TO WAR... http://www.rushtowar.com
In 2004 an award-winning independent filmmaker tried to influence voters in the battleground state of Florida by releasing Rush to War: Between Iraq and a Hard Place Veteran writer / director Robert Taicher's documentary film presents a scathing indictment of the Bush administration's handling of the "War on Terror." Taicher personally assisted in the distribution of 40,000 free copies of his film on DVD to Broward, Miami, and Palm Beach counties.
"I strongly believe that this film could have a major impact on the outcome of the presidential election," said Taicher, 59, a long-time Miami Beach resident.....And George Bush was re-elected.
Documentary info HERE
Six years later and after George Bush is no longer the president of the United States, an excerpted from Robert Taicher's feature-length documentary, with some 2006 updates:
Rush to War: The Lessons of History
Sunday, January 31, 2010
WIRED MAGAZINE - update on previous post
Secret Directed-Energy Tech Protecting the President? (Updated)
Article published at :
The Wire Magazine, by David Hambling, November 2008, Categories: Weapons and Ammo
To be redirected to the article and more articles on the topic
: HERE
Extract:
"The Secret Service is tasked with protecting the President of the United States from assailants; and given that President-elect Obama has already been the target of assassination plots they may have their work cut out after January. But they have more than earpiece radios and armored limos to help them; the Secret Service can call on the very latest technology. Documents from a recent court case indicate that they have advanced directed-energy devices which are highly classified.
You may remember Donald Friedman, who claims that government agencies are misusing non-lethal directed-energy weapons. It’s easy to dismiss him as a crank. But his obsessive digging has turned up valuable information. For instance, one of his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests unearthed a 1998 U.S. Army program looking at a microwave device to beam sound directly into the target's skull which the rest of us had missed. (The same technology underlies the Medusa Non-lethal weapon.)
Now he’s found something else. Friedman’s current court case involves attempts to extract information about any directed-energy weapons such as lasers and microwaves used by the Secret Service. Do they really have anything of the kind? A "Motion for an Enlargement of Time" (in other words, a request for a few more weeks) by the Secret Service’s attorney indicates that they have something, and it’s pretty secret:
"Plaintiff’s FOIA request is for document [sic] concerning directed energy technology that is very sensitive. Some of this documents [sic] pertain to research conducted by divisions within defendant agency that is used to carry out its mandate to protect very high government officials. In fact, in one case, the documents… could not be mailed but had to be hand carried interstate."
So what is this "sensitive" technology? We don’t know for sure, naturally. But we can sure speculate…
(UPNow, we’ve talked before about the Secret Service’s interest in laser dazzlers as a means of protecting the White House against suicide attacks by light aircraft, dating back to 1998. We don’t know if dazzlers have ever been deployed, but that would certainly explain some of the secrecy.
Portable dazzlers would also be a good way of dealing with potential snipers without the risk of harming bystanders. Other agencies also have an interest in covert dazzlers. Ex MI6 agent David Tomlinson claims a laser strobe was proposed for an assassination attempt on Slobodan Milosevic in 1992 by dazzling his chauffeur at a crucial point and causing him to crash. (Conspiracy theorists claim that a laser dazzler was used to assassinate Diana, Princess of Wales — but any bright flashes more likely came from photographer’s flashguns.)
A portable version of the truck-mounted Active Denial System — the Pentagon’s "pain ray" — might be used to similar effect. It could cause an assailant to flinch for a vital second, giving agents an opportunity to get the President out of the line of fire, without having to shoot into a crowd. Raytheon has been working on a rifle-sized version of the Active Denial System for some years, but nothing has been heard of it recently.
Another likely candidate is a directed-energy device to neutralize suspected improvised explosive devices, or IEDs — something that produces an intense, narrow beam of microwaves to fry the electronics. Tomlinson also claimed that MI6 has "sophisticated radio transmitters that would knock out the electronics of the limo at the press of a button, causing the airbags to inflate."
Presidential protection is likely to include a range of jammers to stop remote bomb detonation, and possibly remote-controlled aircraft attacks. With all this jamming, interference can occur and make radio communication impossible — if you leave any frequency clear, the bad guys might use it to send a detonation signal. So perhaps the Secret Service may have a microwave voice-transmission system as an emergency backup when radio communication is impossible. This would allow them to beam instructions to agents at a distance. At a pinch it could also be used to distract a would-be assassin — having a voice suddenly booming inside your head should put off most snipers (though they might have a few voices in there already).
We know that the Air Force has looked at microwave sound as a non-lethal weapon, and long-range acoustic systems like LRAD are already in use by the military and others. So a Secret Service microwave sound system is not totally, completely out of the question.
Donald Friedman may yet manage to get more information about secret directed-energy weapons. All we know so far is that they exist… Unless anyone out there can tell us more?
UPDATE: An article in Britain’s Independent On Sunday looking at the issue of how to protect the next President suggests another DE technology: Terahertz scanners. So called T-rays have been used before for imaging systems that can see through clothing and detect metallic objects (as well as showing naked flesh). A portable version of the scanner would allow the Secret Service to spot hidden weapons from a distance without the potential assailant knowing that they know. And they might well wish to keep their X-ray Specs secret
ALSO:
"PAIN BEAMS: at http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/12/pain-beams-go-i/
Article published at :
The Wire Magazine, by David Hambling, November 2008, Categories: Weapons and Ammo
To be redirected to the article and more articles on the topic
: HERE
Extract:
"The Secret Service is tasked with protecting the President of the United States from assailants; and given that President-elect Obama has already been the target of assassination plots they may have their work cut out after January. But they have more than earpiece radios and armored limos to help them; the Secret Service can call on the very latest technology. Documents from a recent court case indicate that they have advanced directed-energy devices which are highly classified.
You may remember Donald Friedman, who claims that government agencies are misusing non-lethal directed-energy weapons. It’s easy to dismiss him as a crank. But his obsessive digging has turned up valuable information. For instance, one of his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests unearthed a 1998 U.S. Army program looking at a microwave device to beam sound directly into the target's skull which the rest of us had missed. (The same technology underlies the Medusa Non-lethal weapon.)
