Hicks should never have been charged: former US prosecutor

Australia's former Guantanamo Bay inmate, David Hicks, should never have been charged, according to the former Chief Prosecutor at the US military prison, Colonel Morris Davis.

In the latest twist in the long-running efforts by the Bush administration to get trials up and running at Guantanamo, the former prosecutor has been called as a defence witness at a pre-trial hearing for one of the detainees.
Colonel Davis was originally a staunch supporter of the military commissions set up to try Guantanamo prisoners.
He quit the system last year shortly after Hicks was convicted, claiming there had been political interference in the cases selected for trial. Others too have left citing similar concerns, including former prosecutors Captain John Carr and Major Rob Preston in 2004.
Colonel Davis was called today to appear at Guantanamo at a hearing for the next prisoner due to stand trial, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who was allegedly Osama bin Laden's driver.
Colonel Davis' testimony comes amidst speculation that the closure of Guantanamo Bay is now a matter of time.
He told a hearing at Guantanamo today that Bush administration appointees lobbied for charges in particular cases because they would bolster public support for Guantanamo.
Colonel Davis also disapproved of the abusive techniques used to elicit evidence from prisoners.
Lawyers for detainee Salim Ahmed Hamdan called Colonel Davis to appear at his hearing today, arguing that the former Chief Prosecutor's testimony is grounds for the case against Hamdan to be thrown out.
Australian David Hicks did not contest the charges against him, and since he was convicted in 2006, no other detainee has faced trial, with some now being held for more than six years without a day in court.
The Hamdan trial is set for May, though there is much discussion in national security circles in Washington that the closure of Guantanamo Bay is now inevitable. The three remaining Presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, all say the facility should be shut down.
This raises the question of the fate of the prisoners who can't be released, including high level terrorist suspects such as Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks and Hambali, the alleged architect of the Bali bombings.
Trials in regular courts for such suspects are not possible. Any charges against them would be thrown out because of irregularities and abuses in their detention and interrogation.
Two staunch academic critics of the military commissions have floated the idea of a new National Security Court in the US, using sitting federal court judges.
Under such a system the US Government could produce classified information to argue the case for the indefinite detention of certain prisoners.
The defendants would have lawyers under the proposal, although they would have fewer rights than in regular criminal cases.
Civil libertarians oppose the idea, but it may appeal to the Bush administration or to a future President McCain, Obama or Clinton, facing the politically unpalatable and arguably strategically unwise alternative of simply freeing Guantanamo inmates.
Leigh Sales @'ABC'

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Ira Cohen.
February 3, 1935 - April 25, 2011.
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“The performance of the Times was especially deficient. While occasionally running articles that questioned administration claims, it more often deferred to them. (The Times’s editorial page was consistently much more skeptical.) Compared to other major papers, the Times placed more credence in defectors, expressed less confidence in inspectors, and paid less attention to dissenters. The September 8 story on the aluminum tubes was especially significant. Not only did it put the Times’s imprimatur on one of the administration’s chief claims, but it also established a position at the paper that apparently discouraged further investigation into this and related topics.”

@pressthink.org

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Punk icon Poly Styrene dies at 53

Punk singer Poly Styrene, former singer with the X Ray Spex, has died at the age of 53 after suffering from cancer.
She was one of the first female punk icons, whose unorthodox yet infectious style was highly influential.
Real name Marianne Elliot-Said, she had cancer of the spine and breast.
A statement on her official Twitter feed said: "We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places."
Poly Styrene formed her band after watching the Sex Pistols perform on Hastings Pier on her 18th birthday and became known for her unpolished vocals and energetic rallying cries against consumerism and environmental destruction.
X Ray Spex's signature tune was Oh Bondage Up Yours!, a riotous rejection of social and gender norms that began with Poly Styrene's spoken line: "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard."
The band released just one album, Germ Free Adolescents, in 1978, before splitting up.
The singer went on to record a more subtle and subdued solo album, Translucence, in 1980, before retreating from the music industry to join the Hare Krishnas.
She moved into a Krishna temple in Hertfordshire with her daughter, and struggled with bipolar disorder.
Boy George - who once tried to break her out of the temple - was among those paying tribute on Twitter.
He wrote: "I was a fan of Poly before I got to know her, she was a Krishna follower too, oh bless you Polly you will be missed! Legend!"
She occasionally re-emerged into the limelight, and released her third solo album, Generation Indigo, last month.
"I know I'll probably be remembered for Oh Bondage Up Yours!" she told BBC 6 Music. "I'd like to remembered for something a bit more spiritual."
@'BBC'

