I’m getting tired of the system tryna break out
Cos all my life I’ve been a victim in this place howl
They’re justifying all the killing
While the mind has been imprisoned
Ima ride until I figure out this maze now
I linked with poisanon to try and get the message across
We let them poison us and now were getting memory loss
The remedy is in the leadership – a veteran – boss
Achieving peace can be so difficult when death is the cost
[ Verse _ 1 ]
I dedicate my pen to tell the stories of oppression, Fighting off the sources that find glory in their weapons, They call it war on terror when they’re nothing but the biggest form of terror, Haunting thoughts of all the children as they force a stormy weather, I wonder if the morning dawn will ever – be the same, Will my generation ever see the change, Even ketamine cant remedy this pain, For all the people with no bread to eat for days , While the settlers get pleasure as they wreck the streets with rage, They fabricate the media we’ve mentally been played, And if i speak the truth then they’ll render me insane, Now i linked up with TeaMp0isoN they cant censor me well end the scene in flames, Now the realness in the industry is setting free the cage, Babylon is burning – and where next to be in rain, Now the tables turning I don’t bless beats for a wage, Im speaking for the unheard – Freedom is the one word.
[ Chorus ]
I’m getting tired of the system tryna break out
Cos all my life I’ve been a victim in this place howl
They’re justifying all the killing
While the mind has been imprisoned
Ima ride until I figure out this maze now
I linked with poisanon to try and get the message across
We let them poison us and now were getting memory loss
The remedy is in the leadership – a veteran – boss
Achieving peace can be so difficult when death is the cost
[ Verse _ 2 ]
Still rioting, Shouting at the top of my voice, I’ve been silent but the violence got me dropping that choice – Im out here, Tryna fight the demons , Need my rights and freedom , Sleep at night believing, Need a mighty queen to breed alive my semen, Raise an army, unethical experiments – The cause of all the wave tsunamis, Testing on our settlements you find a way to make us starving, Hide behind the fakes’t mask to save your ars, The rest are just irrelevant, Slash the working classes wage invest to bring the weapons in – You represent the devil in your actions, Fabricate a story with a heading and a caption – Regardless of the truth, The hacktivist are backing ain’t no censoring this anthem, Cook disaster in the booth, And who said it was NASA that first planted on the moon, They glamourise their point of view starting with the news, and once we get the following right were swallowing guys , The honour is mine.
[ Chorus ]
I’m getting tired of the system tryna break out
Cos all my life I’ve been a victim in this place howl
They’re justifying all the killing
While the mind has been imprisoned
Ima ride until I figure out this maze now
I linked with poisanon to try and get the message across
We let them poison us and now were getting memory loss
The remedy is in the leadership – a veteran – boss
Achieving peace can be so difficult when death is the cost
[ Verse _ 3 ]
Tell me wheres the justice in this earth, Mother witnesses her sons blood spilling at birth, I hunt villains with words, To take the Zion’s down to unriddle the curse, The reason for the hunger and the thirst, Fractional reserve banking, Mr McDonnald , Ray Kroc and the Bohemian Grove, Satanic hubs and all the evil involved, Fiending for gold, and then they wonder why its peak on the roads, They stood and watched the riots heat and evolve, They even let their dragon breath instead of healing they wanted numbers locked for breaching the codes, You think I penny any offer of me leaving my soul, Never will i kneel to this throne, Cos knowledge is power, It’s 2011 and still a monarchy how, Surrounded by puppets and clowns, Team PoisoN and Anonymous abolish these cowards, The honour of prodigies ours, I solemnly vow – To crack the wrists, Of any who wish to test the power of the hacktivists.
@lyricistjinn / Artist
@messybeatz / Composer
@agent_of_change / Sound
@ls_films / Director / Editor
@TeaMp0isoN_ / Activists
@YourAnonNews / Activists
THRIVE lifts the veil on what’s REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream — uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.
by lethceb a member of aliens-ufo.com forum.
Thomas Edwin Castello is currently living in exile in a European country that, for obvious reasons cannot be named. He is living under an identity that protects his well-being and allows him to live a ‘normal’ life. I met Thomas a number of years ago and have known him by his alternate identity up until around two weeks ago. Thomas has recently been diagnosed with a terminal cancer related illness and is compiling what he calls a final document detailing his experiences as a Senior Security Technician at the Dulce underground facility in New Mexico.
Now to make it clear I have never had any interest in UFO’s etc. Thomas has filled me in on his story and asked me to post on all the major forums and contact all the key players in the field.
What he has asked me to do is gather a list of questions that people would like answering about his time at the Dulce NM base. He has already fleshed out what is currently available online. He also want to make it clear that he has made preparations for info that he ‘smuggled’ out of the base to be copied and forwarded to major media outlets in time for the start of 2010. All original recipients of the info, or in cases where they have passed away the designated secondary recipients are aware of the situation and are processing the documents as we speak.
Thomas doubts that mainstream media will take the info seriously due to the subject matter but feels its worth a shot. The information is also being compiled into PDF format for distribution on the internet. I will be responsible for the online distribution of this material. As it stands the info will not be posted to forums. It will be hosted on a private and secure server. When available, details on how to view and download the material will be made available. I would like to make it clear that this info will be freely available.
If you would like any more info please post below. Dont forget, please also post any questions for Thomas here. I will compile tem and get them to him ASAP.
Thanks for listening.
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| Please find below two of the original Dulce base photographs. These two photos have been scanned from the originals which have caption ‘stickers’ on the corners detailing the location of each photo. The photos were then cropped and saved by myself in Photoshop CS4 ready for upload. I have hosted these temporarilly on the ImageShack hosting service but they will more than likely not be on there for long so I suggest you download them to you computers and examine them at your leisure.
Photo #1 (above) – Caption reads ‘Naturally Formed Hallway (Section-D L3-d)‘ – This photo was taken on the North side of level 3 of the base. The caption says ‘naturally formed’ hallway but some man power went into getting it to the stage it is at in the photo. The general hallway was there originally but for it to become a usable section of level 3 there was some excavation work that took place. The hallway leads from a large storage warehouse to the mobile transportation maintenance area. This maintenance area is where the ‘golf carts’ and other means of getting around the base were serviced and maintained. It is clear to see the lighting setup in the hallway which contrary to belief was extremely primitive. You can see a ‘cattle grid’ on the floor to the right of the photo, underneath here was a large storage area (The cattle grid was actually a metal hatch that opened up to allow access). Being stored underneath the hatch were around 100 large barrels containing fuel and other liquids that powered machinery and vehicles. These storage hatches appeared all over the base. The sign above the hatch reads ‘Flammable Material’. It should be noted that this was not the main access route to the maintenance area.
Photo #2 (above) – Caption reads Shuttle System Station Const. (Section-D L4-4)‘ – This particular photo shows construction work on a new station/drop-off point on level 4 of the facility. you can just about see the excavated area where the access platform was to be built. Inside the tunnel you can see the tracks on the right hand side of the wall. the tracks are usually on the floor of the tunnel but when construction work takes place they can be moved up the walls and locked into position to allow easy access for workers and machinery. You may question why there is a standard looking track in the tunnel and not some electro-magnetic system, well, much of the information about the facility is false. It is true that some of the lifts and transportation devices on levels 5, 6, and 7 were powered by an electro-magnetic system but the systems on levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 were more recognisable technology. The reason for this is that there would be important visitors to the facility on a regular basis. These visitors usually had no idea about the nature of the facility and were only shown the first 2 levels. Some visitors did go down as far as level 4. Another reason is that levels 1-4 were simply not big enough to require exotic shuttle/lift systems unlike the deeper levels. That said, the shuttle/lift systems on levels 1-4 were very different to what you would see in the outside world both visually and performance wise. Another feature that you may notice on the photo is a large amount of cabling and iron support material on the right hand side. This was buried behind the tunnel wall but once this section was excavated the wiring and supports became exposed. I appreciate the above images dont contain the most important aspects of the base but there are more to come. Hopefully they will give you a feel for the atmosphere of the facility. If you have any questions about the first two images above please post them here. |
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Quote:
| How do you enter the underground facility? |
There were many ways of entering the underground facility. The most common was to be shuttled in on the underground shuttle system. There are connections to many of the major cities in the US. You simply drive to the designated building in the city as if you are going to work a nomal 9-5 job, once inside you descend below the building via a subtle access way and board the shuttle. This takes you straight into the base and no body will see you. Other ways to access the base are via farms in the local area. Many of the farmers have been paid off and the farms have been taken over by government staff. The farms are then modified to allow access to the base. The farms are still run as farms to cover up any suspicious activity. Any visitors are either personally escorted to the base or asked to meet base commanders at certain locations in discreet vehicles such as battered up 4×4′s etc. People looking for doors in the sides of mountains and grills in the ground spewing out steam are going to be sadly dissapointed. All power at the base is created using an advanced system originally created by German scientists following WW2. The system uses large hexagonal circuits containing magnets and coils to generate energy from what is essentially nothing. If you have ever heard of ‘free energy’ it is being used in many places such as this. Before this system was put in place power was generated by water from the local area.
It should be noted that many people lived in the facility and didnt need to leave for any reason. Part of the contract is that you have to be comfortable spending large (and I mean large) periods of time in the base. This eliminates any traffic going to and from the area at the beginning and end of every day.
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Quote:
| Is the story told by Phil Schneider true(the man who shot a grey) or false? |
Phil was at the base between 1977 and 1979 helping out with the extension of levels 1-3. I understand he was there as a geological advisor. He basically helped to create the four caverns that were linked together. While this building work was taking place there would be daily breifings in the many ‘lecture hall’ type rooms dotted around the facility. The altercation you mention happened on level 4 of the facility. There was a breifing for the engineers scheduled in a room on level 3, the room was unavailable on the day of the meeting so they had to use a room on level 4. As the meeting progressed there was a large commotion outsite the room. A small number of Et’s working on level 4 didnt take too kindly to the two guards standing outside the lecture room holding SMG’s. To display weapons on any levels other than 1-3 (Human only levels) was seen as a threat. The guards were unaware of this due to it being need to know info. this altercation led to the death of around 12 engineers and the 2 guards. No ET’s were killed. No Black Beret’s/Delta Force were called in. Phil was in the breifing and was injured. Unfortunately his version of the altercation is false.
Thomas was responsible for the security camera system primarily. This had to be operational throughout the entire base without fail. Thomas also had extensive knowledge of the security message switching and data processing computer system configuration including micro-computers, mini-computers and large main frame computers. The micro and mini computers would be used for interfacing security devices and communication facilities.
At the time Thomas had very good IT knowledge, in this day and age the knowlege of the systems he used to work on is completely redundant although he is capable of operating a modern day PC.
1-Who killed the engineers and guards?
Every death was caused by what Thomas describes as some kind of pulse weapon. The ET’s involved were classed as scientists and were working on technology on level 4 to allow ET’s and humans to communicate more effectively. The ‘box on the chest’ weapon described by the late Phil Schneider is quite a good description of where the blast emanated from. It wasn’t a box as such, more like a belt that straps around the ET’s ‘heart’ area. on the belt is what looks like a raw circuit board. The pulse killed the engineers/guards closest to the ET that used it. The effect was weaker with distance and simply ‘knocked out’ personnel towards the rear of the room.
2-Are these Aliens savages? Are they aggressive?
The ET’s are not savages at all, Thomas mentions that he never saw an aggressive ET either. It is extremely difficult to even perceive their mood as they have literally no emotion and very little movement in their faces. The area around the eye sockets is the only part of the face that he saw move. The event that happened with the pulse weapon was put down to the ET’s feeling threatened.
3-Can they work with the Human Being in a civilized manner?
Living and working with ET’s on a daily basis at first is an extremely strange and surreal experience. Thomas mentions he never got used to walking around the base as coming into regular contact with them. He admitted that it was frightening and nightmares occurred every night. Communication with ‘grays’ is very easy but there is no ‘feeling’ in their words. What people class as greys could never fit into society.
[4-Assuming they killed the engineers and guards can we conclude these Aliens are fast to kill instead of having a civilized meeting of what was happening in the lecture room?
They are very strict and have extremely high expectations of what should take place in the facility. If a rule was broken there was no leniency. When it came to weaponry they did not want to be around guns and signs of aggression.
5-Did they try to mix sexually with the humans? If they succeeded, were any mix children in the base?
They did not try to create hybrids The humans at the base did try to create hybrids. As far as Thomas knows this line of experimentation was a failure. He didn’t see any human/alien hybrids. He did see alien/animal hybrids. There were many issues with this line of research. He regularly spoke openly with scientist with regards their projects and found that combining species is in the very early stages.
6- Did they abduct Human Beings? Took them to the base? What did they do with them?
Abductions did take place, these were all arranged. Thomas didn’t ever see subjects in the base or hear of them being taken to the base. With regards to what was being done to abducted humans, they are essentially monitoring the development of a cross section of society. They were basically doing what we do to them. We experiment on them and attempt to figure out how they came to be the way they are. Much of the testing is virus related.
7 Did they abduct Humans and take them to other worlds? Where? For what?
Thomas did not hear of this happening.
1-What other type of Aliens were in the Base?
There were simply four types of what would be classed as ‘grays’. There were no reptilians or human looking ET’s.
Gray type #1 – 3 feet tall, dark grey, extremely slight with larger than average heads.
Gray type #2 – 6 feet tall, muscular frame, light brown colour, more visual ‘personality’ than the other species.
Gray type #3 – 6 feet tall, slight frame, long features. Pure white skin with lots of boil/wart type marks.
