Compiled By "CavalierZee"
"Deanna Spingola" Writes:
[please understand - the main objective of this video is to direct focus to who the REAL enemies of mankind and freedom are, not to necessarily defend all acts of Muslims. Think about it - - soon, if the propagandists have their way, a similar video can be made stating that "Constitutionalists, Veterans, Bible Believers, etc., Are Not The Enemy"]
They don't extort usury through the Federal Reserve;
They aren't manufacturing population-reducing vaccines and GMO seeds;
They didn't devise our abortion laws (about fifty million dead);
They didn't bail out the banks;
They didn't create the Department of Homeland Security and impose the PATRIOT Act;
They aren't wiretapping our private conversations or scanning us at the airport;
They didn't impose godless Communism on several countries and cause the death of millions of innocent people;
They haven't instituted the draconian healthcare laws;
They have not orchestrated the nation's economic crashes;
They have not deindustrialized the nation and outsourced so many jobs;
They haven't wiped out the middle class by passing trade laws like NAFTA;
And they haven't foreclosed on thousands of homes;
They are not the reason thousands of people live in tent cities;
They haven't developed depleted uranium weapons.
Instead of worrying about a mosque, consider what's going on behind the closed doors at the Federal Reserve, the Pentagon, the Senate and House chambers, the CFR, the State Department, the UN or dozens of other places.
The Muslims didn't instigate the attacks on the USS Liberty or the USS Cole and they didn't orchestrate the highly organized attack in Manhattan on 9/11.
USA Using Patriot Act Against Its Own Citizens
Sixteen-year-old Ashton Lundeby's bedroom in his mother's Granville County home is nothing, if not patriotic. Images of American flags are everywhere on the bed, on the floor, on the wall.
But according to the United States government, the tenth-grade home-schooler is being held on a criminal complaint that he made a bomb threat from his home on the night of Feb. 15.
Congressman Ron Paul On The Patriot Act
DOJ Officials Admit Patriot Act Is Being Used Against Non-Terrorist US CItizens
Most Americans would be shocked to find out that the Patriot Act is being used against Non-Terrorist United States citizens, even though it was sold to the American people by Congress, as a tool to only fight terrorism.
Fear In America-The Patriot Act
Congressman Dennis Kucinich Talks About The Patriot Act.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Pulpit Freedom?
Preachers, Choose Your Words Wisely
On 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday,' Churches Should Remember That Their Tax-Exempt Status Prohibits Them From Politicking. And The IRS Should Enforce That Law.
September 29, 2011
Courtesy Of "The LA Times"
On Sunday, hundreds of preachers are expected to celebrate something called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" by sermonizing about the moral qualifications of candidates for public office. The event is organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization. The alliance is offering legal representation to clergy whose remarks might run afoul of the prohibition of politicking by churches. It's a challenge the Internal Revenue Service should take seriously.
Under the law, not only churches but other so-called 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations must not "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." The restriction, which dates back to the 1950s, is based on a sound principle: that organizations characterizing themselves as charitable and receiving a government benefit should refrain from election activity.
For some religious conservatives, this policy isn't just unwise; it's unconstitutional. But tax exemption isn't a constitutional right. It's the creation of Congress, which has the right to attach conditions to that benefit. Put another way, churches may have a 1st Amendment right to comment on elections, but they don't have the right to a tax exemption.
Two other criticisms concern the way the IRS enforces the restriction on politics in the pulpit. One is that the agency's policing of political preaching is so lackadaisical that the effort isn't worthwhile. But that picture is belied by statistics provided by the IRS. In the 2006 election cycle, the last for which the agency has published data, it received 237 referrals and selected 100 (44 churches, 56 non-churches) for examination, finding political activity in 26 cases.
The other criticism is that IRS enforcement has been subjective and sometimes politically motivated. Consider the inquiry into an antiwar sermon preached in 2004 at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. In the sermon, the church's former rector presented a scenario in which Jesus participates in a debate with George W. Bush and John F. Kerry. The preacher didn't endorse either candidate but said that Jesus would have told Bush that his war strategy in Iraq "has led to disaster." In 2005, the IRS wrote the church that its tax exemption was in jeopardy; in 2007, the agency closed the investigation but continued to maintain that the sermon was illegal.
The ambiguous outcome of the Pasadena case suggests that the IRS needs to be more precise in its criteria for continuing with an investigation. The sermon in that instance may have gone right up to the line, but there is a line, and it divides criticism of candidates' policies from opposition to their election.
