Wikileaks News

[noises]

YouTube - Brazilian President Lula speaks out in defence of Wikileaks: English subtitles

Brazilian President speaks out in defense of Assange & free press: spontaneously appaluded several times during speech.
Brazil!!! More governments speak up, please.

"So my solidarity for this dissemination, and my protest against this lack of freedom of speech."
Prsident Lula

Nice speech, champ.

[noises]

Noises, thanks for the links. The McCord one is highly disturbing...

You're welcome, bud, it's truly my pleasure.

Yes, the McCord video contains some very disturbing footage, but what stands out for me, having seen the worst parts many times before, is this "other side of the coin," Ethan shows us.

He went through the same military training essentially as the chopper pilots. Served the same nation. Fought in the same war. But at one crucial, vital moment, in spite of all the indoctrination, brainwashing and peer pressure a soldier must no doubt be subjected to, something inside him snapped.

A voice inside him spoke up. His conscience and his human compassion took over, and suddenly, he's helping a child. He's caring. He's getting intuition to go back to the van, and following it, not even knowing why. He's getting a sense that what he's taking part in is wrong, and finally, he's shown true courage and stood up to the military to speak his truth and share his shame. He'll be blessed for that.

You have no idea how much hope and confidence his story gives someone like me. Yes, it's hard to watch without being effected, you can't un-see the rounds hitting the van, but you're left in the end with incredible faith and confidence in your fellow man. It's the part that has always been missing from the original gunsight video footage, the triumph of love, compassion and decency in the aftermath.

[Mad Scientist]

over 1.3 million deaths in Iraq attributed to this war. How many were "mistakes"? How many were avoidable?

ALL of them were.

Unfortunately yes, I do believe you are correct.

The American people cannot know what horrors are done "in their name".

The problem is many have been dumbed down to such a point that even if they were to remove their blinders and were to see what is actually happening they wouldn’t be able to understand that it’s as a problem.

The government cannot allow dissent to stop them from their "mission", a mission that has remained unchanged through both a Republican AND a Democrat administration.

I would not say it is the government that is afraid of dissent but rather those “powers-that-be” who are controlling the government. They are the ones controlling both parties and thus on issues that are important to them it makes no difference to them which party we think is in power.

What IS their "mission"?

Aside from complete total world domination probably not much.
But all these “powers-that-be” are not necessarily one big happy family. When you have people and groups with super egos that want to control the world there are bound to be a few minor disagreements that will result into the occasional world war. To these lofty individuals the rest of humanity are but expendable pawns in their high stake chess game.

With that in mind what is going on with Wikileaks? Is it nothing more then what it appears? Is Assange just a little guy in shining armor trying to save the world? Or is he being exploited to suit the goals of the power elite? Is he or was he working with them? In either case it really doesn’t matter much as he is now appears to be a sacrificial goat so that no one looks too closely at what the real powers-that-be are up to.

We are already seeing calls for restricting the internet to prevent this type of "abuse" of our freedoms in the future and the need for whistle blowers to be held accountable.
Is this just a coincidence or could it been the plan along?

[noises]

The only way we'll ever know if wikileaks is what it seems to be for sure, is if some of the documents it gets it's hands on implicate big business in the scams and cons free thinking people know they're neck deep in with governments around the world. We all know that's where the corruption of power really comes from, dirty money.

But the only way that can happen is if someone in the know, someone who is privvy to the information that can prove governments and big business have some pretty murky deals going on regularly, comes forward to wikileaks and blows the whistle on it. As they already have in other nations, via wikileaks.

All Julian Assange is doing is providing a forum where that sort of thing can happen, a media clearing house that is not owned by a huge multinational business. In conjunction with a free, uncensored internet, such a forum could take down corruption everywhere it hides, not just in governments. Police forces. Intelligence organisations. The risk is there where-ever there is corruption, there is a chance anyone, even someone compartmentilised, could leak something that could give the whole game away. That's what this is fear, anger and persecution of wikileaks is really all about. A death throw from the Old World Order.

