US stars hail Iraq war whistleblower (Katharine Gun from GCHQ)

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

She was an anonymous junior official toiling away with 4,500 other mathematicians, code-breakers and linguists at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham. But now Katharine Gun, an unassuming 29-year-old translator, is set to become a transatlantic cause célèbre as the focus of a star-studded solidarity drive that brings together Hollywood actor-director Sean Penn and senior figures from the US media and civil rights movement, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

Gun appears in court tomorrow accused of breaching the Official Secrets Act by allegedly leaking details of a secret US 'dirty tricks' operation to spy on UN Security Council members in the run-up to war in Iraq last year. If found guilty, she faces two years in prison. She is an unlikely heroine and those who have met her say she would have been happy to remain in the shadows, had she not seen evidence in black and white that her Government was being asked to co-operate in an illegal operation.

The leak has been described as 'more timely and potentially more important than The Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg, the celebrated whistleblower who leaked papers containing devastating details of the US involvement in Vietnam, in 1971. Ellsberg has been vocal in support of Gun. She was arrested last March, days after The Observer first published evidence of an intelligence 'surge' on UN delegations, ordered by the GCHQ's partner organisation, the National Security Agency.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,1125812,00.html

Goes on to mention statement of support to be released this week & will be also signed by "Linda Foley, president of the Newspaper Guild, and Ramona Ripston".

[Philosophy]

1. Another story that will never be covered here

by the whore media.

[salin]

3. Exactly. I have yet to see one word about this

in the US press.

[MrPrax]

2. GO Katharine GO

She is getting her day in Court...the proceedings will keep the homefires burning in EU and it will re-introduce the UN spy ring 'theme' into the discussion.

First there was stealing the Blix report (and omitting thousands of pages of US companies dion' biz with the Butcher of Bahgdad) and then in Feb 2003, they bug the Security Council to get 'Cameroon'?? on side.

Their actions, less than a year ago, were acts of desperation and sold me on the notion of contempt the US has for institutions that they established--bugging the UN to get support that could be gained through good old fashion diplomacy is beyond the realm with Shrubbery.

[imax2268]

4. Here's some articles I found on the story...

http://www.counterpunch.org/solomon12152003.html
http://www.accuracy.org/NS121403.htm
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/world/2003/12/282268.html

[9215]

5. Here is some more info on this

From
Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war <http://www.observer.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,905936,00.html>
Quote:

Revealed: US dirty tricks to win vote on Iraq war

Secret document details American plan to bug phones and emails of key Security Council members

Martin Bright, Ed Vulliamy in New York and Peter Beaumont
Sunday March 2, 2003
The Observer

The United States is conducting a secret 'dirty tricks' campaign against UN Security Council delegations in New York as part of its battle to win votes in favour of war against Iraq. ......more