With the 2012 election season already in progress, the IRS needs to remind the participants in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" that the law will be enforced — in a measured and consistent way.
On 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday,' Churches Should Remember That Their Tax-Exempt Status Prohibits Them From Politicking. And The IRS Should Enforce That Law.
September 29, 2011
Courtesy Of "The LA Times"
On Sunday, hundreds of preachers are expected to celebrate something called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" by sermonizing about the moral qualifications of candidates for public office. The event is organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization. The alliance is offering legal representation to clergy whose remarks might run afoul of the prohibition of politicking by churches. It's a challenge the Internal Revenue Service should take seriously.
Under the law, not only churches but other so-called 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations must not "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." The restriction, which dates back to the 1950s, is based on a sound principle: that organizations characterizing themselves as charitable and receiving a government benefit should refrain from election activity.
For some religious conservatives, this policy isn't just unwise; it's unconstitutional. But tax exemption isn't a constitutional right. It's the creation of Congress, which has the right to attach conditions to that benefit. Put another way, churches may have a 1st Amendment right to comment on elections, but they don't have the right to a tax exemption.
Two other criticisms concern the way the IRS enforces the restriction on politics in the pulpit. One is that the agency's policing of political preaching is so lackadaisical that the effort isn't worthwhile. But that picture is belied by statistics provided by the IRS. In the 2006 election cycle, the last for which the agency has published data, it received 237 referrals and selected 100 (44 churches, 56 non-churches) for examination, finding political activity in 26 cases.
The other criticism is that IRS enforcement has been subjective and sometimes politically motivated. Consider the inquiry into an antiwar sermon preached in 2004 at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. In the sermon, the church's former rector presented a scenario in which Jesus participates in a debate with George W. Bush and John F. Kerry. The preacher didn't endorse either candidate but said that Jesus would have told Bush that his war strategy in Iraq "has led to disaster." In 2005, the IRS wrote the church that its tax exemption was in jeopardy; in 2007, the agency closed the investigation but continued to maintain that the sermon was illegal.
The ambiguous outcome of the Pasadena case suggests that the IRS needs to be more precise in its criteria for continuing with an investigation. The sermon in that instance may have gone right up to the line, but there is a line, and it divides criticism of candidates' policies from opposition to their election.
With the 2012 election season already in progress, the IRS needs to remind the participants in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" that the law will be enforced — in a measured and consistent way.
Fear Inc: Exposes Recession-Proof Islamophobia Industry
Fear Inc. Lays Bare The Funding, and The Spider Web That Connects The Prime Players.
Written by: Farha Khaled
October 10, 2011
Courtesy Of "EurAsia Review"
A six-month research project by the prominent think tank, Center for American Progress has resulted in a 130-page report appropriately named Fear Inc.: The Roots Of the Islamophobia Network In America. This is the first in-depth investigation into Islamophobia, and it sheds lights on how a small group of bigots linked to conservative and Zionist causes each play a role in the seemingly lucrative industry of Muslim hatred and bashing Islam.
Written by: Farha Khaled
October 10, 2011
Courtesy Of "EurAsia Review"
A six-month research project by the prominent think tank, Center for American Progress has resulted in a 130-page report appropriately named Fear Inc.: The Roots Of the Islamophobia Network In America. This is the first in-depth investigation into Islamophobia, and it sheds lights on how a small group of bigots linked to conservative and Zionist causes each play a role in the seemingly lucrative industry of Muslim hatred and bashing Islam.
Seven foundations donated £42 million over 10 years, which was filtered down to self styled “experts” on Islam whose job it is to churn out Goebbles-style propaganda against Muslims. Of these, eight of the most prominent are Robert Spencer and Daniel Pipes who claim to be scholars, Frank Gaffney who runs Center for Security Policy and Steve Emerson founder of Investigative Project on Terrorism. A Maronite Christian Brigette Gabriel heads Act for America and as an Israel Hasbara speaker has a large following of Christian Zionists who faithfully disseminate her bigotry through various chapters dotted around the nation. Millions are influenced by their TV appearances, the favored mouthpieces being the conservative and religious right radio and news stations including Fox News and the Christian Broadcasting Network. More ominously, lucrative speaking engagements at civil and military institutions provide the credibility they crave, all duly reported in the print media including the National Review magazine and The Washington Times. Most of these media outlets have websites which increases the exposure.
