Silencing Dissent

Moments to the new year and the ambience seems to be getting grimmer. Not referring to the extreme cold and snow in the UK and US that is affecting consumers (and the greedy capitalists) in the shopping season, but to the gross human right violations that have shook the foundations of civil society.  Julian Assange, Dr. Binayak Sen and Jonathan Pollak – all noted activists, are under arrest for voicing their dissent against authoritarian regimes.

On December 24, Dr. Binayak Sen, a celebrated human rights activist and Paediatrician, along with two others were sentenced to life by Justice Verma for criminal conspiracy to commit sedition, under Section 124(a) read with 20 (b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sentenced them to life imprisonment. His real crime – he exposed the atrocities of the Chattisgarh government and became a voice for the voiceless.

Dr. Sen, the national vice-president of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and recipient of numerous international awards for his human rights work, was arrested in May 2007 on charges of alleged links with Maoists. He served in prison for two years without any charge and was finally given bail in May 2009, after being denied bail by the Supreme Court in 2007.

The Supreme Court has held that the charge of sedition can be upheld only if the prosecution proves that the accused attempted to incite violence or public disorder. It is clear that this case doesn't meet that standard.

On December 28, noted activist Jonathan Pollak was sentenced to three months in prison by an Israeli court for riding his bike in a protest against the Gaza siege. Tel Aviv Magistrate court Yitzhak Yitzhak convicted Israeli leftist Jonathan Pollak of illegally assembly in his participation in a January 2008 Critical Mass Ride against the siege on Gaza.

On December 7, Julian Assange, journalist and internet activist, was arrested in London for allegedly raping two women in Sweden (The crime seems to be that he wasn’t wearing a condom or it broke; Swedish rape laws are quite different). He was released on bail on 16 December. By pressing these charges, Swedish authorities have been trying to get Assange extradited to Sweden, and they in turn are expected to extradite him to the US.  Sweden has strong extradition treaties with the US.

Among the files released by WikiLeaks includes a video footage showing innocent Iraqis and two of Reuter’s journalists gunned down by a US chopper, Afghan and Iraq war logs, and the ongoing leaks of US diplomatic cables.

There is a growing trend of ‘state terrorism’- an authoritarian state employing any and all means to silence dissent. Any stance that is against or questions its policies and actions is considered a threat.

These incidents, just a drop in the ocean, pose a grave threat to the fabric of democracy (if it exists at all). This is the very thread that separates us from the very likes of China, Iran, Israel (it is very much a military state), North Korea and so on.

Whats the point in having freedom without rights? 

Final Statement of Binayak Sen before being arrested

I am a trained medical doctor with a specialization in child health. I completed my MBBS from the Christian Medical College, Vellore in 1972, and completed studies leading to the award of the degree of MD (Paediatrics) of the Madras University, from the same institution in 1976. After this, I joined the faculty of the Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and worked there for two years, before leaving to join a field based health programme at the Friends Rural Centre, Rasulia in Hoshangabad, MP. During the two years I worked there, I worked intensively in the diagnosis and treatment of Tuberculosis and understood many of the social and economic causes of disease. I was also strongly influenced by the work of Marjorie Sykes, the biographer of Mahatma Gandhi, who lived at the Rasulia centre at that time.


I came to Chhattisgarh in 1981 and worked upto 1987 at Dalli Rajhara (district Durg), where, along with the late Shri Shankar Guha Niyogi and the workers of the Chhattisgarh Mines Shramik Sangh, I helped to establish the Shaheed Hospital, that continues to practice low cost and rational medicine for the adivasis and working people of the surrounding areas upto the present. After leaving Dalli Rajhara, I worked to develop a health programme among the Adivasi population in and around village Bagrumnala, which today is in Dhamtari district. This work depended on a large group of village based health workers who were trained and guided by me. When the new state of Chhattisgarh was formed, I was appointed a member of the advisory group on Health Care Sector reforms, and helped to develop the Mitanin programme, which in turn, became the role model for the ASHA of the National Rural Health Mission. A copy of the Order of the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the Govt. of Chhattisgarh regarding my nomination to the advisory group mentioned above is attached. (Annexure 1.)

My work in the area of community health, as well as my work on Human Rights which is detailed below, has been nationally and internationally recognized. I have been awarded the Paul Harrison Award by the CMC Vellore in 2004; the RR Keithan Gold medal by the Indian Academy of Social Sciences in 2007; and have received the Jonathan Mann award for Health and Human rights from the Global Health Council in 2008. I am attaching notarized copies of the citations of these awards with this statement, and am carrying the originals for the perusal of the court. (Annexures 2, 3, 4 and 5)

I have been a member of the Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) since 1981. The PUCL is an organization devoted to the preservation of constitutional civil liberties and human rights that was founded by the late Shri Jayprakash Narayan during the years of the Emergency. In Chhattisgarh, as well as in many other parts of the country, the PUCL led the campaign for the preservation of the freedom of speech, prevention of custodial violence, and for the public accountability of the police. I became General Secretary of the Chhattisgarh unit of the PUCL in 2004, and am currently the President of the State unit, and Vice President of its National body.

