Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 252

Today's Tragic Tale from Gun Nutty USA

Today's entry comes from New Orleans, where a woman left her 5-year-old girl home alone while she went to the store.  Alone except for her revolver.   She'll be charged with second degree murder.

Pink Moon

In honor of Nick Drake, my photo from a few minutes ago,  over the Hudson River outside my house (orb larger in real life).  Pink moon gonna get you all.  Yeah, it's a pink pink pink moon.

A "Mad Men" Jukebox

In honor of tonight's closer, a playlist with links of songs featured on the series.  Nest season? Probably will jump to 1970 so we might get:  Mungo Jerry, "Ride Captain Ride," Grand Funk, "Lola," "Ohio."  Perhaps series will go off air with "Let It Be." 

Bigger Stars

First trailer for upcoming Big Star doc released.  Opens with...Lester Bangs.  References performance at legendary 1973 rock critics convention in Memphis--and natch, I was there...

Leonard Cohen: Still Our Man

[image error] One of the most important corrections ever in the NYT just appeared online--they had Leonard Cohen dead ("the late Leonard Cohen") but now report he is "very much alive."  It still stands in the print edition, however, so imagine the fright caused from that.  Note:  When Leonard goes, I am going.   But, yes, it's true, that Leonard is grandfather of child born to his daughter and notably gay Rufus Wainwright.  h/t @BarbaraBedway

Ed Snowden Has Left the Building

1:40  I noted Charles Pierce's commentary below, but let me link directly to the McClatchy opus today on the extent of the war of leaks and transparency and public information.  All of those mainstream media types--and even online liberal types--hitting Snowden and Greenwald and defending the surveillance state need to read it and comment.

I also like this Bart Gellman tweet just now: "my advocacy is for open debate of secret powers. That's what journalists do."  And he defends himself from an attack here. 

1:00 p.m. Ecuador reveals--on Twitter--that Snowden is seeking asylum there.  Not sure that means that Venezuela is out.  Might want options.   BTW, how NYT covered smashing re-election of the country's president.   

12:35 Below find the exchange on "MTP" where Gregory wonders why Greenwald shouldn't be criminalized himself (see my coverage below).  Huff Post covers here with other quotes.


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

12:10 p.m. Charles P. Pierce tremendously alarmed by that McClatchy scoop on "Nixonian" scope of Obama's crackdown on leaks (referenced by Greenwald below).   Gregory and his kin more concerned about Greenwald as journalist than that crackdown that makes good journalism highly difficult.


11:55 Latest reports from the scene suggest Snowden staying at airport, after all, in "capsule" hotel.  Also, Ecuador ambassador never did meet him, so maybe the going-to-Venezuela plan still #1.   Finally, U.S. revoked his passport yesterday but Hong Kong let him fly out anyway.  Russia, Cuba, others won't care.


11:05 David Gregory so embarrassed he actually shows Greenwald tweet after he was on show (see below)  asking why need gov't to "criminalize" journalists when you can have Gregory doing it.   Gregory ignoring that he also stated--did not simply ask--that Greenwald status raises question of "who is a journalist." Easy to see what he's implying.  Would he ask Wash Post's Bart Gellman same question?

Now Chuck Todd raising issue of what Greenwald's real role was in leak, was he more than working with source, especially since he's a lawyer etc. 

10:35 a.m. Greenwald from Brazil on "Meet the Press":   Cites Snowden not feeling safe to return to Obama-era USA.  David Gregory wonders when Snowden will reveal illegal acts that prove he is whistleblower not criminal.   David Gregory claims FISA acting within law.  Greenwald: "I don't know what gov't officials are whispering to YOU, David, but I have the documents...."  Also cites NYT and McClatchy today.  Admits Snowden broke law but did not commit espionage.

Gregory then asks why HE shouldn't be charged with crime for "aiding and abetting" criminal.  Greenwald: "Extraordinary that anyone who calls himself a journalist would muse about that question."  Gregory, abashed, claims he was just posing question asked by others, he doesn't take a side.  Right.  And then adds that case also raises question of "who is a journalist."  Then hits Greenwald with more criticism of him for endangering national security from others.

Gregory then brings on Mike Rogers, Tom Coburn, Dick Durbin. 

10:15 a.m.  Interfax now reporting Snowden will spend night in Venezuela embassy in Moscow, not at airport. 

9:30 a.m.  RT TV with live coverage from the airport.  And they say Ecuador's ambassador at airport.   But Russia' Interfax  claims a Venezuelan diplomat has collected him off plane and taken him away in a car on the tarmac. 

9:20 a.m.  WikiLeaks posts brief bio and another photo of Sarah Harrison, who is with Snowden now.   Not a lawyer, but "legal researcher."...  Dept of Justice, rebuffed by Hong Kong,  says it will "pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr Snowden may be attempting to travel."

9:10 a.m.   Glenn Greenwald will kick off "Meet the Press" in a few minutes--what, no John McCain?--on Snowden's flight.... Reports that plane landed at 9:03 ET.

9:00 a.m.  Photo at left via RT shows journos and passengers at gate awaiting arrival of Snowden flight in Moscow. ... BBC points out that Snowden has no Russian visa so will have to sleep overnight at special area at the airport. 

8:40 a.m. The Guardian notes tweet from Jon Williams of ABC News:  "Snowden's Aeroflot flight to Havana passes thru US airspace. Will Federal authorities allow wanted man to fly over US or make plane land?"

