Thom's blog - Monday December 6th, 2010
By shawnt56
You need to know this. After Amazon kicked Wikileaks off their servers last week – thanks in large part to pressure from US Senator Joe Lieberman – the website received another blow over the weekend. PayPal is no longer offering its services – which could affect the whistleblower website’s ability to raise funds through donations. Unclear if PayPal’s decision was motivated under pressure from the US government as well. One thing that is clear – there seems to be an overt campaign to suppress free speech. Students at Columbia University’s school of International and Public Affairs received an email last week warning against posting links to or discussing wikileaks releases on any social networking sites. That is - if students hope to be considered for State Department jobs when they graduate. Georgetown University students also received a similar warning from their Office of Career Services – which has ties to the US State Department. On "Meet the Press" yesterday – Republicans Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called wikileaks founder Julian Assange a “high-tech terrorist”. And - Assange himself admitted he is receiving hundreds of death threats. There is still an Interpol arrest warrant out for Assange for sexual allegations. But – as the news site Counterpunch reported – the accuser in the case has ties to an anti-Castro group funded by the CIA – which could raise questions about what exactly is motivating the charges. So is this just the latest in the US government’s effort to silence Julian Assange and get his website out of the picture? What’s most troubling – where is the mainstream media in calling out clear abuses against freedom of the press and free speech? After all – many news agencies are quick to report Assange’s newsworthy leaks – but not as quick to come to his defense in the face of this anti-information onslaught brought to you by the federal government and possibly the banks who Assange are going to be his next set of leaks. It’s time our media starts doing its job – then Julian Assange wouldn’t have to.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
With His Holiness The Dalai Lama, at His home in Dharamsala, India (Synthesis Dialogues - made into a movie narrated by Harrison Ford)
From Unequal Protection, 2nd Edition:
"Beneath the success and rise of American enterprise is an untold history that is antithetical to every value Americans hold dear. This is a seminal work, a godsend really, a clear message to every citizen about the need to reform our country, laws, and companies."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann channels the best of the American Founders with voice and pen. His deep attachment to a democratic civil society is just the medicine America needs."
From Cracking the Code:
"No one communicates more thoughtfully or effectively on the radio airwaves than Thom Hartmann. He gets inside the arguments and helps people to think them through—to understand how to respond when they’re talking about public issues with coworkers, neighbors, and friends. This book explores some of the key perspectives behind his approach, teaching us not just how to find the facts, but to talk about what they mean in a way that people will hear."
