Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 264

Orwellian

UPDATE: NYT finally covers--and puts it at top of site.

ACLU's statement on Glenn Greenwald's scoop tonight for The Guardian, re: secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court order on April 25 that required Verizon to turn over information on all telephone calls both within the U.S. and between the U.S. and other countries on an "ongoing, daily basis," until July 19.

“From a civil liberties perspective, the program could hardly be any more alarming," Jameel Jaffer, the deputy legal director of the ACLU, said in a statement. "It’s a program in which some untold number of innocent people have been put under the constant surveillance of government agents. It is beyond Orwellian, and it provides further evidence of the extent to which basic democratic rights are being surrendered in secret to the demands of unaccountable intelligence agencies.”

Wednesday Night Music Pick

The Kinks, mid-1970s, "Money and Corruption."  And a leader who promises to change things (but doesn't quite)? Yes, I saw the "Preservation" stage show live and chatted with Ray about it.  Just sayin'.

Beethoven Sells Out!

Yes, it happened last night in Santa Barbara, for world premiere of Following the Ninth.  As you may know,  I helped Kerry Candaele a bit on this film and we co-authored book inspired by it.  Go here for more on book and film and watch trailer.  Film got rave reviews from local press a few days ago.  Here's Kerry's Facebook post today:  "First screening of Following The Ninth was a great success. The theater was packed, and people seemed to like what they saw. I especially enjoyed seeing this tweet after the event: 'Following the Ninth. If it comes to your city, or even a city near you, PLEASE GO SEE IT. It made me cry and most likely changed my life.'"

Blogging the Manning Trial, Day 3

Once again I'll follow closely below, from tweets from the site and other sources.  See new edition of my book with Kevin Gosztola, "Truth and Consequences," updated to last week, with a lengthy new Intro from Kevin and more.  He is there today @kgosztola.  All times ET.

4:40  As always, to Kevin Gosztola for full wrap-up.  Nathan Fuller's summary here.

3:40  Recessed until Monday (due to fast pace so far). 

3:30  Fuller:  "Coombs: any websites known to be enemy sources for intelligence, Fulton mentioned Facebook, Google, Google Maps. No mention of @wikileaks....This directly undercuts the government argument that # Manning knew that going to @ wikileaks meant going to the enemy. Very important."  O'Brien:  "Defense also established via Fulton testimony that # Manning would have been encourage to 'surf' SIPRnet for his professional development."  See her @carwinb for next week's witnesses, mysteries and more.

2:30  Fuller:  "Gov't tries to insinuate # Manning 's dereliction of duty, but Hack testifies that whole unit wasn't providing much intel."  Alexa O'Brien:  "Everytime USG tries to scapegoat # Manning you will hear defense bring up the breakdown in chain, and the dereliction of duty, etc."

2:00  Kevin Gosztola on Manning attorney now: "Coombs: Prosecutors arguing Bradley Manning was 'somehow derelict in his duties because he was somehow working for WikiLeaks.'"

1:00  Alexa O'Brien:  "Balonek invoked Article 31 at pretrial (pled the 5th) in Dec 2011. Likely to have received immunity in order for him to testify....Defense came back and established with Balonek that # Manning was authorized to download docs from SIPRnet on his SIPRnet machine....Defense also established that # Manning discussed a future in the military with Balonek, his mentor-- goes to wanton, and aiding enemy...Defense argues # Manning was selective, that offsets a case for wanton-- the USG does the opposite." 

12:30  Fuller:  "Recess. Kyle Balonek & Showman done testifying. Balonek testimony had debate over whether Iraq/Afghan war logs used source names."  Gosztola:  "There was no prohibition against 'surfing' the SIPRnet if you were interested in politics & had no work to do."

12:15  Gosztola: "@NYTimes apparently decided they didn't need to have reporter here to cover third day of Bradley Manning's trial."

11:30  AP on "Kafkaesque" secrecy around the trial.


