Category Archives: Espionage

Obama ‘community organizing’ in France. Apparently only Muslims and blacks.

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Please go to Dianna West’s site to read an analysis on this. I am reluctant to use any adjective on this issue as I haven’t yet managed to quantify something of this magnitude. I can ask the usual question though. Of course Bush would simply not have done anything like this. But if he had, how loud would his detractors be about it?

Eeyore for Vlad

From WIKILEAKS:

January 19, 2010:

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 000058

SUBJECT: EMBASSY PARIS - MINORITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Classified By: Ambassador Charles H. Rivkin, Reasons 1.4(b),(d).

1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: In keeping with France's unique history
and circumstances, Embassy Paris has created a Minority
Engagement Strategy that encompasses, among other groups, the
French Muslim population and responds to the goals outlined
in reftel A. Our aim is to engage the French population at
all levels in order to amplify France's efforts to realize
its own egalitarian ideals, thereby advancing U.S. national
interests. While France is justifiably proud of its leading
role in conceiving democratic ideals and championing human
rights and the rule of law, French institutions have not
proven themselves flexible enough to adjust to an
increasingly heterodox demography. We believe that if
France, over the long run, does not successfully increase
opportunity and provide genuine political representation for
its minority populations, France could become a weaker, more
divided country, perhaps more crisis-prone and
inward-looking, and consequently a less capable ally. To
support French efforts to provide equal opportunity for
minority populations, we will engage in positive discourse;
set a strong example; implement an aggressive youth outreach
strategy; encourage moderate voices; propagate best
practices; and deepen our understanding of the underlying
causes of inequality in France. We will also integrate the
efforts of various Embassy sections, target influential
leaders among our primary audiences, and evaluate both
tangible and intangible indicators of the success of our
strategy. END SUMMARY.

--------------------------------------------- -----
BACKGROUND: THE CRISIS OF REPRESENTATION IN FRANCE
--------------------------------------------- -----

2. (C/NF) France has long championed human rights and the
rule of law, both at home and abroad, and justifiably
perceives itself as a historic leader among democratic
nations. This history and self-perception will serve us well
as we implement the strategy outlined here, in which we press
France toward a fuller application of the democratic values
it espouses. This strategy is necessary because French
institutions have not proven themselves flexible enough to
adjust to the country's increasingly heterodox demography.
Very few minorities hold leadership positions in France's
public institutions. As President Sarkozy's own Diversity
Czar Yazid Sabeg told Ambassador Rivkin in December, the
National Assembly "serves as a mirror of the crisis of
representation in France" (reftel B). The National Assembly,
among its 577 deputies, has a single black member from
metropolitan France (excluding its island territories), but
does not have any elected representatives of Muslim or Arab
extraction, though this minority group alone represents
approximately 10 percent of the population. The Senate has
two Muslim Senators (out of 343), but no black
representatives and only a few Senators hail from other
ethnic or religious minorities. Sabeg also noted that none
of France's approximately 180 Ambassadors is black, and only
one is of North African descent. Despite Sarkozy's
appointment of leaders such as Rachida Dati, Fidela Amara and
Rama Yade, minorities continue to confront a very thick glass
ceiling in France's public institutions. The French media
remains overwhelmingly white, with only modest increases in
minority representation on camera for major news broadcasts.
Among French elite educational institutions, we are only
aware that Sciences Po has taken serious steps to integrate.
While slightly better represented in private organizations,
minorities in France lead very few corporations and
foundations. Thus the reality of French public life defies
the nation's egalitarian ideals. In-group, elitist politics
still characterize French public institutions, while extreme
right, xenophobic policies hold appeal for a small (but
occasionally influential) minority. Post will continue to
explore other underlying causes of the social, political and
economic barriers impeding the advancement of minorities in
France (see Tactic 6, below).

3. (C/NF) France suffers consequences when its leading
institutions fail to reflect the composition of its
population. We believe France has not benefited fully from
the energy, drive, and ideas of its minorities. Despite some
French claims to serve as a model of assimilation and
meritocracy, undeniable inequities tarnish France's global
image and diminish its influence abroad. In our view, a
sustained failure to increase opportunity and provide genuine
political representation for its minority populations could
render France a weaker, more divided country. The
geopolitical consequences of France's weakness and division
will adversely affect U.S. interests, as we need strong
partners in the heart of Europe to help us promote democratic

PARIS 00000058 002 OF 004

values. Moreover, social exclusion has domestic consequences
for France, including the alienation of some segments of the
population, which can in turn adversely affect our own
efforts to fight global networks of violent extremists. A
thriving, inclusive French polity will help advance our
interests in expanding democracy and increasing stability
worldwide.

