wakingtimes--2020-02-18--How Are Viruses Discovered and Identified in the First Place?

The question I ’ ve been asking since 1987— If the experts are going to claim a particular virus causes a particular disease—how do they know that virus exists in the first place ?
For example , the supposedly new coronavirus in China .
For example , Ebola .
For example , HIV .
For example , the coronavirus supposedly causing SARS ( 2003 ) .
How do researchers know these viruses exist ?
That is not a satisfactory answer—even though most people would offer it .
The question can become very interesting , when you stop and consider researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viruses .
How do they know they ’ re tweaking viruses that actually exist ?
On a more mundane frontier , when scientists tell us they ’ re rushing to develop a vaccine against a virus that is harming the population , how do they know that virus exists to begin with ?
I came to this question when I was researching HIV in 1987 .
I began to think about it seriously in 1990 .
During all these years , I ’ ve reached out to independent researchers , and I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I can ’ t say it ’ s been a smooth trip .
But I have found some answers ; and I have certainly found some fake mainstream assertions , which glitter like baubles on plastic branches of 99-cent store Xmas trees .
Here are a few clues .
You need to take a tissue sample from a live human being .
You need to filter that sample correctly so you arrive at a much smaller sample you believe might contain a virus .
You need to put a drop of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what looks like a virus .
How much virus ?
How many identical particles of virus ?
Opinions differ on this .
It could be one definite virus , one particle .
It could be many , many identical particles .
Sidebar : If you ’ re trying to prove this virus is actually causing DISEASE in a person , you have to go further .
You have to show the very same virus is active and replicating at a very high rate in the person ’ s body , and his immune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beyond noticing the patient is sick , how do you test for all THAT ?
I ’ m still looking for a definitive technical answer—if there is one .
All right , let ’ s ’ get back to the electron microscope .
Let ’ s say you ’ ve observed many identical particles of what looks like a virus in the electron microscope photograph , called an EM .
You can then say , “ Found it.
” But you need to be sure .
You need to figure out that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ordinarily lives in the human body like a couch potato and does nothing—a passive endogenous virus .
No .
You want to show this virus comes from the outside as an invader—an exogenous virus .
And how do you perfectly make that differentiation every time ?
Another question that might have no precise formula as an answer .
Big question : CAN WE BE SURE ALL VIRUSES THAT ARE SAID TO EXIST AND SAID TO CAUSE EPIDEMICS ARE ACTUALLY FOUND AND OBSERVED AND IDENTIFIED ON ELECTRON MICROSCOPE PHOTOGRAPHS ?
CAN WE AT LEAST @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the researchers have been , at least some of the time , up the creek without a paddle .
They ’ ve jumped the gun .
They ’ ve bolted out of the starting gate too soon .
They ’ ve laid their money down on a horse that may not even be in the race .
They ’ ve written a check no one can cash .
They ’ re talking about lockdowns and quarantines without having proved their favorite virus of the moment exists .
Sure , people on the back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unwarranted presumptions , but money is not science .
It might control science , but it ISN ’ T science .
All right .
I ’ ve now set the stage for an excerpt from an interview , a profound interview with a late mainstream master who , in the face of fake science , suddenly was characterized as a rebel , Etienne De Harven .
The interview was conducted several years ago by the brilliant reporter , Celia Farber .
You can find the whole interview here .
I strongly suggest you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it gets technical .
You ’ ll also notice names of elite scientists you haven ’ t run across .
Learn the meaning of the words you ’ ve never seen before .
Dig in .
This isn ’ t television-type brush-off conversation .
This isn ’ t a YouTube throwaway .
I have another reason for exposing readers to this interview—it ’ s what a conversation about serious scientific issues looks like…this is what trying to bridge the gap between researchers , honest reporters , and the public looks like .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ print-interviews taking place , laid before readers .
They can handle it .
Dumbing down people is partly an illusion : they can wake up .
They WILL wake up if they ’ re sufficiently interested .
Etienne De Harven ’ s background : president of the Electron Microscopy Society of America ; researcher , Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ; Cornell professor of cell biology ; professor of pathology , University of Toronto ; recognized pioneer in the field of electron microscopy .
The interview focuses on HIV ; whether it was ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions spread out to any and all viruses .
DE HARVEN : Unacceptably frustrated by the total lack of success in all attempts to demonstrate virus particles in human cancer by EM , the “ impresarios ” of the cancer/virus “ dream ” ( Gallo , Fauci , and others ) totally engaged in the molecular approach .
Consequently , they invented molecular markers to compensate for the missing viral particles…This would have been acceptable if the specificity of these new molecular markers would have been clearly established .
Unfortunately , this was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ molecular marker was probably the first one , i.e .
the enzyme [ called ] reverse transcriptase ( RT ) .
Following Temin and Baltimore 1970 papers in “ Science ” , the RT enzymatic activity has been , most abusively , used as a specific retroviral marker .
Both Temin and Baltimore demonstrated RT activity in samples of supposedly “ purified ” retrovirus .
Embarrassingly , they both omitted to verify the “ purity ” of their samples by EM .
Some of their samples were simply purchased from a commercial company… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read “ pure retrovirus ” … However , it was known that these commercial “ pure retrovirus ” were heavily contaminated by cellular debris !
And since it is also known that all cells contain RT ( see Varmus ) , cellular debris are most likely carrying similar RT enzymes .
Temin and Baltimore did not , therefore , prove that RT is a specific molecular marker for retroviruses .
It would have been so simple to check , by EM , the degree of “ purity ” of the samples they used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , shown important cell debris contamination , and would have obliged Temin and Baltimore to be much more cautious in the interpretation of their results .
In 1975 , the members of the Nobel Committee , most regrettably , failed to scrutinize this “ purity ” problem… In 1983 , at Pasteur Institute in Paris , reliance on the RT marker was a key element in the claimed “ isolation ” of a new retrovirus [ HIV ] .
Still , Montagnier himself recognized “ We did not purify ” … He dangerously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cell debris , just as Temin and Baltimore did in 1970 .
But a paper on the discovery of a new retrovirus looks much better if it contains at least… one EM picture !
So , members of Montagnier ’ s team spent hours at the TEM [ transmission electron microscope ] , looking at their mixed cell cultures , and they found the virus !
See Fig .
2 in their “ historic ” 1983 “ Science ” paper !
It is , by the way , a good quality EM picture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budding at the surface of a cell .
But the legend of this Fig .
2 states that this cell is a cord blood lymphocyte .
Indeed , cord blood lymphocytes were admixed to these complex cell cultures ( why ? )
Montagnier and his co-workers should have known that human embryonic tissues , and the placenta in particular , are very rich in endogenous retroviruses ( HERVs ) , and that cord blood lymphocytes should therefore be expected to carry the same endogenous retroviruses ( under the TEM , endogenous and exogenous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be distinguished . )
The budding of these particles has perhaps been stimulated by some of the growth factors also present in these cell cultures .
An essential control would have been to repeat the experiment using lymphocytes from the peripheral blood instead of from cord blood .
This control is unfortunately missing .
In short , I would frankly state that the Pasteur 1983 paper ( whose 30th anniversary has just been celebrated in a “ grand messe ” of official HIV retro-virology ! )
contributed very little in AIDS research because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolation of a new retrovirus ” ) is based on 1 ) the use of a non specific RT molecular marker , and 2 ) is falsely supported by EM pictures of , most probably , endogenous human retroviruses .
More details and appropriate references on this analysis can be found in my 2010 paper published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons [ — “ Human Endogenous Retroviruses and AIDS Research : Confusion , Consensus , or Science ?
” ] ( jpands.org/vol15no3/deharven.pdf ) .
CELIA FARBER : When antibody and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread as diagnostic tools for “ HIV infection ” over the ensuing decades , what happened with EM inside of HIV science and literature ?
It is my understanding that nobody has ever found HIV in human blood , on EM .
Is this an accurate way to say it ?
DE HARVEN : In my views , Western Blot [ antibody ] tests lost all credibility after the publication of Eleni Papadopulos ’ s et al .
( 1993 ) paper , and antibody tests ( “ Elisa ” ) [ lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report ( 1996 ) .
The notion of a “ Viral load ” ( VL ) , however , brought a new parameter in AIDS diagnosis ( Ho,1996 ) .
It called attention to the actual number of HIV particles supposedly present in the blood plasma of AIDS patients , PCR technologies [ tests ] being presumed to offer a way to quantify that number .
If such a viremia ( i.e .
presence of virus particles in the blood ) is indeed present in AIDS patients , it reminisces the retroviral viremia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such case , retroviral particles should be readily demonstrable , by TEM , of appropriately prepared patient plasma samples .
Unfortunately , it has never been possible to demonstrate by TEM one single retroviral particle in the blood plasma of any AIDS patient , even if one selects patients presenting with a so-called “ high viral load.
” I was apparently the first researcher to make that statement , during the opening session of President T. Mbeki ’ s major AIDS conference , in Pretoria , SA , in May 2000 .
My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refuted .
