Rockefeller: Internet is “Number One National Hazard”

According to the great-grandson John D. Rockefeller, nephew of banker David Rockefeller, and former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller the internet represents a serious threat to national security. Rockefeller is not alone in this assessment. His belief that the internet is the “number one national hazard” to national security is shared by the former Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and Obama’s current director Admiral Dennis C. Blair.

“It really almost makes you ask the question would it have been better if we had never invented the internet,” Rockefeller mused during the confirmation hearing of Gary Locke (see video), Obama’s choice for Commerce Secretary. He then cites a dubious figure of three million cyber “attacks” launched against the Department of Defense every day. “Everybody is attacked, anybody can do it. People say, well it’s China and Russia, but there could be some kid in Latvia doing the same thing.”

Jay Rockefeller’s comments reveal an astounding degree of ignorance – or if not ignorance, outright propaganda. Since the September 11, 2001, attacks the government has cranked up the fear quotient in regard to cyber attacks and so-called cyber terrorism, a virtually non-existent threat except in the minds security experts and politicians. In the years since the attacks, not one real instance of real cyberterrorism has been recorded.

“Cyberattacks on critical components of the national infrastructure are not uncommon, but they have not been conducted by terrorists and have not sought to inflict the kind of damage that would qualify as cyberterrorism,” writes Gabriel Weimann, author of Terror on the Internet. “Nuclear weapons and other sensitive military systems, as well as the computer systems of the CIA and FBI, are ‘air-gapped,’ making them inaccessible to outside hackers. Systems in the private sector tend to be less well protected, but they are far from defenseless, and nightmarish tales of their vulnerability tend to be largely apocryphal.”

“Psychological, political, and economic forces have combined to promote the fear of cyberterrorism,” Weimann continues. “From a psychological perspective, two of the greatest fears of modern time are combined in the term ‘cyberterrorism.’ The fear of random, violent victimization blends well with the distrust and outright fear of computer technology.”

“The sky is not falling, and cyber-weapons seem to be of limited value in attacking national power or intimidating citizens,” notes James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Such a threat is overblown, Lewis explains. He notes that “a brief review suggests that while many computer networks remain very vulnerable to attack, few critical infrastructures are equally vulnerable.” In other words, Rockefeller’s example of a kid in Latvia with a laptop posing a serious “hazard” to national security is little more than sensationalistic propaganda.

So-called cyber terrorists are far less of a threat than government. China and Australia have recently imposed draconian censorship on internet freedom. Brazil, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Ireland , Italy, Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States, and many other countries also impose nominal censorship on internet freedom. Urgent calls to restrict the medium in various ways through legislation and government action have increased over the last few years (for more detail, see Internet Censorship: A Comparative Study).

However, the real threat to internet freedom is currently posed by IT and ISP corporations, not the government.

Read more here: prisonplanet.com
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Bishops deliver damning verdict on Britain under Labour rule

Five of the Church’s most senior figures said the Government now presided over a country suffering from family breakdown, an unhealthy reliance on debt and a growing divide between rich and poor.

The Bishop of Manchester accused Labour of being “beguiled by money” and “morally corrupt”.

The Bishop of Hulme said they were “morally suspect” and the Bishop of Durham said they had reneged on their promises.

They were joined by the bishops of Winchester and Carlisle who claimed ministers had squandered their opportunity to transform society and run out of steam.

The bishops said Labour sacrificed principled politics and long-term solutions for policies designed to win votes. One described the Government as “tired” and another said its policies were “scandalous”.

Meanwhile, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, David Cameron accused Gordon Brown of leading Britain to the “brink of bankruptcy”.

The Conservative leader said the “debt crisis”, which he claimed was the Government’s responsibility alone, would serve as the Prime Minister’s “political epitaph”.

Although they were speaking independently in a series of interviews with The Sunday Telegraph, the bishops’ common criticisms reflect the deepening rift between the Government and the Church on social and moral issues. Relations have become increasingly fractious following condemnation of Mr Brown’s spending plans by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the publication of a report that accused the Government of marginalising the Church.

In February, the General Synod, the Church’s parliament, will hold a debate on the implications of the financial crisis that is expected to lead to heavy criticism of the Government. The Rt Rev Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, said ministers had not done enough to help the poor.

“Labour made a lot of promises, but a lot of them have vanished into thin air,” he said. “We have not seen a raising of aspirations in the last 13 years, but instead there is a sense of hopelessness.

“While the rich have got richer, the poor have got poorer. When a big bank or car company goes bankrupt, it gets bailed out, but no one seems to be bailing out the ordinary people who are losing their jobs and seeing their savings diminished.”

The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, the Bishop of Manchester, condemned Labour for encouraging people to get further into debt. “The Government has acted scandalously. This is not just an economic issue, but a moral one. It’s about what we value,” he said.

“The Government believes that money can answer all of the problems and has encouraged greed and a love of money that the Bible says is the root of all evil. It is morally corrupt because it encourages people to get into a lifestyle of believing they can always get what they want.”

