Greetings,
     First, let me say that it is not my intent to speak badly about any company that looks to promote a hemp product, but rather to make sure community members know the facts regarding solicitations some people are getting from a “new” company called “Versativa.”
     I have been asked just “who are” these guys and “why” are some hemp networkers now promoting them and not the hemp network. So I really had no choice but to help reveal some facts about “Versativa” so do not make the mistake of falling for the hype.

Fact #1: Versativa is NOT a company. It is a brand name. 
     To start, let it be known that “Versativa” is NOT a new company at all; it is a “brand name” given to a new product line that will soon be offered by an MLM Company named ForeverGreen. On January 18th 2011 ForeverGreen applied for a trademark for the Versativa name to be used on this new product line.
     Their products? Well the flagship product is a 1lb bag of what contains a product that looks like tar balls consisting of Hemp and Fruit that comes in 3 flavors, and you eat it like a snack... watching a video of one of their reps was actually kind of funny. If you looked at their face and did not listen to their forced praise it looks like they were eating sour gummy bears! Could be a great product, what do I know. But I would much rather sell traditional hemp products (seed, flour, coffee), nutritional products (omega, protein), and of course clothing/accessories (belts, bags, etc) than bags of hemp fruit snacks. But hey that is just me.
      So when you get a solicitation from someone telling you about this exciting “new company” that is going to be the next “big thing,” realize that there is no new company but rather a new hemp/fruit product being offered by an "old" company.

Fact #2: ForeverGreen is a Financially Struggling Company
     If the “old” company was in fact a successful company with a solid track record perhaps I too would still be excited. But it is not; In fact it’s just the opposite.
      Who is ForeverGreen? Well to be brutally honest it is a failing network marketing company that has lost money every year since 2005 except one (when it broke even). These are not my personal opinions these are facts as shown in their public financial records.

 Here is a quote from the last publicly available Quarterly Report:
      “At September 30, 2010, cash decreased to $56,603, we recorded a net loss of $228,730 for the 2010 nine month period and a net loss of $76,718 for the three month period ended September 30, 2010 (“2010 third quarter”). We also had negative working capital of $2,868,824 at September 30, 2010. Our net loss was minimized through effective management of our resources and cost reductions through financial and operational efficiencies.”
     “However, the losses and negative working capital raise doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern.” http://biz.yahoo.com/e/101115/fvrg.ob10-q.html
     Again, these are not my words this is an official statement from the management of ForeverGreen themselves. Note this is not just one “bad year” you can look at their financial statements going all the way back to 2005. With the exception of one year they consistently lost money. It is using these facts that I can say they were a “failing company” without feeling as if I am being overly critical. It certainly is not a successful company! So while they have been unsuccessful selling every other product they offer, somehow they are now going to be the “next big thing” selling a new Hemp/Fruit snack? Really, what would lead anyone to believe that?
     While perhaps they can turn things around, their track record is not one that anyone who runs a business should be proud of. And I for one would not look to try to build a “hemp business” using a product being offered by a company who by their own admission may not be around that much longer!

     Note, if you spend money, time, and energy building a Versativa business and for whatever reason they do not sell enough bags of hemp/fruit gummy bears to overcome the 6 year trend of losing money almost every year... well when they shut the doors and you go out of business too.

      It is a harsh reality that many MLMers have built a business only to see the company they were working with go out of business, and they have to start all over.

Fact #3: MLMers “Leaders” are like Pied Pipers

     OK, now I will likely step on some toes (sorry) but there is a reason many (if not most) individuals have a bad impression of the network marketing industry. It is the actions just like of those who were once “leaders” with the Hemp Network that turn off most people to the industry as a whole. They basically used the hemp network "idea" and presentation to attract hundreds to the network, then when they were not happy (for whatever reason)  they “jump ship” and then openly solicit those who joined the hemp network to join them at some “new deal” where... it just so happens they will financially benefit. Sadly, the “grass is greener” recruiting technique works well in the MLM industry. This is why most never succeed. Many are seduced by the “pied pipers” and follow them from one “deal” to the next and ultimately get burned out and do not even try anymore. Does this matter to the “pied pipers”? Not really. They make their “fast start” profits when they get YOU to join THEM at their new deal.

