Climate sceptics the new Wikileakers?

 bloggers, Civil Liberties, climate change, Must read post, police  1 Response »
Dec 152011
 

Via the ever well informed Katabasis my attention has been drawn to the rather worrying seizure of computers owned by UK climate sceptic bloggers. Apparently at the behest of the U.S. Department of Justice as other climate bloggers have received nasty grams (cache) from our friends across the pond. Last I checked the climategate e-mails where mainly (allegedly) pilfered from UK sources, and even ignoring that the emails are widely available so the US Department of Justice could just download their own copy. All in all a quite worrying development, state funded “scientific” research into climate change wasn’t a matter of national security last I checked. Rather generally the scientific method in the past has been to share research far and wide for verification and the like, so why are the powers that be on both sides of the pond going for climate bloggers?

I can’t help but suspect there may be more to this than meets the eye.

Do spread the word, and don’t forget to keep off site backups.

Updates: JoNova observes:
Now, more than ever, all the people that value their freedom need to stick together. Whistleblowers and radio personalities need blogger back up, big bloggers need small bloggers, every blogger needs commenter and emailer support, with letters to editors and friends. Every link in the chain helps. The establishment need to know that we will not be intimidated, there are many of us, and the more they push, the more we will tell the world.
and in the comments there:
They took away a DSL router? That would only be done by “experts” to frustrate access to the Internet.

And Watts Up With That? have been in contact with Roger (Tallbloke) and he tells me that he is not a suspect, and that they’ll clone his hard drives and return the computers to him.

Which is good news, and hopefully they’ll return everything quickly and undamaged (which doesn’t always happen) – this still seems really rather odd.

 Posted by Giolla at 13:27  Tagged with: , , , ,

Europes soul – missing in action?

 bloggers, EU, Must read post  No Responses »
Dec 122011
 

For the benefit of what I’m sure are the scant few of you that don’t already read his Grace, may I bring your attention to his latest missive. The text of the speech given by Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks at The Pontifical Gregorian University, it’s not the shortest thing you’ll read but it’s well worth the time. The question addressed (paraphrased somewhat in my title) is that of “Has Europe Lost its Soul?”

For those of you still reading this rather than going over to His Grace to read the text already allow me to give you a slight taster:

“As the political leaders of Europe come together to try to save the euro, and with it the very project of European Union, I believe the time has come for religious leaders to do likewise, and I want to explain why.

What I hope to show in this lecture, is first, the religious roots of the market economy and of democratic capitalism. They were produced by a culture saturated in the values of the Judaeo-Christian heritage, and market economics was originally intended to advance those values.

Second, the market never reaches stable equilibrium. Instead the market itself tends to undermine the very values that gave rise to it in the first place through the process of “creative destruction.”

Third, the future health of Europe, politically, economically and culturally, has a spiritual dimension. Lose that and we will lose much else besides. To paraphrase a famous Christian text: what will it profit Europe if it gains the whole world yet loses its soul? Europe is in danger of losing its soul.“

 Posted by Giolla at 23:36  Tagged with:

Recycling press releases

 climate change, Green Agenda, MSM, Must read post  No Responses »
Nov 222011
 

The ever diligent Katabsis has a rather wonderful article up dissecting how the investigative main stream media recycles press releases from the environment agency – terribly green of them. As a taster…..

The data shows several clear patterns:

- The so called “quality press” are the worst offenders for churning Environment Agency press releases – whilst there were many entries from the tabloids and local papers, their cutting and pasting was less egregarious than the “quality press”.

Now stop wasting your time here and go read it :)

 Posted by Giolla at 22:49  Tagged with: , ,

One for the road

 EU, Must read post, Petition  No Responses »
Nov 122011
 

I’ve an early start tomorrow (well early for a Sunday, so before 12), so here’s an article from The Chiefio, just as the EU is about to go tis up, Latin America decide’s it’s an excellent model to follow:

“So yeah, some guy selling coconut bras (don’t snicker! I’ve SEEN ‘em!) faces a coconut import tariff for the country next door and pretty soon he’s talking to the guy there who wants to ship him a power tool (also with counter tariff) and they both end up talking to their politicos about a free trade zone. First thing you know, ‘integration’ is on everyone’s lips (as the politicos see how well the Euro-Politicos get staffed, wined, dined, partied, and generally don’t have to deal all those annoying elections and voters… )”

And don’t forget if you’ve not signed it already there’s another e-gov petiton to have an referendum on leaving the EU

 Posted by Giolla at 23:55  Tagged with:

A lesson from the frozen north

 Civil Liberties, EU, Must read post, politicians  No Responses »
Aug 232011
 

The main stream media seems to have been keeping very quiet about this, perhaps they’re worried that we might gets ideas. The story of how Iceland refused to accept liability for private banks, prosecuted bankers, politicians alike, resisted international pressure and forged a new constitution really is proof that power can rest in the hands of the people if they choose to take it.

