Tag: Freedom of Speech

Chile’s Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Gonzalo Lira had been in prison since May 5, 2023, after being detained by the Ukrainian security service after being accused of allegedly supporting and justifying the Russian military operation.

The Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira died in Ukraine after having been in prison for various crimes reported by the Ukrainian security service. Lira was covering the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The information was first reported by Russian media, but later confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of our country.

According to Sputnik, the journalist had pneumonia in both lungs, pneumothorax and a very severe case of edema. Likewise, although the illnesses worsened in mid-October, the prison authorities ignored it until December 22.

For its part, RT also reported the death of the professional, providing the same diagnosis.

This information was expressed by the same journalist through different publications that he made once free.

When consulted by CNN Chile, the Foreign Ministry explained that the consulate in Warsaw, Poland, reported the death, so they were gathering more details in Kiev.

On May 5, 2023, Lira was detained by the Ukrainian security service after being accused of allegedly supporting and justifying the Russian military operation, spreading false news about the conflict, filming videos where he tried to capture the faces of Ukrainian military personnel and insulting them.

Lira, originally from the United States and with Chilean citizenship, previously criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) , the Biden Administration and Zelensky himself in his videos.

The journalist’s father, also called Gonzalo Lira, referred to his son’s death in the same medium through a letter published by American journalist Tucker Carlson on social networks.

“I cannot accept the way my son died. He was tortured, extorted, held incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US embassy did nothing to help my son. The responsibility for this tragedy lies with the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American president, Joe Biden,” said Carlson.

Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine (Translation by Google)

RT says that the State Department confirmed his death. Zerohedge reported. Breitbert reported. The Grayzone reported. NakedCapitalism reported. The article, that I posted, was from WSAU AM in Wisconsin (they removed it). Nothing in mainstream corporate media, of course!

For Reporters Without Borders, censorship is freedom of speech, and the death of Russian journalists does not count.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

For Reporters Without Borders, censorship is freedom of speech, and the death of Russian journalists does not count.

In the Reporters Without Borders (RWB) annual report on journalists killed in the course of their work in 2023, the deaths of two Russian journalists killed in the area of the special military operation were simply erased from the count, as if their deaths did not count. But after all, this is hardly surprising coming from an organisation that in 2022 was already calling for censorship of the Russian media on the pretext of protecting freedom of speech.

…

52% of RWB’s funding comes from governments, including the French Development Agency, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the UK Foreign Office, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the European Commission, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

…

But if we look at the non-governmental players, RWB’s Russophobic bias can be fully explained. Its partners include the Open Society foundations of George Soros, who has never hidden the fact that he wants to see Russia collapse, and who supports colour revolutions around the world in order to install pro-Western governments in key countries such as Ukraine.

The Ford Foundation is also a donor to Reporters Without Borders. This foundation is literally infiltrated by the CIA (one of its former presidents is none other than the architect of what later became the CIA, and he hired American intelligence agents to work for the foundation)!

And to top it all off, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is one of RWB’s supporters. The NED is an American organisation funded by the US Congress, which has taken on some of the tasks previously carried out by the CIA! Don’t waste any more time, we’ve got the trifecta!

The Day Ted Cruz Stopped A Bad Internet Bill

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Well, this was a bit of a surprise. Over the past couple of weeks I wrote about how Senator Josh Hawley was planning to try to hotline his terrible No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act. As we have explained multiple times, the bill is so poorly drafted that it would make a mess of the entire internet. After rumors of two attempted hotlines (effectively trying to sneak the bill through if no Senator objects) planned for last week, and then a rumor of a Tuesday night attempt, Hawley finally took to the floor Wednesday morning to make the push. If C-SPAN’s clunky embed feature works, you can watch it here:

The Day Ted Cruz Stopped A Bad Internet Bill

Related:

Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’

Communications Decency Act – Section 230

Unions in Wisconsin sue to reverse collective bargaining restrictions on teachers, others

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Seven unions representing teachers and other public workers in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Thursday attempting to end the state’s near-total ban on collective bargaining for most public employees.

Unions in Wisconsin sue to reverse collective bargaining restrictions on teachers, others

Related:

Wisconsin’s Act 10 Is in Jeopardy (WSJ)

The law, signed by former Gov. Scott Walker, has saved the Badger State from turning into Illinois or New York, where public unions essentially run the state government for their own benefit. According to the MacIver Institute, Act 10 has saved Wisconsin taxpayers $16.8 billion since it was passed in 2011, making public finances more manageable at every level of government.

Progressive mayors who publicly rail against the law know that repealing it would wreak havoc on municipal budgets. According to Wisconsin Right Now, Milwaukee’s budget says it has saved about $345.4 million in health insurance since 2012 because of Act 10’s requirement that public employees contribute to their health plans.

The lawsuit by teachers and other public unions focuses on a narrow part of the law that exempts public-safety employees. The unions say this creates a “favored” class of workers and imposes “severe burdens on employees in the disfavored group.” Act 10’s “anti-democratic regime,” the unions continue, subjects “general” employees “to a panoply of burdens and deprives them of important rights,” while exempting police officers and firefighters from “all its injurious provisions.”

Attacks on Public-Sector Unions Harm States: How Act 10 Has Affected Education in Wisconsin

A Decade After Act 10, It’s A Different World For Wisconsin Unions

WSJ quotes MacIver Institute, from the Atlas Network via State Policy Network, Bradley Foundation, and Americans for Prosperity (Kochtopus). Former WI Governor Scott Walker, another Atlas/Koch tool, does not rule out intervening.

Just 2 House members did not vote in favor of a resolution affirming Israel’s right to exist

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Just 2 House members did not vote in favor of a resolution affirming Israel’s right to exist

However, the resolution made no mention of Palestinians — who have their own historical claims in the region — even as it stated that Jewish people are “native to the Land of Israel.”

In a statement, Tlaib argued that the resolution “ignores the existence of the Palestinian people” and “brings us no closer to peaceful coexistence.”

The resolution also states that “denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism” — which Massie took issue with.

“Antisemitism is deplorable, but expanding it to include criticism of Israel is not helpful,” Massie wrote on X.

Still predicting that they’ll adopt the IHRA definition of Antisemitism during the Biden regime!

Related:

Bernie Sanders: Justice for the Palestinians and Security for Israel