Lending his legal expertise is David Yerushalmi, an Israeli American lawyer and religious settler whom the New York Times recently exposed as a being the favorite legal counsel to the Islamophobia industry and the brains behind the “Ban Shariah Law” campaign. One of his clients include Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs and the hate group Stop the Islamization For America (SIOA). Fanning the flames of all this hate are politicians, including Republican Congressman Allen West, who when asked to comment on Keith Ellison’s religion stated that it is the “antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established.” West is a recipient of the Saudi Arabia Kuwait Liberation Medal W/Palm Tree award.
Further down the hierarchy, an assortment of paid charlatans posing as ex-Muslims like Walid Shoebat (Christian Palestinian) and Wafa Sultan (Alawite Syrian) to Nonie Darwish (Egyptian convert to Evangelism) breath the “we have lived through it” life to the otherwise dead lies these “experts” produce. Last but not least are the bloggers and their readers whose importance should not be underestimated in a world where Anders Breivik took his prime inspirations from the Internet. Right-wing blogs are littered with comments that dehumanize Palestinians, call for the genocide of Muslims and to end Islam. Cherry picked and distorted “news” is regularly parroted by tea party activists and on the Zionist blogosphere assisted by the likes of Brigette Gabriel and her minions of Christian Right followers. Whilst promoting anti-Muslim hate, radical Zionism and Israel being a victim of Islam are presented as fact.
Seven charitable foundations run by conservative heavyweights fund this phony Islamophobia campaign. A breakdown by the researchers of Fear Inc. shows that the major recipients include Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), Middle East Forum (MEF), Clarion Fund (Clarion), David Horowitz Freedom Center (Horowitz). What stands out in this report though is the fact that the largest sums came from Donors Capital Fund which tops the list of givers at a whopping $20 million. This is more than twice the amount Richard Scaife Foundations, the second on the list gave.
There is probably much more that remains unknown about the funding behind this campaign but from the available facts it is safe to conclude these pro-Israel Zionists who form the core of the Republican Party, need to convince Americans and the West to believe they are facing the seemingly same threat that Israel does. To this end, they are willing to spend millions creating and fabricating a threat from Islam, which they hope will brainwash people to support endless wars against Muslim countries. Bearing in mind that only a handful of Muslim countries recognize Israel it does not take a genius to figure out why hard-line Zionists see Muslims and Islam as a threat. What is reprehensible, however, is that they use deceptions and false propaganda to achieve their goals.
The Republican Party appears to be the political home of the Islam-bashers. American Muslims who preferred the conservative values as being in line with their own beliefs used to be overwhelmingly Republican voters. That changed after 9/11, and in 2008 the Democrats got nearly 90% of the votes of American Muslims and around 80% of the vote of American liberal Jews who number around seven million. The Centre for American Progress which produced the Fear Inc. report on Islamophobia acts as an advisory think tank to President Obama. The major players behind the Islamophobia campaign are Republican supporters and conservatives.
The prominent figures mentioned in Fear Inc. are nearly all Jewish, with some Christian Zionists. In all fairness, it should be mentioned that those who are active in countering this anti-Muslim propaganda include a disproportionate number of Jews too, usually liberals. A poll by the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center showed that 80% of American Jews hold less prejudices against American Muslims than other religious groups do. Therefore this is certainly not a “Jewish” problem and should not be treated as such. Nor do liberal Jews follow the hard-line Zionist policies that right-wing Zionists believe in. Neither liked nor trusted by liberal Jews, right-wing Christian Zionists tend to find their allies amongst Messianic, Kahanist and secular right-wing Likud type Jews both in Israel and their counterparts in the US. These two groups have formed an uneasy alliance where they use each other for their own agendas. The settler movement and the secular right-wing Israelis need Christian Zionists to fund the settlements and for political support. The Christian Zionists hailing mainly from the least educated, impoverished echelons of American society, want to hasten the Armeggedon gladly reciprocate seeing it as an opportunity for covert Evangelical missionizing in Israel, often a source of tension since proselytizing is forbidden in Israel.
This then is the picture of today’s Republican Party in the US, with its large base of tea party activists and religious-right Bible belt, the latter having extremists numbering millions who believe in the Armeggedon and a war with Iran which is their reason for supporting radical Zionism, where bigotry is rife, in a nation where unemployment is growing, and the debt increasing. Palestinians are standing in the way of their end time story in Israel and by extension their Arab and Muslim supporters are an enemy. Add to this unholy alliance, the rich resources of oil in the Caspian Sea, Iraq and Iran for which a threat is needed to justify military intervention if and when needed, and you have an assortment of agendas concurring on the necessity of an “Islam threat” for a variety of different reasons.