Gray type #4 – 7+ feet tall, Unbelievably slight frame. Difficult to comprehend their look. Dark grey (almost black)
More info can be given on the above descriptions if needed. Grey type #4 looked ‘reptilian’ due to posture and ‘scaly’ skin.
2- Are they still there, and how many species; how many Aliens are in total?
As for as Thomas knows they are still there and the base is still operational. As mentioned above there are four species at the facility. From looking at the operational personnel roster on a weekly basis whilst working at the base the average number of non humans was 1700. It should be noted that this figure only covers ‘operation’ personnel. They were many at the facility that had no role there. They simply lived in caverns surrounding the local area.
3-What kind of powers they have?
Nothing out of the ordinary other than the ability to communicate by way of telepathy. Their technology is what makes them seem so far ahead of us not their physical form and biology.
4-In addition of telepathic communication, did they learn how to talk like humans?
No, they ran a trial using external voice boxes produced at the base but the sounds were unintelligible and the project was deemed a failure. A language of symbols was devised which worked well but telepathic communication was the most efficient.
1-What kind of illnesses they brought?
Various forms of flu. There may be more but Thomas was not aware of any.
2-What kind of things are they afraid of? Are they afraid to our weapons? Afraid to anything else?
They are very nervous and are constantly watching you if you walk into a room. This could be classed as suspicion. They are extremely afraid of our weapons, and feel threatened if they are around them. A non lethal weapon was developed for everyone in the base because of this.
3-Did they take a bath?
Thomas is not aware of any kind of cleaning procedures carried out by the ET’s. What the ET’s did in there living quarters was seen by only a handful of human staff at the facility.
[4-Were they able to reproduce here in Earth? Were female in the base? Were Aliens children in the base? Born in planet Earth?
They could reproduce here although it is a very artificial process along the lines of cloning. The four alien species were neither male or female. Once a ‘clone’ was produced they instantly looked ‘adult’ although they needed a large amount of mental development similar to what a child needs.
5- Any human got any of their illnesses?
The simple answer is yes. Many vaccines in circulation today originate from research into ET viruses.
6- What kind of medications they have?
Thomas does not have any information about any medication used by the ET’s.
7- Describe their body: Usual weight; Strength; Weakness?
Approx weights, same as a small child or young teenager. They have no strength at all. I will put together a more comprehensive description of all four races when I have a little more time.
1-Did they drink water or liquid?
They absorbed a solution once a day that provides them with all the elements they need to survive. This was produced in the base.
2-What type of diet they have? What do they eat or drink? Do they eat human meat, animals…?
Their diet consisted of the solution mentioned above and nothing else. I will go into more detail about the solution when time allows. It will dispel some myths about the ET’s eating humans that can be found around the web currently.
3-Do they sleep?
They rest but it would not be called sleeping, its more like being put into stasis. They can work for a week solid if they have to.
4-Have emotions? Do they cry, laugh, get depress? Do they failed and have practice the known seven sins: “Lust”, “Gluttony”, “Greed”, “Sloth”, “Wrath”, “Envy”, and “Pride”.
They simply have no emotion what so ever. To see a living creature with no expression and emotion is the weirdest experience. Employees at the facility are conditioned to be able to deal with this.
5-What kind of entertainment they engage or practice?
As far as Thomas is aware they do not need entertainment.
6- Do they have a religion? What type?
Their religious beliefs are very similar to human religions in that they believe there is one entity that can be classed as the creator.
1- What kind of tech they use? New technology? Computers, Radios, MP3, I phone?
Their technology is fantastic, I will write a post dealing with this shortly. I will cover technology in general use in today’s society that is based on ET technology.
2. Can they travel back in time? To the future?
Yes, and so can we. The way this works is unbelievably simple. Again this will be covered in the post that I will write covering their technology.
3- Do they need a vehicle to travel?
Yes they use physical vehicles to travel. More detail coming soon.
4- Are all of them have the same type of intelligence or like Humans some more advanced and educated than others?
They all have the same level of intelligence but they all specialise in certain areas similar to humans. Some are scientists, some are specialists in diplomacy, some are military orientated.
Are they good, bad, criminals… or perverse?
They are general good ‘people’. The thing that can make them seem to be bad is their complete lack of emotion and expression.
5- Do they progressively learn? Go to schools?
Yes, they are constantly learning and attend what we would call lectures. I will cover this in more detail when time allows.
6. Do they have access or communication with their planets?
They are in constant communication with their home planets as are some the human personnel at the base. More detail coming soon on this.
7- How is their society divided: Profession (Doctors, Teachers, Lawyers…)? Hierarchy? Type of Government?
Their society is similar to our in many respects in that each of them fills a role in their communities. They abide by a dictatorship government.
8- How you describe the Aliens in the base: the type of soldiers, or doctors, or politicians…or conglomerate?
Could you explain exactly what you mean by this question? Do you want to know what roles the ET’s fill in the facility?
9- What is their Agenda?
Their agenda is simply about learning and bettering their civilization. The way they go about this learning process is sometimes cause for concern. The way they go about some tasks could be considered threatening.
As you can see I was running out of time towards the end of the question so there is much detail missing. If you would like me to go into more detail on some of the questions just let me know.
Good list by the way.
Originaly uploaded by Ivan0135.
THIS VIDEO IS LEAKED FROM THE KGB TOP SECRET ARCHIVE.
Date format: YY/MM/DD Time passed: HH:MM:SS
From the first contact in 1942, a series of diplomatic visits to discuss matters of mutual concern were planned.
Under the treaty 23/04, these meetings would take place in secrecy, a limited number of special agents would escort visitors and they would only meet high ranking officers.
According to the document 072 / E, at the meeting of 1961 there was an incident involving 3 subjects due to the violation of the agreement by the officers at the military base when they discovered that their arrival was been filmed with a hidden device without their consent.
Under the treaty 23/04, the meetings would be confidential and filming or taking photographs would not be allowed.
After the incident, the treaty was revised. …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XswfEzKE0UQ&feature=player_embedded#!
Nate Goldshlag was among several members of Veterans for Peace who disrupted Donald Rumsfeld’s book tour event in Boston this week. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
On Monday 26 September, three members of Veterans For Peace and a member of Code Pink confronted Donald Rumsfeld at a Boston stop of his book tour. I attempted to make a citizen’s arrest. Police hustled all four of us out, while a hostile rightwing crowd shouted and jeered. To get in, we had to dress nicely, pay $50 and give Rumsfeld a standing ovation so that we did not stand out from this crowd. The $50 got you a copy of his book, which I could not stomach taking. Once Rumsfeld started talking, at two-minute intervals, one of us got up to confront him.
Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and the rest of this crew are war criminals, according to international law. They lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They lied about Saddam Hussein being linked to 9/11. They lied about mobile weapons labs, yellowcake from Niger, how painless a war would be and countless other things. They instigated a program of torture in Guantánamo, Bagram and who knows how many other black sites. These lies were used as a pretext for initiating a war of aggression against a sovereign nation – an international war crime.
They are also guilty of violating the UN convention against torture (ratified by the US) and are responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and 5,000 Americans. Iraq has been devastated to the extent that, years later, many of its people still do not have 24-hour access to electricity. Much other infrastructure is destroyed in one of the oldest civilisations on the planet. Millions of Iraqis are refugees in other countries.
War criminals such as these need to be confronted at every opportunity. This is already happening. They cannot travel freely in Europe for fear of being arrested. However, the problem is not restricted to the Bush administration. Barack Obama is also guilty of war crimes, as he has continued and expanded the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. In all these countries, war and/or drone strikes have killed thousands of innocent people while doing nothing good and creating more people who hate American policy.
The real problem is the corporate-controlled government here and the military-industrial complex that President Dwight Eisenhower warned us about in 1961. The multinational corporate elite need to continue this policy of endless war, for profit, for resources like oil, and for global economic control. The military-industrial complex and the national security apparatus set up after 9/11 consume more than $1tn a year, while pensions, social security and Medicare are under attack. Rarely if ever mentioned by the corporate-controlled mass media is the enormous cost to taxpayers of war, the military and the national security state.
I became an activist in college at Harvard in 1968, at a time when there was a huge antiwar movement that, along with GI mutinies, stopped the Vietnam war. After being drafted into the US Army, I co-founded an underground GI newspaper in Germany. Militant mass nonviolent resistance – people demanding and creating real participatory democracy – is rising again against militarism and corporatism, and for human needs not corporate greed. Events in Tahrir Square have sparked the occupation of Wall Street in New York. An occupation of Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC, will begin on 6 October. As Bob Dylan wrote many years ago, “the times they are a-changin’.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/30/donald-rumsfeld-citizens-arrest
Last month, The New Yorker magazine reported on how POGO Executive Director Danielle Brian told President Obama to his face that “prosecuting whistleblowers would undermine his legacy.”
One of those whistleblowers being targeted is Tom Drake, a National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower who is less than a week away from his first day in court. Drake is being prosecuted not for sharing classified information with the media, but instead is being charged with having information—including UNclassified materials—in his possession that he used in cooperation with a Defense Department Inspector General audit of a program that wasted hundreds of millions of dollars and may have put your civil liberties at risk. As Danielle told the President, “Drake was exactly the kind of whistleblower who deserved protection.”
Prosecuting whistleblowers for their cooperation with authorities will have a chilling effect throughout the federal government at a time when we need whistleblowers to identify waste, fraud, abuse, threats to our civil liberties, and other misconduct.
There is not (or there should not be) a national security exemption to accountability in a democratic society—yet going after a whistleblower like Drake is the antithesis of accountability. The White House should tell the Justice Department to exercise prosecutorial discretion and drop its case against Drake.
In addition, the White House should redouble its efforts from last year and prioritize passage of a new whistleblower protection bill that affords whistleblowers, including those in the national security field, better protections. Despite a new policy issued by the Justice Department in 2009, the state secrets privilege continues to be used in excess. The privilege is invoked to shut down lawsuits, including some that seek accountability from the U.S. government in cases that allege unlawful activities ranging from wrongful kidnapping and imprisonment to a massive warrantless wiretapping operation that violated the U.S. Constitution and the law.
If you don’t know much about the Drake case, or want to know more, there is a plethora of resources available:
Whether you are pro-Obama, anti-Obama, or apolitical, it is clear that the framework for handling national security whistleblowers is fundamentally flawed, and is generally hostile to them. The Drake case is a line in the sand.
Nick Schwellenbach is POGO’s Director of Investigations.
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars
June 10, 2008
Re: http://www.slate.com/id/2193220/pagenum/all/#page_start
Jack, I work for Alex Jones. Please allow me to state for the record I believe your Bilderberg article is bunk. Of course the corporate media, on occasion, reports the comings and goings and when they can — dare I say, when they are permitted — the grist of Bilderberg meetings. You miss the point. It is not so much that there is a partial blackout surrounding these events, but rather what is discussed at the meetings is rarely if ever reported. Adam Smith wrote back in the day, “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public.” Same applies to the Bilderbergers. But then I imagine you likely consider this in the province of tinfoil hat stuff, especially considering who writes your paycheck.
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| Daniel Estulin and Jim Tucker | |
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May I suggest you plunk an addendum on your article after you read Daniel Estulin’s The True Story of the Bilderberg Group? After reading this book, you may actually feel a tinge of embarrassment over the naivety of your article. In this book, Mr. Estulin names plenty of corporate media people who attend this annual confab. No wonder so few corporate media outlets report seriously on Bilderberg, including Slate, owned by the Washington Post. But then the naivety may be on my side, as corporate media writers have a tendency not to experience embarrassment, let alone shame. But then maybe I am a bit too judgmental.
Not sure if you know, but your boss, Donald E. Graham, was on the Bilderberg participation list this year. Now that fact sheds a bit of light on your article. As well, a representative of Microsoft, the multinational corporation that created Slate, was at the meeting. No sense biting that hand that feeds, I suppose.
Finally, I find your article insulting due to the fact Alex Jones and his media team were harassed and threatened while attempting to cover the Bilderberg confab in Chantilly. His wife received a threatening telephone call. I wonder how many effete Washington Post writers would have put up with that for more than five minutes, let alone three days. Dare I say none?
Kurt Nimmo
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Jack Shafer’s response
Kurt,
Thanks for your note.
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| Donald E. Graham, CEO of the Washington Post Company. Mr. Graham violated the Logan Act this past week. | |
I included Don Graham’s name of those have attended Bilderberg in my article and am aware that many journalists have attended the conference. Sorry to hear that the Jones team was harassed and his wife received a threatening phone call. That is inexcusable.
All that said, what evidence do we have that the Bilderberg conference is nefarious? Do you take the Logan Act accusations seriously?
Regards,
Jack
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Jack, I do take the Logan Act violations seriously. Logan specifically addresses the Constitution, Article. II, Section 2, that states the President “shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.” The Logan Act expands on this by stating that any citizen of the United States “who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.”
All Americans in attendance this past week at the Bilderberg conference in Chantilly, Virginia, are in violation of the Logan Act.
I’d have to say those who believe kings, queens, princes, chancellors, prime ministers, presidents, ambassadors, secretaries of state, Wall Street investors, international bankers, news media executives, CEOs of transnational corporations, et al, get together annually to simply and idly engage in informal discussion without seeking to “reach a consensus on the big issues,” as Bilderberg founder and former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Denis Healey once put it, are naive in extremis. Of course the members of Bilderberg wish to reach a consensus. And what is that consensus? Nothing less than the establishment of a world government.
