Anonymous Hacks Security

Anonymous Hacks Security Firm Investigating It; Releases E-mail



A U.S. security firm that claimed to have uncovered the real identity of Anonymous members responsible for a recent spate of web site attacks became a victim of Anonymous itself, when members of the online vigilante group breached the company’s network and stole more than 60,000 internal e-mails.

The group posted the e-mail spool Sunday on the Pirate Bay torrent site for anyone to download and sift through.

HBGary Federal, which does classified work for the U.S. federal government among other security work, claimed it had been working with the FBI to unmask hackers behind recent denial-of-service attacks against PayPal, Visa, MasterCard and Amazon. Members of Anonymous — a loosely structured group of internet troublemakers — had organized the mass attacks after the companies suspended accounts used by WikiLeaks to receive donations and host documents. More recently, members of the group directed denial-of-service attacks against government web sites in Tunisia and Egypt.

Last month, the FBI announced it had executed more than 40 search warrants against people suspected of participating in the WikiLeaks-related attacks. British police also arrested five men in relation to the attacks.

The hack against HBGary Federal occurred after the Financial Times published a story on Saturday quoting Aaron Barr, CEO of the company. Barr said his company’s researchers had uncovered clues to the real identities of top members of Anonymous by monitoring chat rooms and Facebook groups they frequented. Barr identified a co-founder of the group, who goes by the name Q, and said he planned to give some of the information to the FBI. He also planned to present his findings at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco next week.

On Sunday, Anonymous ridiculed the company’s research skills and the accuracy of its data in a press release posted at Daily Kos, mocking the company’s “infiltration of our entirely secret IRC server anonops.ru and in particular our ultra-classified channels #opegypt, #optunisia, and, of course, #reporters, which itself is the most secret of all.”

In addition to the sudden disappearance of Anonymous leader Q, Anonymous co-founder Justin Bieber also disappeared just before his top-secret mission to Eritrea to offer physical succour to the rebels, suggesting that Mubarak is in our base, eating our Cheetos, likely with military support authorized by Hill Dawg.

The group then hacked into the HBGary Federal web site and e-mail servers, and replaced the web site content with a lengthy message taunting the security firm for failing to protect its own network and for trying to gain attention by marketing its research on Anonymous.

“Your recent claims of ‘infiltrating’ Anonymous amuse us, and so do your attempts at using Anonymous as a means to garner press attention for yourself. How’s this for attention?,” the message reads. “You’ve tried to bite at the Anonymous hand, and now the Anonymous hand is bitch-slapping you in the face.”

The hackers then posted a file purporting to contain the research that Barr had collected on Anonymous members as well as more than 50,000 e-mails in Barr’s account. The group claimed to have financial details for the company and threatened to erase content on the company servers.

The group also hijacked Barr’s Twitter account, sending



out tweets as Barr, including a home address and Social Security number purporting to belong to him.

In addition to the HBGary site, the hackers gained root access to Rootkit.com, an online forum dedicated to analyzing and developing stealthy “rootkit” malware technology. The forum was founded by Greg Hoglund, CEO of HBGary, a separate security firm that owns about 15 percent of HBGary Federal. They seized Hoglund’s e-mail account and posed as him in order to manipulate a company administrator named Jussi Jaakonaho into giving them root access to Rootkit.

Hoglund, Barr and Hoglund’s wife Penny, president of HBGary, tried to negotiate with the hackers via phone and chats to get the company’s data taken down, stating that Hoglund’s e-mails shouldn’t be exposed because he has little to do with HBGary Federal and that disclosure of some of the data would cost his company millions of dollars. The group ultimately agreed to remove links to the published e-mails for this reason, according to an online post from an Anonymous member.

Anarchist Utopia.

Anarchist Utopia
Posted by: Milo Nickels
1/21/2011

Anarchist Utopia
Written by: Milo Nickels

What do you picture when you hear the word "anarchy"?  Do you picture a mob of angry people smashing windows and looting televisions?  Do you picture fire, destruction, and carnage?  Do you picture idiots with T-shirts tied around their faces throwing rocks and tipping over cars?  If you are like most Americans, these are the exact images that pop into your head, and that is very unfortunate.  Although many people (correctly) believe that chaos would be the absolute end result of anarchy, it is important to remember that "anarchy" itself is not a synonym for "chaos" (although it is quite often and unfairly used that way).