DE HARVEN : That question must be answered because “ something ” is measured by PCR technologies in the blood of many AIDS patients .
Actually , what is being measured is definitely not the number of retroviral particles ( phantom-like , i.e .
EM invisible ! )
.
In fact , what is being PCR identified , amplified , and supposedly quantified is the number of genomic nucleotide sequences that are extremely similar to sequences known to be part of the retroviral genome .
Most regrettably , these sequences were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of … HIV particles !
This did a lot to consolidate the quasi-religious dogma of HIV as the cause of AIDS , a dogma that has been sharply criticized , a few years ago , by David Rasnick who wrote , authoritatively , about “ The AIDS Blunder ” … This interpretation would have been acceptable only if retroviral particles would have been readily demonstrated , by EM , in the blood plasma of these patients ; but , since this is not the case , another explanation for the presence of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I presented at the RA conference in Oakland , CA , in 2009 , and further developed in my 2010 JAPS paper such a much needed explanation for the presence of these retroviral-like nucleotide sequences .
My explanation is based on the well known , variable amounts of circulating DNA in the blood of severely ill patients , and on the fact that we all carry [ irrelevant ] retroviral-like sequences in our DNA , as endogenous , defective retroviruses , i.e .
HERVs ( HERVs , for “ Human endogenous retroviruses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of us ” , R. Lower at al.
, 1996 PNAS paper ) .
No surprise , therefore , that these nucleotide sequences are recognized by PCR [ tests ] in the blood of many AIDS patients , who are indeed severely ill. As already demonstrated in 2008 in Robin Weiss laboratory , HERVs can interfere as confounding factors in the search for novel retrovirus in chronic human diseases… CELIA FARBER : …Paint a picture for us .
The story of the [ HIV ] virus , the “ new deadly virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps did they [ — ] Montagnier , on one hand , Gallo on the other [ — ] take to “ find ” the new entity ?
Then once they ‘ found ’ it , what shape was it in ?
It was not an entity , a thing , with a body , right ?
It was not coherent .
Can we say that ?
So it lived where ?
It was seen only through the technologies developed to find it , Elisa , WB [ both are antibody tests ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But what happened back THEN when they tried to see it on EM ?
Why didn ’ t everybody look for it on EM ?
Too expensive ?
DE HARVEN : No , EM is not cheap but not that expensive !
And its cost has certainly nothing to do with the fact that it has barely been used for the past 30 years in AIDS research !
It has not been used because “ They ” knew it was not going to show anything of retroviral significance in samples coming directly from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become big business , the stocks of involved giant pharmaceutical companies could not be jeopardized !
It had to be saved at all cost , even at the cost of trusting non specific molecular markers… Fear is good business , and viruses generate fear most efficiently… So , the HIV flag has to be maximally agitated .
In worldwide medias , with thousands of computer-generated , colorful caricatures of an idealistic retrovirus… By contrast , the medias have been dominated by the most rigorous censorship when it comes to inform the public about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ censorship put a safety lock on any information that could jeopardize the colossal , entirely HIV derived profits of the major pharmaceutical companies .
But I am glad we have Internet !
Daring to say that HIV does not exist amounts to some sort of a capitalistic crime… Yes , the HIV dogma is probably the darkest page in the history of modern medicine .
CELIA FARBER : Etienne , if you could sum up : Does HIV exist ?
If so , where and how and as what ?
If you could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood under EM , what would you expect to find ?
If you don ’ t find HIV on EM in human blood , can any argument be made that the virus is “ hiding ” and so forth , or that the drugs suppressed the virus to undetectable levels ?
This is what the defenders of the orthodoxy seem to be saying about the results seen in the Nushawn Williams case .
DE HARVEN : This is the main question !
Questioning the very existence of HIV is not something that should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is an essential question that concerns all of us .
DE HARVEN : Simply because 100 % of AIDS research funding is based on the dogmatically postulated existence of HIV .
If HIV does not exist , it would follow that AIDS research is the most appalling case of total misappropriation of public research funds !
And it would also follow that the monumental amounts of money , so far exclusively devoted to HIV research , would be much better used in other directions .
Could you imagine what world we would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total amount of money wasted over the past 30 years on HIV research had been , instead , used for feeding starving Africans , for clean water supply equipment , for public hygiene infrastructures , and for public health education ?
This would happen only if HIV research is totally stopped !
And for this , the scientific and public health organizations have to face the fact that , indeed , HIV does not exist !
…we all have to , courageously , face the fact that the very existence of an exogenous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Again , you can read the whole interview here .
De Harven unmasks HIV research .
How many other unproven viruses have likewise been prematurely massaged into existence and prominence ?
How many times have researchers pulled “ special markers ” like rabbits out of hats—spuriously claiming these markers establish the existence of otherwise never-observed viruses ?
And therefore , when these researchers state they have published the genetic sequences of these viruses—what are they really sequencing ?
Harmless and passive endogenous viruses that wouldn ’ t hurt a fly and prefer to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole course of a lifetime watching television ?
And when someone steps forward , and claims a new and never-before-seen virus is actually a manmade weapon , and he knows this from studying its genetic sequence—is he right , or is he looking at the sequence of an irrelevant microbe that has been rudely coaxed from its long languishing snooze in the warmth of the human body ?
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections , THE MATRIX REVEALED , EXIT FROM THE MATRIX , and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California .
He maintains a consulting practice for private clients , the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power .
Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize , he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years , writing articles on politics , medicine , and health for CBS Healthwatch , LA Weekly , Spin Magazine , Stern , and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe .
Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics , health , logic , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine .
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How Are Viruses Discovered and Identified in the First Place?
Jon Rappoport, Guest
Waking Times
The question I’ve been asking since 1987—
If the experts are going to claim a particular virus causes a particular disease—how do they know that virus exists in the first place?
For example, the supposedly new coronavirus in China. For example, Ebola. For example, HIV. For example, the coronavirus supposedly causing SARS (2003). How do researchers know these viruses exist?
“Well, of course they know. They must.”
That is not a satisfactory answer—even though most people would offer it.
The question can become very interesting, when you stop and consider researchers working away in biowar labs fiddling with viruses. How do they know they’re tweaking viruses that actually exist?
On a more mundane frontier, when scientists tell us they’re rushing to develop a vaccine against a virus that is harming the population, how do they know that virus exists to begin with?
I came to this question when I was researching HIV in 1987. I began to think about it seriously in 1990. During all these years, I’ve reached out to independent researchers, and I’ve tried to stitch together their answers. I can’t say it’s been a smooth trip.
But I have found some answers; and I have certainly found some fake mainstream assertions, which glitter like baubles on plastic branches of 99-cent store Xmas trees.
Here are a few clues. You need to take a tissue sample from a live human being. You need to filter that sample correctly so you arrive at a much smaller sample you believe might contain a virus. You need to put a drop of that sample under an electron microscope and observe what looks like a virus.
How much virus? How many identical particles of virus? Opinions differ on this. It could be one definite virus, one particle. It could be many, many identical particles.
Sidebar: If you’re trying to prove this virus is actually causing DISEASE in a person, you have to go further. You have to show the very same virus is active and replicating at a very high rate in the person’s body, and his immune system isn’t defeating it. Beyond noticing the patient is sick, how do you test for all THAT? I’m still looking for a definitive technical answer—if there is one.
All right, let’s’ get back to the electron microscope. Let’s say you’ve observed many identical particles of what looks like a virus in the electron microscope photograph, called an EM. You can then say, “Found it.” But you need to be sure. You need to figure out that this virus isn’t just something that ordinarily lives in the human body like a couch potato and does nothing—a passive endogenous virus. No. You want to show this virus comes from the outside as an invader—an exogenous virus. And how do you perfectly make that differentiation every time? Another question that might have no precise formula as an answer.
Big question: CAN WE BE SURE ALL VIRUSES THAT ARE SAID TO EXIST AND SAID TO CAUSE EPIDEMICS ARE ACTUALLY FOUND AND OBSERVED AND IDENTIFIED ON ELECTRON MICROSCOPE PHOTOGRAPHS? CAN WE AT LEAST SAY THAT?
No.
In which case, the researchers have been, at least some of the time, up the creek without a paddle. They’ve jumped the gun. They’ve bolted out of the starting gate too soon. They’ve laid their money down on a horse that may not even be in the race. They’ve written a check no one can cash. They’re talking about lockdowns and quarantines without having proved their favorite virus of the moment exists. Sure, people on the back end will make big money from these unwarranted presumptions, but money is not science. It might control science, but it ISN’T science.
All right. I’ve now set the stage for an excerpt from an interview, a profound interview with a late mainstream master who, in the face of fake science, suddenly was characterized as a rebel, Etienne De Harven. The interview was conducted several years ago by the brilliant reporter, Celia Farber. You can find the whole interview here. I strongly suggest you read it sixteen times. Yes, it gets technical. You’ll also notice names of elite scientists you haven’t run across. Learn the meaning of the words you’ve never seen before. Dig in. This isn’t television-type brush-off conversation. This isn’t a YouTube throwaway.