Again, may I suggest you read Daniel Estulin’s The True Story of the Bilderberg Club? This book was named Non-fiction Book of the Year in Canada by the The Kingston Eye Opener and became an international bestseller. It details who the Bilderbergers are and their global agenda.
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| The late Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, a former member of the Nazi SS and founder of the Bilderberg. | |
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Bilderberg founder Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, a former member of the Nazi SS, has said: “It is difficult to re-educate people who have been brought up on nationalism to the idea of relinquishing part of their sovereignty to a supranational body.” Bernhard’s daughter, Queen Beatrix, now carries this message and mission to Bilderberg meetings.
Denis Healey, mentioned above, has said: “World events do not occur by accident. They are made to happen, whether it is to do with national issues or commerce; and most of them are staged and managed by those who hold the purse strings.”
David Rockefeller, a consistent member of the Bilderberg steering committee and unabashed globalist, wrote in his memoir: “Some even believe we are a part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure — one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty and I am proud of it.” Is it possible, when kings, sheiks and presidents visit Rockefeller at his vast family estate at Pocantico, they are engaged in idle chatter? Or are they discussing Rockefeller’s lifelong passion, the establishment of a world government?
On March 5, 2005, during a Bilderberg meeting at the isolated Dorint Sofitel Seehotel Ueberfahrt in Rottach-Egern in Germany, Rockefeller stated: “It would have been quite impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national autodetermination practiced in past centuries.”
British economist Will Hutton was spot on when he declared Bilderberg to be “the backdrop against which policy is made worldwide” and these policies are expected to be later implemented at G-8 meetings, and those of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Asia Times journalist Pepe Escobar has noted: “Whenever corporate media approaches Bilderberg it mirrors the silence of the lambs.” It is a deafening silence over at the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, the Chicago Tribune, and yes the Washington Post, your article notwithstanding.
In fact, I am a bit surprised Slate, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Washington Post, posted your article. But then the corporate media is boxed in a corner now that the Bilderberg confabs increasingly draw attention, never mind the former silence of corporate media lambs.
Finally, it is interesting your article, essentially a hit piece directed against Bilderberg critics, appeared at approximately the same time the Bilderberg press release and participant list appeared. Publishing the press release and the list is a first for the Bilderbergers. It is a defensive move, obviously designed to silence, however feebly, the critics. It will not work, however.
The official participant list reveals no shortage of Americans, from Fed boss Ben Bernanke to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. May I suggest this list be used to round up those in violation of the Logan Act? Of course, that would also include your boss, Donald E Graham, who has no right to discuss the future of U.S. sovereignty in private.
Kurt Nimmo
http://whitewraithe.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/kurt-nimmo-says-bilderberg-article-is-bunk/
Five people locked down, 20 danced on the governor’s table, 70 people occupied the office, business as usual was disrupted!
Note from the filmmaker: “Please pass this along to your friends, groups you work with, and listserves you’re a part of. Let’s build the movement and help put some money in the legal fund for people who put their bodies and freedom on the line!”
ShareThisSEIZE DC! (Unlike the Tea Party, we’re not bringing guns!)
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Citizens for Legitimate Government, http://www.legitgov.org/ (CLG) calls for protest – SEIZE DC!
Why SEIZE DC?
Endless, illegal, murderous and bankrupting war abroad; endless, brutal and bankrupting attacks on the vast majority at home—this is what we protest.
Ten years ago, with the illegitimate installation of Bush as “president,” Citizens for Legitimate Government made it its mission to expose the coup and to oppose the Bush occupation of the White House. We predicted that the installation of Bush was merely the precursor to an era of illegal and undemocratic undertakings on the part of the U.S. government–policies that had begun at home and that would extend across the globe. Unfortunately, we were right. And we were right to say that this era would not and has not ended with Obama. In fact, it continued unabated and gained in intensity.
In 2008, we witnessed a supposed change of guard with the election of Barack Obama. But even before the election took place, we suggested that Obama, rather than being an agent for change, was in fact a cleverly constructed mirage to enable the financial, corporate and military oligarchy to continue on the same course, in fact, to do so with without the degree of opposition that was building to the Bush regime. What we have witnessed is not ‘change you can believe in,’ but, where Obama and most Democrats in Congress are concerned, belief you can change.
From Bush to Obama, we have seen not a change in policies, not a reversal, not even a ‘failing’ to change course, but the exact opposite: a determined continuation, extension and increase of the very same policies.
Rather than an end to imperialist wars, we have witnessed the increase in scope and the extension of war into other countries. Rather than two wars, we now have four.
Rather than policies favouring ‘Main Street’ as promised, we have witnessed the unprecedented transfer of wealth into the coffers of the banks, corporations and military contractors. We have seen record corporate profits while social misery for the working classes continues to rise, with unemployment not seen since the Great Depression and record home foreclosures. We now have austerity imposed on the vast majority while those who caused the financial crisis with wars, bailouts and corruption, pay little or no taxes and enjoy record profits.
Instead of restoring civil liberties, we have seen their further erosion with the extension of the Patriot Act, the increase of surveillance on the web, and a declaration by the president of the right to assassinate American citizens without any legal sanction whatsoever.
Indefinite detentions have not only continued under Obama, but he has also made sure that proven innocence is no cause for release.
This is but a short summary of the reasons for SEIZE DC!
How to SEIZE DC?
We protest “peacefully,” although not passively. We do not accept marching orders. This is how we protest.
For 10 years, we have witnessed the absolute formalization of protests—the seeking of permits, the placing in quarantined zones, the appropriation of ‘free speech’ and the pro forma ‘right to dissent,’ treated as a purely formal and meaningless expression. We say, enough! We need no permission to free speech or the right of assembly. We seek no one’s permission and will not have our protest cordoned off from and made irrelevant to the functioning of a murderous and tyrannical oligarchy. We will not be corralled or controlled. Our protest is a seizure of DC, by which we mean an attempt to seize the attention of the city and the nation so that its policies of seize and destroy may end.
More details on the protest schedule to follow soon.
Lori Price, Editor-in-Chief
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CLG Under Surveillance — CLG Sunshine Project – Citizens for Legitimate Government (CLG) will post .gov and .mil IPs visiting the Seize DC webpage, and others! The following IP addresses correspond to the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the President, the Naval Research Laboratory, and dozens of other governmental organizations accessing the CLG pages. This list comprises only a snapshot of the daily, routine surveillance carried on by the U.S. government on the CLG’s pages.
Secret Service visits CLG member, asks about Seize DC –In two-hour session, Secret Service agents ask, ‘What do you know about SeizeDC?’ By Lori Price 03 Jul 2011
URL of this page: http://legitgov.org/seizedc
Lawsuit Filed To Protect Themselves from Unfair Patent Enforcement on Genetically Modified Seed
Action Would Prohibit Biotechnology Giant from Suing Organic Farmers and Seed Growers If Innocently Contaminated by Roundup Ready Genes
NEW York: On behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses and organic agricultural organizations, the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) filed suit today against Monsanto Company challenging the chemical giant’s patents on genetically modified seed. The organic plaintiffs were forced to sue preemptively to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement should their crops ever become contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed.
Monsanto has sued farmers in the United States and Canada, in the past, when their patented genetic material has inadvertently contaminated their crops.
A copy of the lawsuit can be found at:
(http://www.pubpat.org/assets/files/seed/OSGATA-v-Monsanto-Complaint.pdf)
The case, Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association, et al. v. Monsanto, was filed in federal district court in Manhattan and assigned to Judge Naomi Buchwald. Plaintiffs in the suit represent a broad array of family farmers, small businesses and organizations from within the organic agriculture community who are increasingly threatened by genetically modified seed contamination despite using their best efforts to avoid it. The plaintiff organizations have over 270,000 members, including thousands of certified organic family farmers.
“This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s transgenic seed or pollen should land on their property,” said Dan Ravicher, PUBPAT’s Executive Director. “It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer contaminated by transgenic seed could be accused of patent infringement, but Monsanto has made such accusations before and is notorious for having sued hundreds of farmers for patent infringement, so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients.”
Once released into the environment, genetically modified seed can contaminate and destroy organic seed for the same crop. For example, soon after Monsanto introduced genetically modified seed for canola, organic canola became virtually impossible to grow as a result of contamination.
Organic corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets and alfalfa also face the same fate, as Monsanto has released genetically modified seed for each of those crops as well.
Monsanto is currently developing genetically modified seed for many other crops, thus putting the future of all food, and indeed all agriculture, at stake.
“Monsanto’s threats and abuse of family farmers stops here. Monsanto’s genetic contamination of organic seed and organic crops ends now,” stated Jim Gerritsen, a family farmer in Maine who raises organic seed and is President of lead plaintiff Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association. “Americans have the right to choice in the marketplace – to decide what kind of food they will feed their families.”
“Family-scale farmers desperately need the judiciary branch of our government to balance the power Monsanto is able to wield in the marketplace and in the courts,” said Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst for The Cornucopia Institute, one of the plaintiffs. “Monsanto, and the biotechnology industry, have made great investments in our executive and legislative branches through campaign contributions and powerful lobbyists in Washington.”
In the case, PUBPAT is asking Judge Buchwald to declare that if organic farmers are ever contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed, they need not fear also being accused of patent infringement. One reason justifying this result is that Monsanto’s patents on genetically modified seed are invalid because they don’t meet the “usefulness” requirement of patent law, according to PUBPAT’s Ravicher, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney in the case.
“Evidence cited by PUBPAT in its opening filing today proves that genetically modified seed has negative economic and health effects, while the promised benefits of genetically modified seed – increased production and decreased herbicide use – are false,” added Ravicher who is also a Lecturer of Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York.
Ravicher continued, “Some say transgenic seed can coexist with organic seed, but history tells us that’s not possible, and it’s actually in Monsanto’s financial interest to eliminate organic seed so that they can have a total monopoly over our food supply,” said Ravicher. “Monsanto is the same chemical company that previously brought us Agent Orange, DDT, PCB’s and other toxins, which they said were safe, but we know are not. Now Monsanto says transgenic seed is safe, but evidence clearly shows it is not.”
The plaintiffs in the suit represented by PUBPAT are: Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association; Organic Crop Improvement Association International, Inc.; OCIA Research and Education Inc.; The Cornucopia Institute; Demeter Association, Inc.; Navdanya International; Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts Chapter, Inc.; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont; Rural Vermont; Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association; Southeast Iowa Organic Association; Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society; Mendocino Organic Network; Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Canadian Organic Growers; Family Farmer Seed Cooperative; Sustainable Living Systems; Global Organic Alliance; Food Democracy Now!; Family Farm Defenders Inc.; Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund; FEDCO Seeds Inc.; Adaptive Seeds, LLC; Sow True Seed; Southern Exposure Seed Exchange; Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds; Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., LLC; Comstock, Ferre & Co., LLC; Seedkeepers, LLC; Siskiyou Seeds; Countryside Organics; Cuatro Puertas; Interlake Forage Seeds Ltd.; Alba Ranch; Wild Plum Farm; Gratitude Gardens; Richard Everett Farm, LLC; Philadelphia Community Farm, Inc; Genesis Farm; Chispas Farms LLC; Kirschenmann Family Farms Inc.; Midheaven Farms; Koskan Farms; California Cloverleaf Farms; North Outback Farm; Taylor Farms, Inc.; Jardin del Alma; Ron Gargasz Organic Farms; Abundant Acres; T & D Willey Farms; Quinella Ranch; Nature’s Way Farm Ltd.; Levke and Peter Eggers Farm; Frey Vineyards, Ltd.; Bryce Stephens; Chuck Noble; LaRhea Pepper; Paul Romero; and, Donald Wright Patterson, Jr.
MORE:
Dr. Carol Goland, Ph.D., Executive Director of plaintiff Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) said, “Consumers indicate, overwhelmingly, that they prefer foods made without genetically modified organisms. Organic farms, by regulation, may not use GMOs, while other farmers forego using them for other reasons. Yet the truth is that we are rapidly approaching the tipping point when we will be unable to avoid GMOs in our fields and on our plates. That is the inevitable consequence of releasing genetically engineered materials into the environment. To add injury to injury, Monsanto has a history of suing farmers whose fields have been contaminated by Monsanto’s GMOs. On behalf of farmers who must live under this cloud of uncertainty and risk, we are compelled to ask the Court to put an end to this unconscionable business practice.”
Rose Marie Burroughs of plaintiff California Cloverleaf Farms said, “The devastation caused by GMO contamination is an ecological catastrophe to our world equal to the fall out of nuclear radiation. Nature, farming and health are all being affected by GMO contamination. We must protect our world by protecting our most precious, sacred resource of seed sovereignty. People must have the right to the resources of the earth for our sustenance. We must have the freedom to farm that causes no harm to the environment or to other people. We must protect the environment, farmers’ livelihood, public health and people’s right to non GMO food contamination.”
Jim Gerritsen, a family farmer in Maine who raises organic seed and is President of lead plaintiff Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association based in Montrose, Colorado, said, “Today is Independence Day for America. Today we are seeking protection from the Court and putting Monsanto on notice. Monsanto’s threats and abuse of family farmers stops here. Monsanto’s genetic contamination of organic seed and organic crops ends now. Americans have the right to choice in the marketplace – to decide what kind of food they will feed their families
– and we are taking this action on their behalf to protect that right to choose. Organic farmers have the right to raise our organic crops for our families and our customers on our farms without the threat of invasion by Monsanto’s genetic contamination and without harassment by a reckless polluter. Beginning today, America asserts her right to justice and pure food.”