"Anarchists" protesting in Greece.

Unfortunately, one bad apple spoils the bunch, and most people who openly call themselves "anarchists" are those bad apples.  The ironic part is, most of these people are "anti-capitalists" and, therefore, support political systems where governments control economies.  How can you honestly call yourself an anarchist if you support government control of anything?  To assume that all anarchists are riotous punks is no different than assuming that all democrats are welfare bums or all republicans are war mongers.  We mustn't focus on the bad apples.

Anarchy, in reality, is nothing but a political philosophy.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines anarchy as follows:

  1. a: absence of government  b: a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority  c: a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom without government.
  2. a: absence of denial of any authority or established order  b: absence of order: disorder anarchy of nature -- Israel Shenker>

Note: the word Anarchy itself is composed of two parts: An · archy, An (meaning without), Archy (meaning government or rule).  The literal translation, then, is simply "without government"

Notice what is missing from those definitions.  There are no mentions of violence, upheaval, riots, or chaos.  The closest they come to any of that is definition 2b whereby anarchy can be thought of as "disorder", but disorder does not automatically or necessarily lead to violence either; nor is disorder always a bad thing.  Without disorderly gene mutations we'd still be monkeys.  In particular, you should pay attention to definition 1c.  Anarchy can be thought of as a utopian society of individuals who enjoy complete freedom.  This is the side of anarchy that everyone seems to forget, and it's a far cry from gasmasks and Molotov cocktails.

If you are someone who typically equates anarchy with chaos, please challenge yourself to open your mind.  Try, just for a minute, to think of anarchy from the utopian perspective:

  • Would you rather live in a world where police enforce laws, or one where people respect the lives, rights, and property of their fellow man to the point where police and laws are no longer necessary?
  • Would you rather live in a world where welfare is required to keep people afloat, or one where all people have the capacity and drive to earn their own way?
  • Would you rather live in a world where banks and businesses must be bound by government regulations and restrictions, or one where the bankers and businesses could be trusted to pay fair wages and sell goods at fair prices? 
  • Would you rather live in a world where governments have to control the people, or where people are responsible, sensible, and thoughtful enough to control themselves? 

Obviously, we don't live in such a world.  And, sadly, we never will.  Like virtually all utopian ideals, a completely free (anarchistic) society is an impossibility--constrained by human nature.  Anarchy itself isn't bad; people are.  Human nature is fraught with greed, aggression, lust, and ignorance.  This dark side of human nature is the only reason that people require governments at all.

Although the vast majority of societal ideals and visions of utopia are unobtainable, simply because they are bound by human nature, this does not mean that we should stop striving for those societal ideals or seeking those utopias.  Just as we will never wipe out all racism, all terrorism, all poverty, or all greed, we will never be able to eliminate all government.  But the grim reality that we can never be perfect, should not stop us from striving as a people to be better.  We can always have less racism, less terrorism, less poverty, less greed, and less government.

Please, if you are someone who automatically envisions destructive chaos when you hear the word "anarchy", try to think about what that word could actually mean.  If you are one of the morons in the above picture, calling yourself anarchists but proving exactly why governments are necessary, stop acting like an idiot.  The real road to achieving an anarchist utopia is not through violence, disrespect, and chaos.  All of these activities only lead to more government.  An entirely free society, where government is no longer necessary, can only exist where people respect one another, accept responsibility, treat each other fairly, and have compassion for their fellow man.  In short: we don't need government if humans are humane.

If you truly understand how wonderful our world could be without government, I hope that you will go forth--and think like an anarchis

Camps, yup ! Soon come perhaps..

