Assange Amazing Adventures of Captain Neo in Blonde Land.

[eyeno]

Curiouser and curiouser.

[beeline]

Link

Posted on Tue, Nov. 30, 2010


WikiLeaks says it's under powerful cyberattack
PETER SVENSSON

The Associated Press

NEW YORK - The WikiLeaks website says it's under a forceful Internet-based attack, and the site is inaccessible to users in U.S. and Europe.

The site, which just distributed a trove of U.S. diplomatic documents, said in a Twitter message on Tuesday morning that it's under a "distributed denial of service attack," a method commonly used by hackers to slow down or bring down sites.

The site was under attack Sunday, but Tuesday's attack appears to be more powerful. WikiLeaks said the malicious traffic was coming in at 10 gigabits per second, which would make it a relatively large effort.

The WikiLeaks site is hosted in Sweden and devoted to releasing anonymously submitted documents.

[JackRiddler]

.

For today only -- we'll see about tomorrow -- I've been sold on the goodness of the ongoing Wikileaks release, although it is still only up to 290 out of 251,000 total on the "Cable Viewer" site. (I'm not even looking at that before it cracks four digits or 1/250th of the total.)
http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/

The persuader was none other than Mr. 21-year CIA veteran Bob Baer, now a columnist for that flagship of pure journalism, TIME magazine (that Henry Luce Zombie-thing that curiously is still publishing).

Baer was just on the WNYC/NPR Brian Lehrer Show and decried the release in plain and pained language, giving as his examples the following:

1) It may make it harder for "us" to conduct illegal surprise drone bombings in Yemen and pretend that it's actually Yemenese forces doing the bombing;

2) It may make it harder for "us" to get clearance for air routes over Arab countries to bomb Iran, if "we" decide that's what "we" need to do, which decision really should be left to "us" as he understands "us," which is to say, certainly not you, dear reader, but them;

3) In general, it gets in the way of state officials saying one thing to the public and pursuing a different, contrary policy in secret.

He specifically said that exposing "duplicity" is bad, as this is essential to "diplomacy." It's especially bad to let the Arab peoples know (or to confirm by documentation what is already obvious) that their unelected tyrants are telling them one thing and in secret saying something else to their US backers.

Although Baer (author of a book on the "New Iranian Superpower," no less, now I'm scared) claims to have supported the Pentagon Papers release back in the day (when he would have been 19 years old and apparently at Culver Military Academy in Indiana, according to his bio on Wikipedia), he is incensed that anyone other than the Executive branch should be deciding what is secret and what is not.

His comments echo the contempt for democracy and transparency that characterizes both the State Department cables and, in general, the ruling and policy-making elites of this and many other countries. They must be allowed to lie to us -- the only possible real "us," we the people -- because otherwise it would be much harder for them to do whatever they've secretly decided is necessary.

During the morning's discussion you also had a series of very angry Joe Blow callers demanding the death of Julian Assange, stat, including one guy who was pretty sure that if only this was still the 1970s, Assange would already be "taken out," or "disappeared." This one offered that he would do the job himself, if the government would only give him the gun and point him at the target.

Lehrer, who is extremely stingy on giving time to callers and always looking to spin whatever is said to his next talking point, let these guys go on for much longer than is usual for him. He repeatedly announced upcoming segments with the tag line, "More reactions as the Wikileaks information BOMB EXPLODES ON EVERY CONTINENT," which besides making me gag also prompts the question: When do we get the Antarctica memos?

So yeah, notwithstanding the so-far extremely limited release and the "Bomb Iran, Gossip About Prince Andrew" spin being put on it by the gatekeeper press organs who so far get to pick and choose which cables to release in which way, for today I'm a big fan of Assange -- whatever he might really turn out to be.

.

[JackRiddler]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ssy-cables

Some good comments, including:

EastFinchleyite

30 November 2010 12:39AM

The single thing that stands out for me is before Wikileaks published these confidential emails, reports, and other documents, access to them was restricted to only 3 million other US personnel.

3 million.

The only people who didn't know what was going on was the general public; the poor sods like me who have to pay for this incompetence.

If it wasn't so tragic it would be a good laugh.

Second thoughts; it's both tragic and funny.

Although note that as with most people, still employing the past tense ("published") for something that is still in the future.

.

[hava1]

isreali IDF CHief of staff said "the IDF is closely monitoring the event" and that the leak harms our "contacts with foreigners" ??
Ehud Barak, today, comments that this is going to weaken diplomacy and therefore is bad for peace.
----
probably there ARE some leaks there that Netanyahu didnt approve...