Ed Maltby, Executive Director of plaintiff Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA) said, “It’s outrageous that we find ourselves in a situation where the financial burden of GE contamination will fall on family farmers who have not asked for or contributed to the growth of GE crops. Family farmers will face contamination of their crops by GE seed which will threaten their ability to sell crops as organically certified or into the rapidly growing ‘Buy Local’ market where consumers have overwhelmingly declared they do not want any GE crops, and then family farmers may be faced by a lawsuit by Monsanto for patent infringement. We take this action to protect family farms who once again have to bear the consequences of irresponsible actions by Monsanto.”
David L. Rogers, Policy Advisor for plaintiff NOFA Vermont said, “Vermont’s farmers have worked hard to meet consumers’ growing demand for certified organic and non-GE food. It is of great concern to them that Monsanto’s continuing and irresponsible marketing of GE crops that contaminate non-GE plantings will increasingly place their local and regional markets at risk and threaten their livelihoods.”
Dewane Morgan of plaintiff Midheaven Farms in Park Rapids, Minnesota, said, “For organic certification, farmers are required to have a buffer zone around their perimeter fields. Crops harvested from this buffer zone are not eligible for certification due to potential drift from herbicide and fungicide drift. Buffer zones are useless against pollen drift. Organic, biodynamic, and conventional farmers who grow identity-preserved soybeans, wheat and open-pollinated corn often save seed for replanting the next year. It is illogical that these farmers are liable for cross-pollination contamination.”
Jill Davies, Director of plaintiff Sustainable Living Systems in Victor, Montana, said, “The building blocks of life are sacred and should be in the public domain. If scientists want to study and manipulate them for some supposed common good, fine. Then we must remove the profit motive. The private profit motive corrupts pure science and increasingly precludes democratic participation.”
David Murphy, founder and Executive Director of plaintiff Food Democracy Now! said, “None of Monsanto’s original promises regarding genetically modified seeds have come true after 15 years of wide adoption by commodity farmers. Rather than increased yields or less chemical usage, farmers are facing more crop diseases, an onslaught of herbicide-resistant superweeds, and increased costs from additional herbicide application. Even more appalling is the fact that Monsanto’s patented genes can blow onto another farmer’s fields and that farmer not only loses significant revenue in the market but is frequently exposed to legal action against them by Monsanto’s team of belligerent lawyers. Crop biotechnology has been a miserable failure economically and biologically and now threatens to undermine the basic freedoms that farmers and consumers have enjoyed in our constitutional democracy.”
Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst for plaintiff The Cornucopia Institute said, “We need the court system to offset this power and protect individual farmers from corporate tyranny. Farmers have saved seeds since the beginning of agriculture by our species. It is outrageous that one corporate entity, through the trespass of what they refer to as their ‘technology,’ can intimidate and run roughshod over family farmers in this country. It should be the responsibility of Monsanto, and farmers licensing their technology, to ensure that genetically engineered DNA does not trespass onto neighboring farmland. It is outrageous, that through no fault of their own, farmers are being intimidated into not saving seed for fear that they will be doggedly pursued through the court system and potentially bankrupted.”
A remarkable and direct speech to the House regarding the current overreach of Government authority and the plans of Congress to expand War Powers beyond control.
First Posted: 3/30/11 05:21 PM ET Updated: 5/30/11 06:12 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert U.S. government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters on Wednesday.
(SCROLL DOWN FOR LIVE UPDATES)
Obama signed the order, known as a presidential “finding”, within the last two or three weeks, according to four U.S. government sources familiar with the matter.
Such findings are a principal form of presidential directive used to authorize secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA and the White House declined immediate comment.
News that Obama had given the authorization surfaced as the President and other U.S. and allied officials spoke openly about the possibility of sending arms supplies to Gaddafi’s opponents, who are fighting better-equipped government forces.
The United States is part of a coalition, with NATO members and some Arab states, which is conducting air strikes on Libyan government forces under a U.N. mandate aimed at protecting civilians opposing Gaddafi.
In interviews with American TV networks on Tuesday, Obama said the objective was for Gaddafi to “ultimately step down” from power. He spoke of applying “steady pressure, not only militarily but also through these other means” to force Gaddafi out.
Obama said the U.S. had not ruled out providing military hardware to rebels. “It’s fair to say that if we wanted to get weapons into Libya, we probably could. We’re looking at all our options at this point,” the President told ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer.
U.S. officials monitoring events in Libya say that at present, neither Gaddafi’s forces nor the rebels, who have asked the West for heavy weapons, appear able to make decisive gains.
While U.S. and allied airstrikes have seriously damaged Gaddafi’s military forces and disrupted his chain of command, officials say, rebel forces remain disorganized and unable to take full advantage of western military support.
SPECIFIC OPERATIONS
People familiar with U.S. intelligence procedures said that Presidential covert action “findings” are normally crafted to provide broad authorization for a range of potential U.S. government actions to support a particular covert objective.
In order for specific operations to be carried out under the provisions of such a broad authorization — for example the delivery of cash or weapons to anti-Gaddafi forces — the White House also would have to give additional “permission” allowing such activities to proceed.
Former officials say these follow-up authorizations are known in the intelligence world as “‘Mother may I’ findings.”
In 2009 Obama gave a similar authorization for the expansion of covert U.S. counter-terrorism actions by the CIA in Yemen. The White House does not normally confirm such orders have been issued.
Because U.S. and allied intelligence agencies still have many questions about the identities and leadership of anti-Gaddafi forces, any covert U.S. activities are likely to proceed cautiously until more information about the rebels can be collected and analyzed, officials said.
“The whole issue on (providing rebels with) training and equipment requires knowing who the rebels are,” said Bruce Riedel, a former senior CIA Middle East expert who has advised the Obama White House.
Riedel said that helping the rebels to organize themselves and training them how use weapons effectively would be more urgent then shipping them arms.
According to an article speculating on possible U.S. covert actions in Libya published early in March on the website of the Voice of America, the U.S. government’s broadcasting service, a covert action is “any U.S. government effort to change the economic, military, or political situation overseas in a hidden way.”
ARMS SUPPLIES
The article, by VOA intelligence correspondent Gary Thomas, said covert action “can encompass many things, including propaganda, covert funding, electoral manipulation, arming and training insurgents, and even encouraging a coup.”
U.S. officials also have said that Saudi Arabia and Qatar, whose leaders despise Gaddafi, have indicated a willingness to supply Libyan rebels with weapons.
Members of Congress have expressed anxiety about U.S. government activates in Libya. Some have recalled that weapons provided by the U.S. and Saudis to mujahedeen fighting Soviet occupation forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s later ended up in the hands of anti-American militants.
There are fears that the same thing could happen in Libya unless the U.S. is sure who it is dealing with. The chairman of the House intelligence committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, said on Wednesday he opposed supplying arms to the Libyan rebels fighting Gaddafi “at this time.”
“We need to understand more about the opposition before I would support passing out guns and advanced weapons to them,” Rogers said in a statement.
(Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by David Storey)
Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.
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@ BreakingNews : Anti-Gadhafi fighters in Misurata say 28 people had died in the city in the past three days – Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/ecR130 |
Gaddafi forces have reportedly captured the wife of Moussa Koussa, the former Foreign Minister who defected while in England. Reports the Telegraph:
The wife of the Libyan foreign minister who defected to Britain earlier this week has been seized by Colonel Gaddafi and is being interrogated by his “internal security” officials, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.She is thought to have been captured amid eyewitness reports of a fierce gunfight at Col Gaddafi’s central Tripoli compound as the regime stepped in to stop further defections.
Yesterday, local residents recalled how the most fierce firefight yet seen in central Tripoli had erupted within hours of the regime confirming that the Foreign Minister had defected.
Read the entire report here.
NBC’s Ann Curry tweets that the U.S. will move to support missions only:
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@ AnnCurry : NBCNews: US military will stop flying COMBAT missions over Libya, only SUPPORT missions incl reconnaissance, starting April 2. |
Channel Four correspondent Jonathan Rugman spoke with Libya’s former Prime Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi, who said that Gaddafi is trying to set up talks to stop the killing. During the interview, Obeidi told Rugman, “We are trying to talk to the British, the French and the Americans to stop the killing of people. We are trying to find a mutual solution.”
Watch a report from Channel Four on the Libya talks below:
Fact Check: Senate Did Approve No Fly Zone
Despite complaints to the contrary, the U.S. Senate actually did support a no-fly zone over Libya. The AP reports:
Some lawmakers are grousing loudly that President Barack Obama sent the nation’s military to Libya without Congress’ blessing. They’re ignoring a key fact: The Senate a month ago voted to support imposing a no-fly zone to protect civilians from attacks by Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.
With no objections, the Senate on March 1 backed a resolution strongly condemning “the gross and systematic violations of human rights in Libya” and urging the U.N. Security Council to take action, “including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone over Libyan territory.”
There was no recorded vote. It was simply approved by unanimous consent.
Reuters reports:
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@ Reuters : FLASH: Libyan government rejects rebels’ conditions for ceasefire, says troops will not leave Libyan cities |
Reuters adds:
“They are asking us to withdraw from our own cities. …. If this is not mad then I don’t know what this is. We will not leave out cities,” said Mussa Ibrahim, the government spokesman.
Robert Haddick, writing at Foreign Policy, argues that the rebels need combat skills much more than they need heavy artillery. He writes:
On March 30, it was reported that CIA officers were in Libya with the rebels, making an assessment of their situation and possibly directing airstrikes in support of their fighters. We can gather from open sources much of what these intelligence officers are likely to report. As a military force, Libya’s rebels are a disorganized rabble and seem incapable of preparing and holding defensive positions or maneuvering effectively against rudimentary enemy resistance. The rebels need boot camp, fundamental infantry training, and the development of some battlefield leaders, not a new stockpile of weapons.Those Western leaders whose plan currently consists of hoping that Qaddafi will be spontaneously overthrown need to think again. Absent a Western invasion of the country, the rebel force is the only means of removing Qaddafi, and the rebels will need many months or even years of training before they are capable of defeating loyalist ground units and marching all the way to Tripoli.
Read the entire piece here.
Gunfire has been reported in Gaddafi’s compound. Reuters reports:
Sustained gunfire rang out near Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s heavily fortified compound in Tripoli on Friday and residents said they saw snipers on rooftops and pools of blood on the streets.
It was not clear what triggered long bursts of machinegun and automatic gunfire that echoed around the city center for about 20 minutes and stopped before dawn.
Cars were heard speeding along central Tripoli streets, their tires screeching on the asphalt. Distant shouting or chanting also was heard.
A journalist who was picked up by Libyan security details his ordeal. Here’s an excerpt of his story from Reuters:
We sat quietly. I turned to Chris, a London-based Canadian I had worked with in Iraq. I said I thought they would kill us.
A soldier opened the lock and the rear door swung open again. We looked down at the back of a station wagon which had been opened up to reveal some blankets. I thought they would perhaps drive us away. Maybe they were going to free us?
But a closer look showed feet poking under the blankets.
Soldiers then pulled aside the coverings and hauled three handcuffed young men up and in beside us. When we were locked in again, they told us they were Libyan university students.
Later, several soldiers came in. “Who are you?” one asked me. We are Reuters journalists, I said. He is our driver. We have permission. We were invited here by your government.
The soldier shook his head. “Bad time to be a journalist in Libya.” Reporters were part of a foreign conspiracy against Libya, he said. But then he made it clear that if they decided we were not journalists but spies, that would be worse.
“If you tell us the truth, it should be fine, God willing. But if we catch you lying, oh we will show no mercy. None.”
Read the rest here.
Libyan rebels have made a deal to sell oil to Qatar. Reports the AP:
A plan to sell rebel-held oil to buy weapons and other supplies has been reached with Qatar, a rebel official said Friday, in another sign of deepening aid for Libya’s opposition by the wealthy Gulf state after sending warplanes to help confront Moammar Gadhafi’s forces.
It was not immediately clear when the possible oil sales could begin or how the arms would reach the rebel factions, but any potential revenue stream would be a significant lifeline for the militias and military defectors battling Gadhafi’s superior forces.
Gaddafi forces are attacking home in Misrata, according to rebels. Reuters reports:
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are mounting an intense artillery bombardment of rebel-held Misrata and pro-Gaddafi troops are attacking shops and homes in the city center, a rebel spokesman said.
Misrata is the last big rebel stronghold in western Libya but after weeks of shelling and encirclement, government forces appear to be gradually loosening the rebels’ hold on the city, despite Western air strikes on pro-Gaddafi targets there.
The Associated Press reports:
Libya’s rebels will agree to a cease-fire if Moammar Gadhafi pulls his military forces out of cities and allows peaceful protests against his regime, an opposition leader said Friday.Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the opposition’s interim governing council based in Benghazi, said the rebels’ condition for a cease-fire is “that the Gadhafi brigades and forces withdraw from inside and outside Libyan cities to give freedom to the Libyan people to choose and the world will see that they will choose freedom.”
Read more here.
Libyan rebels moved towards the key oil town of Brega on Friday, as conditions drifted towards a stalemate. Reuters reports:
Libyan rebels moved heavier weaponry toward the oil town of Brega on Friday and sought to marshal rag-tag units into a more disciplined force to regain momentum against Muammar Gaddafi’s regular army.
While military action appeared to drift toward stalemate, coalition diplomatic efforts focused on breaking Gaddafi’s hold on power in Tripoli. London urged Gaddafi loyalists to abandon him, following the defection of Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa.