In Chhattisgarh, the PUCL has been in the forefront of exposing the atrocities of the police. Atrocities by men in uniform against vulnerable sections continue to be a serious problem in the state, as the front page news item in the “Sunday Times” dated 12th September 2010, annexed hereto as Annexure 6 shows. In this situation PUCL’s efforts were always directed towards the establishment of good governance and constitutional values. PUCL findings and investigations were always made available in the public domain through press releases and its own publications. One such Press Release reporting investigation into police atrocities in Village Jiramtarai, Thana Koylibeda is annexed hereto as Annexure 7. The report of one such investigation pertaining to police atrocities in Katgaon (Kanker district) was published in the “Navbharat” and “Deshbandhu” newspapers which are annexed hereto as Annexure 8 and 9 respectively. A PUCL publication on the State of Human Rights in Chhattisgarh is appended to this statement. (Annexure 10). In this connection PUCL regularly corresponded with the National and State Human Rights Commissions. Copies of some of the letters sent to the PUCL by the National Human Rights Commission (collectively) and the State Human Rights Commission are attached to this statement. (Annexure 11 and 12)

Apart from investigating and documenting many cases of Human Rights abuse involving the police, the PUCL has acted as a whistleblower in the matter of exposing the true nature of the Salwa Judum. The Salwa Judum, which began in the Dantewada district in 2005, has been represented by the state government as a spontaneous peoples’ movement against the Maoists active in the area. However, an investigation led by the PUCL and involving several other Human Rights organizations revealed that it was in reality a state sponsored and state funded as well as completely unaccountable vigilante force, to which arms were provided by the government. The activities of the Salwa Judum have led to the emptying of more than 600 villages, and the forced displacement of over 60,000 people. Concerns regarding the activities of the Salwa Judum have been expressed by several independent organizations including the National Human Rights Commission.
International organizations like the UNICEF have also voiced serious concern and have invited me to dialogue with them about the restoration of normalcy in the region affected by Salwa Judum. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has also, on several occasions, expressed its grave concern over the activities of the Salwa Judum and the deployment of armed vigilantes for the promotion of state policy. This has been widely reported in the press. A Table with an indicative list of agencies that have made critical observations on the Salwa Judum is attached (Annexure 13). A copy of the report on the Salwa Judum by the Chhattisgarh PUCL and other organizations (Annexure 14), and copies of the investigation reports on the Salwa Judum brought out by the Independent Citizens Initiative and Asian Centre for Human Rights are being filed along with this statement (Annexure 15 and 16 respectively). An invitation from the UNICEF, Chhattisgarh Regional Office to participate in a dialogue to seek a resolution to the crisis in Dantewada as a fallout of the Salwa Judum is similarly attached to my statement (Annexure 17).Press reports in the Hitavada, dated 23.10.2010 pertaining to the Hon. Supreme Court’s critical observations are attached (Annexure no 29), as are Certified copies of Supreme Court orders that make critical observations on the Salwa Judum are also being attached (Annexure 18)

The PUCL has also, during 2006, organized two major conventions, opposing the proposal to enact the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, because it has been, and continues to be, our view that this Act contravenes the civil liberties assured to us in the constitution. I have expressed these views in the Press as well, and am attaching with this submission a copy of newspaper carrying a press report of such a convention (Annexure 19), as well as a copy of the newspaper “Chhattisgarh” dated 30th March 2006 in which my interview appears in this regard. (Annexure 20) A Civil Writ Petition (Writ Petition No 2163/2009) challenging the vires of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act has been filed by the PUCL in the Chhattisgarh High Court. Certified copies of the Court orders admitting this petition and issuing notice are being filed along with this statement (Annexure 21).

For all the reasons mentioned above, the Chhattisgarh police and the state government have harboured a grudge against me, and the then DGP of Chhattisgarh, Mr OP Rathore, has gone on record threatening to take action against the PUCL and its office bearers. Copies of a newspaper of 3rd January 2006 carrying a report to this effect are attached to my statement. (Annexure 22) I have been concerned with the rights of prisoners in my capacity as a Human Rights worker and was approached by the family of Mr Narayan Sanyal to look after his health and well being after he was brought to Raipur jail in 2006. My first visit to him in jail was in the company of his family and lawyer. Subsequently, I obtained permission from the police authorities for visiting him in jail, and visited him several times, each time applying to do so in my capacity as a PUCL office bearer. After my visits, I informed his family members about his condition over the telephone. During the course of these visits, it was brought to my notice that the surgery on his hands that was necessary for medical purposes, was being delayed due to communication problems between the jail and the doctors in the Raipur Medical College. I played a role in facilitating his surgery and kept his family informed about the process. During this period there was considerable correspondence between the prisoner’s family, jail administration and medical authorities, of which copies were marked to me. I attach along with this statement copies of the letter written by Mr Radha Madhav Sanyal (brother of Narayan Sanyal) to the Jail Superintendent with a copy to me (Annexure 23); copies of my applications to visit Mr Narayan Sanyal in jail which were obtained through an application under the RTI (Annexure 24); copy of the written permission given to me by Shri BS Maravi, Senior Superintendent of Police, Raipur (Annexure 25) and copies of the correspondence from the Jail authorities to the medical doctors mentioned above with copies marked to me (Annexure 26).

It was with similar concern for the situation of prisoners that I acted upon the letter received in the post from one Madanlal Barkhade about prison conditions in the Raipur Central Jail. I released his letter to the press in Raipur and attach the newspaper in which the aforesaid letter was published. (Annexure 27) The documents seized from my house during the house search on 19.5.2007 were those of concern to me in the ordinary and transparent conduct of my work. Human rights organizations from all over the country used to send me books, pamphlets and documents, and there were thousands of these lying in my residence, which I also used as my office. None of the seized documents had been secretly or clandestinely obtained. Document No. A 19 was sent to me by post by Shri Govindan Kutty, Editor, Peoples’ March. Document no A 20, purported to be written by Madanlal Barkhade was similarly received by me in the regular post. The document A 21 was sent to me by Dr Kalpana Kannabiran, one of the authors of the article, then Professor at the National Law School Hyderabad, by e-mail. Article A 22, photocopy of a hand written document, and Articles A 23 and A 36 were available for distribution at a seminar on the Salwa Judum organized by the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi in January, 2007, to which I was invited , and were picked up by me there. Article A 24 was received by me in the post. Newspaper clippings A 25 to A 35 are newspaper clippings that I had maintained in furtherance of my interest in the emerging situation in Chhattisgarh.