Bishop McCulloch said New Labour was guilty of pursuing the policies championed by Margaret Thatcher, which the Church condemned in its landmark 1985 report, Faith in the City. It blamed Thatcherite policies for the growth of spiritual and economic poverty in Britain’s inner cities.

“Both administrations have been beguiled by money,” said Bishop McCulloch.

“It is ironic that under a Labour government we have the poor feeling they have been betrayed and the gap is getting ever greater. Any government of integrity would have exercised restraint, but this has been sadly lacking.”

The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, the Church’s Bishop for Urban Life and Faith and also the Bishop of Hulme, said: “The Government isn’t telling people who are already deep in debt to stop overextending themselves, but instead is urging us to spend more.

“That is morally suspect and morally feeble. It is unfair and irresponsible of the Government to put pressure on the public to spend in order to revive the economy.”

Bishop Lowe suggested that it was a cynical ploy to improve the economy in time for the next general election.

“They are trying to take the credit for this, but are playing with people’s livelihoods in the process.” The bishop commissioned a Church report, Moral, But No Compass, published earlier this year, which said Labour had failed society and marginalised the Church.

It revealed the level of unease felt among senior clerical figures over the direction being taken by the Government.

The Rt Rev Graham Dow, the Bishop of Carlisle, and the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishop of Winchester, said Labour deserved credit for some past achievements but it was struggling to balance its conscience with the pressure to win the next election.

“I agree with the Conservatives that the breakdown of the family is a crucial element in the difficulties of our present society,” said Bishop Dow.

“The Government hasn’t given sufficient support to that because it is scared of losing votes.” He argued that Labour’s failure to back marriage and its “insistence on supporting every choice of lifestyle” had had a negative effect on society. “I think Labour has got tired,” he said. Bishop Scott-Joynt said: “The Government hasn’t done anything like enough to help those less well off, particularly in terms of tax redistribution. There also has been the disaster of the 10p tax.

“It is imperative that this Government help the poorer people and hold the hard-hit communities in its sights, but it seems to have its eye on re-election instead.”

A senior ministerial source said: “The Government has a proud record on promoting fairness and opportunity for all, combating poverty and in tackling Third World debt and promoting international development.

“We also believe it is morally right to provide real help and resources to people facing unemployment or worried about losing their homes.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Kissinger receives American Patriot Award

Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State and this year’s co-chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), attends the opening news conference of the annual WEF meeting in the Swiss Alpine resort town of Davos January 23, 2008.

“Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government.”

“The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.”

- Henry Kissinger

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was presented with the National Defense University Foundation’s American Patriot Award in recognition for his distinguished, albeit often times controversial, career in public service.

Colleagues from the military, diplomatic, political and economic communities attended the award gala, and offered praise, matched with a goodhearted ribbing of Kissinger’s infamous ego.

“I want to warn you, especially you Henry, that I’m not going to praise you too much. I’ve known Henry very well for so many years, and I don’t want to overload the modesty that has been such a part of his character over these years,” Alexander Haig, former Secretary of State in the Reagan administration, teased

Colin Powell, Secretary of State during President George W. Bush’s first term, recounted a party in which Kissinger escorted Princess Diana.

“Have you ever seen Henry escort a beautiful woman around? It’s something to behold,” said Powell. “He escorts her through the room, making sure all eyes are on him. It is absolutely marvelous.”

However, when it came to discussing Kissinger’s foreign policy contributions, the mood turned much more solemn.

Haig credited Kissinger for maintaining peace throughout the Cold War, “I am grateful for your lifelong friendship, for what you have done for this country. To bring it into this century, and to do so without a shot being fired. And let me tell you, that happened from strategic thinking and creative diplomacy, and thank god it did. And for that debt of peace and success we owe Henry Kissinger, who was the architect of those policies, a world of thanks and gratitude,” said Haig.

Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan linked the Former Secretary of State’s policies with the spread of democracy abroad.

“In the 1960’s, there were fewer than 40 democratic nations in existence. Now thanks in significant part to Henry and the worldview he fostered in succeeding generations of American diplomats, American values are emulated virtually everywhere.”

At the evening’s close, Kissinger took the opportunity to reiterate his political philosophy.

“I came to this country as a refugee from Germany. So I have known in a way, that native born Americans cannot experience, what this country means to the downtrodden and those who need a ray of hope. And those of us who have gone through this have been committed to the proposition that American honor can’t be jeopardized for the sake of immediate comfort.”

Kissinger also touched upon the future, explaining that although he supported John McCain, the complex international situation requires cooperation.

“The new administration must be given every support and every encouragement to deal with this in the manner they have so far dealt with it. And I want to say that the hope of all Americans is with this new period that is now beginning.”

The National Defense University Foundation describes the recipients of the American Patriot Award as being those who have demonstrated ‘a profound and abiding love of country and whose inspirational leadership and selfless dedication symbolize our nation’s ideals, values and democratic principles’. Past recipients include John Glenn, Colin Powell, Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), and Senators Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).

Henry Kissinger has been credited with opening diplomatic relations with China, developing the political strategy realpolitik, and establishing détente with the Soviet Union. He has garnered criticism for helping to orchestrate a clandestine bombing campaign against Cambodia and allegedly supporting the 1973 coup that put Chilean dictator Augosto Pinochet in power.

