John Pilger: Forcing down Evo Morales's plane was an act of air piracy

[Judi Lynn]

Forcing down Evo Morales's plane was an act of air piracy

Denying the Bolivian president air space was a metaphor for the gangsterism that now rules the world

John Pilger
The Guardian, Thursday 4 July 2013 14.00 EDT

Imagine the aircraft of the president of France being forced down in Latin America on "suspicion" that it was carrying a political refugee to safety – and not just any refugee but someone who has provided the people of the world with proof of criminal activity on an epic scale.

Imagine the response from Paris, let alone the "international community", as the governments of the west call themselves. To a chorus of baying indignation from Whitehall to Washington, Brussels to Madrid, heroic special forces would be dispatched to rescue their leader and, as sport, smash up the source of such flagrant international gangsterism. Editorials would cheer them on, perhaps reminding readers that this kind of piracy was exhibited by the German Reich in the 1930s.

The forcing down of Bolivian President Evo Morales's plane – denied airspace by France, Spain and Portugal, followed by his 14-hour confinement while Austrian officials demanded to "inspect" his aircraft for the "fugitive" Edward Snowden – was an act of air piracy and state terrorism. It was a metaphor for the gangsterism that now rules the world and the cowardice and hypocrisy of bystanders who dare not speak its name.

~snip~

The French – having squealed about Washington spying on their every move, as revealed by Snowden – were first off the mark, followed by the Portuguese. The Spanish then did their bit by enforcing a flight ban of their airspace, giving the Godfather's Viennese hirelings enough time to find out if Snowden was indeed invoking article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: "Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution."

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jul/04/forcing-down-morales-plane-air-piracy

[idwiyo]

1. K&R

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Pilger does not suffer fools....cheers for him.n/t

[Progressive dog]

3. air piracy

Forcing down Morale's plane is air piracy, the Guardian actually printed this!!! They forced down Morale's plane!!!
Well, it does print crap from Greenwald, too.
Air piracy! the French are the Blackbeards of the airways the Barbary pirates of the 21st century.

[Skittles]

4. did you bother reading the article?

[Progressive dog]

5. Air piracy , forced down, no I won't read garbage

masquerading as news.

[Skittles]

6. LOLOL

these are just not good times for you, are they?

[Progressive dog]

7. I'm doing fine, thanks for asking

[Ash_F]

10. But you're not above posting it!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=67683

doh ho ho!

[Progressive dog]

12. I don't even know what you are writing about,

perhaps you should read what I was responding to before commenting.

[longship]

8. Mechanical failure == forced down?

Sheesh.

Hyperbole? Yup!

Won't bother reading past that.
No need.

[treestar]

9. Oh Bs, is there no end to the hyperbole?

Read up on flight plans.

[Ash_F]

11. John Pilger has done tireless work for progressive causes

and for downtrodden people across the world.

Let's trash talk him on a Democratic site!