Several policemen in the search party were involved in the process of the search at my house. Having found a document, the person finding it would hand it over to Mr Rajput. Mr Rajput would first read it, and then hand it over to me for my signature. He would also sign it himself. After we had both put our signatures on the document, he would dictate to TI Jagrit what was to be written in the seizure memo. Mr Jagrit would then make the entry, following which Mr Rajput would then hand over the document to Mr Jagrit. In this manner, each document was seized, signed, and entered in the seizure memo. None of the documents were signed by the public witnesses in my presence. Nor were the documents sealed in my presence. At the end of the search process the documents were carried away in a paper bag in an unsealed condition. Document A37 was never received by me to sign. It was not in my office, and was not seized during the search. It was fabricated after the search by the police to implicate me falsely. When the challan in my case was filed, my advocate, Mr Amit Banerjee was present in court and received the chargesheet on my behalf. A copy of the chargesheet is annexed hereto as Annexure 28. Upon going through the charegesheet, we noticed that in the copies of articles A 19 to A 24, the signatures of the panch witnesses were not present in the documents. Copies of articles A 25 to A 37 were not supplied to us at the time.

Despite a court order, the contents of the computer were copied onto DVDs without the presence of my advocate, and only DVDs of selected material from the computer were supplied later during the course of the trial. Out of the DVDs supplied, three relate to investigation of police atrocities / fake encounters in Golapally, Jiramtarai and Katgaon. My images on these tapes are in conversation with the villagers who are affected by these atrocities. I have never seen Deepak Chaubey (PW7) until the time he testified in the court. I did not introduce Narayan Sanyal to him and his story that Narayan Sanyal was arrested from his house is patently untrue as, in fact, Sanyal was arrested in Bhadrachalam.

I submit that my prosecution is malafide; in fact it is a persecution. I am being made an example of by the state government of Chhattisgarh as a warning to others not to expose the patent trampling of human rights taking place in the state. Documents have been fabricated by the police and false witnesses introduced in order to falsely implicate me.

Binayak Sen

How Free is Free speech?

 

Since 1927, TIME Magazine has chosen a person, or idea that for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year. It has had names such as Mahathma Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Bill & Melinda Gates, Ayatollah Khomeini, George Bush, YouTube and so on. This year the award went to Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, the online social networking website.

The final decision on who makes it to the cover ultimately rests on TIME's editorial board. But recently they have become bolder in pushing forward their political and/or capitalists interests and propagandas. Remember they had referred Rubin, Greenspan & Summers as the Committee to save the world, their very actions in due course led to the current economic crisis. Not to mention, George Bush was chosen as the Person of the Year in 2004.

According to the TIME's user poll Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder, received 382,026 votes, compared to Zuckerberg's mere 18,353 votes. A clear winner? Not according to TIME. Again TIME reserves the right. Moreover, Facebook has come into severe criticism this year for its new user and privacy policies – user data from third party apps can be shared with advertisers that could be used to identify individual users. The site booted a 400,000 strong anti-torture Egyptian group, why? The admin of the group went by a pseudonym- who in their wildest of dreams would reveal their identity when they can be targeted for the very cause they stand against.

On the other hand WikiLeaks has created waves by enabling whistleblowers to anonymously send in secretive data that brings to light the works of authoritarian governments. Afghan and Iraq war logs, the pentagon video that showed how a bunch of civilians were gunned down by a US chopper, US embassy cables etc. reveals many facts that were unknown. This has changed the face of journalism and the way information is shared.

Rather than divulging into the editorial policy of TIME magazine, serious questions have to be raised about free speech and whether it is free any more, visible with the recent release of diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks. TIME's selection of Zuckerberg is a slice in the chain of events that tests freedom of speech.

Amazon booted WikiLeaks from its servers when Joe Lieberman, an independent senator from Connecticut, questioned their relation with WikiLeaks. Credit card companies and Paypal soon followed suite preventing any funding from reaching the organisation. Rape charges that were dropped in August by the then chief prosecutor were re-instated. More recently Apple removed a WikiLeaks app from its stores on grounds that it violated its developer guidelines. A spokesperson said, "Apps must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or target group in harm's way." Incidentally, there have been reports of suicides and exploitations of workers at the factory where Apple iPads are manufactured, in China.

Sarah Palin, a Republican and a presidential frontrunner, has said that Assange should be hunted down as the way the Taliban are. She also said that "Assange is not a 'journalist', any more than the 'editor' of al-Qaeda's new English-language magazine Inspire is a 'journalist'." The US is planning to bring in new legislation that can be used to prosecute him, although detractors say that such a move would be unconstitutional.

Julian Assange can be considered as the Robin Hood of our time. When more and more governments are becoming authoritarian the flow of information has been restricted from entering the public domain. Many a time dissent and information has been suppressed under the pretext of national security. National wealth is being squandered away to the whims of politicians and bureaucrats, while the needy are  daily edging towards poverty and insanity.

To ensure that their misdeeds are never known to the commons, to give a false sense of calmness, information is suppressed in the process reducing accountability. It is in this context that the files that WikiLeaks released give the public an understanding of what's really happening behind that cloak and dagger of secrecy.

The Middle East has been known for their intolerance towards Freedom of speech. Egypt is infamous for torturing and jailing citizens who air their dissent, mostly bloggers as mainstream media is heavily regulated by the government.

The scene is not much different in the Indian subcontinent. The media has often stood by the government's point of view, has sided with politicians and corporates in influencing public opinion, even when they had a choice to be free and fair. Self-regulation and self-censorship seems to have embedded only in such matters.