This article appeared at Arab News and is reprinted with permission
Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator
By Guest Poster "Sayf Maslul"
Courtesy Of "The Gadget Show"
The full story of The Gadget Show's FPS gaming simulator build premiered on Channel 5 in the UK at 8pm on Monday 24th October 2011. This video contains the highlights.
A full press release can be downloaded at the following address:
https://www.yousendit.com/dl?phi_action=app/orchestrateDownload&rurl=http...
---
For more information on the contributors who helped to make this simulator happen:
MSE Weibull [Omni-Directional Treadmill and Motion Tracking]
http://www.mseab.se/
Igloo Vision [Projection and 360-degree Dome]
http://www.igloovision.com/
aps events and media Ltd [Visual Manipulation]
http://www.thinkaps.com
Extra Dimensional Technologies [Ambient Lighting]
http://www.extradmt.com/site
Running in the Halls [Kinect Hack]
http://www.rith.co.uk/
Robo Challenge [Paintball Marker Control System]
http://www.robochallenge.co.uk
Yoyotech [Gaming PC]
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/
---
This is a world first. A unique FPS simulator that turns gaming into reality as you move, aim, fire and get shot within a 360-degree immersive environment.
Using a pre-release copy of Battlefield 3 and a team of top technology experts from across Europe we've built a truly one of a kind simulator.
Centred on the world's first, portable omni-directional treadmill (designed by Swedish company MSE Weibull) the simulator lets you control the movements of a Battlefield 3 character with your own body. Other key technology employed includes: an Igloo Vision projection dome; 12 paintball markers that allow the player, in real time, to feel the enemy gunfire experienced in the game; a wireless gun system; ambient LED lighting; and an Xbox Kinect camera hack.
Courtesy Of "The Gadget Show"
The full story of The Gadget Show's FPS gaming simulator build premiered on Channel 5 in the UK at 8pm on Monday 24th October 2011. This video contains the highlights.
A full press release can be downloaded at the following address:
https://www.yousendit.com/dl?phi_action=app/orchestrateDownload&rurl=http...
---
For more information on the contributors who helped to make this simulator happen:
MSE Weibull [Omni-Directional Treadmill and Motion Tracking]
http://www.mseab.se/
Igloo Vision [Projection and 360-degree Dome]
http://www.igloovision.com/
aps events and media Ltd [Visual Manipulation]
http://www.thinkaps.com
Extra Dimensional Technologies [Ambient Lighting]
http://www.extradmt.com/site
Running in the Halls [Kinect Hack]
http://www.rith.co.uk/
Robo Challenge [Paintball Marker Control System]
http://www.robochallenge.co.uk
Yoyotech [Gaming PC]
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/
---
This is a world first. A unique FPS simulator that turns gaming into reality as you move, aim, fire and get shot within a 360-degree immersive environment.
Using a pre-release copy of Battlefield 3 and a team of top technology experts from across Europe we've built a truly one of a kind simulator.
Centred on the world's first, portable omni-directional treadmill (designed by Swedish company MSE Weibull) the simulator lets you control the movements of a Battlefield 3 character with your own body. Other key technology employed includes: an Igloo Vision projection dome; 12 paintball markers that allow the player, in real time, to feel the enemy gunfire experienced in the game; a wireless gun system; ambient LED lighting; and an Xbox Kinect camera hack.
All I Want
Vocals "Jehro"
[Jérôme Cotta, alias Jehro , is a singer french born in Marseille]
Group "Hotel Costes"
Style "Lounge Music"
Vol. 9, mixed by "Stéphane Pompougnac"
Posted by Rafael "Rodrigues Colombo"
Oh, she is watching me,
And her eyes they flow,
With fond and tender pain,
I know, time laid out a road,
We have walked alone,
Yet we meet again,
Now, I know finally,
I've never been alone,
I just couldn't see,
That like,
The swirling of the sea,
Lies a mystery,
That brings me back to you,
Oh, we put round our world,
Chains that we denied,
Yes, we dreamed that we,
Were free,
And this was our downfall,
With no place to go,
We drift eternally,
Now I know finally,
I've never been alone,
I just couldn't see,
That like,
The swirling of the sea,
Lies a mystery,
That brings me back to you,
Brings me back to you,
Brings me back to see,
Brings me back to all the things I've lost along the way,
All I want to know,
(Now, I know)
All I want to see,
(Finally)
(I've never been alone)
I've never been alone,
(I just couldn't see)
I just couldn't see
(Now, I know finally)
I want you,
(Never be alone)
I want you,
(I just couldn't see)
I feel you,
Oh baby, I want you
(Now, I know finally)
I want you,
(Never be alone)
I feel you,
Oh,
Now I know,
Finally,
Finally,
I know, I know, I know, I know,
Finally,
I know, I know, I know, I know,
Finally........
