Tag: secrecy

Documents reveal why the Canadian military was asking soldiers about ‘extremist’ hats

In December 2024, Harrison Faulkner of True North broke the story: a questionnaire went out to soldiers asking if they’d ever “liked” an extremist post on social media, donated to an extremist cause, or purchased “extremism merchandise — such as a Make Canada Great Again hat.” 

Rebel News filed an access to information request the day it went viral. Twenty-one months later, the answer came back: 2,688 pages, most of it useless — the actual survey questions are blacked out entirely, withheld under the Access to Information Act’s trade-secret provisions. A hat questionnaire, apparently, is a trade secret.

When the story broke, National Defence’s approved line for reporters was: “DND/CAF is not funding this research, nor has it contracted this research.” But the consent form every soldier signed lists, at the top: “External Funder/Sponsor: Department of National Defence (DND).”

In fact, DND signed a $49,995 funding agreement with Ontario Tech University, five dollars under the disclosure threshold, and later paid $250,000 more to Dr. Barbara Perry’s “Network for Research on Hateful Conduct and Right-Wing Extremism in the Canadian Armed Forces.” She is getting rich off of calling our soldiers racist.

The whole thing traces back to General Jonathan Vance ordering the study in 2019 — not long before resigning over his own conduct scandal. DND then rewrote the survey questions, pushed it down the chain of command, and leaned on a reluctant Navy — already suffering “severe staff shortages” — to participate. The consent form warns soldiers that “incriminating” answers get reported to military police, who can in turn notify their commanding officer. Risk to a career, for a hat.

Ezra is more worried about left-wing violence in the CAF — like Gabriel Lepage, the Antifa extremist who threw incendiary devices into a crowded Montreal church while working at a Canadian Forces base, exposed by Rebel’s own Alexa Lavoie.

Internally, DND tracked the media fallout using MediaBiasFactCheck.com, grading True North as low-credibility and “part of the right ideology perspective,” while noting with relief: “We have not observed any articles from mainstream media.” When reporters pressed on the funding, staff wrote plainly: “I don’t think we touch it at this point.” They knew, and they chose not to tell you.

The study’s own vetted webpage admits the number of CAF members holding extremist beliefs is “comparable to the general population.” No epidemic. Just a headline, and a professor with a grant.

This was a loyalty test, not a research project. If you were nineteen and thinking about enlisting, and you saw this — would you?

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Inside Israel’s Torture Camps: Abuse, Secrecy and Impunity

After October 7, 2023, Israel expanded and reorganized a system of military detention facilities used for people detained in the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians passed through facilities under the direct control of the Israel Defense Forces, brought there for registration, interrogation and decisions about further incarceration. But what was officially intended as a temporary stage quickly turned into prolonged detention; the Israeli military itself later acknowledged that, because of the unprecedented number of detainees and overcrowding in regular prisons, many remained in military camps far longer than anticipated.

Behind the barbed wire, accounts of abuse quickly piled up. Released detainees described routine blindfolding, shackling, beatings, dog attacks, starvation, sleep deprivation, denial of medical care and sexual violence. These abuses were independently documented by Amnesty International, the UN human rights office and later UN special mechanisms. In May 2024, the Israeli military conceded that Sde Teiman and Anatot are military lockups where Palestinians are held indefinitely without trial or charges under the “Unlawful Combatants” law. Two years later, the system is still operating.

Geopolitics Prime has assembled a comprehensive picture of this system, drawing on survivor testimonies, legal documents, internal military correspondence and findings from human rights organizations and UN mechanisms.

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Hillary Clinton’s Search for Intern with ‘High Level’ of ‘Discretion’ Draws Mockery: ‘Who the Hell Would Sign Up for That Job?’

Failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s search for an intern has drawn criticism because she wants someone who can keep their mouth shut.

The intern, who will not be paid, will work for Clinton’s office in New York City, the New York Post reported Sunday.

The Daybook posting said, “The Office of Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking Fall Interns from September 9, 2026 — November 13, 2026.”

“Interns will provide support to our staff, assisting on a wide range of projects,” it continued. Most notably, the posting said the office is looking for someone who has a “high level of professionalism and discretion.”

Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton (D), had an affair with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky, who was 22 years old, during his time in office. However, his wife has since argued he did not abuse his power in the situation, Breitbart News reported in 2018.