I have another reason for exposing readers to this interview—it’s what a conversation about serious scientific issues looks like…this is what trying to bridge the gap between researchers, honest reporters, and the public looks like. There should be hundreds and thousands of such print-interviews taking place, laid before readers. They can handle it. Dumbing down people is partly an illusion: they can wake up. They WILL wake up if they’re sufficiently interested.
Etienne De Harven’s background: president of the Electron Microscopy Society of America; researcher, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Cornell professor of cell biology; professor of pathology, University of Toronto; recognized pioneer in the field of electron microscopy.
The interview focuses on HIV; whether it was ever found and isolated. The implications and questions spread out to any and all viruses.
DE HARVEN: Unacceptably frustrated by the total lack of success in all attempts to demonstrate virus particles in human cancer by EM, the “impresarios” of the cancer/virus “dream” (Gallo, Fauci, and others) totally engaged in the molecular approach. Consequently, they invented molecular markers to compensate for the missing viral particles…This would have been acceptable if the specificity of these new molecular markers would have been clearly established. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The most misleading molecular marker was probably the first one, i.e. the enzyme [called] reverse transcriptase (RT). Following Temin and Baltimore 1970 papers in “Science”, the RT enzymatic activity has been, most abusively, used as a specific retroviral marker. Both Temin and Baltimore demonstrated RT activity in samples of supposedly “purified” retrovirus. Embarrassingly, they both omitted to verify the “purity” of their samples by EM. Some of their samples were simply purchased from a commercial company… True, the label on the vials read “pure retrovirus”… However, it was known that these commercial “pure retrovirus” were heavily contaminated by cellular debris! And since it is also known that all cells contain RT (see Varmus), cellular debris are most likely carrying similar RT enzymes. Temin and Baltimore did not, therefore, prove that RT is a specific molecular marker for retroviruses. It would have been so simple to check, by EM, the degree of “purity” of the samples they used. This would have, most probably, shown important cell debris contamination, and would have obliged Temin and Baltimore to be much more cautious in the interpretation of their results. In 1975, the members of the Nobel Committee, most regrettably, failed to scrutinize this “purity” problem… In 1983, at Pasteur Institute in Paris, reliance on the RT marker was a key element in the claimed “isolation” of a new retrovirus [HIV]. Still, Montagnier himself recognized “We did not purify”… He dangerously omitted to consider the misleading interference of cell debris, just as Temin and Baltimore did in 1970. But a paper on the discovery of a new retrovirus looks much better if it contains at least… one EM picture! So, members of Montagnier’s team spent hours at the TEM [transmission electron microscope], looking at their mixed cell cultures, and they found the virus! See Fig. 2 in their “historic” 1983 “Science” paper! It is, by the way, a good quality EM picture. It shows unquestionable retroviral particles, budding at the surface of a cell. But the legend of this Fig. 2 states that this cell is a cord blood lymphocyte. Indeed, cord blood lymphocytes were admixed to these complex cell cultures (why?) Montagnier and his co-workers should have known that human embryonic tissues, and the placenta in particular, are very rich in endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), and that cord blood lymphocytes should therefore be expected to carry the same endogenous retroviruses (under the TEM, endogenous and exogenous viruses, looking identical, cannot be distinguished.) The budding of these particles has perhaps been stimulated by some of the growth factors also present in these cell cultures. An essential control would have been to repeat the experiment using lymphocytes from the peripheral blood instead of from cord blood. This control is unfortunately missing. In short, I would frankly state that the Pasteur 1983 paper (whose 30th anniversary has just been celebrated in a “grand messe” of official HIV retro-virology!) contributed very little in AIDS research because its conclusion (i.e. “the isolation of a new retrovirus”) is based on 1) the use of a non specific RT molecular marker, and 2) is falsely supported by EM pictures of, most probably, endogenous human retroviruses. More details and appropriate references on this analysis can be found in my 2010 paper published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons [— “Human Endogenous Retroviruses and AIDS Research: Confusion, Consensus, or Science?”] (jpands.org/vol15no3/deharven.pdf). CELIA FARBER: When antibody and VL [viral load] tests became widespread as diagnostic tools for “HIV infection” over the ensuing decades, what happened with EM inside of HIV science and literature? It is my understanding that nobody has ever found HIV in human blood, on EM. Is this an accurate way to say it? DE HARVEN: In my views, Western Blot [antibody] tests lost all credibility after the publication of Eleni Papadopulos’s et al. (1993) paper, and antibody tests (“Elisa”) [lost credibility] after Christine Johnson’s report (1996). The notion of a “Viral load” (VL), however, brought a new parameter in AIDS diagnosis (Ho,1996). It called attention to the actual number of HIV particles supposedly present in the blood plasma of AIDS patients, PCR technologies [tests] being presumed to offer a way to quantify that number. If such a viremia (i.e. presence of virus particles in the blood) is indeed present in AIDS patients, it reminisces the retroviral viremia well known in leukemic mice. In such case, retroviral particles should be readily demonstrable, by TEM, of appropriately prepared patient plasma samples. Unfortunately, it has never been possible to demonstrate by TEM one single retroviral particle in the blood plasma of any AIDS patient, even if one selects patients presenting with a so-called “high viral load.” I was apparently the first researcher to make that statement, during the opening session of President T. Mbeki’s major AIDS conference, in Pretoria, SA, in May 2000. My statement to that effect has never been refuted. CELIA FARBER: How come? DE HARVEN: That question must be answered because “something” is measured by PCR technologies in the blood of many AIDS patients. Actually, what is being measured is definitely not the number of retroviral particles (phantom-like, i.e. EM invisible!). In fact, what is being PCR identified, amplified, and supposedly quantified is the number of genomic nucleotide sequences that are extremely similar to sequences known to be part of the retroviral genome. Most regrettably, these sequences were misinterpreted as an indication as a certain number of … HIV particles! This did a lot to consolidate the quasi-religious dogma of HIV as the cause of AIDS, a dogma that has been sharply criticized, a few years ago, by David Rasnick who wrote, authoritatively, about “The AIDS Blunder”… This interpretation would have been acceptable only if retroviral particles would have been readily demonstrated, by EM, in the blood plasma of these patients; but, since this is not the case, another explanation for the presence of these nucleotide sequences has to be founded. I presented at the RA conference in Oakland, CA, in 2009, and further developed in my 2010 JAPS paper such a much needed explanation for the presence of these retroviral-like nucleotide sequences. My explanation is based on the well known, variable amounts of circulating DNA in the blood of severely ill patients, and on the fact that we all carry [irrelevant] retroviral-like sequences in our DNA, as endogenous, defective retroviruses, i.e. HERVs (HERVs, for “Human endogenous retroviruses”) (See “Virus in all of us”, R. Lower at al., 1996 PNAS paper). No surprise, therefore, that these nucleotide sequences are recognized by PCR [tests] in the blood of many AIDS patients, who are indeed severely ill. As already demonstrated in 2008 in Robin Weiss laboratory, HERVs can interfere as confounding factors in the search for novel retrovirus in chronic human diseases… CELIA FARBER: …Paint a picture for us. The story of the [HIV] virus, the “new deadly virus,” what happens first: What steps did they [—] Montagnier, on one hand, Gallo on the other [—] take to “find” the new entity? Then once they ‘found’ it, what shape was it in? It was not an entity, a thing, with a body, right? It was not coherent. Can we say that? So it lived where? It was seen only through the technologies developed to find it, Elisa, WB [both are antibody tests]? Later PCR/VL [tests]? But what happened back THEN when they tried to see it on EM? Why didn’t everybody look for it on EM? Too expensive? DE HARVEN: No, EM is not cheap but not that expensive! And its cost has certainly nothing to do with the fact that it has barely been used for the past 30 years in AIDS research! It has not been used because “They” knew it was not going to show anything of retroviral significance in samples coming directly from AIDS patients. And since AIDS had become big business, the stocks of involved giant pharmaceutical companies could not be jeopardized! It had to be saved at all cost, even at the cost of trusting non specific molecular markers… Fear is good business, and viruses generate fear most efficiently… So, the HIV flag has to be maximally agitated. In worldwide medias, with thousands of computer-generated, colorful caricatures of an idealistic retrovirus… By contrast, the medias have been dominated by the most rigorous censorship when it comes to inform the public about views of rethinking dissidents. This total censorship put a safety lock on any information that could jeopardize the colossal, entirely HIV derived profits of the major pharmaceutical companies. But I am glad we have Internet! Daring to say that HIV does not exist amounts to some sort of a capitalistic crime… Yes, the HIV dogma is probably the darkest page in the history of modern medicine. CELIA FARBER: Etienne, if you could sum up: Does HIV exist? If so, where and how and as what? If you could examine 1,000 HIV positive people’s blood under EM, what would you expect to find? If you don’t find HIV on EM in human blood, can any argument be made that the virus is “hiding” and so forth, or that the drugs suppressed the virus to undetectable levels? This is what the defenders of the orthodoxy seem to be saying about the results seen in the Nushawn Williams case. DE HARVEN: This is the main question! Questioning the very existence of HIV is not something that should be debated only between specialized retro-virologists. It is an essential question that concerns all of us. CELIA FARBER: Why? DE HARVEN: Simply because 100% of AIDS research funding is based on the dogmatically postulated existence of HIV. If HIV does not exist, it would follow that AIDS research is the most appalling case of total misappropriation of public research funds! And it would also follow that the monumental amounts of money, so far exclusively devoted to HIV research, would be much better used in other directions. Could you imagine what world we would live in, today, if the total amount of money wasted over the past 30 years on HIV research had been, instead, used for feeding starving Africans, for clean water supply equipment, for public hygiene infrastructures, and for public health education? This would happen only if HIV research is totally stopped! And for this, the scientific and public health organizations have to face the fact that, indeed, HIV does not exist! …we all have to, courageously, face the fact that the very existence of an exogenous HIV has never been scientifically verified.