[noises]

''I think, standing back from it, what we have seen is what happens to a citizen who breaks the unwritten law about embarrassing the governments of powerful countries … If (those governements) want to avoid embarrassment, they shouldn't shut down freedom of information. They should stop acting embarrassingly.''

Julian Burnside, QC

Very, very well said.

Legal fury at 'war on free speech'

[noises]

And another bombshell, from someone else high up in the legal fraternity here, and also respected writer for a major Sydney newspaper, and former employer of the current Prime Minister.

If the WikiLeaks disclosures tell us anything, it is that no political leader, whatever their colour, is going to hesitate for a nanosecond to conflate the notion of ''national security'' with ''my own career security''. It's time to provide genuine protection for people who take the bold step of coming forward with important information.

Peter Gordon

again, here's the link if you want to read it yourself or quote it elsewhere.
Insidious attack on free speech

[Joit]

Sometimes i really wish the Citizens would have monthly meetings with all this Politican puppys,
and i bet, they would go out the Room more then once
with a blushed face.
But since they have learned how to hide,
it seems they feel untouchable.
That Guys what are at the Politic actually really dont look,
like someone with a bigger Life Experience, but more the opposite.

Well, around J Assange, its a bit quiet lately, seems they dont try publish a lot,
because they know they cant handle the Echo.
But it shows very well a Gap, and that it is only a Matter of the Politicans
and not a matter for the People.

[noises]

"the media" vs "the news"

Here's something interesting, In australia, our biggest newspapers and best writers are mortified by the attack of the free press that the persecution of Julian represents. To any newsman who sees themselves as the voice of truth, any journalist who prides themselves on their integrity, what is happening rings alarm bells, and they write articles that speak loudly for freedom.

here's an example of what the "thing" I call "the media" who are liars and mouthpieces of the New World Order, have to say about Julian Assange, Wikileaks and the people who leak information to them.

How to get Julian Assange: U.S. should use aggressive prosecution to charge WikiLeaks villain

It's easy to see what side of the freedom of the press argument these puppets are on. Tsk tsk. Now, we have a few radio jocks who hold the same opinion, that wikileaks is a terrorist group and julian assange is an anarchist or whatever, but they're the same shock jocks who hang up on people who call into their shows with anything to say about natural cancer cures, government corruption, water flouridation, childhood innoculations, bringing our troops home, the mining tax or any one of the many subjects where the interests of the human race come second to the interests of people who are milking us for profit like a herd of cattle.

Be aware, and let this story help you to see, which news outlets are on your side, and which ones are mouthpieces for corruption. And boycott them. Forever. Cancel subscriptions. Write one last letter to an editor telling them why you're not reading them any more, and why you're going to advise others to do the same. Withdraw your advertising. If they want to side with your enemy, don't support them, it's simple. But it's also very important.

[Joit]

What the Medias may dont wanna know..
Revealed: Assange ‘rape’ accuser linked to notorious CIA operative | Raw Story

One of the women accusing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of sex crimes appears to have worked with a group that has connections to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

James D. Catlin, a lawyer who recently represented Assange, said the sex assault investigation into the WikiLeaks founder is based on claims he didn't use condoms during sex with two Swedish women.

Swedish prosecutors told AOL News last week that Assange was not wanted for rape as has been reported, but for something called "sex by surprise" or "unexpected sex."

One accuser, Anna Ardin, may have "ties to the US-financed anti-Castro and anti-communist groups," according to Israel Shamir and Paul Bennett, writing for CounterPunch.

While in Cuba, Ardin worked with the Las damas de blanco (the Ladies in White), a feminist anti-Castro group.

Professor Michael Seltzer pointed out that the group is led by Carlos Alberto Montaner who is reportedly connected to the CIA.

Shamir and Bennett also describe Ardin as a "leftist" who "published her anti-Castro diatribes (see here and here) in the Swedish-language publication Revista de Asignaturas Cubanas put out by Misceláneas de Cuba."

