James Risen. A journalist worth idolizing!

This was a intriguing account of the James Risen case in USA. (Click here)

In short, the story is about how easily can government get access to information about an individual and use the same to stifle the journalists' sources and intimidate people in such a way that there are no "future leaks" from the government, no matter how wrong is the government.

After reading through this article and looking through various others, my conclusion is that perhaps we need to re-look at spirit with which the founders of any democracy had hoped or wanted to set as precedent.

The solution, in USA's case, would be to create a new witness protection program run and linking it to new laws which will give full sanctuary to whistle blowers. If it sounds complicated let me explain with an example.

In this case where,

The moment the story was blown and cases came in-front of judges. Each case had to be looked from the following aspect --
1. Was the government wrong not by current law but when their actions and reactions are measured against the 'Declaration of Independance'?
2. Did the people try to take down a government which was corrupt?* There is an old adage, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

*But when a long train of abuses and usurpation, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.


If the answer, as it looks in this case, is 'Yes'. Then the case is not admissible and it should be thrown out. Also a strict action should be taken against the prosecutor or the one leading the case. As far as the witness or the corroborator is concerned then s/he be put under the witness and whistle blower program and their safety should be guaranteed.

Opinion on "The Senate Committee's Report on the CIA's Use of Torture"

Ever since "The Senate Committee's Report on the CIA's Use of Torture" has come out in the public domain there are two extreme views that I see. Those who would be saying the reports stand that torture was not required and it was extremism and compromised on humanity etc. The other's who would characteristically say the report is wrong, and it was because of the torture that many lives were saved.

I believe the truth is perhaps somewhere in between. Till now I was avoiding to write on it, but now at-least there is one expert who thinks on the same lines although they have left some questions in their article. Obviously since it seems like an American author so I wouldn't get into the details of his biases.

Now coming back, before getting into the moral questions lets try and recall what had happened. In India it was approx 9 in the evening in India when America was attacked.

It was typically a situation that was 1. Not anticipated. 2. And no one had any clue. 3. The top management, in this case the bureaucrats and the politicians who were perhaps thinking they were back in the wild wild west, where everything is my-way or the highway. And hence what followed next was more of a logical conclusion

Stratfor has perhaps got the entire thing closest to reality that most people while are calm now, were jittery then. They correctly diagnosed the problem: "The use of torture was not part of a competent intelligence effort, but a response to a massive intelligence failure."

On torture and what went wrong with US was perhaps quoted by the report as: "The problem with torture — as with other exceptional measures — is that it is useful, at best, in extraordinary situations. The problem with all such techniques in the hands of bureaucracies is that the extraordinary in due course becomes the routine, and torture as a desperate stopgap measure becomes a routine part of the intelligence interrogator's tool kit."

As far as the moral dilemma is concerned. There is a time when you don't know anything, so you get people who deliver with perhaps dubious means and then you build capability and transfer to achieve things in the right way.

This could have sound counter-intuitive and extremely grey. But we need to accept, not everything in life is in black or white. Many things are out-rightly in between.

Book Review -- Death of Dreams: A terrorist's tale by Aditya Sinha

There are many books on Kashmir. But nearly all books are written by people who have some kind of bias, ideological, national or political. This is the sole reason why when we see a certain tone of message being constantly repeated throughout the book. Facts are used to paint a black & white picture. The truth is far from it, as always!

Most individuals tend up grow in certain way. We are at an age where we are protected by parents to an age where we want freedom to hang out with friends and dream endlessly about forging the dreams into reality.

Death of dreams is perhaps one of the few books which catches the entire story of J&K from a Kashmiri's perspective. It’s about a boy who grew up around Srinagar. The story is the journey of a boy named Firdous's story was no different except that in trying to achieve his dream, he grew and understood how lack of leadership and politics for personal gains has made the dreams into nightmare.

It marks his entire journey of what led him to join the terrorist organisation? His discovery of short-sighted and selfish politicians in India. An ISI who in the name of caring about people of Kashmir have one single aim, make India Unstable. Irrespective of what they say openly, they have no intentions of looking into the benefit of the people.  How he got captured by the Indian Military and then the role of select officers of Indian military whose questions made him think of the choices he made.

It also highlights the different point of time when hurriyat had a mass following and when JKLF had a say in the state. The strengths and flaws of the organisations, and how they lost the plot.

This book has captured the atrocities that the people had to suffer at the hands of everyone including terrorists and the collateral damage at the hands of the army.

For anyone who has interest in the history of Jammu & Kashmir, Death of Dreams: A terrorist's tale by Aditya Sinha is a must read.

Some steps the government should take to protect woman!

I have been reading different stories and perspective on the rape case and the reactions. What amazes me is that the government is so slow on its response and the inefficiency with which the concerned senior most bureaucrats are working.

The government should bring in some immediate plans and then others should be worked upon over a period of time.

Short-term & Immediate Actions: 

1. Get officers like IPS offers' like SP Shivdeep Waman Lande in Delhi who give absolute result.

You can read about Lande here

2. Few possible options

(a)  Bring the entire NCR area under the control of Delhi police and make them responsible for crime in all of these areas.

Or

Additional paper work will not be required to pursue criminal perpetrator across any state, jurisdictional police have to help on a priority basis in order to apprehend  such criminals.

(The state's ruling parties would oppose it, in which case they should either improve their police response system in their cities and prioritize nabbing inter-state criminals)

(b) Also the police department in Delhi will report to the Delhi CM (under current arrangement the Police Department reports to the Home Ministry, Central Government. These officials can look into how NYPD handles the city and the the flurry of UN officials in New York.)

3. Irrespective of the status of the person start pronouncing strong verdicts against such criminals. Send such criminals to prisons in other states, not their home states nor in states where they grew up, rather in places where they would be ineffectual behind prisons. This should also be followed in other states.

4. Any officer not able to attend to his duty in future in accordance with the constitution will be prosecuted. For non-cooperation their photographs should be placed online. When such officers are under review for promotions the incidents of not fulfilling their duty should be taken seriously.

Long-Term and continuous effort

1. Leaders need to stand-up and change the current notion of treatment of women in states bordering Delhi -- UP & Haryana. These two states by its culture do not have high regards for the ladies of their states. This should also extend to other parts of the country where there are similar problems. Therefore, its a cultural problem and this can be resolved only when leaders' rise to the call of leadership. Rather than cowing out as most of the MPs did on the Khap tragedy, the leaders need to learn from Raja Ram Mohan, Gandhi, Nehru, Mandela and the likes who convinced people to change their outlook over years. They were not successful immediately but retrospect their work was for the better of their country.

2. A simple act that can give more teeth to vigilance department. Rooting out corruption is important because even crimes are also associated with corruption. Corrupt officers will definitely let go of criminals. Therefore, the effort to go after corruption is imperative in order to make it safe for all.