-------------------------------
A STRATEGY FOR FRANCE: OUR AIMS
-------------------------------

4. (C/NF) The overarching goal of our minority outreach
strategy is to engage the French population at all levels in
order to help France to realize its own egalitarian ideals.
Our strategy has three broad target audiences in mind: (1)
the majority, especially the elites; (2) minorities, with a
focus on their leaders; (3) and the general population.
Employing the seven tactics described below, we aim (1) to
increase awareness among France's elites of the benefits of
expanding opportunity and the costs of maintaining the status
quo; (2) to improve the skills and grow the confidence of
minority leaders who seek to increase their influence; (3)
and to communicate to the general population in France that
we particularly admire the diversity and dynamism of its
population, while emphasizing the advantages of profiting
from those qualities by expanding opportunities for all.

--------------------------------------
TACTIC 1: ENGAGE IN POSITIVE DISCOURSE
--------------------------------------

5. (C/NF) First, we will focus our discourse on the issue of
equal opportunity. When we give public addresses about the
community of democracies, we will emphasize, among the
qualities of democracy, the right to be different, protection
of minority rights, the value of equal opportunity, and the
importance of genuine political representation. In private
meetings, we will deliberately direct questions about equal
opportunity in France to high-level, non-minority French
leaders. Rather than retreating from discussions involving
two sacred cows in France -- the concepts of "secularism" and
"communitarianism" -- we will engage French leaders directly
about the role that their terminology and intellectual
frameworks could play in creating (or diminishing) equality
of opportunity in France. We will endeavor to convey the
costs to France of the under-representation of minorities,
highlighting the benefits we have accumulated, over time, by
working hard to chip away at the various impediments faced by
American minorities. We will, of course, continue to adopt a
humble attitude regarding our own situation in the U.S., but
nevertheless will stress the innumerable benefits accruing
from a proactive approach to broad social inclusion,
complementing our French partners on any positive steps they
take. In addition, we will continue and intensify our work
with French museums and educators to reform the history
curriculum taught in French schools, so that it takes into
account the role and perspectives of minorities in French
history.

------------------------------
TACTIC 2: SET A STRONG EXAMPLE
------------------------------

6. (C/NF) Second, we will employ the tool of example. We
will continue and expand our efforts to bring minority
leaders from the U.S. to France, working with these American
leaders to convey an honest sense of their experience to
French minority and non-minority leaders alike. When we send
French leaders to America, we will include, as often as
possible, a component of their trip that focuses on equal
opportunity. In the Embassy, we will continue to invite a
broad spectrum of French society to our events, and avoid, as
appropriate, hosting white-only events, or minority-only
events. We will be inclusive, working in this way to break
down barriers, facilitate communication, and expand networks.
By bringing together groups who would not otherwise interact
together, the Embassy will continue to use its cachet to
create networking opportunities that cut through traditional
cultural and social barriers in France.

------------------------------------------
TACTIC 3: LAUNCH AGGRESSIVE YOUTH OUTREACH
------------------------------------------

7. (C/NF) Third, we will continue and expand our youth
outreach efforts in order to communicate about our shared
values with young French audiences of all socio-cultural
backgrounds. Leading the charge on this effort, the
Ambassador's inter-agency Youth Outreach Initiative aims to
engender a positive dynamic among French youth that leads to
greater support for U.S. objectives and values. Some

PARIS 00000058 003 OF 004

elements of our Youth Outreach Initiative have particular
importance for minorities, including:

-- Drawing heavily on new media, we aim first to build trust
and gain understanding among French youth from diverse
backgrounds.

-- While reinforcing mutual trust and understanding, we seek
to help France's next generation improve their capacity to
lead in their communities, while also conveying the
importance of transcending the bounds of their own
communities in order to make a broader, national impact.

-- To achieve these aims, we will build on the expansive
Public Diplomacy programs already in place at post, and
develop creative, additional means to influence the youth of
France, employing new media, corporate partnerships,
nationwide competitions, targeted outreach events, especially
invited U.S. guests.

-- We will also develop new tools to identify, learn from,
and influence future French leaders. Continue Reading →

Egypt protests: America’s secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising

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So, is Obama MB or what?

