(Not me) Official video from David McBride’s Official Youtube channel. If you don’t know who he is - I don’t blame you, with how little coverage this story has gotten

  • ⸻ Ban DHMO 🇦🇺 ⸻@aussie.zoneOP
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    6 months ago

    Riddle me this then: Why would he hand evidence of war crimes being committed to a journalist if HE wanted people to know that soldiers weren’t committing war crimes?

    That Four Corners episode came out fairly recently. Tell me, what motives would Dan Oakes, an investigative journalist with a reputation, have to disparage a whistleblower who is about to be prosecuted? I dunno, maybe he doesn’t want to be the target of prosecution himself and distancing from him is protection?

    Why do you keep referring to the BBC article? It’s quite poorly worded and oversimplified for an international audience. You won’t find many articles about David McBride’s motives from before the case because he was secret then, the ABC gave him up.

    • downpunxx@fedia.io
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      6 months ago

      “Why would he hand evidence of war crimes being committed to a journalist if HE wanted people to know that soldiers weren’t committing war crimes?”

      because he’s a moron

      The reporters weren’t ultimately prosecuted because they did nothing wrong in exposing the war crimes, freedom of the press, the public’s right to know, bad publicity for the prosecution service, take your pick

      OF COURSE THE ABC GAVE HIM UP, he’s a moron, on the moron scale he’s an 11, his mum slapped herself, his teachers quit and are now living lives of public piety and humiliation in Tibet

      • ⸻ Ban DHMO 🇦🇺 ⸻@aussie.zoneOP
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        6 months ago

        So it’s either A:

        • David McBride is an idiot who misinterpreted what was happening as a defence lawyer investigating war crimes
        • War crimes happened
        • Commanders and Politicians aren’t smart enough to cover up war crimes committed by PR exercises like Ben Roberts-Smith by investigating otherwise innocent soldiers

        Or B:

        • David McBride is not an idiot
        • War crimes happened
        • Commanders and Politicians are smart enough to attempt to cover up war crimes committed by the likes of Ben Roberts-Smith (Australia’s most decorated soldier, was used to ‘sell’ the war to Australians).

        I choose B, but hey, you know better because of some random BBC article and an ABC hit piece

        • downpunxx@fedia.io
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          6 months ago

          ABC : [which I’m sure is also oversimplified, poorly worded for an international audience]

          "He spent months staying back at night gathering secret files from his work computer, compiling an internal complaint about the ADF leadership alleging that SAS soldiers were being wrongly accused and illegally investigated for war crimes.

          “If there is political bullshit going on against soldiers, and it doesn’t matter whether they’re SAS or not, you need to stand up for it,” McBride says.

          His complaint was dismissed."

          "McBride fled to Spain, leaving his two young daughters with his ex-wife Sarah in Canberra. He also left behind four plastic tubs filled with classified documents in a lounge room cupboard at his apartment.

          In his absence, the AFP conducted a search and found the secret files."

          Principled Einstein. Obviously.

          • ⸻ Ban DHMO 🇦🇺 ⸻@aussie.zoneOP
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            6 months ago

            He couldn’t have taken them to Spain: that wouldn’t be responsible and he’d probably get busted. He could destroy the documents, but he wouldn’t be able to take credit and try to drive up more awareness. Don’t mistake intelligence for stupidity

            • downpunxx@fedia.io
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              6 months ago

              hehe, which is why he chose to leave both the stolen documents, his wife, and their two daughters in the same place to deal with the authorities, while he lit out for the tapas and bullfighting, hahahahaha. again, in terms of stupid and cowardly act, this man is off the fuckin charts mate. but wax on, you waxer you.