A January report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says more than 4.9 million people have some sort of government security clearance. About 1.4 million of those lay claim to "top secret" clearance....
Security clearances held by millions of Americans
So there is a state within the state in the
USA with this "inner state" represented by holder of security clearance. Almost 5 million people is
more more then 1% of population.
Hierarchy
A security clearance is granted to an individual and generally recognizes a maximum level
of clearance. Exceptions include levels above compartmentalized access or when an individual is
cleared for a certain type of data. The
President of the United States may be given access to any government or military information
that they request if there is a proper "need to know", even if they would not otherwise be able to
normally obtain a security clearance were they not the President. Having obtained a certain level
security clearance does not mean that one automatically has access to or is given access to
information cleared for that clearance level in the absence of a demonstrated "need to know".[12]
The "need-to-know" determination is made by a 'disclosure officer,' who may work in the office of
origin of the information. The specified "need to know" must be germane to the prospective user's
mission, or of necessity for the integrity of a specified security apparatus.
Controlled Unclassified
"Controlled Unclassified" does not represent a clearance designation, but rather a clearance
level at which information distribution is controlled. Controlled Unclassified designates
information that may be illegal to distribute. This information is available when needed by
government employees, such as the USA's Department of Defense (DoD) employees, but the designation
signifies that the information should not be redistributed to users not designated to use it on an
operational basis. For example, the organization and processes of an information-technology system
may be designated Controlled Unclassified to users for whom the operational details of the system
are non-critical.
Public Trust Position
Despite common misconception, this designation is not a security clearance, and is not the same
as the confidential designation. Certain positions which require access to sensitive information,
but not information which is classified, must obtain this designation through a background check. In
the USA, Public Trust Positions can either be moderate-risk or high-risk.[13][14]
Confidential
This is hierarchically the first security clearance to get, typically requiring a few weeks to a
few months of investigation. A Confidential clearance requires a
NACLC investigation which dates back 7 years on the subject's record and must be renewed (with
another investigation) every 15 years.
Secret
A Secret clearance, also known as Collateral Secret or Ordinary Secret, requires a few months to
a year to investigate, depending on the individual's background. Some instances wherein individuals
would take longer than normal to be investigated are many past residences, having residences in
foreign countries, having relatives outside the United States, or significant ties with non-US
citizens. Unpaid bills as well as criminal charges will more than likely disqualify an applicant for
approval. However, a bankruptcy will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and is not an automatic
disqualifier. Poor financial history is the number-one cause of rejection, and foreign activities
and criminal record are also common causes for disqualification. A Secret clearance requires a NACLC,
and a Credit investigation; it must also be re-investigated every 10 years.[15]
Investigative requirements for DoD clearances, which apply to most civilian contractor situations,
are contained in the Personnel Security Program issuance known as
DoD
Regulation 5200.2-R, at part C3.4.2
Top Secret
Top Secret is a more stringent clearance. A Top Secret, or "TS", clearance, is often given as the
result of a
Single Scope Background Investigation, or SSBI. Top Secret clearances, in general, afford one
access to data that affects
national
security,
counterterrorism/counterintelligence,
or other highly sensitive data. There are far fewer individuals with TS clearances than Secret
clearances.[16]
A TS clearance can take as few as 3 to 6 months to obtain, but often it takes 6 to 18 months. The
SSBI must be reinvestigated every 5 years.[15]
In order to receive TS clearance, all candidates must participate in an oral SF86 review that will
later be adjudicated.[citation
needed]
Compartmented
As with TS clearances,
Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearances are assigned only after one has been
through the rigors of a
Single Scope Background Investigation and a special adjudication process for evaluating the
investigation. SCI access, however, is assigned only in "compartments".
These compartments are necessarily separated from each other with respect to organization, so that
an individual with access to one compartment will not necessarily have access to another. Each
compartment may include its own additional special requirements and clearance process. An individual
may be granted access to, or
read into, a compartment for any period of time.
Such compartmentalized clearances may be expressed as "John has a TS/SCI", whereby all clearance
descriptors are spelled out verbally. For example, the US
National Security Agency once used specialized terms such as "Umbra",[17][18][19]
This classification is reported to be a compartment within the "Special Intelligence" compartment of
SCI.[20]
The various NSA compartments have been simplified; all but the most sensitive compartments are
marked "CCO", meaning "handle through
COMINT
channels only".
The US Department of Defense establishes, separately from intelligence compartments, special
access programs (SAP) when the vulnerability of specific information is considered exceptional
and the normal criteria for determining eligibility for access applicable to information classified
at the same level are not deemed sufficient to protect the information from unauthorized disclosure.
The number of people cleared for access to such programs is typically kept low. Information about
stealth
technology, for example, often requires such access.
Looks like Atlantic honchos are really worrying at the possibility of the release of the JFK
assassination documents. I like the line "One, that the press is "the enemy of the American
people" working in cahoots with the deep state, and, two, by lending credibility to the idea that
the official story of JFK's assassination is indeed suspect."
Notable quotes:
"... The phrase "conspiracy theory" was invented by the CIA to cover up what they were doing. It shouldn't take much smarts to see that LHO was just a patsy. ..."
"... Here's a smarts question for you: did Bush try to launch a rightwing military coup in the USA, yes or no? ..."
"... I don't think there's any doubt that the CIA has and had assets in the media who did and do perpetuate disinformation and distraction. ..."
"... Of course they've tried to hide the fact, but the Church Committee hearings on the plots and assassinations and other criminal behavior by The Agency back in the 1950s and 1960s exposed all sorts of similar schemes. ..."
Trump tweeted Saturday morning,
"I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened."
Trump's announcement came a day after his longtime confidant Roger Stone went on
Infowars , a radio show and website known for spreading conspiracy theories, and
announced that Trump would not block the release of the documents, which are set to be issued
by the National Archives in the coming days. Earlier that day, Politico Magazine had published an in-depth piece saying that Trump would likely
block the release of the files.
Here's the thing that happens, apparently, when a conspiracy theorist becomes president of
the United States: The lines between decision and reaction blur. The American people are
accustomed to public officials spinning their way through public office. No president has been
truly forthcoming with the electorate. Many have misled the American people.
... ... ...
Regardless of the files, though, Trump's attention to them is a window into
how he wants to be seen. In one dashed-off tweet, Trump positions himself as doing something
noble -- advocating for transparency, against the warnings of the intelligence community --
while feeding at least two major conspiracies. One, that the press is "the enemy of the
American people" working in cahoots with the deep state, and, two, by lending credibility to
the idea that the official story of JFK's assassination is indeed suspect.
"The best conspiracy theories have all the trappings of a classic underdog story," wrote Rob
Brotherton in his book, Suspicious Minds . "We want to see top dogs taken down a peg;
we want the downtrodden underdog to triumph. And when it comes to conspiracy theories, unfair
disadvantage is par for the course
The best initial attitude to have is one of skepticism...not only of conspiracy theories
but of denials of conspiracy theories. Until, that is, definitive evidence is revealed. You
are a fool to believe in conspiracy theories without credible evidence You are also a fool
for denying them without evidence. The fact is that we know through credible records
including the CIA's own internal records that they have been involved with many conspiracies
with foreign militias, dictatorships, corporations, thugs, gangsters and assassins. You are a
damn fool not to take an allegation seriously and to blanket dismiss new allegations unless
proven false. In fact, the CIA had (has?) a campaign to discredit any criticism of its
policies as "conspiracy theory". Gaslighting is a common tool they have used against anyone
who dares critiques or questions them.
The phrase "conspiracy theory" was invented by the CIA to cover up what they were doing.
It shouldn't take much smarts to see that LHO was just a patsy.
Here's a smarts question for you: did Bush try to launch a rightwing military coup in the
USA, yes or no?
The files were due to be released on this day after 25 years. In 1992, after the movie JFK
came out, people were intrigued and wanted the files released. The president ordered them
sealed for another 25 years (Oct 2017) and President Trump happens to be President. He will
release the files, if no conspiracy there, we will FINALLY get the transparency we the people
have been asking for. Nothing more, nothing less.
How exactly will the files show there was "no conspiracy there"? Do you expect somehow the
files will erase the numerous eyewitness accounts of shots from in front of the
motorcade?
Not only that, but the Parkland doctors said JFK's wounds ran contrary to what the Warren
Report concluded. And the only doctor who saw both the assassination, the Parkland Hospital
work, and the Bethesda autopsy, Dr. Burkley, was never consulted by the Warren Commission,
and when asked later whether he thought shots may have hit Kennedy from more than one
direction, replied: "I don't care to comment on that."
Bugliosi was intellectually dishonest in his massive tome. He hid inconvenient facts in
order to push his agenda; i.e. that a lone gunman did all of the work alone. Serious scholars
like Newman and DiEugenio have revealed his omissions for all to see.
I can't say for sure how the Clintons did it, but we should recall that Bill met JFK in
1963 and used that opportunity to plant a miniature tracking device. Hillary, using one of
her witch spells, then met Bill earlier than officially recorded, and the two of them
recruited Oswald and Ruby, with the help of Soviet agents using Vince Foster as a temporal
go-between. Foster killed himself over his guilt in the assasination. They were desperate to
get Hillary elected to stop the release of the files, but of course they failed. Now we will
get another reason to lock her up. I have no proof but know this in my heart to be true.
They would have had to recruit Jack Ruby from organized crime --- see Who Was Jack Ruby?
by Scripps-Howard White House correspondent Seth Kantor for more on "the mob's front man when
they moved into Dallas."
Edit: Kantor was previously a reporter in Dallas-Ft. Worth and before that, a veteran of
Guadalcanal --- he played a key role in testifying that Jack Ruby, who he knew well, was at
Parkland Hospital while JFK was in Trauma Room One, which Ruby denied. The circumstances
indicate a strong possibility Ruby planted the so-called "Magic Bullet" on an unattended
stretcher.
The lame stream news media are forever searching for ways to attack Trump. You'd think he
would get some credit for releasing the 3,000 documents. But no, once again he has ulterior
motives.
I remember Walter Cronkite saying that it's difficult for people to come to the conclusion
that one man could have affected history to the extent that Oswald did.
That's a fine thought, but has nothing to do with an actual murder case in which Oswald is
supposed to have killed Patrolman Tippit and then President Kennedy, despite not one single
shred of concrete, credible evidence tying him to either of the weapons supposedly used. In
fact, even worse, the weapon or weapons used don't even consistently show up in the
chain-of-custody by the Dallas police, bullets don't match, wounds are seen by attending
physicians which had to be fired from the front, etc.
"How could Oswald shoot Kennedy in the front from the back?" is one reductio of the Warren
Commission fantasies, which is why they assiduously avoided calling scores of eyewitnesses of
the assassination to testify, and mucked up the autopsy evidence. I mean, their whole "case"
amounted to "Well, Oswald was a communist" (not correct) "who hated Kennedy" (wrong again!)
"and killed a policeman" (this is completely bogus, with key Tippit-killing witness Helen
Markham described by a WC attorney as a "crackpot" among other problems) and "Oswald was at
the Texas School Book Depository" (True, he worked there in a job arranged by Ruth Paine) "so
he must have shot JFK" ---
(Wrong, the eyewitness testimony --- see The Girl on the Stairs: My Search for a Missing
Witness to the Assassination of John F. Kennedy by Barry Ernest, for example -- places him in
the "wrong place" to have shot anyone down in the motorcade from the sixth floor, and that's
just the first major problem, it would take too long to recount them all, as in HUNDREDS OF
PAGES, so that's just a few hints about what faces anyone investigating and/or reading about
the JFK assassination, as well as the murders of Tippit and Oswald, or Jack Ruby's extensive
ties as an organized crime factotum in Dallas and Cuba. Yes, Cuba.
Adrienne Lagrange, being the highly intellectual you try and portray. Why don't you see
that by writing this negative story about President Trump you not only make yourself sound
foolish, but you push neutral people to the President's side. Why do you think former
President Bush came out after 9 years of silence to condemn "conspiracy theorist" days before
President Trump announced the release of the JFK files? President Bush sr WAS involved with
the CIA in Texas during the JFK assasination in 1963. Obviously, he does not want the truth
to come out and so he got out in front of story to discredit what the files will show.
Corruption is common in the U.S Government, President Trump is dismantling this corruption a
little bit at a time. This is only the beginning.
What more do you need? The JFK literature is voluminous, and maybe you need to actually
try to read some of the key source material and critics and go from there.
Try reading Accessories after the Fact by Sylvia Meagher or On the Trail of the
Assassins by Jim Garrison, or Plausible Denial by Mark Lane. If you have the time
to deal with over 1200 pages about the JFK assassination, read Vincent Bugliosi's
Reclaiming History , and THEN read the ferocious debunkings of Bugliosi available
online.
N.B. Some of the most important discussions in Bugliosi's massive tome are in the
Endnotes, especially but not only "What the Parkland Doctors Saw." Conspiracy of
Silence by Parkland M.D. Dr. Charles Crenshaw is another useful text, as is Mafia
Kingfish by John Davis.
Ok: my honest opinion is that you can't summarize anything as complex as the planning,
execution, and subsequent coverup of the JFK assassination (including extensive use of media
assets for DECADES afterward) in anything short of a manuscript of hundreds of pages, and
many of the best work is already available, "just google it" ---but again, you have to be
willing to read those hundreds of pages with some sense of other background facts about the
Cold War and spy agencies.
This is one of the most intricate and far reaching events or set
of interconnected events in modern history --- just take a look at the "tags" on the front
page of kennedysandking.com and you'll see what I mean.
On the only occasion in which I had time in tutorials with Chomsky, I asked him first about
his views on the nexus of players at 544 Camp Street. That question and his answer might not
even make much sense to you without extensive background reading. Sorry, but that's just the
facts.
I truly understand your point regarding the complexity of the issue and I apologize for my
earlier comment.
I'm aware of the massive inconsistencies in the examination of his body, how it was
"handled", "magic bullets", and lots of other stuff I once knew but have forgotten. There's a
LOT of stuff, that's for sure.
I'm also very aware of how certain agencies (especially intel agencies) operate. Their
allegience to the truth is suspect at best.
I guess I was asking for was something like "It was basically an effort by (a list such
as... certain elements in the FBI/CIA/NSA/government... and/or foreign governments... and/or
the Mafia... or Cuba... or it was basically a coup driven by the MIC... (which I think it
was) or whatever combination it may be)." Basically the 100k foot view, a very simplistic
view. And I realize my opinion is not _nearly_ as informed as yours.
But that would certainly open up much noise from people like that moron I blocked earlier.
And certainly no one needs more of that....
I'll check out the links. Thanks.
By the way... I met Jim Marrs twice when I lived in Texas, actually around a campfire. It
was interesting meeting him, and he was a very interesting man regarding the JFK
assassination. I didn't know he passed, apparently quite recently.
I hope these documents get released and I hope they answer a lot of the open questions
still remaining.
JFK was murdered by the CIA......he wanted to "to splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces
and scatter it to the winds"......he fired Allen Dulles. Dulles was one of seven
commissioners of the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of the U.S. President
John F. Kennedy..oh and he had no problem murdering people....
I don't believe a single word from a politician. They are professional liars. It's their
job to lie and spin webs of deception. I watch and judge them by their actions.
I couldn't care less what color orange TrumPutin wears. He declared war on corporate media
and that is good enough for me. I don't support him because of his position on Snowden but I
agree with him on many issues.
JFK was a naive fool. He moved against forces he did not fully understand. I don't blame
him for trying. He was a patriot.
Atantuc reasserting it's superior newsmaking capabilities with click-bait headlines,
unsupported assumptions and trolling. Well done. You fall below tabloid, yellow
journalism.
LOL---americans are little antagonistic children that prefer lies to truth...see comments
below! and are gullible enough to believe anything told them...who needs conspiracy theories
when people are so stupid...everyone in Europe understood that americans were idiots when
they accepted the impossible claim that 1 shooter killed JFK...and now they are more stupid
believing that 1 gambler shot 500 people in las vegas...a nation of dimwits
The American public had to wait TWELVE YEARS to see the Zapruder film of the
assassination, showing the effect of the kill shot from in front of the motorcade. But by the
time Rush to Judgment by Mark Lane had become a best seller a few years after the 26 volumes
of the Warren Commission's hearings and exhibits were published (with no index --- it was
left to United Nations-employed scientist Sylvia Meagher to assemble that, which spurred
critics of the WC fantasies and outright lies to expose the multiple flaws and fallacies in
the first "official investigation," i.e., the first attempted coverup) the credibility of the
Krazy Kid Oswald nonsense was already held in disrepute by informed observers.
The article above can't whitewash the mainstream media's role in the coverup, of course ---
search "Operation Mockingbird" or "Walter Sheridan and the Garrison investigation" or " Jim
Di Eugenio critique of Phil Shenon's JFK books" etc,
Any claims that the Soviets or Cubans did it have been thoroughly debunked. It was an
American domestic coup. If you believe the Warren Commission, I've got Indian treaties to
show you.
No one has presented evidence that there was another shooter. Clint Black, the secret
service agent at the scene adamantly say's no other gunshots from the grassy knoll
area. Simply no proof. As for the Vegas shooting as well.
I disagree with your faith-based following of Bugliosi. I think Dr. Cyril Wecht blows
Bugliosi out of the water, from a forensics standpoint.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
See the book Reclaiming Parkland for an extended dismantling of Bugliosi's Reclaiming
History, or just search "critical reviews of Bugliosi's JFK assassination book." It's an
embarrassment that Bugliosi wrote such fine books on the Simpson case and on the Supreme
Court's Bush v. Gore decision, but was apparently either blackmailed into writing obvious
lies or somehow convinced himself "no one with sufficient familiarity with the JFK
assassination in the requisite granular detail will ever read my book and expose my silly
attempts to distort the historical record." It took enormous chutzpah on his part to title
the book "Reclaiming History."
Search "Reclaiming History? Or Re-framing Oswald?" at
reclaiminghistory.org , which has links to a series of reviews of Bugliosi, none of which
you will ever see discussed on CNN or any other corporate mass media outlet. Instead, without
bothering to read the book much less deal with hundreds and hundreds of footnotes and
"Endnotes," some of bear on crucial points about the JFK assassination (such as "What the
Parkland Doctors Saw" ---see the Endnotes from 404-408} the corporate media is happy to
perpetuate as best they can the "one lone nut with no ties to the CIA killed two days later
by another lone nut with no relevant ties to the mob" confabulations.
"Reclaiming Parkland" is not one I've read, but I will. I don't think there's any doubt that the CIA has and had assets in the media who did and
do perpetuate disinformation and distraction.
Of course they've tried to hide the fact, but the Church Committee hearings on the plots
and assassinations and other criminal behavior by The Agency back in the 1950s and 1960s
exposed all sorts of similar schemes.
Search "MKUltra" and "Operation Artichoke" or just "The CIA and Lee Harvey Oswald" and you
can run across all sorts of interesting facts. not wild speculation, but facts, some of it
from CIA documents etc. etc.
Newman did his homework. He has combed through the declassified records and published his
findings on Oswald and the CIA, and on what really happened in Vietnam.
In my view the Miami and Chicago plans being aborted make the existence of multiple
shooters in Dallas-- such as Files -- more believable; the conspirators were simply not going
to miss another chance. Interestingly, Files himself says his superior told him the Dallas
plot was supposed to be called off, but they ignored the order.
Did you know that Gerald Posner, who wrote the definitive book concluding that Oswald
acted alone ("Case Closed"), is fully in favor of releasing the remainder of the documents --
in agreement with Pres. Trump's friend Roger Stone, who is a "conspiracy theorist"?
Did you know that the original "conspiracy theorist" -- the late Mark Lane -- was a
leftist and ardent supporter of JFK?
For the educated, this is about transparency, not ignorance.
Posner? Are you posting this as some kind of joke? Posner fabricated, altered, distorted
evidence on practically EVERY key point about the supposed role of Oswald, and totally
ignored all the revelations about Oswald's connections which exposed the role he played as an
intelligence agency asset.
Try reading some "critical reviews" of Case Closed, they are devastating and some are
maliciously funny, as well.
I was being sarcastic. I was pointing out that if a guy like Posner is in favor of
releasing the rest of the documents, it's a non-controversial issue.
I can promise you this; Vincent Buglioti wrote THEE masterpiece. Reclaiming history, The
JFK assassination. 1612 pages, twenty year's of research, and he embarrassed every other JFK
assassination writer' I've read Posner's book. Very well researched. But truthfully, it
cannot compare to Bugliotis " opus"
Get real --- Bugliosi has been thoroughly debunked. One of his favorite tricks is to
partially quote the FBI reports from Sibert and O'Neill out-of-context and ignore
contradictory witness testimony from witnesses (and there were dozens) not called to testify
before the Warren Commission. His book (and yes, I read ALL of it but with the advantage of
having ALSO read the WC report (the 26 volumes in large part, although not the part where
they had dental x-rays from Jack Ruby's mother --- I kid you not --- so much as the
inadvertently revelatory portions) as well as dozens and dozens of other books on the
assassination, so I could immediately spot some of Bugliosi's howlers) is considered
essentially a fraud on the public by informed critics of the JFK assassination.
"Conspiracy theories are a way to stand up, through disbelief, against the powerful. Those
who spread conspiracy theories in earnest are, whether they mean to or not, partaking in an
act of defiance against established institutions as much as they are questioning accepted
truths."
I disagree. Conspiracy theories are a way for the ignorant and stupid to delude themselves
that they are right and everyone who disagrees is wrong. Conspiracy theories provide a way of
feeling smart and shrewd without bothering with all that evidence and logic stuff.
Your comment makes no sense, since there are political assassinations like that of
Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy, for example, which have been both officially and
"unofficially" found to be the result of conspiracies. The House Select Committee on
Assassinations is one "official theory" that posits a conspiracy in the killing of President
Kennedy. You could also search "The Lincoln Conspiracy the book" and read that. In fact, you
don't have any idea at all about any of this, do you? You're just parroting some supposed
sage advice from the usual suspects.
"[L]ending credibility to the idea that the official story (sic) of JFK's assassination is
indeed suspect" is the incontrovertible fact that there are multiple "official stories," and
at least one of them posits the probability of a conspiracy behind JFK's assassination.
Since Oswald cannot even be tied to the supposed murder weapon by a credible
chain-of-evidence, nor placed in the so-called "sniper's nest" at the time shots rang out in
Dealey Plaza, nor be credibly rigged up as the killer of Dallas policeman J.D. Tippit, it is
hardly surprising that anyone stuck trying to defend the relentlessly debunked Warren
Commission fantasies about the JFK-Tippit-Oswald murders is up against equally relentless
debunking right up to today.
A fact that the Democratic Party toadies try to push is that Trump does not tell the
truth.
He says things that are at variance with the claims the "press" try to toss at the people,
but that doesn't make them untrue.
The "press" was determined to tell people that the U.S.S. Maine was sunk by Spain, even
though it made no sense for them to be engage in aggressive actions that the New York Journal
claimed would then escalate into overt military action. If they felt that way, they would
have acted militarily from the start. Morons never questioned this and the U.S. easily
entered war with Spain. Even though the explosion on the Maine seems to have been the result
of a carelessly disposed of cigar.
Similarly with R.M.S. Lusitania. Imbeciles wouldn't ask why the Germans would engage in
something like murdering innocent civilians on an ocean liner if they wanted war. Why not
just carry out an invasion or declare war? Only now it's being admitted that Lusitania was
illegally carrying war supplies and ammunition from the U.S. to the Allies, making it a
legitimate target. Indeed, it is not necessarily proved that it actually carried civilian
passengers.
Similarly for the claims the the U.S. spied on the USSY with U-2 spy planes. The same with
the failure of the government and the "press" to admit the suspicious nature of claims of the
"Gulf of Tonkin Incident".
The fact is, Trump and others in the Republican Party have said many things that the
"press" denied, only to have the "press" shown to be lying later.
Hillary Clinton supporters were carrying out acts of violence after the election in
Trump's name to try to undermine him. Germany didn't pay its agreed upon amount for the
maintenance of NATO. Obama did bug Trump's campaign headquarters. Puerto Rico's sorry
condition is the result of massive corruption in its government. There are many women who, as
Trump asserted, will let a man with money and power take liberties. In fact, climate isn't
changing. "Climate" is the massive, interconnected, self regulating system comprised of
things like land, ocean, sky, solar energy, life. Land, ocean, solar energy, life are no
different from fifty years ago. Only the weather is changing, and that is caused by
chemtrails, the program of doping the air with weather modification chemicals from high
flying jets, producing long, non dissipating vapor lanes that stretch from horizon to horizon
and can last for an hour or more. Stop chemtrails and everything will return to normal.
Todd Akin was criticized for saying that, in "legitimate rape" women's bodies will fight
being impregnated. Democratic Party followers insisted Akin was saying rape was legal. He was
referring to rapes that actually occurred, not lies that many women do lodge against rich and
powerful men to get money.
J. Edgar Hoover said that "civil rights" marches and such were tools of the Kremlin to try
to undermine democracy. In their desperate attempt to rescue the claim that the Russians
interfered with the 2016 election, none other than The Atlantic has taken up Hoover's
insistence that such demonstrations were a means used by the USSR to try to destroy
democracy. And the dullards of the Democratic Party's target audience won't realize they are
now agreeing with the Republicans.
Trump and the politicians come from rarefied levels that know facts that government and
the "press" lies to the public about. One fact, that there may be actual sections of
government, or "government", that act independently of any rules and can even roll over the
rest of "government". "Government" is just a sleazy swindle to make the rich richer. No one
controls them! Not even elections! They publish fake "vote tallies", then put who they want
in. Trump speaks of the Deep State of power mongering going on behind the scenes. Hillary
Clinton operated her own shadow government with a system of unregistered servers only one of
which has been acknowledged. It's been suspected for a long time that the "intelligence
network" acted solely on its own recognizance, answerable to no one. Questions Trump raises
can point people to the truth.
"My" research? Look, just GO ONLINE to another website like
JFKfacts.org or kennedysand king.com
, or search "James Di Eugenio on the JFK assassination," I have read around 150 books and
articles and much of the Warren Report (the volumes not the summary) and the House Select
Committee hearings reports, but compared to "serious researchers" I am a dilletante. Besides,
you really NEED to study this either for yourself as a kind of "research project" or if
possible, in a university level course environment.
There are THOUSANDS of really interesting books about aspects of the JFK assassination ---
search "Reclaiming Parkland" by Di Eugenio and go from there, whatever.
Follow the links, and expect it to take many many hours to get the beginning of an
understanding.
Ok, why don't you at least realize it's FAR more complex than any possible "avionics
system," it's something akin to people on Quora asking me to "summarize Hamlet," or
"summarize King Lear." It's just absurd. Besides which, the subject matter is far too
important for anyone to take their views from a few summarized paragraphs, whether about
Hamlet or Lear or the JFK assassination.
So yeah, I did "research" and I think the facts speak for themselves, as you would learn by
delving into the posts at
jfkfacts.org or
kennedysandking.com , or reading Plausible Denial by Mark Lane. The thing is, it's one of
the most complicated interlocking sets of topics in modern history, not something that can be
scrawled on a postcard.
"... Spy Schools: How the CIA, FBI and Foreign Intelligence Secretly Exploit America's Universities ..."
"... The Boston Globe ..."
"... Inside Higher Ed ..."
"... The Wall Street Journal ..."
"... The Price of Admission ..."
"... Inside Higher Ed ..."
"... Inside Higher Ed ..."
"... look back to Stalin, Hitler, Franco, Mao, Mussolini et.al with THIER use of domestic agencies to impose lock-step thinking and to ferret out free-thinkers. ..."
"... It is amazing how many biochemists and microbiologists from the People's Republic of China would e-mail me asking if I had a position in my "lab," touting their bench skills, every time I published a paper on the federal bioterrorism program, medical civic action programs, etc. ..."
"... When I started teaching 48 years ago, the president of my college was James Dovonan, Bill Donovan's (founder of the OSS) brother, portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie, "Bridge of Spies." ..."
"... Beyond NIH funded grant-based research, Homeland Security, Energy, Defense, and the Intelligence Community agencies have long histories of relationships with American academia. This could be funded research, collaborative research, shared personnel relationships, or all other manner of cooperation. Sometimes it's fairly well known and sometimes it's kept quiet, and sometimes it's even classified. But it is much more extensive and expansive than what Golden describes, and much less "cozy" or suspicious. ..."
"... For years I have said that it is foolish to look to universities for moral guidance, and this story is one more instance. In this case, the moral ground is swampy at best, and the universities do not appear to have spent a lot of time worrying about possible problems as long as the situation works to their advantage financially. ..."
"... Does Golden discuss at all the way in which the CIA and other intelligence services funnel money into academic research without the source of the funding ever being revealed? This was common practice in the 1960s and 1970s, and colleges like MIT were among those involved in this chicanery. ..."
"... Where has IHE been for the past several decades? Read Rosenfeld's book, Subversives..... about the FBI's illegal acts at Berkeley. Or read this, a summary of his book: https://alumni.berkeley.edu... Or read George R. Stewart, The Year of the Oath. ..."
Book documents how foreign and domestic intelligence agencies use
-- and perhaps exploit -- higher education and academe for spy operations.
Foreign and domestic intelligence services spar and spy on one another all across the world.
But it would be naïve to think it's not happening in the lab or classroom as well.
In his new book, Spy Schools: How the CIA, FBI and Foreign Intelligence Secretly Exploit
America's Universities ( Henry Holt and Company ),
investigative journalist Daniel Golden explores the fraught -- and sometimes exploitative --
relationship between higher education and intelligence services, both foreign and domestic.
Chapters explore various case studies of the Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of
Investigation using the open and collaborative nature of higher education to their advantage,
as well as foreign governments infiltrating the U.S. via education.
"It's pretty widespread, and I'd say it's most prevalent at research universities," Golden,
an editor at ProPublica and an alumnus of The Boston Globe 's "Spotlight" team, told
Inside Higher Ed . "The foreign intelligence services have the interest and the
opportunity to learn cutting-edge, Pentagon-funded or government-funded research."
Golden, who has also covered higher education for The Wall Street Journal ,
previously wrote about
the intersection of wealth and admissions in his 2006 book The Price of Admission
.
Each of the case studies in Spy Schools , which goes on sale Oct. 10, is critical.
One could read the chapters on the Chinese government's interest in U.S. research universities
as hawkish, but then turn to the next chapter on Harvard's relationship with the CIA and read
it as critical of the American intelligence establishment as well.
"People of one political persuasion might focus on [the chapters regarding] foreign
espionage; people of another political persuasion might focus on domestic espionage," Golden
said. "I try to follow where the facts lead."
Perhaps the most prestigious institution Golden examines is Harvard University, probing its
cozy relationship with the CIA. (While Harvard has recently come under scrutiny for its
relationship with the agency after it withdrew an invitation for Chelsea Manning to be a
visiting fellow -- after the agency objected to her appointment -- this book was written before
the Manning incident, which occurred in September.) The university, which has had varying
degrees of closeness and coldness with the CIA over the years, currently allows the agency to
send officers to the midcareer program at the Kennedy School of Government while continuing to
act undercover, with the school's knowledge. When the officers apply -- often with fudged
credentials that are part of their CIA cover -- the university doesn't know they're CIA agents,
but once they're in, Golden writes, Harvard allows them to tell the university that they're
undercover. Their fellow students, however -- often high-profile or soon-to-be-high-profile
actors in the world of international diplomacy -- are kept in the dark.
"Kenneth Moskow is one of a long line of CIA officers who have enrolled undercover at the
Kennedy School, generally with Harvard's knowledge and approval, gaining access to
up-and-comers worldwide," Golden writes. "For four decades the CIA and Harvard have concealed
this practice, which raises larger questions about academic boundaries, the integrity of class
discussions and student interactions, and whether an American university has a responsibility
to accommodate U.S. intelligence."
But the CIA isn't the only intelligence group operating at Harvard. Golden notes Russian
spies have enrolled at the Kennedy School, although without Harvard's knowledge or
cooperation.
When contacted by Inside Higher Ed , Harvard officials didn't deny Golden's
telling, but defended the university's practices while emphasizing the agreement between the
university and the CIA -- which Golden also writes about -- on not using Harvard to conduct CIA
fieldwork.
"Harvard Kennedy School does not knowingly provide false information or 'cover' for any
member of our community from an intelligence agency, nor do we allow members of our community
to carry out intelligence operations at Harvard Kennedy School," Eric Rosenbach, co-director of
the Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, said in a
statement.
While Golden said the CIA's involvement on campus raises existential questions about the
purpose and integrity of higher education, Harvard maintained that the Kennedy School was
living up to its mission.