[Jérôme Cotta, alias Jehro , is a singer french born in Marseille]
Group "Hotel Costes"
Style "Lounge Music"
Vol. 9, mixed by "Stéphane Pompougnac"
Posted by Rafael "Rodrigues Colombo"
Oh, she is watching me,
And her eyes they flow,
With fond and tender pain,
I know, time laid out a road,
We have walked alone,
Yet we meet again,
Now, I know finally,
I've never been alone,
I just couldn't see,
That like,
The swirling of the sea,
Lies a mystery,
That brings me back to you,
Oh, we put round our world,
Chains that we denied,
Yes, we dreamed that we,
Were free,
And this was our downfall,
With no place to go,
We drift eternally,
Now I know finally,
I've never been alone,
I just couldn't see,
That like,
The swirling of the sea,
Lies a mystery,
That brings me back to you,
Brings me back to you,
Brings me back to see,
Brings me back to all the things I've lost along the way,
All I want to know,
(Now, I know)
All I want to see,
(Finally)
(I've never been alone)
I've never been alone,
(I just couldn't see)
I just couldn't see
(Now, I know finally)
I want you,
(Never be alone)
I want you,
(I just couldn't see)
I feel you,
Oh baby, I want you
(Now, I know finally)
I want you,
(Never be alone)
I feel you,
Oh,
Now I know,
Finally,
Finally,
I know, I know, I know, I know,
Finally,
I know, I know, I know, I know,
Finally........
Remembering Gaza
Some buildings that were destroyed in the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza are still piles of rubble [GALLO/GETTY]
Looking Beyond Statistics, The Future Of The Children Of Gaza Is At Risk Of Being Wasted Due To Politics.
By David Miliband
Last Modified: 17 Oct 2011 07:00
Courtesy Of "Al-Jazeera"
Government is all about statistics, but life is about people. That disjunction explains a lot about the cynicism and disaffection with politics that characterises much of the world nowadays. And, while domestic problems may seem intractable, distance increases the confusion and fatigue induced by seemingly intractable international problems. As usual, the people who suffer are those who most need the world's attention.
This is notably true of the 1.5 million people crowded into the Gaza strip, locked between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. The West has already isolated Gaza's Hamas-controlled government. This week, the US Congress will discuss cutting off aid to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. But this is a time for more international engagement with the Palestinian people, not less.
The statistics say that 80 per cent of Gaza's population is dependent on UN food aid. The youth unemployment rate is 65 per cent. The website of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has a comprehensive database that shows how many trucks, containing different kinds of supplies, have been allowed in by the Israeli authorities.
The situation of the people - or rather the fight about their situation - is periodically in the news, most recently when violence broke the otherwise reasonably effective ceasefire in August. But Gaza has become the land that time - and the wider international community - forgot.
It is for this reason that I took up the offer from Save the Children to visit the Gaza Strip last week. I had not been able to visit while serving in government for security reasons. Now I wanted to get a sense of life, not statistics. The purpose of the visit was not to meet politicians or decision makers, but to get a glimpse, albeit brief, of how people there live.
And there is real life. Boys in Western football shirts - mainly Lionel Messi of Barcelona. Restaurants overlooking the Mediterranean. Schoolgirls in white headscarves wherever you look. Barbers, clothes shops, fruit stalls. And a good deal of traffic - with new cars smuggled in through tunnels beneath the "Philadelphi Route" that runs along the Egyptian border.
But real life is also traumatic and limited. We saw buildings - not just the former Hamas headquarters - still in rubble. Houses are riddled with bullet holes. There is no electricity for up to eight hours a day. Shortage of schools and teachers have pushed class sizes to 50 or 60 and the school day is restricted to a few hours to allow for two or even three shifts.
The consequences of war are encountered everywhere, nowhere more so than for those caught in the crossfire. We met the niece and son of a farmer caught in the "buffer zone" between the Israeli border and Gaza. She had lost an eye and a hand to Israeli shells in the war of 2008-2009.
 |
| Civilians have paid a high price in Gaza for the crimes of a few [GALLO/GETTY] |
Save the Children, obviously, is most concerned about the 53 per cent of Gaza population that is under 18. The statistics say 10 per cent of children are "stunted" - so undernourished before the age of two that they never grow to their full potential.