Social media users shared their thoughts on the recent internship posting, with one person writing, “I wonder if Monica Lewinsky is available. She was a real team player!”

“Who the hell would sign up for that job???” another user commented, while someone else said, “I value my life. Pass.”

The affair scandal resulted in the former president’s impeachment in 1998 for “lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice in the Monica Lewinsky affair,” CNN reported at the time.

In 2019, Breitbart News reported that Bill Clinton, who had previously been accused of multiple sexual assaults, claimed he knew nothing about pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes involving sex trafficking and minors.

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The Truth About Non-Disclosure Agreements In Non-Profits

MORE NON-PROFITS START DEMANDING VOLUNTEER NDAS

We were recently asked a question about NDAs for non-profit organizations by someone who had been asked to sign one. In light of that discussion, THE EASTON GAZETTE did some research on NDAs.

Non-disclosure agreements seem to be more prevalent than ever. Most of the time, we hear about non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as they apply to high powered CEO’s leaving their positions or individuals involved in settlements of lawsuits. But now we are hearing about them in the context of local, small non-profit groups. What is an NDA?

A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a binding contract that obligates one or both parties to keep specified information confidential and to refrain from disclosing or misusing it. An NDA protects trade secrets, client lists, financial data, product designs, and other proprietary information. Parties sign NDAs before sharing sensitive material during deals, employment, or negotiations. Are NDAs Legally Enforceable?

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The practice of getting people to sign non-disclosure agreements applies in many different situations. For example, an employee either is hired for or leaves their job, and they may get slapped with signing an NDA by their employer. Some employees may sign an NDA upon retirement. That NDA must specify a particular time period for which that NDA is in effect. It also cannot use retirement benefits as leverage for signing an NDA. In other words, an employee cannot be coerced to sign with a threat of losing or reducing retirement benefits or health care.

are non-disclosure agreements enforceable?

Mostly, yes. However, there are clear stipulations to when NDAs are enforceable and when they are not.

NDAs are enforceable when they identify clearly defined confidential information. In other words, the NDA must specify a reasonable scope of information that is protected. It cannot just be a general statement that makes everything protected.

The parties, disclosing and receiving, involved in the NDA must also be clearly defined and both parties must receive something for signing, employment, access to information, or a business relationship. Neither party may be coerced to sign the agreement.

NDA’s cannot cover illegal activity.

When NDA’s fail it is generally because of an unreasonable duration for the NDA, a vague designation of what is and isn’t covered, an application to an existing employee without giving them anything new for signing, or an attempt to hide fraud, safety violations or illegal activity.

So, for example, if a corporation attempts to get an employee to sign an NDA so that employee will not disclose fraud of any kind, the NDA is invalid.

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Declassified Docs Show Deep State Letting Chinese Espionage Slide If It Helps Democrats

his week the FBI released newly declassified files on former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Chinese national Christine Fang (Fang Fang). There are two heavily redacted packets: one from the San Francisco Division’s 2014 “Freshman Fifteen” public-corruption probe and the other covering counterintelligence and recruitment efforts. These documents fill in details that earlier reporting left incomplete and underscore how institutional choices allowed a suspected Chinese intelligence operative to operate with relative impunity.

Here is a brief summary of the case: Fang, a Chinese national who lived in the U.S. until 2015, was the daughter of officers in China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The FBI suspected her of being an MSS-linked operative and unsuccessfully attempted to recruit her as a source in 2013 and 2014.

Fang facilitated conduit contributions to Swalwell’s campaigns, contradicting the 2020 Axios report that claimed there was no evidence of illegal donations. She also placed interns in Swalwell’s office and maintained a sexual relationship with him. FBI agents built a case against both Fang and Swalwell and provided regular updates to the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section (PIN), then led by Jack Smith, who later oversaw the special counsel investigations into Donald Trump. Declassified files now indicate the case was more serious than previously understood. It remains unclear why the DOJ did not arrest or charge Fang.

Swalwell cut ties with Fang after agents gave him a defensive briefing in early 2015. Fang fled to China in May that same year. She remains in China and is barred from re-entering the United States. The DOJ closed the Fang/Swalwell case without action against either party.