     It saddens me when I see otherwise “good people” fall for these techniques, with promises of becoming “founders” or getting in “at the top”. They in turn do the bidding of the “pied pipers” suggesting how exciting everything is with the “new” deal. But note, the "leaders" that jumped ship, well they have been with ForeverGreen for years before they joined The Hemp Network. So the fact that they “jumped” back does not indicate any wisdom on their part... but rather is par for the course. MLMer trend to move from company to company, disrupting entire hierarchy's to attract pre-qualified individuals from one deal where they do not profit from them to a NEW deal where they do. They do this over and over throughout their “MLM career”.

      So you now know who they are (an old MLM company on the verge of going out of business and NOT a new company) you should be better prepared to deal with anyone misrepresenting Versativa as a new company or anything other than “just another MLM deal”. Just trying to keep it real...

     Fact is The Hemp Network may not make it! Who knows what the future holds, but when you are being asked to invest time, money, and energy building a business you want to make sure you know the facts as they relate to the financial ability of the company you are helping to build to stay in business to reward you for your efforts.

     With The Hemp Network you are indeed working with a “new” company and there are risks (and potential rewards!) for helping to get it started. With Versativa you are trying to save a failing company whose own management is questioning its ability to remain a viable business. Knowing the facts can help you make a good decision and not be misled by hype and the "grass is greener" presentation.

Live Free...Peace, Love, and Hope

Your webmaster,

Sean Crystal

Join me at http://thehempnetwork.com/hemp4victory to be part of a “movement”

     After sharing the petition “We the people in order to form a more sensible drug policy” (which can be found on the “Take Action” page) with NORML I got a response from Casey at the foundation. I am sharing it with you today because NORML is not in it to win it and have provided me with some more info to prove this:

Hello Sean,
     Thanks for contacting NORML and having a keen interest in NORML’s longstanding pro-reform advocacy efforts. Since 1970 (and later, in 1997, the NORML Foundation) assists the victims of cannabis prohibition as well as representing the interests and concerns of the tens of millions of Americans who responsibly consume cannabis.
     Your email was forwarded to me for a reply.
     Generally speaking NORML does not promote third party petitions as many of these sites are more for marketing (capturing email addresses) than changing laws (ie, online petitions have no effect on laws).
     Education, legislation and litigation, none of it in support of reform is made possible without the support of stakeholders like you.
     Kind regards, thanks again for your interest and support,

Casey
NORML Foundation intern

NORML/NORML Foundation
1600 K St., NW
Suite 501
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.norml.org

Please join me at NORML’s 40th national conference in Denver, April 21-23, 2011.

Steeply discounted rooms at the Grand Hyatt will be gone soon, don’t delay, and reserve your room now.

     I have removed some minor details at the end of their response as I do not support NORML’s costly events that are ways for them to make money and pay their employees. That’s right I said “employees” NORML is supposed to be non-profit, but have been accepting donations for the drug war for 41 years. Now why someone that has thrived off these “donations,” and became rich off these “donations” have any interest in ending the drug war and ending these “donations?”
     The fact of the matter is that Change.org, Care2, and some of the other petition sites have caused things to pass and change to be made. This is something NORML denied in their response. I'm willing to bet that they hadn't even taken a look at my petition that I forwarded to them. If they had they would have realized that the information contained within it is the best information possible to use in the reform efforts.
     As for their e-mail capture reference, I have never once received spam e-mail from any petition site! E-mail capture is used for the sale of your information to third party companies such as spammers for profitable reasons!

