India must be grateful to Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks. But for the expose published in the Hindu, few of us would have realised the depths to which Indian politics has descended. Many of us knew that the corrupt, criminal dynsatic fascist Party, the Congress will try to buy the votes in order to survive the political crisis caused by the withdrawal of support by the Left. Afterall did not Narasimha Rao, in whose Cabinet Dr ManMohan Singh was the finance minister not survive the full 5 years by bribing the MPs. Only the JMM group in Parliament was procecuted for the crime and even that rather half heratedly.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/article1559476.ece?homepage=true
In the interview with the Hindu whose link I have provided here, Julian Assange has answered a range of questions. It is certain that he takes the Freedom of Expression extremely seriously. After the WikiLeaks bombshell it will be impossible for any one to claim that the Great Powers are motivated by the desire to protect Human Rights and Dinity. Just see what Obama is doing in Libya.
Only one Indian politician come out squeaky clean in the WikiLeaks episode. Hon'ble Narendar Modi, the Chief MInister of Gujarat did not cringe before the US officials who raised questions about alleged human rights violations in the post Godhra days. He rightly rebuked the diplomat by saying that the US record on human rights is virtually non existent. I think, India will certainly benefit from the like of Hon'ble Narendar Modi. He is a true patriot and he deserves our respect. I wonder why the US diplomats do not ask the Congress to account for its criminality in 1984. This itself shows that US is selective in its approach to Human Rights.
Julian Assange has exposed the corruption in Indian political life and he will certainly go down as the one single individual after Gandhi who has changed the course of Indian politics.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
MONEY POWER IN INDIAN POLITICS AND THE WIKILEAKS EXPOSE
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Indian Dynastic Democracy is criminal, corrupt and runs on the fuel of ill gotten wealth. The likes of Laloo and Mulayam, the Yadava duo have ensured that crime and political power walk hand in hand, step by step. The recent revelations by Julian Assange in his US diplomatic cables expose is only symptomatic of a political system is which the most cynical manipulation of the electorate by the distribution of cash has been instutionalised.
I have often written that the main cause for political corruption in India is the dynastic fascism that seems to be inherent in the very psyche of the people. I remember that when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister the famous scandal called the Nagarwala Affair took place on the eve of the 1971 election. That scandal involved only 60 lakhs, but what is really sinister aboput the whole affair was the fact that all those connceted with the scandal including the Judge and Migistrate who tried the case in court died in rather mysterious circumstances. I have written elsewhere that Ramachandra Guha in his India Since Gandhi ignored the scandal and I expected him as an honest historian to draw attention to the event that marks the first signs of the corruption and crime in the Indian political life.
In South India under the great Dravidian dispensation bribing the electorate has become a part and parcel of the electoral process. Jayalalitha may scream against Karunanidhi, but the fact remains that her party too indulges in this shameless practice of bribing the electorate with nose rings, mixies, saris and cash. Wikileaks has exposed the fact that in Tirumangalam election M K Alagiri ensured victory by bribing the electorate. T R Baalu who won from Sriperumbadur in the last elections is said to have distributed Rs 5000 for each vote. Where does all this money come from? The Indian electorate by participating in this charade called Indian Democracy is an accomplice in its own victimisation. The electorate will rail against corruption but is an active accomplice in the creeping criminalisation of Indian political life. Afterall Laaloo Prasad Yadava, D P Yadava, Mulayam Singh Yadava, and sundry other criminal-politicians have all been elected to the Lok Sabha. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry liquor, money and sarees are distributed by party workers on the eve of the elections. In fact political parties are finding inventive ways of subverting democracy in India.
The other revelation that made headlines is the fact that MPs were bribed on the eve of the trust vote during UPA I a trust vote that was held after the so-called Left withdrew support after the Indo-US nuclear deal. Steven White, a US Embassy official recorded seeing chests opf money in the house of a Gandhi family courtier called Satish Sharma. A sum of 50 to 60 crores is estimated and Ajit Singh's party the RLD may have received bribes. What is surprising is that none of the mainstream media brought out the fact that Narashima Rao's government survived its full term in office due to the bribes paid out to the JMM and Shibu Soren was even procecuted for the crime of taking bribes and then arranging the murder of Jha, his private secretary who was a witness to the whole affair. Crime and Corruption go hand in hand.
The dynastic fascist party the Congress and its criminal acolytes who call themselves the "secular parties" are primarily responsible for the corruption and criminalisation of Indian political life. I wish Baba Ram Dev all success in his noble venture.