The declassified documents reveal a broader reluctance among institutions to address Chinese influence operations targeting Democratic officials. Field agents reported Fang’s illegal fundraising and other suspicious activities to Jack Smith’s Public Integrity Section. Yet, no decisive steps were taken before the suspected operative left the country. Once Fang was safely in China, the chance to prosecute or further disrupt her network disappeared. Closing the case without charges left the underlying security risk unresolved.

Democratic leaders further complicated the situation. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly supported Swalwell and kept him on the House Intelligence Committee for years, suggesting that party considerations took precedence over the counterintelligence warning the FBI had already delivered.

The Swalwell/Fang case is not an isolated incident. The same FBI San Francisco Division had earlier identified former Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s longtime driver and California staffer as a Chinese intelligence recruit. He reported on local politics to handlers linked to the San Francisco Chinese consulate for years before the bureau notified Feinstein in 2013. Sen. Feinstein dismissed him, yet no charges were filed. The breach occurred while she chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee, one of the most sensitive oversight positions in government. Yet, her career proceeded without interruption or lasting professional consequence.

More recently, Linda Sun, a senior aide to Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul, was charged with acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. The case ended in a mistrial.

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Hidden In Safes: Pentagon Uncovers Classified Documents On 5th Anniversary Of Abbey Gate Massacre

Five years ago today, 13 American service members were killed at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan. Now, the investigation into what really happened — and who tried to bury the truth — may finally be blowing open.

Sean Parnell, Chairman of the Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel and Senior Advisor to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, dropped a bombshell on the fifth anniversary of the August 26, 2021 attack. His team has uncovered classified documents that had been deliberately hidden — “stashed and hidden away in safes where they would not be found.” After reviewing them, Parnell said it “became clear why someone tried to hide them” — but he declined to release the contents publicly until the investigation is complete.

The 13 Americans killed at Abbey Gate gave everything. Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo. Sgt. Nicole L. Gee. Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover. Cpl. Hunter Lopez. Cpl. Daegan W. Page. Lance Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez. Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza. Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz. Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum. Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola. Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui. Hospital Corpsman Maxton Soviak. Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss. Their families have waited five years for answers.

Parnell made clear his panel is not interested in giving Americans a “convenient version of the truth.” The panel has already reviewed more than nine million documents — compared to roughly 3,000 documents examined under the Biden-era review. This administration is not looking the other way.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth participated in a Pentagon ceremony today to upgrade valor awards for service members who defended Abbey Gate, correcting what Parnell described as the “inappropriate downgrading” of those honors under the previous administration. These were Americans who ran toward the bomb and saved lives. They deserved better recognition then, and they are getting it now.

One of the most consequential and least-scrutinized decisions of the entire debacle was the U.S. military’s reliance on the Taliban — including the Haqqani Network — to provide perimeter security at the airport during the evacuation. The previous investigation concluded the attack “could not have been prevented at the tactical level.” The new panel is not accepting that answer on faith.

Washington made the decisions in Afghanistan. Americans carried the consequences. What is in those safes may finally tell the families — and the country — what their government chose to hide.

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Feds keep 860 million pages of historical records inaccessible to Canadians

Nearly 860 million pages of historical records held by Library and Archives Canada remain inaccessible to the public, according to internal federal documents obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter.

An April 21 briefing note, Comprehensive Expenditure Review, revealed an estimated 78% of the federal archives remain closed, leaving only 22% to 25% of records accessible to Canadians either online or in person.

“Seventy-eight percent of records, 860 million pages, are still inaccessible, underscoring the need for continued effort and reform,” said the note, according to Blacklock’s.

Officials blamed the enormous backlog partly on the labour-intensive process of retrieving and digitizing paper records.

“Boxes must be physically retrieved from storage and transported from one building to another,” managers wrote.

Staff must then inspect pages, remove paper clips and staples, determine which scanning equipment to use and review digitized files for legibility. Fragile or mould-damaged documents can require conservation work, while classified records create additional complications.

The problem isn’t new.

A 2021 internal evaluation found Library and Archives Canada’s backlog of private archival material stretched an estimated eight kilometres of cartons, with staff acknowledging the material was unavailable to researchers.

The Auditor General raised similar concerns more than a decade ago.

A 2014 audit found Library and Archives Canada was warehousing boxes without even processing them to determine exactly what they contained or whether the records were historically significant.

