WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

[ST]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

[FONT=Verdana]The whole WikiLeaks release of documents stinks of BS. The US spends more than all the other's world major super powers combined on defense, national security, and covert security (not to mention what is kept off the books). If they wanted WikiLeaks down and its owner gone, it would have been done already. The damn owner is out giving televised news interviews. How can news crews find him, but black ops can't?

Strikes me as legit. Can't go around killing people like this - too many people paying attention ... they already tried to lay that rape warrant on him via Sweden.

He's affecting change through a medium in a empire where there is no medium left; a society where trillions are allotted to save banks at the expense of the public, yet no one loses their job, let alone goes to jail? He wants to disclose how the U.S. operates - perhaps some innocence was lost amongst those who think we, as a political power, honor the values that we purport to fight for.

His next leak is related to one of the biggest U.S. banks - early next year supposedly. He strikes me as smart enough to have already arranged it, even if he is incarcerated.

[dbarberic]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

The whole WikiLeaks release of documents stinks of BS.

Just to be clear, I do not mean that the content of the leaks themselves is BS. What I believe is BS, is that a lone gun with a website can release thousands of classified documents with impunity and not end up suicided, dead in a ditch, mysteriously disappeared, or on a rendition flight to a third world country.

[flintlock]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

The same thought has occurred to me also. Time will tell I guess.

[dbarberic]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

I suspect that WikiLeaks is a "limited hangout".

A limited hangout, or partial hangout, is a public relations or propaganda technique that involves the release of previously hidden information in order to prevent a greater exposure of more important details. It takes the form of deception, misdirection, or coverup often associated with intelligence agencies involving a release or "mea culpa" type of confession of only part of a set of previously hidden sensitive information, that establishes credibility for the one releasing the information who by the very act of confession appears to be "coming clean" and acting with integrity; but in actuality, by withholding key facts, is protecting a deeper operation and those who could be exposed if the whole truth came out. In effect, if an array of offenses or misdeeds is suspected, this confession admits to a lesser offense while covering up the greater ones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_hangout

On 11/29 Forbes interviews Assange and our agents can't find or stop him? Since when has international borders and the rules of laws actually been followed by black ops? If the US wanted the release stopped and Assange gone, one of the three letter agencies would have sent in the jackals long ago and took him out.

[Slimprofits]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

here's the interview:

http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenber...ulian-assange/

What do you want to be the result of this release?

[Pauses] I’m not sure.

It will give a true and representative insight into how banks behave at the executive level in a way that will stimulate investigations and reforms, I presume.

Usually when you get leaks at this level, it’s about one particular case or one particular violation. For this, there’s only one similar example. It’s like the Enron emails. Why were these so valuable? When Enron collapsed, through court processes, thousands and thousands of emails came out that were internal, and it provided a window into how the whole company was managed. It was all the little decisions that supported the flagrant violations.

This will be like that. Yes, there will be some flagrant violations, unethical practices that will be revealed, but it will also be all the supporting decision-making structures and the internal executive ethos that cames out, and that’s tremendously valuable. Like the Iraq War Logs, yes there were mass casualty incidents that were very newsworthy, but the great value is seeing the full spectrum of the war.

You could call it the ecosystem of corruption. But it’s also all the regular decision making that turns a blind eye to and supports unethical practices: the oversight that’s not done, the priorities of executives, how they think they’re fulfilling their own self-interest. The way they talk about it.

[tsetsefly]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

It was a response to this post:



Fly and I have argued before over the legitimacy or lack thereof of the coup in Honduras, so I'm asking whether he thinks this counts.

I dont think that was news to anyone, the US announced it disapproved of the actions that took place in Honduras...

imo, the wikileaks will amount to nothing...

[Slimprofits]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

How do the Minton, Haupthing and East Anglia leaks fit the propaganda model? What (speculating) important details do those leaks serve to cover up?