“An Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.

As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here’s why:…”

Go read the rest of the article, and then I can’t help but suggest that you point everyone else at it.

 Posted by Giolla at 14:06  Tagged with: , , , ,

It’s worse than that…

 economics, follow up, Must read post  1 Response »
Jul 192011
 

Yesterday I briefly mentioned that things aren’t so good across the pond, well today Captain Ranty brings news that it’s actually worse than that….

“On August 3rd, millions of Americans are expecting their social security payments. The govt need to shell out $23 billion but they only have $12 billion, leaving an $11 billion shortfall. One way around it all is to increase the debt ceiling. The USA is in the hole for an incredible $14.3 Trillion but they need more.”

Pop over to the Captains for the full story, but you might want to get a strong cup of tea first.

 Posted by Giolla at 10:07  Tagged with: ,

Apparently today is don’t give a fuck day

 activism, Must read post  No Responses »
Jun 182011
 

Apparently today is “don’t give a fuck” day, a day probably mainly being observed by people that don’t give a fuck generally and will continue to not give a fuck beyond this day. A point really rather excellently made by the erudite Mr Maillin (Who’s how I discovered it’s “don’t give a fuck” day):

An open letter to all those who “Don’t give a fuck” today.
So, you’ve decided that today you won’t give a fuck eh? Well good for you. I assume of course that this means for the other 364 days of the year you will actually start giving a fuck. That’s the idea right?

Today you’ll have a rest and then tomorrow you’ll start campaigning for change?

Bitter experience leads me to suspect not.

Go and read the whole thing it’s really quite good.

 Posted by Giolla at 10:47  Tagged with: ,

What’s right with Libertarians

 activism, Intermission, Must read post, politics  No Responses »
Jun 172011
 

Yoinked directly from The Devils Kitchen from a rather excellent article by Bella Gerens, I think this really sums up a huge amount of what I find appealing and a good thing about the Libertarians:

Libertarians don’t fight with left-wingers, they fight with each other. It’s the only ‘mob’ you’ll ever see where the crowd hears a rousing speech and says to one another, ‘You know, I’m not sure I agree with him. He misses Friedman’s point about the fact that…’ and then argues all the way to the pub, where they’d all much rather be anyway.

 Posted by Giolla at 10:41  Tagged with: , , ,

The rule of law

 laws, Magna Carta, Monarchy, Must read post  1 Response »
May 232011
 

Hat tip to the good Captain Ranty for the following two videos. This is a very interesting development by The Runnymede Institute to address the constitutional fuck up that the last couple of Governments have made by tinkering badly with how parliament and the union are formed.

The Videos cover their cahllenge to the illegal (or possibly unlawful) reformation of the house of Lords, do spend the 10 minutes it takes to watch the videos, they’re really terribly enlightening:

The likelihood of them succeeding is I fear very low, because of the law is actually upheld then an awful lot (where by an awful lot I mean all) of the laws “passed” since 1999 haven’t been done so in a valid fashion, so at the very least are subject to challenge. I suspect the same would hold true for many other actions the state has taken during that time.

I’m going to pretty much leave it there except to say that again and again despite what nay sayers claim it looks as though Magna Carta is actually alive and well – and the government would very much like us to forget that. To forget where their power stems from and that there are limits upon it, and that they can still be held accountable for exceeding those limits.

Just one final topical item before I shut up, the act of Union says that we should all be subject to the same laws and yet once more we see a difference between English and Scottish law in the case of Mr Giggs. Now if the act of Union has been breached, and our Parliament in Westminster is the Government of the United Kingdom where has it left itself by wilfully breaking that union?

That’s a whole different question, but do watch the videos.

Update From the Runnymede institute – the high court has ruled against them, but also stated that the 1999 act didn’t amend the letters patent . So this fight may go on.

 Posted by Giolla at 23:21  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Denmark bounded in a nutshell

 EU, Must read post  No Responses »
May 122011
 

Rather startling news from the Orphans of Liberty it seems utterly unreported by the mainstream media, Denmark has suspended the Schengen treaty.

“Denmark has suspended the Schengen treaty and re-introduced controls at its borders with Germany and Sweden. It was announced by the country’s Finance Minister, Claus Hjort Frederiksen.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this develops and if Denmark remains alone in it’s move.

 Posted by Giolla at 13:48  Tagged with:
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