From The Telegraph:

The American government secretly backed leading figures behind the Egyptian uprising who have been planning “regime change” for the past three years, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

By Tim Ross, Matthew Moore and Steven Swinford 9:23PM GMT 28 Jan 2011
1306 Comments
The American Embassy in Cairo helped a young dissident attend a US-sponsored summit for activists in New York, while working to keep his identity secret from Egyptian state police.
On his return to Cairo in December 2008, the activist told US diplomats that an alliance of opposition groups had drawn up a plan to overthrow President Hosni Mubarak and install a democratic government in 2011.
The secret document in full
He has already been arrested by Egyptian security in connection with the demonstrations and his identity is being protected by The Daily Telegraph.
The crisis in Egypt follows the toppling of Tunisian president Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who fled the country after widespread protests forced him from office.

RCMP outreach or outrage?

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Several years ago the RCMP developed a variety of outreach divisions designed specifically to engage members of minority communities in Canada. One such division, The National Security Community Outreach program, was created to ‘ensure that all persons are treated with equality and respect’, a fundamental component of RCMP national security criminal investigations. ” The protection of our national security requires the awareness and involvement of all citizens. We encourage invitations to meet with community groups and welcome opportunities to work more closely with cultural and ethnic community representatives”.

Sounds good. What responsible police force wouldn’t want to strive to provide to all an opportunity to become informed of their rights and freedoms as well as the activities the RCMP undertakes to protect them? And certainly befitting to the present day climate of political correctness, diversity, outreach, dialogue and round table discussions appear apropos. The trouble is, whose sitting at the round tables?

In February 2007, ‘The Cross-Country Roundtable on Security’ was held in Toronto hosted by both the RCMP and CSIS. It was a raucous affair, complete with attendees that should never have been invited, or the uninvited told to leave. Among the cultural and ethnic community representatives in attendance was none other than controversial Imam Aly-Hindy of the Salaheddin mosque in suburban Toronto. Imam Aly- Hindy boasts of openly performing polygamous marriages, illegal in Canada. In a May, 2009 National Post Full Comment, columnist John Turley-Ewart writes:

‘Hindy is using polygamy as a proxy for his fundamentalist version of Islam, something he wants to see legitimized in Canadian society as a whole. It is part of an attempt at empire building, a bid that if successful will enhance his influence within the Muslim community and demonstrate that Ontario and Canada is too ignorant and too afraid of Islam to uphold its own laws. He has admitted as much, challenging Ontario’s government to dare stop him. “If the laws of the country conflict with Islamic law, if one goes against the other, then I am going to follow Islamic law, simple as that.”

He took advantage of the outreach event by complaining that six Muslims did not obtain security clearance for sensitive government jobs. Hindy’s mosque made headlines this week when the National Post learned that Salaheddin has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Middle East donors since 2009. The mosque is described by the RCMP as a “focal point for Toronto Islamic radicals” and by the New York Police Department as a “known radical mosque”. Hindy said that by securing overseas funds the mosque was “preserving Muslim culture”.

The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) also made an appearance at the Sheraton Hotel. This group formed in 1967, represents the interests of Arab Canadians with respect to the formulation of public policy in Canada. With over 40 member organizations, it seeks to ‘combat hate and racism’, is vocal against what it perceives to be anti-Arab and anti-Muslim activities and issues position papers to the government on it’s policies in South Asia and it’s domestic immigration affairs. It also boasts of promoting the richness of Muslim and Arab culture. Not a group to sit idly by, it appears to seek out controversy. It too complained, primarily about Canada’s Mid East policies and the Muslim ‘brothers’ being deported for terrorism.

This past week the now defunded and ostracized CAF appeared at ” Exposing Israeli Apartheid and the Violation of Palestinian Rights” held at the University of Toronto. The groups president Khaled Mouammar took no time at all to vent his hatred for Canada and the mistreatment his organization has suffered under the Conservative government. Mr. Mouammar finds respect illusive; it may have something to do with the fact that he called Immigration Minister Jason Kenney a “professional whore” and insisted on flying the flags of Hamas and Hezbollah at a rally in Toronto. In addition to Mr. Kenney’s decision to review or eliminate funding to the group, he further stated ” We should not be rewarding those who express views that are contrary to Canada’s best liberal values of tolerance and mutual respect”.

Last August, one day after RCMP investigators searched the homes of three arrested terror suspects, it’s outreach office in Ottawa called a swift meeting of the cultural diversity consultative committee to apologize to local Muslims. They felt it necessary to apologize that the bust had taken place during Ramadan. More than a dozen meetings were held with Muslim groups including visits to mosques, community centres and several meals to break the Ramadan fast. It’s difficult to determine which groups were in attendance, however representatives from the Tamil, Sikh, Asian, Jewish, Muslim and First Nations communities were present. The Canadian Islamic Congress carries on it’s web site an article claiming the apology ‘never happened’ despite claims to the contrary. Nazira Naz Tareen writes:

“At no time was an apology asked for by anyone present, nor was one given by any officer of the RCMP or the Ottawa Police. One question raised during the presentation was: “Since the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the RCMP had been investigating the three (detained) individuals for over a year, why were the arrests not made before or after Ramadan?” When one of the officers from the panel explained the reason, all of us accepted the answer as reasonable in the circumstances”.