Now he’s found something else. Friedman’s current court case involves attempts to extract information about any directed-energy weapons such as lasers and microwaves used by the Secret Service. Do they really have anything of the kind? A "Motion for an Enlargement of Time" (in other words, a request for a few more weeks) by the Secret Service’s attorney indicates that they have something, and it’s pretty secret:
"Plaintiff’s FOIA request is for document [sic] concerning directed energy technology that is very sensitive. Some of this documents [sic] pertain to research conducted by divisions within defendant agency that is used to carry out its mandate to protect very high government officials. In fact, in one case, the documents… could not be mailed but had to be hand carried interstate."
So what is this "sensitive" technology? We don’t know for sure, naturally. But we can sure speculate…
(UPNow, we’ve talked before about the Secret Service’s interest in laser dazzlers as a means of protecting the White House against suicide attacks by light aircraft, dating back to 1998. We don’t know if dazzlers have ever been deployed, but that would certainly explain some of the secrecy.
Portable dazzlers would also be a good way of dealing with potential snipers without the risk of harming bystanders. Other agencies also have an interest in covert dazzlers. Ex MI6 agent David Tomlinson claims a laser strobe was proposed for an assassination attempt on Slobodan Milosevic in 1992 by dazzling his chauffeur at a crucial point and causing him to crash. (Conspiracy theorists claim that a laser dazzler was used to assassinate Diana, Princess of Wales — but any bright flashes more likely came from photographer’s flashguns.)
A portable version of the truck-mounted Active Denial System — the Pentagon’s "pain ray" — might be used to similar effect. It could cause an assailant to flinch for a vital second, giving agents an opportunity to get the President out of the line of fire, without having to shoot into a crowd. Raytheon has been working on a rifle-sized version of the Active Denial System for some years, but nothing has been heard of it recently.
Another likely candidate is a directed-energy device to neutralize suspected improvised explosive devices, or IEDs — something that produces an intense, narrow beam of microwaves to fry the electronics. Tomlinson also claimed that MI6 has "sophisticated radio transmitters that would knock out the electronics of the limo at the press of a button, causing the airbags to inflate."
Presidential protection is likely to include a range of jammers to stop remote bomb detonation, and possibly remote-controlled aircraft attacks. With all this jamming, interference can occur and make radio communication impossible — if you leave any frequency clear, the bad guys might use it to send a detonation signal. So perhaps the Secret Service may have a microwave voice-transmission system as an emergency backup when radio communication is impossible. This would allow them to beam instructions to agents at a distance. At a pinch it could also be used to distract a would-be assassin — having a voice suddenly booming inside your head should put off most snipers (though they might have a few voices in there already).
We know that the Air Force has looked at microwave sound as a non-lethal weapon, and long-range acoustic systems like LRAD are already in use by the military and others. So a Secret Service microwave sound system is not totally, completely out of the question.
Donald Friedman may yet manage to get more information about secret directed-energy weapons. All we know so far is that they exist… Unless anyone out there can tell us more?
UPDATE: An article in Britain’s Independent On Sunday looking at the issue of how to protect the next President suggests another DE technology: Terahertz scanners. So called T-rays have been used before for imaging systems that can see through clothing and detect metallic objects (as well as showing naked flesh). A portable version of the scanner would allow the Secret Service to spot hidden weapons from a distance without the potential assailant knowing that they know. And they might well wish to keep their X-ray Specs secret
ALSO:
"PAIN BEAMS: at http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2008/12/pain-beams-go-i/
TELEPATHIC RAY GUNS -WHAT IS NEXT IN NATIONAL SECURITY? "THE TRUTH IS WEIRDER THAN YOU THINK "...
Published on WIRED MAGAZINE - March 24, 2008 - by David Hambling
Category: Weapons and Ammo
Telepathic Ray Guns’ and Vaporized Shoes: The Truth is Weirder Than You Think
‘Telepathic ray guns’ that beam voices into the target’s skull. Weapons to disrupt balance or cause artificial fevers. Devices to trigger epileptic-type seizures from afar. Those are just a few of the exotic items described in a 1998 Army document, describing the "Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons." I give my take in this week’s New Scientist.
The document is a run-down of the state-of-the-art at the time of the different directed energy technologies (laser, microwaves and acoustics) that might be developed into effective nonlethal weapons.
It took a few weeks get the article out –- Sharon descibed it in Danger Room earlier — because my editors wanted to confirm that the document was for real. It looks as though it was released under the Freedom Of Information Act – but how could we be sure? Under other circumstances there might not be any issue, but in the area of directed-energy nonlethals there are a lot of wild claims.
The FOIA document came from Donald Friedman, one of a large number of ‘targeted individuals’ who believe that they are secretly being harassed by such weapons. This court report indicates the depth of Friedman’s conviction:
On January 30, 2003, Donald Friedman walked into an
FBI field office with a two-page letter signed by him and addressed to
Special Agent Jack Murmylo of the United States Secret Service.
Friedman’s letter states, in part:
"Agents of the U.S. Secret
Service, as you already know, have been committing very serious crimes against me and other members of my family for a very long time, and I’m taking more direct action to prevent it from continuing."
"I am going to get an admissible confession from at least one of your agents one way or the other, and if I don’t get what I am demanding from you today, I will use the method of torture described in the attached pages to obtain that confession and to punish the agent for his or her involvement in the illegal acts that your agents have perpetrated against me and my family."
The report notes that the method of torture described (copied from a Robert Ludlum novel)
involved putting electric shocks through the victim’s spinal column.
After he was arrested, the court found the evidence for the alleged electromagnetic assaults unconvincing:
The district court then held a competency hearing at which Friedman testified, inter alia, that the back of a pair of his shoes were vaporized by an electromagnetic weapon fired at his feet in
2001. Friedman presented the shoes in question to the district court, but it appeared to the court that the heel of the shoe had simply worn out due to ordinary use.
Inevitably, Friedman’s mental status was questioned:
After receiving this report, Friedman requested that he be examined by a medical professional of his own choosing. The psychologist chosen by Friedman concurred with the government’s psychiatrist that Friedman "is clearly psychotic and… precisely fits the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia."
On this basis, it looks like an open-and-shut case. It’s very easy to poke fun at people like Friedman. On the other hand, it does show that if a nonlethal device ever was developed which could cause symptoms associated with madness, it would be completely deniable. The device would completely destroy the target’s credibility, neatly ensuring it remained covert. The military utility would be low, but it might be very hand for some three-letter agencies.