We saw what Save the Children is trying to do about it, at a nutrition centre serving mothers and children in Gaza City. The needs are basic: Promoting breastfeeding, food supplies for young children and medical attention for mothers. But not all those who need help are coming to get it, so Save the Children funds outreach workers to encourage families to use the services.
There is remarkable work being done to create opportunities, as well as to prevent catastrophe. The Qattan Center for the Child is a privately funded library - and drama, computer, and youth center - that would grace any British community. The director told me it is dedicated to the credo of "building people not buildings". The centre is a true oasis.
The situation surrounding such oases represents the ultimate failure of politics. After the war ended in January 2009, the international community was preoccupied with opening up Gaza. Nearly three years later, there is only stalemate - to match the wider stalemate in the search for a Palestinian state that can live alongside Israel.
The responsibility lies, first and foremost, with Israel. The UN's Gaza peace resolution (which Britain authored) calls on the Israeli government to open up the supply lines, but this has been heeded only in small part. That is why the tunnels do such a roaring trade, which Hamas taxes to fund its activities. The Israeli government would retort that the parallel call in the resolution for a halt to the flow of arms into Gaza also has not been heeded. That is true, too.
Yet the international pressure is muted. The focus has shifted. But Gaza's people and their needs remain in what British Prime Minister David Cameron last year called an "open prison". Surely, there is room across divides of party and nation to address these pressing humanitarian needs, which otherwise would only fuel future political trouble.
What makes the situation in Gaza even more infuriating is that the status quo is actually irrational. It is not in anyone's political interest. Israel doesn't become safer, nor do Hamas or Fatah become more popular.
One young mother at the nutrition centre told me that she was just completing her accountancy degree - but there was no work. Yusuf, aged nine, working on a computer at the Qattan Center, told me that he wanted to be a pilot.
These people are not a threat to peace in the Middle East. They are actually its hope. What they need is a chance to shape their own futures.
David Miliband was British Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010, and is currently a member of parliament for the Labour Party.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Israelis Sell Our Technology To Our Enemies
The Israelis Are Very Good At Pirating Other People's Technology.
By DAVID ROSE
Last updated at 12:31 AM on 16th October 2011
Courtesy Of "The Daily Mail"
Adam Werritty used his relationship with Liam Fox to obtain highly sensitive, technical details of a military communications system used by Coalition special forces in Afghanistan.
Dubai-based venture capitalist Harvey Boulter said last night he only disclosed the information about the system because Mr Werritty had told him he was an official Ministry of Defence adviser.
Mr Boulter said: ‘I assumed he must have been security-vetted.’
In fact, Mr Werritty had no security clearance at all.
‘We are allowed to sell this technology only to vetted clients or governments. Allowing it to fall into the wrong hands could therefore damage national security.’
Mr Boulter said that the information he had given Mr Werritty at meetings in Dubai and in a series of follow-up emails, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, also had enormous commercial value. If leaked to a competitor, it could reduce the technology’s value and that of his firm.
There is evidence that some of Mr Werritty’s principal backers have close connections to Israel – a country with a strong high-technology industry, with firms specialising in communications and security.
‘I am speaking hypothetically,’ Mr Boulter said, ‘but the Israelis are known to be good at reverse engineering other people’s technology. What would we do if an Israeli firm started pirating our technology or selling it to our enemies?’
Mr Boulter is chief executive of Porton Group, which specialises in funding companies developing civilian applications for new technologies pioneered in government labs. He was speaking in the wake of new disclosures about the financing of Mr Werritty’s lavish globetrotting.
By DAVID ROSE
Last updated at 12:31 AM on 16th October 2011
Courtesy Of "The Daily Mail"
Adam Werritty used his relationship with Liam Fox to obtain highly sensitive, technical details of a military communications system used by Coalition special forces in Afghanistan.
Dubai-based venture capitalist Harvey Boulter said last night he only disclosed the information about the system because Mr Werritty had told him he was an official Ministry of Defence adviser.
Mr Boulter said: ‘I assumed he must have been security-vetted.’
In fact, Mr Werritty had no security clearance at all.
‘We are allowed to sell this technology only to vetted clients or governments. Allowing it to fall into the wrong hands could therefore damage national security.’
Mr Boulter said that the information he had given Mr Werritty at meetings in Dubai and in a series of follow-up emails, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, also had enormous commercial value. If leaked to a competitor, it could reduce the technology’s value and that of his firm.
There is evidence that some of Mr Werritty’s principal backers have close connections to Israel – a country with a strong high-technology industry, with firms specialising in communications and security.