” To show support to our Muslim brothers and sisters during Ramadan, there will be no food or or drink during this most important meeting. The meeting is for one hour only, in order to observe prayer time and the breaking of the fast during Ramadan”, wrote Cpl. Wayne Russett, the RCMP’s aboriginal and ethnic liaison officer in Ottawa. Prime Minister Harper responded to the apology given by saying “”In fairness this is an operational matter for the RCMP and I wouldn’t pretend to know all the details and aspects of the story. But the general approach that this government would expect to see (from law enforcement agencies) is that the law, our important laws, are enforced every day of the year.”

In October of last year, the RCMP was told to drop the extreme event billed as “Just and Sustainable Peace- A Global Challenge”. The ‘peace conference’ was promoted by the ethnic liaison office to members of the national force, with one of the participants a member of the cultural diversity committee. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews stated ” Let me be clear. Canada’s national police force must have no involvement in any event organized by those who promote extremism or hatred”. “As soon as I learned about this event, I asked the RCMP to explain its involvement. I have asked it to immediately cease any participation”. The listed speakers included Davood Ameri of The Islamic World Peace Forum, a group whose website contains graphic anti-Semitic cartoons, complete with articles calling the United States a terrorist state and several professors from the University of Tehran closely linked to the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The moderator for this event was Imam Zijad Delic of the Canadian Islamic Congress. His speaking engagement at the Department of National Defence was cancelled earlier in the month after Defence Minister Peter MacKay deemed both Zelic and his outfit extremist.

Community Outreach Program (COP) was created by the RCMP INSET in May of 2005 to prevent terrorism through the engagement of partners in all sections of society. Law enforcement agencies and security officials are increasingly coming under scrutiny, bombarded by Islamic activist groups intent to ensure that ‘fairness and justice is afforded to Muslims’, as if it were denied them and given instead to all others. CAIR-CAN has made it their goal to breathe life into exaggerated claims of rampant and escalating Islamophobia, to the point of creating publications and kits. The Ramadan kit is boasted in CAIR-CAN’s Annual Review 2007 as an essential in any Canadian Muslim media activist’s toolbox. Over 100 copies of The Educators Guide to Islamic Religious Practice were ordered by one school board and over 400 ‘Know Your Rights’ booklets sent to one conference. Similar guides for journalists, employers and health care providers are revamped with a new look with one also written for correctional services and the law enforcement community. CAIR-CAN works to “foster an accurate understanding and greater appreciation of Islam in Canadian society through community education and outreach”. It states it’s full independence from its sister organization, Washington based CAIR, although “the two coordinate on areas of mutual concern”.

A document found on the RCMP website entitled “Words Make Worlds” is designed to “stimulate discussion among RCMP members along with their counterparts in other agencies, particularly with regard to the need for a common language to describe terrorism adequately”. The introduction continues to say “Just as critical is the need for a comprehensive understanding of the process of radicalization and the manner in which we may intervene”. Much of what is written leaves one with an adequate sense of the reality pertaining to radicalization and the issues and observations the author suggests surround it. Yet when referring to the distinction between Islam and Islamism, the Muslim Brotherhood appears as a rather benign, quasi-secret society:

“It’s (MB) founders and chief ideologues were predominantly anti-Western and tended to characterize Islamic political aspirations as fundamentally counter to democracy. Increasingly however, the Brotherhood has repudiated radicalism and adopted a gradualist perspective which, while not aligned to Western democratic principles, (the Brotherhood is linked to Hamas for example) is more positively oriented toward them. Few members of the Muslim Brotherhood espouse terrorism and in many Muslim countries they have served as voices of moderation, channeling people away from violence and toward legitimate political and charitable activities”.

A more moderate appearance by the Muslim Brotherhood may be true, but only insofar as it’s tactics may have changed to suit present circumstances. It’s strategy remains the same. The significance of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s oft- violent offshoot entity, should not be relegated to mere parentheses, especially considering Canada has placed the organization on its list of terrorist groups. Likewise, the Muslim Brotherhood’s continued aspiration of settlement through non-violent means should not be downplayed, as a failure to recognize the inroads already made in response to Al-Ikhwan’s settlement process deliberately or otherwise, aids in the maintenance and endurance of it’s core objective.