"Our community consists of people from different spheres of public service. We are proud to
train people from the U.S. government and the intelligence community, as well as peace
activists and those who favor more open government," Rosenbach said in his statement. "We train
students from a wide range of foreign countries and foreign governments, including -- among
others -- Israel, U.K., Russia and China. That is consistent with our mission and we are proud
to have that reach."
On the other hand, other countries are interested in exploiting U.S. higher education.
Golden documents the case of Ruopeng Liu, a graduate student at Duke University who siphoned
off U.S.-government-funded research to Chinese researchers. Liu eventually returned to China
and has used some of the research for his Chinese-government-funded start-up ventures.
Golden is comprehensive, interviewing Duke researchers who worked with Liu, as well as
dispatching a freelance journalist in China to interview Liu (he denied wrongdoing, saying his
actions were taken as part of higher education's collaborative norms regarding research
projects). Despite questions that arose while Liu was a student, he received his doctorate in
2009 without any formal questions or pushback from the university. A week before Liu defended
his dissertation, Golden notes that Duke officials voted to move forward in negotiations with
the Chinese government regarding opening a Duke campus in China -- raising questions about
whether Duke was cautious about punishing a Chinese student lest there were negative business
implications for Duke. (
The building of the campus proved to be a controversial move in its own right. )
The Duke professor Liu worked under told Golden it would be hard to prove Liu acted with
intentional malice rather than out of genuine cultural and translational obstacles, or ethical
slips made by a novice researcher. Duke officials told Inside Higher Ed that there
weren't any connections between Liu and the vote.
"The awarding of Ruopeng Liu's degree had absolutely no connection to the deliberations over
the proposal for Duke to participate in the founding of a new university in Kunshan, China," a
spokesman said in an email.
These are just two chapters of Golden's book, which also goes on to document the foreign
exchange relationship between Marietta College, in Ohio, and the controversial
Chinese-intelligence-aligned University of International Relations. Agreements between Marietta
and UIR, which is widely regarded a recruiting ground for Chinese intelligence services,
include exchanging professors and sending Chinese students to Marietta. Conversely, Golden
writes, as American professors teach UIR students who could end up spying on the U.S., American
students at Marietta are advised against studying abroad at UIR if they have an interest in
working for the government -- studying at UIR carries a risk for students hoping to get certain
security clearances. Another highlight is the chapter documenting the CIA's efforts to stage
phony international academic conferences, put on to lure Iranian nuclear scientists as
attendees and get them out of their country -- and in a position to defect to the U.S.
According to Golden's sources, the operations, combined with other efforts, have been
successful enough "to hinder Iran's nuclear weapons program."
But Golden's book doesn't just shed light on previously untold stories. It also highlights
the existential questions facing higher education, not only when dealing with infiltration from
foreign governments, but also those brought on by cozy relationships between the U.S.
intelligence and academe.
"One issue is American national security," Golden said. "Universities do a lot of research
that's important to our government and our military, and they don't take very strong
precautions against it being stolen," he said. "So the domestic espionage side -- I'm kind of a
traditionalist and I believe in the ideal of universities as places where the brightest minds
of all countries come together to learn, teach each other, study and do research. Espionage
from both sides taints that that's kind of disturbing."
After diving deep into the complex web that ties higher education and espionage together,
however, Golden remains optimistic about the future.
"It wouldn't be that hard to tighten up the intellectual property rules and have written
collaboration agreements and have more courses about intellectual safeguards," he said. "In the
1970s, Harvard adopted guidelines against U.S. intelligence trying to recruit foreign students
in an undercover way they didn't become standard practice [across academe, but], I still think
those guidelines are pertinent and colleges would do well to take a second look at them."
"In the idealistic dreamer mode, it would be wonderful if the U.N. or some other
organization would take a look at this issue, and say, 'Can we declare universities off-limits
to espionage?'"
Equating the presence and activities of US intelligence on campuses with that of foreign
intelligence is pretty obtuse moral relativism. US academia and US intelligence alike benefit
from cooperation, and the American people are the winners overall. By the way, is it really
necessary to twice describe this relationship as "cozy"? What does that mean, other to
suggest there's something illicit about it?
It'd be nice if American intelligence was paying a bit more attention to
what goes on in academic research--as far as I can tell, the country
keeps making policies that don't seem particularly well-informed by the
research in relevant areas. Can we get them to infiltrate more labs of
scientists working on climate change or something?
Maybe stick around, engage in some
participant observation and figure that research out? It's not clear they
have any acquaintance with the literature on the causes of war. Really,
pick a place to start, and pay attention.
If you cannot see how a gov't intelligence agency, prohibited from working in the USA by
statute and who is eye-deep in AMERICAN education is wrong, then I am worried. Read history.
Look back to the 1970's to start and to the 1950's with FBI and the military agents in
classrooms; then read about HUAC.
Now, look back to Stalin, Hitler, Franco, Mao, Mussolini
et.al
with THIER use of domestic agencies to impose lock-step thinking and to ferret out
free-thinkers.
Actually, I read quite a bit of history. I also know that US intelligence agencies are not
"prohibited from working in the USA." If they have relationships in academia that remind you
of Stalin, Hitler, etc., how have US agencies "imposed lock-step thinking and ferreted out
free-thinkers?" Hasn't seemed to work, has it? Your concern is overwrought.
"Cozy" might refer to the mutual gains afforded by allowing the federal government to
break many rules (and laws) while conducting their "intelligence operations" in academe. I do
not know if I felt Homeland Security should have had permission to bring to this country,
under false premises supported by ICE and accrediting agencies, thousands of foreign
nationals and employed them at companies like Facebook, Apple, Morgan Stanley and the U.S.
Army. While Homeland Security collected 16K tuition from each of them (and the companies that
hired these F-1s didn't have to pay FICA) all our nation got was arrests of 20 mid level visa
brokers.
Personally, I think cozy was quite complimentary as I would have chosen other words. Just
imagine if there are additional "undercover students" with false credentials in numbers
significant enough to throw off data or stopping universities and colleges from enforcing
rules and regulations. If you set up and accredit a "fake university" and keep the proceeds,
it strikes me as illicit.
And behaving as if the "the presence and activities of US intelligence on campuses" is
something to accept without question is also "obtuse moral relativism". We are talking about
an arrangement wherein a / the most prestigious institutions of higher learning has an
established relationship with the CIA along with some accepted protocol to ongoing
participation.
Whether it is right, wrong, or in between is another matter but please don't
pretend that it's just business as usual and not worthy of deeper investigation.
It is amazing how many biochemists and microbiologists from the People's Republic of China
would e-mail me asking if I had a position in my "lab," touting their bench skills, every
time I published a paper on the federal bioterrorism program, medical civic action programs,
etc.
Never mind that I primarily do health policy and economics work, and have not been near
a lab bench since I returned to school for my doctorate.....anything with a defense or
security application drew a flurry of interest in getting involved.
As a result, I tended to
be very discerning in who I took on as an advisee, if only to protect my security
clearance.
PAr for the course for both UG and grad students from China who have not paid a head
hunter. ANY school or program offering money to international students was flooded by such
inquiries. Get over yourself.
When I started teaching 48 years ago, the president of my college was James Dovonan, Bill
Donovan's (founder of the OSS) brother, portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie, "Bridge of
Spies."
We had a program in "Tropical Architecture" which enrolled students form "third world"
countries. Rumor was -- --
When I got my Ph.D. from Harvard in 1968, the Shah of Iran got an honorary doctorate at
the same commencement. The next year, by pure coincidence!, he endowed three chairs of Near
Eastern Studies at H.U.
So glad to see they're on campus. Many young people now occupy the CIA; the old "cowboys"
of the Cold War past are gone. U may find this interesting>>
http://osintdaily.blogspot....
Hundreds of government civil servants attend courses at the Kennedy School every year.
That a few of them come from the CIA should be no surprise. It and all the other intelligence
agencies are nothing more than departments within the federal government, just like Veterans
Affairs, Health and Human Services, the FDA, Energy, and so on. Nothing sneaky or suspicious
about any of it. Why anyone with cover credentials would tell the Kennedy School admin that
is beyond me. When I was in cover status, I was in cover status everywhere; to not be was to
blow your cover, period, and was extremely dangerous.
Beyond NIH funded grant-based research, Homeland Security, Energy, Defense, and the
Intelligence Community agencies have long histories of relationships with American academia.
This could be funded research, collaborative research, shared personnel relationships, or all
other manner of cooperation. Sometimes it's fairly well known and sometimes it's kept quiet,
and sometimes it's even classified. But it is much more extensive and expansive than what
Golden describes, and much less "cozy" or suspicious.
For years I have said that it is foolish to look to universities for moral guidance, and
this story is one more instance. In this case, the moral ground is swampy at best, and the
universities do not appear to have spent a lot of time worrying about possible problems as
long as the situation works to their advantage financially.
The key, here, is financially. The bean counters and those whose research is funded don't
look hard at the source of the funding. Just so it keeps coming.
Does Golden discuss at all the way in which the CIA and other intelligence services funnel
money into academic research without the source of the funding ever being revealed? This was
common practice in the 1960s and 1970s, and colleges like MIT were among those involved in
this chicanery.
Remember also how intelligence agency money was behind the journal Encounter?
Lots of propaganda got distributed under the guise of objective social science research.
Where has IHE been for the past several decades? Read Rosenfeld's book, Subversives.....
about the FBI's illegal acts at Berkeley. Or read this, a summary of his book:
https://alumni.berkeley.edu... Or read George R. Stewart, The Year of the Oath.
In the
research for my biography of Stewart I found significant information about CIA presence on
the UC Berkeley campus, in the mid-twentieth century, which reached in to the highest levels
of the administration and led to a network of "professors" recruited by that unAmerican spy
agency.
The oaths, the current gender wars and the conviction by accusation of harassment are
all later attempts to politicize education and turn fiat lux into fiat nox. IHE should be
writing more about that and about the current conviction by sexual accusation, and the effect
of such on free thought and free inquiry.
Indiscriminate spying is a costly and not very efficient operation. The problem of drinking
form a fire hose arise. So a lot of money spend by US, GB and other countries on installation of
such software are wasted. If the user of such computers uses steganography this does not even
allow to detect the targeted activities.
It in not that elimination of Kaspersky software from the US market (due to current
anti-Russia witch hunt) is a big loss. The efficiency of AV program against new threats was
always problematic. But this hysteria points to a larger problem: threat from regular hackers to
your data, especially financial data and access to financial sites. I would say that the
person who does not use two separate computers for browsing and for his financial and other
confidential operations and data is reckless indeed. Now anybody with important
financial data can afford two laptops. A good used, enterprise class, Dell laptop is
around $400.
In Windows each antivirus is simultaneously a backdoor. That's given. So usage by the US
government agencies of foreign AV software was an oversight; and the US government is doing the right
thing to prohibit such usage. Similarly it would be highly irresponsible for, say Russian government, to use MacAfee
software on government computers. Even with large transnational companies there are some tricky problems about
which AV software to use. And that was the problem already understood long ago, say in 1996.
For governments any large AV company represents tremendous asset as for surveillance. Also
intelligence community probably has close understanding of signature updaters and their vulnerabilities
and probably have agents in each of major AV company. And for government AV
signature updates are the best way to install malware on your computer. And much simpler then
hijacking OS updates.
So it is only natural that
AV companies are primary target of intelligence agencies. I remember being very surprised
the McAfee was bought by Intel. Now I know why ;-). In the past some mass deployed AV
companies software (Symantec) as well as Google software (Google bar) were spyware even without
intelligence agencies interference. In a way they were pioneers of mass surveillance.
In no way linux is a panacea. This is another monstrously complex OS with multiple
backdoors, especially on application level (Apache is one recent example). But it will be much
less attacked by non-government hackers. This is true. Security via obscurity does work. Still
if you need security against exfiltration of your data MS DOS and Windows 3.1 are also useful option
(any non-networked computer actually would work; you can exchange data via parallel port too. for
example Total Commander has such an option ).
Notable quotes:
"... The British spy agency regarded the Kaspersky software in particular as a hindrance to its hacking operations and sought a way to neutralize it. ..."
"... An NSA slide describing "Project CAMBERDADA" lists at least 23 antivirus and security firms that were in that spy agency's sights . They include the Finnish antivirus firm F-Secure, the Slovakian firm Eset, Avast software from the Czech Republic. and Bit-Defender from Romania. Notably missing from the list are the American anti-virus firms Symantec and McAfee as well as the UK-based firm Sophos ..."
"... That the NSA and the British GCHQ did not list U.S. and British made anti-virus products on their "to do" list lets one assume that these packages can already be controlled by them. ..."
"... The Kaspersky anti-virus software, which the NSA employee had installed, identified parts of these tools as malware and uploaded them for analysis to the Kapersky's central detection database. The Kaspersky software behaved exactly as it should . Any other anti-virus software behaves similar if it detects a possibly new virus. ..."
"... The only person in the tale who did something illegal was the NSA employee. The case also demonstrates that the NSA continues to have a massive insider security problem. There is no hint in the story to any evidence for its core claim of "Russian hackers". ..."
"... Meanwhile its a well reported established fact that american virus/antimalware corps have allowed the FBI and other agencies to compromize their software with silent signatures - as with Magic Lantern for example (and imagine how far its gone since then) ..."
"... In the network security world there is this concept of a honeypot where you entice/allow the world to attack/invade your honeypot so you can study the tools they use and insure the trail back to them is useful. ..."
The British spy agency regarded the Kaspersky software in particular as a hindrance to its
hacking operations and sought a way to neutralize it.
... An NSA slide describing "Project CAMBERDADA" lists at least 23 antivirus and security firms
that were in that spy agency's sights . They include the Finnish antivirus firm F-Secure, the
Slovakian firm Eset, Avast software from the Czech Republic. and Bit-Defender from Romania.
Notably missing from the list are the American anti-virus firms Symantec and McAfee as well
as the UK-based firm Sophos
That the NSA and the British GCHQ did not list U.S. and British made anti-virus products on
their "to do" list lets one assume that these packages can already be controlled by them.
In February 2015 Kaspersky
announced that it found U.S. and UK government spying and sabotage software infecting
computers in various foreign countries. Later that year the CIA and FBI tried to recruit
Kaspersky employees but were warned off. In June 2015 Kaspersky Lab detected a breach in its
own systems by an Israeli government malware. It published an
extensive autopsy of the breach and the malware programs used in it.
That the U.S. government now attempts to damage Kaspersky is likely a sign that Kaspersky
products continue to be a hard-target that the NSA and GCHQ find difficult to breach.
To justify the campaign against Kaspersky, which began in May, U.S. officials recently
started to provide a series of cover stories. A diligent reading of these stories reveals
inconsistencies and a lack of logic. On October 5 the Wall Street Journal reported: Russian
Hackers Stole NSA Data on U.S. Cyber Defense :
Hackers working for the Russian government stole details of how the U.S. penetrates foreign
computer networks and defends against cyberattacks after a National Security Agency
contractor removed the highly classified material and put it on his home computer, according
to multiple people with knowledge of the matter.
The hackers appear to have targeted the contractor after identifying the files through the
contractor's use of a popular antivirus software made by Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, these
people said.
A NSA employee copied code of top-secret NSA spy tools and put it on his private computer.
("It's just that he was trying to complete the mission, and he needed the tools to do it." said
'one person familiar with the case'
to WaPo.)
The Kaspersky anti-virus software, which the NSA employee had installed, identified parts of
these tools as malware and uploaded them for analysis to the Kapersky's central detection
database. The Kaspersky software behaved exactly as it should . Any
other anti-virus software behaves similar if it detects a possibly new virus.
The "multiple people with knowledge of the matter" talking to the WSJ seem to allege that
this was a "Russian hacker" breach of NSA code. But nothing was hacked. If the story is
correct, the Kaspersky tool was legally installed and worked as it should. The only person in
the tale who did something illegal was the NSA employee. The case also demonstrates that the
NSA continues to have a massive insider security problem. There is no hint in the story to any
evidence for its core claim of "Russian hackers".
The incident occurred in 2015 but wasn't discovered until spring of last year , said the
people familiar with the matter."
The stolen material included details about how the NSA penetrates foreign computer
networks, the computer code it uses for such spying and how it defends networks inside the
U.S., these people said.
If the last sentence is true the employee must have had top access to multiple NSA
programs.
It was a case of spies watching spies watching spies: Israeli intelligence officers looked on
in real time as Russian government hackers searched computers around the world for the code
names of American intelligence programs.
What gave the Russian hacking, detected more than two years ago , such global reach was
its improvised search tool -- antivirus software made by a Russian company, Kaspersky Lab,
...
The Israeli officials who had hacked into Kaspersky's own network alerted the United
States to the broad Russian intrusion, which has not been previously reported, leading to a
decision just last month to order Kaspersky software removed from government computers.
The Russian operation, described by multiple people who have been briefed on the matter,
is known to have stolen classified documents from a National Security Agency employee who had
improperly stored them on his home computer.
The Washington Post
version of the story is remarkable different. Unlike the NYT it does not claim any Russian
government involvement in Kaspersky systems:
In 2015, Israeli government hackers saw something suspicious in the computers of a
Moscow-based cybersecurity firm : hacking tools that could only have come from the National
Security Agency.
Israel notified the NSA, where alarmed officials immediately began a hunt for the breach,
according to people familiar with the matter, who said an investigation by the agency
revealed that the tools were in the possession of the Russian government
Israeli spies had found the hacking material on the network of Kaspersky Lab ...
While the NYT asserts that the Russian government had access to the Kaspersky systems, the
Washington Post does not assert that at all.
The NYT claims that the Israelis alerted the NSA of Russian government knowledge of its
tools while WaPo says that it was the NSA itself that found this out. That Israel alerts the
NSA when it has its hands on a valuable source that reveals NSA tools is not believable. There
is no love lost between Israeli and U.S. spy agencies. They spy on eachother whenever
they can with even
deadly consequences .
The NYT story is based on "current and former government officials", not on the usual " U.S.
officials". It might well be that Israeli spies are spinning the NYT tale.
We already knew that the Israeli government had in 2015 breached some Kaspersky systems.
Kaspersky Lab itself alarmed the public about it and provided an extensive forensic
report.
There are several important questions that the above quote stories do not ask:
If the Israelis detected NSA malware in the hand of the Russian government "more than two
years ago" (NYT) how come that the NSA hole was only found in 2016 (WSJ)? Did the Israelis use
their claimed knowledge for a year without alarming their "allies" at the NSA? Why?
And why would the detection of alleged Russian government intrusion into Kaspersky products
lead to a ban of these products only in fall 2017?
If the story were true the NSA should have reacted immediately. All Kaspersky products
should have been banned from U.S. government systems as soon as the problem was known. The NSA
allowed the Russian government, for more than a year, to sniff through all systems of the more
than two dozen American government agencies (including the military) which use the Kaspersky
products? That does not make sense.
These recently provided stories stink. There is no evidence provided for the assertions
therein. They make the false claim that the NSA employees computer was "hacked". Their
timelines make no sense. If not complete fantasies they are likely to be heavily spun to
achieve a specific goal: to justify the banning of Kaspersky products from U.S. markets.
I regard these stories as part of "blame Russia" campaign that is used by the
military-industrial complex to justify new defense spending. They may also be useful in
removing a good security product that the NSA failed to breach from the "western" markets.
Computers are dirt cheap these days. My first Mac cost me $3000 and the first clone PC I
built cost me $1500. Today, I can buy a super-duper-anti-pooper PC device for $500. Hell
folks, that is cheaper than an Iphone...
Use one computer for your critical work that has no internet connection, or use an old PC
that has no network card. The OS may be uncool by today's standards, but the dang business
software has hardly changed - just gotten more bloated with features.
Have one computer for exposure to wild viruses and all that crap, and another you can rely
on. Move files one-way using cheap, new memory sticks.
My old PC runs the last version of Windows NT - and never crashes or locks up. It uses MS
Office from that period, and the files are still readable by newer products.
My outward looking computer is either a Mac or a Linux box. I only transfer sensitive
files one-way - from isolated to unisolated. Periodically, I toss the hard drive and pop in a
new one. My 'sensitive' stuff is miniscule, as I don't work in the military or spook world.
It's patent stuff.
And run Kaspersky - it works and the other's don't. Unless you are working on sensitive
government crap, do you really even care if Russians can fish a few of your files? Do most
people have PLC devices hung off their computers that stuxnet things can access?
If you have Alexa and other IoT crap - get rid of it because they are gadgets that have
more downside than upside. Do you TRULY need a talking fridge? A washer you can turn on with
your phone? A talking link to Google?
I don't care if the alphabet guys get my files - because they aren't of use to them. Most
of the guys working at the alphabet agencies are spending their time on porno anyway or
looking for blackmail files and images - which is why they can't seem to ever do anything
useful except maybe foul a keyboard irretrievably.
It's hilarious to me that so much effort is put into all this when the old school ways of
passing notes and talking are such simple workarounds, IF you are truly wanting privacy and
fear for your precious files.
Isn't it to little to late for a payback, since it's been 5+ years since Kaspersky Labs
discovered and
revealed who is behind Stuxnet and Flame? Nah, this one smells more of a good
ole-fashioned fascist market protectionism where you simply ban "those vile Russians" from a
large portion of the market. Of course, all in context of the Empire's ongoing Blame
Russia! campaign.
Linux doesn't have many viruses - instead it has all manner of extremely dangerous 0-day bugs
that can be exploited, plus a multitude of open source library vulnerabilities and channel
attacks.
I was at a presentation by Paul Vixie - one of the 2 people who first proclaimed open source
as the best way to product good and secure products 10 years ago. He's Internet Hall of Fame,
ICANN Security Board, etc.
He no longer believes that for this reason: 10 years ago, there were 50 million lines of open
source code, and you could rely that it was reviewed regularly and reasonably widely.
Today there are 50 billion lines of open source code, and the majority is never reviewed by
anybody.
If you really want to go secure: don't use email. Don't use the internet. Just use your
computer with no outside connection. Of course, you can't read Moon of Alabama, either - a
fantastic way to nail all you paranoid types would be to watering hole attack this site.
As for the story: it is believable that one or more spy agencies hacked into Kaspersky's
systems.
What again is not being said is whether Kaspersky was actively participating or abetting this
activity.
While banning Kaspersky from US government and military isn't completely nonsensical, the
reality is that *all* AV and other type of security products - any ones which auto update
include FireEye, Palo Alto, Symantec, Microsoft and so forth all have the same vulnerability:
The ability to access all data on a computer is an inherent ability to spy.
Meanwhile its a well reported established fact that american virus/antimalware corps have
allowed the FBI and other agencies to compromize their software with silent signatures - as
with Magic
Lantern for example (and imagine how far its gone since then)
With such subservience by the corporations anything is possible with whats been buried in
these closed source systems.
I'm pretty sure the US establishment never accuses anyone of something if they aren't
already themselves doing the same in the extreme.
What you say may be correct in the most part. However, is it better to run an OS where
there is a possibility of someone reviewing the code to improve it or run an OS where the
vulnerabilities are intentionally left in the OS at the behest of the three-lettered agencies
? Only one choice gives the possibility of security even if it is remote.
The greater problem is the lack of maturity in so much of the software on Linux.
@Steve #11
I guess you didn't read far enough into Vixie's comment: No one is reviewing the code - there
is just too much.
Apache is an enormously widely used Linux platform with presumably an optimal reviewer
population - it has millions of installs worldwide and is used from huge corporations to
individuals, yet the Struts bug was also enormous (allows someone to remotely run code on any
Apache server via a command line in a browser).
From my view as a security professional: I'd rather have a platform where there are
thousands to tens of thousands of people actively trying to improve its security as opposed
to one where there might be a few hundred.
The reality is that iOS, for example, is far more secure than Android.
iOS is not open source, Android is.
But the relative security has nothing to do with open sourcedness - it has to do with the
architects of iOS continuously adding capabilities to make it more secure. iOS was the first
widespread OS to use signed firmware updates - which is why jailbreaking an iPhone is so much
harder than it used to be.
Despite that, there are still vulns which the 3 letter agencies likely know about and
use.
That doesn't change the overall fact that iOS is more secure than Android and will be for
the foreseeable future, because Android simply doesn't do all the things iOS can (and does)
do.
If your concern is 3 letter agencies, then you need to create your own OS.
If your concern is overall security except for the 3 letter agencies, open source is *not*
the way.
And lest you think I'm an Apple fanboi - I am not. I don't use iOS/iPhone/OSX or any of
the Apple products for reasons outside of security. It doesn't mean I do not recognize the
reality, however.
Well sure if the NSA or some super-hacker specifically targets your machine, you will get
owned (unless you invest in some kind of cyber Fort Knox, and are very lucky as well). These
people who rant that Linus is "unsafe" are 100% full of it. In the end NOTHING is "safe". But
Linux has astonishing advantages! Pay no heed to those naysayers!
I could write a book about how colossally dreadful Microsoft Windows is.
The BSD systems were clunky as hell so far.
So that leaves Linux. Big Problem: 98% of the Linuxes out there have been coerced into
adopting "systemd" (yikes!). This is an allegedly open source (so it might be "audited" for
trap doors and such) giant blob of 500,000+ lines of code (!) that has sneakily been
infiltrated into 98% of the Linux distributions (distros) by the Red Hat Corporation and
their NSA buddies. Obviously no one is ever going to "audit" it!
This Windows-like monster
infests all of the Ubuntu and Linux Mint brand distros. The real question becomes "how many
teams are you going to trust?"
Presumably the easiest distro to install and use "designed for home computer users" is
Devuan based, systemd-free "Refracta Linux": https://sourceforge.net/projects/refracta/files/isohybrid/
(I suggest ONLY the "refracta8.3_xfce_amd64-20170305_0250.iso" version for modern
machines.)
You can "unlock" the upper panel, and move it to the bottom with the mouse.
You have to launch Konqueror five seconds before Firefox or it will crash :(
My very best alternative is the systemd-free "Void Linux": https://repo.voidlinux.eu/live/current/
(I suggest ONLY the "void-live-x86_64-20171007-xfce.iso" version for most modern
machines.)
I think Void Linux is just as nice as Refracta Linux, and they have different available
programs (but they can work together) but it requires a bit more Linux chops to install. I
needed to get the "live DVD file" GParted, which is a free partition editor DVD that you can
burn yourself for free: http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Administration/GParted-3725.shtml
I had to create a "MS-DOS"-style primary ext4 partition (could be between 80 to 200 GiB)
with "boot" flag set, and a 20 GiB "Linux swap partition" with GParted before the install
(may have to fiddle with the "BIOS" first). Then insert the Void DVD, open the "command
window" and type "void-install". At some point the options look hopeless, but continue, and
when it starts to repeat go back and back and continue on to completion. It's a BEAUTIFUL
system! Have TWO passwords ready to use before starting (any Linux install) -- they might be
of the form: "hermitcabbagetorus
I would get a book(s) about Linux. Maybe "Linux Cookbook" from Alibris. This will all
prove to be VERY MUCH WORTH THE THE TROUBLE as time goes on!
In the network security world there is this concept of a honeypot where you entice/allow the
world to attack/invade your honeypot so you can study the tools they use and insure the trail
back to them is useful.
If I were a security vendor I would set up a honeypot that looked like my business as
simply one of many best practices. It is a great way to learn what others are doing while
honing your skills at staying secure and invisible to potential perps.
If I had to wade into the "which OS is more secure" discussion I would just note that,
IMO, in the long run open source is going to win the war world wide for most stuff but there
will always be room for proprietary OS's and application software.
What a great waste of taxpayers dollars. After Stuxnet any government that cares about
secrecy does not use open, connected to internet networks for sensitive information. Some switched
to typewriters, at least for highly sensitive operations, which is probably overkill. but good,
old DOS can still be used to above NSA spook pretty much like typewriter; and communication
via parallel port is not that easy to hack; UUCP is also pretty much available for serial port
communication ;-)
But the effect on undermining the US software and hardware sales is overwhelming. Why
anybody in foreign government would buy the US hardware or software, when it is clear that NSA can
put a backdoor into both "before arrival". In this sense the game is over and net beneficiary
might be Taiwanese and other East Asia firms as China is suspect too.
To say nothing about the effects of the US consumers and business when those tools are
incorporated by criminal hacking groups into commercial malware. And this is a real dnager
of NSA activities. Boomerang tends to return. And the security culture in most US
companies (including government security contractors) is simply rudimentary or non existent. In no
way they can withstand the attack of NSA tools. The sordid take of Hillary shadow IT and "bathroom
server" is actually not an exception. Creation of "Shadow IT" is pretty common in fossilized
and over-bureaucratized US enterprise It world.
Moreover operations like "Its operations that violate sovereignty of other nations, like
digging
into China's networks , developing
the tools British spies used to break into Belgium's largest telecom, and hacking
sections of the Mexican government " are clearly criminal, and are possible only due
to the status of the USA as a sole of superpower. But they can result is some shipment of arms to
anti-USA factions as a state-to-state retaliation. Moreover "There is no honor among
thieves" and sharing of this information should be assumed is always larger then
intended.
Like drone strikes they inflame anti-Americanism and has constrained U.S. foreign policy
options in ways that civilian and military planners neither imagined nor anticipated.
Last week, multiple outlets reported that the NSA's elite Tailored Access Operations unit --
tasked with breaking into foreign networks -- suffered another serious data breach. The theft
of computer code and other material by an employee in 2015 allowed the Russian government to
more easily detect U.S. cyber operations, according to the Washington Post. It's potentially
the fourth large scale incident at the NSA to be revealed in the last five years.
Now, multiple sources with direct knowledge of TAO's security procedures in the recent past
tell The Daily Beast just how porous some of the defenses were to keep workers from stealing
sensitive information -- either digitally or by simply walking out of the front door with
it.
One source described removing data from a TAO facility as "child's play." The Daily Beast
granted the sources anonymity to talk candidly about the NSA's security practices.
TAO is not your average band of hackers. Its operations have included digging
into China's networks , developing
the tools British spies used to break into Belgium's largest telecom, and hacking
sections of the Mexican government . While other parts of the NSA may focus on tapping
undersea cables or prying data from Silicon Valley giants, TAO is the tip of the NSA's
offensive hacking spear, and could have access to much more sensitive information ripped from
adversaries' closed networks. The unit deploys and creates sophisticated exploits that rely on
vulnerabilities in routers, operating systems, and computer hardware the general population
uses -- the sort of tools that could wreak havoc if they fell into the wrong hands.
That doesn't mean those tools are locked down, though. "TAO specifically had a huge amount
of latitude to move data between networks," the first source, who worked at the unit after
Edward Snowden's mega-leak, said. The former employee said TAO limited the number of USB drives
-- which could be used to steal data -- after that 2013 breach, but he still had used several
while working at TAO.
"Most operators knew how they could get anything they wanted out of the classified nets and
onto the internet if they wanted to, even without the USB drives," the former TAO employee
said.
A second source, who also worked at TAO, told The Daily Beast, "most of the security was
your co-workers checking to see that you had your badge on you at all times."
The NSA -- and recently TAO in particular -- have suffered a series of catastrophic data
breaches. On top of the Snowden incident and this newly-scrutinized 2015 breach, NSA contractor
Hal Martin allegedly hoarded a trove of computer code and documents from the NSA and other
agencies in the U.S. Intelligence Community. Martin worked with TAO, and he ended up storing
the material in his car and residence, according to prosecutors. Like Snowden, Martin was a
contractor and not an employee of the NSA, as was Reality Winner, who allegedly leaked a
top-secret report about Russian interference in the U.S. election to news site The
Intercept.
Then there's the incident now in the news. Israeli operatives broke into the systems of the
Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, officials told The Washington Post. On those systems
were samples of sophisticated NSA hacking tools; a TAO employee had brought them home and
placed them on his home computer. That machine was running Kasperky software, which allegedly
sent the NSA tools back to Moscow.
It's not totally clear how the breach overlaps with any others, but in 2016,
a group called The Shadow Brokers started publishing full NSA exploit and tool code.
Various hackers went on to incorporate a number of the dumped exploits in their own campaigns,
including some designed to break into computers and mine digital currency, as well as the
WannaCry ransomware, which crippled tens of thousands of computers around the world. (A handful
of other, smaller NSA-related disclosures, including a catalogue of TAO hacking gear from 2007
and 2008, as well as intelligence intercepts, were not attributed to the Snowden documents, and
the public details around where that information came from are muddy.)