—end of interview excerpt—
Again, you can read the whole interview here.
De Harven unmasks HIV research. How many other unproven viruses have likewise been prematurely massaged into existence and prominence? How many times have researchers pulled “special markers” like rabbits out of hats—spuriously claiming these markers establish the existence of otherwise never-observed viruses?
And therefore, when these researchers state they have published the genetic sequences of these viruses—what are they really sequencing? Harmless and passive endogenous viruses that wouldn’t hurt a fly and prefer to lie around in the body for the whole course of a lifetime watching television?
And when someone steps forward, and claims a new and never-before-seen virus is actually a manmade weapon, and he knows this from studying its genetic sequence—is he right, or is he looking at the sequence of an irrelevant microbe that has been rudely coaxed from its long languishing snooze in the warmth of the human body?
About the Author
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
(To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Exit From The Matrix, click here.)


wakingtimes--2020-02-19--Jordan Peterson Shares a Powerful Perspective on Alcohol Addiction and How to Beat It

The negative impact that alcohol has on society is staggering , but with growing demand for legal access to mind-expanding and therapeutic recreational drugs like cannabis and psychedelics , more people are exploring life without alcohol .
But so many of us have an insanely difficult time walking away from it and not looking back .
And it ’ s no wonder .
Booze is deeply embedded into our culture and practically ubiquitous now .
Not only that , we live in one of the most stressful , anxiety-inducing times in human history .
We ’ re all struggling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but in reality , so many people take benzos that some call this ‘ Generation Xanax.
’ It ’ s unsurprising that for people who drink , it seems impossible to enjoy life without alcohol .
In an interesting conversation with comedian Theo Von , Canadian psychology professor and author of 12 Rules for Life : An Antidote to Chaos , Jordan Peterson talks about addiction to alcohol , and shares a valuable perspective on why people drink and how they can move beyond it .
Peterson is not against alcohol , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he enjoys it , but after directly studying the effects of alcohol on the brain , psychology and personality , his perspective is unique .
Instead of asking why people drink too much , he asks what the benefit would be in stopping .
“ You might say , why do people drink too much ?
But if you like alcohol , that ’ s a stupid question .
So why stop ?
Well , you do stupid things when you ’ re drunk .
You hurt yourself .
You compromise your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the people around you , you tend to turn into a liar and it screws up your life.
” “ It ’ s like yeah , but it ’ s pretty fun .
Yeah , well it is , but you need something better than that .
And what ’ s better isn ’ t being straight and not making mistakes… that ’ s all prohibition… what ’ s better is you need adventure .
You need to get out there and have something to do , and something worth waking up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substitute for the addiction.
” He follows up by pointing out that in reality , the addiction to booze is the substitute the adventure .
So many of us are dealing with so much anxiety and so trapped in our routines that the party life romanticized by those like Johnny Cash and Tom Waits is the most accessible adventure for us .
And in this regard , alcohol is great fun .
READ : LEADING ADDICTION EXPERT TALKS ABOUT THE ROOTS OF ALCOHOLISM , OUR FAVORITE SPIRITUAL DISEASE But it screws up your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at what you don ’ t want in your life , you can develop a picture of what you ’ re running from .
You don ’ t want to be hung over all the time , or have failed relationships , or lose your job , or end up with cancer or liver disease ?
Run from that toward the greater adventure of your life .
It ’ s a unique way of looking at the problem of alcoholism .
Replace drinking with something more adventurous that better serves you , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy .
Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle .
He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com .
Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life .
This article ( Jordan Peterson Shares a Powerful Perspective on Alcohol Addiction and How to Beat It ) originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alex Pietrowski and WakingTimes.com .

Jordan Peterson Shares a Powerful Perspective on Alcohol Addiction and How to Beat It
Alex Pietrowski, Staff Writer
Waking Times
“If we had to make a bad drug legal, the worst choice was alcohol.” ~ Jordan Peterson
The negative impact that alcohol has on society is staggering, but with growing demand for legal access to mind-expanding and therapeutic recreational drugs like cannabis and psychedelics, more people are exploring life without alcohol.
But so many of us have an insanely difficult time walking away from it and not looking back.
And it’s no wonder.
Booze is deeply embedded into our culture and practically ubiquitous now. Not only that, we live in one of the most stressful, anxiety-inducing times in human history. We’re all struggling to pretend like we have our shit together, but in reality, so many people take benzos that some call this ‘Generation Xanax.’
It’s unsurprising that for people who drink, it seems impossible to enjoy life without alcohol.
In an interesting conversation with comedian Theo Von, Canadian psychology professor and author of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Jordan Peterson talks about addiction to alcohol, and shares a valuable perspective on why people drink and how they can move beyond it. Peterson is not against alcohol, in fact he says in the video that he enjoys it, but after directly studying the effects of alcohol on the brain, psychology and personality, his perspective is unique.
“The funny thing is, if you’re trying to stop drinking you need something better than alcohol. And alcohol’s pretty good. So you better find something a lot better… You want to figure out something that you’re doing with your life that’s worth not getting drunk and screwing up.”
Instead of asking why people drink too much, he asks what the benefit would be in stopping.
“You might say, why do people drink too much? But if you like alcohol, that’s a stupid question. So why stop? Well, you do stupid things when you’re drunk. You hurt yourself. You compromise your health. It’s really hard on the people around you, you tend to turn into a liar and it screws up your life.” “It’s like yeah, but it’s pretty fun. Yeah, well it is, but you need something better than that. And what’s better isn’t being straight and not making mistakes… that’s all prohibition… what’s better is you need adventure. You need to get out there and have something to do, and something worth waking up for, and that’s the substitute for the addiction.”
He follows up by pointing out that in reality, the addiction to booze is the substitute the adventure. So many of us are dealing with so much anxiety and so trapped in our routines that the party life romanticized by those like Johnny Cash and Tom Waits is the most accessible adventure for us. And in this regard, alcohol is great fun.
But it screws up your life, so if you really look at what you don’t want in your life, you can develop a picture of what you’re running from. You don’t want to be hung over all the time, or have failed relationships, or lose your job, or end up with cancer or liver disease? Run from that toward the greater adventure of your life.
“What that means is that you have to build something like that into your own life. So maybe you need to take an adventurous trip now and then, you got to have something there that’s edgy to replace that.”
It’s a unique way of looking at the problem of alcoholism. Replace drinking with something more adventurous that better serves you, then the choice to not drink will be easy.
Watch the full conversation here:
Read more articles by Alex Pietrowski .
About the Author
Alex Pietrowski is an artist and writer concerned with preserving good health and the basic freedom to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com. Alex is an avid student of Yoga and life.
This article (Jordan Peterson Shares a Powerful Perspective on Alcohol Addiction and How to Beat It) originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Alex Pietrowski and WakingTimes.com.


wakingtimes--2020-02-19--Compliance 101: Gun-Toting Cops Endanger Students and Turn the Schools into Prisons

Just when you thought the government couldn ’ t get any more tone-deaf about civil liberties and the growing need to protect “ we the people ” against an overreaching , overbearing police state , the Trump Administration ushers in even more strident zero tolerance policies that treat children like suspects and criminals , greater numbers of school cops , and all the trappings of a prison complex ( unsurmountable fences , entrapment areas , no windows or trees , etc. )
.
The fallout has been what you ’ d expect , with the nation ’ s young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested , tasered , tackled and taught the painful lesson that the Constitution ( especially the Fourth Amendment ) doesn ’ t mean much in the American police state .
For example , in Florida , a cop assigned to River Ridge High School as a school resource officer , threatened to shoot a student attempting to leave school for a morning orthodontist appointment .
In Pennsylvania , school officials called in the cops after a 6-year-old with Down syndrome pointed a finger gun at her teacher .
In Kentucky , a school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office handcuffed two elementary school children with disabilities , ages 8 and 9 .
A federal judge made the sheriff ’ s office pay more than $ 300,000 ( of taxpayer money ) to the families , ruling that the handcuffing of the students “ was an unconstitutional seizure and excessive force.
” Welcome to Compliance 101 : the police state ’ s primer in how to churn out compliant citizens and transform the nation ’ s school ’ s into quasi-prisons through the use of surveillance cameras , metal detectors , police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downs , drug sniffing dogs , strip searches and active shooter drills .