Dear Milo, I love your site.  I noticed you haven’t discussed FEMA camps yet, but here’s some information that you might find interesting.I’m a police officer in [withheld to protect officer's identity] State. Everyone in my department was recently required to take an online course sponsored by FEMA about the “Incident Command Structure” (ICS). The Incident Command Structure is the system of control set in place following a disaster, catastrophe, terrorist strike, or other such event.  All of the documents from that course can be found on FEMA’s website:http://training.fema.gov/EMIweb/IS/is100lst.aspIn particular you should pay attention to Unit 6: ICS Facilities. Here’s that direct link:http://training.fema.gov/EMIweb/IS/ICS100CR/ICS100IG/06ICS100ICSFac_NMSept05.pdfFirst, I’d like you to notice page 6-8 which is actually entitled “CAMPS“!!! Now, they claim in this training that “camps” are temporary facilities and may not be required. I feel that they do this to condition the police that camps are perfectly normal and may be necessary–so that we won’t hesitate to place people in camps upon command.Secondly, I’d like you to notice page 6-4 which mysteriously states “some incidents may require facilities not included on the standard list”. The use of the word “facilities” would lead me to believe that these locations are already in place and are permanent in nature. But then you have to ask: what kind of facilities are important enough to already have in place, but too secretive to leave out of your police training?I found it very interesting and thought I’d share.
Keep up the good work,
[Name Withheld]

Egypt and USa oh yeah of course eh ?

Egypt protests: secret US document discloses support for protesters
Here is the secret document sent from the US Embassy in Cairo to Washington disclosing the extent of American support for the protesters behind the Egypt uprising.