However, in this case, we have a bit more to go on. The US Army Intelligence And Security Command Freedom Of Information/Privacy Office confirmed that Friedman’s FOIA request was real. And the while the contents certainly don’t reveal any shoe-zapping beam weapons, they did turn up a much higher level of interest in unusual technology than anyone had seen before.
How had Friedman managed to get this information when many other more conventional researchers had failed? Targeted individuals and their supporters might argue that it shows Friedman is close to the truth. But perhaps the problem is that the rest of us are not paranoid enough, and that when it comes to military research, the truth is not only stanger than we imagine — it is stranger than we can imagine.
Category: Weapons and Ammo
Telepathic Ray Guns’ and Vaporized Shoes: The Truth is Weirder Than You Think
‘Telepathic ray guns’ that beam voices into the target’s skull. Weapons to disrupt balance or cause artificial fevers. Devices to trigger epileptic-type seizures from afar. Those are just a few of the exotic items described in a 1998 Army document, describing the "Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons." I give my take in this week’s New Scientist.
The document is a run-down of the state-of-the-art at the time of the different directed energy technologies (laser, microwaves and acoustics) that might be developed into effective nonlethal weapons.
It took a few weeks get the article out –- Sharon descibed it in Danger Room earlier — because my editors wanted to confirm that the document was for real. It looks as though it was released under the Freedom Of Information Act – but how could we be sure? Under other circumstances there might not be any issue, but in the area of directed-energy nonlethals there are a lot of wild claims.
The FOIA document came from Donald Friedman, one of a large number of ‘targeted individuals’ who believe that they are secretly being harassed by such weapons. This court report indicates the depth of Friedman’s conviction:
On January 30, 2003, Donald Friedman walked into an
FBI field office with a two-page letter signed by him and addressed to
Special Agent Jack Murmylo of the United States Secret Service.
Friedman’s letter states, in part:
"Agents of the U.S. Secret
Service, as you already know, have been committing very serious crimes against me and other members of my family for a very long time, and I’m taking more direct action to prevent it from continuing."
"I am going to get an admissible confession from at least one of your agents one way or the other, and if I don’t get what I am demanding from you today, I will use the method of torture described in the attached pages to obtain that confession and to punish the agent for his or her involvement in the illegal acts that your agents have perpetrated against me and my family."
The report notes that the method of torture described (copied from a Robert Ludlum novel)
involved putting electric shocks through the victim’s spinal column.
After he was arrested, the court found the evidence for the alleged electromagnetic assaults unconvincing:
The district court then held a competency hearing at which Friedman testified, inter alia, that the back of a pair of his shoes were vaporized by an electromagnetic weapon fired at his feet in
2001. Friedman presented the shoes in question to the district court, but it appeared to the court that the heel of the shoe had simply worn out due to ordinary use.
Inevitably, Friedman’s mental status was questioned:
After receiving this report, Friedman requested that he be examined by a medical professional of his own choosing. The psychologist chosen by Friedman concurred with the government’s psychiatrist that Friedman "is clearly psychotic and… precisely fits the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia."
On this basis, it looks like an open-and-shut case. It’s very easy to poke fun at people like Friedman. On the other hand, it does show that if a nonlethal device ever was developed which could cause symptoms associated with madness, it would be completely deniable. The device would completely destroy the target’s credibility, neatly ensuring it remained covert. The military utility would be low, but it might be very hand for some three-letter agencies.
However, in this case, we have a bit more to go on. The US Army Intelligence And Security Command Freedom Of Information/Privacy Office confirmed that Friedman’s FOIA request was real. And the while the contents certainly don’t reveal any shoe-zapping beam weapons, they did turn up a much higher level of interest in unusual technology than anyone had seen before.
How had Friedman managed to get this information when many other more conventional researchers had failed? Targeted individuals and their supporters might argue that it shows Friedman is close to the truth. But perhaps the problem is that the rest of us are not paranoid enough, and that when it comes to military research, the truth is not only stanger than we imagine — it is stranger than we can imagine.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
“Me and My Shadow” - A Radio documentary
“Me and My Shadow” tells a History of the FBI’s covert operations that went far beyond intelligence gathering.
This radio documentary features the testimonies of the very people the FBI hired to engage in harassment, criminal activities, violent acts, and to provoke others to do the same. It was produced by Adi Gevins in 1976 .
LISTEN HERE:PART I (Real Audio Stream, MP3...)
"Me and My Shadow": A History of the FBI's Covert Operations and COINTELPRO
PART II (Real Audio Stream, MP3...)
"Me and My Shadow": A History of the FBI's Covert Operations and COINTELPRO
Friday, January 29, 2010
COINTELPRO, MKULTRA, Church Committee, Torture...America's History
"When you are already breaking the laws, subverting the Constitution, kidnapping, torture and murder is just another step along the way...."
The Politics of Lying :
Interview with Investigative Journalist David Wise on the Significance of Anonymous Sources, the pardon of criminal activities of FBI and more - WATCH HERE
MKULTRA - THE CIA AND TORTURE :
Some historians have asserted that creating a "Manchurian Candidate" subject through "mind control" techniques was a goal of MK-ULTRA and related CIA projects.Alfred McCoy, author of "A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation from the Cold War to the War on Terror"(New York: Metropolitan Books. pp. 8, 22, 30. ISBN 0805080414), has claimed that the CIA attempted to focus media attention on these sorts of "ridiculous" programs, so that the public wouldn't look at the primary goal of the research, which was developing effective methods of torture and interrogation. Such authors cite as one example, the fact that the CIA's KUBARK interrogation manual refers to "studies at McGill University", and that most of the techniques recommended in KUBARK are exactly those that Cameron used on his test subjects (sensory deprivation, drugs, isolation, etc).
One 1955 MK-ULTRA document gives an indication of the size and range of the effort; this document refers to the study of an assortment of mind-altering substances described as follows:(declassified documents HERE)
1. Substances which will promote illogical thinking and impulsiveness to the point where the recipient would be discredited in public.
2. Substances which increase the efficiency of mentation and perception.
3. Materials which will prevent or counteract the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
4. Materials which will promote the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
5. Materials which will produce the signs and symptoms of recognized diseases in a reversible way so that they may be used for malingering, etc.
