The pressure continues to find ways to cut off support and access to WikiLeaks material. PalPal was the latest company to move against Wikileaks by cutting off the ability of people to make donations to support the whistleblower disclosures. The company waited until Friday (when coverage would be reduced) to make the move.
PayPal insists that WikiLeaks violated its acceptable use policy, “which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity.” What I fail to understand is how PayPal can be used to support other journalistic and whistleblower organizations under this standard. The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and other media groups routinely publish classified material. Various whistleblower organizations use such material to disclose great government abuses. Under this standard, PayPal will assist the government in shutting off support for anyone using classified or leaked material to disclose wrongdoing.
How about books containing such information? Would that also go to pay for stolen or illegally obtained information? How about the collection of Pentagon Papers?
This comes after the acknowledgment of people like Joe Lieberman that they have been pressuring companies to block access of the public to the material.
Source:CNN
Or like Buddha who continue to want to look in the rear view mirror instead of focusing on the hear and now.
Right here right now.
Jill wrote:
“This surveillance of the lawyers violates international law. The US govt. cares nothing for the rule of law. It should wake people up to see the rapid, implacable coordination between govts. and corporations to stop the exposure of embarrassing truths.”
===
Jill,
You’re right on the mark, with all of your comments. I don’t know where this ends but, given my position in all of this craziness, it’s not looking good…
As you’ve correctly indicated, Swarthmore mom, many Americans are buying the lies/disinformation “lock, stock and barrel”… and, as such, are sleepwalking into an abyss…
Well said, HenMan.
We’re in such trouble domestically, and we’re looking in all the wrong places for the villains… Violence is even being provoked by those who are running these domestic games, as those with questionable stability are being harassed and terrorized. It’s evil, it’s wrong, it runs contrary to the rule of law and the Constitution, and if it isn’t exposed and stopped, we’re screwed, if we aren’t already…
Think about the name of one of the NSA’s programs: “Perfect Citizen.” Those behind the domestic street games are, it would seem, seeking to destroy those it deems less than “perfect”, in order to build the “Perfect State”… Bizarre? Oh, yeah… Who would believe it… And so it continues…
There’s much to hide and people are running scared. Money, jobs and lives on the line…
It’s been said many times, but I’ll say it again: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” (…giving credit to Pogo, of course.)
May God help us, if we don’t get this one right.
To Attorney General Eric Holder-
The security of rats and cockroaches, who like to operate in the dark, is always “put at risk” when someone turns on the lights.
From Huffington Post (12/6/2010)
Swiss Cut Off Bank Account For WikiLeaks’ Assange
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/swiss-cut-off-bank-accoun_n_792542.html
Excerpt:
GENEVA — The Swiss postal system stripped WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of a key fundraising tool Monday, accusing him of lying and immediately shutting down one of his bank accounts.
The swift action by Postfinance, the financial arm of Swiss Post, came after it determined the “Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process.”
Assange had told Postfinance he lived in Geneva but could offer no proof that he was a Swiss resident, a requirement of opening such an account.
Postfinance spokesman Alex Josty told The Associated Press the account was closed Monday afternoon and there would be “no criminal consequences” for misleading authorities.
“That’s his money, he will get his money back,” Josty said. “We just close the account and that’s it.”
The setback leaves Assange with only a few options for raising money for his secret-spilling site through a Swiss-Icelandic credit card processing center and accounts in Iceland and Germany.
So PayPal cut Wiki Leaks off financially, does it matter?? I think out there in the world now there is enough resources out there in the world today to keep this in play for a long time. One has to wonder how the outcome of history would have been if this and the abilities of the net today were around when the Vietnam war was in full swing. I think we took it then and listened knowing in out hearts & minds what was really going on. I know for me i heard to many times from returnees from Nam what they had seen and been part of.
Here is the reason people think wikileaks is evil. It’s called, propaganda and it’s from the govt. itself: “Washington (CNN) — Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday that he has authorized “significant” actions related to the criminal investigation of WikiLeaks as the website faces increasing pressure worldwide for publishing sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables.
“National security of the United States has been put at risk,” Holder said. “The lives of people who work for the American people have been put at risk. The American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that I believe are arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way. We are doing everything that we can.” (This is propaganda because it isn’t true and these lies are deliberately put out there by the govt. to distract from the truth.)
Holder, speaking at a news conference on financial fraud, declined to answer questions about the possibility of the U.S. government shutting WikiLeaks down, saying he does not want to talk about capabilities and techniques at the government’s disposal.” This is a mainstream news source. These same news sources shout the govt.’s propaganda over and over again. They refuse to deal with the content of the leak. So yes, since this is mostly what people hear, what they are allowed to hear, they would rightfully come to the conclusion that wikileaks is evil.
As Obama himself said, “The more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable. They can begin to think for themselves.