10:40 Pilkington: "Most vivid line out of day 3 of # Manning trial so far: 'He liked to attend martini parties in the DC area,'"

10:15  Key testimony from Jihrleah Showman, from Manning's unit.  (Note: She  hit Manning suppporters as "ignorant" and "thoughtless" in a 2012 tweet.)  Alexa O'Brien: "Her testimony was given concerning # Manning 's *knowledge* of the internet."  Nathan Fuller:  " # Manning frequently talked about politics, wanted to debate fellow soldiers about U.S policy, on the 'extreme Democratic side'".

9:10  As always,  key commentary from Gosztola.   Plus, no shock:  "On 3rd day of Bradley Manning's trial, press pool is down to less than 20 reporters." Ed Pilkington of The Guardian:  "Today # Manning trial takes us into unit in Iraq where soldier worked as intelligence analyst. Will hear frm his supervisor & peers." 

8:55  Transcript of Adrian Lamo's testimony from yesterday.  Other transcripts.

"Proud Mary" Meets Beethoven

Things I--and probably no one--really knew:  In new interview, John Fogerty reveals that the classic, all-important, opening riff of "Proud Mary" was based on...opening of Beethoven's Fifth.  He didn't like Ludwig's emphasis (bum-bum-bum-BUM) and changed it to "BUM-bum-bum-bum."  Will have to add that to next edition of my Beethoven book.

The Lamo Transcript

The man who turned in Bradley Manning testified yesterday, then celebrated that he had been permanently excused.   For his testimony at hearings and much more, see new edition of my book with Kevin Gosztola, updated to last week.   Excerpt from Lamo yesterday: 

Q. He told you that he thought he would keep track — keep track of people that his job impacted?
A. Correct.
Q. And he wanted to make sure that everybody was okay?
A. Yes.
Q. He told you that the way he separated himself from other analysts was, he cared about people?
A. He said that, yes.
Q. PFC Manning told you he followed humanist values?
A. Yes, he did.
Q. He said he had dogs tags saying “humanist” on it?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you know what it means to be a humanist?
A. From my understanding the importance of human life and human beings and has a structure of morality....

Q. He told you that he was bothered that nobody seemed to care?
A. Yes, he did.
Q. He said he thought apathy was far worse than active participation?
A. Yes.
Q. He told you that he preferred the truth (Inaudible)?
A. Yes, he did.
Q. He also told you that he was maybe too traumatized to really care about the consequences to him?
A. Yes.
Q. He told you that he wasn’t brave. He was weak?
A. Yes.
Q. He said he was not so much scared of getting caught and facing consequences as he was of being misunderstood?
A. Yes.

Like a Rolling Stone, Mon

Rare and totally wonderful version of "Like a Rolling Stone" by Marley and the Wailers in 1966, as we continue our tribute to Dylan writing this 48 years ago this week.  Wailers re-work lyrics but totally cool.

Suspensions Coming in MLB

T..J. Quinn of ESPN's "Outside the Lines" reports that Major League Baseball is preparing to suspend Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez and about 20 others connected to the Biogenesis clinic in Miami.  Glad to see Braun get nailed after slipping away last time.  A-Roid: what a shocker.   Some possibly might get 100 days off--for the offense (50) and for not telling truth (50).  No other players named for sure but others likely include Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colon, Jhonny Peralta, and more.  Gio Gonzalez might get off.

Pick This Daisey

Mike Daisey is the terrific NYC monologist who got into trouble awhile back for bending some facts in his acclaimed theater piece on Steve Jobs and Apple (which I saw and loved before the controversy).  In late-April he performed a new monologue re: Bradley Manning and in honor of the start of trial has put it up for free, via here, with a few comments.

Explosion at College

Just a few minutes ago a blast of unknown origin ripped through a campus building at Nyack College, less than a mile down the road from hy house.  Scores said to be injured.   I am not on the scene but helicopters hovering overhead (drowning out the cicadas).  This is a full-scale Christian college of about 3000 students with many young missionaries, among others.  My wife was walking right at that scene a couple of hours ago. We used to get babysitters from the college regularly.

Update: This report has seven taken to hospital so far and others "trapped" by possible "gas explosion."  Later updates suggest no one now trapped and the injuries not "life-threatening."  Appears to be gas leak, with one student saying she smelled it before explosion.