Predictably all political parties involved in the corruption are crying foul. However the diplomatic cables were not meant to be made public and hence the Embassy staffers had no motive for making up allegations. As far as Tamil nadu is concerned I know from personal experience how corrupt the place is. Even Vice Chancellorships of Tamil Nadu universities go for a price of 5 to 10 crores.
I have often written that the main cause for political corruption in India is the dynastic fascism that seems to be inherent in the very psyche of the people. I remember that when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister the famous scandal called the Nagarwala Affair took place on the eve of the 1971 election. That scandal involved only 60 lakhs, but what is really sinister aboput the whole affair was the fact that all those connceted with the scandal including the Judge and Migistrate who tried the case in court died in rather mysterious circumstances. I have written elsewhere that Ramachandra Guha in his India Since Gandhi ignored the scandal and I expected him as an honest historian to draw attention to the event that marks the first signs of the corruption and crime in the Indian political life.
In South India under the great Dravidian dispensation bribing the electorate has become a part and parcel of the electoral process. Jayalalitha may scream against Karunanidhi, but the fact remains that her party too indulges in this shameless practice of bribing the electorate with nose rings, mixies, saris and cash. Wikileaks has exposed the fact that in Tirumangalam election M K Alagiri ensured victory by bribing the electorate. T R Baalu who won from Sriperumbadur in the last elections is said to have distributed Rs 5000 for each vote. Where does all this money come from? The Indian electorate by participating in this charade called Indian Democracy is an accomplice in its own victimisation. The electorate will rail against corruption but is an active accomplice in the creeping criminalisation of Indian political life. Afterall Laaloo Prasad Yadava, D P Yadava, Mulayam Singh Yadava, and sundry other criminal-politicians have all been elected to the Lok Sabha. In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry liquor, money and sarees are distributed by party workers on the eve of the elections. In fact political parties are finding inventive ways of subverting democracy in India.
The other revelation that made headlines is the fact that MPs were bribed on the eve of the trust vote during UPA I a trust vote that was held after the so-called Left withdrew support after the Indo-US nuclear deal. Steven White, a US Embassy official recorded seeing chests opf money in the house of a Gandhi family courtier called Satish Sharma. A sum of 50 to 60 crores is estimated and Ajit Singh's party the RLD may have received bribes. What is surprising is that none of the mainstream media brought out the fact that Narashima Rao's government survived its full term in office due to the bribes paid out to the JMM and Shibu Soren was even procecuted for the crime of taking bribes and then arranging the murder of Jha, his private secretary who was a witness to the whole affair. Crime and Corruption go hand in hand.
The dynastic fascist party the Congress and its criminal acolytes who call themselves the "secular parties" are primarily responsible for the corruption and criminalisation of Indian political life. I wish Baba Ram Dev all success in his noble venture.
Predictably all political parties involved in the corruption are crying foul. However the diplomatic cables were not meant to be made public and hence the Embassy staffers had no motive for making up allegations. As far as Tamil nadu is concerned I know from personal experience how corrupt the place is. Even Vice Chancellorships of Tamil Nadu universities go for a price of 5 to 10 crores.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
DMK Congress and the Absurdity of Alliance Politics in Tamil Nadu
The last week has seen the histrionics between the two most corrupt political parties of India united by the ideology of dynastic fascism, the Congress and the DMK, engage in a bout of public posturing. Like thieves, who are partners in crime, both the political parties cannot afford to discard each other. The DMK is dependent on the Congress for survival in Tamil Nadu and the regime of Sonia-Singh is woeful;ly dependent on the support of the DMK MPs. Therefore one cannot exist without the other. The public declaration that the DMK has withdrawn support to the UPA regime is just that-- a declaration without any meaning. Given the fractured nature of the verdict in the last General Election, it is but natural that all major political parties in the state are attempting to stitch up an alliance. In this game, Ms Jayalalitha seems to have the advantage, at least for now. Her alliance with the mercurial and utterly unreliable Vijay Kant stems from the cold realisation that the vote bank of both is virtually the same and therefore it is in their mutual int erst to join forces. In the last Parliamentary election, Vijay Kant undecut the vote share of the AIADMK and by bringing him on board for a price of 100 crores, Jatyalalitha has stanched the hemeoraging of her vote share or so it appears. Like any mercenary, Vijay Kant is up for grabs. If the Congress offers him a better deal both in terms of seats and money, he will certainly leave the AIADMK alliance.
