Iran | Civilian Aircraft Downed by US 1988 | 290 Killed

[source:  twitter] Caught my attention on Twitter. I'd forgotten about the passenger jet shot down. Not sure who posted it; was too lazy to make a note at the time. Well, too tired & sleepy.  Signed out now.  Can check tomorrow, I guess. I'd like to keep going, but I think I'd better get out of this chair before I have an embolism or something.  lol UPDATE America’s Flight 17 The time the United States blew up a passenger plane—and tried to cover it up. By Fred Kaplan  EXTRACTS ... Iran Air Flight 655—shot down on July 3, 1988, not by some scruffy rebel on contested soil but by a U.S. Navy captain in command of an Aegis-class cruiser called the Vincennes. A quarter-century later, the Vincennes is almost completely forgotten, but it still ranks as the world’s seventh deadliest air disaster (Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is the sixth) and one of the Pentagon’s most inexcusable disgraces. SOURCE  |  here UPDATE Was curious what was happening circa 1988 & here's just a couple of events: 1988 ECHELON surveillance  |  ('Five Eye') Duncan Campbell revealed existence of the ECHELON surveillance program in 1988  / (US-Anglo 'Five Eye' alliance satellite trunk communications sweeping intercepts).  | here South Africa (Eastern Cape) spy cover was blown Olivia Forsyth spy of apartheid era     imprisoned by ANC in Angola     escaped to British Embassy     recruited by 'notorious' Craig Williamson     infiltration of ANC supporters     spying on lefties     defection to ANC     journalist One of the most notorious of the Eastern Cape spies was Agent RS407 Olivia Forsyth - code name "Lara" - who infiltrated activist groups at Rhodes University as a student and sang freedom songs while passing on information to the security police. In 1988 her cover was blown and she was detained and tortured in an ANC prison camp in Angola, from which she escaped.  |  LINK  |  here South Africa government spy organisation links with: 1986 assassination Sweden PM Olof Palme *** key suspect no longer has an alibi for the night in question  *** "Larsson passed police the name of Bertil Wedin, a Swede with links to South African security services, as the man who organised the killing. Wedin, now living in northern Cyprus, denies this and police say he is not a suspect." "Kerstin Sharp, a Swedish prosecutor who has worked on the case since 1997, said earlier this week that Larsson's tip about Wedin was not part of the police investigation." Source | The Guardian |  here ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- Sweden does not follow up on the assassination of their iconic Prime Minister, but Sweden mounts a European Arrest Warrant, Interpol Red Notice, and dramatic London arrest of journalist Julian Assange ... to 'make inquiries' about Sweden police 'allegations' ... that were contradicted by the alleged 'victims.' Think about that for a moment & consider that 5 years down the track, Sweden has refused to interview Julian Assange (granted political asylum) in London, where Sweden has interviewed 44 others in the 2010-2015 period.  Sweden’s double standards on Julian Assange http://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/civil-liberties/sweden-s-double-standards-julian-assange ꕤ

PageLink-Intel - GCSB, New Zealand - Government Communications Security Bureau

GCSB NEW ZEALAND FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE (See also:  Domestic Intel - NZSIS - Security Intelligence Services - here) Hon Christopher Finlayson, Attorney-General- here 2015/16 the budget: $89.6 million Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) national security part of ECHELON see Nicky Hager, writer (book) David Lange { report released in error } - Targets of GCSB: Japan, Philippines, Argentina, France, Vietnam, + many small Pacific island states. + United Nations diplomatic traffic. Two listening stations + Secret Post + Southern Cross fibre-optic cable: Waihopai Station 1) SATELLITE communications interception station - Waihopai (near Blenheim) Part of ECHELON intercepts and processes all phone calls, faxes, e-mail and computer data communications. Tangimoana Station 2) RADIO communications interception station at GCSB Tangimoana (near Palmerston North) Part of ECHELON 3) Secret listening post codenamed "Caprica" - NZ High Commission in Honiara, Solomon Islands 4) Southern Cross Cable 95% international internet access point Construction & Ownership 1999: laid by the ship 'CS Vercors' Spark New Zealand (50.01%) SingTel (39.99%) Verizon Business (10.00%) mass surveillance - internet & phone traffic - 95% all NZ traffic (part trans-Pacific network of telecommunications cables) operated by Bermuda company Southern Cross Cables Limited Southern Cross Cables Limited asked NSA to pay them for MASS SURVEILLANCE allows government to spy on all phone calls and internet traffic from New Zealand  { NZ govt denies & claims merely negotiation w/ NSA } collection and processing of intel distribution of intel information assurance | cyber security Signals Intelligence Communications Security Anti-Bugging Measures Computer / IT security technology Foreign intelligence Assistance to other NZ govt agencies GCSB reports to the minister holding the Intelligence portfolio by convention: always the Prime Minister * Illegal surveillance of Kim Dotcom Shortly before Fletcher (head GCSB) was appointed, the GCSB illegally spied on Kim Dotcom, a German national but New Zealand resident. By law the agency cannot spy on New Zealand residents. The GCSB admitted that Hugh Wolfensohn, acting director at the time, knew the organisation was spying on Dotcom. Kitteridge Report *may have unlawfully spied on up to 85 ppl b/w April 2003 and Sept 2012 (Kitteridge report, leaked - Rebecca Kitteridge, Cabinet Secretary) Ian Fletcher (former diplomat) = Director GCSB controversy re appointment (forgotten friend of John keys) ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- SOURCE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_Communications_Security_Bureau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Cross_Cable ꕤ