If you were wondering , these police state tactics have not made the schools any safer .
Rather , they ’ ve turned the schools into authoritarian microcosms of the police state , containing almost every aspect of the militarized , intolerant , senseless , overcriminalized , legalistic , surveillance-riddled , totalitarian landscape that plagues those of us on the “ outside.
” Two years after President Trump announced his intention to “ harden ” the schools , our nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effects of gun-toting , taser-wielding cops in government-run schools that bear an uncomfortable resemblance to prisons .
America ’ s schools are about as authoritarian as they come .
From the moment a child enters one of the nation ’ s 98,000 public schools to the moment he or she graduates , they will be exposed to a steady diet of : • politically correct mindsets that teach young people to censor themselves and those around them , • and extensive biometric and surveillance systems that , coupled with the rest , acclimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have no freedom of thought , speech or movement .
Young people in America are now first in line to be searched , surveilled , spied on , threatened , tied up , locked down , treated like criminals for non-criminal behavior , tasered and in some cases shot .
In my day , if you talked back to a teacher , or played a prank on a classmate , or just failed to do your homework , you might find yourself in detention or doing an extra writing assignment after school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Nowadays , students are not only punished for minor transgressions such as playing cops and robbers on the playground , bringing LEGOs to school , or having a food fight , but the punishments have become far more severe , shifting from detention and visits to the principal ’ s office into misdemeanor tickets , juvenile court , handcuffs , tasers and even prison terms .
Students have been suspended under school zero tolerance policies for bringing to school “ look alike substances ” such as oregano , breath mints , birth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons ( toy guns—even Lego-sized ones , hand-drawn pictures of guns , pencils twirled in a “ threatening ” manner , imaginary bows and arrows , even fingers positioned like guns ) can also land a student in hot water .
Even good deeds do not go unpunished .
One 13-year-old was given detention for exposing the school to “ liability ” by sharing his lunch with a hungry friend .
A third grader was suspended for shaving her head in sympathy for a friend who had lost her hair to chemotherapy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior who was suspended for saying “ bless you ” after a fellow classmate sneezed .
In South Carolina , where it ’ s against the law to disturb a school , more than a thousand students a year—some as young as 7 years old— “ face criminal charges for not following directions , loitering , cursing , or the vague allegation of acting ‘ obnoxiously.
’ If charged as adults , they can be held in jail for up to 90 days.
” These outrageous incidents are exactly what you ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets its way .
Increasing the number of cops in the schools only adds to the problem .
Thanks to a combination of media hype , political pandering and financial incentives , the use of armed police officers ( a.k.a .
school resource officers ) to patrol school hallways has risen dramatically in the years since the Columbine school shooting .
Indeed , the growing presence of police in the nation ’ s schools is resulting in greater police “ involvement in routine discipline matters that principals and parents used to address without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the U.S. Department of Justice , these school resource officers ( SRO ) have become de facto wardens in elementary , middle and high schools , doling out their own brand of justice to the so-called “ criminals ” in their midst with the help of tasers , pepper spray , batons and brute force .
In the absence of school-appropriate guidelines , police are more and more “ stepping in to deal with minor rulebreaking : sagging pants , disrespectful comments , brief physical skirmishes .
What previously might have resulted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the principal ’ s office was replaced with excruciating pain and temporary blindness , often followed by a trip to the courthouse.
” One SRO was accused of punching a 13-year-old student in the face for cutting the cafeteria line .
That same cop put another student in a chokehold a week later , allegedly knocking the student unconscious and causing a brain injury .
In Pennsylvania , a student was tasered after ignoring an order to put his cell phone away .
When 13-year-old Kevens Jean Baptiste failed to follow a school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bus windows closed ( Kevens , who suffers from asthma , opened the window after a fellow student sprayed perfume , causing him to cough and wheeze ) , he was handcuffed by police , removed from the bus , and while still handcuffed , had his legs swept out from under him by an officer , causing him to crash to the ground .
Young Alex Stone didn ’ t even make it past the first week of school before he became a victim of the police state .
Directed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assignment involving a series of fictional Facebook statuses , Stone wrote , “ I killed my neighbor ’ s pet dinosaur .
I bought the gun to take care of the business.
” Despite the fact that dinosaurs are extinct , the status fabricated , and the South Carolina student was merely following orders , his teacher reported him to school administrators , who in turn called the police .
What followed is par for the course in schools today : students were locked down in their classrooms while armed police searched the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handcuffed him , charged him with disorderly conduct disturbing the school , arrested him , detained him , and then he was suspended from school .
Not even the younger , elementary school-aged kids are being spared these “ hardening ” tactics .
On any given day when school is in session , kids who “ act up ” in class are pinned facedown on the floor , locked in dark closets , tied up with straps , bungee cords and duct tape , handcuffed , leg shackled , tasered or otherwise restrained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to bring them under “ control.
” In almost every case , these undeniably harsh methods are used to punish kids—some as young as 4 and 5 years old—for simply failing to follow directions or throwing tantrums .
Very rarely do the kids pose any credible danger to themselves or others .
Unbelievably , these tactics are all legal , at least when employed by school officials or school resource officers in the nation ’ s public schools .
This is what happens when you introduce police and police tactics into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time you add in the lockdowns and active shooter drills , instead of making the schools safer , school officials have succeeded in creating an environment in which children are so traumatized that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder , nightmares , anxiety , mistrust of adults in authority , as well as feelings of anger , depression , humiliation , despair and delusion .
For example , a middle school in Washington State went on lockdown after a student brought a toy gun to class .
A Boston high school went into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was discovered in a classroom .
A North Carolina elementary school locked down and called in police after a fifth grader reported seeing an unfamiliar man in the school ( it turned out to be a parent ) .
Police officers at a Florida middle school carried out an active shooter drill in an effort to educate students about how to respond in the event of an actual shooting crisis .
Two armed officers , guns loaded and drawn , burst into classrooms , terrorizing the students and placing the school into lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to instill fear and compliance into young people , they ’ re working .
As journalist Dahlia Lithwick points out : “ I don ’ t recall any serious national public dialogue about lockdown protocols or how they became the norm .
It seems simply to have begun , modeling itself on the lockdowns that occur during prison riots , and then spread until school lockdowns and lockdown drills are as common for our children as fire drills , and as routine as duck-and-cover drills were in the 1950s.
” The toll such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but when such police brutality is perpetrated on young people , the end result is nothing less than complete indoctrination into becoming compliant citizens of a totalitarian state .
Students treated like inmates and punished like hardened criminals .
This is the end product of all those so-called school “ safety ” policies , which run the gamut from zero tolerance policies that punish all infractions harshly to surveillance cameras , metal detectors , random searches , drug-sniffing dogs , school-wide lockdowns , active-shooter drills and militarized police officers .
Unfortunately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaponry like to trot out the line that school safety should be our first priority lest we find ourselves with another Sandy Hook .
What they will not tell you is that such shootings are rare .
As one congressional report found , the schools are , generally speaking , safe places for children .
In their zeal to crack down on guns and lock down the schools , these cheerleaders for police state tactics in the schools might also fail to mention the lucrative , multi-million dollar deals being cut with military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these school cops with tasers , tanks , rifles and $ 100,000 shooting detection systems .
Indeed , the transformation of hometown police departments into extensions of the military has been mirrored in the public schools , where school police have been gifted with high-powered M16 rifles , MRAP armored vehicles , grenade launchers , and other military gear .
One Texas school district even boasts its own 12-member SWAT team .
According to one law review article on the school-to-prison pipeline , “ Many school districts have formed their own police departments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces of major United States cities in size .
For example , the safety division in New York City ’ s public schools is so large that if it were a local police department , it would be the fifth-largest police force in the country.
” There can be no avoiding the hands-on lessons being taught in the schools about the role of police in our lives , ranging from active shooter drills and school-wide lockdowns to incidents in which children engaging in typically childlike behavior are suspended ( for shooting an imaginary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , handcuffed ( for being disruptive at school ) , arrested ( for throwing water balloons as part of a school prank ) , and even tasered ( for not obeying instructions ) .
Instead of raising up a generation of freedom fighters—which one would hope would be the objective of the schools—government officials seem determined to churn out newly minted citizens of the American police state who are being taught the hard way what it means to comply , fear and march in lockstep with the government ’ s dictates .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only for the here-and-now—the children growing up in these quasi-prisons—but for the future of this country ?
How do you convince a child who has been routinely handcuffed , shackled , tied down , locked up , and immobilized by government officials—all before he reaches the age of adulthood—that he has any rights at all , let alone the right to challenge wrongdoing , resist oppression and defend himself against injustice ?
Most of all , how do you persuade a fellow American that the government works for him when , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been incarcerated in an institution that teaches young people to be obedient and compliant citizens who don ’ t talk back , don ’ t question and don ’ t challenge authority ?
Peter Gray , a professor of psychology at Boston College , believes that school is a prison that is damaging our kids , and it ’ s hard to disagree , especially with the numbers of police officers being assigned to schools on the rise .