Shamir and Bennett noted that Las damas de blanco is partially funded by the US government and also counts Luis Posada Carriles as a support

[Aaron]

Transparency and Open Government

Just a reminder about what Obama promised and signed:

Transparency and Open Government | The White House

Transparency and Open Government

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

SUBJECT: Transparency and Open Government

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.


Government should be transparent.



Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.


Government should be participatory.


Public engagement enhances the Government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policymaking and to provide their Government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in Government.


Government should be collaborative.



Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperateamong themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new opportunities for cooperation.


I direct the Chief Technology Officer, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Administrator of General Services, to coordinate the development by appropriate executive departments and agencies, within 120 days, of recommendations for an Open Government Directive, to be issued by the Director of OMB, that instructs executive departments and agencies to take specific actions implementing the principles set forth in this memorandum. The independent agencies should comply with the Open Government Directive.


This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.


This memorandum shall be published in the Federal Register.


BARACK OBAMA

[Mad Scientist]

Government should be transparent.

That sounds good. Here is how my state has gone about handling the problem.
They just passed a law stating all government employees are to be exempt from Freedom of Information requests, as it might cause embarrassment for some.

[noises]

Todays wikileaks news from outside the US newsbubble,

Assange blasts WikiLeaks attackers ahead of UK hearing

Julian Assange's mother has relayed statements of his, the first public statements since his arrest.

It's kind of disturbing that someone who's being held without bail waiting for an extradition hearing on some very shaky rape (sorry, sex by surprise,) charges should be in isolation for 23 and a half hours a day.


Judge increases bail for Westborough rape suspect - Framingham, MA - The MetroWest Daily News

Yet on the other hand, here's the story of a man who repeatedly raped a woman in her home, who's just had his bail doubled, and been released on bail a second time.

Man charged with attempted rape on campus (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

And another story, also from the UK, of another alleged rapist who's also been released on bail. The inconsistencies are disconcerting.

We should be hearing the results of the extradition hearing soon, one way or the other. I'm confident justice will prevail.

[noises]

And to those who say wikileaks isn't releasing anything damaging to big business.

WikiLeaks cables: Shell's grip on Nigerian state revealed | Business | The Guardian

or of significant importance

WikiLeaks cables: Consult us before using intelligence to commit war crimes, US tells Uganda | World news | The Guardian
(that one contains evidence of the US having a morally gray view of Ugandan war crimes at best, and of looking the other way while war crimes were committed at worst. That's heavy.)



Protesters, police clash at Sydney WikiLeaks rally - ABC Sydney - Australian Broadcasting Corporation
this account of violent protests in Sydney says protesters ran onto the street, and that's why the riot police, mounted police and dog squads moved in.



WikiLeaks supporters rally in Sydney | News.com.au
This version has a witness saying police were pulling people into the street and then dragging them away, and mentions the fact the police didn't want the protest to happen at all, because protesters hadn't given five days notice. (To protest about a hearing happening today.)

See how the media in my country gives you both sides and lets you decide for yourself? That's freedom of the press.

[noises]

realtime feeds put Julian arriving in court in London now.


Twitter - 8 seconds ago
d0connor: So I know the press access to the court is a total balls up, but does anyone know what is actually happening?? #Assange #Wikileaks

[noises]

I know developments in the media aren't supposed to have an effect on the all powerful overlordship the courts has on us mere humans, but this story is ironic in it's timing, to say the least.
TIME Readers Pick Wikileaks’ Julian Assange As Person Of The Year at Pat Dollard

It's worth noting number 3 was Lady Gaga and number 6 was Barak Obama.
I'm just going to laugh for a moment to release some of this nervous tension and then reflect on what interesting times I live in.

Oh, and Iceland has sided with Anonymous. This just gets more and more out there.
Iceland may ban MasterCard, Visa over WikiLeaks censorship | Raw Story