Although not a data breach per se, in 2015 Kaspersky publicly revealed details on the
history and tools of the so-called Equation Group, which is widely believed to be part of the
NSA. A third source, who worked directly with TAO, said the fallout from that exposure meant
the hacking unit entered a "significant shutdown," and "ran on minimum ops for months."
Nevertheless, a report by the Defense Department's inspector general completed in 2016 found
that the NSA's "Secure the Net" project -- which aimed to restrict access to its most sensitive
data after the Snowden breach -- fell short of its stated aims. The NSA did introduce some
improvements, but it didn't effectively reduce the number of user accounts with 'privileged'
access, which provide more avenues into sensitive data than normal users, nor fully implement
technology to oversee these accounts' activities, the report reads.
Physical security wasn't much better, at least at one TAO operator's facility. He told The
Daily Beast that there were "no bag checks or anything" as employees and contractors left work
for the day -- meaning, it was easy smuggle things home. Metal detectors were present,
including before Snowden, but "nobody cared what came out," the second source added. The third
source, who visited TAO facilities, said bag checks were random and weak.
"If you have a thumb drive in your pocket, it's going to get out," they said.
Unsurprisingly, workers need to swipe keycards to access certain rooms. But, "in most cases,
it's pretty easy to get into those rooms without swipe access if you just knock and say who
you're trying to see," the third source added.
To be clear, The Daily Beast's sources described the state of security up to 2015 -- not
today. Things may have improved since then. And, of course, the NSA and TAO do of course have
an array of security protections in place. TAO operators are screened and people on campus are
already going to have a high level clearance, some of the sources stressed. The part of the NSA
network that TAO uses, and which contains the unit's tools, can only be accessed by those with
a designated account, according to the source who worked with TAO. Two of the sources believed
in the NSA's ability to track down where a file came from after a breach.
Indeed, the system TAO members use to download their hacking tools for operations has become
more heavily audited over the years too, although the network did have a known security issue,
in which users could make their own account and automatically gain access to additional
information, the source who worked with TAO said.
"The NSA operates in one of the most complicated IT environments in the world," an NSA
spokesperson told The Daily Beast in a statement. "Over the past several years, we have
continued to build on internal security improvements while carrying out the mission to defend
the nation and our allies."
"We do not rely on only one initiative. Instead, we have undertaken a comprehensive and
layered set of defensive measures to further safeguard operations and advance best practices,"
the spokesperson added.
The problem of securing this data from the inside is not an easy one to solve. If the NSA
was to lock down TAO systems more ferociously, that could hamper TAO's ability to effectively
build tools and capabilities in the first place, and two of the sources emphasised that
excessive searches would likely create a recruiting problem for the agency. "It's not prison,"
one of the former TAO employees said.
"The security is all predicated on you having a clearance and being trusted," the source who
has worked with TAO said.
"The system is just not setup to protect against someone with a clearance who is determined
to go rogue," they added.
"... "Israeli intelligence has developed a predictive policing system – a computer algorithm – that analyzes social media posts to identify Palestinian "suspects." " ..."
How to fix it? I don't know – maybe the internet . . . that is also a big IF
– since there is so much on the internet which is just trash and lacks any sort of
serious vetting.
The Israeli algorithm criminalizing Palestinians for online dissent Oct 4 2017
"Israeli intelligence has developed a predictive policing system – a computer
algorithm – that analyzes social media posts to identify Palestinian "suspects."
"
The intelligence division
at the Treasury
Department has repeatedly and systematically violated domestic surveillance laws by
snooping on the private financial records of US citizens and companies, according to
government sources.
Over the past year, at least a dozen employees in another
branch of the Treasury Department, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, have
warned officials and Congress that US citizens' and residents' banking and financial
data has been illegally searched and stored. And the breach, some sources said,
extended to other intelligence agencies, such as the National Security Agency, whose
officers used the Treasury's intelligence division as an illegal back door to gain
access to American citizens' financial records. The NSA said that any allegations
that it "is operating outside of its authorities and knowingly violating U.S.
persons' privacy and civil liberties is categorically false."
In response to detailed questions, the Treasury Department at first issued a
one-sentence reply stating that its various branches "operate in a manner consistent
with applicable legal authorities." Several hours after this story published, the
department issued a more forceful
denial
: "The BuzzFeed story is flat out wrong. An unsourced suggestion that an
office within Treasury is engaged in illegal spying on Americans is unfounded and
completely off-base." It added that "OIA and FinCEN share important information and
operate within the bounds of statute."
Still, the Treasury Department's Office of the Inspector General said it has
launched a review of the issue. Rich Delmar, a lawyer in that office, offered no
further comment.
But a senior Treasury official, who is not authorized to speak on the matter so
requested anonymity, did not mince words: "This is domestic spying."
Sources said the spying had been going on under President Barack Obama, but the
Donald Trump appointees who now control how the department conducts intelligence
operations are Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Under Secretary for Terrorism
and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker.
At issue is the collection and dissemination of information from a vast database
of mostly US citizens' banking and financial records that banks turn over to the
government each day. Banks and other financial institutions are required, under the
Bank Secrecy Act
of 1970, to report suspicious transactions and cash transactions over $10,000. The
database is maintained by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or
FinCEN
, a bank regulator charged with
combatting money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes. Under
the law, it has unfettered powers to peruse and retain the data.
In contrast to FinCEN, Treasury's intelligence division, known as the Office of
Intelligence and Analysis, or OIA, is charged with monitoring suspicious financial
activity that occurs outside the US. Under a seminal Reagan-era executive order, a
line runs through the Treasury Department and all other federal agencies separating
law enforcement, which targets domestic crimes, from intelligence agencies, which
focus on foreign threats and can surveil US citizens only in limited ways and by
following stringent guidelines.
FinCEN officials have accused their counterparts at OIA, an intelligence unit, of
violating this separation by illegally collecting and retaining domestic financial
information from the banking database. Some sources have also charged that OIA
analysts have, in a further legal breach, been calling up financial institutions to
make inquiries about individual bank accounts and transactions involving US citizens.
Sources said the banks have complied with the requests because they are under the
impression they are giving the information to FinCEN, which they are required to do.
One source recalled an instance from 2016 in which OIA personnel, inserting
themselves into a domestic money-laundering case, sought information from a Delaware
financial institution. In other cases, according to a second source, FinCEN gave OIA
reports with the names of US citizens and companies blacked out. OIA obtained those
names by calling the banks, then used those names to search the banking database for
more information on those American citizens and firms.
"This is such an invasion of privacy." -- Treasury Department official
Sources also claimed that OIA has opened a back door to officers from other
intelligence agencies throughout the government, including the the CIA and the
Defense Intelligence Agency. Officials from those agencies have been coming to work
at OIA for short periods of time, sometimes for as little as a week, and thereby
getting unrestricted access to information on US citizens that they otherwise could
not collect without strict oversight.
"This is such an invasion of privacy," said another Treasury Department official,
who, lacking authorization to speak on the matter, asked not to be named. This person
predicted that banks "would lose their minds" if they knew that their customers'
records were being used by government intelligence officers who did not have the
legal authority to do so.
The Defense Intelligence Agency did not respond to a request for comment. CIA
spokesman Dean Boyd said, "Suggestions that the Agency may be improperly collecting
and retaining US persons data through the mechanisms you described are completely
inaccurate."
Sources claimed the unauthorized inspection and possession of Americans' financial
data have been going on for years but only became controversial in 2016, when
officials at FinCEN learned about it and began objecting. Early last year, Treasury's
Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, which oversees OIA, proposed
transferring much of FinCEN's work to OIA.
In a bureaucratic turf war, FinCEN officials objected to the proposal, which would
have shifted numerous employees and a portion of FinCEN's budget to OIA. They
said
the move was illegal without prior approval from Congress.
For some of President Trump's staunchest allies, reports that former campaign chairman Paul
Manafort was under U.S. surveillance are nothing short of vindication of the president's
widely-dismissed claims that former President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.
... ... ...
Longtime advisor Roger Stone has gleefully circulated a segment from Tucker Carlson's show
on Fox News in which the host says "all those patronizing assurances that nobody is spying on
political campaigns were false" and "it looks like Trump's tweet may have been right."
... ... ...
A spokesperson for Manafort, Jason Maloni, has characterized the court orders as an abuse of
power by the Obama administration, which he says wanted to spy on a political
opponent.
"It's unclear if Paul Manafort was the objective," Maloni told The Journal.
"Perhaps the real objective was Donald Trump."
Surveillance experts are skeptical of that suggestion. For one thing, it is illegal for
investigators to "reverse target" a U.S. person by spying on a person with whom they know their
true target to be in communication.
If the president were in fact the oblique target of government surveillance - either as a
candidate or as the president-elect - both Eddington and Shedd say, it would have been so
explosive that it would have almost certainly been leaked to the press.
... ... ...
The disclosure of the warrants targeting Manafort have drawn legitimate
scrutiny as a violation of Manafort's civil liberties and a possible criminal leak - the mere
existence of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, warrant is classified.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who first raised alarm about
the practice of "unmasking" the names of Americans caught up in government surveillance, is
currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for allegedly exposing classified
information when he disclosed his findings to reporters.
"... In addition to funding Bellingcat and joint ventures with the CIA, Brin's Google is heavily invested in Crowdstrike, an American cybersecurity technology firm based in Irvine, California. ..."
"... Crowdstrike is the main "source" of the "Russians hacked the DNC" story. ..."
"... Allegations of Russian perfidy are routinely issued by private companies with lucrative US Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. The companies claiming to protect the nation against "threats" have the ability to manufacture "threats". ..."
"... US offensive cyber operations have emphasized political coercion and opinion shaping, shifting public perception in NATO countries as well as globally in ways favorable to the US, and to create a sense of unease and distrust among perceived adversaries such as Russia and China. ..."
"... The Snowden revelations made it clear that US offensive cyber capabilities can and have been directed both domestically and internationally. The notion that US and NATO cyber operations are purely defensive is a myth. ..."
"... The perception that a foreign attacker may have infiltrated US networks, is monitoring communications, and perhaps considering even more damaging actions, can have a disorienting effect. ..."
"... In the world of US "hybrid warfare" against Russia, offensive cyber operations work in tandem with NATO propaganda efforts, perhaps best exemplified by the "online investigation" antics of the Atlantic Council's Eliot Higgins and his Bellingcat disinformation site. ..."
There is no reason to assume that the trollish rants of "Voytenko" are from some outraged flag-waving
"patriot" in Kiev. There are plenty of other "useful idiots" ready, willing and able to make mischief.
For example, about a million Jews emigrated to Israel ("made Aliyah") from the post-Soviet
states during the 1990s. Some 266,300 were Ukrainian Jews. A large number of Ukrainian Jews also
emigrated to the United States during this period. For example, out of an estimated 400 thousand
Russian-speaking Jews in Metro New York, the largest number (thirty-six percent) hail from Ukraine.
Needless to say, many among them are not so well disposed toward the nations of Russia or Ukraine,
and quite capable of all manner of mischief.
A particularly "useful idiot" making mischief the days is Sergey Brin of Google. Brin's parents
were graduates of Moscow State University who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1979 when their
son was five years old.
Google, the company that runs the most visited website in the world, the company that owns
YouTube, is very snugly in bed with the US military-industrial-surveillance complex.
In fact, Google was seed funded by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA). The company now enjoys lavish "partnerships" with military contractors like SAIC,
Northrop Grumman and Blackbird.
Google's mission statement from the outset was "to organize the world's information and make
it universally accessible and useful".
In a 2004 letter prior to their initial public offering, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey
Brin explained their "Don't be evil" culture required objectivity and an absence of bias: "We
believe it is important for everyone to have access to the best information and research, not
only to the information people pay for you to see."
The corporate giant appears to have replaced the original motto altogether. A carefully reworded
version appears in the Google Code of Conduct: "You can make money without doing evil".
This new gospel allows Google and its "partners" to make money promoting propaganda and engaging
in surveillance, and somehow manage to not "be evil". That's "post-truth" logic for you.
Indeed, a very cozy cross-promotion is happening between Google and Bellingcat.
In November 2014, Google Ideas and Google For Media, partnered the George Soros-funded Organised
Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) to host an "Investigathon" in New York City. Google
Ideas promoted Higgins' "War and Pieces: Social Media Investigations" song and dance via their
YouTube page.
Higgins constantly insists that Bellingcat "findings" are "reaffirmed" by accessing imagery
in Google Earth.
Google Earth, originally called EarthViewer 3D, was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) funded company acquired by Google in 2004. Google Earth uses satellite images provided
by the company Digital Globe, a supplier of the US Department of Defense (DoD) with deep connections
to both the military and intelligence communities.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is both a combat support agency under the
United States Department of Defense, and an intelligence agency of the United States Intelligence
Community. Robert T. Cardillo, director of the NGA, lavishly praised Digital Globe as "a true
mission partner in every sense of the word". Examination of the Board of Directors of Digital
Globe reveals intimate connections to DoD and CIA.
Google has quite the history of malicious behavior. In what became known as the "Wi-Spy" scandal,
it was revealed that Google had been collecting hundreds of gigabytes of payload data, including
personal and sensitive information. First names, email addresses, physical addresses, and a conversation
between two married individuals planning an extra-marital affair were all cited by the FCC. In
a 2012 settlement, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Google will pay $22.5 million for
overriding privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser. Though it was the largest civil penalty
the Federal Trade Commission had ever imposed for violating one of its orders, the penalty as
little more than symbolic for a company that had $2.8 billion in earnings the previous quarter.
Google is a joint venture partner with the CIA. In 2009, Google Ventures and In-Q-Tel invested
"under $10 million each" into Recorded Future shortly after the company was founded. The company
developed technology that strips information from web pages, blogs, and Twitter accounts.
In addition to funding Bellingcat and joint ventures with the CIA, Brin's Google is heavily
invested in Crowdstrike, an American cybersecurity technology firm based in Irvine, California.
Crowdstrike is the main "source" of the "Russians hacked the DNC" story.
Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and chief technology officer of CrowdStrike, is a Senior Fellow
at the Atlantic Council "regime change" think tank. Alperovitz said that Crowdstrike has "high
confidence" it was "Russian hackers". "But we don't have hard evidence," Alperovitch admitted
in a June 16, 2016 Washington Post interview.
Allegations of Russian perfidy are routinely issued by private companies with lucrative
US Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. The companies claiming to protect the nation against
"threats" have the ability to manufacture "threats".
The US and UK possess elite cyber capabilities for both cyberspace espionage and offensive
operations.
Both the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the British Government Communications Headquarters
(GCHQ) are intelligence agencies with a long history of supporting military operations. US military
cyber operations are the responsibility of US Cyber Command, whose commander is also the head
of the NSA.
US offensive cyber operations have emphasized political coercion and opinion shaping, shifting
public perception in NATO countries as well as globally in ways favorable to the US, and to create
a sense of unease and distrust among perceived adversaries such as Russia and China.
The Snowden revelations made it clear that US offensive cyber capabilities can and have
been directed both domestically and internationally. The notion that US and NATO cyber operations
are purely defensive is a myth.
Recent US domestic cyber operations have been used for coercive effect, creating uncertainty
and concern within the American government and population.
The perception that a foreign attacker may have infiltrated US networks, is monitoring
communications, and perhaps considering even more damaging actions, can have a disorienting effect.
In the world of US "hybrid warfare" against Russia, offensive cyber operations work in
tandem with NATO propaganda efforts, perhaps best exemplified by the "online investigation" antics
of the Atlantic Council's Eliot Higgins and his Bellingcat disinformation site.
Abe , September 16, 2017 at 1:58 pm
Higgins and Bellingcat receives direct funding from the Open Society Foundations (OSF) founded
by business magnate George Soros, and from Google's Digital News Initiatives (DNI).
Google's 2017 DNI Fund Annual Report describes Higgins as "a world–leading expert in news verification".
In their zeal to propagate the story of Higgins as a courageous former "unemployed man" now
busy independently "Codifying social conflict data", Google neglects to mention Higgins' role
as a "research fellow" for the NATO-funded Atlantic Council "regime change" think tank.
Despite their claims of "independent journalism", Eliot Higgins and the team of disinformation
operatives at Bellingcat depend on the Atlantic Council to promote their "online investigations".
The Atlantic Council donors list includes:
– US government and military entities: US State Department, US Air Force, US Army, US Marines.
– The NATO military alliance
– Large corporations and major military contractors: Chevron, Google, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon,
BP, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Northrup Grumman, SAIC, ConocoPhillips, and Dow Chemical
– Foreign governments: United Arab Emirates (UAE; which gives the think tank at least $1 million),
Kingdom of Bahrain, City of London, Ministry of Defense of Finland, Embassy of Latvia, Estonian
Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Defense of Georgia
– Other think tanks and think tankers: Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),
Nicolas Veron of Bruegel (formerly at PIIE), Anne-Marie Slaughter (head of New America Foundation),
Michele Flournoy (head of Center for a New American Security), Center for Middle East Policy at
Brookings Institution.
Higgins is a Research Associate of the Department of War Studies at King's College, and was
principal co-author of the Atlantic Council "reports" on Ukraine and Syria.
Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President of Programs and Strategy at the Atlantic Council, a
co-author with Higgins of the report, effusively praised Higgins' effort to bolster anti-Russian
propaganda:
Wilson stated, "We make this case using only open source, all unclassified material. And none
of it provided by government sources. And it's thanks to works, the work that's been pioneered
by human rights defenders and our partner Eliot Higgins, uh, we've been able to use social media
forensics and geolocation to back this up." (see Atlantic Council video presentation minutes 35:10-36:30)
However, the Atlantic Council claim that "none" of Higgins' material was provided by government
sources is an obvious lie.
Higgins' primary "pieces of evidence" are a video depicting a Buk missile launcher and a set
of geolocation coordinates that were supplied by the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) and the
Ukrainian Ministry of Interior via the Facebook page of senior-level Ukrainian government official
Arsen Avakov, the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Higgins and the Atlantic Council are working in support of the Pentagon and Western intelligence's
"hybrid war" against Russia.
The laudatory bio of Higgins on the Kings College website specifically acknowledges his service
to the Atlantic Council:
"an award winning investigative journalist and publishes the work of an international alliance
of fellow investigators using freely available online information. He has helped inaugurate open-source
and social media investigations by trawling through vast amounts of data uploaded constantly on
to the web and social media sites. His inquiries have revealed extraordinary findings, including
linking the Buk used to down flight MH17 to Russia, uncovering details about the August 21st 2013
Sarin attacks in Damascus, and evidencing the involvement of the Russian military in the Ukrainian
conflict. Recently he has worked with the Atlantic Council on the report "Hiding in Plain Sight",
which used open source information to detail Russia's military involvement in the crisis in Ukraine."
While it honors Higgins' enthusiastic "trawling", King's College curiously neglects to mention
that Higgins' "findings" on the Syian sarin attacks were thoroughly debunked.
King's College also curiously neglects to mention the fact that Higgins, now listed as a Senior
Fellow at the Atlantic Council's "Future Europe Initiative", was principal co-author of the April
2016 Atlantic Council "report" on Syria.
The report's other key author was John E. Herbst, United States Ambassador to Ukraine from
September 2003 to May 2006 (the period that became known as the Orange Revolution) and Director
of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center.
Other report authors include Frederic C. Hof, who served as Special Adviser on Syrian political
transition to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012. Hof was previously the Special Coordinator
for Regional Affairs in the US Department of State's Office of the Special Envoy for Middle East
Peace, where he advised Special Envoy George Mitchel. Hof had been a Resident Senior Fellow in
the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East since November 2012, and assumed
the position as Director in May 2016.
There is no daylight between the "online investigations" of Higgins and Bellingcat and the
"regime change" efforts of the NATO-backed Atlantic Council.
Thanks to the Atlantic Council, Soros, and Google, it's a pretty well-funded gig for fake "citizen
investigative journalist" Higgins.
"... add Bush. Glenn Greenwald on John Brennan . It is interesting that the empire sues the little people. ..."
"... "It is a perfect illustration of the Obama legacy that a person who was untouchable as CIA chief in 2008 because of his support for Bush's most radical policies is not only Obama's choice for the same position now, but will encounter very little resistance. Within this change one finds one of the most significant aspects of the Obama presidency: his conversion of what were once highly contentious right-wing policies into harmonious dogma of the DC bipartisan consensus. Then again, given how the CIA operates, one could fairly argue that Brennan's eagerness to deceive and his long record of supporting radical and unaccountable powers make him the perfect person to run that agency. It seems clear that this is Obama's calculus." ..."
"... one more quote from your newest link to the NYT: "The job Mr. Brennan once held in Riyadh is, more than the ambassador's, the true locus of American power in the kingdom. Former diplomats recall that the most important discussions always flowed through the C.I.A. station chief." The Saudis bought the CIA. From station chief in Riyadh to Director Tenet's chief of staff to Deputy Executive Director of the CIA and finally, under Obama, to Director of the CIA. ..."
"... Best background article I've come across on how the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings were either suppressed (in the U.S. client oil monarchies like Bahrain) or hijacked for regime change purposes (as in Libya and Syria): http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion... how-the-arab-spring-was-hijacked/ (Feb 2012) ..."
"... The best explanation is that despite the effort to "woo" Assad into the Saudi-Israeli axis (c.2008-2010), Assad refused to cut economic ties with Iran, which was setting up rail lines, air traffic and oil pipeline deals with Assad on very good terms. This led Hillary Clinton, Leon Panetta, etc. to lobby Obama to support a regime change program: ..."
"... Replace "plan" with "ongoing project". The main point would be that Panetta and Clinton also belong on that "illegal arms transfer" charge sheet. Civil damages for the costs Europe, Turkey, Lebanon etc. bore due to millions of fleeing refugees should also be assessed (let alone damage in Syria, often to priceless historical treasures destroyed by ISIS). ..."
"... Then there's the previous regime and its deliberate lies about non-existent WMDs in Iraq, claims used to start a war of aggression that killed thousand of U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians - Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Woolsey, Tenet, Powell - they should have their own separate charge sheet. ..."
"... But it wasn't just anti-arms trafficking laws that were broken, was it? Wouldn't a conspiracy to use extremists as a weapon of state amount to a crime against humanity? David Stockman thinks so, but he pins the 'crime' on old, sick McCain. (see: 'Moderate Rebels' Cheerleader McCain is Fall Guy But Neocon Cancer Lives ..."
"... I classify attempts at regime change as terrorism, too, since it's essentially the waging of aggressive war via different means, which is the #1 War Crime also violating domestic law as well ..."
"... What of the US bases being established in N. Syria that were helpfully marked by the Turks? Within the context that the SF force multiplier model has varied success but hasn't worked AFAIK since the Resistance in WW2. What, short of an explicit invasion, is an option for the US+? US-hired mercenaries failed to do the job, and the US as mercenaries for the Arabs are not willing to commit. Maybe if the USIC offered up more "wives" they'd acquire more psychopathic murderers to spread the joy. ..."
"... Trump may have put Pompeo in to present the facade of housecleaning, but who here believes that there is any serious move to curtail the Syrian misadventure? Just a change in the marketing plan. ..."
"... As the Brits came out with blocking the release of 30-yr-old official records on the basis that "personal information" and "national security" would be compromised? More like the criminal activity at 10 Downing St. and the misappropriation of public money for international crime would be brought to light. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4159032/whitehall-refuses-documents-release/ ..."
"... While I do agree with some of the things Trump has done so far, I cannot agree that he makes for a good "leader" of our rapidly devolving nation. As much "good" that Trump has done, he's probably done much worse on other issues and levels. It's really pretty awful all around. ..."
"... That said, when some people say how much they "miss Obama," I want to either pound my head into a brick wall and/or throw up. The damage that Obama and his hench men/women did is incalculable. ..."
"... Not so much with "No drama Obama" the smooth talking viper that we - either unwittingly or wittingly - clutche to our collective bosom. Obama's many many many lies - all told with smooth suave assurance - along with his many sins of omission served as cover for what he was doing. Trump's buffoonery and incessant Twitting at least put his idiocies out on the stage for all to see (of course, the Republicans do use that as cover for their nefarious deeds behind Trump's doofus back). ..."
"... I likened a Trump presidency to sticking the landing of a crashing US empire. ..."
"... Remember this, The prosecution of a Swedish national accused of terrorist activities in Syria has collapsed at the Old Bailey after it became clear Britain's security and intelligence agencies would have been deeply embarrassed had a trial gone ahead, the Guardian can reveal. ..."
"... His lawyers argued that British intelligence agencies were supporting the same Syrian opposition groups as he was, and were party to a secret operation providing weapons and non-lethal help to the groups, including the Free Syrian Army. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/01/trial-swedish-man-accused-terrorism-offences-collapse-bherlin-gildo ..."
"... John McCain was neck deep in supporting Terrorists in Syria he wanted to give them manpads. ..."
"... WASHINGTON (Sputnik) -- Media reported earlier in October that Syrian rebels asked Washington for Stinger missiles to use them against Russia's military jets. "Absolutely Absolutely I would," McCain said when asked whether he would support the delivery of Stinger missiles to the opposition in Syria. ..."
"... The US were into regime change in Syria a long time ago..... Robert Ford was US Ambassador to Syria when the revolt against Syrian president Assad was launched. He not only was a chief architect of regime change in Syria, but actively worked with rebels to aid their overthrow of the Syrian government. ..."
"... Ambassador Ford talked himself blue in the face reassuring us that he was only supporting moderates in Syria. As evidence mounted that the recipients of the largesse doled out by Washington was going to jihadist groups, Ford finally admitted early last year that most of the moderates he backed were fighting alongside ISIS and al-Qaeda. ..."
"... b asked : "When will the FBI investigate Messrs Petraeus, Obama and Brennan? Duh, like never... Most here understand this, I'm sure. The wealthy and the connected puppets never face justice, for their crimes, committed in the service of their owners. ..."
"... NYT never saw a war (rather an attack by the US, NATO, Israel, UK, on any defenseless nation) that it did not support. Wiki uses the word "allegedly" in explaining the CIA and Operation Mockingbird. It just isn't feasible that a secret government agency - gone rogue - with unlimited funding and manpower could write/edit the news for six media owners with similar war-profiteering motives. ..."
"... Seymour Hersh, in his 'Victoria NULAND moment' audio, states categorically BRENNAN conceived and ran the 'Russian Hack' psyop after Seth RICH DNC leaks. ..."
Rasheed Al Jijakli,[the CEO of a check-cashing business who lives in Walnut,] along with three
co-conspirators, allegedly transported day and night vision rifle scopes, laser boresighters used
to adjust sights on firearms for accuracy when firing, flashlights, radios, a bulletproof vest,
and other tactical equipment to Syrian fighters.
...
If Jijakli is found guilty, he could face 50 years in prison . Jijakli's case is being prosecuted
by counterintelligence and Terrorism and Export Crimes Section attorneys. An FBI investigation,
in coordination with other agencies, is ongoing.
C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, recommended to President Trump that he shut down a four-year-old
effort to arm and train Syrian rebels
...
Critics in Congress had complained for years about the costs [...] and reports that some of the
C.I.A.-supplied weapons had ended up in the hands of a rebel group tied to Al Qaeda
...
In the summer of 2012, David H. Petraeus , who was then C.I.A. director, first proposed a covert
program of arming and training rebels
...
[ Mr. Obama signed] a presidential finding authorizing the C.I.A. to covertly arm and train small
groups of rebels
-...
John O. Brennan , Mr. Obama's last C.I.A. director, remained a vigorous defender of the program
...
When will the FBI investigate Messrs Petraeus, Obama and Brennan? Where are the counterintelligence
and Terrorism and Export Crimes Section attorneys prosecuting them? Those three men engaged in the
exactly same trade as Mr. Jijakil did, but on a much larger scale. They should be punished on an
equally larger scale.
*Note:
The NYT story is largely a whitewash. It claims that the CIA paid "moderate" FSA rebels stormed
Idleb governate in 2015. In fact al-Qaeda and Ahrar al Sham were leading the assault. It says
that costs of the CIA program was "more than $1 billion over the life of the program" when CIA
documents show that it was over $1 billion
per year and likely much more than $5 billion in total. The story says that the program started
in 2013 while the CIA has been providing arms to the Wahhabi rebels since at least fall 2011.
Posted by b on August 3, 2017 at 05:15 AM |
Permalink
India and Pakistan spends insane amounts of money because Pakistan arms "rebels" both countries
could use that money for many other things. Especially Pakistan which has a tenth the economy
of India. BUT Pakistan is controlled by the military or MIC so arming terrorists is more important
than such things as schools and power supplies etc. Their excuse is India is spending so much
on arms. Which India says is because in large part due to Pakistan. US says well move those 2
million troops to attack China instead. Everyone is happy except the population in those 3 countries
which lack most things except iphones. Which makes US extremely happy.
It would interesting to get to the truth about Brennan. Is he an islamist himself? Did he actually
convert to islam in Saudi Arabia? Lots of stories out there.
Has he been acting as a covert agent against his own country for years?Selling out the entire
west and every christian on the planet. Time to find this out, methinks.
Is treason in the USA
a death penalty issue?. Its certainly what he deserves.
"a four-year-old effort to arm and train Syrian rebels."
A four year effort to arm the f**kers? Doubtful it was an effort to arm them, but training
them to act in the hegemon's interests... like upholders of democracy and humanitarian... headchopping
is just too much of an attraction
"7,000 Syrian refugees and fighters return home from Lebanon"
The 'al-Qaeda linked' fighters are mostly foreigners, paid mercenaries. They have been dumped
in Idlib along with the other terrorists. In the standard reconciliation process, real Syrians
are given the option of returning home if they renounce violence and agree to a political solution.
Fake Syrians are dumped in with the foreigners. The real Syrian fighters who reconcile have to
join the SAA units to fight against ISIS etc.
ISIS fighters were encouraged to bring their families with them (for use as human shields and
to provide settlers for the captured territory). ISIS documents recovered from Mosul indicate
that unmarried foreign mercenaries fighting with them were provided with a wife (how does that
work? do the women volunteer or are they 'volunteered'?), a car and other benefits. These families
and hangers-on would probably be the 'Syrian refugees'.
On a side note, the Kurds have released a video showing the training of special forces belonging
to their allies, the 'Syrian Defense Force' (composed largely of foreigners again). The SDF fighters
fly the FSA flag, ie they are the carefully vetted moderate head chopping rebels beloved of the
likes of McCain.
"It is a perfect illustration of the Obama legacy that a person who was untouchable
as CIA chief in 2008 because of his support for Bush's most radical policies is not only Obama's
choice for the same position now, but will encounter very little resistance. Within this change
one finds one of the most significant aspects of the Obama presidency: his conversion of what
were once highly contentious right-wing policies into harmonious dogma of the DC bipartisan
consensus. Then again, given how the CIA operates, one could fairly argue that Brennan's eagerness
to deceive and his long record of supporting radical and unaccountable powers make him the
perfect person to run that agency. It seems clear that this is Obama's calculus."
My own addition to the Brennan record:
Brennan was station chief for the CIA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the planning period for
9/11. The Saudi rulers do not use the US embassy as their first point of contact with Washington,
they use the CIA. Brennan moved back to the US some time in (late?) 1999. The first 9/11 Saudi
hijackers arrived on US shores in January 2000. Brennan was made CIA chief of staff to Director
Tenet in 1999 and Deputy Executive Director of the CIA in March 2001.
The support for the Syrian rebels is only the latest chapter in the decades long relationship
between the spy services of Saudi Arabia and the United States, an alliance that has endured
through the Iran-contra scandal, support for the mujahedeen against the Soviets in Afghanistan
and proxy fights in Africa. Sometimes, as in Syria, the two countries have worked in concert.
In others, Saudi Arabia has simply written checks underwriting American covert activities.
... Although the Saudis have been public about their help arming rebel groups in Syria, the
extent of their partnership with the C.I.A.'s covert action campaign and their direct financial
support had not been disclosed. Details were pieced together in interviews with a half-dozen
current and former American officials and sources from several Persian Gulf countries. Most
spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the program.
From the moment the C.I.A. operation was started, Saudi money supported it.
...
The roots of the relationship run deep. In the late 1970s, the Saudis organized what was
known as the "Safari Club" -- a coalition of nations including Morocco, Egypt and France -- that
ran covert operations around Africa at a time when Congress had clipped the C.I.A.'s wings
over years of abuses.
...
Prince Bandar pledged $1 million per month to help fund the contras, in recognition of the
administration's past support to the Saudis. The contributions continued after Congress cut
off funding to the contras. By the end, the Saudis had contributed $32 million, paid through
a Cayman Islands bank account.