[D-Mack]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

Addressing the Ambassador directly, Prince Andrew then turned to regional politics.
He stated baldly that “the United Kingdom, Western Europe (and by extension you Americans too”)
were now back in the thick of playing the Great Game.
More animated than ever, he stated cockily: “And this time we aim to win!”

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable...SHKEK1095.html

It's so great to learn nothing from the news.

[mikedev10]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

i'm sure if the guy is magically disappeared, that the entirety of wikileaks will magically appear everywhere. if i was that guy i'd have an automatic trigger on the death star set to blow up if i *didn't* push it back to reset every 48 hours.

[renewable]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

The whole WikiLeaks release of documents stinks of BS. The US spends more than all the other's world major super powers combined on defense, national security, and covert security (not to mention what is kept off the books). If they wanted WikiLeaks down and its owner gone, it would have been done already. The damn owner is out giving televised news interviews. How can news crews find him, but black ops can't?

The black ops process seems well documented in the book Confessions of an Economic Hitman (Financial Sense interview with the author Jon Perkins). According to Perkins, various methods such as bribery or smears are used early in the process, assassination is generally a late last resort. It's also probably less risky to assassinate a Political leader who has many opposing factions/enemies who can become suspects, rather than someone like Assange, who could be described as a single issue problem - if he is assassinated now, the main suspects would appear to be very obvious. Maybe they have left it too late.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...ange-interpol/

The international police organization Interpol has issued a Red Notice for the arrest of WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, in connection with a sex crime investigation in Sweden.

[Slimprofits]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

The black ops process seems well documented in the book Confessions of an Economic Hitman (Financial Sense interview with the author Jon Perkins). According to Perkins, various methods such as bribery or smears are used early in the process, assassination is generally a late last resort. It's also probably less risky to assassinate a Political leader who has many opposing factions/enemies who can become suspects, rather than someone like Assange, who could be described as a single issue problem - if he is assassinated now, the main suspects would appear to be very obvious. Maybe they have left it too late.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...ange-interpol/

The other problem with dbarberic's theory is that maybe they just haven't come up with the proper legal justification for it yet.

You can be sure there are other exploring this.

I'm speaking more in terms of arrest and prosecution rather than assassination.

What federal laws are they going to apply? The US govt is still on the side of at least attempting to appear legitimate. No one from within the federal govt. has ever accused Assange of breaking U.S. laws.

Could they treat wikileaks.org like a torrent website? They could try, but Verisign which operates the .com & .net is an American company, while Affilias (runs .org) is Irish.

[Slimprofits]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

WikiLeaks founder could be charged under Espionage Act

By Ellen Nakashima and Jerry Markon
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, November 30, 2010; 12:13 AM

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said the Justice Department and Pentagon are conducting "an active, ongoing criminal investigation.'' Others familiar with the probe said the FBI is examining everyone who came into possession of the documents, including those who gave the materials to WikiLeaks and also the organization itself. No charges are imminent, the sources said, and it is unclear whether any will be brought.

Former prosecutors cautioned that prosecutions involving leaked classified information are difficult because the Espionage Act is a 1917 statute that preceded Supreme Court cases that expanded First Amendment protections. The government also would have to persuade another country to turn over Assange, who is outside the United States.

But the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the inquiry is rapidly unfolding, said charges could be filed under the act. The U.S. attorney's office in Alexandria - which in 2005 brought Espionage Act charges, now dropped, against two former pro-Israel lobbyists - is involved in the effort, the sources said.

[..]

Holder was asked Monday how the United States could prosecute Assange, who is an Australian citizen. "Let me be very clear," he replied. "It is not saber rattling."

"To the extent there are gaps in our laws," Holder continued, "we will move to close those gaps, which is not to say . . . that anybody at this point, because of their citizenship or their residence, is not a target or a subject of an investigation that's ongoing." He did not indicate that Assange is being investigated for possible violations of the Espionage Act.