10:30PM GMT 28 Jan 2011

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002572 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ELA, R, S/P
AND H NSC FOR PASCUAL AND KUTCHA-HELBLING E.O. 12958: DECL:
12/30/2028 TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, KDEM, EG SUBJECT: APRIL 6 ACTIVIST ON HIS
U.S. VISIT AND REGIME CHANGE IN EGYPT REF: A. CAIRO 2462 B.
CAIRO 2454 C. CAIRO 2431 Classified By: ECPO A/Mincouns
Catherine Hill-Herndon for reason 1.4 (d ). 1. (C) Summary and
comment: On December 23, April 6 activist xxxxxxxxxxxx expressed
satisfaction with his participation in the December 3-5 \"Alliance of
Youth Movements Summit,\" and with his subsequent meetings with USG
officials, on Capitol Hill, and with think tanks. He described how
State Security (SSIS) detained him at the Cairo airport upon his
return and confiscated his notes for his summit presentation calling
for democratic change in Egypt, and his schedule for his Congressional
meetings. xxxxxxxxxxxx contended that the GOE will never undertake
significant reform, and therefore, Egyptians need to replace the
current regime with a parliamentary democracy. He alleged that
several opposition parties and movements have accepted an unwritten
plan for democratic transition by 2011; we are doubtful of this claim.
xxxxxxxxxxxx said that although SSIS recently released two April 6
activists, it also arrested three additional group members. We have
pressed the MFA for the release of these April 6 activists. April 6's
stated goal of replacing the current regime with a parliamentary
democracy prior to the 2011 presidential elections is highly
unrealistic, and is not supported by the mainstream opposition. End
summary and comment. ---------------------------- Satisfaction with
the Summit ---------------------------- 2. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx expressed
satisfaction with the December 3-5 \"Alliance of Youth Movements
Summit\" in New York, noting that he was able to meet activists from
other countries and outline his movement's goals for democratic change
in Egypt. He told us that the other activists at the summit were very
supportive, and that some even offered to hold public demonstrations
in support of Egyptian democracy in their countries, with xxxxxxxxxxxx
as an invited guest. xxxxxxxxxxxx said he discussed with the other
activists how April 6 members could more effectively evade harassment
and surveillance from SSIS with technical upgrades, such as
consistently alternating computer \"simcards.\" However, xxxxxxxxxxxx
lamented to us that because most April 6 members do not own computers,
this tactic would be impossible to implement. xxxxxxxxxxxx was
appreciative of the successful efforts by the Department and the
summit organizers to protect his identity at the summit, and told us
that his name was never mentioned publicly. ------------------- A
Cold Welcome Home ------------------- 3. (S) xxxxxxxxxxxx told us
that SSIS detained and searched him at the Cairo Airport on December
18 upon his return from the U.S. According to xxxxxxxxxxxx, SSIS
found and confiscated two documents in his luggage: notes for his
presentation at the summit that described April 6's demands for
democratic transition in Egypt, and a schedule of his Capitol Hill
meetings. xxxxxxxxxxxx described how the SSIS officer told him that
State Security is compiling a file on him, and that the officer's
superiors instructed him to file a report on xxxxxxxxxxxx most recent
activities. --------------------------------------------- ----------
Washington Meetings and April 6 Ideas for Regime Change
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 4. (C)
xxxxxxxxxxxx described his Washington appointments as positive, saying
that on the Hill he met with xxxxxxxxxxxx, a variety of House staff
members, including from the offices of xxxxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxxxx),
and with two Senate staffers. xxxxxxxxxxxx also noted that he met
with several think tank members. xxxxxxxxxxxx said that xxxxxxxxxxxx's
office invited him to speak at a late January Congressional hearing on
House Resolution 1303 regarding religious and political freedom in
Egypt. xxxxxxxxxxxx told us he is interested in attending, but
conceded he is unsure whether he will have the funds to make the trip.
He indicated to us that he has not been focusing on his work as a
\"fixer\" for journalists, due to his preoccupation with his U.S.
trip. 5. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx described how he tried to convince his
Washington interlocutors that the USG should pressure the GOE to
implement significant reforms by threatening to reveal CAIRO 00002572
002 OF 002 information about GOE officials' alleged \"illegal\"
off-shore bank accounts. He hoped that the U.S. and the international
community would freeze these bank accounts, like the accounts of
Zimbabwean President Mugabe's confidantes. xxxxxxxxxxxx said he wants
to convince the USG that Mubarak is worse than Mugabe and that the GOE
will never accept democratic reform. xxxxxxxxxxxx asserted that
Mubarak derives his legitimacy from U.S. support, and therefore
charged the U.S. with \"being responsible\" for Mubarak's \"crimes.\"
He accused NGOs working on political and economic reform of living in
a \"fantasy world,\" and not recognizing that Mubarak -- \"the head of
the snake\" -- must step aside to enable democracy to take root. 6.
(C) xxxxxxxxxxxx claimed that several opposition forces -- including
the Wafd, Nasserite, Karama and Tagammu parties, and the Muslim
Brotherhood, Kifaya, and Revolutionary Socialist movements -- have
agreed to support an unwritten plan for a transition to a
parliamentary democracy, involving a weakened presidency and an
empowered prime minister and parliament, before the scheduled 2011
presidential elections (ref C). According to xxxxxxxxxxxx, the
opposition is interested in receiving support from the army and the
police for a transitional government prior to the 2011 elections.
xxxxxxxxxxxx asserted that this plan is so sensitive it cannot be
written down. (Comment: We have no information to corroborate that
these parties and movements have agreed to the unrealistic plan
xxxxxxxxxxxx has outlined. Per ref C, xxxxxxxxxxxx previously told us
that this plan was publicly available on the internet. End comment.)
7. (C) xxxxxxxxxxxx said that the GOE has recently been cracking down
on the April 6 movement by arresting its members. xxxxxxxxxxxx noted
that although SSIS had released xxxxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxxxx \"in the
past few days,\" it had arrested three other members. (Note: On
December 14, we pressed the MFA for the release of xxxxxxxxxxxx and
xxxxxxxxxxxx, and on December 28 we asked the MFA for the GOE to
release the additional three activists. End note.) xxxxxxxxxxxx
conceded that April 6 has no feasible plans for future activities.
The group would like to call for another strike on April 6, 2009, but
realizes this would be \"impossible\" due to SSIS interference,
xxxxxxxxxxxx said. He lamented that the GOE has driven the group's
leadership underground, and that one of its leaders, xxxxxxxxxxxx, has
been in hiding for the past week. 8. (C) Comment: xxxxxxxxxxxx
offered no roadmap of concrete steps toward April 6's highly
unrealistic goal of replacing the current regime with a parliamentary
democracy prior to the 2011 presidential elections. Most opposition
parties and independent NGOs work toward achieving tangible,
incremental reform within the current political context, even if they
may be pessimistic about their chances of success. xxxxxxxxxxxx
wholesale rejection of such an approach places him outside this
mainstream of opposition politicians and activists.
SCOBEY02008-12-307386PGOV,PHUM,KDEM,EGAPRIL 6 ACTIVIST ON HIS U.S.
VISIT AND REGIME CHANGE IN EGYPT

Sir John....

Conference focuses on what’s next for VI economy
Written by Webmaster   
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Sir John Swan stood before a crowd of more than 120 people at Scrub Island yesterday and told them it took him a day to get to the Virgin Islands from his native Bermuda.