I can tell you that in the United States, the fact that we have free internet — or unrestricted internet access is a source of strength, and I think should be encouraged,”
But that is exactly what Obama is refusing the citizens of the US. We don’t readily think for ourselves in part, because we aren’t allowed access to actual information.
Swarthmore mom
1, December 6, 2010 at 9:52 am
I was taking informal polls of people as Blouise does at social occasions this weekend, and I was surprised to find out that most people think wikileaks is the threat not the government. Amazing isn’t it.
==========================================================
I call it going outside the “blog beltway”.
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/12/julian-assange-vows-poison-pill-release-of-damaging-secrets-if-arrested-or-killed.php?ref=fpb
“America’s 19m federal government employees have been told not to read the cables material — or any publication containing them. Agencies have added virtually every mainstream news outlet to web filters and blocks, a move reminiscent of China’s Great Firewall.
Students at Columbia University have been advised not to comment on the cables if they might want a government job. And a US data visualisation company, Tableau, has even retracted derivative works based on the Wikileaks stories, without receiving a single specific request to do so.
The US government’s efforts to stop this story show both a distressing lack of commitment to the core internet principles of transparency and neutrality, and also a fundamental lack of understanding of its infrastructure.
Recent events should not disturb only journalists or campaigners – based on their recent public comments, it should prove a cause for concern for a pair of prominent Americans, too.
The first strident voice, speaking at a town hall meeting in China said:
“The more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable. They can begin to think for themselves.
He concluded,
“I can tell you that in the United States, the fact that we have free internet — or unrestricted internet access is a source of strength, and I think should be encouraged,”
A second speaker called, in January this yea said:
“Censorship should not be in any way accepted by any company from anywhere. And in America, American companies need to make a principled stand…This needs to be part of our national brand. I’m confident that consumers worldwide will reward companies that follow those principles”
The identities of these two radical firebrands? None other than President Barack Obama, and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
I couldn’t agree with them more.”
James Ball is an investigative journalist currently working with Wikileaks
I seem to have a problem posting a link to a story about Twitter possibly censoring Wikileaks. Instead of posting the direct link, here is a site with the reference link:
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/12/06/1329222/Is-Twitter-Censoring-Wikileaks-Trends
Test
To me it isn’t amazing. The propaganda is everywhere. We are experiencing complete newz management, where the leaks are portrayed as harming the US instead of exposing the wrongdoing of the US. There is near total management of information to the public. That is one of the most frightening aspects of the situation, the ability of the govt. to control the message and block actual information. So no wonder, having little access to actual information, people think it is wikileaks who is dangerous.
Further, the ease with which world leaders and corporations have moved with incredible resources to suppress the information is simply amazing. The corporate states of the world are united against all their people. They have moved swiftly, efficiently and ruthlessly. This govt. trades in the use of fear, suppression and propaganda to control people. It is working.
I was taking informal polls of people as Blouise does at social occasions this weekend, and I was surprised to find out that most people think wikileaks is the threat not the government. Amazing isn’t it.
One of the leaked U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks urges diplomats to gather intelligence about “plans and intentions of member states or UN Special Rapporteurs to press for resolutions or investigations into US counterterrorism strategies and treatment of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan or Guantanamo.” We speak to Juan Méndez, the new U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment. He has called on the United States to investigate and prosecute torture committed under former President George W. Bush. He also said he hopes to visit Iraq and Guantánamo Bay to probe widespread torture allegations. Méndez says, “We seem to be focusing on whether disclosing these cables … merits some kinds of action against Julian Assange… I’m very concerned about the documents that show that literally thousands of people were first imprisoned by American forces and then transferred to the control of forces in Iraq and perhaps even in Afghanistan, where they knew that these people were going to be tortured.” [includes rush transcript]
also find at Democracy Now
Here’s Jeremy Scahill on Pakistan and US drone wars: “Despite sustained denials by the Pentagon, the leaked cables from WikiLeaks confirm that U.S. military special operations forces have been secretly working with the Pakistani military to conduct offensive operations and coordinate drone strikes in the areas near the Afghan border. A U.S. embassy cable from October of 2009 states: “These deployments are highly politically sensitive because of widely-held concerns among the public about Pakistani sovereignty and opposition to allowing foreign military forces to operate in any fashion on Pakistani soil.” The cables confirm aspects of a story about the covert U.S. war in Pakistan published in The Nation magazine last year by investigative journalist and Democracy Now! correspondent Jeremy Scahill. [includes rush transcript] (find on Democracy Now)
by Jill under my husband’s name. We need to and have the right to know about this.
Here is my comment: I wanted to add that reporters for the Guardian are under surveillance (see The Guardian) as is the lawyer for Wikileaks. This surveillance of the lawyers violates international law. The US govt. cares nothing for the rule of law. It should wake people up to see the rapid, implacable coordination between govts. and corporations to stop the exposure of embarrassing truths and extreme corruption.
Jill put under my husband’s name because my comment will not log in.