‘I am speaking hypothetically,’ Mr Boulter said, ‘but the Israelis are known to be good at reverse engineering other people’s technology. What would we do if an Israeli firm started pirating our technology or selling it to our enemies?’
Mr Boulter is chief executive of Porton Group, which specialises in funding companies developing civilian applications for new technologies pioneered in government labs. He was speaking in the wake of new disclosures about the financing of Mr Werritty’s lavish globetrotting.
A web of overt and covert backers, some with close links to Israel, are revealed in the bank records of Pargav Ltd, a company that did little else than fork out more than £150,000 in a year to pay for Mr Werritty’s first-class flights, hotels and nights out at New York strip clubs.
Backers include tycoon Poju Zabludowicz, chairman of the pro-Israel lobby group Britain Israeli Communication Research Centre (BICOM), and millionaire Michael Lewis, BICOM’s former deputy chairman.
‘I have concerns that sensitive information could have been compromised. If you were caught impersonating a police officer, you would go to prison. Werritty has been caught impersonating an MoD adviser. The consequences could be far more serious.’
In addition to donations from them and other named sources, Pargav received nearly £13,000 anonymously in cash deposits.
‘The new revelations bring forward urgent questions which need detailed answers,’ Mr Boulter said. ‘I have concerns that sensitive information could have been compromised. If you were caught impersonating a police officer, you would go to prison. Werritty has been caught impersonating an MoD adviser. The consequences could be far more serious.’
Mr Boulter first met Mr Werritty in Dubai at the beginning of April, on the recommendation of Lee Petar – another former BICOM official.
Mr Boulter was paying Mr Petar’s company Tetra to advise him on lobbying and public relations over a legal dispute with the US giant 3M.
It had bought a firm funded by Porton which was marketing a method developed by MoD scientists for detecting the ‘superbug’ MRSA far more quickly than before, but had abruptly closed it down.
But when Mr Boulter met Mr Werritty, they also discussed Cellcrypt, another Porton-funded venture, which makes a ‘smartphone’ app allowing users to encrypt their phone calls to a standard almost impossible to decode. In addition to Western special forces in Afghanistan, current users include security and intelligence agencies.
It was then that Mr Werritty presented his business card, stating he was an ‘Advisor to the Rt Hon Dr Liam Fox MP’.
‘I shared highly sensitive information about this technology,’ Mr Boulter said.
Misleading: Adam Werritty's business card, which he presented to Mr Boulter
‘Aside from the security implications, how can I have confidence that it remains safe from companies that might be competitors?’
Between April and June 17, when Mr Boulter met Mr Werritty again in the Dubai Shangri-La Hotel, this time with Dr Fox, the pair exchanged numerous emails. As early as April 7, Mr Werritty was saying he had ‘spoken to Dr Fox to explain the dynamic here’ and hoped to be able to meet Mr Boulter’s Cellcrypt colleagues ‘for a wide-ranging discussion’.
Among Mr Boulter’s proposals was a plan to give the app, which would normally cost £1,000, free to British troops in Afghanistan. In another message, dated May 4, Mr Werritty promised he had passed Mr Boulter’s details and emails to Luke Coffey, the American who was Dr Fox’s official special adviser. He included his direct-line phone number, adding: ‘Drop him an email to introduce yourselves . . . I’m happy to nudge further if necessary.’
At the June 17 meeting, Mr Boulter again disclosed sensitive information. No legitimate MoD civil servants were present – an apparent breach of the ministerial code of practice. Mr Boulter then wrote to Mr Werritty to thank him for setting up the meeting, saying: ‘I very much like Dr Fox’s style, results driven.’
Mr Werritty replied: ‘That’s his way and it is why I like working with him. He’s no fan of bureaucracy.’
Mr Boulter said last night: ‘I blame Fox because he blessed this relationship. He and Werritty sat next to each other and implicitly Fox endorsed him. He didn’t have to say he was his adviser because he told me that with his actions. I only hope the damage is not as great as I fear.’
The Link To The Israeli Government
Adam Werritty has close links to a London-based pressure group whose former chief executive held senior positions in the Israeli government.
Members of the Britain Israeli Communication Research Centre contributed to funds which enabled Liam Fox’s self-styled adviser to join the Defence Secretary on dozens of trips abroad where he attended sensitive meetings.
Until July 2006, Danny Scheck, a former senior official at Israel’s foreign ministry – who later became his country’s ambassador to Paris – was boss of BICOM in the UK. The close ties between the Israeli government and BICOM have raised concerns that Mr Werritty may have unwittingly been influenced by Israel’s secret service, Mossad.
