Bradley W. Bloch: How Is Leaking Like Getting a Job?

Call for openness after Wikileaks
Ministers should be more transparent and resist any urge to "clam up" after the Wikileaks revelations, according to the information commissioner. Christopher Graham said the government should be more proactive in publishing communications after the release of thousands of secret documents online. He said ministers needed to "wise up" to the fact that almost any official document could now be made public. Mr Graham, who became information commissioner in June 2009, added: &quo...;

Montana's "Inquisition" and Wikileaks
So you are a little girl in grammar school in 1917. Your name is Christine Shupp and you live near Melville in Sweet Grass County. Every morning after the pledge of allegiance to the flag, the teacher makes you, alone, kneel down on the floor and kiss the flag. It is because you are German. You are a rancher in Rosebud County and you call WWI "a Millionaire's war" and you are dragged off by neighbors to jail. You're in a saloon and call war time food regulations "a big joke" and you are sentence...

"Many Arab officials are US spies in their own countries"
"... Top Officials in several Arab countries have close links with the CIA, and many officials keep visiting US embassies in their respective countries voluntarily to establish links with this key US intelligence agency, says Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks. “These officials are spies for the US in their countries,” Assange told Al Jazeera Arabic channel in an interview yesterday. The interviewer, Ahmed Mansour, said at the start of the interview wh...

Poll: Assange 2010's 'Most Intriguing'
Published: Dec. 31, 2010 at 3:30 AM Atlanta-based CNN.com said Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was chosen by visitors as the "Most Intriguing Person" of 2010. UPI/Hugo Philpott ATLANTA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Atlanta-based CNN.com said Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was chosen by visitors as the "Most Intriguing Person" of 2010. The news organization said Assange received 25 percent of the votes in the online poll, with runners-up including President Barack Obama, Facebook mastermind Mark...

Persistent listener gets NPR to run WikiLeaks correction
For over a month, the radio network has repeatedly referred to the release of “thousands” of confidential State Department cables, when in fact only 1,947 are publicly available. Ombud Alicia Shepard writes: “Here’s a hat tip to Henry Norr, a San Francisco listener who frequently complains about NPR’s news coverage” and forced the Wikileaks correction. Romenesko Archives: SF Chronicle suspends Norr over war Protest. (March 27, 2003/summary only; links are de...

"Swedish prison. Like, I could live there, like it's nice ..."
We join the inane chatter about Julian Assange somewhere near the end of the 50th minute: "... just because he's a rapist doesn't mean I'm saying he's some some sort of violent... It's such a loaded term...." There's much more, of course, but that gives you a feeling for the discussion. Continue at your own risk. ...

Government-Secret Celebutante Julian Assange Poses For Weird X-Mas Photos
Here is a super cool action-shot of Julian Assange jumping over a fence at the Tower of London after feeding some cornish hens, or whatever, for some reason. Yes, Julian Assange has nothing better to do than pose for some cute photos in a Santa costume for Newsweek while he celebrated the birth of the original hater of secrets, the Baby Jesus, at the ol’ Rape mansion. At least he’s having fun with this Rape thing! You’ve got to. Here’s to this guy hopefully not leaking t...

The American Government Enables Worldwide Sharia
This has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that we have been dismissed as “Euro-Trash”, and are therefore not worth reading in the USA. Furthermore, we’d have a much larger audience if we focused more on American politics. On the plus side: we can look at our own country from a slightly different perspective. By perching on a virtual Atlantic Wall and peering westward, sometimes we get to see American Foreign Policy from the standpoint of its benefic...

The Hijacking of Conservatism by Big Government Progressives
Hey Conservatives, are you there? No I don’t mean you Republicans…I mean those of you who are lovers of liberty! I mean those of you who defend the Constitution, not just when it protects them but when it protects someone they don’t like. I know you’re out there. You may be a Libertarian or an independent, you may not be affiliated with any party at all. Ok you might be a Republican too, but I know you’re there. Well listen up! I am not exactly sure at what moment the theft o

Assange claims Arab officials spy on their own countries for the CIA
In an interview with al-Jazeera's Arabic language network on Wednesday, Wikileaker Julian Assenge claimed to have names of Arab Diplomats who are spying on their own countries for the CIA. “These officials are spies for the U.S. in their countries,” Assange said, according to Qatar's Peninsula newspaper. More: The interviewer, Ahmed Mansour, said at the start of the interview which was a continuation of last week’s interface, that Assange had even shown him the files that contained the

Your pick for Most Intriguing Person of 2010 is ...
He's been called a criminal, a spy and a champion of the First Amendment. Some think he’s a villain. Some see him as a hero. The only thing that’s beyond debate: Julian Assange has more intrigue than the pulp section of a bookstore. Wikileaks' mastermind, the guy who everyone loved to hate or loved to defend, got the most first-place votes (25%) on CNN.com's “Most Intriguing Person” poll for 2010. Following Assange were: 10. Antoine Dodson, whose thoughts a...

WikiLeaks' Collateral Damage
Source: Wall St Journal Morgan Tsvangirai, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe and the leader of its democratic opposition, has endured countless indignities at the hands of President Robert Mugabe. In 1997, thugs tried to throw him from the window of his 10th floor office. In 2002 and 2008, he had Elections stolen from him and his party, the Movement for Democratic Change. After that most recent ballot, he had to hide at the Dutch Embassy in Harare for fear of his life. A year later his wife died in...

TSA Harassment!!! (Comedy)
Please read our About Page, our Disclaimer, and our Comments Policy. Please note: InformationLiberation is neither liberal or conservative. When one takes the time to research the "liberal elite," whom the Conservatives oppose, and the "conservative elite," whom the liberals oppose, one finds both "elite" are one and the same. "Liberal" or "Conservative" is not a substantive choice, it is only the carefully crafted illusion of a choice, for both parties come together when they are instructed to....