Will the DMK break with the Congress. As I have said both parties need each other. If the Congress following the line of the Yuvaraj, Rahul Gandhi, decided to go it alone then it will get just one IT two seats and this party is riven with factions. The man who calls himself Home Minister of India, P Chidambaram (this Harvard zero was defeated in the General Elections but got the returning officer to issue him the certificate) wants his son Karthik to succeed him and is doing everything to undermine the Congress. G K Vasan heads another faction inherited from his father G K Moopen. With factionalism rampant in the party and with a vote chare of 11-15% the Congress is hardly in a position to play hard ball.
The DMK is staring defeat in the face. The issue of Corruption will play a role, even though Tamil Nadu politics is a dirty cess pool of filth, corruption and crime. The DMK has a vote share of 29 to 31 % and hence if it enters into an alliance with a major Party it can hold on to power. However fighting alone the DMK will not be able to get a decent figure in terms of seats. The PMK like the DMK and teh Congress is a dynasty based political formation with a support base of Vanniyars in Northern Tamil Nadu. In Pondicherry because of the revolt of N Rangaswamy, the Vanniyar vote will go to the new party launched by N Rangaswamy and if AIDMK enters into an alliance with Rangaswamy, the NR-AIDMK alliance will grab power.
The next moves will be watched. Ground realities favor AIADMK and if it holds on to the Alliance and target the Karunanidhi Family rule for crime and corruption then the AIDMK has a chance. However, as we know the worst enemy of AIADMK is the General Secretary herself. Her inability to compromise with the smaller parties and her imperious style of functioning can alienate the electorate. I remember seeing her candidate fro a Parliamentry seat sitting on the stage on a plastic stool while she was seated on a splendid throne. The electorate did not like this scene.
If AIADMK is able to stitch up a good alliance then it has a chance of winning the upcoming polls.
Will the DMK break with the Congress. As I have said both parties need each other. If the Congress following the line of the Yuvaraj, Rahul Gandhi, decided to go it alone then it will get just one IT two seats and this party is riven with factions. The man who calls himself Home Minister of India, P Chidambaram (this Harvard zero was defeated in the General Elections but got the returning officer to issue him the certificate) wants his son Karthik to succeed him and is doing everything to undermine the Congress. G K Vasan heads another faction inherited from his father G K Moopen. With factionalism rampant in the party and with a vote chare of 11-15% the Congress is hardly in a position to play hard ball.
The DMK is staring defeat in the face. The issue of Corruption will play a role, even though Tamil Nadu politics is a dirty cess pool of filth, corruption and crime. The DMK has a vote share of 29 to 31 % and hence if it enters into an alliance with a major Party it can hold on to power. However fighting alone the DMK will not be able to get a decent figure in terms of seats. The PMK like the DMK and teh Congress is a dynasty based political formation with a support base of Vanniyars in Northern Tamil Nadu. In Pondicherry because of the revolt of N Rangaswamy, the Vanniyar vote will go to the new party launched by N Rangaswamy and if AIDMK enters into an alliance with Rangaswamy, the NR-AIDMK alliance will grab power.
The next moves will be watched. Ground realities favor AIADMK and if it holds on to the Alliance and target the Karunanidhi Family rule for crime and corruption then the AIDMK has a chance. However, as we know the worst enemy of AIADMK is the General Secretary herself. Her inability to compromise with the smaller parties and her imperious style of functioning can alienate the electorate. I remember seeing her candidate fro a Parliamentry seat sitting on the stage on a plastic stool while she was seated on a splendid throne. The electorate did not like this scene.
If AIADMK is able to stitch up a good alliance then it has a chance of winning the upcoming polls.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
P Sainath and the Faremer Suicide Debate
I have always admired the writings of Shri P Sainath, a distinguished journalist and an internationally acclaimed critic of Indian social and economic policies. His book Everbody Loves a Good Drought is a scathing indictment of the policies initiated and implemented at the block level both by the State and Central Government. He is able to show that the elected representatives of the people make money out of the misery people face and the Governments are only colluding with the rich and the powerful. We have seen pictures of rotting grain in the godowns forcing the Supreme Court to order its distribution. Sainath is a very good speaker and he was in a local University the other day and I happened to listen his key note address to an International Seminar on Farmers's Suicides in India. Sainath was perhaps too politie to point out the irony in the very topic of the seminar.