When the Iran-contra scandal broke, and questions arose about the Saudi role, the kingdom
kept its secrets. Prince Bandar refused to cooperate with the investigation led by Lawrence
E. Walsh, the independent counsel.
In a letter, the prince declined to testify, explaining that his country's "confidences
and commitments, like our friendship, are given not just for the moment but the long run."
one more quote from your newest link to the NYT: "The job Mr. Brennan once held in Riyadh
is, more than the ambassador's, the true locus of American power in the kingdom. Former diplomats
recall that the most important discussions always flowed through the C.I.A. station chief." The
Saudis bought the CIA. From station chief in Riyadh to Director Tenet's chief of staff to Deputy
Executive Director of the CIA and finally, under Obama, to Director of the CIA.
Best background article I've come across on how the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings were
either suppressed (in the U.S. client oil monarchies like Bahrain) or hijacked for regime change
purposes (as in Libya and Syria):
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion... how-the-arab-spring-was-hijacked/ (Feb 2012)
In particular:
A fourth trend is that the Arab Spring has become a springboard for playing great-power geopolitics.
Syria, at the center of the region's sectarian fault lines, has emerged as the principal
battleground for such Cold War-style geopolitics. Whereas Russia is intent on keeping its only
military base outside the old Soviet Union in Syria's Mediterranean port of Tartus, the U.S.
seems equally determined to install a pro-Western regime in Damascus.
This goal prompted Washington to set up a London-based television station that began broadcasting
to Syria a year before major protests began there. The U.S. campaign, which includes
assembling a coalition of the willing, has been boosted by major Turkish, Saudi, Qatari and
UAE help, including cross-border flow of arms into Syria and the establishment of two new petrodollar-financed,
jihad-extolling television channels directed at Syria's majority Sunni Arabs.
The best explanation is that despite the effort to "woo" Assad into the Saudi-Israeli axis
(c.2008-2010), Assad refused to cut economic ties with Iran, which was setting up rail lines,
air traffic and oil pipeline deals with Assad on very good terms. This led Hillary Clinton, Leon
Panetta, etc. to lobby Obama to support a regime change program:
Replace "plan" with "ongoing project". The main point would be that Panetta and Clinton
also belong on that "illegal arms transfer" charge sheet. Civil damages for the costs Europe,
Turkey, Lebanon etc. bore due to millions of fleeing refugees should also be assessed (let alone
damage in Syria, often to priceless historical treasures destroyed by ISIS).
Then there's the previous regime and its deliberate lies about non-existent WMDs in Iraq,
claims used to start a war of aggression that killed thousand of U.S. soldiers and hundreds of
thousands of Iraqi civilians - Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Woolsey, Tenet, Powell - they should have
their own separate charge sheet.
Send the lot to Scheveningen
Prison - for the most notorious war criminals. Pretty luxurious as prisons go, by all accounts.
But it wasn't just anti-arms trafficking laws that were broken, was it? Wouldn't a conspiracy
to use extremists as a weapon of state amount to a crime against humanity? David Stockman thinks
so, but he pins the 'crime' on old, sick McCain. (see:
'Moderate Rebels' Cheerleader McCain is Fall Guy But Neocon Cancer Lives
Within the Outlaw US Empire alone, there're several thousand people deserving of those 5,000 year
sentences, not just the three b singled out. But b does provide a great service for those of us
who refuse to support terrorists and terrorism by not paying federal taxes by providing proof
of that occurring. I classify attempts at regime change as terrorism, too, since it's essentially
the waging of aggressive war via different means, which is the #1 War Crime also violating domestic
law as well. Thanks b!
it's the usa!!!! no one in gov't is held accountable.. obama wants to move on, lol... look forward,
not backward... creating a heaping pile of murder, mayhem and more in other parts of the world,
but never examine any of it, or hold anyone accountable.. it is the amerikkkan way...
What of the US bases being established in N. Syria that were helpfully marked by the Turks?
Within the context that the SF force multiplier model has varied success but hasn't worked AFAIK
since the Resistance in WW2. What, short of an explicit invasion, is an option for the US+? US-hired
mercenaries failed to do the job, and the US as mercenaries for the Arabs are not willing to commit.
Maybe if the USIC offered up more "wives" they'd acquire more psychopathic murderers to spread
the joy.
Trump may have put Pompeo in to present the facade of housecleaning, but who here believes
that there is any serious move to curtail the Syrian misadventure? Just a change in the marketing
plan.
As the Brits came out with blocking the release of 30-yr-old official records on the basis
that "personal information" and "national security" would be compromised? More like the criminal
activity at 10 Downing St. and the misappropriation of public money for international crime would
be brought to light.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4159032/whitehall-refuses-documents-release/
While I do agree with some of the things Trump has done so far, I cannot agree that he makes
for a good "leader" of our rapidly devolving nation. As much "good" that Trump has done, he's
probably done much worse on other issues and levels. It's really pretty awful all around.
That said, when some people say how much they "miss Obama," I want to either pound my head
into a brick wall and/or throw up. The damage that Obama and his hench men/women did is incalculable.
At least with Trump, we can clearly witness his idiocy and grasp the level of at least some
of his damage.
Not so much with "No drama Obama" the smooth talking viper that we - either unwittingly
or wittingly - clutche to our collective bosom. Obama's many many many lies - all told with smooth
suave assurance - along with his many sins of omission served as cover for what he was doing.
Trump's buffoonery and incessant Twitting at least put his idiocies out on the stage for all to
see (of course, the Republicans do use that as cover for their nefarious deeds behind Trump's
doofus back).
Agree with b. NYT is worthless. Limited hangout for sure.
I likened a Trump presidency to sticking the landing of a crashing US empire. He'll
bring it down without going true believer on us, a la Clinton and ilk who were busy scheduling
the apocalypse.
Trump has not been tested yet with a rapidly deteriorating economy which as we all know is
coming. Something is in the air and Trump will have to face it sooner or later. The weight of
the anger of millions will be behind it...will it be too late? Will Trump finally go MAGA in what
he promised: Glas-Steagall, making trade fair for US interests, dialing back NATO...etc. etc.
I fear he can not articulate the issues at hand, like Roosevelt or Hitler. He is too bumbling.
I guess really we can only hope for an avoidance of WW. Will the world even weep for a third world
USA?
Remember this, The prosecution of a Swedish national accused of terrorist activities in Syria
has collapsed at the Old Bailey after it became clear Britain's security and intelligence agencies
would have been deeply embarrassed had a trial gone ahead, the Guardian can reveal.
John McCain was neck deep in supporting Terrorists in Syria he wanted to give them manpads.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) -- Media reported earlier in October that Syrian rebels asked Washington
for Stinger missiles to use them against Russia's military jets. "Absolutely Absolutely I would,"
McCain said when asked whether he would support the delivery of Stinger missiles to the opposition
in Syria.
"We certainly did that in Afghanistan. After the Russians invaded Afghanistan, we provided
them with surface-to-air capability. It'd be nice to give people that we train and equip and send
them to fight the ability to defend themselves. That's one of the fundamental principles of warfare
as I understand it," McCain said.
https://sputniknews.com/us/201510201028835944-us-stingers-missiles-syrian-rebels-mccain/
They will pay sooner or later for their crimes against the Syrians. Add Sarkozy, Cameron and Holland
to the list of criminals hiding under their position.
The US were into regime change in Syria a long time ago..... Robert Ford was US Ambassador
to Syria when the revolt against Syrian president Assad was launched. He not only was a chief
architect of regime change in Syria, but actively worked with rebels to aid their overthrow of
the Syrian government.
Ford assured us that those taking up arms to overthrow the Syrian government were simply moderates
and democrats seeking to change Syria's autocratic system. Anyone pointing out the obviously Islamist
extremist nature of the rebellion and the foreign funding and backing for the jihadists was written
off as an Assad apologist or worse.
Ambassador Ford talked himself blue in the face reassuring us that he was only supporting
moderates in Syria. As evidence mounted that the recipients of the largesse doled out by Washington
was going to jihadist groups, Ford finally admitted early last year that most of the moderates
he backed were fighting alongside ISIS and al-Qaeda. Witness this incredible Twitter exchange
with then-ex Ambassador Ford:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/you-wont-believe-what-former-us-ambassador-robert-s-ford-said-about-al-qaedas-syrian-allies/5504906
Specially Petraeus. A US Army General, and director of the CIA You don't get more 'pillar'
of the State than that! And off he goes doing illegal arms trades, in the billions, see for ex.
Meyssan, as an ex.:
In other countries / times, he'd be shot at dawn as a traitor. But all it shows really is that
the USA does not really have a Gvmt. in the sense of a 'political structure of strong regulatory
importance with 'democratic' participation..' to keep it vague.. It has an elaborate public charade,
a kind of clumsy theatre play, that relies very heavily on the scripted MSM, on ritual, and various
distractions. Plus natch' very vicious control mechanisms at home.. another story.
Meanwhile, off stage, the actors participate and fight and ally in a whole other scene where
'disaster capitalism', 'rapine', 'mafia moves' and the worst impulses in human nature not only
bloom but are institutionalised and deployed world-wide! Covering all this up is getting increasingly
difficult -Trump presidency - one would hope US citizens no not for now.
The other two of course as well, I just find Petraeus emblematic, probably because of all the
BS about his mistress + he once mis-treated classified info or something like that, total irrelevance
spun by the media, which works.
"They will pay sooner or later for their crimes against the Syrians. Add Sarkozy, Cameron
and Holland to the list of criminals hiding under their position."
I humbly disagree, and they sincerely believe they are helping the Syrians (plus other states)
- freedom and democracy against the brutality of Dr. Assad. I believe all these murderers are
sincere doing god works and will all go to heaven. That is one of the reasons why I refuse to
go to heaven even if gods beg me. Fuck it!
My apologies if I offend you or anyone. It's about time we look carefully beside politic and
wealth, what religion does to a human?
b asked : "When will the FBI investigate Messrs Petraeus, Obama and Brennan? Duh, like never...
Most here understand this, I'm sure. The wealthy and the connected puppets never face justice,
for their crimes, committed in the service of their owners.
You can include ALL the POTUS's
and their minions, since the turn of the century. " It's just business, get over it."
6 Look for signs of instigating violent behavior. As children some sociopaths torture defenseless
people and animals. This violence is always instigating, and not defensive violence. They will
create drama out of thin air, or twist what others say. They will often overreact strongly
to minor offenses. If they are challenged or confronted about it, they will point the finger
the other way, counting on the empathic person's empathy and consideration of people to protect
them, as long as they can remain undetected. Their attempt to point the finger the other way,
is both a smokescreen to being detected, and an attempt to confuse the situation.
The link is a pretty good summary. It is easy to find more respectable psychological sources
for the disorder on the internet.
NYT never saw a war (rather an attack by the US, NATO, Israel, UK, on any defenseless nation)
that it did not support. Wiki uses the word "allegedly" in explaining the CIA and Operation Mockingbird.
It just isn't feasible that a secret government agency - gone rogue - with unlimited funding and
manpower could write/edit the news for six media owners with similar war-profiteering motives.
/s
" Here, evolution had hit on the sweetest of solutions. Such perceptions were guaranteed
to produce a faith-dependent species that believed itself to be thoroughly separate from the rest
of the animal kingdom, ...."
Interesting article, but stop reading years ago when struggled to raise a family, make a living
to survive. Debatable Is "sociopath" (Antisocial Personality Disorder) or the genes make humanly
so brutally? Very often hard to fathom the depth of human suffering be it USA, Syria or elsewhere.
Thanks sharing you thought.
What most of the msm and the echo chamber seem to be deliberately missing is all intentional.
The whole Assad must go meme is dead and buried. The western cabal has not acheived their regime
change in Syria. The Russian economy has not sunk to the bottom of the Black sea, the Russians
hacked into my fridge meme has all been debunked and is falling apart. The collusion of all anglo
antlantacist secret agency and governments to destabalize the ME has all come out with an ever
turbulant flow. Iran being the threat of the world ,debunked. Russia invading and hacking the
free world ,debunked.
Hence I expect that the western oligarchs along with their pressitute
and compromised politicians will be bying up alot of bleach. They will be whitewashing for the
next three months all semblance of anything related to their fraudulent existence.
Nurenberg 2, the Hague would be to soft for these vile criminals of humanity. Look how they
had to back track on the Milosevic conviction mind u post death.
Just another day in the office for these criminals of humanity. Gee can't wait until this petro-dollar
ponzi scheme crashes hopefully we can get back o being human again. The emperor has no clothes.
43 The whole Assad must go meme is dead and buried. The western cabal has not acheived their
regime change in Syria. The Russian economy has not sunk to the bottom of the Black sea, the
Russians hacked into my fridge meme has all been debunked and is falling apart. The collusion
of all anglo antlantacist secret agency and governments to destabalize the ME has all come
out with an ever turbulant flow. Iran being the threat of the world ,debunked. Russia invading
and hacking the free world,debunked.
Optimistic. Has Trump been instrumental in these? Perhaps. This would be a good reason for
Zionists to hate him. But how is it that Trump is such a bumbling idiot? Now the Senate has ratfcked
him with recess appointments. And he signed that stupid Russia Sanctions bill.
Seymour Hersh, in his 'Victoria NULAND moment' audio, states categorically BRENNAN conceived
and ran the 'Russian Hack' psyop after Seth RICH DNC leaks.
There are probably two factors here: The first is the real anger of Arab population against aggression
by the USA and European states (mainly GB and Frnace). That what produces radicalized Muslims who can
commit terrorist attacks.
The second factor is the desire of intelligence agencies to exploit those attacks for
thier own purposes. For example, it is quite possible, that they are standing idle to the most
stupid of them and disrupt others, more dangerous.
Notable quotes:
"... How many Muslims are needed to drive one suicide car? Five, of course. What's the best, most lethal vehicle for the purpose? The compact Audi A3, naturally. ..."
"... From 9/11, Charlie Hebdo, Paris' Bataclan Concert Hall, Berlin's Christmas Market to Barcelona, etc., Muslim mass murderers seem expert at leaving behind their identity papers. ..."
"... Classic examples of this type of "lost and found id" were Oswald's lost wallet and James Earl Ray's dropped bundle of documents (ML King) ..."
"... Arab folks are brimming with anger that is now being met by the anger of the natives. ..."
"... I think the author misses the role of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, who appear to be the main financiers of the work performed by the above American Israel Empire. ..."
"... Perhaps the term Petrodollar Empire would be more accurate? As a bonus, it also complies better to the rules of political correctness. ..."
"... I am always deeply skeptical of these false flag claims. We bomb and kill arabs daily, yet create magnificent conspiracy theories to explain how it is someone else blowing crap up in vengeance. ..."
"... Why would Israel need to frame Muslim bombers when so many are so willing to do the job themselves and avenge their dead? Israel certainly pulls our strings to conduct the bombardment and they control American politics – why would they need to fabricate murders of random faceless Spaniards? How does that keep American taxpayers footing the bill for Zionism? ..."
"... It's really pretty simple isn't it? Before we decided to throw in with England and help genocide the Palestinians we had few problems with arabs. Now we've expanded our mission to include Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, etc and our blowback is serious. The arabs are doing what I'd do if a foreign power bombed my family. I could not care less what happens to Israelis or arabs. We need to either nuke the entire Arab world or leave it the hell alone – none of them are worth a single American life. ..."
How many Muslims are needed to drive one suicide car? Five, of course. What's the best, most
lethal vehicle for the purpose? The compact Audi A3, naturally. What's the best time to stage
such an attack? 1:15AM, grasshopper, when there are almost nobody on the Paseo Maritimo. Finally,
what should you wear for such a momentous and self-defining occasion? Fake suicide vests, stupid,
because they serve no purpose besides giving cops an excuse to perforate you immediately.
... .. ...
Astonishingly moronic, the five Muslims in Cambrils made all the worst choices possible, but the
rest of their "terrorist cell" weren't any smarter, it is said.
Eight hours earlier, a van had killed 14 people and injured 130+ more in Barcelona, and the purported
driver of that van, 22-year-old Younes Aboyaaqoub, had rented the vehicle with his own credit card.
Very stupid. He also left his IDs in a second van, meant as a get-away car.
From 9/11, Charlie Hebdo, Paris' Bataclan Concert Hall, Berlin's Christmas Market to Barcelona,
etc., Muslim mass murderers seem expert at leaving behind their identity papers. Otherwise, the official
narrative can't be broadcast immediately. Wait a week or a month for a proper investigation, and
the public won't have any idea what you're talking about, fixated as they are on a Kardashian pumped
up buttocks or Messi goal.
List of Passport / ID documents found at terrorism attack scenes – at least 8, including those
Linh Dinh mentions above
(1) – 11 Sep 2001 passport found in NYC towers rubble tho aeroplane had 'turned to vapour'
(2) – 7 Jul 2005 London bomboings – ID of '4th bomber' allegedly 'found by UK police'
(3) – 7 Jan 2015 Charlie Hebdo, passport in car in front of Paris Jewish deli where Mossad meets
(4) – 13 Nov 2015 Bataclan Paris passport flew from body 'after killer exploded his suicide vest'
(5) – 14 Jul 2016 Nice France lorry attack 'passport found'
(6) – 19 Dec 2016 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'ID found', after 24 hours of searching
lorry cab
(7) – 22 May 2017 Manchester UK 'suicide bomber leaves ID' at scene amidst another 'terror on
22nd'
(8) – 17 Aug 2017 Barcelona deadly terror attack by white van, 'Spanish passport found in van'
Also related & of interest
'Mossad did the Barcelona attack' – Israel heavily involved with Barcelona police – from Aangirfan
on her site
@Brabantian
List of Passport / ID documents found at terrorism attack scenes - at least 8, including those
Linh Dinh mentions above
(1) - 11 Sep 2001 passport found in NYC towers rubble tho aeroplane had 'turned to vapour'
(2) - 7 Jul 2005 London bomboings - ID of '4th bomber' allegedly 'found by UK police'
(3) - 7 Jan 2015 Charlie Hebdo, passport in car in front of Paris Jewish deli where Mossad meets
(4) - 13 Nov 2015 Bataclan Paris passport flew from body 'after killer exploded his suicide vest'
(5) - 14 Jul 2016 Nice France lorry attack 'passport found'
(6) - 19 Dec 2016 Berlin Christmas market lorry attack 'ID found', after 24 hours of searching
lorry cab
(7) - 22 May 2017 Manchester UK 'suicide bomber leaves ID' at scene amidst another 'terror on
22nd'
(8) - 17 Aug 2017 Barcelona deadly terror attack by white van, 'Spanish passport found in van'
Also related & of interest
'Mossad did the Barcelona attack' - Israel heavily involved with Barcelona police - from Aangirfan
on her site
http://aanirfan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/mossad-did-barcelona-attack.html
http://aanirfan.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/barcelona-false-flag-part-3.html
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Lost_and_Found_ID
Classic examples of this type of "lost and found id" were Oswald's lost wallet and
James Earl Ray's dropped bundle of documents (ML King)
Dinh, you are a fool. The Spanish police until the last two decades were always a bit trigger
happy. And then you forget the Guardia Civil. They were the people in charge of keeping Franco's
Spain quiet, and it was quiet like the grave. The really funny part is the Arab folks are brimming with anger that is now being met by the
anger of the natives. Read the Blood of Spain, and see the complicated relationship between Franco's Moros and how
they ravaged parts of Spain during the Civil War. The really ironic part is these "radicalized" kids are simply fodder for the papers back home,
and an excuse to begin the round ups and mass deportations.
Fascism is now returning to Europe because of the liberal insanity of open borders and mass
immigration.
Nice read, indeed. Regarding the main idea of the article, that the:
" .. American Israel Empire is working nonstop to deform the Middle East, North Africa, Europe
and, frankly, the rest of the world."
I think the author misses the role of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, who appear to be the
main financiers of the work performed by the above American Israel Empire.
Perhaps the term Petrodollar Empire would be more accurate?
As a bonus, it also complies better to the rules of political correctness.
Which seems more likely prima facie , Muslim terrorism or that the whole thing was faked?
The whole premise of this article seems to be that it's simply ludicrous that a Muslim
would ever do something like ram a car into a crowd of people.
It's like in the great movie by Kurosawa, Yojimbo, one guy playing both sides one against the
other. Except Sanjuro was a good guy trying to kill a bunch of thugs and bring peace to the town,
while our globo-masters prefer to see innocent people being murdered and the world in chaos.
Linh, the Orlando
video seems obviously fake. For those who look for those things, there are plenty of give-aways.
But what's your point with the Barcelona video? I don't speak Spanish or Catalan, as the case
may be, but he seems to be fairly dispassionate and therefore not bullshitting. I do hope there
was a point you were making. There is enough in what you say, so that your linguistic showing
off is a pointless irritation. I would like to make my point with a pointless Hindi quip, but
my phone doesn't support the script.
What Merkel has done in Germany is incredible. She took in a million, a million and a half
refugees, and there has been no major problem. It has been a great success, a miracle."
Yeah....good luck with that! By the time this all sorts out historically Merkel will rate lower
than ol Schickelgruber.
Mutti.....Europes greatest "Crazy Cat Lady"!
"and there has been no major problem"
Except for a few stabbings, shootings and bombings as well as general malaise and waste of
taxpayer's money, but what is that compared to the glory of diversity?
Well, I guess Germany had too few kebab shops
"By the time this all sorts out historically Merkel will rate lower than ol Schickelgruber."
The problem of politics and especially democracy is that politicians act for short term gains,
but their decisions affect everybody else in the long term. By the time the Scheiße hits the fan
Merkel and her friends will be happily retired in Switzerland or Monaco.
You'd have to be blind and stupid not have noticed this convenient habit of Muslim terrorists.
I wonder why the IRA/ Baader Meinhof/Brigata Rossi or the westher,men didn't have the same habit?
You'd have to be blind and stupid not have noticed this convenient habit of pseudo moslem terrorists.
I wonder why the IRA/ Baader Meinhof/Brigata Rossi or the Weathermen didn't have the same habit?
I fixed that for you, mate. The frequency of this seemingly ritual habit is amazing I agree.
It is certainly one for the Coincidence Theorists out there.
A Collection of Interesting, Important, and Controversial Perspectives Largely Excluded from
the American Mainstream Media
I am here reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's wise observation that "Sometimes the road less traveled
is less traveled for a reason."
I would advise Ron Unz to take this saying to heart and to spike the execrable Linh Dinh from
these pages, and his butt-buddy Revusky, too.
I am here reminded of Jerry Seinfeld's wise observation that "Sometimes the road less traveled
is less traveled for a reason."
Seinfeld would have been wiser if he had said that it's always less travelled for a
reason. That reason is invariably along the lines of it being less convenient, more arduous, and
more challenging. It often takes you to uncomfortable places, and you have to leave your beloved
baggage behind.
Most people naturally choose to walk the broad level path that's been thoughtfully laid out for
them. It doesn't go anywhere at all, except maybe in a giant circle, so that it doesn't matter
where they start or where they stop, but they get to keep and even accumulate baggage along the
way and that's what travelling is all about, isn't it?
@utu
Looks like Linh Dinh was turned by Revusky. Everything must be a hoax. This is their starting
position: It is a hoax until proven otherwise.
And Revusky comes up with his cheap schtick about the "emotional register." As if he ever seen
true reactions of real people who lost relatives? All his life like all the hoax mongering youtube
yahoos he was exposed to movies with the overacted emotional displays by actors and this formed
the baseline for the youtube yahoos and Revusky. So when he sees more measure reactions of real
people he thinks it must be bad acting. Yes, if you haven't noticed, the real life is full of
bad acting, you fool.
More interesting would be to read about how is the bromance evolving? Actually real life is
usually quite authentic which is the 'real' part and since several big "terror"events have had
some inexplicable aspects to them suggesting the involvement of trickery it would be wise to suspect
that of other events too. If you've been mugged while walking in the street a couple of times
it would be completely rational and indeed prudent if you crossed the street to avoid a stranger,
or clutched a hidden weapon as a stranger approached. This is natural and the survival instinct
at work.
As to the emotional register, most people have not studied acting yet they can spot poor acting
on TV or in a movie very quickly because they have experienced human behaviour their entire lives.
When the behaviour or physical action doesn't match the dialogue or situation it appears very
odd to us. Some people are more observant than others, this is why professional actors like to
study the traits and quirks of people.
Linh Dinh has written some really excellent articles as many commenters have approved and stated
as much but if you don't like them why bother reading or commenting? Jonathan Revusky too has
written some very worthwhile articles in my opinion but he doesn't seem to take criticism well
and has made a few enemies here but again, if you don't like them why not spend your time reading
the work of other people?
i agree that the passports left behind all the time are a little bit weird. when some shit
goes down, among friends, we jokingly ask if they found the passports yet? but it could also be
that they want to leave them behind, as a martyr signature or something maybe. like now they recruited
irma for their cause..saying god is on their side.
but then again..i am susceptible to consider weird shit. like the boston bombings for example.
I saw a very strange video of a simulation of a bombing attack which looked very real, like tv
footage, but maybe that's the point of a good simulation.
we live in weird times. information flow is corrupted and not to be trusted. stanislaw lem wrote
about it 40years ago and I always think about it reading news.
The American Israel Empire, the Anglo Zionist Conspiracy, the Jew Bolshevik plot
How do the Jews have time for all that and make so much money, run their dentistry, legal,
media, entertainment empires and lust after blond shiksa cheerleaders as well?
Maybe it's from those gefilte fish they eat, or from the chopped liver they do even better than
this sample produced by Linh Dinh.
Millions of us have been aware of the "Empire" for years now Linh. We just don't have access
to the media expression as you do. We tend to be quiet about it until we sense a person or group
is open to this Truth. Most people think inside the box because it's safe, comforting, and lacks
unpleasant reactions. We who want the Truth value your articles, because we really do believe
that "The Truth will set you free."
Francisco, a typical teacher of philosophy and never a real philosopher. Most of this "refugees"
are permanent immigrants, that's why this "refugee crisis" is just a way to accelerate the capitulation
of Europe. Real refugees came back to their countries when they have opportunity. In the end the
most effective way to stop middle east conflicts must be done via exposition of real (((criminals))),
the direct responsible for all this shit. Only the truth can solve any problem and (((problem))).
Teacher of history's philosophy, what most of this "philosophers" are. Real philosophers learn/or
invent and teach real or valid philosophical methods of thinking/analytical-critical thinking
and of course subsequent action/application.
The author is claiming it's all fake because the participants were inept and stupid. They possibly
were being monitored and followed all along. That doesn't make it a staged fake event. "Kosher
Nostra"? What's that supposed to mean? Jews are scapegoated for what Muslims do and have been
doing for close to fourteen hundred years? It took the Spanish hundreds of years of struggle to
free themselves from Muslim overlordship and now they're just supposed to wash their brains of
any historical memory? Those third worlders written about so lovingly add nothing to Spain besides
just some food joints. The author doesn't live there anyway so why is he telling them how to live?"Drugged
and inflamed" is not necessarily true of all of America. The author is probably an alcoholic and
needs to stop hanging around craphole taverns with all those dysfunctional boozers.
Conspiracy theories like those expressed in this article and in many of the comments are for
those either lacking the good sense to appreciate that the world is complex or the intellectual
patience to sort through that complexity.
In the absence of these qualities, conspiracy nuts come up with unified theories that "explain
everything" (e.g., the Jews control the world).
Actually moving out of the basement of their mom's house, or even losing their virginity, might
help, but most of these sweaty little pamphleteers are lost causes whose lives rarely extend beyond
a circle of like-minded friends and the insular concerns expressed in their over-heated and under-read
blogs.
@DFH
Which seems more likely prima facie , Muslim terrorism or that the whole thing was faked?
The whole premise of this article seems to be that it's simply ludicrous that a Muslim
would ever do something like ram a car into a crowd of people.
Which seems more likely prima facie, Muslim terrorism or that the whole thing was faked?
The whole premise of this article seems to be that it's simply ludicrous that a Muslim would
ever do something like ram a car into a crowd of people.
I am always deeply skeptical of these false flag claims. We bomb and kill arabs daily,
yet create magnificent conspiracy theories to explain how it is someone else blowing crap up in
vengeance.
Why would Israel need to frame Muslim bombers when so many are so willing to do the job
themselves and avenge their dead? Israel certainly pulls our strings to conduct the bombardment
and they control American politics – why would they need to fabricate murders of random faceless
Spaniards? How does that keep American taxpayers footing the bill for Zionism?
It's really pretty simple isn't it? Before we decided to throw in with England and help
genocide the Palestinians we had few problems with arabs. Now we've expanded our mission to include
Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, etc and our blowback is serious. The arabs are doing what I'd do if
a foreign power bombed my family. I could not care less what happens to Israelis or arabs. We
need to either nuke the entire Arab world or leave it the hell alone – none of them are worth
a single American life.
How stupid must you be to not see that the American Israel Empire has rigged every aspect
of your reality?
...The pattern of human nature that they use is called the Stockholm syndrome.
It has been documented that a group of people can be turned against themselves when they are
captured and terrorized, and in the process, they are propagandized to believe that the terrorizers
themselves are the true victims. The terrorists tell the those they captured, that they are doing
this because they themselves are the real victims.
The syndrome is that the captured group begin to sympathize with their terrorists. They take
to heart that the terrorists are indeed victims, and that they should be supported. .
@ChuckOrloski
"... none of them are worth an American life."
Stan d Mute,
The dangerous thing about your rather common conclusion (above) is the stinky fact that, for
the sake of creating Greater Israel, Neoconservatives are in your "Amen Corner" and also would
green light the "nuking" of Iran.
Thank you.
Neoconservatives are in your "Amen Corner" and also would green light the "nuking" of Iran.
Don't paint me with your misrepresentation. I wrote " nuke the entire Arab world " Your Iran
reply is a strawman.
Few neocons would endorse my suggestion to either obliterate the Middle East (drill for oil
through the glass) or abandon their first loyalty of Zionism and all resulting meddling and murdering
in the region.
Cry me a river. No sympathy from me. This article is completely one sided. What kind of investigative
reporting is this when the author didn't even interview the police and review the evidence, but
simply hurl out accusations through hearsay from the average guys on the street.
"... 6 May 2016 when CrowdStrike first detected what it assessed to be a Russian presence inside the DNC server. Follow me here. One week after realizing there had been a penetration, the DNC learns, courtesy of the computer security firm it hired, that the Russians are doing it. Okay. Does CrowdStrike shut down the penetration. Nope. The hacking apparently continues unabated. ..."
"... I introduce Seth Rich at this point because he represents an alternative hypothesis. Rich, who reportedly was a Bernie Sanders supporter, was in a position at the DNC that gave him access to the emails in question and the opportunity to download the emails and take them from the DNC headquarters. Worth noting that Julian Assange offered $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of Rich's killer or killers. 8. 22 July 2016. Wikileaks published the DNC emails starting on 22 July 2016. Bill Binney, a former senior official at NSA, insists that if such a hack and electronic transfer over the internet had occurred then the NSA has in it possession the intelligence data to prove that such activity had occurred. ..."
"... Notwithstanding the claim by CrowdStrike not a single piece of evidence has been provided to the public to support the conclusion that the emails were hacked and physically transferred to a server under the control of a Russian intelligence operative. ..."
"... Please do not try to post a comment stating that the "Intelligence Community" concluded as well that Russia was responsible. That claim is totally without one shred of actual forensic evidence. Also, Julian Assange insists that the emails did not come from a Russian source. ..."
"... Wikileaks, the protector of the accountability of the top, has announced a reward for finding the murderers of Seth Rich. In comparison, the DNC has not offered any reward to help the investigation of the murder of the DNC staffer, but the DNC found a well-connected lawyer to protect Imran Awan who is guilty (along with Debbie Wasserman-Schultz) in the greatest breach of national cybersecurity: http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/29/wasserman-schultz-seemingly-planned-to-pay-suspect-even-while-he-lived-in-pakistan/ ..."
"... I'm afraid you're behind the times. Wheeler is no longer relevant now that Sy Hersh has revealed an FBI report that explicitly says Rich was in contact with Wikileaks offering to sell them DNC documents. ..."
"... Alperovitch is not just an incompetent "expert" in cybersecurity - he is a willing liar and war-mongering, for money. ..."
"... The DNC hacking story has never been about national security; Alperovitch (and his handlers) have no loyalty to the US. ..."
"... LeaNder , 05 September 2017 at 09:59 AM ..."
"... PT, I make a short exception. Actually decided to stop babbling for a while. But: Just finished something successfully. ..."
"... And since I usually need distraction by something far more interesting then matters at hand. I was close to your line of thought yesters. ..."
"... But really: Shouldn't the timeline start in 2015, since that's supposedly the time someone got into the DNC's system? ..."