Newsweek's Julian Assange Christmas Photos Are Really Quite Magical
One of the many faces of possibly being extradited, via Robert King/Newsweek ​Did anyone ever watch the sentimental, autobiographical Truman Capote short called "A Christmas Memory"? In it, an orphaned boy lives with a group of elderly relatives, one of whom is his best friend, an eccentric, childlike old woman known as "Sook." They gallivant through the hills and dales together, buying whiskey and making fruitcase and chopping down their very own Christmas Tree. That kind of sums up how...

Manning chat logs contain no smoking gun, Wired editors claim
Wired editors claim"> Stumble This! Editors with Wired Magazine have finally come forward to say that the chat logs in their possession contain no further evidence of a Conspiracy between Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and the soldier accused of leaking 250,000 US State Department cables. In his Monday column, Salon's Glenn Greenwald suggested that Wired Senior Editor Kevin Poulsen committed "one of the worst journalistic disgraces of the year" by withholding the majority of chat logs that co...

Karzai keeps minister considered corrupt by US
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials pressured Afghan President Hamid Karzai to remove a former warlord from atop the energy and water ministry a year ago because of Corruption and ineffectiveness, and threatened to end aid unless he went. Karzai rebuffed the request, according to secret diplomatic records, and the minister — privately termed "the worst" by U.S. officials — kept his perch at an agency that controls $2 billion in U.S. and allied projects. The State Department corresp...

WikiLeaks reveals State Department discord over U.S. support for Canadian tar sands oil pipeline
Leaked cable warns of tar sands oil’s ‘higher environmental footprint’ as agency considers Pipeline that would double U.S. dependence on it Alex Moore and Kelly Trout of Friends of the Earth have the story in this repost. A diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks has revealed that a U.S. diplomat warned the Obama Administration about significant environmental impacts stemming from Canada’s Controversial tar sands Oil Production program. The language in the cable contrad...

WikiLeaks reveals flaws of State Dept.'s information-sharing tool
WASHINGTON -- Before the infamous leak, the 250,000 State Department cables acquired by anti-secrecy Activists resided in a database so obscure that few Diplomats had heard of it. It had a bureaucratic name, Net-Centric Diplomacy, and served an important mission: the rapid sharing of information that could help uncover threats against the United States. But like many bureaucratic inventions, it expanded beyond what its creators had imagined. It also contained risks that no one foresaw. Million...

WikiLeaks: Egypt focused on Israel as foe
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Despite a decades-old peace treaty, Egypt views Israel as its main Military threat, frustrating U.S. Diplomats, documents released by Wikileaks indicate. The diplomats expressed their annoyance with Egyptian leaders in the communications, saying that Egypt honed in on preparing for war with Israel while ignoring threats such as Terrorism and Weapons Smuggling, Arutz Sheva, Israel's national news Web site, reported Friday. "The United States has sought to interest th...

Best Post of 2010?
We’ve been light on blogging with the holidays this week.  So, as 2010 comes to a close, I thought I’d open a comment thread for those readers still trolling the blogosphere this week to note your favorite Opinio Juris post of the year.  For me, it turns out I’m fond of bird dung, at least when it becomes grounds for exploring the origins of territorial Sovereignty.  Other nominations welcome.  And Happy New Year. Samuel Witten is counsel at the la...

2010 In Memoriam
In 2010, a record 40.3 million Americans needed food stamps to get by, up 20 percent from last year. Seth Doane explains what life is like for families fed by the government. Former Delaware Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell is fiercely denying that she misused campaign funds. As Jan Crawford reports, O'Donnell says the charges are dirty tricks by the political establishment. Medicare is in big trouble. Starting Jan. 1, 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 every day for the next 19 years. As Shar...

The U.S. Economy in 2011
What will happen to the US economy in 2011?  If you’re referring to profits of big corporations and Wall Street, next year is likely to be a good one.  But if you’re referring to Average American workers, far from good. The two American economies — the Big Money economy and the Average Working Family economy — will continue to diverge. Corporate profits will continue to rise, as will the Stock Market. But typical wages will go nowhere, joblessness...

Obama's carbon deals kill jobs, benefit Big Business
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Alcoa lobbies for green government policies here that boost demand for itsÊlight metal, but fights them Down Under where it produces aluminum. Democrats based much of their 2010 midterm congressional election campaign on the risible claim that Republican Candidates wanted to "outsource jobs." Set aside the fact that this claim, repeated in literally hundreds of races, was as ineffective as it was ludicrous. More importantly, President Obama's new carbon control sch...

Farm cop sees growth of agricultural crime in California's Central Valley
Source: LA Times It's not even 11 a.m., and Jordan Whaley's dashboard radio has been crackling all morning with crimes newly committed: crops pilfered, gas siphoned, Copper Wire stolen. This latest call is one of the strangest so far. Thieves have taken 54 brass valves from the irrigation system on Ryan Hopper's orange farm. They've also stolen scrap metal from his tool shed and siphoned hundreds of gallons of gas from a diesel tank on his field. The crime infuriates Hopper, costing him time and...

Rethinking Charity
Charity is Big Business. Americans gave more than $307.75 billion to their favorite causes in 2009. That's impressive, considering the prevailing economic conditions of that year. Giving has gone even more big time this month, with Mark Zuckerberg's signing on to the Giving Pledge, the campaign started by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to encourage Billionaires to give away significant chunks of their wealth. Seventeen Billionaires in the United States — Larry Ellison, Michael Bloomberg, and...