Being a student of History, an MA from JNU, New Delhi, Sainath began by pointing out that in Western Maharashtra in the late nineteenth century, farmers were out protesing against the agrarian policies that were pursued by the then British Government. Now in the 21st century they are committing suicide in large numbers. Sainath is a master both of statistics and rhetoric and he deployed both with devastating effect. At a time when according to the Census figures, the farmring population is showing signs of decline, the number of suicides is increasing. Hearing Shri P Sainath remined me of the great Victorian public figure and chronicler, Digby who wrote a 2 volume book on the Great Famine of 1877-79. Trenchent criticism without any alowance for intellectual sloppiness.
Sainath blames the Government policies for the present crisis. He draws attention to the fact that Aurangabad which has the largest number of Mercedes Benz cars, located in the very heart of darkness as it were, people are able to get State Bank of India loans for 7% while farmers get koans fopr 12.5%, a rate that is unsustainable as far as farm income is concerned. He also drew attention to the fact that farm subsidies in the form of electricity, fertilizer and seed, hels only the rich farmer and the irony is that the farmers with around 10 acres of land end up killing themselves because the rural credit mechnism has broken down. Sainath mentioned the tragic incident of a farmer in Vidhrbaha who killed himself with pestticides bought on loan.
I was very happy that a critic of government policies was invited and I hope the students of the University learn something from such personalities. In India all too often educational institutions paly it safe and invite sarkari intellectuals who give bland and insipid analysis of the situation. Sainath, like William Digby is a socially motivated critic and he said very poignantly that mothers in Western Maharashtra want double rations for the mid day meal progrm because the child has staved for two days over the weekend. A very moving statement.
Liberal critics have termed the farmer suicide and the increasing numbers as state genocide. Though Sainath did not use this term, it can be said that the wrong policies forced down the rural economy has led to such a situation. Sainath says that as India is increasing its GDP together with the rising income the rate of farmer suicide is also increasing. Gujarat under Narendar Modi seems to have devised policies that are more successful as that state has not withessed the same rash of suicides. The reasons must be probed and lessons drawn.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A Raja, the Telecom Scandal and Political Corruption in India
Today A Raja, the former Telecom Minister is languishing in jail and both his own so-called Backward class dominated DMK and the Congress had absolutely no hesitation in making an example out of him. A few months back the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Madhu Koda was arrested and thrown into prison. In my blogs I have dealt extensively with both issues. It seems that the law has arms long enough only for dalits and tribal. Not a single backward class politician who in this madalised polity of ours have captured political power have been arrested and punished. My point is simple: Raja may be corrupt but so are 99% of the political personalities in India. The NDA Government headed by Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee was certainly a dedicated and fairly honest Government, but the people voted for the criminals who are now ruling India. Only Gujarat has shown native wisdom and had repeatedly voted for good governance in spite of sustained and motivated campaigns against the Hon'ble Chief Minister, Narendar Modi.
It is impossible to imagine a scandal of this magnitude without the active connivance of the higher ups in the UPA government and yet we have a Prime Minister who like Gandhi's monkeys believes that he saw no evil, spoke no evil and heard no evil. In short he was a silent spectator or worse an active abettor in the crime. It is high time the people of this dynasty obsessed country realise that as long as they vote for political parties that promote family and dynastic rule they are promoting corruption and nepotism. In a recent book on India Patrick French has shown that 100% of the younger members of Parliament are scions of political families and the woman's reservation bill in this situation will only enable daughters and daughters in law to enter the political fray.
Corruption is endemic in India and the system has failed to even identify the corrupt let alone punish them. The vast sums of money stashed away in foreign accounts only goes to prove that Indian politicians have systematically looted the country. In the 200 years of British loot the amount taken out of India was only a small fraction of the 1.3 trillion dollars which the politicians have looted from the Indian people. However, I will venture to add that the Indian Electorate will forget all this and will raise its hooves silently in favor of the criminals who govern India. In this context effort must be made to eliminate the criminals who masquerade as elected representatives of the people.
In MP the IAS couple the Joshis were found with 330 crores of ill gotten wealth. Sukh Ram was found with 3 crores in his puja room. Khetan Deasi, the Chairman of the Medical Council of India was found with 1 tonne of gold. My question is what action was taken. All these criminals are roaming free, while a dalit politician is in jail. It appears that the backward mandalised political groups have made a mockery of both democracy as well as rule of law. Who can forget the criminal misdeed of the Yadava chieftains, Mulayam, Pappu, Laloo etc.