Remaining true to it’s original goal, the Muslim Brotherhood clearly states:

The process of settlement of Islam is a “Civilization-Jihadist” process with all the word means. The Ikhwan must understand that all their work in America is a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and “sabotaging” their miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all religions. Without this level of understanding, we are not up to this challenge and have not prepared ourselves for Jihad yet. It is a Muslim’s destiny to perform Jihad and work wherever he is and wherever he lands until the final hour comes, and there is no escape from that destiny except for those who choose to slack.

It’s difficult to determine whether these representatives are invited to various outreach events specifically and on a regular, repeat basis or whether they respond to a more general, open invitation. If CAIR-CAN, the CIC and the CAF are on speed-dial, do the authorities presume they have something beneficial to contribute? Or is the influence and outreach the other way around? Salma Siddiqui, vice president of the Muslim Canadian Congress says the notion that Muslims need special treatment or that their religious sensibilities need to be addressed is patronizing. She adds that police diversity outreach committees should be dismantled. Tarek Fatah, author and open critic of radical outfits, agrees. He asserts too many Canadian institutions are crumbling beneath the pressures of political correctness and are making themselves susceptible to infiltration by extremists. Ikhwan should not be setting the agenda for security services. Outreach or outrage?

Grace for Vladtepesblog.

Egypt arrests 4 citizens over spying for Israel

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Any bets as to the truth of this AP report?

December 20, 2010 – 5:21am
By MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) – Egyptian authorities arrested four suspects on suspicion of spying for Israel and plotting to damage the economy by kidnapping tourists, a security official said.

The official revealed Sunday that the suspects, all Egyptian nationals, set up offices in Egypt, Britain, Israel, and Gaza to allegedly record officials’ phone conversations and collect information about Japanese and Chinese tourists visiting the Sinai Peninsula.

The plan, according to the official, was for agents of Israel to then briefly kidnap the tourists, disrupting the Egypt’s vital tourism sector and damaging the economy.

Israel said that it had no information about the case. Continue Reading →

Daniel Arrospide’s article from Islam in Europe

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Translated by Islam in Europe, an interview with the Swedish politician in the video posted a couple of days ago here on Vlad

Daniel Arrospide’s article (SE):

What I saw at the mosque at the Medborgarplatsen scares me

It is with great sadness that I write this article. Now, when Sweden has become the target for its first terrorist attack, is the time for politicians to know the consequences of not addressing integration policy.

For half a year I infiltrated the mosque at Medborgarplatsen-Stockholm, and what I found there really scared me. The government’s and parliament’s unwillingness to rehabilitate the Million Programme [ed: low-cost housing projects]has led to militant Muslims having a recruiting base in Sweden. It’s very easy for them to recruit somebody who is unemployed, doesn’t know the language and lives in a poor neighborhood. They promise to give them a lot of family to their family if they die in the name of Allah.

The statement from the Imam and the Swedish Islamic Association is just a game for the gallery. They have completely lost control over the ‘communities’ in Sweden. The fact is that people from the al-Qaeda terrorist network are recruiting Swedish Muslims of all ages on an on-going basis for the holy war of Jihad.

The imam knows precisely who they are and could have easily contacted SÄPO, but chose not to do this. I could never understand why, despite my attempt to find out. I’m not claiming that he indirectly supported this, but sometimes I wondered..

I had went to the mosque for almost six months, and there I had contact with somebody who called himself “Samir”. I don’t know if that was his real name. In any case he started speaking Arabic with me, but I told him that my Arabic wasn’t so good. He asked me why and I told him that my parent’s wanted to be Swedish and therefore didn’t teach me Arabic. I asked ‘Samir’ where he lived, and was told Rinkeby. We continued talking about the USA, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. I got the impression that he wanted to do something about it. After a while he asked me if I wanted to be ‘active’, in that case I could come home with him to Rinkeby and talk with somebody who would go down. They will pay you very well. I said no and then he stopped talking to me. He threatened to kill me if I went to the police and talked. I stopped going to the mosque after the conversation I had with ‘Samir’. Continue Reading →

Why Bolton was right. Wikileaks IS an attack on the USA: Wikileaks reveals potential terrorist targets

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From The Local.De

An aerial picture of Sylt. Photo: DPA

Wikileaks reveals potential terrorist targets

Published: 6 Dec 10 12:33 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20101206-31623.html
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Wikileaks released another sensitive US diplomatic cable over the weekend, this time detailing overseas sites Washington considers vital to global security and threatened by terrorism – among them several German assets.

