprise is in how childish and gossipy they all are about it.

Brian White

Whatever,  I worked with refugees from Milosevic in 2 countries.  Puppet or not,  the guy was a monster.  There were lots of refugees in London in the early 90's long before anyone even realized there was a problem. When I worked in Germany around 96, there were beggers from yougoslavia dressed in rags in every town.  And it was bluddy freezing.

(those were the illegal refugees) and right beside where I worked there was a legal refugee camp.  In the 2000's there was a refugee place in my home town in Ireland. (The town was  a tiny place on a road to nowhere a thousand miles from Yougoslavia).  You clearly have no idea how much disruption Milosevic caused.

It was continent wide, And he was only trying to "ethnic cleanse" most of the people in Kosovo at the time the bombing started.  Only a million people got moved in the Kosovo war. And that was only one part of the wars that he started.

  People in europe are not exactly muslem friendly but genocide was not a spectator sport that they could watch every day on tv for 5 or 6 years and just do nothing.  Enough was enough.

They demanded that Milosovic be stopped whether Russia opposed it or not.

NoDifferencePartyPooper wrote:

Brian White wrote:

I have said before that Harper is potentially our Milosevic.

NDPP

Hardly -  Milosevic refused Rambouillet and US domination which is why Canada and NATO bombed helpless Yugoslav civilians with DU and the NDP cheered it all on incidentally. And why Milosevic was murdered in the Hague.  Harper is by contrast a US puppet.

NDPP

US Embassy Cable: Canadian Ambassador Expresses Serious Doubts About Karzai

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/250218#histo...

"we're never going to make them literate but can make them 'literate enough.' he cited two examples of progress: 1) in Kandahar some police are starting at least to be able to read license plates...and 2) in a recent custom officer training; the officers at least acknowledged corruption exists...Crosby said he has a sinking feeling whether Karzai is actually in control or whether its his brother and other advisers who are running him.."

timeless imperialist, colonialist arrogance

Glob take:

Canadian Envoy Offers to Resign

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadian-envoy-offers-to-re...

"Canada has suffered collateral damage from the leak of US diplomatic cables that threatens relations with the Afghan government and have led the influential Canadian ambassador to Kabul, William Crosbie, to offer his resignation..

Mr Crosbie has warned Ottawa that a US document to be published on the website WikiLeaks will include criticisms he made about AFghan President Hamid Karzai, and his powerful family at a meeting with other [US] diplomats, and that this could require him to be replaced. And he noted fears that the Wikileaks saga could push the Afghan President to break with Western allies..."

NDPP

PS They'll Lie About Everything  - by Arthur Silber

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com

"The United States seeks global hegemony. To justify its quest, the United States invents a series of terrifying threats, all of which, in one way or another, are alleged to be 'existential' threats to our very survival. With almost no exceptions at all, the leaders of the American Empire concoct these threats out of nothing. Nothing.

They'll lie about everything.."

siamdave

NoDifferencePartyPooper wrote:

PS They'll Lie About Everything  - by Arthur Silber

http://powerofnarrative.blogspot.com

"The United States seeks global hegemony. To justify its quest, the United States invents a series of terrifying threats, all of which, in one way or another, are alleged to be 'existential' threats to our very survival. With almost no exceptions at all, the leaders of the American Empire concoct these threats out of nothing. Nothing.

They'll lie about everything.."

- except, evidently, agree many babblers, who planned and carried out the 911 attacks on the WTC... more soon.

NDPP

WikiLeaks Exposes Israeli Mafia's Growing Influence  - by Justin Raimondo

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/12/02/wikileaks-exposes-israeli-...

"Cameron's four part Fox News investigation into Israeli spying in the US seems to posit a connectin between the Israeli government and the Israeli Mafia, and, thanks to WikiLeaks, we can now see the link made visible..

Given the additional information provided by this cable, its reasonable to believe a corrupted segment of the Israeli military-law enforcement establishment has literally gone into business with Israeli organized crime.."

And Canada now has an expanding Free Trade Agreement with Israel, as well as a Public Security Agreement. Watch this Mafia work all the angles here in Canada too...

NDPP

UN Special Rapporteur Juan Mendez: Instead of Focusing on Assange, US Should Address WikiLeaks Disclosures of Torture

http://democracynow.org/2010/12/2/un_special_rapporteur_juan_mendez_instead

"We seen to be focusing on whether disclosing these cables...merits some kind of action against Julian Assange...I'm very concerned that documents that show that literally thousands of people were first imprisoned by American forces and then transferred to the control of forces in Iraq and perhaps even in Afghanistan, where they knew that these people were going to be tortured..."

Whatever happened to identical questions about Canadian Forces that were supposed to be inquired into...? Buried. Forgotten. Gone.

Doug
Catchfire Catchfire's picture

siamdave wrote:
- except, evidently, agree many babblers, who planned and carried out the 911 attacks on the WTC... more soon.

Hi siamdave, please keep 9/11 stuff in the 9/11 threads. As you know, many babblers believe the US lied about 9/11. But that discussion belongs in another thread. Thanks.

siamdave

Catchfire wrote:

siamdave wrote:
- except, evidently, agree many babblers, who planned and carried out the 911 attacks on the WTC... more soon.

Hi siamdave, please keep 9/11 stuff in the 9/11 threads. As you know, many babblers believe the US lied about 9/11. But that discussion belongs in another thread. Thanks.

Ahem. You, of course, as a mod, are free to do driveby 911 smears, of course?

(in reference to:

Catchfire: ".....Me, I'm content to give you these pet threads--kind of like I do with the 9/11 threads--to keep you kettled so that the rest of us can get on with serious business......"  (post 86 on http://www.rabble.ca/babble/environmental-justice/facing-iron-law-climat... )

Catchfire Catchfire's picture

Correct. Oh look! 100 posts!

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