6. Materials which will render the induction of hypnosis easier or otherwise enhance its usefulness.
7. Substances which will enhance the ability of individuals to withstand privation, torture and coercion during interrogation and so-called "brain-washing".
8. Materials and physical methods which will produce amnesia for events preceding and during their use.
9. Physical methods of producing shock and confusion over extended periods of time and capable of surreptitious use.
10. Substances which produce physical disablement such as paralysis of the legs, acute anemia, etc.
11. Substances which will produce "pure" euphoria with no subsequent let-down.
12. Substances which alter personality structure in such a way that the tendency of the recipient to become dependent upon another person is enhanced.
13. A material which will cause mental confusion of such a type that the individual under its influence will find it difficult to maintain a fabrication under questioning.
14. Substances which will lower the ambition and general working efficiency of men when administered in undetectable amounts.
15. Substances which promote weakness or distortion of the eyesight or hearing faculties, preferably without permanent effects.
16. A knockout pill which can surreptitiously be administered in drinks, food, cigarettes, as an aerosol, etc., which will be safe to use, provide a maximum of amnesia, and be suitable for use by agent types on an ad hoc basis.
17. A material which can be surreptitiously administered by the above routes and which in very small amounts will make it impossible for a man to perform any physical activity whatsoever.
The Politics of Lying :
Interview with Investigative Journalist David Wise on the Significance of Anonymous Sources, the pardon of criminal activities of FBI and more - WATCH HERE
MKULTRA - THE CIA AND TORTURE :
Some historians have asserted that creating a "Manchurian Candidate" subject through "mind control" techniques was a goal of MK-ULTRA and related CIA projects.Alfred McCoy, author of "A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation from the Cold War to the War on Terror"(New York: Metropolitan Books. pp. 8, 22, 30. ISBN 0805080414), has claimed that the CIA attempted to focus media attention on these sorts of "ridiculous" programs, so that the public wouldn't look at the primary goal of the research, which was developing effective methods of torture and interrogation. Such authors cite as one example, the fact that the CIA's KUBARK interrogation manual refers to "studies at McGill University", and that most of the techniques recommended in KUBARK are exactly those that Cameron used on his test subjects (sensory deprivation, drugs, isolation, etc).
One 1955 MK-ULTRA document gives an indication of the size and range of the effort; this document refers to the study of an assortment of mind-altering substances described as follows:(declassified documents HERE)
1. Substances which will promote illogical thinking and impulsiveness to the point where the recipient would be discredited in public.
2. Substances which increase the efficiency of mentation and perception.
3. Materials which will prevent or counteract the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
4. Materials which will promote the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
5. Materials which will produce the signs and symptoms of recognized diseases in a reversible way so that they may be used for malingering, etc.
6. Materials which will render the induction of hypnosis easier or otherwise enhance its usefulness.
7. Substances which will enhance the ability of individuals to withstand privation, torture and coercion during interrogation and so-called "brain-washing".
8. Materials and physical methods which will produce amnesia for events preceding and during their use.
9. Physical methods of producing shock and confusion over extended periods of time and capable of surreptitious use.
10. Substances which produce physical disablement such as paralysis of the legs, acute anemia, etc.
11. Substances which will produce "pure" euphoria with no subsequent let-down.
12. Substances which alter personality structure in such a way that the tendency of the recipient to become dependent upon another person is enhanced.
13. A material which will cause mental confusion of such a type that the individual under its influence will find it difficult to maintain a fabrication under questioning.
14. Substances which will lower the ambition and general working efficiency of men when administered in undetectable amounts.
15. Substances which promote weakness or distortion of the eyesight or hearing faculties, preferably without permanent effects.
16. A knockout pill which can surreptitiously be administered in drinks, food, cigarettes, as an aerosol, etc., which will be safe to use, provide a maximum of amnesia, and be suitable for use by agent types on an ad hoc basis.
17. A material which can be surreptitiously administered by the above routes and which in very small amounts will make it impossible for a man to perform any physical activity whatsoever.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
UN experts point to widespread use of secret detention linked to counter-terrorism
26 January 2010 - Human Rights Council in Geneva 
Despite the fact that international law clearly prohibits secret detention, the practice is widespread and “reinvigorated” by the so-called global war on terror, several independent United Nations experts stated, outlining a series of steps aimed at curbing this human rights violation.
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Despite the fact that international law clearly prohibits secret detention, the practice is widespread and “reinvigorated” by the so-called global war on terror, several independent United Nations experts stated, outlining a series of steps aimed at curbing this human rights violation.
In a 222-page study which will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March, the experts conclude that “secret detention is irreconcilably in violation of international human rights law including during states of emergency and armed conflict. Likewise, it is in violation of international humanitarian law during any form of armed conflict.
“If resorted to in a widespread or systematic manner, secret detention might reach the threshold of a crime against humanity,” add the authors – the UN experts on counter-terrorism and torture, and the two UN expert bodies on arbitrary detention and enforced or involuntary disappearances.
The study, which took almost a year to complete, involves responses from 44 States to a detailed questionnaire, as well as interviews with 30 individuals – or their family members or their legal counsel – who were victims of secret detention, and in many cases may also have been subjected to torture.
It provides an historical overview of the use of secret detention, noting that it is not a new phenomenon in the context of counter-terrorism. From the Nazi regime to the former USSR with its Gulag system of forced labour camps, States have often resorted to secret detention to silence opposition, according to the report.
The study goes on to address the use of secret detention in the context of the ‘global war on terror’ following the events of 11 September 2001, describing “the progressive and determined elaboration of a comprehensive and coordinated system of secret detention” of persons suspected of terrorism, involving not only United States authorities, but also other States in almost all regions of the world.
It also highlights that secret detention in connection with counter-terrorism policies remains a serious problem on a global scale, either through the use of secret detention facilities; through declarations of a state of emergency, which allow prolonged secret detention; or through forms of “administrative detention,” which also allow prolonged secret detention.
The experts reiterate that international law clearly prohibits secret detention, which violates a number of human rights and humanitarian law norms that may not be derogated from under any circumstances.
“However, in spite of these unequivocal norms, the practice of secret detention in the context of countering terrorism is widespread and has been reinvigorated by the so-called global war on terror,” states the report, adding that many States, referring to national security concerns – often perceived or presented as unprecedented emergencies or threats – resort to secret detention.