Risk: Intelligence experts say the presence of Mr Werritty (pictured left, with Dr Fox) at meetings could have allowed Israel to monitor the latest developments in UK military technology.
Intelligence experts say Mr Werritty’s presence at meetings could have allowed Israel to monitor the latest developments in UK military technology. It could also have enabled the Israelis to discover in advance details of British defence contracts agreed with Arab countries.
Mr Scheck was Israeli ambassador to France from 2008 to 2010 and is believed to have since returned to a high-level post at the Israeli foreign ministry. He had previously been the director of the ministry’s press division.
BICOM also funded Mr Werritty’s appearance at a high-profile security conference at Herzilya in Israel which was also attended by Dr Fox in 2009. The organisation paid Mr Werritty’s return flights and accommodation.
In February this year, Mr Werritty and Dr Fox were again guests at the same conference, which promotes Jewish causes.
Mr Werritty organised and attended a dinner with Dr Fox, British Ambassador Matthew Gould and Israeli politicians.
One of the biggest donors to Mr Werritty’s companies is Bicom’s billionaire chairman, Poju Zabludowicz, who is reported to have made donations to Pargav, the most recent company set up by the ‘adviser’ to fund his activities.
Businessman Michael Lewis, who runs the fashion retailer Foschini, was, until four years ago, Bicom’s deputy chairman.
The Mail on Sunday understands he has contributed to all three of Mr Werritty’s charities and companies.
Last night Bicom confirmed it had paid for flights and accommodation for Mr Werritty in 2009, but said it had no record of paying him any further money.
Asked if the centre had any connections with Mossad, a spokesman said: ‘Bicom receives no funding from any foreign government or agency.’
"Obama Invades Uganda, Targets Christians???"
Photo: A former abductee of the Lord's Resistance Army
Rush Limbaugh On Lord's Resistance Army
Posted By Blake Hounshell
Saturday, October 15, 2011 - 12:52 PM
Courtesy Of "Foreign Policy Magazine"
Yesterday, when President Obama announced that the United States would be sending 100 special operations forces to help Uganda battle the Lord's Resistance Army, a notorious and brutaldeath cult led by Joseph Kony, a joke went around on Twitter that Michele Bachmann would soon be attacking the president for "targeting Christians."
Of course, to call the LRA "Christians" is to abase the English language. As the Atlantic's Graeme Wood put it in a profile of Kony last year, "An American diplomat in Bangui compared the group to the Manson family, but given that the LRA has killed 12,000 people, the comparison is self-evidently unfair to Manson."
Human Rights Watch's Ken Roth wrote of the group last fall:
Its cadre often descends on a remote village, slaughters every adult in sight, and then kidnaps the children, some shockingly young -- the boys to become soldiers slinging AK-47s, the girls to serve as "bush wives." Over more than two decades, many thousands have fallen victim to these roving mass murderers.
But Bachmann was too smart to fall into this trap, and instead it was Rush Limbaugh who jumped on the news to attack Obama. Behold:
Lord's Resistance Army are Christians. They are fighting the Muslims in Sudan. ... So that's a new war, a hundred troops to wipe out Christians in Sudan, Uganda, and -- (interruption) no, I'm not kidding. Jacob Tapper just reported it. ...Lord's Resistance Army objectives. I have them here. "To remove dictatorship and stop the oppression of our people." Now, again Lord's Resistance Army is who Obama sent troops to help nations wipe out. The objectives of the Lord's Resistance Army, what they're trying to accomplish with their military action in these countries is the following: "To remove dictatorship and stop the oppression of our people; to fight for the immediate restoration of the competitive multiparty democracy in Uganda; to see an end to gross violation of human rights and dignity of Ugandans; to ensure the restoration of peace and security in Uganda, to ensure unity, sovereignty, and economic prosperity beneficial to all Ugandans, and to bring to an end the repressive policy of deliberate marginalization of groups of people who may not agree with the LRA ideology." Those are the objectives of the group that we are fighting, or who are being fought and we are joining in the effort to remove them from the battlefield.
Then, after a break, he (sort of) realizes his mistake:
Is that right? The Lord's Resistance Army is being accused of really bad stuff? Child kidnapping, torture, murder, that kind of stuff? Well, we just found out about this today. We're gonna do, of course, our due diligence research on it. But nevertheless we got a hundred troops being sent over there to fight these guys -- and they claim to be Christians.
It takes your breath away, doesn't it?
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