I wanted to add that reporters for the Guardian are under surveillance (see The Guardian) as is the lawyer for Wikileaks. This surveillance of the lawyers violates international law. The US govt. cares nothing for the rule of law. It should wake people up to see the rapid, implacable coordination between govts. and corporations to stop the exposure of embarrassing truths.
Here are more mirror sites: wikileaks.dena-design.de wikileaks.zone84.net wikileaks.iuwt.fr
wikileaks.chmod.fi wlmirror.wildeboer.net leaked.rndm.ath.cx
wikileaks.splichy.cz wleaks.3sge.pulsedmedia.com
wleaks.hellfire.pulsedmedia.com
wikileaks.palisades-berlin.de wikileaks.razor1911.com
wikileaks.dokansoft.com.ar
wikileaks.thinkfurther.de wikileaks.trankil.info wikileaks.gonte2.nu
leaks.stumcomie.com wikileaks.timburke.org wikileaks.ehcdev.com
wikileaks.myscripts24.de wikileaks.breit.ws wikileaks.emilts.com
wikileaks.ruicruz.pt wikileaks.now-pages.com wikileaks.ego-world.org
cablegate.r3blog.nl ipv6 http://www.wikileakz.eu wikileaks.realprogrammer.org
wikileaks.the-secret-world.info wikileaks.rtjuette.de
wikileaks.rustigereigers.nl
mirror1.wikileaks.lu mirror2.wikileaks.lu internaluse.net
wikileaks.r00t.la wikileaks.cordover.id.au brd.mcbf.net
wikileaks.spurious.biz wikileaks.1407.org wikileaks.mollar.me
azow.selb.us wikileaks.furdev.org wikileaks.datkan.net ipv6
wikileaks.threefingers.ca wikileaks.brenne.nu ipv6 http://www.anontalk.com
wikileaks.hutonline.nl vm8157.vps.tagadab.com nl1.wikileaksmirror.nl
wikileaks.noomad.org wikileaks.xcplanet.com http://www.wikileaks.nw-ds.com
wikileaks.infinium.org.uk wikileaks.piratskasit.cz peoplerule.info
wikileaks.sirobert.com wikileaks.solvare.se wikileaks.marktaff.com
wikileaks.hmaks.com im.wikileak.im wikileaks.yoerin.nl
wikileaks.siwhine.org wikileaks.schroth.cx wikileaks.delight.ch
wikileaks.moochm.de wikileaks.syncaddict.net http://www.hallitus.info
info.patourie-systems.com wikileaks.softic.cz wikileaks.redhog.org
wikileaks.brokenbydesign.org wikileaks.nisd.dk
wikileaks.sentientrobot.net
wikileaks.kronoss.org wikileaks.s4ku.com wikileaks.glembotzky.com
wikileaks.nperfection.com wikileaks.laquadrature.net
wikileaks.legrandsoir.info
wikileaks.artwww.net wikileaks.39mm.net leaks.uaqv.com
Clearly, the world wide oligarchy is displeased. They have closed ranks, just as they have done financially against the people of each nation. They have launched a concerted attack to censor reality from the people. This is the govt. It is not different from Saudi Arabia or China or Russia or any other dictatorship. Twitter is now censoring wikileaks. The children of Assagne have been given death threats. If you look at our newz, you find little actual information concerning the content of the leaks. Our newz is full on censorship coupled with propaganda. As a citizen I have the right to know what this govt. is doing. I am owed the right to truth concerning its actions during its wars of empire. I am entitled to know about their illegal activities. I need to know how they interlock with the banking industry. This information is being suppressed by this govt. That is an outrage. Here are some mirror sites: Wikileaks is currently mirrored on 208 sites (updated 2010-12-05 19:43 GMT)
wikileaks.as50620.net wikileaks.tard.is ipv6 freeus.jsdev.org
wikileaks.enzym.su freeus.jsdev.org wikileaks.cellue.de
wikileaks.kafe-in.net ipv6 wl.opsec.eu ipv6 wl.donatepl0x.com
wikileaks.challet.eu wikileaks.kister.org wl.gernox.de
wikileaks.morningtime.com wikileaks.renout.nl wikileaks.fdn.fr
wikileaks.gonte.se wikileaks.kaptenkong.se
wikileaksmirror.proxelsus-hosting.de ipv6
leaks.gooby.org wikileaks.dubronetwork.fr ipv6 wikileaks.perry.ch
wikileaks.sbr.im wikileaks.u0d.de
wikileaks.81-89-98-125.blue.kundencontro…
http://www.fuckip.de wikileaks.psytek.net wl.mrkva.eu
wikileaks.joworld.net wikileaks.chiquitico.org wikileaks.rout0r.org
http://www.gruiiik.org wikileaks.high-color.de wikileaks.holarse-linuxgaming.de
ipv6
wl.alfeldr.de wikileaks.huissoud.ch wikileaks.geekview.be
wikileaks.dysternis.de wikileaks.nulset.net wikileaks.franslundberg.com