The US govt has come down heavily on media outlets and organisations linked to WikiLeaks in some or the other way in the post-US embassy cable leaks, the same it imposed sanction on firms that do business with Iran.

This is a repeat of the medieval ages when the king was all-in-all, people could be imprisoned and executed without a trial, wealth was concentrated with the upper class, speaking against the throne was considered to be treachery, science was considered heretic. In such an environment is there anything such as free speech or a free press? If so, what's the price one has to pay? if it's not free.

This year's TIME person of the year should have gone to the US government for showing the world that IT is free to charge free speech.

India shining...or rotting?

As a child, I have always been proud of my country. Since being a non-resident and my family financially well off, I came to India once a year. I would get ecstatic whenever I flew down to my country and returned with a heavy heart, always. That was years ago, many many years ago.

Back then I was naive about the progress my country and what 'India Shining' or 'Incredible India' was hiding from the rest of world and the nation.

Even during my college years I had little idea of the rot that was beneath all this glam and shine that our leaders, elite, politicians, intellectuals and so on professed. India used to be called, and still, the land of democracy. The land of vibrant democracy. People talked about the magic of democracy that can be experienced here.

I am not the same kid anymore, and neither can I be forced into believing the same. Far from democracy, India has been revealed to be a totalitarian state with gross human rights abuses and endemic corruption. Ever increasing dissent and the widening gap between the rich and the poor are telling indicators.

Kerala is called as Gods own country. If you're to only consider the scenic beauty, created by God and unaltered by man, this place is truly heavenly.

The truth is that Kerala, as with the rest of the country, is Gods own country: currently leased out to the devil. There is no end to the corruption, the bureaucrats are lax, the people are divided along party lines (and parties play to appease voters and this often is played along communal or caste lines) and are ready to do anything for their party (this mainly has to with ignorance of the mass and the ability of the leaders to exploit this weakness), villages divided along party lines, villages divided over communal lines, exploitation of Dalits..... it would be exhausting as well as impossible to pen down every deed of the devil.

The presence of an opposition in the state helps in bringing out social issues to the public, but is limited. These issues are given centre stage when parties feel that their association with it will boost their electoral presence. The ignorant masses duly follow and fail to understand that they're being taken for a ride.

The victims affected by the spraying of Endosulfan in the district of Kasarkode haven't received any respite from successive governments- a paltry sum of Rs 50,000 has been given out to the kins of the dead. The living are yet to receive any compensation or dignity. Plans on their rehabilitation have been muddled up in political and bureaucratic waters.

After numerous commissions and studies conducted (15 to be precise) on the effect of Endosulfan to environment and humans, the central govt. has decided that it will conduct a new study to ascertain its effects on humans. Even though it has been proved around the world that the pesticide is harmful to humans, evident from its effects in Kerala, India is strongly opposed to adding Endosulfan to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions.

Endosulfan is not an isolated case. Take the Bhopal gas disaster for instance. 25 years have passed and the victims of the disaster are left without justice. Warren Anderson was allowed to go scot free, and ironically the same govt. now wants him back (Really, who are they kidding?).

An estimated 15,000, both immediate and over time, have died following exposure to methyl isocyanide (MIC). More than 200,000 have suffered permanent injuries. Because the onus of proving "beyond reasonable doubt" that death or injury in each case was attributable to exposure, many were denied compensation.

Since the claims paid were of paltry sums, Rs 10 billion was leftover after settling all claims. Has anyone questioned what happened to the rest of the money? Interestingly the GOI claimed $ 3.3bn initially and later settled for a paltry $470mn with Union Carbide Industries Ltd.

The Common Wealth Games 2010 has become infamous for the corruption revolving around it. Even in this instance the whole coverage is around how money was squandered away in crores by politicians and bureaucrats. The whole media attention is focussed on the spenders. The plight of the workers who put in their effort day and night have been forgotten- poor living conditions, no health care, low wages and in some cases no wages.

The 2G scam has been conveniently used by the opposition to divert attention from highlighting the presence of RSS and VHP in terrorist attacks, or, any other issue in the parliament as a matter of fact. As much as the congress, the BJP wouldn't want a Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) as it would be no doubt that they too have greased their hands in it. Or else how could a govt continue its current stance even after such bitter and relentless opposition in the parliament.

Maoism is the new haute couture
for the uptown boys in India. Tribals are getting evicted from their land in the name of industrialization. If they oppose it they are branded as Maoists. The atrocities and cruelties that the state commits against these poor and indefensible people know no bounds. Barbaric would be an understatement. In such a scenario what would you prefer – stand up for your rights or bend over for the MNCs? Where is the democracy?

For all our crorepati MPs India is truly shining. So is it for the rich and elite. But for the rest who are being used to polish and keep the lifestyles and appetites of the greedy shining, India truly is rotting.

Diplomatic Pat Down

No right to your rights
 
An Indian diplomat gets frisked, patted down to be more precise, and India gets upset over the whole incident. The fact that Ms. Meera Shankar, Indian ambassador to the US, was chosen for the pat-down because she was donning a saree was not the concern for Indian government is a bit worrisome in terms of human rights and human dignity.

For all those unfamiliar with TSA (Transport Security Authority) pat-downs, or grope-fest as others call it,
this procedure involves security personnel conducting a hands-on search on you and "this inspection may include sensitive areas of the body," according to TSA guidelines.

Ms. Shankar was chosen for the random pat-down at Jackson airport because they did not have full-body scanner, commonly known as porno-scanner (I din't make that up). These scanners can reveal all, as well as intimate, parts of the human body – in high resolution. Even more worrisome is the ability to store the images from the scan- possibly for later use?

The US government has conveyed regret to the incident involving the Indian ambassador but what about the rest of the Indian women who are clad in sarees and want to travel by air? Aren't they too entitled to their dignity and modesty?