Students , in turn , are not only finding themselves subjected to police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , tasers and excessive force for “ acting up ” but are also being ticketed , fined and sent to court for behavior perceived as defiant , disruptive or disorderly such as spraying perfume and writing on a desk .
Clearly , the pathology that characterizes the American police state has passed down to the schools .
Now in addition to the government and its agents viewing the citizenry as suspects to be probed , poked , pinched , tasered , searched , seized , stripped and generally manhandled , all with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children in the public schools are also fair game for school resource officers who taser teenagers and handcuff kindergartners , school officials who have criminalized childhood behavior , school lockdowns and terror drills that teach your children to fear and comply , and a police state mindset that has transformed the schools into quasi-prisons .
Don ’ t even get me started on the “ school-to-prison pipeline , ” the phenomenon in which children who are suspended or expelled from school have a greater likelihood of ending up in jail .
One study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a student nearly three times more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system within the next year.
” By the time the average young person in America finishes their public school education , nearly one out of every three of them will have been arrested .
Nearly 40 percent of those young people who are arrested will serve time in a private prison , where the emphasis is on making profits for large megacorporations above all else .
Indeed , this profit-driven system of incarceration has also given rise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial incentives for jailing young people .
In this way , young people have become easy targets for the private prison industry , which profits from criminalizing childish behavior and jailing young people .
None of these tactics are making our communities or schools any safer , and they ’ re certainly not contributing to environments in which learning flourishes .
Incredibly , despite the fact that the U.S. invests more money in public education ( roughly $ 13,000 per child per year ) than many other developed countries , we rank around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , math and reading , and behind many other advanced industrial nations .
Without a doubt , change is needed , but that will mean taking on the teachers ’ unions , the school unions , the educators ’ associations , and the police unions , not to mention the politicians dependent on their votes and all of the corporations that profit mightily from an industrial school complex .
As we ’ ve seen with other issues , any significant reforms will have to start locally and trickle upwards .
For starters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and organized and demand that school officials 1 ) adopt a policy of positive reinforcement in dealing with behavior issues ; 2 ) minimize the presence in the schools of police officers and cease involving them in student discipline ; and 3 ) insist that all behavioral issues be addressed first and foremost with a child ’ s parents , before any other disciplinary tactics are attempted .
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America : The War on the American People , if you want a nation of criminals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you want young people who grow up seeing themselves as prisoners , run the schools like prisons .
If , on the other hand , you want to raise up a generation of freedom fighters , who will actually operate with justice , fairness , accountability and equality towards each other and their government , then run the schools like freedom forums .
Remove the metal detectors and surveillance cameras , re-assign the cops elsewhere , and start treating our nation ’ s young people like citizens of a republic and not inmates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute , where this article ( Compliance 101 : Gun-Toting Cops Endanger Students and Turn the Schools into Prisons ) was originally published .
He is the author of A Government of Wolves : The Emerging American Police State and The Change Manifesto .

Compliance 101: Gun-Toting Cops Endanger Students and Turn the Schools into Prisons
John W. Whitehead, Rutherford
Waking Times
“Every day in communities across the United States, children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours in schools that have increasingly come to resemble places of detention more than places of learning.”—Investigative journalist Annette Fuentes
Just when you thought the government couldn’t get any more tone-deaf about civil liberties and the growing need to protect “we the people” against an overreaching, overbearing police state, the Trump Administration ushers in even more strident zero tolerance policies that treat children like suspects and criminals, greater numbers of school cops, and all the trappings of a prison complex (unsurmountable fences, entrapment areas, no windows or trees, etc.).
The fallout has been what you’d expect, with the nation’s young people treated like hardened criminals: handcuffed, arrested, tasered, tackled and taught the painful lesson that the Constitution (especially the Fourth Amendment) doesn’t mean much in the American police state.
For example, in Florida, a cop assigned to River Ridge High School as a school resource officer, threatened to shoot a student attempting to leave school for a morning orthodontist appointment.
In Pennsylvania, school officials called in the cops after a 6-year-old with Down syndrome pointed a finger gun at her teacher.
In Kentucky, a school resource officer with the sheriff’s office handcuffed two elementary school children with disabilities, ages 8 and 9. A federal judge made the sheriff’s office pay more than $300,000 (of taxpayer money) to the families, ruling that the handcuffing of the students “was an unconstitutional seizure and excessive force.”
Welcome to Compliance 101: the police state’s primer in how to churn out compliant citizens and transform the nation’s school’s into quasi-prisons through the use of surveillance cameras, metal detectors, police patrols, zero tolerance policies, lock downs, drug sniffing dogs, strip searches and active shooter drills.
If you were wondering, these police state tactics have not made the schools any safer.
Rather, they’ve turned the schools into authoritarian microcosms of the police state, containing almost every aspect of the militarized, intolerant, senseless, overcriminalized, legalistic, surveillance-riddled, totalitarian landscape that plagues those of us on the “outside.”
Two years after President Trump announced his intention to “harden” the schools, our nation’s children are reaping the ill effects of gun-toting, taser-wielding cops in government-run schools that bear an uncomfortable resemblance to prisons.
America’s schools are about as authoritarian as they come.
From the moment a child enters one of the nation’s 98,000 public schools to the moment he or she graduates, they will be exposed to a steady diet of:
draconian zero tolerance policies that criminalize childish behavior,
overreaching anti-bullying statutes that criminalize speech,
school resource officers (police) tasked with disciplining and/or arresting so-called “disorderly” students,
standardized testing that emphasizes rote answers over critical thinking,
politically correct mindsets that teach young people to censor themselves and those around them,
and extensive biometric and surveillance systems that, coupled with the rest, acclimate young people to a world in which they have no freedom of thought, speech or movement.
Young people in America are now first in line to be searched, surveilled, spied on, threatened, tied up, locked down, treated like criminals for non-criminal behavior, tasered and in some cases shot.
In my day, if you talked back to a teacher, or played a prank on a classmate, or just failed to do your homework, you might find yourself in detention or doing an extra writing assignment after school.
That is no longer the case.
Nowadays, students are not only punished for minor transgressions such as playing cops and robbers on the playground, bringing LEGOs to school, or having a food fight, but the punishments have become far more severe, shifting from detention and visits to the principal’s office into misdemeanor tickets, juvenile court, handcuffs, tasers and even prison terms.
Students have been suspended under school zero tolerance policies for bringing to school “look alike substances” such as oregano, breath mints, birth control pills and powdered sugar.
Look-alike weapons (toy guns—even Lego-sized ones, hand-drawn pictures of guns, pencils twirled in a “threatening” manner, imaginary bows and arrows, even fingers positioned like guns) can also land a student in hot water.
Even good deeds do not go unpunished.
One 13-year-old was given detention for exposing the school to “liability” by sharing his lunch with a hungry friend. A third grader was suspended for shaving her head in sympathy for a friend who had lost her hair to chemotherapy. And then there was the high school senior who was suspended for saying “bless you” after a fellow classmate sneezed.
In South Carolina, where it’s against the law to disturb a school, more than a thousand students a year—some as young as 7 years old—“face criminal charges for not following directions, loitering, cursing, or the vague allegation of acting ‘obnoxiously.’ If charged as adults, they can be held in jail for up to 90 days.”
These outrageous incidents are exactly what you’ll see more of if the Trump Administration gets its way.
Increasing the number of cops in the schools only adds to the problem.
Thanks to a combination of media hype, political pandering and financial incentives, the use of armed police officers (a.k.a. school resource officers) to patrol school hallways has risen dramatically in the years since the Columbine school shooting.
Indeed, the growing presence of police in the nation’s schools is resulting in greater police “involvement in routine discipline matters that principals and parents used to address without involvement from law enforcement officers.”
Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, these school resource officers (SRO) have become de facto wardens in elementary, middle and high schools, doling out their own brand of justice to the so-called “criminals” in their midst with the help of tasers, pepper spray, batons and brute force.
In the absence of school-appropriate guidelines, police are more and more “stepping in to deal with minor rulebreaking: sagging pants, disrespectful comments, brief physical skirmishes. What previously might have resulted in a detention or a visit to the principal’s office was replaced with excruciating pain and temporary blindness, often followed by a trip to the courthouse.”
The horror stories are legion.
One SRO was accused of punching a 13-year-old student in the face for cutting the cafeteria line.
That same cop put another student in a chokehold a week later, allegedly knocking the student unconscious and causing a brain injury.
In Pennsylvania, a student was tasered after ignoring an order to put his cell phone away.
When 13-year-old Kevens Jean Baptiste failed to follow a school bus driver’s direction to keep the bus windows closed (Kevens, who suffers from asthma, opened the window after a fellow student sprayed perfume, causing him to cough and wheeze), he was handcuffed by police, removed from the bus, and while still handcuffed, had his legs swept out from under him by an officer, causing him to crash to the ground.
