Quel suprise!

Funny that now on Friday morning there is no link on CNN to the story on the photos published online by the Memory Hole on the returning US war dead. Glad I've got the two photos online in the previous post this morning! A funny thing happens on the way to the URL for the Memory Hole. Sometimes you get a webpage saying "Perhaps you are looking for the Memory Hole" and providing a re-directing link that does not work. Or you may get a search to show links to these sites:

• www.blancmange.net

The original site from 1996 has a great deal of information on the disappeared files on 9-11. You may find fascinating reading IF you get through. Will search out out blogs for reports of successful links and perhaps mirror sites and get back to you.

CNN has published a story about the site "Memory Hole" which was successful in getting Freedom of Information Act photos of the return of our dead US military to Dover Air Force Base. These 360+ photos are the ones that the US government does not want the public to see. I've listed the Memory Hole several times over the last few years in this blog. It is dedicated to preserving the published information, particularly the US government information that mysteriously disappears from public records and published media. Webauthor Fred successfully got the original denial of files reversed, to his great surprise. He received a CD of all these images! All the photos are at this link, but maybe I should say "for now".

And why is this important beyond the impact for their families, friends and colleagues? Remember back to the Vietnam War days when the images of US body bags and caskets strengthened resistance by the public to continuing that war. Respect for these people giving their lives includes these public images and records. Think how powerful an image a day on the front page of US newspapers would be. Publish not only the images of our living returning troops and National Guard - publish ALL returning troops. Not just the ones with a "solitary salute" (see image below).

... the NYTimes has come out with an article about freed dissident Mordechai Vanunu. What did I tell you? Of course it is only in the NYTimes and it waits to be seen when this release will appear in other US media. My previous posts on this, are finally followed four days later with mainstream mention. Continuing my policy of saving such articles in my files, (just in case it "disappears" in the US media", I've taken some snips from the story today in the NYTimes.

"``To all those who are calling me traitor, I am saying I am proud, I am proud and happy to do what I did,'' Vanunu said in accented and at times broken English. He refused to answer questions in Hebrew because of restrictions Israel has imposed, including a ban on speaking to foreigners.

Vanunu, who converted to Christianity in the 1980s, said he was mistreated because of his religion. He also said there is no need for a Jewish state and demanded that Israel open its nuclear reactor in Dimona to international inspection.

``I said, Israel don't need nuclear arms, especially now that all the Middle East is free from nuclear weapons,'' he said.

"Vanunu will live in a luxury apartment complex in Jaffa, an old seaport and today part of Tel Aviv. Jaffa has both Arab and Jewish residents. Vanunu, who was raised as an Orthodox Jew, converted to Christianity in the mid-1980s.

The Andromeda Hill complex has 170 apartments, and tenants include both wealthy foreigners and local residents. It was unclear who is paying for Vanunu's apartment.

Richard Caseby, managing editor of the Sunday Times, said the newspaper was giving Vanunu ``some assistance,'' but declined to elaborate. He said Vanunu was not paid for the original story."