[82_28]

This is worth reading. Found via boingboing:

Julian Assange and the Computer Conspiracy; “To destroy this invisible government”

http://zunguzungu.wordpress.com/2010/11 ... %E2%80%9D/#

[seemslikeadream]

Five Questions the Mainstream Media Won't Ask About the Wikileaks Release

By Michael Moore

251,287 secret State Department cables, released into the public domain by Wikileaks! You'd think this amazing treasure trove of inside dope would prompt the media to ask some real questions. But so far, the likes of the New York Times and CNN have shown no interest in delving into obvious subjects like these:

1. Is Hillary Clinton building a secret army of Ban Ki-moon clones?

A July, 2009 cable signed "CLINTON" demands "biometric information" on Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. We know from other cables that these kinds of requests included facial scans and DNA.

I don't think I'm the only person who's noticed a certain glint in Hillary's eye -- the kind of glint that says "I'd like to command a gigantic army of clones." The real question here may be why Hillary decided to clone Ban Ki-moon specifically. Would she want a bunch of copies of any UN Secretary-General? Or, perhaps, is she simply looking to clone a kindly middle-aged Korean man, and he happened to be available?

2. Do the King of Saudi Arabia and Glenn Beck share a speechwriter with Saddam Hussein?

According to the cables, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, the world's 5th worst dictator, has repeatedly urged the U.S. to attack Iran in order "to cut off the head of the snake." Saddam Hussein used to refer to the Iranian government as "Khomeyniite snakes." And Glenn Beck has said we need to "pop the head of the snake in Iran."

Is this snake fixation a strange coincidence? Or have Abdullah and Glenn Beck hired the same guy who used to write Saddam's stuff? If so, this person needs to stop recycling their material and come up with something fresher.

3. Why are Iranians so unbelievably paranoid?

According to a 2007 cable, the head of the Israeli Mossad said they wanted U.S. help to "Force Regime Change" in Iran, "possibly with the support of student democracy movements, and ethnic groups."

Now, this is just good neighborly relations. If during the Cold War the Soviet Union had tried to get students, African Americans and Latinos to overthrow the U.S. government, we wouldn't have complained. In fact, we would have complimented them on their initiative. But our side tries one little coup (well, actually this would be our second in Iran) and the Iranians won't stop screaming about it! This leads to the next question:

4. Are Iranians a completely different species from Americans?

A cable from 1979 makes a good case that Iranians are so different from us here in the U.S. of A. that they maybe shouldn't even be classified as people. For instance:

"...the single dominant aspect of the Persian psyche is an overriding egoism...The practical effect of it is an almost total Persian preoccupation with self and leaves little room for understanding points of view other than one's own."

You see? As humble Americans, who spend every second of every day trying our best to look at things from other people's points of view, we're so completely different we'll probably never be able to comprehend the Persian Mind.

Then there's this:

"...the idea that Iranian behavior has consequences on the perception of Iran in the U.S. or that this perception is somehow related to American policies regarding Iran. This same quality also helps explain Persian aversion to accepting responsibility for one's own actions."

Again, the difference is like night and day -- we Americans all understand completely that our dozens of wars have made a big chunk of the world hate us, we know that's why they act the way they do toward us, and we blame ourselves for it. I'm sorry if you don't understand that, Iran, but that's just the way we roll.

5. When did the U.S. government decide to buy keyboards that WEREN'T ALL UPPER CASE?

For a long time, all U.S. cables were ALL IN UPPER CASE. This made it seem as though our diplomats WERE BOLD AND FILLED WITH SO MUCH CONFIDENCE THAT THEY YELLED ALL DAY LONG. Unfortunately, at some point this changed, and the cables became filled with puny lower-case letters. WE MUST FIND OUT WHO DID THIS, AND INVESTIGATE WHETHER IT WAS A PLOT TO WEAKEN US FROM WITHIN.

IN THE MEANTIME, I ADVISE ALL MY FELLOW AMERICANS TO HIT THE CAPS LOCK, ESPECIALLY WHEN TALKING TO FOREIGNERS. THEY WILL RESPECT THIS AS A SHOW OF STRENGTH.

THAT IS ALL. (Oh, and can we just bomb Iran and get it over with? I'm tired of the tease! We've already crapped up Iraq and Afghanistan -- what about the country located between them? They need a good ol' American... shellacking.)

[AlicetheKurious]

Julian Assange and the Computer Conspiracy; “To destroy this invisible government”

Assange has yet to publish anything equivalent to the Church Committee hearings or The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI's exposure of COINTELPRO or Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti's revelations about Gladio or even the Downing Street Memo, let alone the Abu Ghraib photos that the Obama government has refused to release. Nothing that contradicts the phony official stories of what happened on September 11, 2001 or March 11, 2004, or July 7, 2005 or July 11, 2006.