     A resolution in support of the legalization for production of industrial hemp failed in the House Agricultural Affairs Committee Wednesday, despite claims from the bill’s sponsors that hemp production could lead to an increase in jobs and tax revenue in the state.
     The bill’s primary sponsor and chairman of the committee, Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, said the memorial would support the legalization of hemp, a multi-million dollar industry that supplies materials used in thousands of foods and fashion products. Trail added that growing hemp would not impact drug trade because of its low levels of THC, the natural chemical that produces a high associated with cannabis. A modern hemp plant contains less than 0.3 percent of the chemical, while cannabis contains much higher rates.
     On the amount of THC in hemp, Trail said “to get a high from industrial hemp you’d have to build a cigar the size of a telephone pole.”
     Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot objected to the proposal saying that the legalization could add an unneeded burden on law enforcement officers. Lake expressed concern that officers could struggle in differentiating between legal hemp fields and illegal marijuana grow-ops.
     Trail responded that during his research on the issue, he had met with law enforcement officials from Canada, where hemp is legal, and they informed him that no cannabis growers are “stupid enough” to plant marijuana near hemp fields due to cross-pollination. According to the Canadian officials, planting the two products near each other results in the THC content of cannabis being lowered, thereby reducing the high that obtained from it. Trail added that Canadian officials encourage hemp production near urban areas to help combat illegal cannabisoperations in cities.
     One of the resolution’s co-sponsors, Rep. Brian Cronin D-Boise, told lawmakers that Idaho is missing out in job opportunities and tax revenue as a result of the federal ban on hemp production. Cronin argued that hemp legalization proponents have done a terrible job of educating the general public and lawmakers on the realities of hemp, which has led to a “fundamental misunderstanding of what hemp is.”
     “Hemp is as American as apple pie,” said Cronin. “Both (George) Washington and (Thomas) Jefferson grew hemp and the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.”
     The other co-sponsor for the plan, Rep. Eric Anderson R-Priest Lake, echoed Cronin’s sentiments, saying that America is missing out on the jobs that could come from the industry.
     “We spend hundreds of millions buying it from Canada,” Anderson said. “There is not a day that goes by that we don’t use hemp products.”
     Following testimony, Lake proposed the committee kill the resolution, but the committee failed to do so with a 5-5 tie vote.  Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, asked the panel to introduce the plan and send it to the full House for further consideration. Pence’s request also failed on a 5-5 tie vote.

     In an effort to make Medical Cannabis easier for patients to use a California man, Clay Butler, plans to release a Medical Marijuana drink containing THC this February. This new “Soda Pot” contains between 35 and 65 milligrams of THC, the drink will certainly “quench the thirst” of any patient.
     The company, Diavolo Brands has stated that THC soda will be introduced with several flavors. A few flavors lined up to launch are “Sour Diesel” flavors of lemon and lime, “Doc Weed” similar to Dr. Pepper, “Canna Cola” which tastes like Pepsi, “Orange Kush”, and “Grape Ape.”
     Currently there are a few THC drinks but they came out of a mom and pop type company, and never went main stream with their product. Diavolo Brands plans to get their THC drink out to the market, and hopes it will be a successful alternative to smoke-able and edible cannabis.
     In the late 19th century medicinal cannabis drinks were widely used to relieve health complications such as pain, anxiety and even PMS symptoms!
     Diavolo Brands founder Scott Riddell and Butler plan to put a $10-$12 price tag on the THC induced soft drink. The cannabis drink is set to launch in Colorado this February in medical marijuana dispensaries, followed by California in spring.
     There is one issue the company has run into, however they have stated it will not cause any issues with their production, and that is federal cannabis laws. They disallow the use of cannabis for medicinal uses; even if the patient is dying from AIDS, Cancer, or have chronic pain that they only receive relief from when using medical marijuana. Due to the law, if the medical cannabis drink is sold in Colorado, it must be manufactured in Colorado.

President Obama,
     Once again you have asked us about changing American policy and the direction this country should take. Your "Ask Obama" forum sponsored by YouTube promises to take questions from the American people on the issues they find most important in terms of national policy.
     When offered this in 2010 you heard from us loud and clear about cannabis law reform. We asked about re-scheduling cannabis to allow medical marijuana to flourish, decriminalizing cannabis to end thousands of arrests, legalizing pot to raise tax revenue, ending prohibition to cripple Mexican drug traffickers, regulating pot to keep it out of kids’ hands, reforming drug laws to re-prioritize police resources, embracing industrial hemp as a truly green energy source, and using science, not politics, to dictate our drug policy.
     And you flat-out ignored us, despite those questions dominating in both quantity and popularity.
     Prior to this in 2009 you got the same response from the public. That time you didn’t ignore us; you just laughed at us.
     We know you’re a busy man and there are many pressing issues facing this country. So time was taken to review the Top 100 questions on the "Ask Obama" site so you could get an idea what the country is voting on.
     Understand that this is not the list that appears when one clicks on the site. This list is compiled by choosing "All Questions" and then choosing "Sorted by popularity". When one first visits the site, one of seven random topics (Jobs & Economy, Foreign policy & National Security, Health Care, Education, Immigration, Energy & Environment, and Other) is presented and Sorted by "what’s hot?" order, so it isn’t as if a certain topic becomes popular and then gets more popular because more random visitors are exposed to it.
     Out of 97,344 people who have submitted 77,551 questions and cast 826,973 votes, the Top 100 Questions (as of Tuesday, 10pm Pacific) were in relation to our current approach with the drug war, finally at the 101st question we get something else. Now Mr. President, I believe it's clear what the people of the United States want an answer to, are you going to give us this answer?