Rebels said neither side could claim control of Brega, one of a string of oil towns along the Mediterranean coast that have been taken and retaken several times by each side in recent weeks. The insurgents have failed to hold gains, even when helped by Western air strikes.
From Al Jazeera:
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle says Libya’s crisis cannot be resolved through military means and all sides must get to work on a political resolution.Westerwelle said on a visit to China that a first step must be a cease-fire that is heeded by Gaddafi.
BBC News reports that U.S. senators are drafting legislation that would authorize the use of force in Libya. The senators include John Kerry and John McCain.
The 1973 War Powers Act says US armed forces must start to withdraw after 60 days unless explicitly authorised to fight by Congress. In the case of Libya, that mark would fall on 20 May, Mr Kerry said.
More here.
The National Journal reports that the U.S. may be on a slippery slope when it comes to the Libyan mission:
It’s an old question, but we’ve been through enough of these interventions now –from Vietnam to Kosovo to Afghanistan–to insist on asking it once again: Is the United States on a slippery slope in Libya, one that will lead to American military involvement on the ground? The evidence, on balance, is that under President Obama the U.S. presence is going to expand quickly—but covertly.
Read the full article here.
Reuters reports that Libya’s top oil official, Shokri Ghanem, has denied rumors that he left the country.
Al Jazeera television listed Ghanem as one the figures who had left Libya, but Ghanem said in a phone call, “This is not true, I am in my office and I will be on TV in a few minutes.”
More here.
London Mayor: We May Be Inadvertently ‘Entrenching Support For The Mad Colonel’
BBC News reports that London Mayor Boris Johnson, a Conservative, offers his concerns about involvement in Libya:
“I am worried that what we may be doing inadvertently is entrenching support for the mad colonel… I do worry that if we get into a stalemate, if the rebels don’t seem to be making the progress we hope they would make, then we should be brave enough to say to ourselves our policy isn’t working.”
More here.
Second Top Libyan Official Defects, Government Cracks Down To Prevent Officials From Leaving
The New York Times reports that as a second top Libyan official, Ali Abdussalam el-Treki, defects from the Gaddafi government, fears mount within the regime.
The capital of Tripoli was alive with rumored defections on Thursday, with the prime minister and the speaker of Parliament, among other top figures, said at various times to be quitting the country. None of those reports could be verified. But the authorities were taking no chances, assigning guards to senior officials to assure they cannot leave, a former Libyan official said.
More here.
BBC News reports that, according to U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen, international air strikes have been hampered by bad weather over the past few days.
According to AFP, Mullen says that they have not been able to see through the weather to identify targets. “And that has more than anything else reduced the impact… reduced the effectiveness, and has allowed the regime forces to move back to the east.”
More here.
WATCH: At Least Four Senior Figures Reportedly Plan To Defect From Gaddafi Gov’t
Al Jazeera reporter Anita McNaught discusses the defections in Libya:
“We got word from sources outside of Tripoli that there were at least four senior figures from the Gadaffi administration who were perhaps in Tunisia, or certainly outside the country and not intending to go home. These were, last night as we understood it, the current head of the Intelligence Service, the Oil Minister (and I’ll mark a question mark with that in a minute), the Secretary of the General People’s Congress, and the Deputy Foreign Minister.”
Libyan TV: Pro-Gaddafi Protestor Threatens To Become An ‘Explosive Bomb’
BBC News reports on apparent threats in London by a pro-Gaddafi protestor:
Libyan state television has broadcast footage showing a pro-Gaddafi protestor in London yanking open his jacket and vowing to turn himself an “explosive bomb”, a video on YouTube shows. The incident is said to have occurred at the protest near the Foreign Office in Whitehall on 29 March. In the clip, which has been circulated widely on social media, the man refers to anti-Gaddafi protestors as “traitors and rats”, and exhorts Libyans to “return to the Koran.”
More here.
The Guardian reports that Mohammed Ismail, a senior aide to Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam, has traveled to London for confidential talks with British officials.
It is suggested that the regime may be looking for an exit strategy. There is speculation that Gaddafi’s sons, namely Saif al-Islam, Saadi and Mutassim, are looking for a way out.
Although he has little public profile in either Libya or internationally, Ismail is recognised by diplomats as being a key fixer and representative for Saif al-Islam.According to cables published by WikiLeaks, Ismail has represented the Libyan government in arms purchase negotiations and acted as an interlocutor on military and political issues.
“The message that was delivered to him is that Gaddafi has to go and that there will be accountability for crimes committed at the international criminal court,” a Foreign Office spokesman told the Guardian , declining to elaborate on what else may have been discussed.
More here.
The Associated Press/Huffington Post report:
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan continued his defense of embattled Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi during a press conference in Chicago Thursday, and slammed the United States’ decision to get involved in the conflict.
The 78-year-old leader of the Chicago-based organization spoke at Mosque Maryam, the Nation of Islam headquarters, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“It is a terrible thing for me to hear my brother called all these ugly and filthy names when I can’t recognize him as that,” Farrakhan said of Gaddafi, according to the Tribune. “Even though the current tide is moving against him … how can I refuse to raise my voice in his defense? Why would I back down from those who have given so much.”
Farrakhan has publicly defended Gaddafi a number of times since the Libyan uprising began. He reportedly visited the Libyan leader in the 1980s, and told attendees of a Nation of Islam convention in February that the United States should stay out of Libya’s affairs.
Full report here.
Breaking News reports on Twitter that according to the UK Independent, Britain is in talks with ten more Gaddafi officials about possible defection.
BBC News provides the account of a witness in Tripoli.
According to the witness, any anti-government dissidents who spoke out publicly were deemed by officials as mentally ill and thus detained indefinitely. Because of this, the witness is not surprised that Iman al-Obeidi was immediately described as mentally ill last week.
She is not the first case of rape we have heard of here.I have heard of two other cases in recent weeks. One of them was of a Moroccan housekeeper who was left behind by her employers as they fled to a safe house because half their family members had been detained.
The story that circulated through word-of-mouth was that security forces stormed the house she was staying in with the intention of detaining the rest of the family. Finding her alone there instead, they raped her.
Read the full account here.
Libyan Diplomat: Most High-Ranking Officials Are Trying To Defect But Struggle To Leave
A top Libyan diplomat now supporting the opposition says most high-rank Libyan officials are trying to defect but are under tight security and having difficulty leaving the country.
Ibrahim Dabbashi, Libya’s deputy U.N. ambassador, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Libya’s U.N. Mission, which now totally supports the opposition, knew two days in advance that Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa planned to defect.
“This is a big blow to the regime,” Dabbashi said.
He said the mission had been waiting for about 10 days for Ali Abdessalam Treki, a former foreign minister and U.N. General Assembly president named by Moammar Gadhafi to be the new U.N. ambassador, to defect. Treki announced his defection Thursday in Cairo.
More here.
Libya’s Transitional National Council has released a statement on counter-terrorism. The council says that it condemns and will combat all forms of terrorism.
Regarding al-Qaeda, the council states:
It emphasizes also its full commitment to the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions on Counter-Terrorism, including the resolutions on the Sanctions concerning al-Qaeda and Taliban, with the full commitment to all measures and sanctions concerning any individual or entity associated with al-Qaeda and Taliban as determined by the Sanctions Committee.
The council pledges to help the United Nations and cooperate with it’s counter-terrorism task forces.
Read the full statement here.
HuffPost’s Saki Knafo reports:
Earlier this week, rebel forces in Libya fought their way to the outskirts of Sirte, a seafront city about the size of Tallahassee. The day before, pushing westward along the coast from Ajdabiya, they’d recaptured the oil towns of Brega and Ras Lanuf — Sirte, experts said, was the last major obstacle standing in the rebels’ path to the capital city of Tripoli.
Sirte. Before Sunday, few outside Libya had heard of it. Now it’s being portrayed as the key to Libya’s hopes for democracy, the fulcrum on which the nation’s fate would turn. Its importance can be explained partly by location, its proximity to the capital. But it mattered for other reasons, too, reasons that reveal a lot about a conflict with complexities outsiders are only beginning to grasp.
Read the full story here.
Moussa Koussa Was Reportedly Not Offered Immunity, ICC Listed Him Second In Controlling Forces
According to The New York Times, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague denies that Moussa Koussa was offered any immunity to lure him to leave Gaddafi’s regime. Hague reports that he is voluntarily speaking with British officials.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said on March 3 that he would investigate “alleged crimes against humanity committed in Libya since 15 February, as peaceful demonstrators were attacked by security forces.” He placed Mr. Koussa second after Colonel Qaddafi on a list of “some individuals with formal or de facto authority, who commanded and had control over the forces that allegedly committed the crimes.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/30/obama–secret-order-libya-signed-rebel-support_n_842734.html
This recent dialog between Iranian Presidential Advisor Esfandiar Rahim Mashai and Spiegel Online is interesting in that it highlights the nuances behind the release of the cables and how governments use various tactics to spin the fall-out in ways they find advantageous at least on the surface.
Take the following scenario for example. You have a private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst, who obtains access to 250,000 cables specifically according to Wikipedia ..”In online discussions with Adrian Lamo, Manning claimed responsibility for leaking the “Collateral Murder” video, a video of the Granai airstrike and approximately 250,000 individual cables, to the whistleblower website Wikileaks.[5][6]”
And then, according to Wikipedia, …”Manning was arrested by agents of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command in May 2010 and held in pre-trial confinement in a military jail at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.[1][2][3] On July 5, 2010, two misconduct charges were brought against him for “transferring classified data onto his personal computer and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system” and “communicating, transmitting and delivering national defense information to an unauthorized source”.[2][7] The charges included unauthorized access to Secret Internet Protocol routers network computers, download of more than 150,000 United States Department of State diplomatic cables, download of a classified PowerPoint presentation, and downloading a classified video of a military operation in Baghdad on July 12, 2007. Manning is also charged for forwarding the video and at least one of the cables to an unauthorized person.[15] The maximum jail sentence is 52 years.[1]”] (footnotes can be found in Wikipedia article not here).
Adrian Lamo, is apparently the informant who notified the Army Criminal Investigation Command of Bradley’s admissions. This information was published by Wired Magazine back in June in this article http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/leak/
According to the Wired June article ..”Manning was turned in late last month by a former computer hacker with whom he spoke online. In the course of their chats, Manning took credit for leaking a headline-making video of a helicopter attack that Wikileaks posted online in April. The video showed a deadly 2007 U.S. helicopter air strike in Baghdad that claimed the lives of several innocent civilians.”
“He said he also leaked three other items to Wikileaks: a separate video showing the notorious 2009 Garani air strike in Afghanistan that Wikileaks has previously acknowledged is in its possession; a classified Army document evaluating Wikileaks as a security threat, which the site posted in March; and a previously unreported breach consisting of 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables that Manning described as exposing “almost criminal political back dealings.”
So what we have is a “former hacker” turning in his online friend to the Army… The question is, where in this interaction, did the U.S. become aware of what Bradley Manning was doing and whether the convenience of the open admissions with a former hacker would not have been completely surveilled well in advance by Echelon giving the PTB every chance to make sure that this caper on the part of Manning succeeded or failed and just how easily they allowed him access to this material… with perhaps the intention that if leaked… they would be able to make use of this misbehavior to their own ends.
To make this clearer I would urge everyone to again view the recently cancelled TV series “Rubicon” for an interesting correlation whereby you have intelligence analysts who have early access to information… being given free reign by the PTB in order to manipulate them into releasing this info or thinking they were getting away with something only to find that in doing so they were actually conveniently fulfilling the ultimate plans of the very people they attempted to expose.
This is not out of the question. Here, in this situation, you have a heroic young intelligence analyst, Manning. And you have a “former hacker”, Adrian, who befriends him online (it is not clear whether they had met in person). This much is clear. That the hacker would know full well that their dialog and Bradley’s admission of guilt would be being recorded as are all online conversations, written or verbal, by Echelon or whatever surveillance system you prefer by whatever name, and that therefore it is highly possible, in that this former hacker, Adrian, in not warning Bradley that their conversation would be surveilled, was already in the employ of the PTB.
Further, this scenario lends itself to a perfect sting operation. And that in releasing the aforementioned trove of info that a sort of global information firestorm would be unleashed. Wikileaks is only peripheral to this mix. The real objective, may have been quite different. That is, the PTB knowing they have on their hands a rebel analyst, use this to their own ends in allowing him to gain access to damaging material and go so far, because it suits their ultimate purpose.
So what then, one must ask, is their ultimate end here? This is where it becomes more convoluted because the PTB are not a united front. In this case it may be that certain high level interest groups, be they the Joint Chiefs or the Pentagon or the CIA have a vested interest in these releases because overall, the damage done is more slanted one way than another. And the tipping point is that somewhere in these leaks is an agenda that steers the ship of states (that is, countries) more in the preferred direction.
Certain people may lose others may gain, maybe Hilary Clinton, maybe a delicate balance of power concerning China and Taiwan or North Korea or India… Without the release of all of the cables, it’s impossible to judge cui bono (who benefits). But it is entirely possible that some group, maybe a rebel faction of the Joint Chiefs or maybe some element of the Rothschilds vs the Rockefellers…. But it is clear that one side or another will come out of this diplomatic debacle much better off… than another.