"... One could of course start earlier. What is the exact timeline of the larger cyberwar post 9/11, or at least the bits and pieces that surfaced for the nitwits among us, like: Stuxnet? ..."
"... But nevermind. Don't forget developments and recent events around Eugene or Jewgeni Walentinowitsch Kasperski? ..."
"... LondonBob , 05 September 2017 at 03:27 PM ..."
"... The Russia thing certainly seems to have gone quiet. ..."
"... Bannon's chum says the issue with pursuing the Clinton email thing is that you would end up having to indict almost all of the last administration, including Obama, unseemly certainly. Still there might be a fall guy, maybe Comey, and obviously it serves Trump's purposes to keep this a live issue through the good work of Grassley and the occasional tweet. ..."
"... Would be amusing if Trump pardoned Obama. Still think Brennan should pay a price though, can't really be allowed to get away with it ..."
"... Scott Ritter's article referenced in PT's post is terrific, covering a ton of issues related to CrowdStrike and the DNC hack. You need to read it, not just PT's timeline. In case you missed the link in PT's post: ..."
"... Dumbstruck: How CrowdStrike Conned America on the Hack of the DNC https://medium.com/homefront-rising/dumbstruck-how-crowdstrike-conned-america-on-the-hack-of-the-dnc-ecfa522ff44f ..."
"... The article by Jeffrey Carr on CrowdStrike referenced from back in 2012 is also worth reading: Where's the "Strike" in CrowdStrike? https://jeffreycarr.blogspot.com/2012/09/wheres-strike-in-crowdstrike.html ..."
"... Also, the article Carr references is very important for understanding the limits of malware analysis and "attribution". Written by Michael Tanji, whose credentials appear impressive: "spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East." ..."
"... Malware Analysis: The Danger of Connecting the Dots: https://www.oodaloop.com/technology/2012/09/11/malware-analysis-the-danger-of-connecting-the-dots/ ..."
"... His article echoes and reinforces what Carr and others have said about the difficulty of attribution of infosec breaches. Namely that the basic problem of both intelligence and infosec operations is that there is too much obfuscation, manipulation, and misdirection involved to be sure of who or what is going on. ..."
"... None of this proves that Russian intelligence - or Russians of some stripe - or for that matter hackers from literally anywhere - couldn't or didn't ALSO do a hack of the DNC. But it does prove that the iron-clad attribution of the source of Wikileaks email release to Russia is at best flawed, and at worst a deliberate cover up of a leak. ..."
"... And Russiagate depends prima rily on BOTH alleged "facts" being true: 1) that Russia hacked the DNC, and 2) that Russia was the source of Wikileaks release. And if the latter is not true, then one has to question why Russia hacked the DNC in the first place, other than for "normal" espionage operations. "Influencing the election" then becomes a far less plausible theory. ..."
"... The general takeaway from an infosec point of view is that attribution by means of target identification, tools used, and "indicators of compromise" is a fatally flawed means of identifying, and thus being able to counter, the adversaries encountered in today's Internet world, as Tanji proves. Only HUMINT offers a way around this, just as it is really the only valid option in countering terrorism. ..."
Notwithstanding the conventional wisdom that Russia hacked into the DNC computers, downloaded
emails and a passed the stolen missives to Julian Assange's crew at Wikileaks, a careful examination
of the timeline of events from 2016 shows that this story is simply not plausible.
Let me take you through the known facts:
1. 29 April 2016 , when the DNC became aware its servers had been penetrated (https://medium.com/homefront-rising/dumbstruck-how-crowdstrike-conned-america-on-the-hack-of-the-dnc-ecfa522ff44f).
Note. They apparently did not know who was doing it. 2, 6 May 2016 when CrowdStrike first detected
what it assessed to be a Russian presence inside the DNC server. Follow me here. One week after realizing
there had been a penetration, the DNC learns, courtesy of the computer security firm it hired, that
the Russians are doing it. Okay. Does CrowdStrike shut down the penetration. Nope. The hacking apparently
continues unabated. 3. 25 May 2016. The messages published on Wikileaks from the DNC show that
26 May 2016 was the last date that emails were sent and received at the DNC. There are no emails
in the public domain after that date. In other words, if the DNC emails were taken via a hacking
operation, we can conclude from the fact that the last messages posted to Wikileaks show a date time
group of 25 May 2016. Wikileaks has not reported nor posted any emails from the DNC after the 25th
of May. I think it is reasonable to assume that was the day the dirty deed was done. 4. 12 June 2016,
CrowdStrike purged the DNC server of all malware. Are you kidding me? 45 days after the DNC discovers
that its serve has been penetrated the decision to purge the DNC server is finally made. What in
the hell were they waiting for? But this also tells us that 18 days after the last email "taken"
from the DNC, no additional emails were taken by this nasty malware. Here is what does not make sense
to me. If the DNC emails were truly hacked and the malware was still in place on 11 June 2016 (it
was not purged until the 12th) then why are there no emails from the DNC after 26 May 2016?
an excellent analysis of Guccifer's role : Almost immediately after the one-two punch of the
Washington Post article/CrowdStrike technical report went public, however, something totally unexpected
happened -- someone came forward and took full responsibility for the DNC cyber attack. Moreover,
this entity -- operating under the persona Guccifer 2.0 (ostensibly named after the original
Guccifer , a Romanian hacker who stole the emails of a number of high-profile celebrities and
who was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to 4 ½ years of prison in May 2016) -- did something no state
actor has ever done before, publishing documents stolen from the DNC server as proof of his claims.
Hi. This is Guccifer 2.0 and this is me who hacked Democratic National Committee.
With that simple email, sent to the on-line news magazine,
The Smoking Gun , Guccifer 2.0 stole the limelight away from Alperovitch. Over the course
of the next few days, through a series of emails, online posts and
interviews , Guccifer 2.0 openly mocked CrowdStrike and its Russian attribution. Guccifer 2.0
released a number of documents, including a massive 200-plus-missive containing opposition research
on Donald Trump.
Guccifer 2.0 also directly contradicted the efforts on the part of the DNC to minimize the extent
of the hacking,
releasing the very donor lists the DNC specifically stated had not been stolen. More chilling,
Guccifer 2.0 claimed to be in possession of "about 100 Gb of data" which had been passed on to the
online publisher, Wikileaks, who "will publish them soon." 7. Seth Rich died on 10 July 2016.
I introduce Seth Rich at this point because he represents an alternative hypothesis. Rich, who reportedly
was a Bernie Sanders supporter, was in a position at the DNC that gave him access to the emails in
question and the opportunity to download the emails and take them from the DNC headquarters. Worth
noting that Julian Assange offered
$20,000 for information leading to the arrest of Rich's killer or killers. 8. 22 July 2016. Wikileaks
published the DNC emails starting on 22 July 2016. Bill Binney, a former senior official at NSA,
insists that if such a hack and electronic transfer over the internet had occurred then the NSA has
in it possession the intelligence data to prove that such activity had occurred.Notwithstanding
the claim by CrowdStrike not a single piece of evidence has been provided to the public to support
the conclusion that the emails were hacked and physically transferred to a server under the control
of a Russian intelligence operative.Please do not try to post a comment stating that the
"Intelligence Community" concluded as well that Russia was responsible. That claim is totally without
one shred of actual forensic evidence. Also, Julian Assange insists that the emails did not come
from a Russian source.
Wikileaks, the protector of the accountability of the top, has announced a reward for finding
the murderers of Seth Rich. In comparison, the DNC has not offered any reward to help the investigation
of the murder of the DNC staffer, but the DNC found a well-connected lawyer to protect Imran Awan
who is guilty (along with Debbie Wasserman-Schultz) in the greatest breach of national cybersecurity:
http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/29/wasserman-schultz-seemingly-planned-to-pay-suspect-even-while-he-lived-in-pakistan/
Seth Rich's family have pleaded, and continue to plead, that the conspiracy theorists leave the
death of their son alone and have said that those who continue to flog this nonsense around the
internet are only serving to increase their pain. I suggest respectfully that some here may wish
to consider their feelings. (Also, this stuff is nuts, you know.)
"We also know that many people are angry at our government and want to see justice done in
some way, somehow. We are asking you to please consider our feelings and words. There are people
who are using our beloved Seth's memory and legacy for their own political goals, and they are
using your outrage to perpetuate our nightmare."
"Wheeler, a former Metropolitan Police Department officer, was a key figure in a series of
debunked stories claiming that Rich had been in contact with Wikileaks before his death. Fox News,
which reported the story online and on television, retracted it in June."
I'm afraid you're behind the times. Wheeler is no longer relevant now that Sy Hersh has revealed
an FBI report that explicitly says Rich was in contact with Wikileaks offering to sell them DNC
documents.
It's unfortunate for the Rich family, but now that the connection is pretty much confirmed,
they're going to have to allow the truth to come out.
Mr. Dmitri Alperovitch, of Jewish descent (and an emigre from Russia), has been an "expert" at
the Atlantic Council, the same organization that cherishes and provides for Mr. Eliot Higgins.
These two gentlemen - and the directorate of Atlantic Council - are exhibit one of opportunism
and intellectual dishonesty (though it is hard to think about Mr. Higgins in terms of "intellect").
Take note how Alperovitch coded the names of the supposed hackers: "Russian intelligence services
hacked the Democratic National Committee's computer network and accessed opposition research on
Donald Trump, according to the Atlantic Council's Dmitri Alperovitch.
Two Russian groups!codenamed FancyBear and CozyBear!have been identified as spearheading the
DNC breach." Alperovitch is not just an incompetent "expert" in cybersecurity - he is a willing
liar and war-mongering, for money.
The DNC hacking story has never been about national security; Alperovitch (and his handlers)
have no loyalty to the US.
PT, I make a short exception. Actually decided to stop babbling for a while. But: Just finished
something successfully.
And since I usually need distraction by something far more interesting then matters at
hand. I was close to your line of thought yesters.
But really: Shouldn't the timeline start in 2015, since that's supposedly the time someone
got into the DNC's system?
One could of course start earlier. What is the exact timeline of the larger cyberwar post
9/11, or at least the bits and pieces that surfaced for the nitwits among us, like: Stuxnet?
But nevermind. Don't forget developments and recent events around Eugene or Jewgeni Walentinowitsch
Kasperski?
The Russia thing certainly seems to have gone quiet.
Bannon's chum says the issue with pursuing the Clinton email thing is that you would
end up having to indict almost all of the last administration, including Obama, unseemly certainly.
Still there might be a fall guy, maybe Comey, and obviously it serves Trump's purposes to keep
this a live issue through the good work of Grassley and the occasional tweet.
Would be amusing if Trump pardoned Obama. Still think Brennan should pay a price though,
can't really be allowed to get away with it
Scott Ritter's article referenced in PT's post is terrific, covering a ton of issues related
to CrowdStrike and the DNC hack. You need to read it, not just PT's timeline. In case you missed
the link in PT's post:
Also, the article Carr references is very important for understanding the limits of malware
analysis and "attribution". Written by Michael Tanji, whose credentials appear impressive: "spent
nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines
he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National
Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare,
computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the
US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater,
the Balkans, and the Middle East."
His article echoes and reinforces what Carr and others have said about the difficulty of
attribution of infosec breaches. Namely that the basic problem of both intelligence and infosec
operations is that there is too much obfuscation, manipulation, and misdirection involved to be
sure of who or what is going on.
The Seth Rich connection is pretty much a done deal, now that Sy Hersh has been caught on tape
stating that he knows of an FBI report based on a forensic analysis of Rich's laptop that shows
Rich was in direct contact with Wikileaks with an attempt to sell them DNC documents and that
Wikileaks had access to Rich's DropBox account. Despite Hersh's subsequent denials - which everyone
knows are his usual impatient deflections prior to putting out a sourced and organized article
- it's pretty clear that Rich was at least one of the sources of the Wikileaks email dump and
that there is zero connection to Russia.
None of this proves that Russian intelligence - or Russians of some stripe - or for that
matter hackers from literally anywhere - couldn't or didn't ALSO do a hack of the DNC. But it
does prove that the iron-clad attribution of the source of Wikileaks email release to Russia is
at best flawed, and at worst a deliberate cover up of a leak.
And Russiagate depends prima
rily on BOTH alleged "facts" being true: 1) that Russia hacked the DNC, and 2) that Russia was the
source of Wikileaks release. And if the latter is not true, then one has to question why Russia hacked
the DNC in the first place, other than for "normal" espionage operations. "Influencing the election"
then becomes a far less plausible theory.
The general takeaway from an infosec point of view is that attribution by means of target
identification, tools used, and "indicators of compromise" is a fatally flawed means of identifying,
and thus being able to counter, the adversaries encountered in today's Internet world, as Tanji proves.
Only HUMINT offers a way around this, just as it is really the only valid option in countering terrorism.
"... The real power of mass data collection lies in the hand-tailored algorithms capable of sifting, sorting and identifying patterns within the data itself. When enough information is collected over time, governments and corporations can use or abuse those patterns to predict future human behavior. ..."
...We file our taxes. We make phone calls. We send emails. Tax records are used to keep us honest. We agree to broadcast
our location so we can check the weather on our smartphones. Records of our calls, texts and physical movements are filed
away alongside our billing information. Perhaps that data is analyzed more covertly to make sure that we're not terrorists
"" but only in the interest of national security, we're assured.
Our faces and voices are recorded by surveillance cameras and other internet-connected sensors, some of which we now
willingly put inside our homes. Every time we load a news article or page on a social media site, we expose ourselves to
tracking code, allowing hundreds of unknown entities to monitor our shopping and online browsing habits. We agree to cryptic
terms-of-service agreements that obscure the true nature and scope of these transactions.
Biometric information such as fingerprints, retinal scans and DNA helps governments and corporations track people around
the world. In Iraq, United States Army soldiers scan a man's eye to see whether he is a known insurgent. Credit Michael
Kamber for The New York Times
According to a 2015 study from
the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of American adults believe they've lost control over how their personal information
is collected and used. Just how much they've lost, however, is more than they likely suspect.
The real power of mass data collection lies in the hand-tailored algorithms capable of sifting, sorting and identifying
patterns within the data itself. When enough information is collected over time, governments and corporations can use or
abuse those patterns to predict future human behavior. Our data establishes a "pattern of
life " from seemingly harmless digital residue like cellphone tower pings, credit card transactions and web browsing
histories.
The consequences of our being subjected to constant algorithmic scrutiny are often unclear. For instance,
artificial intelligence Silicon
Valley's catchall term for deepthinking and deep-learning algorithms is touted by tech companies as a path to the high-tech
conveniences of the so-called internet of things. This includes digital home assistants, connected appliances and self-driving
cars.
Simultaneously, algorithms are already analyzing social media habits, determining creditworthiness, deciding which job
candidates get called in for an interview and judging whether criminal defendants should be
released on bail
. Other machine-learning systems use automated facial analysis to detect and track emotions, or claim the ability to predict
whether someone will become a criminal based only on their
facial features .
Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers
from around the world.
... ... ...
Such programmatic, machine-driven thinking has become especially dangerous in the hands of governments and the police.
In recent years our military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have merged in unexpected ways. They harvest
more data than they can possibly manage, and wade through the quantifiable world side by side in vast, usually windowless
buildings called fusion centers
.
Such powerful new relationships have created a foundation for, and have breathed life into, a vast police and surveillance
state. Advanced algorithms have made this possible on an unprecedented level. Relatively minor infractions, or "microcrimes,"
can now be policed aggressively. And with national databases shared among governments and corporations, these minor incidents
can follow you forever, even if the information is incorrect or lacking context.
At the same time, the United States military uses the metadata of countless communications for
drone attacks , using pings emitted from cellphones to track and eliminate targets.
In literature and pop culture, concepts such as "thoughtcrime" and "precrime" have emerged out of dystopian fiction.
They are used to restrict and punish anyone who is flagged by automated systems as a potential criminal or threat, even
if a crime has yet to be committed. But this science fiction trope is quickly becoming reality. Predictive policing algorithms
are already being used to create automated heat maps of future crimes, and like the "manual" policing that came before
them, they overwhelmingly
target
poor and minority neighborhoods .
The world has become like an eerily banal dystopian novel. Things look the same on the surface, but they are not. With
no apparent boundaries on how algorithms can use and abuse the data that's being collected about us, the potential for
it to control our lives is ever-growing.
Our drivers' licenses, our keys, our debit and credit cards are all important parts of our lives. Even our social media
accounts could soon become crucial components of being fully functional members of society. Now that we live in this world,
we must figure out how to maintain our connection with society without surrendering to automated processes that we can
neither see nor control.
This is an article from
World Review: The State
of Democracy , a special section that examines global policy and affairs through the perspectives of thought leaders
and commentators. A version of this op-ed appears in print on September 14, 2017, on Page S3, in The International New
York Times.
In the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, Washington pursued its elusive enemies across the
landscapes of Asia and Africa, thanks in part to a massive expansion of its intelligence
infrastructure, particularly of the emerging technologies for digital surveillance, agile
drones, and biometric identification. In 2010, almost a decade into this secret war with its
voracious appetite for information, the
Washington Post
reported
that the national
security state had swelled into a "fourth branch" of the federal government -- with 854,000
vetted officials, 263 security organizations, and over 3,000 intelligence units, issuing 50,000
special reports every year.
Though stunning, these statistics only skimmed the visible surface of what had become
history's largest and most lethal clandestine apparatus. According to classified documents that
Edward Snowden
leaked
in 2013, the nation's 16 intelligence agencies alone had 107,035 employees and a
combined "black budget" of $52.6 billion, the
equivalent
of 10% percent of the vast defense budget.
By sweeping the skies and probing the worldwide web's undersea cables, the National Security
Agency (NSA) could surgically penetrate the confidential communications of just about
any
leader
on the planet, while simultaneously sweeping up
billions
of ordinary messages. For its classified missions, the CIA had access to the Pentagon's Special
Operations Command, with
69,000 elite troops
(Rangers, SEALs,
Air Commandos) and their agile arsenal. In addition to this formidable paramilitary capacity,
the CIA
operated
30 Predator and Reaper drones
responsible
for more than 3,000 deaths in Pakistan and Yemen.
While Americans practiced a collective form of duck and cover as the Department of Homeland
Security's
colored
alerts
pulsed nervously from yellow to red, few paused to ask the hard question: Was all
this security really directed solely at enemies beyond our borders? After half a century of
domestic security abuses -- from the "red scare" of the 1920s through the FBI's illegal
harassment of antiwar protesters in the 1960s and 1970s -- could we really be confident that
there wasn't a hidden cost to all these secret measures right here at home? Maybe, just maybe,
all this security wasn't really so benign when it came to us.
From my own personal experience over the past half-century, and my family's history over
three generations, I've found out in the most personal way possible that there's a real cost to
entrusting our civil liberties to the discretion of secret agencies. Let me share just a few of
my own "war" stories to explain how I've been forced to keep learning and relearning this
uncomfortable lesson the hard way.
On the Heroin Trail
After finishing college in the late 1960s, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Japanese history
and was pleasantly surprised when Yale Graduate School admitted me with a full fellowship. But
the Ivy League in those days was no ivory tower. During my first year at Yale, the Justice
Department indicted Black Panther leader Bobby Seale for a local murder and the May Day
protests that filled the New Haven green also shut the campus for a week. Almost
simultaneously, President Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia and student protests closed
hundreds of campuses across America for the rest of the semester.
In the midst of all this tumult, the focus of my studies shifted from Japan to Southeast
Asia, and from the past to the war in Vietnam. Yes, that war. So what did I do about the draft?
During my first semester at Yale, on December 1, 1969, to be precise, the Selective Service cut
up the calendar for a lottery. The first 100 birthdays picked were certain to be drafted, but
any dates above 200 were likely exempt. My birthday, June 8th, was the very last date drawn,
not number 365 but 366 (don't forget leap year) -- the only lottery I have ever won, except for
a Sunbeam electric frying pan in a high school raffle. Through a convoluted moral calculus
typical of the 1960s, I decided that my draft exemption, although acquired by sheer luck,
demanded that I devote myself, above all else, to thinking about, writing about, and working to
end the Vietnam War.
During those campus protests over Cambodia in the spring of 1970, our small group of
graduate students in Southeast Asian history at Yale realized that the U.S. strategic
predicament in Indochina would soon require an invasion of Laos to cut the flow of enemy
supplies into South Vietnam. So, while protests over Cambodia swept campuses nationwide, we
were huddled inside the library, preparing for the next invasion by editing a book of essays on
Laos for the publisher Harper & Row. A few months after that book appeared, one of the
company's junior editors, Elizabeth Jakab, intrigued by an account we had included about that
country's opium crop, telephoned from New York to ask if I could research and write a "quickie"
paperback about the history behind the heroin epidemic then infecting the U.S. Army in
Vietnam.
I promptly started the research at my student carrel in the Gothic tower that is Yale's
Sterling Library, tracking old colonial reports about the Southeast Asian opium trade that
ended suddenly in the 1950s, just as the story got interesting. So, quite tentatively at first,
I stepped outside the library to do a few interviews and soon found myself following an
investigative trail that circled the globe. First, I traveled across America for meetings with
retired CIA operatives. Then I crossed the Pacific to Hong Kong to study drug syndicates,
courtesy of that colony's police drug squad. Next, I went south to Saigon, then the capital of
South Vietnam, to investigate the heroin traffic that was targeting the GIs, and on into the
mountains of Laos to observe CIA alliances with opium warlords and the hill-tribe militias that
grew the opium poppy. Finally, I flew from Singapore to Paris for interviews with retired
French intelligence officers about their opium trafficking during the first Indochina War of
the 1950s.
The drug traffic that supplied heroin for the U.S. troops fighting in South Vietnam was not,
I discovered, exclusively the work of criminals. Once the opium left tribal poppy fields in
Laos, the traffic required official complicity at every level. The helicopters of Air America,
the airline the CIA then ran, carried raw opium out of the villages of its hill-tribe allies.
The commander of the Royal Lao Army, a close American collaborator, operated the world's
largest heroin lab and was so oblivious to the implications of the traffic that he opened his
opium ledgers for my inspection. Several of Saigon's top generals were complicit in the drug's
distribution to U.S. soldiers. By 1971, this web of collusion ensured that heroin, according to
a later
White House survey
of a thousand veterans, would be "commonly used" by 34% of American
troops in South Vietnam.
None of this had been covered in my college history seminars. I had no models for
researching an uncharted netherworld of crime and covert operations. After stepping off the
plane in Saigon, body slammed by the tropical heat, I found myself in a sprawling foreign city
of four million, lost in a swarm of snarling motorcycles and a maze of nameless streets,
without contacts or a clue about how to probe these secrets. Every day on the heroin trail
confronted me with new challenges -- where to look, what to look for, and, above all, how to ask
hard questions.
Reading all that history had, however, taught me something I didn't know I knew. Instead of
confronting my sources with questions about sensitive current events, I started with the French
colonial past when the opium trade was still legal, gradually uncovering the underlying,
unchanging logistics of drug production. As I followed this historical trail into the present,
when the traffic became illegal and dangerously controversial, I began to use pieces from this
past to assemble the present puzzle, until the names of contemporary dealers fell into place.
In short, I had crafted a historical method that would prove, over the next 40 years of my
career, surprisingly useful in analyzing a diverse array of foreign policy controversies -- CIA
alliances with drug lords, the agency's propagation of psychological torture, and our spreading
state surveillance.
The CIA Makes Its Entrance in My Life
Those months on the road, meeting gangsters and warlords in isolated places, offered only
one bit of real danger. While hiking in the mountains of Laos, interviewing Hmong farmers about
their opium shipments on CIA helicopters, I was descending a steep slope when a burst of
bullets ripped the ground at my feet. I had walked into an ambush by agency mercenaries.
While the five Hmong militia escorts whom the local village headman had prudently provided
laid down a covering fire, my Australian photographer
John Everingham
and I flattened ourselves
in the elephant grass and crawled through the mud to safety. Without those armed escorts, my
research would have been at an end and so would I. After that ambush failed, a CIA paramilitary
officer summoned me to a mountaintop meeting where he threatened to murder my Lao interpreter
unless I ended my research. After winning assurances from the U.S. embassy that my interpreter
would not be harmed, I decided to ignore that warning and keep going.
Six months and 30,000 miles later, I returned to New Haven. My investigation of CIA
alliances with drug lords had taught me more than I could have imagined about the covert
aspects of U.S. global power. Settling into my attic apartment for an academic year of writing,
I was confident that I knew more than enough for a book on this unconventional topic. But my
education, it turned out, was just beginning.
Within weeks, a massive, middle-aged guy in a suit interrupted my scholarly isolation. He
appeared at my front door and identified himself as
Tom Tripodi
, senior agent for the Bureau of Narcotics, which later became the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA). His agency, he confessed during a second visit, was worried
about my writing and he had been sent to investigate. He needed something to tell his
superiors. Tom was a guy you could trust. So I showed him a few draft pages of my book. He
disappeared into the living room for a while and came back saying, "Pretty good stuff. You got
your ducks in a row." But there were some things, he added, that weren't quite right, some
things he could help me fix.
Best of all, there was the one about how the Bureau of Narcotics caught French intelligence
protecting the Corsican syndicates smuggling heroin into New York City. Some of his stories,
usually unacknowledged, would appear in my book,
The Politics of Heroin
in Southeast Asia
. These conversations with an undercover operative, who had trained
Cuban exiles for the CIA in Florida and later investigated Mafia heroin syndicates for the DEA
in Sicily, were akin to an advanced seminar, a master class in covert operations.
In the summer of 1972, with the book at press, I went to Washington to testify before
Congress. As I was making the rounds of congressional offices on Capitol Hill, my editor rang
unexpectedly and summoned me to New York for a meeting with the president and vice president of
Harper & Row, my book's publisher. Ushered into a plush suite of offices overlooking the
spires of St. Patrick's Cathedral, I listened to those executives tell me that Cord Meyer, Jr.,
the CIA's deputy director for covert operations, had called on their company's president
emeritus, Cass Canfield, Sr. The visit was no accident, for Canfield, according to an
authoritative history
, "enjoyed prolific links to the world of intelligence, both as a
former psychological warfare officer and as a close personal friend of Allen Dulles," the
ex-head of the CIA. Meyer denounced my book as a threat to national security. He asked
Canfield, also an old friend, to quietly suppress it.
I was in serious trouble. Not only was Meyer a senior CIA official but he also had
impeccable social connections and covert assets in every corner of American intellectual life.
After graduating from Yale in 1942, he served with the marines in the Pacific, writing eloquent
war dispatches published in the
Atlantic Monthly
. He later worked with the U.S.
delegation drafting the U.N. charter. Personally recruited by spymaster Allen Dulles, Meyer
joined the CIA in 1951 and was soon running its International Organizations Division, which, in
the words of that
same history
, "constituted the greatest single concentration of covert political and
propaganda activities of the by now octopus-like CIA," including "
Operation Mockingbird
" that
planted disinformation in major U.S. newspapers meant to aid agency operations. Informed
sources told me that the CIA still had assets inside every major New York publisher and it
already had every page of my manuscript.
As the child of a wealthy New York family, Cord Meyer moved in elite social circles, meeting
and marrying Mary Pinchot, the niece of Gifford Pinchot, founder of the U.S. Forestry Service
and a former governor of Pennsylvania. Pinchot was a breathtaking beauty who later became
President Kennedy's mistress, making dozens of
secret visits
to the White House. When she was found
shot dead
along the banks of a canal in Washington in 1964, the head of CIA
counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton, another Yale alumnus, broke into her home in an
unsuccessful attempt to secure her diary. Mary's sister Toni and her husband,
Washington
Post
editor Ben Bradlee, later found the diary and gave it to Angleton for destruction by
the agency. To this day, her unsolved murder remains a
subject
of
mystery and controversy.
Cord Meyer was also in the
Social Register
of New York's fine families along with
my publisher, Cass Canfield, which added a dash of social cachet to the pressure to suppress my
book. By the time he walked into Harper & Row's office in that summer of 1972, two decades
of CIA service had
changed
Meyer (according to that same authoritative history) from a liberal idealist into
"a relentless, implacable advocate for his own ideas," driven by "a paranoiac distrust of
everyone who didn't agree with him" and a manner that was "histrionic and even bellicose." An
unpublished 26-year-old graduate student versus the master of CIA media manipulation. It was
hardly a fair fight. I began to fear my book would never appear.
To his credit, Canfield refused Meyer's request to suppress the book. But he did allow the
agency a chance to review the manuscript prior to publication. Instead of waiting quietly for
the CIA's critique, I contacted Seymour Hersh, then an investigative reporter for the
New
York Times
. The same day the CIA courier arrived from Langley to collect my manuscript,
Hersh swept through Harper & Row's offices like a tropical storm, pelting hapless
executives with incessant, unsettling questions. The next day, his exposé of the CIA's
attempt at censorship appeared on the paper's
front page
. Other national media organizations followed his lead. Faced with a barrage of
negative coverage, the CIA gave Harper & Row a critique full of
unconvincing
denials
. The book was published unaltered.
My Life as an Open Book for the Agency
I had learned another important lesson: the Constitution's protection of press freedom could
check even the world's most powerful espionage agency. Cord Meyer reportedly learned the same
lesson. According to his
obituary
in the
Washington Post
, "It was assumed that Mr. Meyer would eventually
advance" to head CIA covert operations, "but the public disclosure about the book deal
apparently dampened his prospects." He was instead exiled to London and eased into early
retirement.
Meyer and his colleagues were not, however, used to losing. Defeated in the public arena,
the CIA retreated to the shadows and retaliated by tugging at every thread in the threadbare
life of a graduate student. Over the next few months, federal officials from the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare turned up at Yale to investigate my graduate fellowship. The
Internal Revenue Service audited my poverty-level income. The FBI tapped my New Haven telephone
(something I learned years later from a class-action lawsuit).
In August 1972, at the height of the controversy over the book, FBI agents told the bureau's
director that they had "conducted [an] investigation concerning McCoy," searching the files
they had compiled on me for the past two years and interviewing numerous "sources whose
identities are concealed [who] have furnished reliable information in the past" -- thereby
producing an 11-page report detailing my birth, education, and campus antiwar activities.
A college classmate I hadn't seen in four years, who served in military intelligence,
magically appeared at my side in the book section of the Yale Co-op, seemingly eager to resume
our relationship. The same week that a
laudatory review
of my book appeared on the front page of the
New York Times Book
Review
, an extraordinary achievement for any historian, Yale's History Department placed
me on academic probation. Unless I could somehow do a year's worth of overdue work in a single
semester, I faced dismissal.
In those days, the ties between the CIA and Yale were wide and deep. The campus residential
colleges screened students, including future CIA Director Porter Goss, for possible careers in
espionage. Alumni like Cord Meyer and James Angleton held senior slots at the agency. Had I not
had a faculty adviser visiting from Germany, the distinguished scholar
Bernhard Dahm
who was a stranger to this
covert nexus, that probation would likely have become expulsion, ending my academic career and
destroying my credibility.
During those difficult days, New York Congressman Ogden Reid, a ranking member of the House
Foreign Relations Committee, telephoned to say that he was sending staff investigators to Laos
to look into the opium situation. Amid this controversy, a CIA helicopter landed near the
village where I had escaped that ambush and flew the Hmong headman who had helped my research
to an agency airstrip. There, a CIA interrogator made it clear that he had better deny what he
had said to me about the opium. Fearing, as he later told my photographer, that "they will send
a helicopter to arrest me, or soldiers to shoot me," the Hmong headman did just that.
At a personal level, I was discovering just how deep the country's intelligence agencies
could reach, even in a democracy, leaving no part of my life untouched: my publisher, my
university, my sources, my taxes, my phone, and even my friends.
Although I had won the first battle of this war with a media blitz, the CIA was winning the
longer bureaucratic struggle. By silencing my sources and denying any culpability, its
officials convinced Congress that it was innocent of any direct complicity in the Indochina
drug trade. During Senate hearings into CIA assassinations by the famed
Church Committee
three years later, Congress accepted the agency's assurance that none of its operatives had
been directly involved in heroin trafficking (an allegation I had never actually made). The
committee's report did confirm the core of my critique, however, finding that "the CIA is
particularly vulnerable to criticism" over indigenous assets in Laos "of considerable
importance to the Agency," including "people who either were known to be, or were suspected of
being, involved in narcotics trafficking." But the senators did not press the CIA for any
resolution or reform of what its own inspector general had called the "particular dilemma"
posed by those alliances with drug lords -- the key aspect, in my view, of its complicity in the
traffic.
