Welcome Home!

The late return of Julian Assange, to his Australian home, was fourteen long years overdue!

It comes as no surprise that the US featured shamefully throughout that time. Down the pecking order, it reflects woefully, upon any pretence at democratic autonomy, also, that the UK did not fare better. That other Western nations defaulted, too readily, to a position of (US) subservience should long since have been raising concerns amongst wider swathes of, especially, the EU than has been, and continues to be, the case.

Breaking down the issue, picking over the finer details, there are organisations who should truly hang their heads in shame! Chief amongst these would be that self-declared bastion of 'free speech,' the Guardian, who were formerly delighted to be able to work in collaboration with Assange and Wikileaks, before spinning about to thoroughly betray the man. During much of Assange's 'illegal' incarceration, having fully relinquished any moral stance, the Guardian often appeared to be bumbling about, uncertain whether the paper should be openly hostile, self-satisfactorily superior, or else to most often pretend that Assange's case was not worthy of its pages. Now that Assange is free maybe the paper will again be looking to realign? The BBC, with diligent and selective use of its new 'fact check' baby- and its regular pool of on-hand 'experts' and spokespeople- has too often chosen to fall neatly into compliance. In the Land of the Editor the investigative journalist becomes effectively defunct.

Alan Rusbridger becomes Katharine Viner and the deck is quietly (and thoroughly) shuffled!

We should expect no MSM 'observations' into how perfectly Julian's long-overdue release ties in with Israel's ongoing Genocide. For anyone who has viewed the infamous helicopter footage parallels with Israel's slaughter of the innocent must be plain to see. But bewilderingly very seldom, these days, do the client journalists seem 'able,' or prepared, to connect the dots!

In 2010, shocking- although not as surprising as portrayed- images of civilians, including two Reuters journalists, being routinely assassinated by a US Military helicopter was made available to the general public. Further and repeated details, within the thousands of documents leaked, strongly contests that such US slaughter, although not its reportage, has become widespread. The assassins' language seemed to imply that the whole cycle was not much more than some sort of sick game to the killers.

"Light 'em up!"
"Keep shoot'n', keep shoot'n'!"
"All right, hahaha, I hit 'em!"
"Oh yeah, look at those dead bastards!"
"Nice."
"Oh yeah, look at that! Right through the windshield! Haha!"
Ripe from the mouths of its troops, I give you the values of the Leaders of the Free World.'

Why is it, do we suppose, that some nations and their citizens are to be adjudged so 'inferior' to others? With so much news and so very many news images so freely available to so many, via so many outlets, for how much longer will it still be possible for MSM to continue to present the world we inhabit so very differently to its reality?

Whilst Assange is being illegally incarcerated, psychologically deprived and tortured, who gets to determine which is the true crime and who the criminal? What constitutes torture and who gets to deploy its use and to which ends? Who decides what is to be regarded as wholly repugnant and who is guarding whom against its wider enactment?

Again!
Why are some citizens and some nations to be regarded as 'inferior' to others? Expendable?

We should, instead, turn it about to sample the globe through the other end of that adjudicating telescope. MSM have repeatedly demonstrated that the task is neither within their remit, nor their current capabilities.

As did many others, my family tracked Julian Assange's progress- from Belmarsh, via Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, onward and onto Canberra's runway (0737 local time, 27th June 2024). The plea bargain had been struck yet one of the sides has long since depleted any semblance of honour that may once, many years past, have existed. Hence, the thousands who waited with bated breaths.

The cost to Julian Assange's family is US$520,000. Fortunately, those who argued Assange's innocence, demonstrated against his extradition and closely followed his captivity and psychological torture, raised the sum within hours.

The tiny island of Saipan is but one of over 800 US overseas military bases, many situated in countries that do not wish to host them, placs such as Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Over 80 other countries have thus been subjugated to the construct of a hidden US Empire. 'How to Hide an Empire,' by Daniel Immerwahr makes quite the read! Leader of the 'Free World,' America would have us believe that China (once again) is the rising threat to global peace and yet- sites may vary- its overseas bases barely number into single figures- Djibouti? Very much the focus of Western MSM, Putin's Russia, with clear and undoubted ambitions for, at the least, major regions of Ukraine, fares little better than does China. 'Overseas airbase' invariably implies 'overseas military airbase.' Further, 'overseas military airbases' are often, necessarily by nature and at least in part, covert, that is to say, they are not widely advertised as such.

There are several nations who have not, in their dealings with the Middle East, covered themselves in glory. But, whether we judge the USA via its Middle Eastern manipulation, its Central American aggression or even its hawkish dealings with its Western, so termed, 'allies,' it is one nation that stands head and shoulders above all others when it comes to invoking global instability!

So, the question: Why is it that some nations have been adjudged less worthy than others? And, a highly credible answer: Because they have, and continue to, show themselves to be so! They have shown themselves to be, in their international exploits, thoroughly repugnant!

Welcome home Julian Assange! It's wonderful to see a bit of positive global news, even if many of those client journalists have tried to pretend the headline is a very different one.