Some might say to opt-out or choose other alternative modes of travel if one is not comfortable with these procedures, but there are situations where air travel is unavoidable- like long distance journeys or health issues.

And along came the spider

All of you might remember the Christmas day bomber Abdul Muthalib and his failed attempt at bringing down a Detroit bound plane. Fortunately (mysteriously or curiously) the bomb did not detonate and no harm done, atleast to the passengers aboard the flight. What came along was series of reforms that deprives humans of their rights and dignity – Full body scanners and pat-downs.

It would be worth mentioning here the timing and method at which Full-body scanners were implemented into the system.

Mutallab's father, a rich, well known, and reputable Nigerian banker had gone to the US Embassy in his country and formally warned a State Department official as well as a CIA representative that his son was in Yemen and in all probability consorting with terrorists. Under these circumstances the person would be placed on a no-fly list, as UK placed them on theirs.

The hearings held on January 27 before the US House Homeland Security Committee reveal that Muthalib was allowed to keep his visa as the result of a national security override issued by the US intelligence or law-enforcement agency.

Reports also point out that all screening and security procedures had been scrapped or aborted so that Muthalib could board the plane, as a result the bomb too boarded the plane. Incidently, the explosion never took place, but a political one did.

Soon after the incident, full-body scanners were introduced. Simple as that.

Adding up the turn of events, its just too hard to believe that the whole incident has not been concocted up to meet some ulterior motive.

None of might have read or heard that Micheal Chertoff the former US National security adviser is also a representative for a company called Rapiscan, and their contract with TSA is worth $173 million. Rapiscan's lobbyists include Susan Carr, a former senior legislative aide to Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee.

US has become a nation in which the media and the government thrives on the fears of it people, and its people willing to forgo their freedoms and liberties in its name. Its no longer the land of the free. Free speech is no longer free as evident from the recent WikiLeaks. And neither are your rights as guaranteed by the constitution.

As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." You have no right to you rights anymore.

Site Review

..Oh the Bokeh
(This is a review of the site lenshero.com)

I am often opined by friends and colleagues when they are planning to buy a new camera. With many sites that have performed reviews and comparisons, its quite easy to look up, perform comparisons and finally give my judgment based on their requirements and budget. That's the case with DSLR cameras – just the cameras. When it comes to lenses, I'm pretty much dumb founded.

Its not because I don't have an idea about lenses, but because it is hard to find the lens you are looking for that matches your requirements- model, budget, compatibility, purpose etc..

Just when you think you have found the right lens you find out that your camera does not support it, in worst cases you find out when you buy it. I myself had a tough time trying to figure out whether a particular lens was compatible with my DSLR. After an hour of endless searching, I finally got my result, that too from discussion forums.

It was an hour later that I came across this site and was amazed at the simplicity in its design and usage.

KISS

The site is developed around the principle of KISS- Keep it simple and stupid.

All you have to do is enter in some values – camera model, your price range and the main purpose of the lens. Thats it! The site does the rest of the searching and sorting for you. The currency can be changed by selecting the appropriate (flag) one from the top right of the page.


The results are displayed with detailed info about each lens including its price. Additional sorting has been done based on the manufacturer, price, focus motor, wide angle, tele. More details about a lens can be viewed upon clicking the link on each lens.

Detailed information includes the compatibility with the model selected and how it will work on it, and explaining it in detail.


Any additional changes in your search criteria can be easily made from the side menu. You can make changes as per your budget requirements, change the camera model, narrow your lens search as per your requirements.


Another feature is the option for customers and owners to comment on a particular lens and hence gives the buyer every possible info he/she should know before buying one – a manufacturer never gives out the negative aspects of their product.

For any of you looking to buy a new lens, this is your destination.

WikiLeaks and US diplomatic cables

Spy Games

This must be really embarrassing for the US. Backbreaking too. A nation that has always been on the offensive suddenly finds itself in the midst of a 'diplomatic' predicament.

The US broke all rules of engagement (not that it cared) when it invaded Iraq in 2003 on the pretext of WMDs, finds it acceptable to detain suspects on the pretext of risk to national security, violation of human rights, Guantanamo bay etc... In all these instances its stance was not questioned by the foreign governments (except Iran), and in most cases it was supported and sometimes legalized by the judiciary.

This is something different- espionage. No country likes it when they are at the receiving end of the bargain. And getting spied upon will not go too well with its leaders and politicians. It's something like this: you enjoy watching a good fight, but tortuous if you the one in it and getting beaten up.

A cable sent by Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State, in July 2009 asks diplomats to spy on state officials as well as UN officials. Information were to be passed over containing

Office, organizational titles; names, position titles and other information on business cards; numbers of telephones, cell phones, pagers and faxes; compendia of contact information, such as telephone directories (in compact disc or electronic format if available) and e-mail listings; internet and intranet "handles", internet e-mail addresses, web site identification-URLs; credit card account numbers; frequent flyer account numbers; work schedules, and other relevant biographical information.

Apart from the above information requested, Ms Clinton also requested other sensitive information from UN offices.

Since these documents cannot be refuted by the State department, they have turned their offensive against their biggest headache- Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.

A senior US defence official said lawyers from across US government agencies are studying whether it might be possible to prosecute Assange under the Espionage Act.

He said lawyers are trying to determine whether the Espionage Act applies in this case, what individuals it might apply to and whether it's possible to use it against the WikiLeaks organisation.

Eric Holder, the US Attorney General, said on Monday that there is an "active and ongoing criminal investigation," and that the website's chief would be pursued if he were found to have broken the law.

The White House branded those who released the documents "criminals, first and foremost," but so far US authorities have publicly filed no charges against Assange.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, called the release by WikiLeaks "an attack on the international community", adding that WikiLeaks acted illegally in posting the material. Rather, it was a revelation to the world – The dirty games US plays on other nations and the bully that it is.