8:05  a.m. Promised WikiLeaks statement just out:  "He is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisors from WikiLeaks.  Mr Snowden requested that WikiLeaks use its legal expertise and experience to secure his safety. Once Mr Snowden arrives at his final destination his request will be formally processed."  And now WikiLeaks on Twitter says flight will touch down in Moscow within the hour.

Reuters' source confirms Snowden booked for Cuba and on to Caracas. 


7:50 a.m. Photo left of WikiLeaks staffer Sarah Harrison who is accompanying Snowden on flight, at Frontline Club in London.   Video of her speaking here. ...That Hong Kong newspaper says local human rights experts helped Snowden, also.   

7:00 a.m. ET  The Guardian actually has a live blog on the Flight of Snowden (see AP story below).   One of latest updates:  Naming his WikiLeaks companion and claim they are book on flight to Cuba on Monday.

Also,  you can follow his airliner on its path here, as it nears Moscow.  News report on Julian Assange claiming he brokered the move.

(AP)  A former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a “third country” because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory’s government said Sunday.

Hong Kong’s government did not identify the country, but the South China Morning Post, which has been in contact with Edward Snowden, reported that he was on a plane for Moscow, but that Russia was not his final destination.

Snowden, who has been in hiding in Hong Kong for several weeks since he revealed information on the highly classified spy programs, has talked of seeking asylum in Iceland.

However, Russia’s ITAR-Tass news agency cited an unidentified Aeroflot official as saying Snowden would fly from Moscow to Cuba on Monday and then on to Caracas, Venezuela.

The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks took credit for helping Snowden leave Hong Kong, saying on Twitter, “Mr. Snowden is currently over Russian airspace accompanied by WikiLeaks legal advisors.”

Hastings Sent Email on FBI Probe

KTLA in Los Angeles tonight published what it claims is a copy of an email that Michael Hastings sent to friends and colleagues at Buzzfeed revealed that the FBI was probing him and warning the agency might question them.  If true, this would confirm WikiLeaks claim that he contacted an attorney for the group about the same time.  The email, as far as I can see, has not yet been fully confrmed, however.  It also states that he was was working on a "big" story--and that he was going "off the rada," that is, radar, for awhile.  More here.

I reported earlier this weekend that the FBI has denied any Hastings investigation.

UPDATE:  KTLA also disclosed that a dashboard cam just before the Hastings crash caught him running a red light at high speed--and no cars following him at all, contrary to some of the conspiracy theories.  Here it is, along with arrival at crash site:

Iraq War Vet, In Suicide Letter, Admits Forced to Commit War Crimes

On June 10, Daniel Somers committed suicide.  But first he wrote a lengthy suicide note,  now released, after his family gave permission.  Read the whole thing but here's an intro below via Gawker. It cites how he was haunted by what he saw and did in Iraq, but also draws attention to the near-daily suicides among vets and lack of treatment for them. 

The suicide was first noted, and quoted, I've discovered, by Phoenix New Times, who recalled him as a talented guitarist and producer for local rock band Lisa Savidge.  They linked to a profile of the band from 2011.   They also quoted his wife: "It has been crazy . . . Daniel and I are private people and in the last week things have been ripped open and now everyone knows about how bad it has been. I wish I could believe that if it had gotten out [his sentiments in the suicide letter] sooner that he would still be here."  See the band's Facebook page and tributes.  Now here's that Intro. Note: I wrote about numerous Iraq soldier and vet suicides in my book So Wrong for So Long .

Daniel Somers was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was part of Task Force Lightning, an intelligence unit. In 2004-2005, he was mainly assigned to a Tactical Human-Intelligence Team (THT) in Baghdad, Iraq, where he ran more than 400 combat missions as a machine gunner in the turret of a Humvee, interviewed countless Iraqis ranging from concerned citizens to community leaders and and government officials, and interrogated dozens of insurgents and terrorist suspects. In 2006-2007, Daniel worked with Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) through his former unit in Mosul where he ran the Northern Iraq Intelligence Center. His official role was as a senior analyst for the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and part of Turkey). Daniel suffered greatly from PTSD and had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and several other war-related conditions.

Public Ed. Hits 'NYT' Hastings Obit

As I suspected, the fine Times public editor (who I interviewed for a profile in The Nation awhile back)  Margaret Sullivan has come through with a post criticizing the paper for its Michael Hastings obit this week.  His widow had protested to top editors, in vain, then took her case to Sullivan.  Along with many others, I pushed for this online.   Excerpt:  ["T]he Pentagon references, suggesting a debunking of the Rolling Stone article’s conclusions, got more space than what many consider to be essential information about Mr. Hastings: that he was a fearless disturber of the peace who believed not in playing along with those in power, but in radical truth-telling."

Jon Stewart Guests With Egyptian 'Twin'

You may have seen Egyptian funny man Bassem Youssef--often called (here) "The Jon Stewart of Egypt"--mentioned on The Daily Show, and then welcomed as a guest there a few weeks back.  He's run afoul and threatened with prison there for his mockery of top officials.   Yesterday, Jon showed up in Cairo (remember, he's abroad shooting a movie) and appeared on Youssef's show.  Here's a cool McClatchy write-up.  "But he was no match for Youssef, who turned to the crowd and said in Arabic, 'They call him the Bassem Youssef of America, and he imitates me.'  He translated what he said to Stewart as: 'I just said you are an inspiration to me.'”

Stewart, looking a little more grey, and scruffier,  delivered a serious message: “If your regime is not strong enough to handle jokes, then you have no regime. . . . Yes, maybe (a joke) is an insult, but it is not an injury."  Full segment below: