Upcoming Events

National | Anti-War / Imperialism

no events match your query!

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

The Saker

Indymedia ireland

Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

offsite link Fraud and mismanagement at University College Cork Thu Aug 28, 2025 18:30 | Calli Morganite
UCC has paid huge sums to a criminal professor
This story is not for republication. I bear responsibility for the things I write. I have read the guidelines and understand that I must not write anything untrue, and I won't.
This is a public interest story about a complete failure of governance and management at UCC.

offsite link Deliberate Design Flaw In ChatGPT-5 Sun Aug 17, 2025 08:04 | Mind Agent
Socratic Dialog Between ChatGPT-5 and Mind Agent Reveals Fatal and Deliberate 'Design by Construction' Flaw
This design flaw in ChatGPT-5's default epistemic mode subverts what the much touted ChatGPT-5 can do... so long as the flaw is not tickled, any usage should be fine---The epistemological question is: how would anyone in the public, includes you reading this (since no one is all knowing), in an unfamiliar domain know whether or not the flaw has been tickled when seeking information or understanding of a domain without prior knowledge of that domain???!

This analysis is a pretty unique and significant contribution to the space of empirical evaluation of LLMs that exist in AI public world... at least thus far, as far as I am aware! For what it's worth--as if anyone in the ChatGPT universe cares as they pile up on using the "PhD level scholar in your pocket".

According to GPT-5, and according to my tests, this flaw exists in all LLMs... What is revealing is the deduction GPT-5 made: Why ?design choice? starts looking like ?deliberate flaw?.

People are paying $200 a month to not just ChatGPT, but all major LLMs have similar Pro pricing! I bet they, like the normal user of free ChatGPT, stay in LLM's default mode where the flaw manifests itself. As it did in this evaluation.

offsite link AI Reach: Gemini Reasoning Question of God Sat Aug 02, 2025 20:00 | Mind Agent
Evaluating Semantic Reasoning Capability of AI Chatbot on Ontologically Deep Abstract (bias neutral) Thought
I have been evaluating AI Chatbot agents for their epistemic limits over the past two months, and have tested all major AI Agents, ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, for their epistemic limits and their negative impact as information gate-keepers.... Today I decided to test for how AI could be the boon for humanity in other positive areas, such as in completely abstract realms, such as metaphysical thought. Meaning, I wanted to test the LLMs for Positives beyond what most researchers benchmark these for, or have expressed in the approx. 2500 Turing tests in Humanity?s Last Exam.. And I chose as my first candidate, Google DeepMind's Gemini as I had not evaluated it before on anything.

offsite link Israeli Human Rights Group B'Tselem finally Admits It is Genocide releasing Our Genocide report Fri Aug 01, 2025 23:54 | 1 of indy
We have all known it for over 2 years that it is a genocide in Gaza
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has finally admitted what everyone else outside Israel has known for two years is that the Israeli state is carrying out a genocide in Gaza

Western governments like the USA are complicit in it as they have been supplying the huge bombs and missiles used by Israel and dropped on innocent civilians in Gaza. One phone call from the USA regime could have ended it at any point. However many other countries are complicity with their tacit approval and neighboring Arab countries have been pretty spinless too in their support

With the release of this report titled: Our Genocide -there is a good chance this will make it okay for more people within Israel itself to speak out and do something about it despite the fact that many there are actually in support of the Gaza

offsite link China?s CITY WIDE CASH SEIZURES Begin ? ATMs Frozen, Digital Yuan FORCED Overnight Wed Jul 30, 2025 21:40 | 1 of indy
This story is unverified but it is very instructive of what will happen when cash is removed
THIS STORY IS UNVERIFIED BUT PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO OR READ THE TRANSCRIPT AS IT GIVES AN VERY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT A CASHLESS SOCIETY WILL LOOK LIKE. And it ain't pretty

A single video report has come out of China claiming China's biggest cities are now cashless, not by choice, but by force. The report goes on to claim ATMs have gone dark, vaults are being emptied. And overnight (July 20 into 21), the digital yuan is the only currency allowed.

The Saker >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits... Fri Sep 19, 2025 07:00 | Richard Eldred
In Episode 51 of the Sceptic: Michael Murphy on Charlie Kirk, free speech and the scourge of ?anti-fascism?, and Ben Pile on how the British public are going cold on global warming.
The post The Sceptic | Episode 51: Charlie Kirk, Free Speech and the Scourge of ?Anti-Fascism?, and Why Brits are Cooling on Global Warming appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Sep 19, 2025 01:07 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture Thu Sep 18, 2025 19:00 | Noah Carl
The Right has spent much of the last decade railing against cancel culture, and was arguably winning the debate. It would be a mistake to abandon that position now.
The post We Shouldn?t Welcome Right-Wing Cancel Culture appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Trump Tells Starmer: Use Military to Stop Small Boats, Drill in the North Sea and Uphold Free Speech Thu Sep 18, 2025 17:00 | Will Jones
Donald Trump?urged?Keir Starmer?to deploy the military to stop the Channel small boats crisis that is "destroying" the country, drill in the North Sea and uphold free speech at a tense joint press conference today.
The post Trump Tells Starmer: Use Military to Stop Small Boats, Drill in the North Sea and Uphold Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Egyptian Illegal Migrant Who Raped Woman While Living in Hilton Hotel is a Convicted Islamic Terrori... Thu Sep 18, 2025 15:00 | Will Jones
An Egyptian asylum seeker who was jailed for raping a woman in?London's?Hyde Park while living in the Hilton hotel at taxpayers' expense?has been revealed to be a convicted Islamic terrorist.
The post Egyptian Illegal Migrant Who Raped Woman While Living in Hilton Hotel is a Convicted Islamic Terrorist appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

Voltaire Network >>

IAWM on admissions by top US WMD official

category national | anti-war / imperialism | press release author Saturday January 24, 2004 02:18author by Irish Anti-War Movementauthor phone 087 1258325 Report this post to the editors

PRESS RELEASE 24/1/04

IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM) COMMENTS ON ADMISSIONS BY DAVID KAY

The US official, David Kay, who was in charge of the search for alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has tonight (23/1/04) admitted that he does not believe that the now occupied country possesses stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. He has been reported (www.sky.com/skynews/article0,,30000-12978463,00.html) as declaring that if anything was to have been found it would have been discovered by now.

On January 9th it was reported that the Bush administration had quietly abandoned its search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. This co-incided with the publication of the Carnegie Report in Washington which was hugely critical of the way in which intelligence material was used in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq. Tonight's revelations indicate the veracity of the Carnegie assessment.

Sky News reports that the remarks by Mr Kay, who has stepped down as head of the Iraq Survey Group, "are sure to be a severe embarrassment to President Bush and Tony Blair."

Reacting, Dr Fintan Lane, spokesperson for the Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM), said: "It is now absolutely clear that the pretext for the US invasion of Iraq was built on falsehoods and disinformation, much of which was repeated uncritically by people such as Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen. The cold truth is that the Bush administration was intent on invading Iraq and invented a pretext to undermine those opposing the drive to war. The occupation of Iraq is simply old-fashioned US imperialism rather thinly disguised as something more benign. This war was never about protecting the world or the American people from the dangers of weapons of mass destruction - it was about the United States extending its political and miltary power in the resource-rich Middle East, and about asserting its self-assumed role as a world policeman."

Dr Lane continued: "The Irish government also has questions to answer. It is a poor day for the credibility of all those who argued that a war was necessary, including politicians in our own country who used the alleged existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify their collaboration with the US war machine. The extension of facilities at Shannon airport to the US military is in effect an endorsement by the Irish government of an entirely discredited US adventure. How can Fianna Fail and the PDs now justify the misuse of Shannon airport for US military purposes?"

The Irish Anti-War Movement is currently planning a large demonstration to be held in Dublin on March 20th to co-incide with global protests against the ongoing occupation of Iraq. The Dublin march will focus on opposing Irish government complicity with the US military.

PRESS RELEASE ENDS

To contact Fintan Lane, PRO, Irish Anti-War Movement, phone 087 1258325.

Related Link: http://www.irishantiwar.org
author by Noel Dorrpublication date Wed Jan 28, 2004 16:30author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Bush's democracy is a damn sight better than Saddam's terror state. let's be honest about that, at least.

author by newshoundpublication date Tue Jan 27, 2004 17:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

guardian Tues 27 Jan 2004.
by David Leigh and Richard Norton-Taylor

notable excerpts.

The Iraqi exile group in London which claims to have supplied MI6 with the intelligence about Saddam's 45-minute capability admitted that the information might have been completely untrue.
Nick Theros, the Washington representative of Iyad Allawi, who headed the Iraqi National Accord in exile, said it was raw intelligence from a single source, part of a large amount of information passed on by the INA to MI6.
He told the Guardian, :"We were passing it on in good faith. It was for the intelligence services to verify it." ...

But Mr. Theros said the information now seemed to be a "crock of shit". "Clearly we have not found WMD." he said.

Mr. Theros works with his father, a former US ambassador, to promote the political affairs of Mr. Allawi, who is now a member of the Iraqi governing council in Baghdad.

================


Well ain't that interesting?
Lie through your teeth the help the US and UK depose Saddam, control the oil and all the reconstruction contracts... and then get pu on the Iraqi governing council.

three cheers for Bush's new democracy.

author by iopublication date Mon Jan 26, 2004 15:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

now almost pay for view.

Related Link: http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3218--301335-,00.html
author by iosaf ipsiphi - typing up threads.publication date Mon Jan 26, 2004 15:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

went buzzing about the parlour table of international diplomacy in 2002.
December 8th.

It left Iraq on Lufthansa flight LH404 at 17 h 05 local time Baghdad (16 h 05 GMT) on route to the UN HQ in NYC.
Meanwhile the other dossier left 16 h 10 (14 h 10 GMT) from Laranaca Airport Cyprus direct flight, to be deposited with the (IAEA). The inspectors transferred in Cyrpus at 10 h 45 local time (08 h 45 GMT) and continued to Vienna in a Cyprus Airlines jet.

And in minutes, the world knew something that moments before had been almost concensually surmised:
Iraq had no WMD.

Long ago.
almost 400 days.
Good to see you back Fintan.

author by Malatestapublication date Sun Jan 25, 2004 02:36author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Bush will still get re-elected, since most Amuricans still think that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. How thick can you get? I hope they all die of obesity, the greedy fascists.

author by Timpublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 16:34author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Feb 2001.
Powell and Condeleeza Rice say that Iraq is contained and poses no threat to neighbours.
I saw this on John Pilger's recent special "Breaking the Silence" which I have on tape.

-so, Powell says Iraq no immediate threat.


2002. Iraq becomes a threat overnight. Dubya demands Saddam turns over WMDs.


Sept 2002. Blair dossier sent to members of security council -which included Ireland at the time, cos we had a temporary seat.
Our experts reckon that it's a load of rubbish, but Irish govt keeps talking about WMD and need to get rid of them... meanwhile US military is moving loads of weapons through Shannon. Eoin Dubsky redecorates US Special Forces C-130 and then calls cops to turn himself in.

various dates... experts including former weapons inspector and retired US Marine Major, Scott Ritter says Iraq was disarmed after 1991, and no longer poses threat.

Jan 2003. Peace Camp set up at Shannon to focus media on military use.
Various TDs say nothing unusual or secret going on.
eventually admit that 'some weapons are coming through'

Mary Kelly takes an axe to US Navy jet.

Min of Transport, Brennan says this is embarrassing and security has been reviewed so this cannot happen again.

feb 3. it happens again.. Pitstop Ploughshares use hammers on repaired Navy Jet.

Feb 5 Peace camp evicted by High Court.