     Legislation that seeks to legalize physician-supervised use of medical cannabis has been introduced for the first time to the Idaho Legislature.
     House Bill 19, The Idaho Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act, amends state law so that physician-supervised patients with an authorized “debilitating medical condition” can possess and use cannabis for medical purposes. The measure also allows for the establishment of up to six “alternative treatment centers” to dispense medical cannabis to qualified patients. Home cultivation is not explicitly authorized under the bill.
     While NORML believes that barring patients from home cultivation is unduly restrictive, we also recognize that the passage of this legislation will protect certain qualified medical marijuana patients from arrest, and seeks to provide these patients with a safe and legal source for their medicine. It is our hope that this measure may be expanded or amended during the legislative process so that it is in even better accordance with patients’ needs and practices.
     House Bill 19 has been referred to the House Committee on Health and Welfare. Full text of the measure is available here.
     A supermajority of Hucks Online readers supports legislation by Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, to legalize medical cannabis in Idaho. 201 of 297 respondents (67.68%) voted to legalize marijuana, while only 85 of 297 (28.62%) voted against, and 11 were undecided.

     Irvin Rosenfeld, a 56-year old stockbroker from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, doesn't look like a record-setting pothead; but last week he woke up, turned on CNBC, and lit up his 115,000th joint. 
     If you think his dealer is thrilled to have a client who has smoked 10 to 12 joints a day for the past 28 years, you're wrong. Rosenfeld, who suffers from a rare form of bone cancer, isn't your typical weed smoker; and his dealer isn't your typical supplier. He gets his joints 300 at a time, shipped every 25 days courtesy of the United States federal government. 
     "I don't know that I've broken a record, but I've certainly set one. No one else in the world can document having smoked 115,000 cannabis cigarettes, let alone the ones I smoked before that. I'm living proof that medical cannabis is real medicine. We need to get medicine in the hands of patients who really need it," said Rosenfeld. 
     Ironically, the government that supplies Rosenfeld with medical cannabis has for denied the drug's efficacy, penalized those states that legalized medicinal cannabis, and until just months ago actively prosecuted suppliers in those states for decades. 
     Rosenfeld said the drug acts as "a muscle relaxant, an anti-inflammatory, a painkiller, and keeps tumors from growing." 
     What it does not do, he said, is get him high. 
     "I don't get high. I need the medicine; I'm not getting any euphoria," he said. 
     Rosenfeld said the cannabis allows him to maintain a normal life. He's been married for 36 years, goes to work every day, volunteers teaching disabled children to sail, and is working on a book. 
     His clients know about his cannabis use and are impressed by his doggedness. 
     "I always ask them, have you ever met anyone who has taken on the federal government and won? If you want that kind of expertise and work ethic, then hire me.”
     When Rosenfeld began receiving cannabis from the federal government in 1982, he became the second patient to benefit under a narrowly defined "compassionate protocol" that supplied glaucoma and cancer patients with cannabis until the Federal Drug Administration's Investigational New Drug Program was disbanded a decade later. 
     Today, Rosenfeld is one of only four patients who continue to receive weed from the federal government. He is the longest surviving member of the program. 
     He uses the marijuana to treat two conditions; one called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostosis, the other pseudohypoparathyroidism. They cause painful tumors to grow on his bones. His experience, he said, has led him to become one of the nation's most vocal proponents of medical cannabis use. 
     He has testified before the legislatures of several of the 13 states that have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes and has for nearly three decades fought the federal government to allow him to continue to use pot. 
     Though cannabis, even for medicinal use, is outlawed under federal law; the government began supplying a handful of patients with the drug in the late 1970s. When the program was outlawed in 1992, Rosenfeld fought to continue receiving the medication.

     Diagnosed when he was 10 years old, Rosenfeld found pot helped with his pain when he tried it for the first time as a college student in the 1970s. Desperate not to use an illegal substance, he petitioned the Federal Drug Administration for five years to let him receive government-grown marijuana.

