By Daisy Luther
Survival Saturday is a round-up of the week’s news and resources for folks who are interested in being prepared.
This Week in the News
This week on Survival Saturday, let’s talk about some news stories that are unrelated to bombs, Syria, North Korea, and Russia. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sick of those topics.
Wikileaks vs. Mike Pompeo
The new head of the CIA went all-out in a diatribe against Julian Assange and Wikileaks, and it’s no wonder he was ticked. The secrets that are being revealed by Wikileaks sure don’t cast the most flattering light on the Central Intelligence Agency. An agency, who, most sources agree, is not supposed to operate domestically. (However, Reagan’s Executive Order from 1981 seems to have broadened the permissions for all sorts of intelligence activities.)
Pompeo referred to Wikileaks as a “non-state hostile intelligence service” and called them “demons”…
Which is super-interesting since a few years ago, Pompeo tweeted that the DNC Wikileaks were “proof” that President Obama was involved in fixing the nomination for Hillary Clinton. Crazy how Wikileaks has changed, right? (*cough*)
Wikileaks replied via Twitter with a statement:
In his first speech in office, CIA Director Mike Pompeo rather than focusing on China, North Korea, or the rise of extremism, chose to announce an offensive against WikiLeaks and other publishers. In doing so Director Pompeo characterized WikiLeaks as a “non-state intelligence service”. This absurd definition would have all serious media organizations (with the exception of state owned media) transformed into ‘non-state intelligence services’- with the explicitly stated goal of stripping constitutional protections for publishers.History shows the danger of allowing the CIA or any intelligence agency, whose very modus operandi includes misdirection and lying, to be the sole arbiter of what is true or what is prudent. Otherwise every day might see a repeat of the many foolish CIA actions which have led to death, displacement, dictatorship and terrorism.
All serious media organizations are in the business of obtaining information by encouraging sources to step forward. The key difference between media and intelligence is that the media is in the business of publishing what it discovers to a wide audience. WikiLeaks is an award winning media organization that is well known for the accuracy and volume of its publications and its millions of readers.
Unsurprisingly it is the strength of WikiLeaks’ publications relating to the CIA’s illegal activities, including its attacks on France’s presidential candidates and political parties and its attempts to infect its allies and consumer products with viruses that has led to Director Pompeo’s claims that its editor Julian Assange “has no First Amendment protections”. These claims are dangerous and should be critically examined.
Director Pompeo’s statement sought not only to threaten Mr. Assange and WikiLeaks, but to definitively subvert the First Amendment and fundamental notions that are intrinsic to American democracy. The First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting free speech and the press; it is not only a right for the publisher. It is a limitation on the executive designed to check authoritarianism and guarantee the public knowledge and debate which is necessary to preserve the democratic ideals on which the idea of America was built.
As for the CIA’s attempts to demonize a publisher as a “fraud” and a “coward”-the public can judge what is fraudulent about an award winning decade-long record for publishing the truth and what is cowardly about WikiLeaks standing up to years of authoritarian bullying. Director Pompeo lacks irony when he suggests “WikiLeaks should focus its fire on autocratic regimes” while simultaneously calling for a crackdown on free speech. Director Pompeo’s has attempted to turn both the facts and the First Amendment on its head and finds himself in the company of Erdogan of Turkey (57,934 documents published by WikiLeaks), Assad of Syria (2.3 million documents) and the Saudi dictatorship (122,609 documents), to name but a few autocratic regimes that have attempted, and failed, to censor WikiLeaks.
Director Pompeo’s speech attempting to stifle speech only serves to underscore why WikiLeaks’ publications are necessary. WikiLeaks will continue to publish true, newsworthy information that contributes to the public debate.
America’s Founders, with brilliant foresight, understood the absolute necessity for preservation of a free press to foster critical debate about the actions of the government. The alternative is tyranny.
President Trump, who, let’s face it, got elected because of the Wikileaks revelations about Hillary Clinton and her unsavory cohorts, seems to have flip-flopped about them, too.
As recently as January, President Donald Trump applauded WikiLeaks for shedding light on DNC operations, and Mr. Trump was profuse in his praise for WikiLeaks before his election.
‘‘I love WikiLeaks!’’ the real estate mogul declared a month before the election at a rally in northeast Pennsylvania.
Mr. Trump also referred to WikiLeaks as a “treasure trove” of information. Days before the election in late October, he said WikiLeaks caught “crooked” former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “in the act,” after WikiLeaks emails claimed Clinton’s foundation received $12 million in donations from Morocco’s king.