    The controversial whistleblower site published the cable late on Sunday, listing potential targets that experts told British daily The Times were a “gift for terrorist organisations.”

    The list of “critical infrastructure and key resources located abroad” detailed hundreds of pipelines, important data cables, and businesses belonging to international industrial and pharmaceutical giants. If destroyed, these sites could damage US interests, the diplomatic communique said.

    In Germany such sites included the BASF headquarters in Ludwigshafen, which was described as the “world’s largest integrated chemical complex,” and Hamburg’s port.

    Other crucial sites include the northwestern coastal city of Norden and the North Sea island of Sylt, where two important underwater data and communication cables connecting North America and Europe reach land.

    The list was the result of a February 2009 order from Washington for officials to compile a list of international assets critical for the United States. Continue Reading →

    Seems the PM of Turkey is some pissed at the US over Wikileak material

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    Thanks to the efforts of some very kind people nearby, I managed to get this highly amusing video translated of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an desperately attempting to threaten his way out of the allegations against him exposed by wikileaks.

    Below the video, some details from Hurrietdaily

    Wednesday, December 1, 2010
    ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ
    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

    In a harshly worded response to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an said Wednesday that he would file legal action again U.S. envoys he accused of making false claims against him.

    Speaking during a municipal ceremony in Ankara, Erdo?an called on the U.S. administration to take action to discipline the diplomats who “slandered” him in the leaked State Department documents.

    “This is the United States’ problem, not ours… Those who have slandered us will be crushed under these claims, will be finished and will disappear,” the prime minister said in his first comprehensive comments about the WikiLeaks release.

    “My friends are working [to take action] against these diplomats in terms of national and international law. We will continue this process there. Thereafter, they [the diplomats] have to think [about the consequences],” Erdo?an said. “We have discussed these issues with the U.S. administration. They have extended their apologies, but it’s not enough. They have to take all necessary measures against these diplomats.” Continue Reading →

    Wikileaks denied and granted asylum, site under DDOS attack

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    Thanks to ‘Dig’ for these two important stories. Founder of Wikileaks, the website attempting to break all world records for treason, has been denied asylum in Sweden, but granted it in Ecuador. The website also appears to be under DDOS attack. I’m shocked it took this long. The question remains, how much can he afford? The cost of protecting a web site from a meaningful DDOS attack can be quite high.

    From BBC

    Ecuador offers Wikileaks founder Assange residency

    Julian Assange The Wikileaks founder is facing sexual assault allegations in Sweden – accusations that he strenuously denies

    Ecuador has offered Julian Assange, the founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, residency in the country.

    Deputy Foreign Minister Kintto Lucas said his country’s government wanted to invite Mr Assange to Ecuador to give him the opportunity to speak publicly.

    He said Ecuador was concerned about some of the alleged American activities revealed by Wikileaks.

    Earlier this year Sweden refused an application from Mr Assange, who is Australian, for residency there.

    “We are open to giving him residency in Ecuador, without any problem and without any conditions,” Mr Lucas said.

    “We are going to try and invite him to Ecuador to freely present, not only via the internet, but also through different public forums, the information and documentation that he has,” he said.

    Mr Lucas added: “We think it would be important not only to converse with him but also to listen to him.”

    Wikileaks says it has more than 1,600 cables that originated from the US embassy in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, the contents of which have not yet been disclosed.

    Mr Lucas said Ecuador was “very concerned” by information revealed by Wikileaks linking US diplomats with spying on friendly governments.

    He said the offer to Mr Assange would not affect relations between Ecuador’s left-leaning government and the US.

    On Monday, the authorities in Australia said they were looking into whether Mr Assange had broken any laws there.

    Brazilian revelations

    The Spanish paper El Pais says that, according to a secret cable released by Wikileaks, US intelligence operatives wanted to know whether the Argentine president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, was taking medication to deal with her “nerves and stress”.

    There is more at the BBC link please click through the top link for the rest. Meanwhile, Wikileaks is experiencing a DDOS attack of TEN GIGABYTES/SECOND. This is not a trivial thing.

    WikiLeaks under new cyber attack: Twitter feed

    December 1, 2010 – 4:05AM

    WikiLeaks said in a Twitter message on Tuesday that it was under a new cyber attack after a similar incident at the weekend just before the website began releasing secret US diplomatic cables.

    “We are currently under another DDoS attack,” WikiLeaks said on its official Twitter feed.

    DDoS stands for distributed denial of service. Classic DDoS attacks occur when legions of “zombie” computers, normally machines infected with viruses, are commanded to simultaneously visit a website.