“From Bermuda to Florida, Florida to Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico to the BVI. It will take me a day to get back. Part of my speech will be that something needs to be done about that,” he said. Speaking to a sold-out audience at BVI Business Outlook 2011, a conference designed to discuss the future of the VI economy, Sir John, the former premier of Bermuda, came to share his country’s experience with development and discuss global events that could impact the territory.

He said he expects that the $14 trillion United States economy will still be growing faster than China’s in the short term because it is such a large economy. As an example of foreign events that could affect how the VI does business, he listed the rise of al-Qaeda, which has caused many countries to start x-raying shipping containers, a particularly high cost for small jurisdictions.

Sir John, who is also a commercial developer, said he expects infrastructure costs for government to rise in the coming years and urged leaders to be “visionary” in tackling future problems and looking beyond traditional markets.

“We no longer can say that we are … isolated because we are here in the Americas. In fact, it would be the biggest mistake we could make to conclude that America has to be your territory. … You have to look further afield,” he said.

Sir John also suggested developing a public-private sector programme to improve infrastructure. This step is needed because the VI’s income and Gross Domestic Product are decreasing and costs are rising, he said.


No Sir John,you have it wrong,we keep out the riff raff by making it a little bit harder to get here,better quality people, like you.....keep your 737's for others

and stop preaching

No links so far !

Investigators involved in the inquiry into how WikiLeaks received tens of thousands of classified documents have been unable to link Pte Bradley Manning, the prime suspect, to Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder.

CodePink activists hold signs in support of US Army Pte Bradley Manning Photo: AP

By Toby Harnden in Washington 8:30PM GMT 25 Jan 2011

Although the investigators have confirmed Pte Manning, 23, had unlawfully downloaded documents and passed them to an unauthorised person, they admitted they lack evidence connecting him to Mr Assange, according to NBC News.
The release by WikiLeaks of secret diplomatic cables last year caused a diplomatic furore and revealed some of the most sensitive American dealings with foreign governments.
Mr Assange, an Australian, is in London fighting extradition to Sweden for questioning in a sexual misconduct investigation. He has denied the allegations.
Eric Holder, the US Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Obama administration is considering whether it can prosecute the release of information under the Espionage Act.
Mr Assange told MSNBC last month that WikiLeaks did not know if Pte Manning, who is in solitary confinement at a military facility in Quantico, Virginia, was the source of the classified documents.
RELATED ARTICLES
"That's not how our technology works, that's not how our organisation works," he said. "I never heard of the name of Bradley Manning before it appeared in the media." He described as "nonsense" allegations that WikiLeaks had conspired with Pte Manning.

Want to see LEAP ask Obama a question?

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Neill Franklin, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition" <leap@mail.democracyinaction.org>
Date: January 25, 2011 11:53:28 AM GMT-04:00
Subject: Want to see LEAP ask Obama a question?


Dear Jeremy,

In an ongoing effort by the White House to engage the public via the internet, President Obama will answer questions from YouTube users in a live-streaming event this Thursday, January 27, two days after his annual State of the Union address.

LEAP speaker MacKenzie Allen, a retired deputy sheriff, wrote in to ask:

 “As a police officer, I saw how waging the war on drugs has cost a trillion dollars and thousands of lives but does nothing to reduce drug use. Should we discuss legalizing marijuana and other drugs, which would eliminate the violent criminal market?”

YouTube has stated that the president will answer the questions that receive the most votes. LEAP’s question is currently among the top-voted entries.  Let’s keep it going!  To vote, please visit http://www.youtube.com/askobama and use the search box on the right side to find the question above from LEAP speaker MacKenzie Allen, then cast your vote. The easiest way to find the correct entry is to paste a phrase from the question, like “as a police officer,” into the search box. Here's what you should see:

This is an incredible opportunity for us to get LEAP’s message in front of the nation, and we have until Wednesday at midnight EST to make it happen.  Please click here vote now!

Thank you,

Major Neill Franklin - Retired
Executive Director


Your donation puts LEAP speakers in front of audiences. To support LEAP's work by making a contribution, please click here.

           

121 Mystic Ave. Suites 8&9
Medford, MA 01255
(781) 393-6985 info@leap.cc

You received this e-mail because you are a supporter of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.   We need help growing our all-encompassing movement of citizens who want to end the failed "war on drugs," so please invite your family and friends to learn about LEAP.