Poly Styrene RIP

Punk icon Poly Styrene - lead singer of X-Ray Spex - has died, only two months after revealing she had breast cancer.
Music magazine NME has just confirmed the news, after the internet was flooded with rumours earlier this evening.
X-Ray Spex, part of the first wave of British punk bands, released their first single 'Oh Bondage Up Yours!' in late 1977.
Other classic songs by the group include 'Germ Free Adolescents' and perhaps their best-known song 'The Day The World Turned Day-Glo'. They only released one album before splitting in 1979.
Poly Styrene, real name Marion Elliot-Said, had just released a solo album, Generation Indigo, in March.
Her death comes only six months after fellow female punk trailblazer Ari Up, of the Slits.
@'3NewsNZ'

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David Hicks Fights Back Against Gitmo Lies in New Wikileaks Release

The file released on the Wikileaks website only confirms the inaccuracy of information that has been released by the former U.S. administration to the public in relation to David Hicks. The incompetence of the interrogators to obtain reliable and factual information is clear – they failed get Mr Hicks’ name correct, where he was captured, or the name of their own Navy ship – even when utilising interrogation techniques tantamount to torture. Much of the inaccuracies in the file have been addressed in Mr Hicks’ book, however, following is a list for your convenience.
➢ David Hicks’ middle name is Matthew, not Michael
➢ Jama’at Al Tablighi is a peaceful Islamic organisation – this has long been confirmed
➢ Mr Hicks has at no time flown to East Timor – to engage in hostilities, or otherwise
➢ LeT ["the Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba"] was not listed as a terrorist organisation until 2002, long after Mr Hicks had been detained. The report confirms that no member of LeT had engaged in a terrorist act- they allege an intention, which there is no evidence of. As Mr Hicks explains in his book, LeT dissolved after 2001. The group that calls themselves LeT now is not the same group as it was over a decade ago as it is made up of different people.
➢ Allegations of meeting senior al-Qaeda leadership – Mr Hicks explains in his book that did not hear the word al-Qaeda until he reached Guantanamo Bay – and this was from the mouth of an interrogator. Mr Hicks has not met any people by the names of Abu-Hufs or Mohammed Atef, and the U.S. has not provided any evidence of this.
➢ Mr Hicks did not go to Bagram at all – Mr Hicks was captured by the Northern Alliance at a Taxi stand in Baglan on his way back to Australia. He was then sold to the U.S. for approximately US$5000.
➢ There is no such ship as the Pettiloo – Mr Hicks was transferred to two U.S. Navy ships, the U.S.S. Bataan and the U.S.S Peleliu- what they failed to mention in this report was the 10 hour beatings inflicted on Mr Hicks and the other detainees, and the photos depicting Hicks naked with a bleeding wound on his head due to having his head rammed into the tarmac several times.
➢ As for the report stating that Mr Hicks ‘admitted’ to being a member of al-Qaeda – Any and all statements were obtained under torture, this is why he was not taken through a regularly constituted court. In the final Military Commissions hearing, David’s legal team submitted what is called the Alford Plea. This is a US based plea in which an accused person can agree to plead guilty whilst maintaining innocence. David has always maintained his innocence and strongly denies that he was involved with any terrorist organisations- he did what he had to do to come home.
➢ The report alleges that Mr Hicks led in prayer and was held in high regard by other Guantanamo detainees – Mr Hicks cannot speak Arabic, and his knowledge of the religion would not qualify him to lead prayer. Some detainees thought that Mr Hicks was a spy, so any allegation that he was a leader is simply outrageous.
➢ Any allegation that Mr Hicks was unruly or created disturbances is simply untrue. Former Guantanamo bay guard, Brandon Neely who was on the ground with Mr Hicks has confirmed this recently (link below).
➢ As documents have revealed, detainees were forced to take medication and David was injected in the spine (see link)
➢ All charges that they quote in the document and the Military Commissions process were ruled as unconstitutional and illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court. Even the final Military Commissions Act of 2006 has been replaced by President Obama due to the unfairness of the system, and the fact that it did not establish a legitimate legal framework.
➢ The report alleges that if Mr Hicks is released, he would be a threat to the U.S. and its allies – Mr Hicks has been a free member of society for over three years, and has proven this to be completely false.
Mr Hicks has never been accused of hurting anyone, participating in, supporting, preparing for or knowing of a terrorist act. The final charge in the Military Commissions hearing was one count under the material support for terrorism charge- which was foreign to Australian and international law- that did not accuse him of personally supporting terrorism, rather, it was alleged that he supported an organisation that supported terrorism. Of note is the fact that it has never been proven that the camps he attended were in fact al-Qaeda. Mr Hicks has never gone through a fair trial process.
This document shows that even back in 2004, Mr Hicks was not suspected and/or accused of hurting any person, or involved in any terrorist acts. The Australian government has always maintained that Mr Hicks has not broken any Australian Law.