Meanwhile, Assange from an undisclosed location said that Clinton must resign if it were to be proved she had asked to carry out espionage activities.

Wikileaks and US Diplomatic cables

The one that got away

The current cache of US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks has put the US govt. on a diplomatic marathon to mend any potential damages done with its allies. Its PR department has been working round the clock to divert attention from damning pieces in the leaks. The US govt. had even tried to prevent the site from uploading the cables by hacking their site.

Media Coverage

Saudi Arabia requesting to attack Iran, Iran and its nuclear programme, more doubts on Iran, Doubts in Mahmoud Abbas's leadership by the Israeli leaders, Germany's Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel as "risk averse and rarely creative", Vladimir Putin as the "Alpha-dog" etc. These were the ones that the media chose to cover prominently.

In the current socio-political environment the current selection might be helpful in pushing forward certain agendas. For example, it may be helpful for Iran's detractors apply more pressure with the support of the Arab nations, not that they (Arab nations) have an opinion other than the ones dictated by the US. And then there is Israel, as always.

When there's Israel, the media prefers to turn a blind eye to its evil ways.

Negotiating Peace

Middle East peace quartet or The US peace envoy to the Middle East is not something new. Neither would be Israel's blatant violation of international law- building in occupied Palestinian territories, attack on a foreign soil and civilians, war crimes and so on. Or the way the media calls occupied territories in Palestine as 'settlements.'
But new to everyone out there would be Netanyahu's non-commitment to the peace negotiations- in writing. That too from the US. In a cable sent from Tel-Aviv detailing a meeting between Ackerman and Netanyahu,

Netanyahu said he would not agree to such a withdrawal since the 1967 lines were indefensible, but he added that the "right of return" was the real acid test of Arab intentions. Instead of Israel making more step-by-step concessions, Israel should insist that further concessions be linked to reciprocal steps toward peace

....
Netanyahu insisted not one refugee could ever return

....Netanyahu said UNSCR 242 was not a bad formula since it did not specify precisely from which territories Israel would withdraw.

The main issue that has been derailing the current 'peace talks' is the settlements and illegal constructions in Palestine by Israel. There has been partial construction freeze (s) which only prevented giving new permits during the freeze period, but allowed construction work on the ones already approved by the authorities concerned.

The above transcript sheds light on the current impasse over the Israel-Palestine negotiations. Netanyahu was never serious over the settlement issues; rather he is buying time and bullying Palestinians into expanding the territorial reach of Israel. He is wasting time to make sure that the existence of a Palestinian state will be a fraction of its former self by including terms like "security of its people" and "the right to self exist". From the onset, Israel has stated that it is entitled to any area it controls but is ready to make some "territorial concessions" that suits its needs and interests.

The ongoing peace process has been stalled over the same issue, over and over again, and Israel is not interested in giving back Palestinians their rightful, rather using it as a bargaining chip to pressurise Palestinians into giving up more, in the process legitimising their occupation.

Yasser Arafat had called the Oslo peace process "the peace of the brave" and the world around called it a moment in history. But we seemed to have missed the irony- 'The peace of the brave' was originally used by General de Gaulle about the end of the Algerian war. The French lost the war in Algeria.

Down with my team

In any political system there are disagreements and exchange of words. And in a democratic system, there is always friction between the ruling party and the opposition, if there is one. This is essential in ensuring that there is someone to keep checks on the government from crossing the line. And the media has a role of conveying to the people of these developments, both good and bad. This is a part of achieving good governance.

The working of a democratic government requires the opposition support the policies that are in favour of the people and be against the ones that run contrary to will and expectations of the people. But never should they act as an agent for a foreign nation. Never.

"I'm with you, not my president"- these were the words of the soon to be house majority leader Eric Cantor (Republican - VA) to the Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu. This was just before Hilary Clinton's meeting with the PM assure their commitment to the peace negotiations and opposition to illegal Israeli constructions.

Cantor's office later tried to recant his statement and construed his remarks as "a check on the Administration and what has been, up until this point, one party rule in Washington." But from the context it is clear that he meant otherwise.

Even more shocking or disappointing is the way the media has covered the whole event – or let's say, not covering the event. Remember the time when Helen Thomas, a White House journalist, was crucified for making remarks about Israel. Or when Octavia Nasr, a senior Middle East editor at CNN, was fired over her tweet revealing her respect for the Late Shiite cleric Ayatollah Fadlallah.

This may not be something new as many may not have even heard of New York Senator Chuck Schumer supporting 'economic strangulation' of Gaza, even when its economy is reeling under Israeli policies. Because the people of Gaza had elected Hamas to power, Israel was in its right to "to strangle them economically until they see that's not the way to go," and the US was morally obliged to stand by them, according to Schumer.

Coming back to Cantor and his remarks, if it had been said by any democrat (or Muslim in the current social environment) he/she would have been subjected to immense scrutiny and might even be said to have committed treason or sedition.

Arundhati Roy's statements on Kashmir were termed to be seditious by TIMES NOW which went on to become a huge debate in the country. It dint stop with TIMES NOW, but other media outlets joined the bandwagon and upped their rhetoric against her. All this in the race for TRP ratings and viewership.

With the republicans set to regain control of the house in the 112^th congress after the 2010 elections it is worrisome to know that people like him, are against human rights and freedoms, are still able to be elected by the people by toying with their fears. And even more worrisome is the state of media that are misinforming the public by not giving the complete picture, when all along they should have remained balanced and fair– not biased and opportunistic.

The Runaway General

Veni, Vidi, Vici

 

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, four-star general, in service since 1976. A four-star general is the highest rank any army personnel can attain in the US Army. He's held a lot of positions within the army and is not someone new to this job and he definitely knows the politics that revolves around this job, especially that of not upsetting the chain of command. The question why did the general give such an interview ? Why now?