Click here if you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us.

ALL OUT Jan 25 National Day of Action to Stop FBI Repression and Grand Jury Witch Hunts


Begin forwarded message:

From: International Action Center <actioncenter@action-mail.org>
Date: January 24, 2011 2:43:50 PM GMT-04:00
Subject: ALL OUT Jan 25 National Day of Action to Stop FBI Repression and Grand Jury Witch Hunts

International Action Center - iacenter.org

About the IAC | Donate | IAC Books & Resources | Contact Us | Sign the Petition!


Join the National Day of Action to Stop FBI Repression and Grand Jury Witch Hunts on Tuesday, January 25, 2011
 
SIGN THE UPDATED ONLINE PETITION AT http://www.iacenter.org/stopfbi

More than 45 cities will participate in National Day of Actions! 
Every day we are getting reports of more cities that are joining the January 25th National Day of Action Against the FBI and Grand Jury Repression. You can view the list of places by clicking here. If you are organizing a protest that is not listed, send the info to  StopFBI@gmail.com .

The Protest Call
The call for the protest notes, “In December 2010, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the FBI delivered nine new subpoenas in Chicago to anti-war and Palestine solidarity activists. Patrick Fitzgerald’s office is ordering the nine to appear at a Grand Jury in Chicago on Jan. 25.”

The call continues, “In response we are calling for protests on Jan. 25 across the country and around the world to show our solidarity. Hundreds of organizations and thousands of people will be protesting at Federal Buildings, FBI offices, and other appropriate places, showing solidarity with the nine newly subpoenaed activists and with all the activists whose homes were raided by the FBI.”

Fitzgerald’s expanding web of repression already includes the 14 subpoenaed when the FBI stormed into homes on September 24th, carting away phones, computers, notebooks, diaries and children’s artwork.  In October, all fourteen activists from Chicago, Minneapolis, and Michigan decided to not participate in the secret proceedings of Fitzgerald’s Grand Jury.  Each signed a letter invoking their Fifth Amendment rights.  However, three women from Minneapolis - Tracy Molm, Anh Pham and Sarah Martin - are facing re-activated subpoenas.  They are standing strong and we are asking you to stand with them – and with the newly subpoenaed nine activists – by protesting Patrick Fitzgerald and his use of the Grand Jury and FBI to repress anti-war and international solidarity activists. 

Defend free speech!   Defend the right to organize!  Opposing war and occupation is not a crime! 
**Tell Patrick Fitzgerald to call off the Grand Jury!
**Stop FBI raids and repression! 
 
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression has posted a template for local press releases on our web site. Protest organizers should feel free to use any part of it that is helpful to your press work. It is available here(scroll down the main body of the page to the “Resources” section) . 
  
Regional Conferences: 
Anti War activism and International Solidarity are not crimes! 
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is putting together regional organizing conferences to push back against the government repression. 
  
    * San Francisco - February 12 
    * Chicago - February 12 
    * New York - February 19 
    * Triangle Area, North Carolina, February 19 
  
Hold this date - the locations and times for the regional conferences will be announced soon. 
A leaflet about the conferences (that you can distribute at your January 25 protest) is available here.   
  
Thank you, 
  
Tom Burke, 
for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression
www.StopFBI.net  -  stopfbi@gmail.com  -  612-379-3585
petition: http://www.stopfbi.net/petition

Please also SIGN  the UPDATED ONLINE PETITION to President Obama, Attorney General Holder, Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald,  Congressional leaders, the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and members of the media at iacenter.org/stopfbi. Tell them to STOP THE FBI CAMPAIGN OF REPRESSION AGAINST ANTI-WAR AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ACTIVISTS NOW!
    

About the IAC | Donate | IAC Books & Resources | Contact Us | Sign the Petition!

International Action Center
c/o Solidarity Center
55 W 17th St Suite 5C
New York, NY 10011
212-633-6646
iacenter@iacenter.org
www.iacenter.org


_______________________________________________

Anyone can subscribe. 
Send an email request to

Subscribing and unsubscribing can also be done on the Web at

Save the bees: 1 million by Friday

lets go.................

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Alex Wilks -- Avaaz.org" <avaaz@avaaz.org>
Date: January 18, 2011 6:16:28 PM GMT-04:00
Subject: Save the bees: 1 million by Friday

Petition exploding, almost 1 million -- delivery to key international meeting on Friday. Forward to friends!

Dear friends,

Bees are dying off worldwide and our entire food chain is in peril. Scientists blame toxic pesticides and four European governments have already banned them. If we get the US and the EU to join the ban, other governments across the world could follow, and save bees from extinction. Sign the petition and forward this urgent appeal:
Silently, billions of bees are dying off and our entire food chain is in danger. Bees don't just make honey, they are a giant, humble workforce, pollinating 90% of the plants we grow.

Multiple scientific studies blame one group of toxic pesticides for their rapid demise, and bee populations are recovering in countries where these products have been banned. But powerful chemical companies are lobbying hard to keep selling these poisons. Our best chance to save bees now is to push the US and EU to join the ban -- their action is critical and will have a ripple effect on the rest of the world.

We have no time to lose -- the debate is raging about what to do. This is not just about saving bees, this is about survival. Let’s build a giant global buzz calling for the EU and US to outlaw these killer chemicals and save our bees and our food. Sign the emergency petition now, and send it on to everyone and we’ll deliver it to key decision makers:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/?vl

Bees are vital to life on earth -- every year pollinating plants and crops with an estimated $40bn value, over one third of the food supply in many countries. Without immediate action to save bees many of our favourite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves.

Recent years have seen a steep and disturbing global decline in bee populations -- some bee species are already extinct and last week we learned that some US species are at just 4% of their previous numbers. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. Some studies claim the decline may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals. But increasingly independent research has produced strong evidence blaming neonicotinoid pesticides. France, Italy, Slovenia and even Germany, where the main manufacturer Bayer is based, have banned one of these bee killers. But, Bayer continues to export its poison across the world

This issue is now coming to the boil as major new studies have confirmed the scale of this problem. If we can get European and US decision-makers to take action, others will follow. It won’t be easy. A leaked document shows that the US Environmental Protection Agency knew about the pesticide’s dangers, but ignored them. The document says Bayer’s "highly toxic" product is a "major risk concern to non target insects [honey bees]".

We need to make our voices heard to counter Bayer’s very strong influence on policy makers and scientists in both the US and the EU where they fund the studies and sit on policy bodies. The real experts -- the beekeepers and farmers -- want these deadly pesticides prohibited until and unless we have solid, independent studies that show they are safe. Let's support them now. Sign the petition below, then forward this email:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/?vl

We can no longer leave our delicate food chain in the hands of research run by the chemical companies and the regulators that are in their pockets. Banning this pesticide will move us closer to a world safe for ourselves and the other species we care about and depend on.

With hope,

Alex, Alice, Iain, David and all at Avaaz

MORE INFORMATION

Bee decline could be down to chemical cocktail interfering with brains
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/22/chemicals-bees-decline-major-study?INTCMP=SRCH

Bee briefing
http://www.soilassociation.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=RXLEm9WXrHk%3D&tabid=439

$15 Billion Bee Murder Mystery Deepens
http://www.businessinsider.com/colony-collapse-disorder-still-unsolved-lead-researcher-had-connections-to-bayer-2010-10

“Nicotine Bees" Population Restored With Neonicotinoids Ban
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/05/nicotine-bees-population-restored-with-neonicotinoids-ban.php

EPA memo reveals concern that pesticide causes bee deaths
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=79910

Beekeepers want government to pull pesticide
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/beekeepers-want-government-to-pull-pesticide-1107701.html

Bees in freefall as study shows sharp US decline
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/03/bumblebees-study-us-decline?INTCMP=SRCH

Pesticide industry involvement in EU risk assessment puts survival of bees at stake
http://www.corporateeurope.org/agribusiness/news/2010/11/16/pesticide-industry-future-bees

Vanishing of Bees provide details on the EPA leaked documents

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Surely

World bankers, by pulling a few simple levers that control the flow of money, can make or break entire economies. By controlling press releases of economic strategies that shape national trends, the power elite are able to not only tighten their stranglehold on this nation's economic structure, but can extend that control world wide. Those possessing such power would logically want to remain in the background, invisible to the average citizen." (Aldus Huxley)