During the mid-1970s, as the flow of drugs into the United States slowed and the number of
addicts declined, the heroin problem receded into the inner cities and the media moved on to
new sensations. Unfortunately, Congress had forfeited an opportunity to check the CIA and
correct its way of waging covert wars. In less than 10 years, the problem of the CIA's tactical
alliances with drug traffickers to support its far-flung covert wars was back with a
vengeance.
During the 1980s, as the crack-cocaine epidemic swept America's cities, the agency, as its
own Inspector General later
reported
, allied itself with the
largest drug smuggler in the Caribbean, using his port facilities to ship arms to the Contra
guerrillas fighting in Nicaragua and protecting him from any prosecution for five years.
Simultaneously on the other side of the planet in Afghanistan, mujahedeen guerrillas imposed an
opium tax
on farmers to fund their fight against the Soviet occupation and, with the
CIA's tacit consent
, operated heroin labs along the Pakistani border to supply
international markets. By the mid-1980s, Afghanistan's opium harvest had grown 10-fold and was
providing 60% of the heroin for America's addicts and as much as
90%
in New York City.
Almost by accident, I had launched my academic career by doing something a bit different.
Embedded within that study of drug trafficking was an analytical approach that would take me,
almost unwittingly, on a lifelong exploration of U.S. global hegemony in its many
manifestations, including diplomatic alliances, CIA interventions, developing military
technology, recourse to torture, and global surveillance. Step by step, topic by topic, decade
after decade, I would slowly accumulate sufficient understanding of the parts to try to
assemble the whole. In writing my new book,
In the Shadows of the
American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power
, I drew on this research
to assess the overall character of U.S. global power and the forces that might contribute to
its perpetuation or decline.
In the process, I slowly came to see a striking continuity and coherence in Washington's
century-long rise to global dominion. CIA torture techniques emerged at the start of the Cold
War in the 1950s; much of its futuristic robotic aerospace technology had its first trial in
the Vietnam War of the 1960s; and, above all, Washington's reliance on surveillance first
appeared in the colonial Philippines around 1900 and soon became an essential though
essentially illegal tool for the FBI's repression of domestic dissent that continued through
the 1970s.
Surveillance Today
In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, I dusted off that historical method, and used it to
explore the origins and character of domestic surveillance inside the United States.
After occupying the Philippines in 1898, the U.S. Army, facing a difficult pacification
campaign in a restive land, discovered the power of systematic surveillance to crush the
resistance of the country's political elite. Then, during World War I, the Army's "father of
military intelligence," the dour General Ralph Van Deman, who had learned his trade in the
Philippines, drew upon his years pacifying those islands to mobilize a legion of 1,700 soldiers
and 350,000 citizen-vigilantes for an intense surveillance program against suspected enemy
spies among German-Americans, including my own grandfather. In studying Military Intelligence
files at the National Archives, I found "suspicious" letters purloined from my grandfather's
army locker. In fact, his mother had been writing him in her native German about such
subversive subjects as knitting him socks for guard duty.
In the 1950s, Hoover's FBI agents tapped thousands of phones without warrants and kept
suspected subversives under close surveillance, including my mother's cousin Gerard Piel, an
anti-nuclear activist and the publisher of
Scientific American
magazine. During the
Vietnam War, the bureau
expanded its
activities
with an amazing array of spiteful, often illegal, intrigues in a bid to cripple
the antiwar movement with pervasive surveillance of the sort seen in my own FBI file.
Memory of the FBI's illegal surveillance programs was largely washed away after the Vietnam
War thanks to Congressional reforms that required judicial warrants for all government
wiretaps. The terror attacks of September 2001, however, gave the National Security Agency the
leeway to launch renewed surveillance on a previously unimaginable scale. Writing for
TomDispatch
in 2009, I
observed
that coercive methods first tested in
the Middle East were being repatriated and might lay the groundwork for "a domestic
surveillance state." Sophisticated biometric and cyber techniques forged in the war zones of
Afghanistan and Iraq had made a "digital surveillance state a reality" and so were
fundamentally changing the character of American democracy.
Four years later, Edward Snowden's leak of secret NSA documents revealed that, after a
century-long gestation period, a U.S. digital surveillance state had finally arrived. In the
age of the Internet, the NSA could monitor tens of millions of private lives worldwide,
including American ones, via a few hundred computerized probes into the global grid of
fiber-optic cables.
And then, as if to remind me in the most personal way possible of our new reality, four
years ago, I found myself the target yet again of an IRS audit, of TSA body searches at
national airports, and -- as I discovered when the line went dead -- a tap on my office telephone
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Why? Maybe it was my current writing on sensitive
topics like CIA torture and NSA surveillance, or maybe my name popped up from some old database
of suspected subversives left over from the 1970s. Whatever the explanation, it was a
reasonable reminder that, if my own family's experience across three generations is in any way
representative, state surveillance has been an integral part of American political life far
longer than we might imagine.
At the cost of personal privacy, Washington's worldwide web of surveillance has now become a
weapon of exceptional power in a bid to extend U.S. global hegemony deeper into the
twenty-first century. Yet it's worth remembering that sooner or later what we do overseas
always seems to come home to haunt us, just as the CIA and crew have haunted me this last
half-century. When we learn to love Big Brother, the world becomes a more, not less, dangerous
place.
Alfred W. McCoy, a
TomDispatch
regular
, is the Harrington professor of history at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of the now-classic book
The Politics of Heroin: CIA
Complicity in the Global Drug Trade
, which probed the conjuncture of illicit narcotics and
covert operations over 50 years, and the forthcoming
In the Shadows of the
American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power
(Dispatch Books, September)
from which this piece is adapted.
(Republished from
TomDispatch
by permission of author or representative)
"In the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, I dusted off that historical method, and used
it to explore the origins and character of domestic surveillance inside the United States." -- Alfred McCoy
What about using the historical method to explore the nature of USA's reducing EU nations
to "vassals" – and keeping them in the status of vassals, such that they can be
depended on to undermine their own economies and sovereignty for the sake of USA's global
initiatives?
An interesting question might be whether the NATO-to-Afghanistan highway (truck route for
munitions, etc.), c. 2010, was also, on the back-haul – Afghanistan to EU – the
major supply route for heroin throughout the EU and thus the key to corruption of EU
governments (and of Russia) and domination of those governments by USA's neocon operatives?
(E.g., was/is the distribution system of the "Chocolate King" Petro Poroshenko, President of
Ukraine, delivering something besides just chocolate?)
"Just over one third of all cargo goes on routes dubbed the "northern distribution
network" through Central Asia, and the Caucasus or Russia. " -- Reuters, 2011
Just a thought, speculative, based in part on the assumption that such trucks would not be
subject to narcotics search-and-seizure going across borders.
While I have not served in Cuba, my experience in a number of similar hostile, high
counterintelligence threat countries suggests that this is more likely a surveillance effort
gone wrong, than the use of an offensive sonic weapon.
We have very little experience anywhere in the world with directed attacks designed to
physically harm to our diplomats. However, the use of intrusive technical collection and
surveillance which sometimes causes harm in its own right, is consistent with past practice
in Cuba and elsewhere.
Why don't I believe this was an attack intended to harm diplomats?
Looks like tail wags the dog -- CIA controls the US foreign policy and in the last elections
also played active role in promoting Hillary. A the level of top brass we have
several people mentioned by Giraldi who are probably as dangerous as Allen Dulles was. Brennan
is one example.
The parade of rogues that Philip describes is really
alarming. Each with agenda that directly harms
the USA as a country promoting the interest of military-industrial complex and neocon
faction within the government...
Notable quotes:
"... Indeed, one can start with Tenet if one wants to create a roster of recent CIA Directors who have lied to permit the White House to engage in a war crime. Tenet and his staff knew better than anyone that the case against Saddam did not hold water, but President George W. Bush wanted his war and, by gum, he was going to get it if the CIA had any say in the matter. ..."
"... Back then as now, international Islamic terrorism was the name of the game. It kept the money flowing to the national security establishment in the false belief that America was somehow being made "safe." But today the terror narrative has been somewhat supplanted by Russia, which is headed by a contemporary Saddam Hussein in the form of Vladimir Putin. If one believes the media and a majority of congressmen, evil manifest lurks in the gilded halls of the Kremlin. Russia has recently been sanctioned (again) for crimes that are more alleged than demonstrated and President Putin has been selected by the Establishment as the wedge issue that will be used to end President Donald Trump's defiance of the Deep State and all that pertains to it. The intelligence community at its top level would appear to be fully on board with that effort. ..."
"... Remarkably, he also said that there is only "minimal evidence" that Russia is even fighting ISIS. The statement is astonishing as Moscow has most definitely been seriously and directly engaged in support of the Syrian Arab Army. Is it possible that the head of the CIA is unaware of that? It just might be that Pompeo is disparaging the effort because the Russians and Syrians have also been fighting against the U.S. backed "moderate rebels." That the moderate rebels are hardly moderate has been known for years and they are also renowned for their ineffectiveness combined with a tendency to defect to more radical groups taking their U.S. provided weapons with them, a combination of factors which led to their being denied any further American support by a presidential decision that was revealed in the press two weeks ago. ..."
"... Pompeo's predecessor John Brennan is, however, my favorite Agency leader in the category of totally bereft of his senses. ..."
"... Brennan is certainly loyal to his cause, whatever that might be. At the same Aspen meeting attended by Pompeo, he told Wolf Blitzer that if Trump were to fire special counsel Robert Mueller government officials should "refuse to carry out" his orders. In other words, they should begin a coup, admittedly non-violent (one presumes), but nevertheless including federal employees uniting to shut the government down. ..."
"... And finally, there is Michael Morell, also a former Acting Director, who was closely tied to the Hillary Clinton campaign, apparently driven by ambition to become Director in her administration. Morell currently provides commentary for CBS television and is a frequent guest on the Charlie Rose show. Morell considerably raised the ante on Brennan's pre-electoral speculation that there had been some Russian recruitment of Trump people. He observed in August that Putin, a wily ex-career intelligence officer, "trained to identify vulnerabilities in an individual and to exploit them [did exactly that] early in the primaries. Mr. Putin played upon Mr. Trump's vulnerabilities In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation." ..."
"... Nothing new. In the '50s CIA was making foreign wars and cultivating chaos at home, and blaming all of it on Russia. In the '80s CIA was cultivating anti-nuke groups to undermine Reagan, and blaming it on Russia. CIA has been the primary wellspring of evil for a long time. ..."
"... Yes you read that right and they are going to the rotten core of this coup against the United States by presenting a report stating that the DNC was "Leaked" not hacked. The real hacking came from President Obama's weaponizing of our intelligence agencies against Russia. ..."
"... As has been the case for decades the Deep State allows Presidents and legislators to make minor decisions in our government as long as those decisions do not in any way interfere with the Deep State's goals of total world hegemony and increase in overwhelming power and wealth. Those who make the important decisions in this country are not elected. The elected 'officials' are sycophants of the Deep State. ..."
"... The term is appropriated from the use to describe the mutually loyal corps of Ataturkians in the Turkish military and intelligence services who were united in service to uphold the ideal of Ataturkian secular modernisation. The term implies no public accountability or publicity unnecessary to its purposes. ..."
"... The CIA's source, its birth, is from British secret service. Brit spying. And Brit secret service, long before the official founding of MI5, did exactly the kinds of things you note the CIA has done. ..."
"... The Mossad is another direct fruit of Brit secret service, as is the Saudi General Intelligence Presidency. ..."
"... I am a retired CIA operations officer (something none of the men mentioned by Giraldi are – Brennan was a failed wanna be, couldn't cut it as an ops officer). He is spot on in his comments. The majority of people in the CIA, the ones who do the heavy lifting, are patriotic Americans who are proud of serving their country. I am sure that most voted for Trump as they all know too well the truth about the Clintons and Obama. ..."
"... Giraldi is not the only one to notice the upward progress of the most incompetent yes-men in the Agency. A close look at most of them reveals a track record of little or no operational success balanced by excellent sucking up skills. These characters quickly figured out how to get ahead and doing your job in the field is not it. Of course, most are ego maniacs so they are totally oblivious to their own uselessness. ..."
"... How "Russiagate" began: After the primaries, both Hillary and Donald faced divided political parties even though they had won the nomination. These divisions were worse than the normal situation after contested primaries. On the Democratic side, Hillay had just subverted the will of the voters of her party, who seemed to favor Bernie Sanders over her. Hillay had won with corrupt collusion and rigging amongst the DNC, the higher ranks of the Democratic Party, and major media such as the NYT and CNN. ..."
"... Then, a leak of emails from the DNC HQ publicized her interference in the democratic processes of the Democratic Party. This threatened to ene the Hillary for President campaign right then and there. If the majority of Democrats who'd favored Bernie refused to support Hillary because of her corruption and collusion in denying democracy within the party, she was a sure loser in the fall election. The Hillary camp then immediately started blaming Russia for the exposure of her corruption and rigging of the Democratic process. And that's how "Russiagate" began. ..."
"... Take that bunch of mediocre thinkers, and then make most of them obsessed with their own career advancement above all else. The most dangerous place for a career-obsessed individual is outside the group consensus. ..."
"... So, for instance, Trump should veto the act of war known as the recent sanctions bill. Who cares if it gets overridden? Then he goes back to the voters, who are clearly sick of endless war and who for obvious reasons don't want a nuclear war, and he says this is where I stand. Support me by electing Fill-In-The-Blank to Congress. With the nuclear Doomsday Clock pushing ever closer to midnight, he might just win that fight over the big money and media opposition he's sure to face. ..."
"... Not only has Trump failed to even try to fight the Deep State, but he's also failing to set himself up for success in the next elections. ..."
Long ago, when I was a spear carrying middle ranker at CIA, a colleague took me aside and said
that he had something to tell me "as a friend," that was very important. He told me that his wife
had worked for years in the Agency's Administrative Directorate, as it was then called, where she
had noticed that some new officers coming out of the Career Trainee program had red tags on their
personnel files. She eventually learned from her boss that the tags represented assessments that
those officers had exceptional potential as senior managers. He added, however, that the reverse
appeared to be true in practice as they were generally speaking serial failures as they ascended
the bureaucratic ladder, even though their careers continued to be onward and upward on paper. My
friend's wife concluded, not unreasonably, that only genuine a-holes had what it took to get promoted
to the most senior ranks.
I was admittedly skeptical but some recent activity by former and current Directors and Acting
Directors of CIA has me wondering if something like my friend's wife's observation about senior management
might indeed be true. But it would have to be something other than tagging files, as many of the
directors and their deputies did not come up through the ranks and there seems to be a similar strain
of lunacy at other U.S. government intelligence agencies. It might be time to check the water supply
in the Washington area as there is very definitely something in the kool-aid that is producing odd
behavior.
Now I should pause for a moment and accept that the role of intelligence services is to identify
potential threats before they become active, so a certain level of acute paranoia goes with the job.
But at the same time, one would expect a level of professionalism which would mandate accuracy rather
than emotion in assessments coupled with an eschewing of any involvement in the politics of foreign
and national security policy formulation. The enthusiasm with which a number of senior CIA personnel
have waded into the Trump swamp and have staked out positions that contradict genuine national interests
suggests that little has been learned since CIA Director George Tenet sat behind Secretary of State
Colin Powell in the UN and nodded sagaciously as Saddam Hussein's high crimes and misdemeanors were
falsely enumerated.
Indeed, one can start with Tenet if one wants to create a roster of recent CIA Directors who
have lied to permit the White House to engage in a war crime. Tenet and his staff knew better than
anyone that the case against Saddam did not hold water, but President George W. Bush wanted his war
and, by gum, he was going to get it if the CIA had any say in the matter.
Back then as now, international Islamic terrorism was the name of the game. It kept the money
flowing to the national security establishment in the false belief that America was somehow being
made "safe." But today the terror narrative has been somewhat supplanted by Russia, which is headed
by a contemporary Saddam Hussein in the form of Vladimir Putin. If one believes the media and a majority
of congressmen, evil manifest lurks in the gilded halls of the Kremlin. Russia has recently been
sanctioned (again) for crimes that are more alleged than demonstrated and President Putin has been
selected by the Establishment as the wedge issue that will be used to end President Donald Trump's
defiance of the Deep State and all that pertains to it. The intelligence community at its top level
would appear to be fully on board with that effort.
The most recent inexplicable comments come from the current CIA Director Mike Pompeo, speaking
at the Aspen Institute Security Forum. He began by asserting that Russia had interfered in the U.S.
election
before saying that the logic behind Russia's Middle Eastern strategy is to stay in place in Syria
so Moscow can "stick it to America." He didn't define the "it" so one must assume that "it" stands
for any utensil available, ranging from cruise missiles to dinner forks. He then elaborated, somewhat
obscurely, that "I think they find anyplace that they can make our lives more difficult, I think
they find that something that's useful."
Remarkably, he also said that there is only "minimal evidence" that Russia is even fighting
ISIS. The statement is astonishing as Moscow has most definitely been seriously and directly engaged
in support of the Syrian Arab Army. Is it possible that the head of the CIA is unaware of that? It
just might be that Pompeo is disparaging the effort because the Russians and Syrians have also been
fighting against the U.S. backed "moderate rebels." That the moderate rebels are hardly moderate
has been known for years and they are also renowned for their ineffectiveness combined with a tendency
to defect to more radical groups taking their U.S. provided weapons with them, a combination of factors
which led to their being denied any further American support by a presidential decision that was
revealed in the press two weeks ago.
Pompeo's predecessor John Brennan is, however, my favorite Agency leader in the category of
totally bereft of his senses. In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee back in May,
he suggested that some Trump associates might have been recruited by the Russian intelligence service.
He testified that
"I encountered and am aware of information and intelligence that revealed contacts and interactions
between Russian officials and US persons involved in the Trump campaign that I was concerned about
because of known Russian efforts to suborn such individuals. It raised questions in my mind whether
or not Russia was able to gain the co-operation of those individuals."
In his testimony, Brennan apparently forgot to mention that the CIA is not supposed to keep tabs
on American citizens. Nor did he explain how he had come upon the information in the first place
as it had been handed over by foreign intelligence services, including the British, Dutch and Estonians,
and at least some of it had been sought or possibly inspired by Brennan unofficially in the first
place. Brennan then used that information to request an FBI investigation into a possible Russian
operation directed against potential key advisers if Trump were to somehow get nominated and elected,
which admittedly was a longshot at the time. That is how Russiagate started.
Brennan is certainly loyal to his cause, whatever that might be. At the same Aspen meeting
attended by Pompeo, he
told Wolf Blitzer that if Trump were to fire special counsel Robert Mueller government officials
should "refuse to carry out" his orders. In other words, they should begin a coup, admittedly non-violent
(one presumes), but nevertheless including federal employees uniting to shut the government down.
A lesser known former CIA senior official is
John McLaughlin,
who briefly served as acting Director in 2004. McLaughlin was particularly outraged by Trump's recent
speech to the Boy Scouts, which he described as having the feel "of a third world authoritarian's
youth rally." He added that "It gave me the creeps it was like watching the late Venezuelan [President
Hugo] Chavez."
And finally, there is Michael Morell, also a former Acting Director, who was closely tied
to the Hillary Clinton campaign, apparently driven by ambition to become Director in her administration.
Morell currently provides commentary for CBS television and is a frequent guest on the Charlie Rose
show. Morell considerably raised the ante on Brennan's pre-electoral speculation that there had been
some Russian recruitment of Trump people.
He observed in August that Putin, a wily ex-career intelligence officer, "trained to identify
vulnerabilities in an individual and to exploit them [did exactly that] early in the primaries. Mr.
Putin played upon Mr. Trump's vulnerabilities In the intelligence business, we would say that Mr.
Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation."
I and others noted at the time that Putin and Trump had never met, not even through proxies, while
we also wondered how one could be both unwitting and a recruited agent as intelligence recruitment
implies control and taking direction. Morell was non-plussed, unflinching and just a tad sanctimonious
in affirming that his own intelligence training (as an analyst who never recruited a spy in his life)
meant that "[I] call it as I see it."
One could also cite Michael Hayden and James Clapper, though the latter was not CIA. They all
basically hew to the same line about Russia, often in more-or-less the same words, even though no
actual evidence has been produced to support their claims. That unanimity of thinking is what is
peculiar while academics like Stephen Cohen, Stephen Walt, Andrew Bacevich, and John Mearsheimer,
who have studied Russia in some depth and understand the country and its leadership far better than
a senior CIA officer, detect considerable nuance in what is taking place. They all believe that the
hardline policies current in Washington are based on an eagerness to go with the flow on the comforting
inside-the- beltway narrative that paints Russia as a threat to vital interests. That unanimity of
viewpoint should surprise no one as this is more of less the same government with many of the same
people that led the U.S. into Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. They all have a vested interested in the
health and well-being of a fully funded national security state.
And the other groupthink that seems to prevail among the senior managers except Pompeo is that
they all hate Donald Trump and have done so since long before he won the election. That is somewhat
odd, but it perhaps reflects a fear that Trump would interfere with the richly rewarding establishment
politics that had enabled their careers. But it does not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of CIA
employees. Though it is admittedly unscientific analysis on my part, I know a lot of former and some
current CIA employees but do not know a single one who voted for Hillary Clinton. Nearly all voted
for Trump.
Beyond that exhibition of tunnel vision and sheer ignorance, the involvement of former senior
intelligence officials in politics is itself deplorable and is perhaps symptomatic of the breakdown
in the comfortable bipartisan national security consensus that has characterized the past fifty years.
Once upon time former CIA officers would retire to the Blue Ridge mountains and raise Labradors,
but we are now into something much more dangerous if the intelligence community, which has been responsible
for most of the recent leaks, begins to feel free to assert itself from behind the scenes. As Senator
Chuck Schumer
recently warned "Let me tell you: You take on the intelligence community -- they have six ways
from Sunday at getting back at you."
In jumping this fascist nihilist shark, the groupthinkers have closed themselves off from the
logical conclusion to their viewpoint, which is final annihilation.
Brennan, Morell, and Pompeo should better find ways to justify their salaries: the U.S. has
suffered the greatest breach in cybersecurity on their watch:
" an enormous breach of the United States Security Apparatus by as many as 80 Democrat members
of Congress (past and present). We rail on about the Russians and Trump, but t he media avoids
providing nightly updates about these 5 spies that have compromised Congress ."
"In total, Imran's firm was employed by 31 Democrats in Congress, some of whom held extremely
sensitive positions on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House
Committee on Foreign Affair s."
Nothing new. In the '50s CIA was making foreign wars and cultivating chaos at home, and
blaming all of it on Russia. In the '80s CIA was cultivating anti-nuke groups to undermine Reagan,
and blaming it on Russia. CIA has been the primary wellspring of evil for a long time.
And back to reality we have VIPS Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.
Yes you read that right and they are going to the rotten core of this coup against the
United States by presenting a report stating that the DNC was "Leaked" not hacked. The real hacking
came from President Obama's weaponizing of our intelligence agencies against Russia.
That is war, World War Three and it would seem now that Congress is marching that way, but
the report below hold the key to fighting back.
One of the VIPS is William Binney fomer NSA Technical Director, an important expert. leading
the group is Ray McGovern with some whit and grace, well yes how about some sanity, to which humor
is important to the insight and to stay in the sights of what is clever thievery and worse. Much
worse,
and there is a twinkle in the eye when realize that it is straight forward.
And Congress could stop it tout sweet, but well old habits but they have taken an Oath of Office,
so, so what, yeah they did go after Bernie, so will you challenge your elected officials, either
do their sworn duty or resign, for what this sanctions bill against Russia and Iran is a declaration
of war, not only against Russia and Iran, but a declaration of war against the United States.
for there is no reason to do this against Russia when indeed there are great opportunities to
get along, but war is the insanity as it is sedition and treason. Tell them that,
I wonder if groupthink exists.
In any organisation people know quite well why the organisation exists, what the threats are to
its existence.
If they think about this, I wonder.
The CIA is the USA's secret army, it is not comparable to a real intelligence organisation like
the British MI5.
The CIA is more like WWII SOE, designed to set fire to Europe, Churchill's words.
If indeed Trump changes USA foreign policy, no longer trying to control the world, the CIA is
obsolete, as obsolete as NATO.
" but President George W. Bush wanted his war and, by gum, he was going to get it if the CIA
had any say in the matter."
Not to defend the CIA, but didn't Rumsfeld, doubt the enthusiasm of the CIA for providing the
slanted, bogus, "sexed up" intelligence the Executive required to make its "destroy Iraq now"
case ? So Rumsfeld therefore set up an independent intelligence agency within the Defence Dept
to provide/create the required "intelligence" ?
I think they find anyplace that they can make our lives more difficult, I think they find
that something that's useful."
Yeah, because that's what resource-constrained countries with limited ability to tap the global
capital markets do. Methinks Mr. Pompeo is projecting his and the neocons' fantasies on the Russians.
As has been the case for decades the Deep State allows Presidents and legislators to make minor
decisions in our government as long as those decisions do not in any way interfere with the Deep
State's goals of total world hegemony and increase in overwhelming power and wealth. Those who
make the important decisions in this country are not elected. The elected 'officials' are sycophants
of the Deep State.
Being resistant to jargon and catch phrases it is only slowly that I have accepted that "Deep
State" is not entirely pretentious waffle when used to describe aspects of the US. However I may
not be your only reader PG who would appreciate a clear explanatory description of the American
Deep State and how it works.
Here are some suggested parameters.
The term is appropriated from the use to describe the mutually loyal corps of Ataturkians in
the Turkish military and intelligence services who were united in service to uphold the ideal
of Ataturkian secular modernisation. The term implies no public accountability or publicity unnecessary
to its purposes.
And its origins imply that it is not just one in a number of major influences ln government or
those who vote for it.
So one has to acknowledge that in the US the Deep State has to be different in the important
respect that levers of power are observably wielded by lobbies for the aged, gun owners and sellers,
Israel, Wall Street, bio fuels, sugar and other ag, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, the arms industry,
Disney and other Hollywood and media, health insurers and the medical profession, and I could
go on.
These are all relevant to legal events like votes on impeachment or to hold up appointments.
The CIA and FBI together completely united (and note how disunited 9/11 showed them to be) wouldn't
remotely approach the old Turkish Deep State's ability to stage a coup. Are all of the putative
elements of the Deep State together today as powerful as J.Edgar Hoover with his dirt files on
everyone? (A contrast and compare exercise of today's presumed Deep State configuration and modus
operandi with the simpler Hoover days might shine some light on who does what and how today. And
how effectively).
To avoid lack of focus can a convincing account of the US Deep State be best given in terms
of a plausible scenario for
getting rid of Trump as President and/or
maintaining the lunacy and hubris which has the US wasting its substance on totally unnecessary
antagonistic relations with China and Russia and interference in the ME?
I would read such accounts with great interest. (Handwavers need not apply).
Of course the US Deep State must hate Russia. First, Jews have a very long history of hating Russia and Russians. That never changed. The
USSR was not Russia; the USSR was Marxism replacing Russia. Jews tended to love that. Rich Jews
from across the world, from the US and the UK of most interest to us, sent money to support the
Bolshevik Revolution.
Russia managed to survive the USSR and is slowly coming back around to Russian common sense
from the Christian perspective. Neither Jews nor their WASP BFFs can ever forgive that. They want
Russia to act now to commit cultural and genetic suicide, like Western Europe and the entire Anglosphere
are doing.
@polistraThe CIA's source, its birth, is from British secret service. Brit spying. And Brit secret service,
long before the official founding of MI5, did exactly the kinds of things you note the CIA has
done.
The Mossad is another direct fruit of Brit secret service, as is the Saudi General Intelligence
Presidency.
While there can be no doubt about the crackpots in high positions of the most powerful bureaucracies,
it seems to me that the CIA loonies are merely shock troops for an even worse bunch of evil psychos,
the bankster mafiosi.
But doing so would mean a voluntary end to playing the role of Sauron, determined to find and
wear the One Ring to Rule Them All. The average Elite WASP, and his Jewish BFF, definitely would
prefer to destroy the world, at least outside their gated compounds of endless luxury, than to
step down from that level of global domination.
@Wizard
of Oz Wiz – Here is an article I did on the Deep State two years ago. It was one of the first
in the US media looking at the issue. It would have to be updated now in light of Trump, but much
of what it states is still more-or-less correct.
But we need to make certain that your use of the word 'mafiosi' does not lead anyone to assume
that group has more than a handful of Italians. Jews, WASPs, and continental Germanics each will
outnumber Italians by at least 30 to 1.
I am a retired CIA operations officer (something none of the men mentioned by Giraldi are –
Brennan was a failed wanna be, couldn't cut it as an ops officer). He is spot on in his comments.
The majority of people in the CIA, the ones who do the heavy lifting, are patriotic Americans
who are proud of serving their country. I am sure that most voted for Trump as they all know too
well the truth about the Clintons and Obama.
Giraldi is not the only one to notice the upward progress of the most incompetent yes-men in the
Agency. A close look at most of them reveals a track record of little or no operational success
balanced by excellent sucking up skills. These characters quickly figured out how to get ahead
and doing your job in the field is not it. Of course, most are ego maniacs so they are totally
oblivious to their own uselessness.
Well before he was elected I had a letter delivered to President Trump in which I outlined in
detail what would happen to him if he did not immediately purge the CIA of these assholes. I know
that at least some people on his staff read it but, of course, my advice was ignored. Trump has
paid dearly for not listening to an ordinary CIA guy who wanted to give him a reality brief on
those vicious snakes.
Historical facts teach humanity that Anglo-Saxon group of Nations was built on slavery, thuggery
and theft of other peace loving Civilizations.
We Slavs are the New "niggers", hate is the glue that holds you "toGether".
People of color have been successfully conditioned and practice it as well.
Time will tell how well it holds when balloon bursts and 99% gets called to serve as cannon fodder.
Terrorizing UNARMED and WEAKER is not true test of "superiority" and "exceptionalism".
Tiny, extremely tiny minority of Anglo-Saxons and Satraps understand this.
How "Russiagate" began: After the primaries, both Hillary and Donald faced divided political parties even though they
had won the nomination. These divisions were worse than the normal situation after contested primaries.
On the Democratic side, Hillay had just subverted the will of the voters of her party, who seemed
to favor Bernie Sanders over her. Hillay had won with corrupt collusion and rigging amongst the
DNC, the higher ranks of the Democratic Party, and major media such as the NYT and CNN.
Then, a leak of emails from the DNC HQ publicized her interference in the democratic processes
of the Democratic Party. This threatened to ene the Hillary for President campaign right then
and there. If the majority of Democrats who'd favored Bernie refused to support Hillary because
of her corruption and collusion in denying democracy within the party, she was a sure loser in
the fall election. The Hillary camp then immediately started blaming Russia for the exposure of her corruption
and rigging of the Democratic process. And that's how "Russiagate" began.
My old brain that was alive in the 60′s, remembers the lyric.
But the first link I find on Google's youtube is a version that removes the above lyric, instead
just echoing the title endlessly. That's the modern world .. all real content removed from what you find on the internet.
It probably does as do group psychoses and group fantasies.. Anyone who's ever served in a beuaracracy
knows that groupthink exists.
Take a bunch of mediocre minds. And, they do exist, as Garrison Keiler once famously made a
joke out of with his line Welcome to Lake Woebegone, where all the children are above average.
Take that bunch of mediocre thinkers, and then make most of them obsessed with their own career
advancement above all else. The most dangerous place for a career-obsessed individual is outside
the group consensus. If everyone is wrong, then there is safety in the group. After all, if they
are wrong, so was everyone else in the organization. Thus they are immune to attack and censure
for being wrong. But if someone takes a position outside of the group consensus, that can be a
career-ending move if they are wrong, as now everyone else will be in the I-told-U-So camp. And
even if they are correct, they will still be hated and shunned just for being the person who pointed
out to the group that they are wrong.
So, you take your typical average mind, and not only do they not have any great insights of
their own, but they tend to stick to the group out of sheer survival and then when you take a
mass of these mediocre minds you have 'groupthink'.
If only Trump would really clean the swamp - particularly the neo-cons and other traitors and
globalists. One can dream ....
What we've learned from Trump is that 'Draining the Swamp' will
take more than an individual. It will take a political movement.
One sees this on the fringes of politics. Someone gets the idea of running for President, and
they point out all that is wrong. But, they focus only on their own campaign, their own goal,
and they thus gloss over the fact that they'll be outnumbered and powerless even if they win.
Seen this often on the Left. The most recent example is Bernie Sanders. Likewise, had Bernie
been elected President, he too would face an entrenched establishment and media with only a small
fraction of the Congress supporting him.