     Every month for the last 28 years, Rosenfeld has received 300 joints from the government, sealed in large tins and delivered to his local pharmacy. The pot comes from cannabis plants grown by the government on a small farm at the University of Mississippi. The plants are sent to Raleigh, N.C., where the National Institute of Drug Addiction dries them and prepares the cigarettes.

     The federal government has traditionally cracked down on states that allow medical cannabis. When the bulk of the program it ran was shut down in the early 1990s, Rosenfeld twice sued and won to be allowed access to federally-grown weed.

     Despite the federal government's efforts to grow and produce high quality cannabis, the government's position is decidedly against its use.

     The DEA does not refer to medical marijuana on its Web site without putting the word “medical” in quotes, and insists there is little science to support the use of smoking cannabis for medicinal purposes.

     "There are no FDA-approved medications that are smoked. For one thing, smoking is generally a poor way to deliver medicine. It is difficult to administer safe, regulated dosages of medicines in smoked form. Secondly, the harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are byproducts of smoking create entirely new health problems. There are four times the levels of tar in a marijuana cigarette, for example, than in a tobacco cigarette," the DEA says on its Web site.

     In March, the Obama administration shifted federal policy away from prosecuting medical-marijuana dispensers in states where distribution had been legalized.

     Only once, in 1983, was Rosenfeld arrested for possession. He was picked up in Orlando by a policeman who didn't initially believe his use was federally protected.

     Ever since then, he said, he has carried a letter from his local police chief and a security officer at the Miami airport, explaining that he has permission to possess the medicine.

The Tax Poem
At first I thought this was funny...then I realized the awful truth of it.
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middleclass in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?' And I still have to 'press 1' for English!? I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times! YOU can help it get there!
GO AHEAD, BE AN AMERICAN!!!

     Foods that have an incredible array of health benefits going well beyond just their nutrient value are considered “super-foods.” One of the oldest and yet seemingly most misunderstood super-foods on the planet is hemp. Hemp is an incredible multi-purpose plant that can be used for nearly anything, including paper, rope, and cloth. It is also one of the most nutritionally well-balanced foods on the planet.
     Although many people associate hemp with its sister plant cannabis or more commonly marijuana; the two are not the same. Hemp products come from a special variety that contains virtually no THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the chemical that gives cannabis its psychoactive effects. Therefore hemp is a perfectly safe food that will not make one "high" or cause anyone to fail a drug test.
     Hemp has been cultivated and used by many ancient cultures since the beginning of recorded history. Researchers have found its use in China, India, Babylonia, Persia, Egypt, and the native cultures in North & South America. Hemp fiber was used to make rope and cloth, while the stalk was used to make paper. These cultures also used the seed for nutritional purposes. It can be eaten as shelled seeds, oil, butter, flour, and protein powder.
     Hemp protein is one of the very few plant based complete protein sources. This means that it contains sufficient quantities of all 9 essential amino acids. Hemp is a great source of sulfur containing amino acids methionine and cysteine, which are necessary for cellular detoxification and the production of vital enzymes. Additionally, it is rich in branched chain amino acids that are needed for muscle growth and repair.
     Almost 60% of the protein in hemp is made up of a globulin source called edestin. Most of the rest is in the form of albumin. Albumin and edestin have a very similar molecular makeup as the protein found in the human body. Because of this common link, hemp protein is very easily absorbed into human blood and used for roles as critical as DNA repair.
     Most of our world is suffering from abnormal fatty-acid ratios. Two critical forms of essential fats are the omega 6 and omega 3 varieties. Due to the heavy consumption of processed vegetable oils and grain-fed meat & dairy products most people have very high levels of omega 6. The World Health Organization recommends 4:1 omega 6 - omega 3 ratios. The typical western diet produces a ratio from 20:1 - 50:1. Abnormal ratios cause heavy increases in inflammation that lead to accelerated aging and advanced disease states.
     Hemp contains the optimal ratio of 3.75:1 (omega 6:3) making it a powerful source for an anti-inflammatory diet. Hemp is also a great source of the omega-6 essential fat gamma linoleic acid (GLA). GLA is only found in quantities of significance in hemp, borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, & Spirulina. Because of the scarcity of GLA much of our society is deficient in this essential fatty acid. GLA is critical for reducing inflammation in our body and is one of the most powerful nutrients for balancing hormones. Additionally, sufficient quantities of GLA promote healthy skin, hair, & nails.
     GLA significantly increases metabolism by encouraging stored fat known as brown adipose tissue (BAT) to be effectively used for energy. Additionally, GLA activates the metabolic process by providing key nutrients for the cellular energy system called the sodium-potassium pump. When the sodium-potassium pump is effectively operating in every cell it can remove toxic substances from deep within the cell structure. If the pump is weak, cells will store toxins and the metabolism will be slowed.