[FRED]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

[tsetsefly]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

Interpol puts Assange on most-wanted list

(CNN) -- Interpol, at the request of a Swedish court looking into alleged sex crimes from earlier this year, has put WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on its most-wanted listed.
The Stockholm Criminal Court two weeks ago issued an international arrest warrant for Assange on probable cause, saying he is suspected of rape, sexual molestation and illegal use of force in August incidents.
Sweden asked Interpol, the international police organization, to post a "Red Notice" after a judge approved a motion to bring him into custody.
The "Red Notice" is not an international arrest warrant. It is an advisory and request, issued to 188 member countries "to assist the national police forces in identifying or locating those persons with a view to their arrest and extradition," according to Interpol.
The Swedish court ordered Assange, 39, formally arrested in his absence, which requires Swedish authorities anywhere in the world to detain Assange if they come across him. Sweden's director of prosecutions, Marianne Ny, had requested the arrest-in-absence.
"The background is that he has to be heard in this investigation and we haven't been able to get a hold of him to question him," Ny said at the time.
Assange faces five counts that appear related to two incidents, according to the request Ny filed with the court.
He faces one count of rape and one count of sexual molestation related to an instance around August 17 in Enkoping, just outside Stockholm. He then faces two counts of sexual molestation between August 13 and 18 in Stockholm, and one count of illegal use of force between August 13 and 14, also in the capital.
Assange could be sentenced to at least two years in prison if convicted, according to the document.
Assange, an Australian, was rejected for permanent residency in Sweden in October. Swedish Migration Board official Gunilla Wikstrom said his application failed to fulfill all the requirements but declined to give details.
On Monday, Ecuador invited Assange to come to Quito to discuss documents leaked on the site relating to Ecuador and other Latin American countries, according to a statement from the country's foreign ministry.
The ministry also offered to process a request for residency "in accordance with the country's current laws."
In a November news release, Assange's British lawyer said the sex-crime charges stem from consensual sexual relationships his client had with two women.
"Only after the women became aware of each other's relationships with Mr. Assange did they make their allegations against him," lawyer Mark Stephens said in the statement.
Stephens also said neither he nor Assange "have ever received a single written word, at any time, in any form, from Swedish authorities on the Swedish investigation against our client."
The media has been the only way they've learned substantial information about the investigation, Stephens said. He called it "a clear contravention to Article 6 of the European Convention, which states that every accused must be informed promptly, in a language which he understands and in detail, of the nature and cause of the accusation against him."
Swedish prosecutors announced over the summer they were investigating Assange in two separate cases of rape and molestation. Ny said then there was reason to believe a crime had been committed, but that more investigation was necessary before she could make a final decision.
Assange has maintained he is innocent, telling the Arabic-language television network Al-Jazeera the accusations were a "smear campaign."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe...ex.html?hpt=T2
I wonder if caught and convicted will he face the same "punishment" that rapist in Sweden face (6 months to a year in jail). That they are vigorously pursuing him when they barely care about serial rapist in Sweden is a tip off that there is really nothing that the US has come up with to charge him with. So the swedes are doing them a favor with these charges, imo... THat or some presecutor really wants to make a name for himself...

[Slimprofits]

Re: WikiLeaks release to feature corruption among world leaders, governments

It's so great to learn nothing from the news.

After the first US related data dump (Iraq war logs) it was US officials saying there was no news.

Fast forward and prior to this data dump, it was US officials warning about huge revelations and afterward calling for Assange's head on a stick. And the media ran wild with their warnings - just look at your post that started this thread.

To see this shift in spin is interesting.

Here's what we do know. There are things that we thought we know that have been confirmed, i.e. US bombings in Yemen, the waste of money in Afpak, the arab leaders wanting to bomb Iran, etc. Real journalists at press briefings can use this confirmation where as before these things could still be officially denied.

Also, this whole thing blows up any notion that the US can be trusted to protect the combined databases of information about the citizenry.

It's easy to say everyone knew these things already, but if that's the case, how do the same people and types of people keep getting elected in the US? I'm not the one that voted for Clinton, Bush, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Hastert, Delay, etc. etc. etc., but I'm the sucker because I don't assume that wikileaks is phony? That doesn't fly.