Among their recommendations to address this serious human rights violation, the experts call for explicitly prohibiting secret detention, along with all other forms of unofficial detention. They also urged that safeguards for persons deprived of their liberty be fully respected, and that timely action be taken to ensure that immediate families of those detained are informed of their relatives’ capture, location, legal status and health condition.
The experts also point out that in almost no recent cases have there been any judicial investigations into allegations of secret detention and practically no one has been brought to justice.
“Although many victims feel that the secret detention has ‘stolen’ years of their lives and left indelible traces, often in terms of loss of their jobs and frequently their health, they almost never received any form of reparation, including rehabilitation or compensation.”
Therefore, the experts also recommend a number of steps to provide judicial remedies, reparations and rehabilitation to victims, and in some cases to their families.
The study was issued by the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Martin Scheinin; Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (represented by its Vice-Chairperson, Shaheen Sardar Ali); and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (represented by its Chairperson, Jeremy Sarkin).
Working in an independent and unpaid capacity, they all are appointed by, and report to, the Geneva-based Human Rights Council.
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Monday, January 25, 2010
Book Review - A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments
[The following is reposted from INVICTUS Blog (HERE) which reposted it from a Firedoglake Book Salon. It was the introductory essay introducing author H.P. Albarelli and his book, A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments. One can still read the chat from the 1/23/10 FDL Book Salon by clicking here.]
The book contains among others, revelations about "the LSD dosing of an entire small French town, Pont-St.-Esprit, in August 1951. Four people died, and hundreds were afflicted."
Extract:
"As the book's title suggests, Olson's death was intricately tied up with the history of U.S. interrogation, torture, and mind control experiments. Many readers are no doubt familiar with the acronym MKULTRA. This CIA program, and others like it - Project Bluebird, Operation Artichoke, MKNAOMI, MKSEARCH, among others - were launched in part in reaction to fears within the government that communist countries were outstripping the West in their ability to manipulate prisoners' minds, and even create, via hypnosis and drugs, Manchurian Candidate assassins. Hysteria over "brainwashing" was later discovered to be whipped up by CIA-linked journalists.
The CIA worked closely with academic and military researchers, including many doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists. The scientists' results were later operationalized in the CIA's 1960s KUBARK and other interrogation manuals."
"One of the many revelations in this well-researched and documented book, and a key element in the Olson murder mystery, is the LSD dosing of an entire small French town, Pont-St.-Esprit, in August 1951. Four people died, and hundreds were afflicted. It may have been an incautious slip regarding the Pont-St.-Esprit episode that constituted what Frank Olson explained to his wife before his death was "a terrible mistake."
From the book (p. 690):
According to Albert and Neal [two CIA informants], several weeks before the meeting at Deep Creek Lake, Frank Olson had "broken security" and talked about the French experiment on at least two occasions. He had been specifically cautioned by [CIA agent] Vincent Ruwet and [Ft. Detrick Special Operations Division chief] John Schwab about the "high level of security and sensitivity involving the experiment"....
The question was posed to the two sources: "Was this, the incident in France at Pont-St.-Esprit, the 'un-American activity' referred to in the papers given to the Olsons by [CIA Director] William Colby?"
FULL ARTICLE HERE:
http://valtinsblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-terrible-mistake-murder-of.html
The book contains among others, revelations about "the LSD dosing of an entire small French town, Pont-St.-Esprit, in August 1951. Four people died, and hundreds were afflicted."
Extract:
"As the book's title suggests, Olson's death was intricately tied up with the history of U.S. interrogation, torture, and mind control experiments. Many readers are no doubt familiar with the acronym MKULTRA. This CIA program, and others like it - Project Bluebird, Operation Artichoke, MKNAOMI, MKSEARCH, among others - were launched in part in reaction to fears within the government that communist countries were outstripping the West in their ability to manipulate prisoners' minds, and even create, via hypnosis and drugs, Manchurian Candidate assassins. Hysteria over "brainwashing" was later discovered to be whipped up by CIA-linked journalists.
The CIA worked closely with academic and military researchers, including many doctors, psychiatrists, and psychologists. The scientists' results were later operationalized in the CIA's 1960s KUBARK and other interrogation manuals."
"One of the many revelations in this well-researched and documented book, and a key element in the Olson murder mystery, is the LSD dosing of an entire small French town, Pont-St.-Esprit, in August 1951. Four people died, and hundreds were afflicted. It may have been an incautious slip regarding the Pont-St.-Esprit episode that constituted what Frank Olson explained to his wife before his death was "a terrible mistake."
From the book (p. 690):
According to Albert and Neal [two CIA informants], several weeks before the meeting at Deep Creek Lake, Frank Olson had "broken security" and talked about the French experiment on at least two occasions. He had been specifically cautioned by [CIA agent] Vincent Ruwet and [Ft. Detrick Special Operations Division chief] John Schwab about the "high level of security and sensitivity involving the experiment"....
The question was posed to the two sources: "Was this, the incident in France at Pont-St.-Esprit, the 'un-American activity' referred to in the papers given to the Olsons by [CIA Director] William Colby?"
FULL ARTICLE HERE:
http://valtinsblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-terrible-mistake-murder-of.html
Saturday, January 23, 2010
US Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing - Senator Patrick Leahy on Wirettaping practices and intelligence gathering-"No one is above the Law"
Event date: January 20, 2010
FBI Director Robert Mueller among others , in the hearing
(Extract)
FULL VIDEO AT:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/291496-1
FBI Director Robert Mueller among others , in the hearing
(Extract)
FULL VIDEO AT:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/291496-1
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Arar launches online magazine to probe security issues
January 20, 2010 -
Maher Arar launches online magazine to probe security issues :
PRISM MAGAZINE: The Security Practices Monitor at:
http://prism-magazine.com/
Maher Arar launches online magazine to probe security issues :
PRISM MAGAZINE: The Security Practices Monitor at:
http://prism-magazine.com/
"OTTAWA — Falsely accused of terrorist ties, Maher Arar has transformed his rendition ordeal into an online magazine promoting critical analysis of national security and related issues.