Let's take a trip down memory lane. During the Bush era, he was the Pentagon spokesperson at the time of the Iraq invasion, in 2003. On multiple occasions he supported the White House, even when they were clearly in the wrong. McChrystal backed the then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's infamous "Stuff happens" remark, even tried to cover up the accidental death of a US soldier by his own troops.

Clearly, he knew how to handle the chain of command, and play along and please them. He knew very well what was expected of him and most importantly how to execute it.

One of Obama's key electoral manifestos was to reduce and bring back US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. Hence any policy contrary to the promises he made would draw strong criticism. Thus he required some kind of miracle to sail past this hurdle.

And help sure did arrive, in the form of McChrystal's assessment report on Afghanistan in which the General states- "We are going to win" and the need for an additional 30,000-40,000 troops. It was too much of a coincidence that the report went public as well as the sanctioning of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, just what the General requested. This way everyone was happy- The White House, The General and… the people of America- If we can win, then send in more troops. The media had been managed well, just as the time when Bush alleged Iraq to possess WMDs.

The question now is why an article like this. One that mocks the government and everyone incharge. And why would a person who does not like too much public attention go ahead and give an interview with Rolling Stone (The Runaway General)? And furthermore give permission to publish it? Why?

The answer might be one of the two. One might be McChrystal knowing that the mission in Afghanistan is in on a slippery slope, victory a mirage. A recently released independent report by the Special Inspector-General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found big failings in the methods US and multinational forces have used since 2005 to assess the readiness of Afghan army and police who will be left behind. This completely contradicts the recent upbeat assessment of foreign commanders in the region.

Or it could be Washington's disapproval of McChrystal's strategies. An army with a policy of shoot first talk next might find it hard to fight with tactics that involves ensuring safety of civilians as a priority even if it means putting at risk the life of soldiers. And mind you, America does not like to apologize either (Stuff happens). They needed someone who would execute their style especially at a time when they are drawing heavy criticism from within their nation over the war and the demand to bring back their soldiers.

Despite the tragedies and miscues, McChrystal has issued some of the strictest directives to avoid civilian casualties that the U.S. military has ever encountered in a war zone. It's "insurgent math," as he calls it – for every innocent person you kill, you create 10 new enemies. He has ordered convoys to curtail their reckless driving, put restrictions on the use of air power and severely limited night raids. He regularly apologizes to Hamid Karzai when civilians are killed, and berates commanders responsible for civilian deaths. "For a while," says one U.S. official, "the most dangerous place to be in Afghanistan was in front of McChrystal after a 'civ cas' incident." The ISAF command has even discussed ways to make not killing into something you can win an award for: There's talk of creating a new medal for "courageous restraint," a buzzword that's unlikely to gain much traction in the gung-ho culture of the U.S. military.

But however strategic they may be, McChrystal's new marching orders have caused an intense backlash among his own troops. Being told to hold their fire, soldiers complain, puts them in greater danger. "Bottom line?" says a former Special Forces operator who has spent years in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I would love to kick McChrystal in the nuts. His rules of engagement put soldiers' lives in even greater danger. Every real soldier will tell you the same thing."

- excerpts from The Runaway General

If he were to resign his command in the region, it would send in wrong signals across both nationally and internationally. Therefore a more shrewd approach was required. And that's where the public-relations (PR) skills of the US government kicks in.

If an occupation can be converted to a settlement or a neighborhood or a disputed region, and if you can convince the masses that Iraq possesses WMDs then it would require no rocket science to divert the attention of the public from the real issue, case in point.

Micheal Hastings brings to light a lot of difficulties faced by the General and the state of affairs in the region. It questions the real motive of the US army in the region and their long term goals. But the media decided to discuss the more sensational aspects of the article, like his remarks on Biden, and left out the sections that ought to have been discussed and debated in public.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect either. With BP pouring out millions into PR campaigns (50 million to be precise)- to improve it brand image against plummeting share prices and directing the blame at the president, the Obama administration needed space, to prove that he is still the leader of the pack. And what better way to deflect attention towards something else that would see him emerges out as the Alpha-male. By firing McChrystal the president clearly showed who's in charge.

Just as Julius César commented on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus- veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered), the government called the shots, the media spoke and the people followed. Rather than discuss the political aspect and the far reaching consequences of the piece, journalists and media organisations were attacking the author (Micheal Hastings), calling him unprofessional and unethical, one journalist even went so far to call him unpatriotic. Eventually the gist of the story was skipped by the media(s) all together, just another successful media campaign by the US government.

In a time when sensationalism and embedded journalism is the order of the day, media organizations will not complain or dare to, rather be partners in crime. And people say crime does not pay.

All in all, it was just another day in US politics.

Helen and Journalism

Media and the use of words

Helen Thomas, a long time White House journalist, retired on June 7 following 'controversial' remarks about Israel and Palestine. Thomas' response was to a question by Rabbi David Nesenoff about the seizure of the Gaza aid flotilla and the killing of nine activists on the ship by Israeli commandos.

The question was: "Any comments on Israel? We're arresting everyone today. Any comments..." But, before the questioner could finish, she looked straight at the camera and said: "Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine."

"Ooooh," he replied, in shock. "Any better comments on Israel?" Now it is not clear what he meant by 'better', but could either mean something more favourable to Israel or something more spicy that would stack up popularity on youtube. Whatever his intention, Thomas took the latter path.

Laughing at his response, she continued: "Remember, these people are occupied, and it's their land. It's not German, it's not Poland..."

"Where should they go?" Nesenoff asked. "They should go home ... Poland, Germany ... and America. And everywhere else."