Young Alex Stone didn’t even make it past the first week of school before he became a victim of the police state. Directed by his teacher to do a creative writing assignment involving a series of fictional Facebook statuses, Stone wrote, “I killed my neighbor’s pet dinosaur. I bought the gun to take care of the business.” Despite the fact that dinosaurs are extinct, the status fabricated, and the South Carolina student was merely following orders, his teacher reported him to school administrators, who in turn called the police.
What followed is par for the course in schools today: students were locked down in their classrooms while armed police searched the 16-year-old’s locker and bookbag, handcuffed him, charged him with disorderly conduct disturbing the school, arrested him, detained him, and then he was suspended from school.
Not even the younger, elementary school-aged kids are being spared these “hardening” tactics.
On any given day when school is in session, kids who “act up” in class are pinned facedown on the floor, locked in dark closets, tied up with straps, bungee cords and duct tape, handcuffed, leg shackled, tasered or otherwise restrained, immobilized or placed in solitary confinement in order to bring them under “control.”
In almost every case, these undeniably harsh methods are used to punish kids—some as young as 4 and 5 years old—for simply failing to follow directions or throwing tantrums.
Very rarely do the kids pose any credible danger to themselves or others.
Unbelievably, these tactics are all legal, at least when employed by school officials or school resource officers in the nation’s public schools.
This is what happens when you introduce police and police tactics into the schools.
Paradoxically, by the time you add in the lockdowns and active shooter drills, instead of making the schools safer, school officials have succeeded in creating an environment in which children are so traumatized that they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, anxiety, mistrust of adults in authority, as well as feelings of anger, depression, humiliation, despair and delusion.
For example, a middle school in Washington State went on lockdown after a student brought a toy gun to class. A Boston high school went into lockdown for four hours after a bullet was discovered in a classroom. A North Carolina elementary school locked down and called in police after a fifth grader reported seeing an unfamiliar man in the school (it turned out to be a parent).
Police officers at a Florida middle school carried out an active shooter drill in an effort to educate students about how to respond in the event of an actual shooting crisis. Two armed officers, guns loaded and drawn, burst into classrooms, terrorizing the students and placing the school into lockdown mode.
If these exercises are intended to instill fear and compliance into young people, they’re working.
As journalist Dahlia Lithwick points out: “I don’t recall any serious national public dialogue about lockdown protocols or how they became the norm. It seems simply to have begun, modeling itself on the lockdowns that occur during prison riots, and then spread until school lockdowns and lockdown drills are as common for our children as fire drills, and as routine as duck-and-cover drills were in the 1950s.”
The toll such incidents take on adults can be life-altering, but when such police brutality is perpetrated on young people, the end result is nothing less than complete indoctrination into becoming compliant citizens of a totalitarian state.
Schools acting like prisons.
School officials acting like wardens.
Students treated like inmates and punished like hardened criminals.
This is the end product of all those so-called school “safety” policies, which run the gamut from zero tolerance policies that punish all infractions harshly to surveillance cameras, metal detectors, random searches, drug-sniffing dogs, school-wide lockdowns, active-shooter drills and militarized police officers.
Unfortunately, advocates for such harsh police tactics and weaponry like to trot out the line that school safety should be our first priority lest we find ourselves with another Sandy Hook.
What they will not tell you is that such shootings are rare.
As one congressional report found, the schools are, generally speaking, safe places for children.
In their zeal to crack down on guns and lock down the schools, these cheerleaders for police state tactics in the schools might also fail to mention the lucrative, multi-million dollar deals being cut with military contractors such as Taser International to equip these school cops with tasers, tanks, rifles and $100,000 shooting detection systems.
Indeed, the transformation of hometown police departments into extensions of the military has been mirrored in the public schools, where school police have been gifted with high-powered M16 rifles, MRAP armored vehicles, grenade launchers, and other military gear. One Texas school district even boasts its own 12-member SWAT team.
According to one law review article on the school-to-prison pipeline, “Many school districts have formed their own police departments, some so large they rival the forces of major United States cities in size. For example, the safety division in New York City’s public schools is so large that if it were a local police department, it would be the fifth-largest police force in the country.”
The ramifications are far-reaching.
There can be no avoiding the hands-on lessons being taught in the schools about the role of police in our lives, ranging from active shooter drills and school-wide lockdowns to incidents in which children engaging in typically childlike behavior are suspended (for shooting an imaginary “arrow” at a fellow classmate), handcuffed (for being disruptive at school), arrested (for throwing water balloons as part of a school prank), and even tasered (for not obeying instructions).
Instead of raising up a generation of freedom fighters—which one would hope would be the objective of the schools—government officials seem determined to churn out newly minted citizens of the American police state who are being taught the hard way what it means to comply, fear and march in lockstep with the government’s dictates.
So what’s the answer, not only for the here-and-now—the children growing up in these quasi-prisons—but for the future of this country?
How do you convince a child who has been routinely handcuffed, shackled, tied down, locked up, and immobilized by government officials—all before he reaches the age of adulthood—that he has any rights at all, let alone the right to challenge wrongdoing, resist oppression and defend himself against injustice?
Most of all, how do you persuade a fellow American that the government works for him when, for most of his young life, he has been incarcerated in an institution that teaches young people to be obedient and compliant citizens who don’t talk back, don’t question and don’t challenge authority?
Peter Gray, a professor of psychology at Boston College, believes that school is a prison that is damaging our kids, and it’s hard to disagree, especially with the numbers of police officers being assigned to schools on the rise.
Students, in turn, are not only finding themselves subjected to police tactics such as handcuffs, leg shackles, tasers and excessive force for “acting up” but are also being ticketed, fined and sent to court for behavior perceived as defiant, disruptive or disorderly such as spraying perfume and writing on a desk.
Clearly, the pathology that characterizes the American police state has passed down to the schools.
Now in addition to the government and its agents viewing the citizenry as suspects to be probed, poked, pinched, tasered, searched, seized, stripped and generally manhandled, all with the general blessing of the courts, our children in the public schools are also fair game for school resource officers who taser teenagers and handcuff kindergartners, school officials who have criminalized childhood behavior, school lockdowns and terror drills that teach your children to fear and comply, and a police state mindset that has transformed the schools into quasi-prisons.
Don’t even get me started on the “school-to-prison pipeline,” the phenomenon in which children who are suspended or expelled from school have a greater likelihood of ending up in jail. One study found that “being suspended or expelled made a student nearly three times more likely to come into contact with the juvenile justice system within the next year.”
By the time the average young person in America finishes their public school education, nearly one out of every three of them will have been arrested. Nearly 40 percent of those young people who are arrested will serve time in a private prison, where the emphasis is on making profits for large megacorporations above all else.
Indeed, this profit-driven system of incarceration has also given rise to a growth in juvenile prisons and financial incentives for jailing young people. In this way, young people have become easy targets for the private prison industry, which profits from criminalizing childish behavior and jailing young people.
None of these tactics are making our communities or schools any safer, and they’re certainly not contributing to environments in which learning flourishes. Incredibly, despite the fact that the U.S. invests more money in public education (roughly $13,000 per child per year) than many other developed countries, we rank around the middle of the pack in science, math and reading, and behind many other advanced industrial nations.
Without a doubt, change is needed, but that will mean taking on the teachers’ unions, the school unions, the educators’ associations, and the police unions, not to mention the politicians dependent on their votes and all of the corporations that profit mightily from an industrial school complex.
As we’ve seen with other issues, any significant reforms will have to start locally and trickle upwards.
For starters, parents need to be vocal, visible and organized and demand that school officials 1) adopt a policy of positive reinforcement in dealing with behavior issues; 2) minimize the presence in the schools of police officers and cease involving them in student discipline; and 3) insist that all behavioral issues be addressed first and foremost with a child’s parents, before any other disciplinary tactics are attempted.
As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, if you want a nation of criminals, treat the citizenry like criminals.
If you want young people who grow up seeing themselves as prisoners, run the schools like prisons.
If, on the other hand, you want to raise up a generation of freedom fighters, who will actually operate with justice, fairness, accountability and equality towards each other and their government, then run the schools like freedom forums.
Remove the metal detectors and surveillance cameras, re-assign the cops elsewhere, and start treating our nation’s young people like citizens of a republic and not inmates in a police state penitentiary.
About the Author
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute, where this article (Compliance 101: Gun-Toting Cops Endanger Students and Turn the Schools into Prisons) was originally published. He is the author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State and The Change Manifesto.


wakingtimes--2020-02-19--Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning Nominated for 2020 Nobel Peace Prize

Two whistleblowers—Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden—were nominated alongside WikiLeaks journalist and former editor-in-chief Julian Assange for the Nobel Peace Prize of 2020 by 17 members of a German parliamentary group .
We feel that Assange , Manning and Snowden have to be recognized for their ‘ unprecedented contributions to the pursuit of peace and their immense personal sacrifices to promote peace for all.
’ With the unveiling of US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and the global surveillance program of the US secret services , the three have ‘ exposed the architecture of war and strengthened the architecture of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of a total of 17 members of our parliamentary group who have nominated Julian Assange , Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize .
These brave people should not be criminalized but should be recognized and honored .
The war criminals and their henchmen must be held accountable .