So this is what the Iranian presidential advisor is alluding to. However, in his facile statements and lavish assurances of how “forgiving” Iran is of its neighbors and how there is nothing whatsoever to be “afraid of” in regard to their nuclear ambitions, or the supposed lack thereof… This much is obvious, he is playing politics the Middle Eastern way. Soothing ruffled feathers with smooth talk and at the same time noting with the keen eye of a well schooled observer that very little gets by the surveillance of governments these days, unless they allow it to. And this is at the root of the problem.
Because, as Mark Klein, the whistle blower from AT&T, who found out that the government was surveilling all citizens communications 5 years ago and reported this. Listen to his story here: http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_120910_full_show.mp3
All you have to do is extrapolate from this to the massive Cray computers underground in Colorado and you have just the edge of the iceberg that is worldwide in reach. From what our whistleblowers say, very little goes without being recorded… especially when it involves individuals who work for the government, the military or are known hackers or other activists, such as this writer.
With that in mind, one cannot take the Wikileaks as a simple straight-forward release of source to Wikileaks of information. This release has to be mitigated by the goings on that led to the release prior to when it ever landed on the doorstep, metaphorically speaking… of Wikileaks.
Now, is Wikileaks also part of this sting operation? Very likely. But this is all in a days work when you are a website for whistleblowers. As we at Project Camelot know. It is naive to think that anything we receive is not, at some level, allowed to happen. None of this discounts the acts of valor that are at the root of any real release of information that reveals the reality behind the matrix. On the contrary, the individuals who take real action, the Bradley Mannings, Julian Assanges and all the other whistleblowers who risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones to reveal the truth are the heroes out of this scenario.
But those behind the scenes in this surveillance society, the ones who call themselves Magus, who manipulate the effects of the truly courageous actions of the bright stars, diamonds in the rough, under their Control, cannot be ignored. It is necessary that we go deeper into the black, what some would call, above black, to discover the real war being fought. And then, to reveal those manipulators and what is behind their actions. Because only then do we begin to tap into the controllers behind the Controllers. And find out perhaps, who is fighting the good fight for us, or against us. Because there is a hidden side, working above black, for the light. We may not recognize them, they are too hidden, too deep in the black, for us to know just who they are. But they are there. And we can acknowledge them here, at least.
The only way we can find out whether it is they or the truly black-souled group who are the victors in this recent release, remains to be seen. But I caution everyone who is involved in this drama, actor or observer, to watch carefully and at the end of the day, when all the cables are out… ask one question, who benefits?
Update January 12, 2011: First WikiLeaks’ Cable Mentioning UFOs Released
A new report circulating in the Kremlin today prepared for President Medvedev by Russian Space Forces (VKS) 45th Division of Space Control says that an upcoming WikiLeaks release of secret US cables details that the Americans have been “engaged” since 2004 in a “war” against UFO’s based on or near the Continent of Antarctica, particularly the Southern Ocean.
According to this report, the United States went to its highest alert level on June 10, 2004 after a massive fleet of UFO’s “suddenly emerged” from the Southern Ocean and approached Guadalajara, Mexico barely 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) from the American border. Prior to reaching the US border, however, this massive UFO fleet is said in this report to have “dimensionally returned” to their Southern Ocean “home base”.
The fears of the Americans regarding these Southern Ocean UFO’s began, this report says, during the unprecedented events of July 11, 1991 (referred to as 7/11) when during the Solar Eclipse these mysterious aircraft appeared by the hundreds over nearly all of Mexico, even their Capital city. Most notable about the events of 7/11 were that as millions of Mexicans were watching on their televisions the National broadcasts of these UFO’s over Mexico City, the American media refused to allow their people to view it.
Since 2004, this report continues, fleets of Southern Ocean UFO’s have continued to emerge from their bases, with the latest such event being this Friday past when another of their massive fleets was sighted over the South American Nation of Chile.
The “immediate danger” to our World when these massive UFO fleets emerge from the Southern Ocean, this report warns, are the massive waves caused by their sudden eruption from what are believed to be their underwater base, or bases. In the past week alone, the Clelia II, an Antarctic cruise ship with 160 people onboard, was nearly capsized when hit by waves generated by these UFO’s emerging from the Southern Ocean, and just today the Number One Insung has been reported sunk with only 20 of its 42 member crew said saved due to the same cause.
Interesting to note in this report is its confirming our October 14th report US Shuts Down New York City Airspace Over UFO ‘Threat’ that these same Southern Ocean UFO’s were responsible for the closing of the airspace over New York City this past fall (October 13th) when they “appeared” openly and were witnessed by tens of thousands of people, and which, coincidentally, occurred during the same time frame as the mysterious Crystal Skulls of the ancient South American peoples were being exhibited there too.
Even more interesting to note is that the mysterious earthquakes being reported in the Gulf of Aden (where another “extraterrestrial” event is currently ongoing and we had reported on in our December 1st report Mysterious ‘Vortex’ Warned Is Creating Global Weather Catastrophe) are now being reported occurring in the Southern Ocean too.
This report goes on to state that after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange warned last week that he would begin releasing secret US cables relating to these Southern Ocean UFO’s, and the Americans “war” against them, he was immediately arrested by British Police on trumped up charges issued by the Swedish government which in our December 8th report, Global Rebellion Erupts After “Unprotected Sex Meets Disrobed Governments”, we noted were engineered against him as a “classic” CIA “Honey Trap”.
Note: Since our last report on the EU-US frame-up of Assange it is now being reported that one of his two accusers, Anna Ardin, has fled Sweden and is now in hiding in the Palestinian territories.
To if Assange, or his WikiLeaks website, will survive to see the whole release of these Southern Ocean UFO files it is not to our knowing, nor does this report say.
What is in our knowing, however, and when coupled with the information we reported on in our December 10th report Massive Earthquake Fears Rise After Mysterious Object Moves Nearer To Earth, suggests that the timing of these events, as we near the December 20/21 Total Lunar Eclipse, and as Mercury turns retrograde and joins Mars as it forms a conjunction with Pluto, that the ending of this year, 2010, truly marks the ending of this age as prophesied by the ancients.
In the Sorcha Faal’s seminal work published in 2007, Battle Begins For Throne of This World: The Return of the Einherjar Warriors, she notes that in these “last days” the “guideposts” to what the future will hold for humanity does, indeed, rest hidden to the discerning reader in the words handed down to us by the ancients, none being more important in this case than those of Nostradamus, who in writing of this coming Lunar Eclipse and feared conjunctions warned:
“The arms to fight in the sky a long time,
The tree in the middle of the city fallen:
Sacred bough clipped, steel, in the face of the firebrand,
Then the Monarch of Adria fallen.” Quatrain 3:11
Most ominously for our World today, “the tree in the middle of the city” has, indeed, “fallen” with news from Glastonbury that the 2,000-year-old Holy Thorn Tree, one of Christianities oldest and most revered symbols, has been cut down by vandals. With the great tree now “fallen”, the battle for this Earth now moves to the “sky” until the “Monarch of Adria” (Pope Benedict XVI) has “fallen” too.
http://www.eutimes.net/2010/12/wikileaks-set-to-reveal-us-ufo-war-in-southern-ocean/
Dylan Ratigan is mad as hell and he isn’t going to take it anymore. While hosting a discussion on the seemingly endemic problems that the U.S. political process is enduring — specifically how it relates to responsibly fiscal policy — the MSNBC host blew a gasket over what he sees as the real mathematical problem at play. The impassioned diatribe was delivered in the context of the recent credit downgrade and market volatility, and Ratigan placed equal blame on both Republicans and Democrats, but mostly argued about the entire integrated system, which included banking, trade and taxation.
It’s a rare moment to see a cable news host speak so passionately, and this is about as entertainingly unhinged as you will ever want to see. While I encourage you to watch the entire clip, the essence of his message can best be explained in this particular part (transcript via):
We’ve got a real problem…this is a mathematical fact. Tens of trillions of dollars are being extracted from the United States of America. Democrats aren’t doing it, Republicans aren’t doing it, an entire integrated system, banking, trade and taxation, created by both parties over a period of two decades is at work on our entire country right now.
At one point Ratigan became self-aware enough to recognize that he’d lost his temper, before explaining the source of his frustration by saying “I’ve been coming on TV for three years doing this, and the fact of the matter is, that there’s a refusal on both the Democratic and the Republican side of the aisle to acknowledge the mathematical problem.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=By8MDDwNIvEA
Bitcoin, the decentralized virtual currency whose value has skyrocketed in recent weeks, faced a key test Monday as a veteran user reported that Bitcoins worth hundreds of thousands of dollars had been stolen from his computer.
Ars Technica was unable to independently verify the user’s story, and he did not respond to our request for an interview. But whether the story is true or not, it highlights a major disadvantage of the currency’s much-touted lack of intermediaries. Bypassing middlemen frees users from government meddling and bank fees. But it also deprives them of the benefits those intermediaries provide, including protection against theft and fraud.
As we reported last week, Bitcoin’s key selling point is its clever peer-to-peer scheme for recording transactions. Rather than relying on a centralized database, the Bitcoin protocol allows any computer on the Internet to participate in the payment clearing process. At the end of each 10-minute round, one of the nodes is chosen at random to receive a payment for his contribution to the process. For this reason, participating in the clearing process is known as “mining” Bitcoins.
The user known as “allinvain” is a long-time contributor to the Bitcoin forums. He says he’s been mining Bitcoins for over a year, and had amassed a fortune of 25,000 BTC. This was a modest sum a few months ago, when Bitcoins were worth pennies, but over the last two months the value of a Bitcoin skyrocketed to around $20, which means 25,000 BTC would have been worth half a million dollars. “I remember watching the price like a hawk,” he wrote.
And then disaster struck. “I just woke up to see a very large chunk of my bitcoin balance gone,” he wrote. “Needles [sic] to say I feel like I have lost faith in bitcoin.” He speculated that a Windows security flaw may have allowed the culprit to gain access to his digital wallet. “I feel like killing myself now,” he said.
Some other members of the Bitcoin forum expressed skepticism about allinvain’s story, but most believed it. Another member of the Bitcoin forums chimed in to report that he’d lost a smaller amount of money to the same Bitcoin address.
Forum members discussed several options, including calling the police and asking MtGox, the popular Bitcoin currency exchange, to block the funds from being converted into more traditional currencies.
Ars Technica talked to Gavin Andresen, the leader of the Bitcoin software project, about the incident. Andresen said that it would be difficult to confirm the authenticity of the report. “All Bitcoin transactions are broadcast on the network,” he said. “So if someone wanted to claim they lost a bunch of bitcoins, they could claim that any transaction on the network belonged to them.”
Still, the kind of attack described in the post is certainly possible. Andresen says he always emphasizes that Bitcoin is an experiment, and not (yet) for the faint of heart. “Unfortunately, this is an expensive test case for the guy who lost the Bitcoins,” he said.
Andresen says that there’s currently no good infrastructure for tracking down stolen Bitcoins. And, he said, there may never be a good mechanism for reversing unauthorized transactions because Bitcoin transactions are designed to be irreversible. “Once a transaction hits the network, you can generate other transactions that depend on that transaction,” he said. “So Bitcoin transactions get tangled up fairly quickly.”
Even if it were technically feasible, adding a mechanism for disputing transactions would create headaches of its own, because that mechanism could be used fraudulently as well. “Merchants like that there are no chargebacks” with Bitcoin transactions, Andresen said.
Right now, then, Bitcoin is a “work in progress” only suitable for the most technically savvy users. Will Bitcoin eventually be ready for the masses? Andresen thinks so. He told Ars that the Bitcoin protocol is flexible enough to support clients that handle security in a more sophisticated way. For example, a future client could split a user’s private key between his PC and his cell phone. As long as no one compromised both devices simultaneously, the user’s bitcoin would be safe.
Still, a financial system without intermediaries has some inherent downsides. Splitting a Bitcoin user’s private key between a computer and a cell phone makes it harder to compromise, but it also creates new risks. For example, unless the user backs up his cell phone separately from his computer, losing the phone would mean losing the Bitcoins. A multifactor authentication scheme also can’t protect a user who is tricked into authorizing a payment to the wrong party.
Indeed, the traditional banking system offers consumers protections against fraud that are hard to replicate in any system without intermediaries. For example, federal regulations limit consumer liability for fraudulent credit card transactions to $50, and some banks offer cards that reduce the consumer’s liability to zero.
And because liability for fraud falls mostly on the banks and credit card networks, these parties have invested in infrastructure to detect and deter fraud. They set minimum standards for getting a merchant account to exclude fly-by-night companies. They carefully monitor their customers’ transactions and investigate any that look suspicious. And with the help of law enforcement, they aggressively prosecute fraud, both to recover lost funds and to deter other potential criminals.
Of course, some anti-theft and anti-fraud services can be built on top of the extant Bitcoin infrastructure. For example, Clearcoin holds payments in escrow for sellers until buyers receive their orders, making Bitcoin purchases less risky. And services like MyBitcoin hold Bitcoins on their customers’ behalf. Presumably, these “online wallet” services can invest more heavily in securing their systems than individual users would.
But this is just to say that the disadvantages of an intermediary-free banking system can be mitigated by reintroducing intermediaries. And if most users are interacting with Bitcoin via intermediaries like ClearCoin and MyBitcoin, it’s not obvious how many of the system’s much-touted advantages are preserved. If your Bitcoins are held by a third party like MyBitcoin, then a government can force MyBitcoin to freeze your account just as it can force a traditional bank to do so.