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Rob Da Bank – 2011-04-23 – Grandmaster Flash Special (BBC Radio1)

The legend Grandmaster Flash chats to Rob and dishes up an exclusive soundscape mix of his favourite beats. From back in the day to present day; old skool hip hop all the way through to dubstep! GRANDMASTER FLASH MIX 1
The O Jays – You Got To Give The People [Philadelphia International]
Falco – Rock Me Amadeus [A&M Records]
Ac/Dc – Back in Black [Columbia]
Billy Squier – Hear That Sound [Capitol]
Bob James – Take Me To The Mardi Gras [Columbia]
James Brown – Funky Drummer [King]
GRANDMASTER FLASH MIX 2
Nu Shooz – I Can’t Wait [Atlantic]
Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love [Sire]
Queen – Another One Bites The Dust [EMI]
Chic – Good Times [Atlantic]
David Bowie – Let’s Dance [virgin]
GRANDMASTER FLASH MIX 3
dead prez – Hip Hop [Loud]
Luniz – I Got 5 On It [Noo Trybe]
2Pac – Kepp Your Heads Up [Interscope]
Coolio – Gangsta Paradise [Tommy Boy]
Jay-Z – Whats My Name [Roc-A-Fella]
Dr. Dre – Forget About Dre [Interscope]
Digable Planets – Rebirth of Slick (Like Dat) [Elektra Records]
Ol’ Dirty Bastard – Shimmy Shimmy Ya [Elektra]
KRS-One – Sound of The Police [Conscious]
The Notorious B.I.G. – Juicy [Bad Boy Entertainment]
Arrested Development – Everyday People [Chrysalis]
LL Cool J – Rock The Bells [Def Jam]
Cypress Hill – Insane In The Brain [Ruffhouse Records]
Naughty by Nature – Hip Hop Hooray [Big Life]
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message [Sugar Hill Records]
The Sugarhill Gang – Rappers delight [Sugar Hill Records]
Snap! – The Power [Logic Records]
GRANDMASTER FLASH MIX 4
Junior Reid – One Blood [Big Life]
Beenie Man – Ole Dawg Like Wi [Island Jamaica]
Beenie Man – Who Am I [Island Jamaica]
Elephant Man – Nuh Linga [Bad Boy]
Beenie Man – Memories [Island Jamaica]
Mavado – So Special [VP Records]
Tanto Metro & Devonte – Everyone Falls In Love [Relentless Records]
Beenie Man – World Dance [Island Jamaica]
Spragga Benz – We Nuh Like [VP Records]
GRANDMASTER FLASH MIX 5
Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child of Mine (Dubstep remix) [Geffen]
Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers (Doorly Dubstep Remix) [Dirtee Stank Recordings]
Doctor P – Sweetshop [Circus Recordings]
TC – Where’s My Money (Caspa Mix) [White]
Caspa – Back For The First Time [Sub Soldiers]
Lupe Fiasco – Kick Push (Heist DnB Mix) [Atlantic]
Unknown Artist – Unknown Track [White]
Unknown Artist – Unknown Track [White]
Ini Kamoze – Out In The Streets They Call It Murder (Stantons Mix) [Columbia]
Nerd – Everyone Nose [Dn B Mix]
Mark Ronson & The Business Intl – Bang Bang Bang (Mix) [Sony]
Unknown Artist – Unknown Track [White]
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