It is impossible to imagine a scandal of this magnitude without the active connivance of the higher ups in the UPA government and yet we have a Prime Minister who like Gandhi's monkeys believes that he saw no evil, spoke no evil and heard no evil. In short he was a silent spectator or worse an active abettor in the crime. It is high time the people of this dynasty obsessed country realise that as long as they vote for political parties that promote family and dynastic rule they are promoting corruption and nepotism. In a recent book on India Patrick French has shown that 100% of the younger members of Parliament are scions of political families and the woman's reservation bill in this situation will only enable daughters and daughters in law to enter the political fray.
Corruption is endemic in India and the system has failed to even identify the corrupt let alone punish them. The vast sums of money stashed away in foreign accounts only goes to prove that Indian politicians have systematically looted the country. In the 200 years of British loot the amount taken out of India was only a small fraction of the 1.3 trillion dollars which the politicians have looted from the Indian people. However, I will venture to add that the Indian Electorate will forget all this and will raise its hooves silently in favor of the criminals who govern India. In this context effort must be made to eliminate the criminals who masquerade as elected representatives of the people.
In MP the IAS couple the Joshis were found with 330 crores of ill gotten wealth. Sukh Ram was found with 3 crores in his puja room. Khetan Deasi, the Chairman of the Medical Council of India was found with 1 tonne of gold. My question is what action was taken. All these criminals are roaming free, while a dalit politician is in jail. It appears that the backward mandalised political groups have made a mockery of both democracy as well as rule of law. Who can forget the criminal misdeed of the Yadava chieftains, Mulayam, Pappu, Laloo etc.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Salman Taseer's Killing in Kasaabistan
think the holy land of Pakistan can be rechristened, at least by those living in India as Kasaabistan. After all the holy warrior who killed 186 people on 26/11/2008 came from there. I have decided to call Pakistan as Kasaabistan and I would urge all like mined people to rename Pakistan as Kasaabistan. They are obviously proud of his heroics in India that they are unable or unwilling to bring the perpetrators of that horrific crime to justice. In fact the gunning down of the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer has been hailed as an act of a Gazi by the Kasaabistan press and I would like to reflect on that killing.
The civil society in Kasaabistan has disintegrated under the twin pressures of religious militancy and political and ethnic tension. If you remember what I had written when Benazir Bhutto was killed, I had said then and I repeat now that civilian rule will only make things worse in the country. The politicians do not enjoy any credibility in Kasaabistan and hence the Army has to step in. Even now the country is run by the military with Mr 10% and his gang from the PPP acting as frontmen. It is in India's interest to help the country along the path of total civil and economic chaos. Unfortunately the Indian Government has no long term plan except provide some guns and training to Baluchi terrorist who have turned to India not out of love for India but out of hatred for the mohajirs and Punjabis who actually run Kasaabistan.
The country was founded on the premise of religious identity and so for the Indian media to go looking for secular liberals in Kasaabistan is an absurdity. Salman Taseer was the darling of the Indian media. He courted and abandoned an Indian woman who very bravely went on to bear his child. How did Salman Taseer treat the young man when he tried to meet up with him in Rawalpindi. Read Stranger to History and find out for yourself.
I do not think that a country like Kasaabistasn can call itself a civilised society with men armed with guns killing each other and women in burqas blowing themselves up as suicide bombers. As long as religion dominates their thinking they will remain barbarous and violent and we should help them achieve extinction. Sooner the better.
The civil society in Kasaabistan has disintegrated under the twin pressures of religious militancy and political and ethnic tension. If you remember what I had written when Benazir Bhutto was killed, I had said then and I repeat now that civilian rule will only make things worse in the country. The politicians do not enjoy any credibility in Kasaabistan and hence the Army has to step in. Even now the country is run by the military with Mr 10% and his gang from the PPP acting as frontmen. It is in India's interest to help the country along the path of total civil and economic chaos. Unfortunately the Indian Government has no long term plan except provide some guns and training to Baluchi terrorist who have turned to India not out of love for India but out of hatred for the mohajirs and Punjabis who actually run Kasaabistan.
The country was founded on the premise of religious identity and so for the Indian media to go looking for secular liberals in Kasaabistan is an absurdity. Salman Taseer was the darling of the Indian media. He courted and abandoned an Indian woman who very bravely went on to bear his child. How did Salman Taseer treat the young man when he tried to meet up with him in Rawalpindi. Read Stranger to History and find out for yourself.