Feb 15 over 100,000 people march in Dublin.
Bertie glad to see that they 'agree' with government line. does nothing. no backlash from public at large.

March 17 Robin Cook resigns, says Blair knows there are no WMDS.
-nobody resigns from Irish Govt.

March 20. Lying criminal scum (cabinet) push proposal in Dail that Ireland is NOT participating in war, but that US military use of Shannon will continue.

Baghdad mercilessly bombed from the air, thousands killed and wounded as invasion begins.

Irish govt expresses 'regret', denies involvement in war.

April. Ed Horgan takes govt to court. gets documents proving that missiles etc passed through Shannon airport.
Govt says --not much.
Judge says Govt breaking law, but Court cannot interfere with Govt powers. (cop out)


June, Mary Kelly trial sees Scott Ritter, Denis Halliday and Ramsey Clark turn up as witnesses. Former US Attorney General, Clark says Mary Kelly acted in harmony with law. Michael Birmingham, returning from Iraq tells jury about awful state of Iraq following invasion. Jury fails to reach decision on Mary's guilt or innocence on Criminal Damage Charge.

Sept. David Kelly found dead, after whole fiasco about 'sexed up dossier.

Dec David Kay goes home, Iraq search teams quietly demoted, as more staff sent to help in occupation.

Jan 2004.
Bush state of Union speech says that David Kays report lists loads of weapons and programmes.
Kay resigns says no WMD in Iraq, no evidence there was any WMD in Iraq.

Irish govt invite for Bush to visit Ireland still open. Red carpet being cleaned and stored for big welcome...

author by archivespublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 16:06author address author phone Report this post to the editors

check the newspaper archive in your local/college library. I found a copy of that paper in my college library. it's a small part of an article about the whole dossier and kelly affair.

author by watchdogpublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 15:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Actually the text of the article can be found at this URL courtesy of the BangladesherDak .... great thing this Internet .... I wonder when they'll close it down ....

Related Link: http://www.bangladesherdak.net/Archive/03/September/14/intelligence.htm#3
author by watchdogpublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 15:36author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Unfortunately the relevant Independent article is "premium content" - i.e. you have to pay for access.

However it was referred to during a debate in the Free State parliament when the Green deputy John Gormley questined Biffo "Read my Lips" Cowen about it ....

Related Link: http://www.greenparty.ie/pressroom/Dail%20work/031001%20Iraq.htm
author by Tim.publication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 14:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

When the Irish Dept of Foreign Affairs got Blair's dossier in Sept 2002, the experts rubbished it. The mainstream media here did not pick up on it. It was referred to in an article a year later in the British paper, the Independent on sunday, during the frenzy about David Kelly's death.

==============================
That was the headline-grabber, the stark image that stuck in the mind - that fearful weapons could be unleashed suddenly, without warning, on any of Iraq's neighbours. It was spotted almost immediately by an expert in the Irish Republic's Department of Foreign Affairs, when a British diplomat arrived in Iveagh House with a copy of the dossier, hoping it would secure Ireland's vital vote on the UN Security Council. Their specialist instantly dismissed it as utterly unbelievable, for technical and political reasons.

Politically, it was unthinkable that Saddam would allow the Iraqi army, which he deeply mistrusted, to hold weapons that they could use for a sudden strike against a presidential palace, he said. And technically, it defied belief that they could store these materials permanently in battle-ready conditions out in the heat of the Iraqi desert.

author by MAMA - MAMApublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 14:25author address author phone 087-9777703Report this post to the editors

PRESS RELEASE.
For immediate release. 24 Jan 2004
From: MAMA (Midwest Alliance against Military Aggression)