Change has to be built from the bottom up. There are no shortcuts. Electing a Trump, or a Nader
or a Bernie does not lead to real change. Step one is to build the political movement such that
it has real voting block power and which has already won voting majorities in the legislature
before the movement achieves the election of a President.
What Trump has needed to be doing for this first two years is to form clear divisions that
he could then take to his voters in the mid-term elections. He's needed to lay out his own agenda.
So what if he loses votes in Congress? He then takes that agenda back to the voters in 2018 with
a nationwide slate of Congressional candidates who support that agenda and runs a midterm campaign
asking the voters to help him drain that swamp.
So, for instance, Trump should veto the act of war known as the recent sanctions bill. Who
cares if it gets overridden? Then he goes back to the voters, who are clearly sick of endless
war and who for obvious reasons don't want a nuclear war, and he says this is where I stand. Support
me by electing Fill-In-The-Blank to Congress. With the nuclear Doomsday Clock pushing ever closer
to midnight, he might just win that fight over the big money and media opposition he's sure to
face.
Not only has Trump failed to even try to fight the Deep State, but he's also failing to set
himself up for success in the next elections.
It is a serious error to consider President Trump "naive."
What we are seeing now is The Donald's role in the serial Zionist THEATER. Think deeper about the motive behind Mr. Giraldi's choice to use the Orwellian word "Groupthink"
in characterizing the CIA zeitgeist? In the classic work "1984," one observes Big Brother as the catalyst in control of the proles'
thought pattern & subsequent action.
To rise & FALL as a POTUS is a matter of theater and the American proles are entertained by
the political for either 4 or 8 years and the Zionists get their next Chosen actor/actress dramatically
sworn in on a bible.
Mr. Trump is neither naive nor stupid. Sheldon Adelson would not donate $millioms to any POTUS
wannabe who could not effectively lead the American Groupthink tradition. Subsequently, the politcal
horror show is brought to you in the understandable form of the perptually elusive Deep State
which gets annual Academy Award.
McGovern thinks that it was Brennan boys who hacked into DNC as a part of conspiracy to implicate
Russia and to secure Hillary win. One of the resons was probably that DNC servers were not well protected
and there were other hacks, about whihc NSA know. So the sad state of DNC internet security needed to
be swiped under the carpet and that's why CrowdStike was hired.
NSA created 7 million lines of code for penetration and that includes those that were pablished
by Wikileaks and designed to imitate that attackers are coming (and using the language) from: China,
North Korea, Iran and Russia.
Also NSA probably intercepts and keeps all Internet communications for a month or two so if it
was a hack NSA knows who did it and what was stolen
But the most unexplainable part was that fact that FBI was denied accessing the evidence. I
always think that thye can dictate that they need to see in such cases, but obviously this was not
the case.
Notable quotes:
"... She couldn't pack a school gymnasium while Trumps rallies were packed with 10's of thousands. ..."
Love the rest of the talk, but no way did Hillary win. No way did she get the popular vote.
The woman was calling for war and reinstating the draft on men and women. She couldn't
pack a school gymnasium while Trumps rallies were packed with 10's of thousands.
"Aaron Barlow: The Russian hacking nonsense is a tin foil hat conspiracy right up there with Reptilians
and Aliens."
Notable quotes:
"... Snowden is a patriot. Only an individual that has integrity can do what Snowden did. He saw something that was wrong and blew the whistle on it, it was as simple as that, he knew the consequences very well. ..."
this guy is smart. well informed, super intellectual capacity. He chooses his words very wisely
and well calculated. His interview is brain enlightening.
This right here.. is a fucking man... he gave up allllll the high life gave up allllll the
money. all the BS to give the people what the fuck they needed to hear
Snowden is a patriot. Only an individual that has integrity can do what Snowden did. He
saw something that was wrong and blew the whistle on it, it was as simple as that, he knew the
consequences very well.
She is anti-trump. She is sent from the elite. She don't give a damn about him. 100% she is
untrustworthy. Snowden is a threat to the deep state. Her questions clearly are from the democrats.
The "journalist" who is interviewing Edward is a freedom hating, elitist worshipping mainstream
media harlot.
Those who are ignorant of history are bound to repeat it. The people who founded this country
left Britain due to a corrupt, tyrannical government. The US government is far more corrupt today
then England was in the 1700s.
The 4th amendment has been butchered by the tyrannical, elitist dictators who are running this
broken country. Today, the mainstream media is firmly controlled by a few, highly deranged elitists
who are in league with the rancid, stinking pieces of fecal matter who run the US. The republic
that was created by English "traitors" was supposed to be a sanctuary for freedom and human rights.
The republic they created is dead and gone. It may look the same on the surface, but this country
is much too far gone to ever recover. It never ceases to amaze me just how ignorant of history
and the Constitution the average American is. The citizens are ignorant, bordering on stupid.
The evidence is everywhere, yet millions of weak-minded sheeple cannot see what lies directly
in front of their eyes. The level of cognitive dissonance displayed by the average American is
pitiful, and I will feel no pity when they realize that they were living in a country whose leaders
were following the same game plan as Adolph Hitler... to the letter.
People believe that their political party, the party to which they give their allegiance, is
the "good" party. Republicans and Democrats are one and the same. The two party system is simply
a two headed snake that will lead the US into tyranny. The US is hated around the world because
it has assumed the role of the world's arrogant, renegade cop. A country that was not to be "entangled
in foreign affairs", now has military bases in nearly every corner of the earth. Those who open
their mouths to defend the snakes in power will be taught a great lesson once the elitists' plans
come to fruition. It's difficult to feel sorry for the people who believe the endless lies that
are spoken by those in power.
These fools won't see the truth until their heads lie under the blade of the guillotine. Anyone
who puts security before freedom and privacy deserves to be placed behind concrete walls and barbed
wire, where they will remain "safe" from the fictitious enemies who cause them to pathetically
cower in fear. The destiny of this country is that of Rome. Unfortunately, the masses do not know
or understand the true history of this world. The putrid stench of ignorance covers the majority
of the American populous. Snowden exposed the government's evil secrets, helping preserve freedom
and liberty in the United States. Those who chastise Snowden deserve what is coming: The death
of freedom under the hands of evil tyrants.
Watching Gen. Clapper state, UNDER OATH, that the NSA was not and is not indiscriminately reading,
storing, and intercepting the private communications of every American citizen, made me feel physically
ill.
The fact that he chose to tell a straight-out lie (in light of the information supplied to
us by Edward Snowden, who exposed this illegal and unconstitutional internal spying program) -
watching him choose to speak a brazen lie, spoken in complete disregard for his office, the NSA's
mandate (and its limits), his military career leading to his appointment as head of the NSA, the
Constitutional trust placed in him, and the laws which make a direct lie - under oath - to a Senate
Intelligence Committee (composed of the people WE elected to represent us) a FELONY - mean that
Gen. CLAPPER should be in prison for Perjury.
This is the applicable Constitutional U.S. Code, section 1621: "§ 1621. Perjury generally:
Whoever! (1) having taken an oath before a competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any case
in which a law of the United States authorizes an oath to be administered, that he will testify,
declare, depose, or certify truly, or that any written testimony, declaration, deposition, or
certificate by him subscribed, is true, willfully and contrary to such oath states or subscribes
any material matter which he does not believe to be true; or (2) in any declaration, certificate,
verification, or statement under penalty of perjury as permitted under section 1746 of title 28,
United States Code, willfully subscribes as true any material matter which he does not believe
to be true; - is guilty of perjury and shall, except as other-wise expressly provided by law,
be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. This section is applicable
whether the statement or subscription is made within or without the United States."
Five years in prison, for lying to Congress about your indiscriminate spying on innocent U.S.
citizens, Gen. Clapper, and then your filthy, despicable use of the U.S. Constitution (and our
rights to privacy within it), as toilet paper when you lied directly to Senator Ron Wyden
@ 61:00 under oath, when he asked "Does the NSA collect ANY type of data - at all - on millions,
or hundreds of millions of Americans?" and you answered, with no hesitation or remorse, "No sir,"
you committed Perjury, by any definition of the above U.S. code.
Attempting to clarify, senator Wyden asked, "It does not?," and you answered, "Not wittingly.
There are cases where they might inadvertently collect, but NOT WITTINGLY."
Could the lie have been any more damning, or abhorrent in a supposed Democracy? Is it any wonder
why people like Gen. Clapper want Snowden - who PROVED that this was a lie, and exposed a completely
illegal and unconstitutional program which Clapper was then in charge of - thrown in prison, and
silenced permanently? Trump speaks of "draining the swamp." He could start with the NSA, and all
of it's illegal activities, and work his way through every Intelligence Agency and the Military/Industrial
Organizations and Corporations which together, represent the greatest threat ever to our liberties
and to the Constitution - which is just hanging by a thread because of people and programs like
this, and work his way down.
But he won't. Why? Because he, like the rest of us, has seen the Zapruder film. It's much easier
- and safer - to kill the messenger. This is what makes Snowden, in today's world, a hero who,
unlike the rest of these cowards and traitors, will be remembered well by history - for whatever
that is worth to the man now. Thank God there are still people willing to sacrifice "their lives,
their fortunes, and their sacred honor" for the purpose of protecting what remains of the tattered
remnants of our Constitutionally-protected freedoms from government, and tyranny.
The US probably still surveys innocent everyday Americans by the millions. Not to prevent terrorism,
but to have political and economic control, as Snowden has said. Watch the movie Snowden. Very
enlightening.
I really liked this interview, and have much love for my fellow American Edward Snowden. He
did the right thing. Whoever posted this video under the title "EDWARD SNOWDEN EXPOSES DONALD
TRUMP" is kind of a dumbass. One tiny opinion is not equivalent to an expose', and this had nothing
to do with Trump. Quit making click bait asshole
have to say .... balls of steal. left his own life behind to let "us" know what its really
like. we were not there he was.. i love my country but dont think U.S.A. is not doing these things.
First time in my 45 years i question things like this...he makes an amazing point....if someone
questions they go to jail. Thats BS. questions make us a better Democracy. A better country...god
bless you Edward i hope it works out for you brother.
SHOCKING - TRUELY SHOCKING HOW UNBELIEVABLE DUMB THIS WOMAN IS. Is she really the best American
journalism could send? I have to critisize Snowden too - for once (excuse me Eddy!): Why did he
agree to meet such a ridiculous dummy? The interview - at least this dumb gooses part . was bodering
on being comical. If Snowden`s intellegence were given the factor 100 - nobody would be able to
give this truely uneducated, superficial and naive woman a number higher than room-temperature.
In Celsius, that is! Hard to watch and difficult to understand why Snowden agreed to meet a completely
shallow elderly Mom!
SHOCKING - TRUELY SHOCKING HOW UNBELIEVABLE DUMB THIS WOMAN IS. Is she really the best American
journalism could send? I have to critisize Snowden too - for once (excuse me Eddy!): Why did he
agree to meet such a ridiculous dummy? The interview - at least this dumb gooses part . was bodering
on being comical. If Snowden`s intellegence were given the factor 100 - nobody would be able to
give this truely uneducated, superficial and naive woman a number higher than room-temperature.
In Celsius, that is! Hard to watch and difficult to understand why Snowden agreed to meet a completely
shallow elderly Mom!
This is a very interesting interview to be sure, and I personally, have great admiration for
this man, as I'm sure much of the world does, and all the more so after watching the movie concerning
his life in which we see how the CIA made his life a living hell for many years if not a decade
or so, and may have even, brought this condition with his seizures and everything, assuming this
movie was an accurate portrayal of his life, but there is precious little here about trump.
I was hoping he had some juicy info he was going to share but that does not seem so. Regardless,
the man should be pardoned and allowed to get on with his life.
Government must know that it can never be all powerful and do whatever it damn will pleases,
at home or abroad either. So for that reason the man is a hero for sure. He says; "we will not
torture you." Wow. Not sure if he's joking there or serious but if he's serious then that is extremely
disturbing indeed. Respectfully. All My Best. Out.
Ray McGovern raise important fact: DNC hide evidence from FBI outsourcing everything to CrowdStrike.
This is the most unexplainable fact in the whole story. One hypotheses that Ray advanced here that there
was so many hacks into DNC that they wanted to hide.
Another important point is CIA role in elections, and specifically
John O. Brennan behaviour.
Brennan's 25 years with the CIA included work as a Near East and South Asia analyst and as station chief
in Saudi Arabia.
McGovern thing that Brennon actually controlled Obama. And in his opinion Brennan was the
main leaker of Trump surveillance information.
Notable quotes:
"... Do really think the Deep State cares about the environment. Trump is our only chance to damage Deep State. McGovern is wrong... DNC were from Seth Rich, inside DNC. Murdered for it. McGovern is wrong... i could go on and on but suffice it to say his confidence is way to high. He is wrong. ..."
I really like Ray... I watch and listen , he seems to use logic, reason and facts in his assessments..
I'm surprised CIA and the deep state allow him to operate ... stay safe Ray...
McGovern, you idiot. To try to put Trump on Hillary's level is complete stupidity. The war
with Russia or nothing was avoided with a Trump victory. Remember the NATO build up on the Russian
border preparing for a Hillary win? Plus, if Hillary won, justice and law in the USA would be
over with forever. The Germans dont know sht about the USA to say their little cute phrase. Trump
is a very calm mannered man and his hands on the nuke button is an issue only to those who watch
the fake MSM. And no the NSA has not released anything either. Wrong on that point too.
The German expression of USA having a choice between cholera and plague is ignorant. McGovern
is wrong ....everyone knew HRC was a criminal. McGovern is wrong... Jill Stein in not trustworthy.
A vote for Jill Stein was a vote away from Trump. If Jill Stein or HRC were elected their would
be no environment left to save. Do really think the Deep State cares about the environment.
Trump is our only chance to damage Deep State. McGovern is wrong... DNC were from Seth Rich, inside
DNC. Murdered for it. McGovern is wrong... i could go on and on but suffice it to say his confidence
is way to high. He is wrong.
Another month or so and the DHS may offer a color-coding system to help the sheeple understand
various levels of confidence. Green - Moderate Confidence Blue - High Confidence Yellow - Very
High Confidence Orange - Extremely High Confidence Red - Based on Actual Fact
The last category may be one of the signs of the apocalypse.
"... This same point was also made by veteran CIA agent Milt Bearden. Speaking disparagingly of "the myth of Osama bin Laden" on CBS News the day after 9/11, Bearden said: "I was there [in Afghanistan] at the same time bin Laden was there. He was not the great warrior." With regard to the widespread view that bin Laden was behind the attacks, he said: "This was a tremendously sophisticated operation against the United States-more sophisticated than anybody would have ascribed to Osama bin Laden." Pointing out that a group capable of such a sophisticated attack would have had a way to cover their tracks, he added: "This group who was responsible for that, if they didn't have an Osama bin Laden out there, they'd invent one, because he's a terrific diversion."[110] ..."
Are you guys going to allow it to become another USS Liberty?
The official story is clearly bunk & zionist fingerprints are all over it.
Regarding the matter of whether or not bin Laden and 'al-Qaeda' were even capable of
orchestrating the 9-11 Attacks, author and professor David Ray Griffin, wrote:
For prosecutors to prove that defendants committed a crime, they must show that they had
the ability (as well as the motive and opportunity) to do so.
But several political and military leaders from other countries have stated that bin Laden
and al-Qaeda simply could not have carried out the attacks.
General Leonid Ivashov, who in 2001 was the chief of staff for the Russian armed forces,
wrote:
"Only secret services and their current chiefs-or those retired but still having
influence inside the state organizations-have the ability to plan, organize and conduct an
operation of such magnitude Osama bin Laden and "Al Qaeda" cannot be the organizers nor the
performers of the September 11 attacks. They do not have the necessary organization,
resources or leaders."
Similar statements have been made by Andreas von Bülow, the former state secretary
of West Germany's ministry of defense, by General Mirza Aslam Beg, former chief of staff of
Pakistan's army, and even General Musharraf, the president of Pakistan until
recently.[109]
This same point was also made by veteran CIA agent Milt Bearden. Speaking
disparagingly of "the myth of Osama bin Laden" on CBS News the day after 9/11, Bearden
said: "I was there [in Afghanistan] at the same time bin Laden was there. He was not the
great warrior." With regard to the widespread view that bin Laden was behind the attacks,
he said: "This was a tremendously sophisticated operation against the United States-more
sophisticated than anybody would have ascribed to Osama bin Laden." Pointing out that a
group capable of such a sophisticated attack would have had a way to cover their tracks, he
added: "This group who was responsible for that, if they didn't have an Osama bin Laden out
there, they'd invent one, because he's a terrific diversion."[110]
I wonder; the USS Liberty was attacked many years before I was even born
2017 now, and the Israeli attack remains largely unknown to zamericans quite amazing and a
testament to something hardly ever discussed; Jewish power the Zionist Power Configuration
Before the USS Liberty, there was the Lavon Affair probably even less zamericans heard of that
one:
Eight years after the bombing of the King David Hotel, the State of Israel carried out
a series of false-flag terror bombings against U.S. and British libraries, theatres, and other
government institutions in Egypt in a terror campaign designed to be blamed on Egyptian groups.
This Israeli terror campaign of July 1954 is often referred to as the "Lavon Affair" after
Pinhas Lavon, the Israeli defense minister at the time.
In 2001, we had 9-11, instantly, and without any real investigation or proof, conveniently
blamed on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. The new Pearl Harbor has zionist fingerprints all over it.
The "investigation" was a complete farce, 100% a cover-up. Evidence quickly destroyed, lies planted
by the zio controlled media framing "muslim terrorism", and then the totally fraudulent and ongoing
war on "Terror" was launched.
Given that after so many decades there is still no clarity re the treacherous israeli attack
on the USS Liberty and little talk of the Lavon 'affair', the zionist rats are probably confident
9-11 will be a repeat of previous zionist ops against ZUSA, their responsibility never revealed.
"Solving 9-11: The Deception that Changed the World":
http://bollyn.com/solving-9-11-the-book
@L.K
Sept 11 sophisticated ?
It was a mess.
The explosives in the Twin Towers went off too quickly after one another.
Too much thermite was used, three weeks after sept 11 there still was molten iron in the basements.
The 47 stories building was blown up with explosives on the ground floor.
The four 'hijacked' planes could not be used.
The first plane flying into a tower had a bubble under the plane that passenger planes do not
have.
The second plane had no windows.
No plane crashed in Pennsylvania, just a rocket was fired from a jet.
No passenger plane flew into the Pentagon, probably a remote controlled fighter with a missile
underneath.
The Sept 11 miracle was that despite the mess in general the public could be fooled.
The public even believed that NORAD could not see planes with transponders switched off, did not
see that Cheney 'happened' to be there to destroy the tapes on which the flights of the four 'hijacked'
planes were recorded, and the other flights: the planes that did fly into the towers, the jet
over Pennsylvania, and the jet that flew into the Pentagon.
Where these planes came from, probably some secret CIA base.
I mentioned several specialists in a previous post, who stated that the official Bin Laden/Al-Qaeda
narrative was an impossible one. C. Bollyn talked to 2 other such Intel specialists;
In Germany, I had the opportunity to interview Andreas von Bülow near Köln. Von Bülow, an
author and former member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) served on the parliamentary
commission which oversees the three branches of the German secret service. Von Bülow said he
thought Israel's intelligence service, Mossad, was behind the 9-11 attacks. These attacks,
he said, were carried out to turn public opinion against the Arabs and boost military and security
spending.
"You don't get the higher echelons," von Bülow said, referring to the "architectural structure"
which masterminds such terror attacks. At this level, he said, the organization doing the planning,
such as Mossad, is primarily interested in affecting public opinion. The terrorists who actually
commit the crimes are what von Bülow calls "the working level," such as the nineteen Arabs
who allegedly hijacked the planes on September 11. "The working level is part of the deception,"
he said.
"Ninety-five percent of the work of the intelligence agencies around the world is deception
and disinformation," he said, which is widely propagated in the mainstream media creating an
accepted version of events. "Journalists don't even raise the simplest questions," he said.
"Those who differ are labeled as crazy."
Eckehardt Werthebach, the former president of the Verfassungsschutz (a branch of German
intelligence), told me that "the deathly precision" and "the magnitude of planning" behind
the attacks would have needed "years of planning." Such a sophisticated operation, Werthebach
said, required the "fixed frame" of a state intelligence organization, something not found
in a "loose group" of terrorists. Both Werthebach and von Bülow said the lack of a complete
"blue ribbon" investigation, with congressional hearings, into the events of September 11 was
incomprehensible. These men made more sense to me than anyone in the U.S. government or media.
@L.K
I mentioned several specialists in a previous post, who stated that the official Bin
Laden/Al-Qaeda narrative was an impossible one. C. Bollyn talked to 2 other such Intel specialists;
In Germany, I had the opportunity to interview Andreas von Bülow near Köln. Von Bülow, an author
and former member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) served on the parliamentary commission
which oversees the three branches of the German secret service. Von Bülow said he thought Israel's
intelligence service, Mossad, was behind the 9-11 attacks. These attacks, he said, were carried
out to turn public opinion against the Arabs and boost military and security spending.
"You don't get the higher echelons," von Bülow said, referring to the "architectural structure"
which masterminds such terror attacks. At this level, he said, the organization doing the planning,
such as Mossad, is primarily interested in affecting public opinion. The terrorists who actually
commit the crimes are what von Bülow calls "the working level," such as the nineteen Arabs
who allegedly hijacked the planes on September 11. "The working level is part of the deception,"
he said.
"Ninety-five percent of the work of the intelligence agencies around the world is deception
and disinformation," he said, which is widely propagated in the mainstream media creating an
accepted version of events. "Journalists don't even raise the simplest questions," he said.
"Those who differ are labeled as crazy."
Eckehardt Werthebach, the former president of the Verfassungsschutz (a branch of German
intelligence), told me that "the deathly precision" and "the magnitude of planning" behind
the attacks would have needed "years of planning." Such a sophisticated operation, Werthebach
said, required the "fixed frame" of a state intelligence organization, something not found
in a "loose group" of terrorists. Both Werthebach and von Bülow said the lack of a complete
"blue ribbon" investigation, with congressional hearings, into the events of September 11 was
incomprehensible. These men made more sense to me than anyone in the U.S. government or media.
.. Israel's intelligence service, Mossad, was behind the 9-11 attacks. These attacks, he
said, were carried out to turn public opinion against the Arabs and boost military and security
spending.
not only that LK, but also to turn the American people into Palestinians, with check points
and treating us at the airports as if we're all terrorists. Not to mention
total
surveillance
of our every email or phone conversation, every text and every thing our 'smart' phone cameras
see.
Just as Ehud Barak predicted on 9/11, 'nothing will be the same'
these psychopathic fiends are so far beyond the Pale, that it boggles the mind.
they slaughter our citizens in horrific balls of fire, then they tell the people in the other
tower to return to their work stations and cubicles knowing the second plane is on its way, hoping
for maximum casualties.
"it's very good" after all
and then they set about systematically dismantling our hard-won Constitutional rights as they
send off our young people as cannon fodder to die in illegal wars on innocent nations. Earning
the well-deserved hatred of the entire Islamic world.
charming people these zio-scum, eh?
but far, far worse are the American politicians and media whores who enable them
Bollyn as you point out is an true American patriot. Thanks for the links
You wouldn't know it, based on the endless cries for more money coming from the
military
politicians , and
the president , but these are the best of times for the Pentagon. Spending on the Department
of Defense alone is already well in excess of half a trillion dollars a year and counting. Adjusted
for inflation, that means it's
higher
than at the height of President Ronald Reagan's massive buildup of the 1980s and is now nearing
the post-World War II funding peak. And yet that's barely half the story. There are hundreds of billions
of dollars in "defense" spending that aren't even counted in the Pentagon budget.
Under the circumstances, laying all this out in grisly detail!and believe me, when you dive into
the figures, they couldn't be grislier!is the only way to offer a better sense of the true costs
of our wars past, present, and future, and of the funding that is the lifeblood of the national security
state. When you do that, you end up with no less than 10 categories of national security spending
(only one of which is the Pentagon budget). So steel yourself for a tour of our nation's trillion-dollar-plus
"national security" budget. Given the Pentagon's penchant for wasting money and our government's
record of engaging in dangerously misguided wars without end, it's clear that a large portion of
this massive investment of taxpayer dollars isn't making anyone any safer.
1) The Pentagon Budget
The Pentagon's "base" or regular budget contains the costs of the peacetime training, arming,
and operation of the U.S. military and of the massive civilian workforce that supports it!and if
waste is your Eden, then you're in paradise.
The department's budget is awash in waste, as you might expect from the only major federal agency
that has
never passed an audit . For example, last year a
report by the Defense Business Board, a Pentagon advisory panel, found that the Department of
Defense could save $125 billion over five years just by trimming excess bureaucracy. And a new
study by the Pentagon's Inspector General indicates that the department has ignored hundreds
of recommendations that could have saved it more than $33.6 billion.
The Pentagon can't even get an accurate count of the number of private contractors it employs,
but the
figure is certainly in the range of 600,000 or higher, and many of them carry out tasks that
might far better be handled by government employees. Cutting that enormous contractor work force
by just 15 percent, only a start when it comes to eliminating the unnecessary duplication involved
in hiring government employees and private contractors to do the same work, would
save an easy $20 billion annually.
And the items mentioned so far are only the most obvious examples of misguided expenditures at
the Department of Defense. Even larger savings could be realized by scaling back the Pentagon's global
ambitions, which have caused nothing but trouble in the last decade and a half as the U.S. military
has waged devastating and counterproductive wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and elsewhere across
the Greater Middle East and Africa. An analysis by Ben Friedman of the conservative Cato Institute
estimates that the Pentagon could
reduce its projected spending by one trillion dollars over the next decade if Washington
reined in its interventionist instincts and focused only on America's core interests.
Donald Trump, of course, ran for president as a businessman who would clean house and institute
unprecedented efficiencies in government. Instead, on entering the Oval Office, he's done a superb
job of ignoring chronic problems at the Pentagon,
proposing instead to give that department a hefty raise: $575 billion next year. And yet his
expansive military funding plans look relatively mild compared to the desires of the gung-ho members
of the armed services committees in the
House and
Senate . Democrats and Republicans alike want to hike the Pentagon budget to at least $600 billion
or more. The legislative fight over a final number will play out over the rest of this year. For
now, let's just use Trump's number as a placeholder.
Pentagon Budget: $575 billion
2) The War Budget
The wars of this century, from Iraq to Afghanistan and beyond, have largely been paid for through
a special account that lies outside the regular Pentagon budget. This war budget!known in the antiseptic
language of the Pentagon as the "Overseas Contingency Operations" account, or OCO!
peaked at more than $180
billion at the height of the Bush administration's intervention in Iraq.
As troop numbers in that country and Afghanistan have plummeted from
hundreds of thousands to
about 15,000 , the war budget, miraculously enough, hasn't fallen at anywhere near the same pace.
That's because it's not even subject to the modest
caps on the Pentagon's regular
budget imposed by Congress back in 2011, as part of a deal to keep the government open.
In reality, over the past five years, the war budget has become a slush fund that pays for tens
of billions of dollars in Pentagon expenses that have nothing to do with fighting wars. The Trump
administration wants
$64.6 billion for that boondoggle budget in fiscal year 2018. Some in Congress would like to
hike it another
$10 billion . For consistency, we'll again use the Trump number as a baseline.
War Budget: $64.6 Billion
Running Total: $639.6 Billion
3) Nuclear Warheads (and more)
You might think that the most powerful weapons in the U.S. arsenal -- nuclear warheads -- would
be paid for out of the Pentagon budget. And you would, of course, be wrong. The cost of researching,
developing, maintaining, and
"modernizing"
the American arsenal of
6,800 nuclear
warheads falls to an obscure agency located inside the Department of Energy, the National Nuclear
Security Administration, or NNSA. It also works on naval nuclear reactors, pays for the environmental
cleanup of nuclear weapons facilities, and funds the nation's three nuclear weapons laboratories,
at a total annual cost of more than
$20 billion per year.
Department of Energy (nuclear): $20 Billion
Running total: $659.6 billion
4) "Other Defense"
This catchall category encompasses a number of flows of defense-related funding that go to agencies
other than the Pentagon. It totals about
$8 billion per year . In recent years, about
two-thirds of this money has gone to pay for the homeland security activities of the FBI, accounting
for more than half of that agency's annual budget.
"Other Defense": $8 Billion
Running Total: $677.6 billion
The four categories above make up what the White House budget office considers total spending
on "national defense." But I'm sure you won't be shocked to learn that their cumulative $677.6 billion
represents far from the full story. So let's keep right on going.
5) Homeland Security
After the 9/11 attacks, Congress created a mega-agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
It absorbed 22 then-existing entities ,
all involved in internal security and border protection, creating the sprawling cabinet department
that now has 240,000 employees . For
those of you keeping score at home, the agencies and other entities currently
under the umbrella
of DHS include the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Law Enforcement
Training Center, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, United States Citizenship and Immigration
Services, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, the Transportation Security Agency, the
U.S. Secret Service, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE), and the Office of Intelligence
Analysis (the only one of America's 17 intelligence agencies to fit under the department's rubric).
How many of these agencies actually make us safer? That would be a debatable topic, if anyone
were actually interested in such a debate. ICE!America's deportation force!has, for instance, done
far more to
cause suffering than to protect us from criminals or terrorists. On the other hand, it's reassuring
to know that there is an office charged with determining whether there is a nuclear weapon or radioactive
"dirty bomb" in our midst.
While it's hard to outdo the Pentagon, DHS has its own record of
dubious expenditures on items large and small. They range from $1,000 fees for employees to attend
conferences at spas to the purchase of bagpipes for border protection personnel to the payment of
scores of remarkably fat salaries to agency bureaucrats. On the occasion of its tenth anniversary
in 2013, Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
excoriated the department as "rife with waste," among other things, pointing to a report by the
DHS inspector general that it had misspent over $1 billion.
DHS was supposed to provide a better focus for efforts to protect the United States from internal
threats. Its biggest problem, though, may be that it has become a magnet for increased funding for
haphazard, misplaced, and often simply dangerous initiatives. These would, for instance, include
its program
to supply grants to local law enforcement agencies to help them buy military-grade equipment
to be
deployed
not against terrorists, but against citizens protesting the injustices perpetrated by the very
same agencies being armed by DHS.
The Trump administration has
proposed spending
$50 billion on DHS in FY 2018.
Homeland Security: $50 Billion
Running Total: $717.6 Billion
6) Military Aid
U.S. government-run military aid programs have proliferated rapidly in this century. The United
States now has
scores of arms and training programs serving more than
140 countries
. They cost more than
$18 billion per year , with
about 40
percent of that total located in the State Department's budget. While the Pentagon's share has
already been accounted for, the $7 billion at State!which can ill afford to pay for such programs
with the Trump administration seeking to
gut the rest of its budget!has not.
Military Aid at the State Department: $7 Billion
Running Total: $724.6 Billion
7) Intelligence
The United States government has
16 separate intelligence agencies : the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); the National Security
Agency (NSA); the Defense Intelligence Agency; the FBI; the State Department Bureau of Intelligence
and Research; the Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence Analysis; the Drug Enforcement
Administration Office of National Security Intelligence; the Treasury Department Office of Intelligence
and Analysis; the Department of Energy Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence; the National
Reconnaissance Office; the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency; Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance; Army Military Intelligence; the Office of Naval Intelligence; Marine Corps Intelligence;
and Coast Guard Intelligence. Add to these the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI),
which is supposed to coordinate this far-flung intelligence network, and you have a grand total of
17 agencies.
The U.S. will spend more than $70 billion
on intelligence this year, spread across all these agencies. The bulk of this funding is contained
in the Pentagon budget!including the budgets of the CIA and the NSA (believed to be hidden under
obscure line items there). At most, a few billion dollars in additional expenditures on intelligence
fall outside the Pentagon budget and since, given the secrecy involved, that figure can't be determined,
let's not add anything further to our running tally.
Intelligence: $70 Billion (mostly contained inside the Pentagon budget)
Running Total: $724.6 Billion
8) Supporting Veterans
A steady uptick of veterans generated by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has dramatically increased
the costs of supporting such vets once they come home, including the war wounded, some of whom will
need medical care for life. For 2018, the Veterans Administration has requested over
$186 billion for its budget, more than
three
times what it was before the 2001 intervention in Afghanistan.