I do not think that a country like Kasaabistasn can call itself a civilised society with men armed with guns killing each other and women in burqas blowing themselves up as suicide bombers. As long as religion dominates their thinking they will remain barbarous and violent and we should help them achieve extinction. Sooner the better.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
WikiLeaks and the Freedom of Expression
One of the fundamental values that USA and the West propounded in its sustained campaign against the erstwhile USSR was the fact that dissent and freedom of expression is regarded as sacrosant in Western society. Now the fact that the Chinese dissedent who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year is regarded as a hero by large sections of world public opinion is a tribute to the propaganda machinery that worked overtime to impress upon the world that dissent is not tolerated in the People's Republic of China and all totalitarian regimes stifle dissent using state power and the administrrative machinery.
Now compare the plight of Julian Assange the whistle blower who has exposed a large number of US diplomatic cables on his website. I do not think that the US foreign policy has been in any way undermined by the disclosures made by WiliLeaks. On the contrary, the world has only learnt to appreciate US statecraft in a difficult period in international, affairs. The fact that the Sunnis of Saudi Arabia are edginmg the USA to bomb the Iranians does not come as a surprise to anyone as the Saudis are known for their duplicity and perfidy. The fact that Saudis are finacing terror networks wedded to the Sunni cause is again no great revalationmmas the we were aware of this all through. Yes, the fact that the Yemenis are willing to lie to their Parliament about the USA bombing and taking "credit" for using the airforce against their own people, came as a nig surprise even by the street smart logic of the Middle East. So far it was Israel which aws held up as the sole reason for all the unrest in the region. WikiLeaks has abundantly exposed the fact that the Sunni rtegimes of the region are also contributing in no small measure to the destablisation in the Middle East. Cynicism is OK provided it is backed by realpolitik.
Julian Assange has exposed the cables from the field and no more. Like the Pentagon Papers he has put into public domain certain facts and those facts in no way compromise the safety or security of USA. The US right wing aided by some Democrats like Joe Libberman want to impose limits on whitle blowing using the outdated Espionage Act which does not cover the situation being discussed. The US Government has issued a diorective that federal staff cannot even see the wikileak site and some Universities have even blocked access to the site. When the Chinese do such uncivilised things the cry goes up that dissent is not tolerated. Why practice double standards in such fundamental matters as freedom of expression. The USA has mounted a world wide campaign to cut off funding for the site. In what matter is this different from what the Chinese Government did vis a vis Google. Sweden has even filed a case of sexual,assault on Julian Assange. It seems for the USA public enemy number UNO is not OSAMA but Assange
Now compare the plight of Julian Assange the whistle blower who has exposed a large number of US diplomatic cables on his website. I do not think that the US foreign policy has been in any way undermined by the disclosures made by WiliLeaks. On the contrary, the world has only learnt to appreciate US statecraft in a difficult period in international, affairs. The fact that the Sunnis of Saudi Arabia are edginmg the USA to bomb the Iranians does not come as a surprise to anyone as the Saudis are known for their duplicity and perfidy. The fact that Saudis are finacing terror networks wedded to the Sunni cause is again no great revalationmmas the we were aware of this all through. Yes, the fact that the Yemenis are willing to lie to their Parliament about the USA bombing and taking "credit" for using the airforce against their own people, came as a nig surprise even by the street smart logic of the Middle East. So far it was Israel which aws held up as the sole reason for all the unrest in the region. WikiLeaks has abundantly exposed the fact that the Sunni rtegimes of the region are also contributing in no small measure to the destablisation in the Middle East. Cynicism is OK provided it is backed by realpolitik.
Julian Assange has exposed the cables from the field and no more. Like the Pentagon Papers he has put into public domain certain facts and those facts in no way compromise the safety or security of USA. The US right wing aided by some Democrats like Joe Libberman want to impose limits on whitle blowing using the outdated Espionage Act which does not cover the situation being discussed. The US Government has issued a diorective that federal staff cannot even see the wikileak site and some Universities have even blocked access to the site. When the Chinese do such uncivilised things the cry goes up that dissent is not tolerated. Why practice double standards in such fundamental matters as freedom of expression. The USA has mounted a world wide campaign to cut off funding for the site. In what matter is this different from what the Chinese Government did vis a vis Google. Sweden has even filed a case of sexual,assault on Julian Assange. It seems for the USA public enemy number UNO is not OSAMA but Assange
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