PRISM Magazine, a self-described "security practices monitor," debuted Wednesday. The inaugural edition includes a feature article on security and human rights by Alex Neve, head of Amnesty International Canada's English branch, and a commentary by veteran Ottawa journalist Jeff Sallot on the failure of U.S. intelligence officials to detect the Christmas Day airline bomb plot."
Arar, who lives in Ottawa, is the publisher of the not-for-profit journal, which has one other volunteer staff member, managing editor Richard Swain.Full Article
http://www.canada.com/news/Arar+launches+online+magazine+probe+security+issues/2465277/story.html
Maher Arar interview at FAULT LINES:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The story of three Guantanamo prisoners cleared for release and murdered before release - The murders cover up
Casting Doubt on US Claims of Suicide, Attorney Scott Horton Reveals 3 Gitmo Prisoners Died After Torture at Secret Site
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, USA , home of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) - also known as Green Berets
"...the story of a single battalion based at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment. Soldiers from the brigade have have been involved in brawls, beatings, rapes, drunk driving, drug deals, domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, kidnapping and suicides."
(aired July 30, 2009)
(aired July 30, 2009)
Murders at Guantánamo and the disclosure of a secret prison at Guantánamo : “Camp No” (as in, “No, it doesn’t exist”)
The murders at Guantanamo took place at GUANTANAMO'S “Camp No” (as in, “No, it doesn’t exist”)", an unnamed and officially unacknowledged compound" used by some of the non-uniformed government personnel who frequently showed up in the camps and were widely thought to be CIA agents.
FULL ARTICLES ABOUT THE MURDERES AND THE SECRET PRISON AT:
Andy Worthington - Feb 17, 2009
"The key to the discovery of the murder of the three men — 37-year old Salah Ahmed al-Salami, a Yemeni, 30-year old Mani Shaman al-Utaybi, a Saudi, and 22-year old Yasser Talal al-Zahrani (photo, left), a Saudi who was just 17 when he was captured — is Army Staff Sgt. Joe Hickman, a former Marine who reenlisted in the Army National Guard after the 9/11 attacks, and was deployed to Guantánamo in March 2006, with his friend, Specialist Tony Davila. On arrival, Davila was briefed about the existence of “an unnamed and officially unacknowledged compound,” outside the perimeter fence of the main prison, and explained that one theory about it was that “it was being used by some of the non-uniformed government personnel who frequently showed up in the camps and were widely thought to be CIA agents.”"
More at:
MASSIVE COVER-UP OF MURDER EXPOSED - Invictus- January 18, 2009
"Scott Horton Drops the Bomb on Gitmo: Massive Cover-up of Murder Exposed "
Extract:
"Horton's story, The Guantánamo “Suicides”: A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle, is dense, and full of amazing facts about the deaths of three Guantanamo prisoners, officially by "suicide." The article is a veritable prosecutor's brief accusing the U.S. government, under both the Bush and Obama administration, of criminal cover-up of these deaths, which were, it seems more and more likely, murder."
Interview with Scott Horton:
FULL ARTICLES ABOUT THE MURDERES AND THE SECRET PRISON AT:
Andy Worthington - Feb 17, 2009
Murders at Guantánamo: Scott Horton of Harper’s Exposes the Truth about the 2006 “Suicides”
An extract:"The key to the discovery of the murder of the three men — 37-year old Salah Ahmed al-Salami, a Yemeni, 30-year old Mani Shaman al-Utaybi, a Saudi, and 22-year old Yasser Talal al-Zahrani (photo, left), a Saudi who was just 17 when he was captured — is Army Staff Sgt. Joe Hickman, a former Marine who reenlisted in the Army National Guard after the 9/11 attacks, and was deployed to Guantánamo in March 2006, with his friend, Specialist Tony Davila. On arrival, Davila was briefed about the existence of “an unnamed and officially unacknowledged compound,” outside the perimeter fence of the main prison, and explained that one theory about it was that “it was being used by some of the non-uniformed government personnel who frequently showed up in the camps and were widely thought to be CIA agents.”"
More at:
MASSIVE COVER-UP OF MURDER EXPOSED - Invictus- January 18, 2009
"Scott Horton Drops the Bomb on Gitmo: Massive Cover-up of Murder Exposed "
Extract:
"Horton's story, The Guantánamo “Suicides”: A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle, is dense, and full of amazing facts about the deaths of three Guantanamo prisoners, officially by "suicide." The article is a veritable prosecutor's brief accusing the U.S. government, under both the Bush and Obama administration, of criminal cover-up of these deaths, which were, it seems more and more likely, murder."
Interview with Scott Horton:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Friday, January 15, 2010
PAT ROBERTSON, AMERICAN EVANGELIST, TALKS ABOUT HAITI'S CATASTROPHE
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Some articles about "THE DEVIL" in HAITI:
Killing Hope: US military and CIA interventions since WWII by William Blum
CIA asset in Haiti, death squads leader Emmanuel Constant (Toto) - responsible for extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention, and rape and other torture and violence against women:
http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/former-haitian-death-squad-leader-pleads-guilty-fraud
http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/emmanuel_constant_334.html
On YouTube: Guantánamo Guard and Ex-Prisoners Meet (via the BBC)
On January 11 and 12, 2010 the BBC’s Newsnight ran "Tales From Guantanamo", a two-part feature on America's Guantánamo Prison.
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) took former guard Brandon Neely over from the United States to UK to meet — and apologize to — former prisoners Shafiq Rasul and Ruhal Ahmed, two of “The Tipton Three,” from the West Midlands, who were freed in March 2004 and whose story was later featured in “The Road to Guantánamo”.
The two parts of Newsnight’s feature are available on the BBC website here and here,AND the blogger Rick B announced on his site Ten Percent that he has made the part in which the men meet available as a two-part video on YouTube. These parts were posted on Andy Worthington's Blog and are posted below:
Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison.
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) took former guard Brandon Neely over from the United States to UK to meet — and apologize to — former prisoners Shafiq Rasul and Ruhal Ahmed, two of “The Tipton Three,” from the West Midlands, who were freed in March 2004 and whose story was later featured in “The Road to Guantánamo”.
The two parts of Newsnight’s feature are available on the BBC website here and here,AND the blogger Rick B announced on his site Ten Percent that he has made the part in which the men meet available as a two-part video on YouTube. These parts were posted on Andy Worthington's Blog and are posted below:
Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Federal Officials Cover ups
Among their options:
- falsifying medical records
- sending a dying man to Guinea to make the case "disappear" and on..