“Until the boxes are processed Library and Archives Canada will not know what is in them,” auditors wrote.

Among the warehoused material were 24,000 Department of National Defence records, some dating as far back as the Boer War, along with another 5,200 cartons from the Department of Justice.

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The rape gang trial the UK establishment doesn’t want you to know about

The trial of six members of a Pakistani ‘grooming gang’ has quietly restarted in Manchester. The retrial hasn’t made the headlines, and looking at the sordid details of the case, it’s clear the British establishment wants to keep it that way.

The six suspects were alleged members of the Rochdale grooming gang – a group of Muslim men, predominantly Pakistani, who trafficked, sexually abused, and raped underage white British girls in the northern English town between the 1980s and 2010s. More than 75 men have been charged and 53 convicted since Greater Manchester Police began investigating the gang in 2010.

What are the men accused of?

The suspects have been charged with 46 counts of rape, sexual assault, and ‘assault by penetration’, with two of the men facing more than a dozen charges each.

  • Tahrir Rashid, 53, 12 counts of rape, 3 counts of indecent assault, 1 count of assault by penetration
  • Mohammed Saleem, 46, 8 counts of rape
  • Sucklane Shah, 46, 2 counts of rape
  • Itfaq Hussain, 45, 3 counts of rape
  • Arshad Mohammed, 55, 5 counts of rape
  • Amjad Mahmood, 53, 12 counts of rape, 2 counts of indecency with a child, 1 count of indecent assault, 2 counts of assault by penetration

All of the suspects’ alleged offenses took place between 2003 and 2008, and involved two girls who were as young as 13 when they were “passed around” between the gang, according to prosecutors. Rashid, the alleged ringleader, is also accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.

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Court Backs DMCA Takedown of Public Meeting Videos

The US copyright system is often used as a tool of censorship, and a recent court ruling shows that there is little to stop this from happening.

The way the system is set up, it provides a powerful tool for anyone to unceremoniously remove content from the internet, with no questions asked. At least not initially.

That tool is the DMCA takedown notice, and the law that underpins it, and the whole system, is the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). One of its sections, 512(f), is meant to deter abuse of this process, but as the court decision shows, it is toothless.

The case concerns a local news outlet in Massachusetts that had its YouTube channel taken down because of videos it posted about local government meetings.

The city of Waltham had outsourced the recording of its meetings to a contractor, Waltham Community Access Corporation (WCAC), and it was this entity that sent the DMCA notices to YouTube, targeting 15 videos on the Channel 781 News outlet.

This resulted in YouTube temporarily deactivating the channel.

But the court found that WCAC had done nothing wrong, and that its consideration of the fair use doctrine was sufficient, even though it was minimal.

The court’s decision was to grant summary judgment to WCAC and dismiss the claim that the takedowns were a misrepresentation under Section 512(f) of the DMCA.

We obtained a copy of the ruling for you here.

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The Backstory on Bill Gates’ Secret ‘Q’ Clearance Is Revealed — And It Is Chilling

The mystery surrounding Bill Gates’ extraordinary access to some of the federal government’s most sensitive information is a bone-chilling look at how America’s elites are corrupting our government.

And the latest trail leads through nuclear research, the Pentagon, DARPA — and, strangely enough, Jeffrey Epstein.

It all began when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) dropped a massive batch of government records last month, revealing, among other things, that Gates possessed a Department of Energy “Q” security clearance for more than seven years.

DOE describes Q access authorization as comparable to a Department of Defense Top Secret clearance. Depending on an individual’s need to know, it can permit access to highly sensitive Restricted Data involving nuclear programs.

Gates’ authorization was “reciprocally granted” on June 11, 2014, and terminated on December 6, 2021, according to the DOE letter released by Paul. In other words, DOE recognized an existing clearance granted through another federal agency rather than starting from scratch.

Which agency? DOE didn’t publicly say.

But investigator Sayer Ji, who is the Senior Adviser to MAHA Action, has assembled a timeline that provides a potentially important piece of the puzzle — and Paul himself is drawing attention to it.

“Fantastic explainer here,” Paul wrote. “Gates, a private citizen, had ‘Q’ level clearance, which is equal to a Department of Defense Top Secret clearance and is required to handle sensitive nuclear weapons data and Restricted Data. Was this for DARPA? And why? This was long before COVID-19.”

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