     The US Department of Justice issued subpoenas to Twitter to release the direct messages of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his supporters; one of whom, Birgitta Jónsdóttir, is a member of Parliament in Iceland. Google and Facebook may have been issued such demands as well; an official from Facebook said that the company had “no comment” about the matter, according to today's New York Times. WikiLeaks has called on Twitter and Google to unseal the subpoenas’ they have received, as reported in the Guardian.
     While many of the 140-or-fewer messages people post using Twitter are public, members can also send Direct Messages that are private and it is these messages that the US Department of Justice is requesting. The subpoena is the first indication that the US government may be proceeding with a criminal investigation of WikiLeaks and of Assange.  
     Other WikiLeaks officials who’s Direct Messages have been requested are those Jacob Appelbaum and Rop Gonggrijp.  In addition, the subpoena seeks the Direct Messages of Bradley Manning and also for WikiLeaks Twitter account. This is the only comment Twitter made about the case:
"We're not going to comment on specific requests, but, to help users protect their rights, it's our policy to notify users about law enforcement and governmental requests for their information, unless we are prevented by law from doing so."
     The subpoena can be read on Salon.com, where Glenn Greenwald writes:
The information demanded by the DOJ is sweeping in scope.  It includes all mailing addresses and billing information known for the user, all connection records and session times, all IP addresses used to access Twitter, all known email accounts, as well as the "means and source of payment," including banking records and credit cards.  It seeks all of that information for the period beginning November 1, 2009, through the present.
     The subpoena, which was unsealed on January 5, provides an idea of how the US plans 'to help prove that either Mr. Assange or one of his surrogates pushed Mr. Manning to leak the government documents.' Currently there is 'intense pressure' to somehow criminally prosecute Assange as a 'co-conspirator' to prevent future leaks on the Internet of such a scope:
     By seeking to prove Mr. Assange was a conspirator in the leak, the government seeks to differentiate the actions of WikiLeaks from those of traditional news organizations or investigative journalists who also disclose government information.
     The United States has also taken steps to protect against future leaks, including suggesting employees of various agencies that handle sensitive material take measures to evaluate the “trustworthiness” of co-workers, according to a memo circulated last week by the Office of Management and Budget.
     Jónsdóttir has vowed to fight the subpoena issued to access her Direct Messages on Twitter. Via her (public Twitter stream, she posted:
department of justice are requesting twitter to provide the info – I got 10 days to stop it via legal process before twitter hands it over."
     Iceland's Interior Minister, Ögmundur Jónasson, has described the DOJ’s efforts to obtain the Twitter information of a member of Iceland's Parliament as "grave and odd.'" 
     The Department of Justice is now countering the releasing of its classified information by demanding the private messages of others. Says Glenn Greenwald: 
     It's worth recalling -- and I hope journalists writing about this story remind themselves -- that all of this extraordinary probing and "criminal" investigating is stemming from WikiLeaks' doing nothing more than publishing classified information showing what the U.S. Government is doing: something investigative journalists, by definition, do all the time.
     And the key question now is this:  did other Internet and social network companies (Google, Facebook, etc.) receive similar Orders and then quietly comply?  It's difficult to imagine why the DOJ would want information only from Twitter.....
     In releasing classified, top-security documents on the Internet, Wikileaks, Assange and its officials and supporters have often cited transparency. But to the US government and many others, WikiLeaks' actions are a gross invasion of security, of the 'privacy' of governments. By issuing subpoenas to access the direct messages of Assange's, Jónsdóttir's, and others' Twitter accounts, the Department of Justice is, it could be said, 'leaking' the 'classified'---private---messages of others. 
     Of course, the Department of Justice would not have taken such actions had Wikileaks top-secret information. Making documents public on the Internet makes them instantly accessible to anyone who can go online and it's impossible for any of us to know who may have read the documents.  
     As the WikiLeaks cases unfolds, more and more it seems that nothing is ever or can ever be totally private and 'secure' anymore; For anyone.