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Julian Assange is a whistleblower activist who started a website called WikiLeaks. Somehow he obtains confidential, sensitive documents and he publishes them online. Sometimes this is good, in the case of exposing torture, assassination, and corruption. He has been awarded for this. Assange says that Wikileaks has released more classified documents than the rest of the world press combined: "That's not something I say as a way of saying how successful we are - rather, that shows you the parlous state of the rest of the media. How is it that a team of five people has managed to release to the public more suppressed information, at that level, than the rest of the world press combined? It's disgraceful." (source)Before working with the website, he was a physics and mathematics student, hacker, and computer programmer. Then Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He has come to widespread public attention for his recent role in the release of classified material documenting the involvement of the United States in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Then the world got word that he is about to release 2.7 million documents detailing conversations conducted confidentially regarding the US and Israel, probably this weekend.
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| Time Mag: WikiLeaks: could become as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act" |
Washington has warned its ally Israel of potential embarrassment from the expected release of US diplomatic cables on whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, an Israeli newspaper said on Thursday. A senior Israeli official, quoted in Haaretz, said it has been informed that WikiLeaks plans to release hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables, some of which could include confidential reports from the US embassy in Tel Aviv. "The Americans said they view the leak very seriously," he told the paper, on condition of anonymity.
Haaretz: Israel, U.S. tense as WikiLeaks set to release classified bilateral communiques
"Sources in Washington said the documents would be coming out soon, perhaps even today. And it is not only Israel being warned about US documents. The US Ambassador in London made a special visit also..."
UK Daily Mail: U.S. warns Britain over new WikiLeaks revelations that will 'expose corruption between allies'
"David Cameron was warned last night by America that damaging secrets of the ‘special relationship’ are about to be laid bare. The U.S. ambassador to London made an unprecedented personal visit to Downing Street to warn that whistleblower website WikiLeaks is about to publish secret assessments of what Washington really thinks of Britain. The website is on the verge of revealing almost 3million documents, including thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables sent to Washington from the American embassy in London. In total, around 2.7 million confidential messages between the U.S. government and its embassies around the world are to be released. The U.S. State Department warned that the leaks would damage relationships around the world. Spokesman P J Crowley said: ‘These revelations are harmful to the U.S. and our interests. They are going to create tension in relationships between our diplomats and our friends around the world.’"
The UK Daily Mail says, "U.S. diplomats face being kicked out of countries in backlash ... Corrupt politicians expected to be named and shamed."
As the dump became imminent, it simply became obvious the US was running around in damage control mode. "Wikileaks document dump has United States working damage control to stem potential embarrassment".
"The U.S. is already in damage-control mode ahead of the latest classified documents expected to be released by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with the leaders of several countries, warning her counterparts of what the documents may contain, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. There is speculation that the documents will reveal sensitive and embarrassing details of American diplomacy with foreign countries, The Associated Press reports."
Besides Britain and India, the US has warned the governments of Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway, Israel, Iraq, China, Turkey, Russia and Iceland in advance of the release. On this already tense earth, the situation between US and UK, and US and Israel will be stirred immeasurably by whatever the world reads in those documents. Though bombs may be going off in the Koreas, there is another bomb ticking and about to explode when WikiLeaks documents hit the internet. Like this one: "Did Turkey help al-Qaeda in Iraq?"
"According to the London-based daily al-Hayat, the WikiLeaks release includes documents showing Turkey has helped al-Qaeda in Iraq, reports Reuters."
That would make Turkey unquestioningly an enemy. The Gog-Magog battle of Ezekiel 38-39 shows Turkey siding with Iran and Russian in attacking Israel. Unmasking Turkey's real stance may spur that battle along.
The UK is taking the importance of the leaks so seriously that all the news media outlets in the UK have just now received a DA-notice. A DA-Notice or Defence Advisory Notice (called a Defence Notice or D-Notice until 1993) is an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security. The system is still in use in Britain. As of 2008 there are five standing DA-Notices. On 25 November 2010, the Government issued a DA-Notice (types 1 and 5) in relation to sensitive documents expected to be imminently released on the website WikiLeaks.
DA-Notice 01: Military Operations, Plans Capabilities
DA-Notice 02: Nuclear and Non-Nuclear Weapons and Equipment
DA-Notice 03: Ciphers and Secure Communications
DA-Notice 04: Sensitive Installations and Home Addresses
DA-Notice 05: United Kingdom Security Intelligence Special Services
State Department Spokesman PJ Crowley said, "These revelations are harmful to the United States and our interests," Crowley said. "They are going to create tension in relationships between our diplomats and our friends around the world." MORE tension than there already is? Hard to imagine.
And we wait, holding our breath to see which flames get fanned. And where they get fanned to.
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Wars and rumors of wars...
ReplyDeleteinteresting.