Public Hearing on CIA Spying Nobody Heard About

Historic push back against blanket secrecy & benchmark for media lies of omission

If a Deep State liar falls in a courtroom and no legacy press is around to hear it, does it make a sound in the court of public opinion?

There were a handful of people outside the courthouse last Thursday, November 16th. Today is Sunday December 3rd and my thoughts have been marinating since then. For me it is very hard to watch the injustice and abuse of Julian drag on with so few who do real activism and others who could make a difference busy making a name for themselves at Julian’s expense.

Lies of omission are the most powerful side of propaganda because the spectrum of public debate never includes issues that go beyond predetermined, binary options equivalent to heads we win - tails you lose proposition. Anyone who upsets that balance of powers is silenced and branded with tin foil hat conspiracy, regarded as fringe in their field be it journalism or medicine, reputations are sullied with “ism“ de jour slurs avoiding any discussion of the merits.

Press pens set up to manage crowds for one of countless Trump hearings were empty on Thursday on my way to the Federal Courthouse where the Central Intelligence Agency was defending its right to disc and Constitutional rights when Americans are outside US borders. For me the claim is a variant of the rational for GITMO and black site torture done offshore as if criminality evaporates at borders.

Over more than a decade court cases of public interest have been held in the row of Federal Courthouses sprawling from City Hall beyond Foley Square and scene to countless public protests when criminality or injustice press for legal remedies. Public support is most critical in cases where government tramples Constitutional rights.

In 2013 landmark suit Hedges v Obama over the spying powers of the Patriot Act speakers came from around the world to fill the courtroom and attend the Press Conference that followed the Judge’s decision. Chris details the importance in his own words in January 2012 appearance on Democracy Now before that show became a dumpster fire of pro-war Russiagate Trump derangement identity politics and idiocy.

There were smaller cases like pre-trial detention of Anonymous hactivist Jeremy Hammond who liberated the Stratfor emails that became WikiLeaks Global Intelligence files and late great Mike Ratner streaming from the courthouse to put maximum public focus on every move the government makes in silencing critics. Kevin Gozstola has been covering whistleblowers and WikiLeaks related news since he was a peach faced kid couch surfing to be one of the few American journalists to attend the Pvt Manning Trial at Ft Meade. Kevin’s 2013 update for Hammond hearing.

We’ve seen human rights and environmental activists protest Chevron’s prosecution of Steven Donziger who had the temerity to hold big oil polluters accountable for toxic dumping, willful wanton legacy of cancers for Indigenous people of the Amazon but never has there been a case with such enormous implications and nobody knows.

More accurately hardly anyone knew and the few who did are uniquely dedicated. Kevin Gozstola is based in Chicago but he never misses news for whistleblowers, WikiLeaks or Julian Assange and the update for CIA hearing has the surprise action by the Judge and bombshell dropped in court. If your concern for press freedom is serious become a subscriber and supporter because there are too few gems among journalists and suppression of their work is enormous.

Last of all a bit of trivia for posterity in case anyone wants an historic event to slide under the radar and assure the fewest people possible ever catch wind of it.

The full album for November 16th is at Flickr with big time kudos & thanks to the folks who always put action in activism. See you in the streets!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pameladrew/albums/72177720312796816/