The Mid-West Alliance against Military Aggression (MAMA) has called on the
Irish Govt to finally acknowledge that the war on Iraq was a sham and that
letting George Bush use Shannon airport was a mistake.
The call comes following comments made by CIA official David Kay on Friday.
Mr Kay has officially stood down as the head of the Iraq Survey Group which
has found no evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq - the reason
given to justify the war.
David Kay, who for 6 months led a team of weapons inspectors said in an
interview that he "did not believe that they existed" and that he did not
believe that Iraq had an operational weapons program following the 1991 Gulf
War.
David Kay has confirmed in public what a great many of us already knew. Iraq
did not possess Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Bush and Blair lied about
this war.
Iraq is occupied and tens of thousands of innocent people are dead because
of the lies of these two men.
This simple truth has been obvious to many people for a long time, yet the
politicians continued to hide behind the fig leaf of inspections, calling
for more time.
Now the head inspector has resigned and already the political leaders are
trying to re-write history to retroactively justify the war, talking about
intentions to develop weapons rather than possession of actual weapons.
MAMA demands that the Bush and Blair government's must be held to account,
and so should the Irish government for their part in aiding and abetting
Bush's war.
In 2003, 3,691 military aircraft passed through Irish airspace, and 612
chartered civilian jets landed at shannon with weapons on board. The
Taoiseach and Brian Cowen told us all that there was nothing unusual going
on and that we were not taking part in a war.
They continued to argue that Saddam Hussein should give up his WMD, even
though the experts in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs had already told our
government that the Downing Street dossier lacked credibility - six months
before the invasion in March.
The Irish government was content to continue to spread lies and turn a blind
eye to mass murder to suit political ends.
It is an insult for Mr. Ahern to say he was dead against the war. His
government actively assisted the US war effort, and passed a dail motion
stating the opposite. Nobody believes him.
If the Irish Govt is still allowing itself to be duped by these warmongers
then will they pretend to believe the same lies when Bush decides to invade
Iran or Syria?
MAMA repeats its call for landing and overflight facilities to be withdrawn
from the US military.
Shannon should be returned to civilian operations and the government must
account for its actions.
All those before the Irish courts for taking action to prevent these war
crimes should be rewarded rather than punished.


-ENDS-

Related Link: http://www.mama-peace.org
author by Tim Houriganpublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 14:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

And yet the politicians play dumb.

Bush and Blair stick to their guns (and they have the big guns, not the Iraqi's or the Syrians)

Bertie tries to pretend that we weren't involved, even though over 3600 military aircraft used Irish airspace last year and 612 Chartered CIVILIAN aircraft carrying weapons for the us landed in Shannon last year.

Bertie and Cowen kept using the argument about WMD in the Dail and elsewhere even after the epxerts in the Dept of Foreign Affairs said that the Downing Street Dossier was not credible, a full 6 months before the invasion of Iraq began. for 6 months the government lied to us, tried to get Irish support for the abuse of Shannon based on fictitious WMD.

Robin Cook said that in his conversations with Blair before the war it was clear that Blair no longer believed that Iraq had WMD.

In December we heard from Paul O'Neill a rare admission that the Bush administration was looking for an excuse to go into Iraq prior to 9/11.

At the same time the White House is going to great lengths to find a trigger for launching an attack on Iran, while they unsuccessfully sought sanctions on Syria for alleged WMD production.


So, when the bombs start falling in Tehran or Damascus, will the Taoiseach still turn around and sing the same tune, repeating empty rhetoric from Washington and London?


Cook lays bare Blair's drive toward war.

http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=926&id=1105222003

here's an interesting snippet.

Mr Cook reports a key meeting with John Scarlett, the chairman of the joint intelligence committee (JIC), on 20 February this year. (2003)

He says: "My conclusion at the end of an hour is that Saddam probably does not have weapons of mass destruction in the sense of weapons that could be used against large-scale civilian targets."

On 5 March, Mr Cook recalls talking to the Prime Minister about the Scarlett briefing and says: "Tony did not try to argue me out of the view that Saddam did not have real weapons of mass destruction that were designed for strategic use against city populations and capable of being delivered with reliability over long distances.

author by Justin Morahan - Peace Peoplepublication date Sat Jan 24, 2004 13:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Great work in putting up the news so fast and having a comment on behalf of IAWM.
We missed your incisive and dynamic voice while you were in jail. Right on the ball.

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy