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When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

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Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#41

Post by blitzar »

traceroute66 wrote: post #13
marktucker wrote: post #2

Posted last week here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29723433 TL;DW Guy thinks information should be free. Thinks an informed society is important. Thinks journalistic freedom is necessary for that. Thinks Julian Assange should be free. Video is about the circumstances around the foiling of the plot to get Julian Assange out of the country by means of becoming an Ecuador diplomat. There was a meeting between J…

> including shooting out tires Thank you for posting the TL;DR @marktucker. It saves everyone watching a video that is no doubt full of pure invented FUD and BS. Why do I say that ? Because of the "shooting out tires" bit. 1. Its a dumb American thing, no way in hell it would be permitted in the UK .. actually no, to give the yanks their due, I don't event think they would start shooting at tyres randomly on a public…

> to give the yanks their due, I don't event think they would start shooting at tyres randomly on a public street

They 100% would go for the fuel tank; although obviously the instructions would be to shoot the gas tank.

Its that or go full Team America. Don't worry, everything is bon! We stopped the terrorists.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#42

Post by londons_explore »

blitzar wrote: post #40
pphysch wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's at least 3 fairly muscular dudes in the car

I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't just 3 fairly muscular dudes paid just over minimum wage to sit there for multiple years and radio in if anything happens. The guarding of the embassy to stop assange from walking out cost £3mil a year, thats a lot of muscular dudes sitting in cars drinking coffee 24 hours a day.

That £3m could have caught plenty of other criminals... It isn't like Assange is even violent!

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#44

Post by Fnoord »

tablespoon wrote: post #8
pphysch wrote: post #4

Were those guys in the car likely to be card-carrying CIA operatives or just hired thugs given orders from the CIA/MI6?

> card-carrying CIA operatives I realize you're just using that as an expression, but I recently watched an old Columbo episode [1] that featured just that , and if it were true it would be the literal dumbest thing . [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072804/

On the field on foreign soil it'd be dumb, yes. They likely have some fake identity issued by the US government which the proper US government officials can direct to them being a CIA asset. Ie. they'll look like normal civilians, probably even with a company, job, Facebook, etc.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#45

Post by kingcharles »

traceroute66 wrote: post #15
sennight wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As for shooting out the tyres... This comes up every so often with regard to high speed chases: "Why not just let him go and then make the arrest after things have calmed down? We know where he lives." The answer to that question is very simple: you are operation under the premise that you can accurately predict your target's future actions. You cannot, and it is laughably foolish to think otherwise. This is why, i…

> US military at least, the prevention of prisoner escape is a justification for deadly force regardless of the reason for imprisonment Well, the world is aware that the US tends to have a "shoot first, ask later" policy. Meanwhile, time for your regular reminder that in the UK policing operates on a consent basis. Overall this basis has served the UK well for the last few hundred years. Even Tasers are classed as a…

And that's in London which has the highest security in the nation. Outside of London you will almost never see a cop with a gun, and rarely a Taser.

I remember once when I was much younger I was illegally posting signs for an event around the city. There was a complaint and some cops pulled up. They came up and asked "Do you have any dangerous weapons on you, boys?" and I said "Like this?" and whipped a pair of big scissors out of my pocket right to the cop's face. I didn't mean to pull them out so quickly and menacingly, it just happened. The cop jumped back, surprised, and said "Watch it mate! You could have had my eye out!" and then laughed. We all laughed and he told us to stop being naughty. And that was that.

In the USA I would have been superdead.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#46

Post by voltaireodactyl »

blitzar wrote: post #36
voltaireodactyl wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For my part, I always find it amusing when people from {the area in which the EU is dominant} hear a rhetorical comparison country-to-country and respond citing a major region from their part of the world. It really underlines how massive the US is, and how hard that is for outsiders to truly comprehend.

> It really underlines how massive the US is Which is smaller than its poor neighbours to the north Canada. If we go ahead and exclude the massive Alaska, the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia are about the size of Australia. I guess it is hard for insiders to truly comprehend as well, perhaps objects just look bigger up close.

> Which is smaller than its poor neighbours to the north Canada.

Indeed Canada does possess more territory — and yet the population remains concentrated almost entirely within 100 miles of the US Border(s). I find it drives home how much more thoroughly the US saturates the territory compared to countries of similar geographical size (which isn’t exactly the measure I was getting at — I was aiming for population density and sprawl — but does seem to be where other comment’s focus lies).

> If we go ahead and exclude the massive Alaska, the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia are about the size of Australia.

Again, I can certainly understand needing to impose random limits to reduce the scale and thereby assist with comprehension — but I’m not sure why we’d pursue that particular hypothetical. If we go ahead and exclude London, the UK becomes an island of farmers without means of export — but London exists, and so does Alaska, so it’s rather a moot point.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#47

Post by sennight »

mulmen wrote: post #21
sennight wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well, the world is aware that the US tends to have a "shoot first, ask later" policy. The larger point that you seem to have missed being that the US military doesn't do anything without a logical or historical justification (barring cases involving immediate political pressure). They've either thoroughly thought it through or there are a lot of bodies behind the silliest of rules. Why do they insist on putting the…

By invoking the US military you have lost the plot. There is no justification for a US military type response to a journalist. Neither the London police nor the CIA are military.

The point is with regard to escalation of force rationale, getting bent out of shape about the mere mention of the big bad US military is a pathetic response. No, the London police and the CIA aren't military - neither enjoy anything approaching the same level of institutional memory, something that directly informs well thought out contingency planning.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#48

Post by sennight »

huhtamor wrote: post #19
sennight wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Well, the world is aware that the US tends to have a "shoot first, ask later" policy. The larger point that you seem to have missed being that the US military doesn't do anything without a logical or historical justification (barring cases involving immediate political pressure). They've either thoroughly thought it through or there are a lot of bodies behind the silliest of rules. Why do they insist on putting the…

The UK is pretty culturally diverse. But even if it wasn’t, what would that have to do with policing standards and procedures? In any case, it seems you need adjust at least some of your priors lest you lend yourself to cultural myopia

> The UK is pretty culturally diverse.

Relative to the US? lol, no: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_ranked_by_et...

> But even if it wasn’t, what would that have to do with policing standards and procedures?

Notice anything about the ordering of that list? It almost looks as if cultural homogeneity shares some connection to high trust societies...

> ...you need adjust at least some of your priors lest you lend yourself to cultural myopia...

Take your own advice, the statistics are so lopsided that even the self deluded find it impossible to spin them - and instead fallback to a weak "thats racist!" defense.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#49

Post by blitzar »

voltaireodactyl wrote: post #46
blitzar wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It really underlines how massive the US is Which is smaller than its poor neighbours to the north Canada. If we go ahead and exclude the massive Alaska, the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia are about the size of Australia. I guess it is hard for insiders to truly comprehend as well, perhaps objects just look bigger up close.

> Which is smaller than its poor neighbours to the north Canada. Indeed Canada does possess more territory — and yet the population remains concentrated almost entirely within 100 miles of the US Border(s). I find it drives home how much more thoroughly the US saturates the territory compared to countries of similar geographical size (which isn’t exactly the measure I was getting at — I was aiming for population dens…

> compared to countries of similar geographical size - I was aiming for population density and sprawl

ooo I cant wait till you find China and its similar geographic size to the US.

Re: When WikiLeaks bumped into the CIA: Operation Kudo exposed [video]

#50

Post by hffft »

zavkz wrote: post #43
hffft wrote: post #31

Love that seek bar where it shows a visual preview

Just noticed that, it's pretty cool, wonder if it works when you're actually trying to find something.

I haven't tried to find anything specific but it probably makes it faster in some cases to skip over a specific section.
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