Nothing about the Hariri assassination and the poisoning of Yasser Arafat. Nothing about Soros and the CIA and their role in all the "color revolutions". Nothing about the role of Blackwater and Israel in the Georgia mess, in training Kurdish and Iranian terrorist groups, nothing about Columbian drug smuggling or nefarious activities in Darfur, Congo and elsewhere in Africa. Nothing about US "diplomats" engaging in covert shenanigans with paramilitary groups that they secretly control. Nothing about liaison and coordination with the Mossad. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

But he's getting more breathless headlines in the mainstream media than all those things combined. Just one clue that WikiLeaks is not likely to put a scratch on "this invisible government", let alone "destroy" it.

[barracuda]

Nothing about the Hariri assassination...

Well, there's this:

¶17. (S) Dagan urged caution with respect to Lebanon, noting
that the results of efforts there to bolster the Siniora
government would impact Syria and Iraq. The U.S. and Israel,
he said, are on the edge of achieving something in Lebanon,
and so cannot afford to drop their guard. What is necessary
is finding the right way to support PM Siniora. "He is a
courageous man," Dagan said. Syria, Iran and Hizballah are
working hard against him. Dagan noted that much of what is
animating the leadership of Lebanon to take on Syria is
personal: "Hariri, Jumblat and others had their parents
executed by the Syrians." This anti-Syrian sentiment has
forged an alliance based on personal and national interests.
Siniora has worked well with the situation, but Dagan
suggested that the odds are against him. Under Secretary
Burns replied that the U.S. is trying to give PM Siniora as
much support as possible, and that we would continue to
consult closely with Israel on Lebanon. He noted that he
would return to Israel in October.

...although I doubt that's what you meant.

[nathan28]

Nothing about the Hariri assassination...

Well, there's this:

¶17. (S) Dagan urged caution with respect to Lebanon, noting
that the results of efforts there to bolster the Siniora
government would impact Syria and Iraq. The U.S. and Israel,
he said, are on the edge of achieving something in Lebanon,
and so cannot afford to drop their guard. What is necessary
is finding the right way to support PM Siniora. "He is a
courageous man," Dagan said. Syria, Iran and Hizballah are
working hard against him. Dagan noted that much of what is
animating the leadership of Lebanon to take on Syria is
personal: "Hariri, Jumblat and others had their parents
executed by the Syrians." This anti-Syrian sentiment has
forged an alliance based on personal and national interests.
Siniora has worked well with the situation, but Dagan
suggested that the odds are against him. Under Secretary
Burns replied that the U.S. is trying to give PM Siniora as
much support as possible, and that we would continue to
consult closely with Israel on Lebanon. He noted that he
would return to Israel in October.

...although I doubt that's what you meant.

Are you able to access wikileaks at all right now? My ISP is giving me ERR 101 UNKNOWN messages as of 1636 EST 30 Nov 2010.

[barracuda]

Yes, I can get through.

[nathan28]

It looks like I'm getting blocked downstream, and so is dnsstuff.com, when I run a traceroute. OMG I just saw a white van pass by!

on edit trying to enter wikileaks' IP brings up the old chopper footage page.

on more edits here's the server that seems to be holding things up on the way to Iceland/Sweden. In San Jose. I hope they choke on their tofu dogs.

http://ip-whois-lookup.com/lookup.php?ip=67.128.102.202

on even more edits the pass-off seems to be from a qwest.net and sometimes a gblx.net server. DNSStuff gets clamped down w/ the last known hop being an Amazon.com server before getting a no-response/firewall.

[Simulist]

I can get through too.

And there's a white van outside here also — it's just fucking Comcast, and the only "conspiracy" is that their shit doesn't work (they conspired against themselves by buying cheap stuff), and the business across the street had to complain. Again.

[AlicetheKurious]

Nothing about the Hariri assassination...

Well, there's this:

¶17. (S) Dagan urged caution with respect to Lebanon, noting
that the results of efforts there to bolster the Siniora
government would impact Syria and Iraq. The U.S. and Israel,
he said, are on the edge of achieving something in Lebanon,
and so cannot afford to drop their guard. What is necessary
is finding the right way to support PM Siniora. "He is a
courageous man," Dagan said. Syria, Iran and Hizballah are
working hard against him. Dagan noted that much of what is
animating the leadership of Lebanon to take on Syria is
personal: "Hariri, Jumblat and others had their parents
executed by the Syrians." This anti-Syrian sentiment has
forged an alliance based on personal and national interests.
Siniora has worked well with the situation, but Dagan
suggested that the odds are against him. Under Secretary
Burns replied that the U.S. is trying to give PM Siniora as
much support as possible, and that we would continue to
consult closely with Israel on Lebanon. He noted that he
would return to Israel in October.

...although I doubt that's what you meant.

See?

[JackRiddler]

Right. Anything short of a direct confession (already in the released material) that Hariri was killed by an Israeli drone (which wouldn't be in a State Department cable) constitutes ironclad proof that Assange is a Mossad agent.