A New York Times investigation reveals how federal officials used their role to cover up abuses and deaths to avoid embarrassing publicity.
The investigation exposes a trail of confidential memos and BlackBerry messages that show officials working to cover up their actions. The article by Nina Bernstein was published on January 2, 2010 , The New York Times .
- falsifying medical records
- sending a dying man to Guinea to make the case "disappear" and on..
A New York Times investigation reveals how federal officials used their role to cover up abuses and deaths to avoid embarrassing publicity.
The investigation exposes a trail of confidential memos and BlackBerry messages that show officials working to cover up their actions. The article by Nina Bernstein was published on January 2, 2010 , The New York Times .
Sunday, January 10, 2010
British courts issued arrest warrants for top Israeli military and political officials
January 5, 2009
Israeli officials are concerned about the possibility of being charged with war crimes in Britain and other foreign countries based on the theory of Universal Jurisdiction, which allows a country to prosecute serious Crimes Against Humanity no matter where the activity takes place. Last month, Former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni cancelled a trip to UK after a British magistrate court issued an arrest warrant for her on war crimes charges relating to Israel's Gaza offensive.
In October, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon called off a Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that he may be arrested over his involvement in a 2002 airstrike that killed 14 civilians.
More at:
Jurist -Paper Chase:"Israel officers abandon UK visit fearing war crimes arrest"
The Raw Story : "Israeli delegation cancels UK trip over threat of arrest for war crimes"
Israeli officials are concerned about the possibility of being charged with war crimes in Britain and other foreign countries based on the theory of Universal Jurisdiction, which allows a country to prosecute serious Crimes Against Humanity no matter where the activity takes place. Last month, Former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni cancelled a trip to UK after a British magistrate court issued an arrest warrant for her on war crimes charges relating to Israel's Gaza offensive.
In October, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon called off a Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that he may be arrested over his involvement in a 2002 airstrike that killed 14 civilians.
More at:
Jurist -Paper Chase:"Israel officers abandon UK visit fearing war crimes arrest"
The Raw Story : "Israeli delegation cancels UK trip over threat of arrest for war crimes"
Saturday, January 9, 2010
CIA DECEIVING CONGRESS AS USUAL? Why Blackwater contractors among the those in the CIA Station bombed?
Interview with Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a leading member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, who is launching an investigation into why two Blackwater contractors were among the dead in the December 30 suicide bombing at the CIA station at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan.
Friday, January 8, 2010
BLACKWATER MERCENARIES (now "XE") ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, both devout Mormons, the architects and teachers of American Torture Program
VANITY FAIR Article by Katherine Eban - April 17, 2009
"Torture Memos Link Lawyers and Psychologists" - HERE
ABC NEWS : "The CIA's $1000 a day torture specialists" -
By Brian Ross, Matthew Cole, Joseph Rhee- April 30, 2009
"Torture Memos Link Lawyers and Psychologists" - HERE
ABC NEWS : "The CIA's $1000 a day torture specialists" -
By Brian Ross, Matthew Cole, Joseph Rhee- April 30, 2009
Killer of Ottawa police Const. Eric Czapnik had been decorated for bravery as an RCMP officer in Saskatchewan
Full article HERE:
"Officer slain as he sat alone in cruiser" - by
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MORE on the murder of Ottawa Police Officer by RCMP Officer at"RCMP WATCH - Who is keeping them accountable" site at http://www.rcmpwatch.com/ :
Criminologist calls for inquest in Ottawa cop-killing case
RCMP WATCH SITE:
http://www.rcmpwatch.com/criminologist-calls-for-inquest-in-ottawa-cop-killing-case/comment-page-1/#comment-3985
"Officer slain as he sat alone in cruiser" - by
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MORE on the murder of Ottawa Police Officer by RCMP Officer at"RCMP WATCH - Who is keeping them accountable" site at http://www.rcmpwatch.com/ :
Criminologist calls for inquest in Ottawa cop-killing case
Megan Gillis (QMI Agency) – A prominent criminologist is calling for a coroner’s inquest into the “disturbing” facts surrounding the killing of Ottawa police Const. Eric Czapnik.
Irvin Waller, a former senior official with the office of Canada’s solicitor general – who is responsible for the RCMP – and now a professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, argued Thursday that a trial can only find whether suspended RCMP officer Kevin Gregson is guilty or not.
An inquest, on the other hand, could examine whether he fell through the cracks between the mental health and criminal justice systems or if the people who have been concerned about his past behavior – including his RCMP bosses – could have stopped him.
“Clearly there are a lot of questions that need to be answered other than what will happen in a criminal trial,” said Waller, an expert on crime prevention.
“We have to ensure that something like this – however exceptional – can’t happen again.”
Gregson was stripped of his gun and badge in 2005 because supervisors in Regina said he was hostile and paranoid.
In 2006, he threatened a Mormon official with a knife and was handed a conditional discharge by a judge who cited past brain surgery in sparing him jail time.
Waller wonders if a mental-health court – like one in Ottawa that links offenders with treatment – could have helped Gregson.
Instead, he was ordered to resign from the RCMP in 2008 by an adjudication board that called him impulsive, irrational and excessive.
“I’m really raising questions from looking at the facts and saying these facts are pretty disturbing,” Waller said. “We have to make sure there’s action. Is there anything more effective in terms of prevention? Very clearly, people knew quite a lot about this guy before he (allegedly) did what he did.”
The province’s chief coroner can decide to hold an inquest if it’s in the public interest to have a public examination of the circumstances of a death, or a coroner’s jury could make recommendations that could prevent similar deaths in the future, Dr. Roger Skinner, the region’s supervising coroner, said.
But the chief coroner – whose motto is “we speak for the dead who protect the living” – doesn’t order an inquest until after the criminal process unfolds.
“It’s a possibility – certainly in this case it’s too early to say as yet,” Skinner said.
RCMP WATCH SITE:
http://www.rcmpwatch.com/criminologist-calls-for-inquest-in-ottawa-cop-killing-case/comment-page-1/#comment-3985
Thursday, January 7, 2010
A Most Wanted Man - by John le Carré who was once a British agent and Consul in Hamburg
A Most Wanted Man is a thriller/espionage novel by John le Carré, who was once a British agent and Consul in Hamburg. It was published in October 2008 by Scribner in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the United Kingdom.
