The timing of this event felt auspicious. Just after the latest Brexit delay and the Netanyahu victory. Just after Attorney General Barr’s low-key signal to Congress that yes, he did think the Trump campaign was spied on. These three pop to mind. What else? Feels like this Assange event was staged for maximum effect as a false flag to distract and “change the narrative.” But cui bono?
Not even an hour ago, a new, long Q drop, after only one other (tiny) Q drop (yesterday) in nearly two weeks, and this one, once again claiming, “We have the source.” Meaning Assange. You might search “Assange” on the qmap.pub site. It’s instructive, though I’m not sure how. Clearly, he’s an asset of some kind. Will he be extradited to the U.S. to face trial himself, or to bear witness to others’ crimes? Or will one be disguised as the other? Of course, the idealist in me wants Trump to exonerate him, and to even celebrate his courageous truth-telling. And truly, this is one man who has lived his truth for more years than any of us would like to count, no matter what the cost to his life.
This morning’s arrest, three questions. It was done in the daytime, in full view. To get the press involved as much as possible? Why?
And what’s up with the three hands in the photo that went viral? Is something photoshopped? If so, what?
So far I’ve only seen one comment on twitter asking about the three hands. To me, it’s the weirdest thing about the photo, even weirder than the book he was carrying, its cover in full view, though maybe the three hands weirdness is there to draw attention to the book. Why? To presumably send a message to his supporters?
t didn’t take long for twitterers to figure out it was Gore Vidal on the cover, his book , published in 2014 (Gore himself died in 2012). History of the National Security State.
Here’s vintage Vidal, in the sixth out of seven Real News videos:
For more juicy Vidal quotes see this.
But it was the winking, thumbs-up photo of Assange in the police van on his way to court that took the cake:
Speaking of the National Security State, how’s this for a statistic?
We have spent 32 million per hour on war since 2001.
Trump claims to want to stop all the wars while upping military spending.
I wonder what Vidal would say about Trump.
13 thoughts on “ASSANGE ARRESTED: Are we watching a scripted movie?”
Loads of substance and writerly observation. Us unsupreme not too whiteys got our own Mandela. You get the yellow rain slicker and fedora: our enduring Dickless Tracy. Or maybe the bellydancer’s oud for navel intelligence.
Huh?
Clare’s clear enough.
which one of those words don’t you understand, Ann?
c
I’d prefer to let Clare explain it, if she will! The both the wording and the tone, or what I took to be the tone, felt exceedingly strange.
of course, while one *could* use your link to Gore’s book to acquire it and, thus, Feed Mr. Bozo’s Beast, it looks like indy Powell’s has most all of his books (and cheaper than AZ)
https://www.powells.com/searchresults?keyword=gore%20vidal
or, one could just go to your good fiend St. Vladimir’s Ruskie pirate site (which has quite a few of Gore’s books)
http://libgen.io/search.php?req=gore+vidal&lg_topic=libgen&open=0&view=simple&res=25&phrase=1&column=author
and download it Beastlessly:
http://booksdescr.org/item/index.php?md5=A958CBCE750B14D0E2CE1A16806EC816
http://booksdl.org/get.php?md5=a958cbce750b14d0e2ce1a16806ec816
probably not his best work, as it looks like it’s a collection of interviews and (maybe) essays.
but, if you’re stuck in a little room in London for 9 years, it could be a matter of Any Port ina Storm.
and that title certainly looks like it might be somewhat à propos for the occasion.
c
Great sleuthing! Thanks.
no “sleuthing” involved at all, Ann, great or small.
just a bit of Life Experiencing.
a mere 25+ years in the book bidness, watching –with no small measure of Disgust– the publishers of (particularly) academic titles strangle and poison the “free” flow of Ideas by means of RipOff pricing, aided and abetted by The Best Congress Money Can Buy, have led me to re-think the whole issue; and to seek out alternatives.
though i certainly “believe” in the principle of Copyright –and will definitely be championing an author’s rights when (/if) i ever happen to “finish” the little book i’ve been working on –off and on– since the winter of ’68-69, i have also familiarized myself with other means to acquire books that i have an interest in.
the discovery of St. Vladimir’s liben.io (and mirrors) pirate site several years ago –by “accident,” with no “sleuthing” component at all– has proved to be something of a Dogsend.
St. Vladimir’s Ruskie pirates seem to specialize (delight?) in ripping off the Absolute Worst of the Rip Off publishers (OUP, Brepols, Springer, Brill, Routledge, etc.), with especial emphasis on the academic/scientific titles they overprice most outrageously.
i don’t know who published Gore’s (posthumous) book, but would suppose that its retail price is “reasonable,” so i might have some mild qualms about reading it off of St. Vladimir’s site; but, since i would never, ever consider buying the thing new in any event –from any outlet– i can Absolve my Mea Cupa on that one.
but i am constantly amazed at the knee-jerk citing of Mr. Bozo’s AZ site as “THE” source for books to be bought, by so many folks who should know better –even “liberal” websites link to that metastasizing cancer.
so, choose Bozo’s carcinogenic site over those of any one of dozens of indy booksellers –to say nothing of, say, whatever might remain of local used book stores?
*what* are you “thinking”?
i’m just axing.
c
Thanks for giving the personal context for your remarks about having learned how to get expensive books cheaply. I’d still refer to it as sleuthing, but over an extended period of time!
“The Obama DOJ – despite launching notoriously aggressive attacks on press freedoms – recognized this critical principle when it came to WikiLeaks. It spent years exploring whether it could criminally charge Assange and WikiLeaks for publishing classified information. It ultimately decided it would not do so, and could not do so, consistent with the press freedom guarantee of the First Amendment. After all, the Obama DOJ concluded, such a prosecution would pose a severe threat to press freedom because there would be no way to prosecute Assange for publishing classified documents without also prosecuting the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and others for doing exactly the same thing.” … Catlin Johnstone, rouge journalist.
But, what if the motivation was to first get Assange back here to set him free through clemency?…. Nah.
Is it not a picture of a hand on his shirt?
Maybe. But I just can’t keep from puzzling over it.
Addendum Ann and Chris: 1)To Ann, it was meant as exuberant compliment, notwithstanding our nonfictional material gets dullern’ dishwater. Ditto images come naturally–missed my calling as a cartoonist. (like the Wachowskis, I’m torn between metaphysics and Marvel comics). You write lovely, solid, often elegant English prose but with the intuitive womanly feeling of an Anais Nin. 2) Chris–me too on an Amazon rage (ditto WaPo, NYT, Atlantic, SatReview). Appreciate all the skinny on alternatives. The only way I can get brief is to be breezy–but yours has the kinetic flavor of jazz musicians and black street talk hence you decoded I tawk weird(ly). Loving language is an invite to neologisms such as “bidness”–which Flannery O’Connor rendered “bidniz” in her private correspondence and I plagiarize it all the time as homage. This ain’t just self deprecation and funnin’ with it at the same time we’re disdaining–the metaphysical poet critics called it “portmanteau words”. Anyway enjoyed your portmanteau style and added plus: LIVELY. (re “kinetic” our people do too have riddim)
there’s an interesting video of Vidal speaking before the National “Press” Corpse in 1998, on the subject of The National Security State (sounds rather like he was reading from his forthcoming book):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxyOpQbAz4E
c