    Advertisement: Story continues below

    Such a massive onslaught can overwhelm servers, slowing service or knocking it offline completely.

    A later message on the WikiLeaks twitter said “DDoS attack now exceeding 10 Gigabits a second.”

    On Sunday, just as it began the release of some 250,000 US embassy cables, WikiLeaks said on Twitter the website had come under a DDoS cyber attack.

    But it insisted El Pais, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, The Guardian and the New York Times would go ahead with the publication of the first of such documents even if the WikiLeaks website was down.

    WikiLeaks later circumvented the attack by creating a sub-website — http://cablegate.wikileaks.org — as its main website — http://wikileaks.org — became inaccessible after the attack.

    As of 1600 GMT on Monday, both websites were still online.

    © 2010 AFP
    This story is sourced direct from an overseas news agency as an additional service to readers. Spelling follows North American usage, along with foreign currency and measurement units.

    Wikileaks may be the earthquake that starts the avalanche

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    Wikileaks founder claims to be a peace activist. I suspect like most self proclaimed peace activists, he is very much for war but on the ‘other side’. Certainly this batch of leaks promises to do much more to accelerate a war than it does to help build good relations. I also can’t help but notice that there are no leaks from North Korea, Iran, The KSA-Saudi Arabia, or Pakistan, although I’m quite certain that revelations from Pakistan will be released if they have not been already.

    In any case, this man should be tried for treason with a capitol punishment if found guilty in my humble opinion. What he has done will cost the lives of allies of the west, of freedom and of liberal democracy. Perhaps not a perfect system, but the best ever managed in the history of the world so far. Even so, it is interesting that so many Mid East leaders are calling for the elimination of the Iranian regime. It seems they are not squeamish about attacking, but most certainly are of Iran getting the bomb.

    expected imminent release of classified State Department cables will put “countless” lives at risk,

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    From MUQATA Please click here for the whole post:

    Sunday, November 28, 2010

    Israel WikiWatch

    Posted by JoeSettler at 11/28/2010 02:37:00 PM

    A Joint Jameel/JoeSettler headline post being updated over the next 12-24 hours.

    This post will be updated as new Israel related Wikileaks updates (and related events) appear.

    Wikileaks has announced they will begin posting documents today consisting of communications from the US to its embassies regarding its allies. For the past week, the US has been trying to do damage control. The US claims that the release of this information will “place at risk on-going cooperation between countries”.

    Latest leaks and rumors on top.

    5:15 PM Germany’s Der-Spiegel reports that the WikiLeaks contain information that the USA has an agent operating inside Germany’s government, from the liberal FDP party. (source)

    5:06 PM Israel on “high alert” — “Another Israeli official added that the American Embassy in Tel Aviv had been calling Israelis named in the documents in order to warn them in advance. The list includes officials in the Foreign Ministry, as well as aides to prime ministers, this official said.” (JPost)

    4:49 PM Speculations abound that the WikiLeaks will reveal that Israeli officials have been providing classified information to the USA in exchange for money (rotter.net)

    4:42 PM The JPost reports the USA’s spin control:

    The Obama administration on Sunday told whistle-blower WikiLeaks that its expected imminent release of classified State Department cables will put “countless” lives at risk, threaten global counter-terrorism operations and jeopardize US relations with its allies. [Jameel: by telling us what the State Department really thinks of Israel? We’ve been writing it on the muqata blog for years…]

    In a highly unusual step reflecting the administration’s grave concerns about the ramifications of the move, the State Department released a letter from its top lawyer to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his attorney telling them that publication of the documents would be illegal and demanding that they stop it.

    The letter from State Department legal adviser Harold Koh was released as US diplomats around the world are scrambling to warn foreign governments about what might be in the secret documents that are believed to contain highly sensitive assessments about world leaders, their policies and America’s attempts to lobby them. [Jameel: The USA wants Tzippi Livni as Prime Minister? What a shock.]

    In the letter, Koh said the publication of some 250,000 secret diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks, which is expected on Sunday, will “place at risk the lives of countless innocent individuals,” ”place at risk on-going military operations,” and “place at risk on-going cooperation between countries.”

    “They were provided in violation of US law and without regard for the grave consequences of this action,” he said. Koh said WikiLeaks should not publish the documents, return them to the US government and destroy any copies it may have in its possession or in computer databases.

    4:24 PM Washington specifically warns Israel of “potentially embarrassing” leaks (Breitbart) Rotter.net reports that the US has pulled CIA spy operatives out of Israel so that Israel can’t retaliate and imprison “Pollards” for spying on Israel for the USA.