The book is basically about extraordinary rendition, the disappearing of people who are considered an enemy of the state by secret services and sending them abroad to secret prisons for torture.
The Plot:
A young Chechen ex-prisoner arrives illegally in Hamburg, practically uneducated and destitute, but with a claim to a fortune held in a private bank. This novel is based on the contemporary themes of the so called "war on terror", money laundering and the conflicting interests of different officers and agents involved.
TRAILER about the book:Trailer extended version:
Germany Launches Probe Into Blackwater/CIA Assassination Plot
The US pattern of conducting rendition and assassination within the borders of allied countries and more...
“Imagine if [German Intelligence] were to carry out a hit job via a front company, say in New Orleans,” says a German lawmaker. “It would be a shocking occurrence”.
Full Article:
"Germany Launches Probe Into Blackwater/CIA Assassination Plot"
Published January 7, 2010 - by Jeremy Scahill
German prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into allegations that a Blackwater-led CIA team conducted a clandestine operation in Hamburg, Germany after 9/11 ultimately aimed at assassinating a German citizen with suspected ties to al Qaeda. The alleged assassination operation was revealed last month in a Vanity Fair profile of Blackwater’s owner Erik Prince.
The magazine reported that after 9/11, the CIA used one of Prince’s homes in Virginia as a covert training facility for hit teams that would hunt al Qaeda suspects globally. Their job was find, fix, and finish: “Find the designated target, fix the person’s routine, and, if necessary, finish him off.”
According to Vanity Fair, one of the team’s targets was Mamoun Darkazanli, a naturalized German citizen originally from Syria. Darkazanli has been accused by Spain of being an al Qaeda supporter with close ties to the alleged 9/11 plotters who lived in Hamburg. The Blackwater/C.I.A. team “supposedly went in ‘dark,’ meaning they did not notify their own station—much less the German government—of their presence,” according to Vanity Fair. “[T]hey then followed Darkazanli for weeks and worked through the logistics of how and where they would take him down.” Authorities in Washington, however, “chose not to pull the trigger.”
Dieter Wiefelspütz, the domestic policy spokesperson for the parliamentary group of Germany’s center-left Social Democrats, told Der Spiegel it is irrelevant that Darkazanli’s targeted assassination was never carried out. “If it can be confirmed, then this was a murder plot,” he said. The conservative Christian Democratic Union joined the Social Democrats in calling for an official inquiry.
From Der Spiegel:
This brewing scandal in Germany is the latest allegation to surface in what is a clear pattern of the US conducting clandestine rendition and assassination operations within the borders of allied countries. In November, an Italian judge convicted 23 US intelligence operatives in the 2003 abduction of an Egyptian imam from a Milan street as part of a CIA extraordinary rendition operation. Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, aka Abu Omar, was taken to Egypt, where he said he was tortured.
Jeremy Scahill is the author of the international best-seller Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
Original article: Germany Launches Probe Into Blackwater/CIA Assassination Plot
Posted using ShareThis
“Imagine if [German Intelligence] were to carry out a hit job via a front company, say in New Orleans,” says a German lawmaker. “It would be a shocking occurrence”.
Full Article:
"Germany Launches Probe Into Blackwater/CIA Assassination Plot"
Published January 7, 2010 - by Jeremy Scahill
German prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into allegations that a Blackwater-led CIA team conducted a clandestine operation in Hamburg, Germany after 9/11 ultimately aimed at assassinating a German citizen with suspected ties to al Qaeda. The alleged assassination operation was revealed last month in a Vanity Fair profile of Blackwater’s owner Erik Prince.
The magazine reported that after 9/11, the CIA used one of Prince’s homes in Virginia as a covert training facility for hit teams that would hunt al Qaeda suspects globally. Their job was find, fix, and finish: “Find the designated target, fix the person’s routine, and, if necessary, finish him off.”
According to Vanity Fair, one of the team’s targets was Mamoun Darkazanli, a naturalized German citizen originally from Syria. Darkazanli has been accused by Spain of being an al Qaeda supporter with close ties to the alleged 9/11 plotters who lived in Hamburg. The Blackwater/C.I.A. team “supposedly went in ‘dark,’ meaning they did not notify their own station—much less the German government—of their presence,” according to Vanity Fair. “[T]hey then followed Darkazanli for weeks and worked through the logistics of how and where they would take him down.” Authorities in Washington, however, “chose not to pull the trigger.”
Dieter Wiefelspütz, the domestic policy spokesperson for the parliamentary group of Germany’s center-left Social Democrats, told Der Spiegel it is irrelevant that Darkazanli’s targeted assassination was never carried out. “If it can be confirmed, then this was a murder plot,” he said. The conservative Christian Democratic Union joined the Social Democrats in calling for an official inquiry.
From Der Spiegel:
Hans-Christian Ströbele, a prominent German Green Party politician, however, said he was unconvinced. “The fact is that the CIA can, for the most part, do whatever it wants here in Germany,” the member of parliament said. “The secret prisoner transports after Sept. 11 showed that — and no one dared to do anything about it.” Try to imagine the opposite happening, he said. “Imagine if (Germany’s federal intelligence agency) the BND were to carry out a hit job via a front company, say in New Orleans. It would be a shocking occurrence,” he said.In an interview on German TV this week, Darkazanli said he was “speechless” at the story.
[…]
Ströbele said he would call for the parliamentary control committee to discuss the allegations. He said one also had to ask “where the German intelligence services were.” After all, he said, “they are supposed to find out whether other services are romping about here.”
This brewing scandal in Germany is the latest allegation to surface in what is a clear pattern of the US conducting clandestine rendition and assassination operations within the borders of allied countries. In November, an Italian judge convicted 23 US intelligence operatives in the 2003 abduction of an Egyptian imam from a Milan street as part of a CIA extraordinary rendition operation. Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, aka Abu Omar, was taken to Egypt, where he said he was tortured.
Jeremy Scahill is the author of the international best-seller Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
Original article: Germany Launches Probe Into Blackwater/CIA Assassination Plot
Posted using ShareThis
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
ABOUT THE CELEBRITY CULTURE: "“Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle” - Chris Hedges- aired December 18, 2009
“Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle”
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
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