The full letter was published on the Courage Foundation ’ s website and reads : We wish to nominate Julian Assange , Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize , in honour of their unparalleled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and their immense personal sacrifices to promote peace for all .
The year 2020 began with Julian Assange arbitrarily detained and tortured , at risk of death according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and over 100 medical doctors , for revealing the extent of harm and illegality behind the Iraq and Afghanistan wars .
2020 began with Chelsea Manning in her secound year of renewed imprisonment for resisting to testify to a Grand Jury empaneled against Wikileaks , after having also been imprisoned seven years previously and tortured , following her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
2020 began with Edward Snowden in his 7th year of asylum for revealing illegal mass surveillance , in defence of the liberties underpinning revelations such as those made by Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange .
The Collateral Murder video , provided by Chelsea Manning in 2010 and published by Wikileaks , honoured the dignity of those slain needlessly in war .
It gave names and identities to victims whose humanity had been kept from public view , capturing the last moments of life for a young Reuters photojournalist , Namir Noor-Eldeen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood while on assignment in Baghdad , was described by his colleagues as among “ the pre-eminent war photographers in Iraq ” with “ a tender eye that brought humanity via quiet moments to a vicious war ” .
For humanising Namir and his driver Saeed Chmagh , a father of four , slain in front of two children who sat strafed with bullets in a van , Julian Assange faces 175 years in a US prison under the 1917 Espionage Act , and Chelsea Manning is currently detained without charge .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in 2010 Julian Assange and Wikileaks exposed the means by which public abhorrence of killing is overcome , and peace subverted , by psychological manipulation and strategic messaging .
In March 2010 the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) produced a memorandum , subsequently published by Wikileaks , entitled , Afghanistan : Sustaining West European Support for the NATO-led Mission-Why Counting on Apathy Might Not Be Enough .
At the time of the memorandum , 80 percent of French and German publics opposed greater troop deployment to Afghanistan .
The memo expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into active hostility if spring and summer fighting results in an upsurge in military or Afghan civilian casualties.
” To overcome public opposition to the “ bloody summer ” ahead , the memorandum advised tailoring messages for French audiences that “ could tap into acute French concern for civilians and refugees , ” given that French “ opponents most commonly argued that the mission hurts civilians.
” “ Appeals by President Obama and Afghan women might gain traction ” the memorandum added .
With respect to the legalities of peace , Julian Assange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record on the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) , established in 2002 under the Rome Statute of 1998 , to promote the “ peace , security and well-being of the world.
” The ICC ’ s mission was to end impunity by prosecuting “ the worst atrocities known to mankind ” : war crimes , crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide .
When the ICC ’ s enforcement capabilities were taking shape in the years following its inception , cables published by WikiLeaks exposed bilateral deals between nations under Article @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which states placed themselves outside the ICC ’ s jurisdiction .
The Article 98 deals undercut the ICC ’ s power to prosecute war crimes and other internationally illegal obstacles to a peaceful world order .
Later , in 2013 , when Edward Snowden revealed the warrantless masssurveillance of citizens and officials worldwide , he exposed an immense global network with the capability to intercept and obstruct peace proponents such as Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange .
Edward Snowden ’ s revelations have contributed to international investigations , transparency initiatives and legislative reforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a selection of the contributions that Julian Assange , Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden have made towards pursuing and defending lasting peace .
Together , their actions have exposed the architecture of abuse and war , and fortified the architecture of peace .
In return , all three individuals have been forced to sacrifice the very liberties , rights and human welfare that they worked so hard to defend .
A Nobel Peace Prize for Julian Assange , Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden would do more than honour their actions as individuals .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that those pursuing peace so often undertake , to secure the peace and freedom for all .

Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning Nominated for 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
Aaron Kesel, The Mind Unleashed
Waking Times
Two whistleblowers—Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden—were nominated alongside WikiLeaks journalist and former editor-in-chief Julian Assange for the Nobel Peace Prize of 2020 by 17 members of a German parliamentary group.
Żaklin Nastić (MdB) writes:
We feel that Assange, Manning and Snowden have to be recognized for their ‘unprecedented contributions to the pursuit of peace and their immense personal sacrifices to promote peace for all.’ With the unveiling of US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and the global surveillance program of the US secret services, the three have ‘exposed the architecture of war and strengthened the architecture of peace’.”
“I am one of a total of 17 members of our parliamentary group who have nominated Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. These brave people should not be criminalized but should be recognized and honored. The war criminals and their henchmen must be held accountable.
The full letter was published on the Courage Foundation’s website and reads:
Dear Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee,
We wish to nominate Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, in honour of their unparalleled contributions to the pursuit of peace, and their immense personal sacrifices to promote peace for all.
The year 2020 began with Julian Assange arbitrarily detained and tortured, at risk of death according to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and over 100 medical doctors, for revealing the extent of harm and illegality behind the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. 2020 began with Chelsea Manning in her secound year of renewed imprisonment for resisting to testify to a Grand Jury empaneled against Wikileaks, after having also been imprisoned seven years previously and tortured, following her disclosures that were published by Julian Assange. 2020 began with Edward Snowden in his 7th year of asylum for revealing illegal mass surveillance, in defence of the liberties underpinning revelations such as those made by Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange.
The Collateral Murder video, provided by Chelsea Manning in 2010 and published by Wikileaks, honoured the dignity of those slain needlessly in war. It gave names and identities to victims whose humanity had been kept from public view, capturing the last moments of life for a young Reuters photojournalist, Namir Noor-Eldeen. Namir, who was killed in cold blood while on assignment in Baghdad, was described by his colleagues as among “the pre-eminent war photographers in Iraq” with “a tender eye that brought humanity via quiet moments to a vicious war”.
For humanising Namir and his driver Saeed Chmagh, a father of four, slain in front of two children who sat strafed with bullets in a van, Julian Assange faces 175 years in a US prison under the 1917 Espionage Act, and Chelsea Manning is currently detained without charge.
As well as humanising innocent victims of war, in 2010 Julian Assange and Wikileaks exposed the means by which public abhorrence of killing is overcome, and peace subverted, by psychological manipulation and strategic messaging.
In March 2010 the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) produced a memorandum, subsequently published by Wikileaks, entitled, Afghanistan: Sustaining West European Support for the NATO-led Mission-Why Counting on Apathy Might Not Be Enough.
At the time of the memorandum, 80 percent of French and German publics opposed greater troop deployment to Afghanistan. The memo expressed concern that public “indifference might turn into active hostility if spring and summer fighting results in an upsurge in military or Afghan civilian casualties.” To overcome public opposition to the “bloody summer” ahead, the memorandum advised tailoring messages for French audiences that “could tap into acute French concern for civilians and refugees,” given that French “opponents most commonly argued that the mission hurts civilians.”
“Appeals by President Obama and Afghan women might gain traction” the memorandum added.
With respect to the legalities of peace, Julian Assange and Wikileaks have contributed to the historical record on the International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002 under the Rome Statute of 1998, to promote the “peace, security and well-being of the world.” The ICC’s mission was to end impunity by prosecuting “the worst atrocities known to mankind”: war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide.
When the ICC’s enforcement capabilities were taking shape in the years following its inception, cables published by WikiLeaks exposed bilateral deals between nations under Article 98 of the Rome Statute, in which states placed themselves outside the ICC’s jurisdiction. The Article 98 deals undercut the ICC’s power to prosecute war crimes and other internationally illegal obstacles to a peaceful world order.
Later, in 2013, when Edward Snowden revealed the warrantless masssurveillance of citizens and officials worldwide, he exposed an immense global network with the capability to intercept and obstruct peace proponents such as Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange. Edward Snowden’s revelations have contributed to international investigations, transparency initiatives and legislative reforms around the globe.
These are but a selection of the contributions that Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden have made towards pursuing and defending lasting peace.
Together, their actions have exposed the architecture of abuse and war, and fortified the architecture of peace. In return, all three individuals have been forced to sacrifice the very liberties, rights and human welfare that they worked so hard to defend.
A Nobel Peace Prize for Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden would do more than honour their actions as individuals. It would ennoble the risks and sacrifices that those pursuing peace so often undertake, to secure the peace and freedom for all.
Sincerely,
Sevim Dağdelen Member of the German Bundestag
Doris Achelwilm Member of the German Bundestag
Diether Dehm Member of the German Bundestag
Sylvia Gabelmann Member of the German Bundestag
Heike Hänsel Member of the German Bundestag
Andrej Hunko Member of the German Bundestag
Ulla Jelpke Member of the German Bundestag
Jutta Krellmann Member of the German Bundestag
Fabio De Masi Member of the German Bundestag
Żaklin Nastić Member of the German Bundestag
Dr. Alexander S. Neu Member of the German Bundestag
Eva-Maria Schreiber Member of the German Bundestag
Alexander Ulrich Member of the German Bundestag
Kathrin Vogler Member of the German Bundestag
Andreas Wagner Member of the German Bundestag
Pia Zimmermann Member of the German Bundestag
Sabine Zimmermann Member of the German Bundestag.