    Your Tax Dollars At Prayer Part 2: Hey Sucker Your Money Supports the Muslim Brotherhood

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    Please check out this story from Blazing Cat fur. BCF breaks a lot of stories and should be checked often. Today’s posts there, are next weeks front page news on the National Post and next months ulcers for the CBC

    The Muslim Association of Hamilton received $26,508.00 in 2010 under the federal government’s “Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Pilot (SIP) Program.”

    The SIP Program’s purpose is to “Improve and enhance the safety of Canadian communities at risk of hate-motivated crime through the enhancement of their security infrastructure.”

    The Muslim Association of Hamilton’s web site is very reticent about it’s organizational structure and members, one name rang out however; Yasser Haddara who gave the welcome address at a MAH open house this year. Yasser Haddara is a board member of the Muslim Association of Canada – the only Muslim organization in Canada to openly claim allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood.

    This is what you should know about the Muslim Brotherhood:

    Please click over to BCF for the rest:

    Stuxnet worm rampaging through Iran: IT official

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    TEHRAN (AFP) – The Stuxnet worm is mutating and wreaking further havoc on computerised industrial equipment in Iran where about 30,000 IP addresses have already been infected, IRNA news agency reported on Monday.

    “The attack is still ongoing and new versions of this virus are spreading,” Hamid Alipour, deputy head of Iran’s Information Technology Company, was quoted as saying by IRNA, Iran’s official news agency.

    Stuxnet, which was publicly identified in June, was tailored for Siemens supervisory control and data acquisition, or SCADA, systems commonly used to manage water supplies, oil rigs, power plants and other industrial facilities.

    The self-replicating malware has been found lurking on Siemens systems mostly in India, Indonesia and Pakistan, but the heaviest infiltration appears to be in Iran, according to researchers.

    The hackers, who enjoyed “huge investments” from a series of foreign countries or organisations, designed the worm to exploit five different security vulnerabilities, Alipour said while insisting that Stuxnet was not a “normal” worm.

    He said his company had begun the cleanup process at Iran’s “sensitive centres and organisations,” the report said.

    Analysts say Stuxnet may have been designed to target Iran’s nuclear facilities. But Iranian officials have denied the Islamic republic’s first nuclear plant at Bushehr was among the addresses penetrated by the worm.

    “This virus has not caused any damage to the main systems of the Bushehr power plant,” Bushehr project manager Mahmoud Jafari said on Sunday.

    He, however, added the worm had infected some “personal computers of the plant’s personnel.”

    Alipour, whose company is tasked with planning and developing networks in Iran, said personal computers were also being targeted by the malware.

    “Although the main objective of the Stuxnet virus is to destroy industrial systems, its threat to home computer users is serious,” Alipour said.

    The worm is able to recognise a specific facility’s control network and then destroy it, according to German computer security researcher Ralph Langner, who has been analysing the malicious software. Continue Reading →

    Stuxnet computer worm ‘targeted Iranian nuclear power station’ in world’s most sophisticated virus attack

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    By Niall Firth
    Last updated at 3:18 PM on 23rd September 2010

    The world’s first cyber ‘super weapon’ may have been specifically designed to target a nuclear power station, experts believe.

    A computer virus called Stuxnet was first detected in June and has been described as one of the most sophisticated ‘worms’ ever created.

    Now internet security experts fear that it was created to target a real-world installation such as a power station, possibly in Iran.

    The worm targets computer systems that are not connected to the internet for security reasons. Instead it infects PCs running Microsoft Windows via infected USB memory drives.

    The Bushehr nuclear plant may have been the target for the cyber attack, experts believThe Bushehr nuclear plant may have been the target for the cyber attack, experts believe

    After it has hijacked a PC, Stuxnet looks for Siemens software that runs industrial control systems in facilities like factories and power plants.

    It then launches an attack by reprogramming software to give any industrial machinery new, potentially dangerous, instructions.

    It is capable of taking control of key processes and is able to set off a sequence that could cause the entire system to self-destruct, say experts.

    David Emm, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky, said what made Stuxnet different from other viruses was its targeted nature.

    His firm has worked with Microsoft to find holes in their code which could be exploited by the worm.

    Mr Emm said: What sets it apart is that it is not indiscriminate. Most viruses that are created are normally blasted out like a blunderbuss. But Stuxnet is written to only target a certain systems.

    ‘It finds flaws in code and uses it like an open window in a house, like a jemmy to make a bigger gap’, he said. Continue Reading →