Robert Fisk, The Independent newspaper's Middle-East correspondent, had said once "More and more today, we journalists have become prisoners of the language of power... this isn't just about clichés - this is preposterous journalism.  There is no battle between power and the media. Through language, we have become them... Yes, when it comes to history, we journalists really do let the presidents and prime ministers take us for a ride. "

Often we are told in many anlysis features to deal with Middle-East's competing narratives. He adds "There's no justice, no injustice, just a couple of people who tell different history stories." It was Goerge W. Bush's secretary of state, Colin Powell, who told U.S. diplomats in the Middle-East to refer the occupied Palestinian land as 'Disputed land' and now it is more commonly known as 'settlements'.

When the Oslo accords were signed at the White House, it was referred to as a "moment in history". This was how the term 'peace process' came into existence, and now Tony Blair, "in an obscenity of history" as Fisk put it, is referred to as the peace envoy. Mr Arafat had called it (Oslo accords) "The peace of the brave". But I don't remember any of us pointing out that "the peace of the brave" was used originally by General de Gaulle about the end of the Algerian war. The French lost the war in Algeria. We did not spot this extraordinary irony.

Coming back to to Helen Thomas' remarks. If viewed contextualy and factualy, it is not factualy incorrect or 'controversial'. It is a known fact that Israel was created on occupied Palestine with the help of Britain, the U.S. and the UN. It also a known fact that the Palestinians have been severely oppressed under the Israelis and the West have been turning a blind eye to it all these years.

Most media organizations have left out the part where she says 'these people are occupied', and directly went to 'Germany..', and gave the whole incident a different angle. The whole picture of Palestinians as the ones sufferring was completely neglected, as we often see with Israel's PR campaign.

What might be considered controversial could be the fact that a journalist has been asked to apologize and quit over airing an opinion that is factually right. Secondly, it seriously questions the freedom of the press- has the media turned into mouthpieces for the governments?

Breast Cancer Vaccine

No. Not There Yet. Ain't sure either.

The media seems to be going into a frenzy after a recent publication over a paper in Nature Medicine, in which US-based researchers described a series of experiments they had carried out with specially bred mice. Let's be clear here- mice. Although most media clearly pointed this out, some were complacent in showing the actual progress of the study.

The tests carried out involved introduction of a new vaccine that prompts the immune system to attack cells containing a protein called Alpha-lactalbumin (LALBA), which is found in most breast cancer cells. This protein is an important protein in milk and is found in breast tissues of lactating mothers. For their potential BC vaccine, the researchers selected LALBA as the protein to be targeted. Further tests needs to be done to confirm whether this protein is the main cause of BC. This point has been left out in most mainstream media outlets and covered in detail in the new media. Similarly most of the negative aspects of the research has been omitted from the reports which raises flags here about the impartiality and fairness of the reports.

Tests were conducted on two sets (six each) of mice: one set of mice that were normal and the second set injected with the breast cancer (BC) virus or tumor cells. The researchers first assessed the immune response that occurred when mice were vaccinated with a-lactalbumin. They found that mice did mount an immune response against this protein, and that this caused inflammation of breast tissue in lactating mice but not in non-lactating mice (a-lactalbumin is found in breast tissue that is producing milk).

They then tested the effect of the a-lactalbumin vaccine in a strain of mice that have a high risk (a 50% chance) of spontaneously developing breast tumors by the age of 205 days. Injections were given either 13 days before, or 5, 13 or 21 days after the mice were injected with the tumor cells. The researchers also found that the a-lactalbumin vaccine given either 5 or 13 days after, or 13 days before injection with breast tumor cells reduced the growth of tumors in the mice. The tumors of mice injected with a-lactalbumin vaccine had been infiltrated by 'immune' system cells. But the injection of mice with a-lactalbumin vaccine 21 days after the tumor cells injection did not reduce the growth of the tumors.

Alpha-lactalbumin is type of protein found in the breast milk of all mammals. It is a source of essential amino acids (building blocks for protein) to support baby's growth, easy to digest, helps to support healthy kidney functioning, a rich source of the essential amino acid trytophan which involves in sleep etc.

The study hasn't come towards any definite finding, as in, they haven't unearthed the root cause of the problem- what causes breast cancer? The study revolves around the fact that LALBA is found in the breast cancer tissues and hence attacking that will kill all cancer cells. Its like saying terrorists have guns, and all with guns are terrorists. The converse is not always true.

Vaccination is a preventive measure, i.e. the immunization is taken before the visibility of any real symptoms. In such a scenario women would be required to take the vaccine at a young age and this might affect their child bearing capabilities or motherhood. The current results only shows the discovery of a potential cure for an ailment- not a vaccine for breast cancer, with side effects that are yet to be discovered.

The current research is in a very premature state and any definite or concrete solution towards breast cancer is not likely in the near future, especially for trials on humans. The fact that the vaccine did cause the immune system to respond to lactating breast tissue means that (should this type of vaccination ever reach human testing) it would probably be appropriate only for women unlikely or unable to become pregnant.

Indeed, no vaccine against cancer has successfully been developed so far. Gardasil and other 'cervical cancer vaccine' has been tested and approved by the US department of Health and Human services, its side effects include epileptic fits, blood disorders, arthritis, neurological problems and seizures. Furthermore, the well-known 'cervical cancer vaccine' isn't actually a cancer vaccine in this sense – it protects against a virus, HPV, that can lead to cancer in certain women. These researchers are very much in uncharted territory.

Kerala School Kalolsavan - Youth Cultural Festival

Oppana - A Folk Dance predominant in Kerala Muslim Culture, on the eve of the Wedding (ABOVE)

A High School student in a Bharatanatyam pose (Above & Below)

Youths contest off in Bharatanatyam Classical Dance