Now, Trump seems less enthusiastic if his newly appointed CIA director is any reflection.
As Zero Hedge pointed out:
Trump’s latest reversal means that any hope Julian Assange may have had of being pardoned despite – at least according to Hillary Clinton and now the CIA – winning the election for Trump, is now officially gone, and should Assange ever be evicted from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, his fate will be anything but pleasant.
It’s like the Game of Thrones up in there. No matter what you do, you’re never really safe from getting beheaded, gruesomely poisoned, or pushed out a window.
Instead of Beating Reluctant Passengers, Delta Offers Nearly $10k to Give Up Their Seats
An internal memo was released that gate agents for Delta Airlines are now authorized to offer as much as $9950 to passengers in a bid to get them to give up their seats on overbooked flights. (source)
This is quite a contrast to United, who is living a well-earned public relations nightmare after dragging an almost 70-year-old man screaming from his seat so that someone else could have it. (The man suffered a broken nose, lost a couple of teeth, and got a concussion from the brutal eviction, all of which was caught on video.)
Twitter has been relentless in its denouncement of United’s actions, and it has resulted in some comedic gold. (Check it out here.) After a scorpion fell on another United passenger, executives decided that they had maybe been hexed or something and changed their crew booking policies.
Every Question You Ever Had About Antarctica…and Some You Didn’t Know You Had
The Real Secrets Hidden in Antarctica… Revealed. Holy cow, FASCINATING information in this mini-documentary – we were glued to it. Admittedly, we’re kind of nerdy that way, but this is really cool. (Yeah, I meant to do that – cool – Antarctica – I’ll stop now.)
This Week in Preparedness…
International tensions had everyone who is paying attention on the edge of their seats this week. Currently, my own focus is on prepping for a World War that seems inevitable. I wrote the first two parts of a 3 part series that I’ll turn into an ebook that will be FREE for subscribers as soon as it’s done. (If you haven’t subscribed, you can do so here.)
- Part 1: Is World War 3 Coming? 18 Preppers Discuss Effects, Shortages, and How to Get Ready
- Part 2: How to Survive World War 3: Prepping for an Off-Shore Conflict
- Part 3: How to Survive World War 3: Prepping in Case the Fight Comes to Us (coming soon)
And while I encourage you to stock up all you can, if you are in a position in which money is tight, this article may offer some valuable suggestions:
If you use social media, join us over on Facebook for a discussion about putting back supplies for special occasion dinners. (Easter weekend got me thinking about this!)
Preppers University is offering a $15 discount on our intensives, this weekend only. Go here to register and use the code EASTER15.
Learn about the Prepping Intensive here and learn about the Advanced Prepping Intensive here.
More Preparedness Articles You Should Check Out
- Are you actually ready? Take this Emergency Preparedness Test to find out.
- It Can Happen Just Like That – Real World Survival Story
- Top Seven Articles on Prepper Website for the Week
- Not Prepared: Will Most Americans Be Absolutely Blindsided By Multiple Wars And A Simultaneous Economic Collapse?
Other Articles of Interest
- Millennials Are Homesteading, Buying Affordable Homes, Building Community (This is an inspiring article that provides some hope for the future)
- ‘They’re terrified that peace was going to break out’ – Ron Paul on US Syria strike (Man, I really wish Ron Paul had been elected President a few years back. We’d be looking at a different world.)
- Trump Flip Flops On 5 Key Campaign Promises In A Day — War Spending Now Priority
- “Dystopian Military Takeover Plan”: The Urban Nightmare That Could Become America By 2030
- What the new, FDA-approved 23andMe genetic health risk reports can, and can’t, tell you (This testing is fascinating, and when deciphered by the right healthcare provider – one who understands nutrition and lifestyle factors – can give you a window into preventing disease for which you have a genetic propensity.)
Anything to add to Survival Saturday?
Next weekend, there won’t be a Survival Report. These aren’t quick articles to put together. They generally take about 4 hours, and we’ll be on the road from our place on the West Coast to our new home on the East Coast. I’ll still keep in touch as much as possible during our travels, though! 🙂
I hope you all have a peaceful and beautiful Easter.
Do you have any news links you want to share? What are your thoughts on the topics above? Now’s the time! Please post your links in the comments section below and join the discussion!
What I would call them is check & balances…..