Source: aftermathnews.wordpress.com

This man is poor evil and should be dragged from the building he resides and hung!

The Rothschilds and their 200 years of political influence

Nat Rothschild, the financier at the centre of allegations that threaten to engulf the shadow Chancellor, George Osborne, is no stranger to laws which forbid politicians from accepting donations from abroad.

Political donations from overseas are also illegal in the US, where John McCain's campaign team is under investigation for allegedly accepting a benefit in kind from two mega-rich British citizens, namely Nat Rothschild and his father, Jacob, the Fourth Baron Rothschild.

In April, Mr McCain passed through London and spoke at a fund-raising dinner for expatriate Americans, where seats at the cheapest tables cost £500 a head. What caught the eye of Judicial Watch, a Washington-based foundation dedicated to combating corruption, was that the event was held "by kind permission of Lord Rothschild and Hon Nathaniel Rothschild" at the family home in Spencer House, St James's, the only privately owned 17th-century palace in central London.

The US Federal Election Committee is still investigating the allegation that Mr McCain's campaign team broke electoral law by accepting a benefit in kind from the Rothschilds. "We haven't heard from the FEC yet, and don't expect to until after the campaign," Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch said.

The Rothschild family and politics have been intertwined for generations, ever since Nathan Rothschild, who founded the English branch of the family business, financed Britain's war against Napoleon two centuries ago. Nathan was the son of Mayer Rothschild, who founded the family business in the Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt during the 18th century.

Serena Rothschild, Nat Rothschild's mother, was one of the largest individual donors to the Conservative Party last year. She gave £190,000. She has also helped fund Mr Osborne's office.

When another member of the clan, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, married the New York businesswoman Lynn Forester, they spent the night of their wedding dinner in the White House as guests of Bill Clinton. Lady Rothschild was a fund-raiser for the Democrats, but defected to the McCain camp after her friend Hillary Clinton was beaten to the nomination by Barack Obama.

So it is nothing new for a Rothschild to be mixing with prominent politicians – but generally they do it in a way that does not invite unnecessary publicity. What is unusual about Nat Rothschild's sudden intervention in the affair of the oligarch and the Corfu yacht is the way he has placed himself centre stage. His presumed motive is anger at Mr Osborne's bad manners in passing on what Peter Mandelson had said about Gordon Brown, when Lord Mandelson, Mr Osborne, and Mr Rothschild were guests of the Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska.

Despite the now famous photograph that shows Mr Rothschild and Mr Osborne as privileged 21-year-old Oxford undergraduates, they were not close friends and their paths soon diverged. Within two years of that photograph being taken, Mr Osborne had set himself on his chosen career path by taking up a senior post at Conservative headquarters. In the same year, Nat Rothschild, showing no interest in finding a steady job, teamed up with Annabelle Neilson, a model he had met on a beach in India, eloped to Las Vegas, and married her.

His horrified parents must have feared that he was heading off on the same self-destructive course as two of his cousins – Amschel, who hanged himself in a Paris hotel in 1996, and Rafael, who died of a heroin overdose in Manhattan at the age of 23.

But Nat Rothschild emerged from his marriage break-up three years later a changed man. In New York, he met Timothy Barakett, founder of Atticus Capital, a hedge fund that places large and often risky bets on behalf of wealthy clients. Mr Rothschild became co-chairman of the business, which at its peak was managing investments worth more than £20bn. That was before turmoil in the markets – last month, it was reported that £2.5bn had been knocked off the value of Atticus's assets.

Even so, Nat Rothschild is thought to have made much more than the money he stood to inherit as Jacob Rothschild's youngest child and only son. Father and son are now a team, who co-founded JNR, an investment vehicle with offices in London and New York and extensive interest in Russia. It was Jacob who introduced Nat to Peter Mandelson.

Source: Independent.co.uk

Impeach Vice President Dick Cheney

This is VERY interesting viewing: Youtube.com

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced he would move to force a vote next week on his resolution calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

“The momentum is building for impeachment,” Kucinich said in a statement on his Web site. “Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President’s abuse of power.

Kucinich said he plans to introduce a privileged resolution, which would have priority for a House floor vote, on Nov. 6. A vote on the measure would be required within two days.

Observers expect a motion to table Kucinich's resolution, which has 21 Democratic co-sponsors. It is almost certain that such a move to kill the resolution would be successful, but activists are urging members of Congress to support Kucinich's move.

"We need you to ask your representative to vote No on tabling, Yes on giving impeachment a chance," wrote David Swanson on the pro-impeachment Website AfterDowningStreet.org. "Those who vote Yes to table cannot use the excuse that 'We don't have the votes,' since others will at that same instant with exactly the same exertion be voting No. Please scroll down to contact Congress and the media right away!"

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long said that impeachment was "off the table" and Kucinich has had little success spurring legislative action on his resolutions, despite the growing number of lawmakers who have signed on as co-sponsors since it was introduced this spring.

Source: Rawstory.com

Rep. Dennis Kucinich homepage: Kucinich.house.gov