In any event, Andresen seems unfazed by the heist and confident of Bitcoin’s long-term viability. “These problems will get solved,” he told Ars, arguing that the Bitcoin community simply hasn’t grown large enough to throw serious engineering resources at them. And the broader Bitcoin community seems to agree. The market price of a Bitcoin has been stable over the last 48 hours at just under $20.
Hello This Is Anonymous… This Message Is For You North Atlantic Treaty Organization… In Recent News On Your Report…
Information and National Security” from General Rapporteur Lord Jopling of the UK discusses the potential good of social networks for fostering democracy, the WikiLeaks scandal, and how hacktivists need to be burned at the stake.
“Virtual communities operating online provide new opportunities for civil society, but they have also increased the potential for asymmetrical attacks,” the report says. “Apart from causing harm, destruction or conducting espionage, most recent cyber attacks have also been used as a means to reach, a rather different goal, ‘Hactivism’ is a relatively recent form of social protest or expression of ideology by using hacking techniques.”
The report then singles out Anonymous as an example of this new trend by relating the group’s support of Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks.But that “info-war” is only the beginning, according to NATO. “Observers note that Anonymous is becoming more and more sophisticated and could potentially hack into sensitive government, military, and corporate files.” The report then explains how Anonymous hacked government contractor HBGary’s servers and the CEO’s Twitter account. after the group revealed the government’s plans to take down WikiLeaks.
You Claim To Represent The Following.
1.Peace And Security That’s Our Mission.
2.We Want To Be Sure That We Can Walk Around Freely In A Safe And Secure Environment. Security In All Areas Of Everyday Life Is Key To Our Well-Being, But It Cannot Be Taken For Granted.
3.NATO Promotes Democratic Values And Encourages Consultation And Cooperation On Defence And Security Issues To Build Trust And, In The Long Run, Prevent Conflict.
The Manner Of Which You Try To Push The Pursuit Of Anonymous. Seems To Be More Of An Issue Of Opportunity To Censor Anonymous. Rather Than An Honest And General Concern. All Of Anonymous’ Previous Attacks And Protest Have Not Ignited Any Action Against Us From NATO. Though With The Most Recent Attack Of The United States Chamber Of Commerce Website. You Wish To Become Involved. If Your Goal Was To Start War With Anonymous. Then Why Would You Allow Visa, Pay Pal , Master Card And Countless Other Actions To Go Without Prosecution. Then A Simple Website Is Made Unavailable You Sound Your Drums Of War. Be Warned We Do Not Wish This. Nor Do We Want This. But Make No Mistake… We Will Defend Ourselves. We Are Anonymous. We Are Legion. We Do Not Forgive. We Do Not Forget. Expect Us.
Visual Cryptography is a special encryption technique to hide information in images in such a way that it can be decrypted by the human vision if the correct key image is used. The technique was proposed by Naor and Shamir in 1994. Visual Cryptography uses two transparent images. One image contains random pixels and the other image contains the secret information. It is impossible to retrieve the secret information from one of the images. Both transparent images or layers are required to reveal the information. The easiest way to implement Visual Cryptography is to print the two layers onto a transparent sheet.
When the random image contains truely random pixels it can be seen as a one-time pad system and will offer unbreakable encryption. In the overlay animation you can observe the two layers sliding over each other until they are correctly aligned and the hidden information appears. To try this yourself, you can copy the example layers 1 and 2, and print them onto a transparent sheet or thin paper. Always use a program that displays the black and white pixels correctly and set the printer so that all pixels are printed accurate (no diffusion or photo enhancing etc). You can also copy and past them on each other in a drawing program like paint and see the result immediately, but make sure to select transparent drawing and align both layers exactly over each other.
Layer 1 |
Layer 2 |
Overlay |
Each pixel of the images is divided into smaller blocks. There are always the same number white (transparent) and black blocks. If a pixel is divided into two parts, there are one white and one black block. If the pixel is divided into four equal parts, there are two white and two black blocks. The example images from above uses pixels that are divided into four parts.
In the table on the right we can see that a pixel, divided into four parts, can have six different states.If a pixel on layer 1 has a given state, the pixel on layer 2 may have one of two states: identical or inverted to the pixel of layer 1. If the pixel of layer 2 is identical to layer 1, the overlayed pixel will be half black and half white. Such overlayed pixel is called grey or empty. If the pixels of layer 1 and 2 are inverted or opposite, the overlayed version will be completely black. This is an information pixel.
We can now create the two layers. One transparent image, layer 1, has pixels which all have a random state, one of the six possible states. Layer 2 is identical to layer 1, except for the pixels that should be black (contain information) when overlayed. These pixels have a state that is opposite to the same pixel in layer 1. If both images are overlayed, the areas with identical states will look gray, and the areas with opposite states will be black.
The system of pixel can be applied in different ways. In our example, each pixel is divided into four blocks. However, you can also use pixels, divided into two rectangle blocks, or even divided circles. Also, it doesn’t matter if the pixel is divided horizontally or vertically. There are many different pixel systems, some with better contrast, higher resolution or even with color pixels.
If the pixel states of layer 1 are truly (crypto secure) random, both empty and information pixels of layer 2 will also have completely random states. One cannot know if a pixel in layer 2 is used to create a grey or black pixel, since we need the state of that pixel in layer 1 (which is random) to know the overlay result. If all requirements for true randomness are fulfilled, Visual Cryptography offers absolute secrecy according to the Information Theory.
If Visual Cryptography is used for secure communications, the sender will distribute one or more random layers 1 in advance to the receiver. If the sender has a message, he creates a layer 2 for a particular distributed layer 1 and sends it to the receiver. The receiver aligns the two layers and the secret information is revealed, this without the need for an encryption device, a computer or performing calculations by hand. The system is unbreakable, as long as both layers don’t fall in the wrong hands. When one of both layers is intercepted it’s impossible to retrieve the encrypted information.
Visual Crypto – One-time Image Create two secure images from one by Robert Hansen
Visual Crypto Java Applet at the University of Regensburg
Visual Cryptography Kit Software to create image layers
Visual Crypto Page by Doug Stinson
On-line Visual Crypto Applet by Leemon Baird
Extended Visual Cryptography (pdf) by Mizuho Nakajima and Yasushi Yamaguchi
Visual Cryptography Paper by Moni Noar and Adi Shamir
Visual Crypto Talk (pdf) by Frederik Vercauteren ESAT Leuven
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2011 10:16:11 +0100
From: Eugen Leitl <eugen[at]leitl.org>
To: cypherpunks[at]al-qaeda.net
Subject: Re: [p2p-hackers] Verifying Claims of Full-Disk Encryption in
Hard Drive Firmware
—– Forwarded message from Tom Ritter <tom[at]ritter.vg> —–
From: Tom Ritter <tom[at]ritter.vg>
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:51:53 -0500
To: p2p-hackers[at]lists.zooko.com
Subject: Re: [p2p-hackers] Verifying Claims of Full-Disk Encryption in Hard
Drive Firmware
Reply-To: theory and practice of decentralized computer networks <p2p-hackers[at]lists.zooko.com>
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Hash: SHA1
After reviewing the FIPs approval document for the drive[1], I’ve tried to put together a complete threat model outlining the major classes of attack on the hard drive in the interest of being rigorous. I’d like your input to see if I missed any you can think of. I’ve explicitly excluded DriveTrust (the proprietary stuff) from the threat model, and am only focusing on the ATA Standard.
[1] http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/140sp/140sp1388.pdf
====================
In approximate physical/logical order, this is every attack I can conceive of:
1. The BIOS may have been replaced to record passwords
2. The keyboard or keyboard connection may be tapped/keylogged
3. The physical computer may have been tampered with physically installing hardware in any of its components
4. The Operating System may have been tampered with
5. The application used to interact with the hard drive (hdparm) may have been subverted
6. The SATA connection to the HDD may have been tapped
7. On the Drive
1. The hardware of the drive may been tampered with2. Firmware
1. The firmware may be buggy allowing code execution on the Hard Disk Drive2. The firmware may have been replaced. Supposedly, the firmware replace requires the firmware be signed with a private RSA key AND that the drive have the Load Firmware capability active. The public key is stored on the system storage area of the media
1. The firmware may be able to be loaded despite the load firmware capability inactive2. The firmware load process may have a bug invalidating the signature
3. The malicious firmware may be appropriately signed
4. The public key in the system storage area may have been replaced, allowing untrustworthy firmware be loaded
3. The RAM of the device may be able to be read, allowing unknown compromising vectors.
1. The encryption key may be stored in RAM2. The Seed Key and Seed used in the Random Number Generator may be read, allowing any new key that is generated to be guessed.
3. Internal states to the encryption process, or other operation of the firmware may be exposed
4. System Storage Area – An area of the drive that is supposed to only be able to be read by the firmware, and not the computer.
1. Secure ID aka Drive Owner (SHA Digest)
1. If the system area is able to be read, an unsalted simple SHA may be crackable2. If the system area is able to be written, this may be replaced with a hash of a known password.
3. If the Drive Owner PIN has not been changed upon initialization, the PIN is printed on the drive
2. User & Master Passwords (SHA Digest)
1. If the System Area is able to be read, an unsalted simple SHA digest may be crackable2. If the system area is able to be written, this may be replaced with a hash of a known password.
3. User/Master Encryption Keys (Plaintext?)
1. The the System Area is able to be read, plaintext storage of the keys allows full data recovery2. If the Random Number Generator is not cryptographically secure, the encryption key may follow a guessable pattern
4. Firmware Public RSA Key
1. The the System Area is able to be written to, the firmware key may be replaced and new firmware loaded
5. User Storage Area – where your data is stored.
1. The data may not be encrypted with AES as promised2. The cipher mode may not be suitable for filesystem encryption
3. The drive may be initialized in a non-random pattern, allowing usage analysis
4. The ciphertext may be stored in a way allowing block swapping, ciphertext injection, or otherwise damaging the integrity of the ciphertext
6. The Drive may be vulnerable to side channel attacks
1. Crypto operations may not be constant-time leaking data about the key structure or value2. Drive may not draw power equally during crypto operations leaking data about the key structure or value
3. The drive may not be acoustically silent, leaking information about where on the platters the data is being written by listening to drive head movements.
4. The drive may not be protected against induced faults such as power manipulation, temperature extremes, electrical shocks, or physical shocks.
8. AT Password Security Protocol
1. Passwords may be attempted at a rapid sequence if a mechanism to reset the module is created.
====================
This groups those attacks together, and notes whether I consider them within the realm of testing for the drive. I’m not sure what will be doable easily or cheaply, but if I can verify the firmware, I’ll try.
Not Considered for evaluation
User Coercion or Cooperation / “Evil Maid” Attacks
1. Hardware tampering or tapping of the Keyboard, Keyboard connection, Computer, SATA connection or HDD Pwnage
1. Subversion of the Operating System, BIOS, or hdparm
Misconfiguration
1. Not changing the Master or Drive Owner password2. Not enabling hard disk security
Side Channel Attacks
Considered for Evaluation
1. Buggy firmware
1. with regards to firmware signature verification2. with regards to firmware replacement despite load firmware capability disabled
3. with regards to randomly selecting an encryption key
4. with regards to proper encryption
5. with regards to backdoors
6. with regards to memory trespass or other “standard” vulnerabilities
2. Key Management
1. plaintext storage of encryption keys in system area2. poor password hashing practices of passwords
3. Encryption
1. lack of encryption of user data2. Improper cipher mode
3. Patterned initial fill of disk
4. Lack of ciphertext integrity
4. System Area
1. ability to read system area2. ability to write system area
====================
Again, all comments welcome, but particularly interesting in talking to
– Anyone familiar with these Seagate drives or DriveTrust.
– Anyone familiar with BIOS support for the AT Security Spec, who can help me locate a new netbook to work with.
– Anyone familiar with Data Recovery Services who could provide information on disk unlocking, AT password bypass, or moving platters between disks.
– Anyone who has done this before.
– -tom
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cDQAn00ezd8VPehRXAYCIM80bh464I6A
=AwIs
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_______________________________________________
p2p-hackers mailing list
p2p-hackers[at]lists.zooko.com
http://lists.zooko.com/mailman/listinfo/p2p-hackers
—– End forwarded message —–
—
Eugen* Leitl <a href=”http://leitl.org“>leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
From: Peter Gutmann <pgut001[at]cs.auckland.ac.nz>
To: cypherpunks[at]al-qaeda.net, eugen[at]leitl.org
Subject: Re: [p2p-hackers] Verifying Claims of Full-Disk Encryption in
Hard Drive Firmware
Eugen Leitl <eugen[at]leitl.org> quotes Tom Ritter <tom[at]ritter.vg>:
>After reviewing the FIPs approval document for the drive[1], I’ve tried to
>put together a complete threat model outlining the major classes of attack on
>the hard drive in the interest of being rigorous.
Without wanting to sound too facetious, and mostly out of curiosity, what does FIPS 140 have to do with the threat modelling you’ve done? It doesn’t address the vast majority of the stuff you’ve listed, so the threat-modelling is kind of a non-sequitur to “starting with FIPS 140”. If you wanted to deal with this through a certification process you’d have to go with something like the CC (and an appropriate PP), assuming the sheer suckage of working with the CC doesn’t tear a hole in the fabric of space-time in the process.
Peter.
|
||
|
16 April 2011. A sends: Roger Dingledine writes that the US Navy uses Tor for open source spying: http://idtrail.org/files/Dingledine%20-%20Tor.pdf 28 March 2011. Add comments from 1997 on TOR, called then the Onion Router. 25 March 2011. Add messages from A3 and JY. 24 March 2011. Add message from A and EFF.
22 March 2011 Creators of TOR: More: http://www.onion-router.net/Publications/IH-1996.pdf
TOR Made for USG Open Source Spying Says MakerDate: Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:57:39 -0400 From: Michael Reed <reed[at]inet.org> To: tor-talk[at]lists.torproject.org Subject: Re: [tor-talk] Iran cracks down on web dissident technology On 03/22/2011 12:08 PM, Watson Ladd wrote: > On Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 11:23 AM, Joe Btfsplk<joebtfsplk[at]gmx.com> wrote: >> Why would any govt create something their enemies can easily use against >> them, then continue funding it once they know it helps the enemy, if a govt >> has absolutely no control over it? It's that simple. It would seem a very >> bad idea. Stop looking at it from a conspiracy standpoint& consider it as >> a common sense question. > Because it helps the government as well. An anonymity network that > only the US government uses is fairly useless. One that everyone uses > is much more useful, and if your enemies use it as well that's very > good, because then they can't cut off access without undoing their own > work. BINGO, we have a winner! The original *QUESTION* posed that led to the invention of Onion Routing was, "Can we build a system that allows for bi-directional communications over the Internet where the source and destination cannot be determined by a mid-point?" The *PURPOSE* was for DoD / Intelligence usage (open source intelligence gathering, covering of forward deployed assets, whatever). Not helping dissidents in repressive countries. Not assisting criminals in covering their electronic tracks. Not helping bit-torrent users avoid MPAA/RIAA prosecution. Not giving a 10 year old a way to bypass an anti-porn filter. Of course, we knew those would be other unavoidable uses for the technology, but that was immaterial to the problem at hand we were trying to solve (and if those uses were going to give us more cover traffic to better hide what we wanted to use the network for, all the better...I once told a flag officer that much to his chagrin). I should know, I was the recipient of that question from David, and Paul was brought into the mix a few days later after I had sketched out a basic (flawed) design for the original Onion Routing. The short answer to your question of "Why would the government do this?" is because it is in the best interests of some parts of the government to have this capability... Now enough of the conspiracy theories... -Michael _______________________________________________ tor-talk mailing list tor-talk[at]lists.torproject.org 24 March 2011 A sends: From: A Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 01:41:41 +0000 Subject: Cryptome Fwd: Re: Fwd: The onion TOR network To: cryptome[at]earthlink.net Following the publication of the email extract on TOR, I asked the EFF what they made of it. Here it is. You can of course publish it. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rebecca Jeschke <rebecca[at]eff.org> Date: 23 March 2011 21:29 Subject: Fwd: Re: Fwd: The onion TOR network To: A Hi A. This is from Senior Staff Technologist Seth Schoen. Thanks -- Rebecca -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: Fwd: The onion TOR network Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:15:24 -0700 From: Seth David Schoen <schoen[at]eff.org> To: Rebecca Jeschke <rebecca[at]eff.org> CC: chris <chris[at]eff.org>, Peter Eckersley <pde[at]eff.org>, Seth Schoen <schoen[at]eff.org> Rebecca Jeschke writes: any thoughts on this? It's totally true that the military people who invented Tor were thinking about how to create a system that would protect military communications. The current iteration of that is described at https://www.torproject.org/about/torusers.html.en#military right on the Tor home page. However, the Tor developers also became clear early on that the system wouldn't protect military communications well unless it had a very diverse set of users. Elsewhere in that same e-mail discussion, Mike Perry (a current Tor developer) alludes to this: https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2011-March/019898.html In fact, the best known way we have right now to improve anonymity is to support more users, and more *types* of users. See: http://www.freehaven.net/doc/wupss04/usability.pdf http://freehaven.net/~arma/slides-weis06.pdf The first link is to a paper called "Anonymity Loves Company", which explains the issue this way: No organization can build this infrastructure for its own sole use. If a single corporation or government agency were to build a private network to protect its operations, any connections entering or leaving that network would be obviously linkable to the controlling organization. The members and operations of that agency would be easier, not harder, to distinguish. Thus, to provide anonymity to any of its users, the network must accept traffic from external users, so the various user groups can blend together. You can read the entire (ongoing) discussion about government funding for Tor development via https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2011-March/thread.html (search for "[tor-talk] Iran cracks down on web dissident technology"). -- Seth Schoen Senior Staff Technologist schoen[at]eff.org Electronic Frontier Foundation https://www.eff.org/ 454 Shotwell Street, San Francisco, CA 94110 +1 415 436 9333 x107 Subject: Re: [tor-talk] Iran cracks down on web dissident technology From: A3 To: John Young <jya[at]pipeline.com> Cc: A2, cypherpunks[at]al-qaeda.net On Tue, 2011-03-22 at 17:43 -0400, John Young wrote: > Fucking amazing admission. No conspiracy theory needed. Wasn't this already very common knowledge? Subject: Re: [tor-talk] Iran cracks down on web dissident technology To: A3, A2, cypherpunks[at]al-qaeda.net From: John Young <jya[at]pipeline.com> That's what the Eff-folks advocating TOR are saying. And point to a file on Torproject.org. See: http://cryptome.org/0003/tor-spy.htm However, this appears to be a giant evasion perhaps a subterfuge, even reminds of what Big Boys say when customers learn they are siphoning customer data. Read the privacy policy the lawyer-advised apologists bark, and upon reading the privacy policy see that it only emphasizes the subterfuge. Openly admitting siphoning is supposed to make it okay because everyone does it under cover of lockstep privacy policy. Reject that. If the Tor operators really know what they are being used for, then they should admit to being agents of the USG, as Michael Reed had the guts to do. Claiming this US spying role for Tor is well known is a crock of slop, but then spies lie all the time and care not a whit that they peddle shit for eaters of it. If you believe them and like what they do then don't shilly-shally, just do what Michael Reed did but others are too ashamed to do after having been duped since 1996. If Reed's precedent for honesty is followed, there will be an admission that the Internet was invented for spying by its inventor. And then cryptography and other comsec tools. And then cellphones and the like. Hold on now, this is getting out of hand, the apologists will bellow, everybody has always known that there is no privacy in digital world. Actually, no, they did not. And those who knew keep their Janusian mouths writhing to reap the rewards of deception. Now that is a truth everyone knows. No conspiracy theory needed. |
| http://cryptome.org/jya/onion.htm25 April 1997: Add Lucky Green’s comments. 3 March 1997 (Thanks to LG for pointer) Date: Sun, 02 Mar 1997 18:20:49 -0800 At the FC’97 rump session, Paul Syverson from NRL presented a paper titled “Onion Routing”. The description of the system sounds very much like Wei Dai’s PipeNet. However, the development team seems to be unaware of PipeNet and the discussions about it that we had in the past. NLR has currently five machines implementing the protocol. Connection setup time is claimed to be 500 ms. They are looking for volunteers to run “Onion Routers”. It appears the US military wants to access websites without giving away the fact that they are accessing the sites and is looking to us to provide the cover traffic. What a fortunate situation. They said that the source would soon be on the web page, but so far it has not appeared. http://www.itd.nrl.navy.mil/ITD/5540/projects/onion-routing/
To: cypherpunks[at]cyberpass.net At 12:59 PM 4/20/97 -0700, Steve Schear wrote: >Hal, Neither one of them is any good in its present form. The folks at the FC’97 rump session got to watch Jim and myself poke truck sized holes into the NRL design within seconds of them ending their presentation. :-) Here was a US military research lab presenting a system they thought would give them a way to surf the Net anonymously by using the public for cover traffic. [Let me just spell out here that I believe that the people from NRL and Cypherpunks are on the same side on this issue. Their concern is COMSEC, not SIGINT.] Anyway, we knew how to crack their system without even having to think about it, since folks on Cypherpunks, especially Wei Dai, had discovered various venues of attack on such systems long ago. Cypherpunks are teaching the military about traffic analysis. :-) The one good thing about NRL is that they seem to be willing to learn. [The other being that they get paid to write our code for us.] Though I get the distinct feeling that they don’t like the required solution. There is simply no way to harden the system against attack without using a constant or at least slowly varying (I would guess we are talking about periods of several hours here, certainly not minutes, but I haven’t done the math, nor do I have the time to do so) bandwidth data stream between the end user and the first Onion Router. This will invariably require special software on the end user’s machine. I think the best design would be a client side proxy. [That much Crowds got right.] As to Crowds, they got to be kidding. How many end users are willing to become, even without their direct knowledge, the last hop to <enter evil URL here>? I believe that relatively few users would want their IP address to be the one showing up in the server log of <enter seized machine’s name here> because their jondo happened to be the exit point chosen.
— Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock[at]netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred
|
Where governments get their toolsRandom Document
Documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal open a rare window into a new global market for the off-the-shelf surveillance technology that has arisen in the decade since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The techniques described in the trove of 200-plus marketing documents include hacking tools that enable governments to break into people’s computers and cellphones, and “massive intercept” gear that can gather all Internet communications in a country.
The documents—the highlights of which are cataloged and searchable here—were obtained from attendees of a secretive surveillance conference held near Washington, D.C., last month. Read more about the documents.
The documents fall into five general categories: hacking, intercept, data analysis, web scraping and anonymity. Below, explore highlights related to each type of surveillance, and search among selected documents
http://projects.wsj.com/surveillance-catalog/?mod=djemalertNEWS#/
The Android developer who raised the ire of a mobile-phone monitoring company last week is on the attack again, producing a video of how the Carrier IQ software secretly installed on millions of mobile phones reports most everything a user does on a phone.
Though the software is installed on most modern Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones, Carrier IQ was virtually unknown until 25-year-old Trevor Eckhart of Connecticut analyzed its workings, revealing that the software secretly chronicles a user’s phone experience — ostensibly so carriers and phone manufacturers can do quality control.
But now he’s released a video actually showing the logging of text messages, encrypted web searches and, well, you name it.
Eckhart labeled the software a “rootkit,” and the Mountain View, California-based software maker threatened him with legal action and huge money damages. The Electronic Frontier Foundation came to his side last week, and the company backed off on its threats. The company told Wired.com last week that Carrier IQ’s wares are for “gathering information off the handset to understand the mobile-user experience, where phone calls are dropped, where signal quality is poor, why applications crash and battery life.”
The company denies its software logs keystrokes. Eckhart’s 17-minute video clearly undercuts that claim.
In a Thanksgiving post, we mentioned this software as one of nine reasons to wear a tinfoil hat.
The video shows the software logging Eckhart’s online search of “hello world.” That’s despite Eckhart using the HTTPS version of Google which is supposed to hide searches from those who would want to spy by intercepting the traffic between a user and Google.
Cringe as the video shows the software logging each number as Eckhart fingers the dialer.
“Every button you press in the dialer before you call,” he says on the video, “it already gets sent off to the IQ application.”
From there, the data — including the content of text messages — is sent to Carrier IQ’s servers, in secret. (See this update debunking that.)
By the way, it cannot be turned off without rooting the phone and replacing the operating system. And even if you stop paying for wireless service from your carrier and decide to just use Wi-Fi, your device still reports to Carrier IQ.
It’s not even clear what privacy policy covers this. Is it Carrier IQ’s, your carrier’s or your phone manufacturer’s? And, perhaps, most important, is sending your communications to Carrier IQ a violation of the federal government’s ban on wiretapping?
And even more obvious, Eckhart wonders why aren’t mobile-phone customers informed of this rootkit and given a way to opt out?
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/11/secret-software-logging-video/
The Phantom protocol is a system for decentralized anonymization of generic network traffic. It has been designed with the following main goals in mind:
1. Completely decentralized.
– No critical or weak points to attack or put (il)legal pressure on.
2. Maximum resistance against all kinds of DoS attacks.
– Direct technical destructive attacks will practically be the only possible way to even attempt to stop it.
3. Theoretically secure anonymization.
– Probabilistic methods (contrary to deterministic methods) must be used in a completely decentralized design like this, where no other peer can be trusted, so focus is put on optimizing these methods.
4. Theoretically secure end-to-end transport encryption.
– This is simple in itself, but still important in the context of anonymization.
5. Completely (virtually) isolated from the “normal” Internet.
– No one should have to worry about crimes being perpetrated from their own IP address.
6. Maximum protection against identification of protocol usage through traffic analysis.
– You never know what the next draconian law might be.
7. Capable of handling larger data volumes, with acceptable throughput.
– Most existing anonymization solutions are practically unusable for (or even prohibit) larger data volumes.
8. Generic and well-abstracted design, compatible with all new and existing network enabled software.
– Software application developer participation should not be needed, it should be easy to apply the anonymization to both new and already existing products like e.g. web browsers and file transfer software.
The latest version of the source release package can always be downloaded here.
White paper describing the protocol and its design:
http://www.magnusbrading.com/phantom/phantom-design-paper.pdf
Paper describing the protocol implementation:
http://www.magnusbrading.com/phantom/phantom-implementation-paper.pdf
Slides from the original DEFCON 2008 presentation about the protocol:
http://www.magnusbrading.com/phantom/phantom-pres.ppt
DEFCON presentation video (speaker + slides):
https://media.defcon.org/dc-16/video/Defcon16-Magnus_Brading-The_Phantom_Protocol.m4v
DEFCON presentation video (slides only):
https://media.defcon.org/dc-16/video/Defcon16-Magnus_Brading-The_Phantom_Protocol-Slides_Only.m4v
DEFCON presentation (audio only):
https://media.defcon.org/dc-16/audio/Defcon16-Magnus_Brading-The_Phantom_Protocol.m4b