Veterans: $186 billion
Running Total: $910.6 Billion
9) Military Retirement
The trust fund set up to cover pensions for military retirees and their survivors doesn't have
enough money to pay out all the benefits promised to these individuals. As a result, it is supplemented
annually by an appropriation from the general revenues of the government. That supplement has by
now reached roughly
$80 billion per year
Military Retirement: $80 Billion
Running Total: $990.6 Billion
10) Defense Share of Interest on the Debt
It's no secret that the U.S. government regularly runs at a deficit and that the total national
debt is growing. It may be more surprising to learn that the interest on that debt runs at roughly
$500 billion per year . The Project on Government Oversight
calculates the share of the interest on that debt generated by defense-related programs at more
than $100 billion annually.
Defense Share of the Interest on the Debt: $100 billion
Grand Total: $1.09 Trillion
That final annual tally of nearly $1.1 trillion to pay for past wars, fund current wars, and prepare
for possible future conflicts is roughly double the already staggering $575 billion the Trump administration
has proposed as the Pentagon's regular budget for 2018. Most taxpayers have no idea that more than
a trillion dollars a year is going to what's still called "defense," but these days might equally
be called national in security.
So the next time you hear the president, the secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, or a hawkish lawmaker claim that the U.S. military is practically collapsing from a lack
of funding, don't believe it for a second. Donald Trump may finally have put plutocracy in the Oval
Office, but a militarized version of it has long been ensconced in the Pentagon and the rest of the
national security state. In government terms, make no mistake about it, the Pentagon & Co. are the
one percent.
"... Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines transported hundreds of tons of weapons under diplomatic cover to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan Congo ..."
"... A British spy. An Arizona senator. And one inflammatory dossier on Donald Trump. The connection between them is starting to unravel... ..."
"... there are indications that McCain was the one who hired the company which created the infamous Steele dossier. ..."
"... Document hack could imperil subs in Oz, India, other countries ..."
"... The Trump-Russia Dossier (by political treason stabbing the nominee of his own Party; ignoring the words of Reagan) ..."
"... the first part of your post reaffirms my comment in the previous thread about the usa, saudi arabia/gccs and israel being the terrorists that the world would be a lot better place without... " ..."
"... in an exceptional country, there is no accountability... according to obama, you have to move on and not dwell on the past, lol... ..."
"... the mountain of evidence you provide daily, as proof of the corporate empire's malignancy, is therapeutic and empowering, but, until this information reaches the bulk of the U$A's masses we're all just treading water here. ..."
"... The last thing McCain has to worry about is prosecution or even criticism for fomenting war crimes. ..."
"... "The team has carried out painstaking research cataloging serial numbers and tracing the routes. They found crates of ammunition and rockets manufactured in factories in eastern Europe. These were bought by the governments of the US and Saudi Arabia." ..."
"... A British spy. An Arizona senator. And one inflammatory dossier on Donald Trump. The connection between them is starting to unravel... ..."
"... I suspected during the Prez Campaign that Trump had McCain well and truly scoped when he said (of Satan's Mini-Me) "I like my war "heroes" not to get captured." ..."
"... This story says a lot for China & Russia's approach to long-term Strategic Diplomacy. I imagine that they both know all this stuff and a helluva lot more, but they go to all the summits, prattle about Our AmeriKKKan Friends, and then presumably laugh their asses off when the summit is over. Xi & Putin seem to truly believe that the blowback from all this Yankee Duplicity will eventually do as much harm to the American Dream as an Ru/Cn Military Solution. ..."
"... Criminal activity under diplomatic cover should be prosecuted. They can pretend they didn't find out until it was too late. Or they can claim that they were letting it happen in order to track the players. Those excuses have been used for all kinds of cover for nefarious activites like Pakistan's AQ Khan NukeMart to distribute nuclear technology and materials. (See Deception and United States and the Islamc Bomb books) And there's Fast & Furious. In the end the cover comes from the political top of the trash heap. ..."
"... Sounds familiar? Iranian industrialization and westernization happened during the Shah. That is part of above story. Same story in Saudi Arabia . ..."
"... My suspicion is that this "reversal" was also made in the USA as a consequence of the strategy to use Islam as a "green belt" against the Soviet Union. ..."
Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines transported hundreds of tons of weapons under diplomatic
cover to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan Congo
the weapons and ammunition are usual from east Europe (Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine
...)
the contracts are with U.S. companies themselves hired by the CIA and/or Pentagon as well
as with Saudi and Israeli companies
offloading during unusual "fueling stops" allowed to disguise the real addressee of the
loads
With lots of details from obtained emails.
Ten thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition to al-Qaeda and other Takfiris in Syria also
came first from Libya by ship, then on
at least 160 big cargo flights via Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Turkey and during the last years
by
various
ships under U.S. contracts from
mostly east-European
countries.
---
With all the Trump-Russia nonsense flowing around one person's involvement in the creation of
the issue deserves more scrutiny:
The first story is a muti-billion dollar illegal business network that potentially encompasses
not only the CIA, but also several governments, the Clinton Foundation, David Patreus, investors
(many of whom hold government positions) and God knows what else. It's possibly the greatest scam
the world has ever seen.
It would be nice to have a comprehensive list of sponsors of those fake lucrative speeches such
front persons and puppets as Clintons, Saakashvili, Kwaśniewski, ... have been giving. The Business Round Tables that Quigley and Sutton wrote about that live off wars and misery.
There is an amazing amount of detailed information from reliable sources on the U.S. sponsored,
Saudi paid arms deliveries to terrorist in Syria, originating from the eastern parts of the European
Union. I have collected some of the best sources here:
McCain and the Trump-Russia Dossier
The third time is the Charm.I am reminded McCain can do no wrong: His service to his country (it's alleged, by aiding the enemy);
The Keating Five; (I dindu nuttin wrong)
The Trump-Russia Dossier (by political treason stabbing the nominee of his own Party; ignoring
the words of Reagan). McCain, once again, will be excused and forgiven. His actions were due to illness – the most
aggressive cancer of the brain. How is that so?
thanks b.. the first part of your post reaffirms my comment in the previous thread about the usa,
saudi arabia/gccs and israel being the terrorists that the world would be a lot better place without...
"the contracts are with U.S. companies themselves hired by the CIA and/or Pentagon as well as
with Saudi and Israeli companies.."
Thanks b, the mountain of evidence you provide daily, as proof of the corporate empire's malignancy,
is therapeutic and empowering, but, until this information reaches the bulk of the U$A's masses
we're all just treading water here.
@2: The last thing McCain has to worry about is prosecution or even criticism for fomenting war
crimes. The cancer is real and he will be lauded for his courage and lionized if he dies. But
should he survive he will carry on as usual with no apologies and no criticism.
"The team has carried out painstaking research cataloging serial numbers and tracing the routes.
They found crates of ammunition and rockets manufactured in factories in eastern Europe. These
were bought by the governments of the US and Saudi Arabia."
Whether or not the arming and financing of ISIS groups was "accidental" or "deliberate" remains
something of an open question; most likely the actual US policy from c.2011-2012 onwards was to
give support to anyone trying to overthrow Assad's government regardless of affiliation. The architects
of this plan? Clinton & McCain seem to be right at the center of it, with plenty of neocon/neolib
supporters in Congress & the State Department/CIA/Pentagon (Nuland/Morrell/Carter etc.)
Sorry b .... the "Reason" article is complete nonsense. I've covered the details the last two
weeks. The "dodgy dossier" was shared by Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd, with the British MI6
and the FBI starting in August 2016. That's why I claim it's not RussiaGate but IC-Gate. A complot
by the Intelligence Community of the UK and US. McCain is just a distraction of the true effort
to dump Trump.
A British spy. An Arizona senator. And one inflammatory dossier on Donald Trump. The
connection between them is starting to unravel...
there are indications that McCain was the one who hired the company which created the
infamous Steele dossier.
there is evidences that he distributed it to the CIA, FBI and to the media.
the issue is now in front of a British court.
Christopher Steele and Sir Andrew Wood worked in a British spy nest in Moscow during the Yeltsin
years of the 90s.
Is RussiaGate Really IC-Gate
Did MI6/CIA Collude with Chris Steele to Entrap Trump?
'Sir' Andrew Wood as spy chief in Moscow
Fusion GPS linked to UAE Sheikh and Rubio Donor
Peter W. Smith Tapped Alt-Right to Access Dark Net for Clinton emails – linked to Charles
C. Johnson – Stephen Bannon - Andrew Auernheimer, a hacker who goes by the alias 'Weev', "exiled"
to the Ukraine
Thanks, b. Love the lede... 350 "diplomatic" flights transporting weapons for ter'rists - Trud
What a slimy little cur John McCain (Satan's Mini-Me) turns out to be. Guess how surprised
I'm not that the little skunk is up to his eyeballs in weapons proliferation & profiteering, not
to mention that old Yankee favourite Gun-barrel "Diplomacy".
I suspected during the Prez Campaign that Trump had McCain well and truly scoped when he said
(of Satan's Mini-Me) "I like my war "heroes" not to get captured."
This story says a lot for China & Russia's approach to long-term Strategic Diplomacy. I imagine
that they both know all this stuff and a helluva lot more, but they go to all the summits, prattle
about Our AmeriKKKan Friends, and then presumably laugh their asses off when the summit is over.
Xi & Putin seem to truly believe that the blowback from all this Yankee Duplicity will eventually
do as much harm to the American Dream as an Ru/Cn Military Solution.
Thanks again for the excellent journalism b even though it reads like the trash on the rags in
the grocery stores they make you look at while you check out.
I just hold out hope that the great unraveling continues and quickens its pace.
Criminal activity under diplomatic cover should be prosecuted. They can pretend they didn't find
out until it was too late. Or they can claim that they were letting it happen in order to track
the players. Those excuses have been used for all kinds of cover for nefarious activites like
Pakistan's AQ Khan NukeMart to distribute nuclear technology and materials. (See Deception and
United States and the Islamc Bomb books) And there's Fast & Furious. In the end the cover comes
from the political top of the trash heap.
The Dem/anti-Trump attempts to get dirt on Trump via Russians doesn't get play in the MSM.
Nor does the content of the emails. They call the tune and the media plays on.
@james 8
[Reported by Independent.co.uk, New York Post and the Guardian.co.uk] McCain admitted he handed
the dossier to Comey."
NYPost: McCain "I gave Russia blackmail dossier on Trump to the FBI"
Senator John McCain passed documents to the FBI director, James Comey, last month alleging
secret contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow and that Russian intelligence had personally
compromising material on the president-elect himself
Yes, there will be no accountability in the U.S. for the exceptional ones. However, the British
courts setting aside "special relationships" may take a different view that McCain has a case
to answer.
The link suggests that the subs involved in the scandal are perhaps OK, and no hack compromised
their worthiness in a possible military conflict. Neither there were any fatal accidents. The
only losses in manpower (but quite a few) are among people engaged in the financial transactions
that delivered them to various fleets.
Although there are possible danger to security, because bribery is used to blackmail involved
in recruitment of spies.
I hope the conspiracy theories are wrong, and that McInsane will soon suffer a well-deserved painful
death.
BTW, I'm a long-time Arizonan, and I'm proud to say I've never voted for this traitor and have
also signed the recall petitions against him.
I apologize for never contributing anything substantial but just emanating verbal support.
I hope this site has some mirrored archives. This is in its entirety a work of contemporary history
(sorry my english's not good enough... mirror this site and give it some dumb ancestor of ours
to read in 20, 50, 100 years, y'know).
I'm a broke lowlife but next time around I'll send some money.
damn I regret every cent I've spent on mainstream newspapers, although the last time I've done
so has been years ago and maybe back then, they weren't so bad, but then again, they probably
were and I just didn't notice.
The dog that didn't bark in the arms shipment story is the absense of Qatar in the list of recipient
countries. It also seems that, whilst most (80%) were shipped through SA/UAE, more arms were shipped
through Jordan (11%) than through Turkey (7%).
Bulgaria may also have been the location of military level training sites for foreigners. An
intriguing report from June 2015 noted that an American was killed along with 2 foreigners (German
and Canadian) in a grenade launcher accident of a PMC training center at Anevo, Bulgaria. The
site was run by an company Algans (or Alguns).
There are links to the infamous US military $500 million training program in which an unknown
number of 'carefully vetted moderate rebels' were trained and all but 5 of them 'defected' to
al Qaeda.
"This story says a lot for China & Russia's approach to long-term Strategic Diplomacy. I imagine
that they both know all this stuff and a helluva lot more" Hoarsewhisperer @13
The docs indicate the Balkans arm supply route took off in 2012. It will have brought in many
billions of USD to the relatively poor east European countries. Before the Gulenist(?) shoot down
of the Russian Su-24, Russia had been trying to get Turkey and Bulgaria interested in South Stream.
I suspect Russia did indeed know the details of the arms shipment, and certainly knew about Turkey's
cut of the ISIS oil sales. I suspect this deal may have been an attempt to wean the two off the
terrorism funding spigot. This failed as the Bulgarian government is totally owned by the US.
Erdogan's ego was manipulated by his Zionist handlers and eventually his stalling killed interest
at theat time. The Russians would know this background too, but the deal had to be tried. If it
had worked, then the Bulgarian arms train would possibly have been stopped and the Turkish border
closed several years ago. This would have greatly cramped the capabilities of ISIS, simplifying
the task of eliminating them. I suspect the Russians also knew it wouldn't pan out but it was
certainly worth a shot whilst they was busily obtaining intelligence on the terrorists, and secretly
negotiating the logistics, overflight access etc for what was to become its base at Hymeim.
The statement was followed by a publication of the Bulgarian Trud newspaper that mentioned
the Arcus arms company as the producer of some arms produced in Bulgaria under Russian licenses,
which were found by journalists in eastern Aleppo.
Craven McCain has been teflon for his entire political career and he was teflon when he wrecked
airplanes in the navy. McCain is just a teflon guy. Untouchable. Probably has "dossiers" on anybody
that can damage him.
But we do know that Islamic Republic is a creature of the British. (Longstanding history between
the worldly priests of Iran and the defunct British Empire. Read up.)
This is huge. An absolute outrage. The first real Trump concession to Putin that undermines
U.S. security directly. https://t.co/h9WR4brHHK -- Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) July 19, 2017
@2 I have no doubt that McCain's medical condition is real. I well remember the news stories in
early June when McCain put up a bizarre performance during testimony by James Comey - asking questions
that simply didn't make any sense whatsoever and leaving everyone utterly gob-smacked regarding
McCain's mental state.
OMG. the Washington Borg's house newspaper has woken up to Trump's surrender to Putin on
Syria.
Trump's breathtaking surrender to Russia
But once again, President Trump, after extended personal contact with Vladimir Putin and
the complete surrender to Russian interests in Syria, acts precisely as though he has been
bought and sold by a strategic rival. The ignoble cutoff of aid to American proxies means that
"Putin won in Syria," as an administration official was quoted by The Post.
Concessions without
reciprocation, made against the better judgment of foreign policy advisers, smack more of payoff
than outreach. If this is what Trump's version of "winning" looks like, what might further
victory entail? The re- creation of the Warsaw Pact? The reversion of Alaska to Russian control?
Although this opinion article was posted a couple of days ago, there been no shitstorm near Trump
about it since suggesting that Trump's one-man distraction/disinformation smokescreen is firing
successfully on all cylinders.
'We're bad day away from Russians asking, 'Why are you still in Syria?' – top US commander
A US special operations commander has admitted that an extended US stay in Syria runs contrary
to international law and that Russia would be entirely justified in questioning its presence
there.
At the Aspen Security Forum on Friday, Special Operations Command chief Army General, Raymond
Thomas was asked whether American forces will remain in Syria, after Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ISIL) is defeated, possibly, to support the Kurdish forces in the north of the country.
Thomas acknowledged that American forces are fighting in a sovereign Syria, where they will
likely "have no ability to stay" if that presence is questioned "in terms of international
law," Thomas said, replying to the Washington Post journalist's question.
Although I'm sure that the State Department/Pentagon lawyers are looking for a reason to stay.
By the time of Richard Nixon's arrival in office in January 1969, Iran was already America's
single-largest arms purchaser. Whilst this is notable in and of itself, it is vastly overshadowed
by what followed. By late 1972 Nixon leveraged U.S. Middle Eastern regional policy primarily
around the focal point of a militarily strong, pro-American Iran.
Sounds familiar? Iranian industrialization and westernization happened during the Shah. That is part of above
story. Same story in
Saudi Arabia
.
In Saudi Arabia, the 1960s, and especially the 1970s, had been years of explosive development,
liberal experimentation, and openness to the West. A reversal of this trend came about abruptly
in 1979, the year in which the Grand Mosque in Mecca came under attack by religiously motivated
critics of the monarchy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was established.
My suspicion is that this "reversal" was also made in the USA as a consequence of the strategy
to use Islam as a "green belt" against the Soviet Union.
"... tells the story of the corruption Melvin A. Goodman observed within the intelligence agency and what he did to expose it. NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake says this book "serves in the public interest as a warning and wake-up call for what's at stake and why we cannot trust the CIA or the intelligence establishment to do the right thing." Click here to order a copy today by making a donation to Truthout! ..."
"... In this excerpt, , former CIA intelligence analyst Melvin A. Goodman ponders the meanings of the words whistleblower, dissident and contrarian, how they apply to himself and others, and whether the CIA can ever be repaired or rebuilt. ..."
"... The Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA ..."
"... The Failure of Intelligence ..."
"... Copyright (2017) by Melvin A. Goodman. Not be reprinted without permission of the publisher, City Lights Books. ..."
In this excerpt, , former CIA intelligence analyst Melvin A. Goodman ponders the meanings
of the words whistleblower, dissident and contrarian, how they apply to himself and others, and whether
the CIA can ever be repaired or rebuilt.
Whistleblowers. Dissidents. Contrarians.
The terms are used synonymously by pundits and the public, and I've been all three at one time
or another in order to expose improprieties and illegalities in the secret government, and to inform
the American public of policies that compromise the freedom and security of US citizens and weaken
US standing in the global community.
I have never liked the terms contrarian or dissident. I've always believed that my criticism should
be conventional wisdom. The term whistleblower is more complex because it often raises questions
of patriotism or sedition. Chelsea Manning received commutation from her 35-year prison sentence
for revealing so-called secrets that documented the terror and violence of the baseless US war in
Iraq. Members of the Bush administration who launched the invasion of Iraq in 2003 are considered
honorable members of our society, although their acts involved the corruption of intelligence; caused
the death of thousands of US soldiers and foreign civilians; terrorized civilian populations; perpetrated
the criminal use of torture and abuse; sanctioned use of secret prisons and extraordinary rendition;
and caused the destabilization of the region that has set the stage for strategic advances by Al
Qaeda and ISIS.
Edward Snowden, if he had remained in the United States, would have faced an even longer prison
sentence because he revealed the massive NSA surveillance program that was illegal and immoral, and
that violated the Fourth Amendment protection against illegal seizures and searches. Manning and
Snowden admit to breaking US laws, but their actions were never as serious as the law-breaking, including
massive violations of privacy, that they exposed.
The debate over whether Snowden was a traitor is fatuous. As a result of Snowden's revelations,
we learned that the National Security Agency logged domestic phone calls and emails for years, recorded
the metadata of correspondence between Americans, and, in some cases, exploited the content of emails.
The case against Private Manning was similarly fatuous. Manning provided evidence of the US cover-up
of torture by our Iraqi allies; a US Army helicopter opening fire on a group of civilians, including
two Reuters journalists; and the use of an air strike to cover up the execution of civilians. Some
of these acts were war crimes.
There is no more compelling evidence of the unconscionable behavior of US personnel in Iraq than
the callous dialogue between the crew members of the helicopter regarding the civilian deaths and
particularly the firing on those Iraqis who came to recover the dead bodies of Iraqi civilians. Manning's
documents exposed this behavior, but her efforts were ridiculed by former secretary of defense Robert
Gates, who described it as examining war by "looking through a straw."
To make matters worse, American journalists have criticized their colleagues (Julian Assange of
WikiLeaks and Glenn Greenwald [then of The Guardian]) who brought the Snowden-Manning revelations
to the attention of the public. David Gregory, then host of the venerable "Meet the Press" on NBC,
asked Greenwald "to the extent that you have aided and abetted Snowden ... why shouldn't you ...
be charged with a crime?" Jeffrey Toobin, a lawyer who labors for CNN and The New Yorker, called
Snowden a "grandiose narcissist who belongs in prison" and referred to Greenwald's partner, David
Miranda, who was detained by British authorities for nine hours under anti-terror laws, the equivalent
of a "drug mule."
The king of calumny is Michael Grunwald, a senior correspondent for Time, who wrote on Twitter
that he couldn't "wait to write a defense of the drone strike that takes out Julian Assange." The
New York Times also targeted Assange, although the paper cooperated with WikiLeaks in 2010 in publishing
reams of information from Private Manning's revelations. Of course, if Time or the New York Times
had broken these stories, they would have built new shelves to hold their Pulitzer Prizes. Their
hypocrisy was exposed by David Carr of the New York Times, who expressed shock at finding Assange
and Greenwald "under attack, not just from a government bent on keeping its secrets, but from friendly
fire by fellow journalists."
I didn't reveal abuses as great as those revealed by Manning and Snowden or Daniel Ellsberg, but
I do claim status as a whistleblower because of my revelations before the Senate Select Committee
on Intelligence during confirmation hearings for Bob Gates, who was nominated by President George
H.W. Bush in 1991 to be director of central intelligence. According to US law, the term "whistleblower"
applies to anyone who "reasonably believes" he or she is disclosing a violation of law or gross mismanagement,
gross waste, or abuse of authority. My testimony documented for the first time the intentional distortion
of intelligence by CIA director William Casey and Deputy Director Gates in order to serve the agenda
of Ronald Reagan and his administration.
Bob Gates was an old friend, but the friendship ended when he routinely distorted intelligence
throughout the 1980s as deputy director for intelligence and deputy director of the CIA. In destroying
the political culture of the CIA, he created a toxic and corrupt environment at the Agency, and the
Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA detention and torture reminds us that the Agency hasn't
recovered.
Being a contrarian was easy and natural for me. In fact, no one should think about entering the
intelligence profession without good contrarian instincts. Such instincts would include an innate
skepticism, the doubting of conventional wisdom and a willingness to challenge authority, which translates
to an ability to tell truth to power. These contrarian instincts are essential to the success of
any intelligence organization. As Rogers and Hammerstein would have it, it was "doing what comes
naturally!"
My book The Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA was the first insider
account from an intelligence analyst regarding the skewed and politicized assessments of the CIA's
Directorate of Intelligence -- the Agency's analytic arm. I also exposed the strategic failure of
covert actions that were never intended to be a part of President Harry Truman's CIA. I wrote the
book for many reasons, including the need to describe the inability of journalists to take into account,
let alone understand, the dangers of politicization and the actions of CIA directors such as Casey,
Gates, and more recently Goss and Tenet. The political pliancy of these directors fully compromised
the intelligence mission of the CIA, and it was political pliancy that made directors such as Gates
and Tenet so attractive to Presidents Reagan, Bush I, and Bush II.
For the past quarter century, my testimony and writings have exposed the failure to honor President
Truman's purpose in creating a CIA to provide policymakers with accurate, unbiased accounts of international
developments, and have highlighted the CIA's readiness to cater to the White House. This view is
not original with me; in fact, it was President Truman who first acknowledged that the CIA he created
in 1947 had gotten off the tracks under Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy in the
1950s and early 1960s.
In December 1963, less than a month after the assassination of President Kennedy, Truman wrote
an op-ed for the Washington Post to document the wrongs of the CIA. He concluded that his efforts
to "create the quiet intelligence arm of the Presidency" had been subverted by a "sinister" and "mysterious"
agency that was conducting far too many clandestine activities in peacetime. I lectured at the Truman
Library in the summer of 2014, and found a note in Truman's hand that stated the CIA was not designed
to "initiate policy or to act as a spy organization. That was never the intention when it was organized."
In The Failure of Intelligence , I documented the CIA's resistance to reform and the
corruption in both the analytical and operational directorates. I made a case for starting over at
the CIA, not dissimilar from the case made by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan 25 years ago as a member
of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Not every agency or department of government can
be reformed, and it is possible that the intricate web of habits, procedures, and culture places
the CIA in the non-reformable category. Once the political culture of an institution such as the
CIA has been broken, it is extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- to rebuild or repair it.
"... Devine argued that dismantling ISIS's command structure is crucial for minimizing the danger it presents, much like al Qaeda before them. "We killed three-fourths of their leadership," he said of al Qaeda. "We have to do the same thing with ISIS. "We have to destroy their refuge over there. When they start to lose, their recruiting numbers start to fall." ..."
"... My guess is that Iran have done a deal with Putin in that once ISIS is swept away Iran gets to build a gas pipeline through Iraq (which it controls) and through Syria into Europe. Russia is allowing Iran into the European gas market because Bandar threatened Sochi, and Putin wants to end the House of Saud in retaliation. Two weeks from now the world is going to make laws that pushes countries towards natural gas and away from coal and oil. ..."
"... I would say that's accurate, since the U.S. put ISIS there to block the Iran - Iraq - Syria pipeline. When Russia destroys ISIS, the previously planned pipeline can proceed. It has nothing to do with Russian 'permission' - Putin expects someone to eventually be sending gas up from the Middle East once the slaughter stops. He doesn't care who it is or how much. It's not going to displace more than a fraction of the Russian supply to Europe. Syria rejected the Qatari pipeline for its own reasons - probably because Qatar was planning on killing Assad and replacing him with a Western stooge well before the Qatari-Turkey pipeline was announced. In fact, the announcement was pretty much an insult to Syria. Qatar quite arrogantly announced that they WOULD be building the pipeline through Syria without bothering to ask them. ..."
"... Putin negotiates with everyone. He was even talking with Israel about helping them with the Leviathan pipeline. The U.S. seems to favor 'regime change' as the preferred strategy to expand its oil interests where it has no business doing so. ..."
"... The CIA serves no master, it is the fucking master. It does deals that are anti American, and they don't care, because America is just a sugar daddy to them. We are the chumps who pay their bills, while they put half of all honest Americans on their enemies list. ..."
"... CIA is international, not American. They are the hit men for the biggest corporations on earth, and most especially the biggest energy firms. Oil and CIA go together, and there is the Saudi connection. ..."
"... CIA is the lead agent if world Islamic extremism, they don't fight it, they nurture it! Their long term goal is to use mass Islamic terror armies to do what the CIA and Corporate masters want done. Need a police state in America? Do a hit on America 9/11. Need to eliminate Russia? Create ISIS and direct them against Russia's allies. And you can take it from there. It will continue on as before. Nobody left has the power to take down the CIA terror rings. ..."
"... No shit, sherlock, and it's because of you and the most vile mass murderer of all time, the CIA (and DIA, and NSA, and FBI, etc.), but predominantly the CIA and the Pentagon, that ISIS and such exists today! Whether it was Allen Dulles coordinating the escape of endless number of mass murderering Nazis, who would end up in CIA-overthrown countries, aiding and abetting their secret police (Example: Walter Rauff, who was responsible for at least 200,000 deaths, ending up as an advisor to Augusto Pinochet's secret police or DINA) or the grandson of the first chairman of the Bank for International Settlements, Richard Helms and his MKULTRA, you devils are to blame. ..."
"I have never felt more uncomfortable than I do today," warns former CIA Director
Jack Devine, saying that, with "frankly uncivilized" ISIS, there is a greater risk of violence
worldwide than ever before.
"I think this is the most dangerous time in terms of sustained violence,"
he said on "The Cats Roundtable" in an interview airing Sunday on New York's AM-970.
"I have never felt more uncomfortable than I do today," he told host John Catsimatidis. "Some
percentage of the world today is always either unbalanced or radicalized. When you have a small
group of people who are willing to lose their lives and kill anyone they can, we're all
vulnerable."
Devine cited the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as an unprecedented threat in terms of
its wanton disregard for human life...
"I dealt with terrorists in South America in the 1970s, but they never attacked innocent
women and children indiscriminately," he said.
"You have a group in ISIS today that is frankly uncivilized. These folks could
get stronger and stronger. We basically have to destroy ISIS over there," Devine said.
Devine argued that dismantling ISIS's command structure is crucial for minimizing the danger
it presents, much like al Qaeda before them. "We killed three-fourths of their leadership," he
said of al Qaeda. "We have to do the same thing with ISIS. "We have to destroy their refuge over
there. When they start to lose, their recruiting numbers start to fall."
Devine, who mainly served during the Cold War, said ISIS is a scourge without parallel
because it has no concern for self-preservation.
"There is nothing that can be compared with nuclear weapons and their use," he said of tensions
between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union.
"[But] people felt safe in the sense there was countervailing balance," he
added. "Early in our contest with the Russians, it was clear we had checks and balances."
Finally Devine admits...
"If there's blame to be put, it's on our failure to have done that by this point."
Selected Skeptical Comments
i_call_you_my_base
"I dealt with terrorists in South America in the 1970s..."
"And by dealt I mean trained and funded."
Looney
John Kerry to the MSM:
Do not use "Al Qaeda" or "Al Nustra" - just call them "Allies" (pronounced Al Lies). ;-)
Looney
Vatican_cameo
"I have never felt more uncomfortable than I do today," he told host John Catsimatidis. "Some
percentage of the world today is always either unbalanced or radicalized. When you have a small
group of people who are willing to lose their lives and kill anyone they can, we're all vulnerable."
By small group he means CIA, Right? I thought he would have been a little clearer.
Occident Mortal
My guess is that Iran have done a deal with Putin in that once ISIS is swept away Iran
gets to build a gas pipeline through Iraq (which it controls) and through Syria into Europe. Russia
is allowing Iran into the European gas market because Bandar threatened Sochi, and Putin wants
to end the House of Saud in retaliation. Two weeks from now the world is going to make laws that
pushes countries towards natural gas and away from coal and oil.
Paveway IV
"...once ISIS is swept away Iran gets to build a gas pipeline through Iraq (which it controls)
and through Syria into Europe..."
I would say that's accurate, since the U.S. put ISIS there to block the Iran - Iraq - Syria
pipeline. When Russia destroys ISIS, the previously planned pipeline can proceed. It has nothing
to do with Russian 'permission' - Putin expects someone to eventually be sending gas up from the
Middle East once the slaughter stops. He doesn't care who it is or how much. It's not going to
displace more than a fraction of the Russian supply to Europe. Syria rejected the Qatari pipeline
for its own reasons - probably because Qatar was planning on killing Assad and replacing him with
a Western stooge well before the Qatari-Turkey pipeline was announced. In fact, the announcement
was pretty much an insult to Syria. Qatar quite arrogantly announced that they WOULD be building
the pipeline through Syria without bothering to ask them.
The U.S. blocked the first Iran pipeline (called the Persian Pipeline) FROM IRAN to Iraq in
2010 by forcing the Swiss company that partnered with Iran to back out due to Israeli - ooops,
'Western' sanctions on Iran. The second Iran-sourced NG pipeline from Iran through Iraq and Syria
- called the Friendship Pipeline - was agreed to in 2012 by the countries involved. That's when
the U.S. launched it's failed coup attempt in Syria and let its ISIS mad-dogs loose in Iraq. Tyler
usually refers to this by the derogatory label of "Islamic Pipeline" - a snide label that Kagan-PNAC
and Western oil companies used. Tyler never refers to the Western-backed Qatari pipeline as the
Jihadi Pipeline, nor does he refer to the Kirkuk-Haifa oil pipeline as the Jewish Pipeline. I'm
not sure about the inconsistency - maybe he's trying to make some point.
Putin negotiates with everyone. He was even talking with Israel about helping them with
the Leviathan pipeline. The U.S. seems to favor 'regime change' as the preferred strategy to expand
its oil interests where it has no business doing so.
goldhedge
The CIA guy doesn't mention the House of Saud.
Pfft.
Jack Burton
Good catch! And there never do.
CIA and House of Saud have done a long term deal to look out for each other in this world.
The CIA serves no master, it is the fucking master. It does deals that are anti American,
and they don't care, because America is just a sugar daddy to them. We are the chumps who pay
their bills, while they put half of all honest Americans on their enemies list.
CIA is international, not American. They are the hit men for the biggest corporations on
earth, and most especially the biggest energy firms. Oil and CIA go together, and there is the
Saudi connection.
CIA is the lead agent if world Islamic extremism, they don't fight it, they nurture it!
Their long term goal is to use mass Islamic terror armies to do what the CIA and Corporate masters
want done. Need a police state in America? Do a hit on America 9/11. Need to eliminate Russia?
Create ISIS and direct them against Russia's allies. And you can take it from there. It will continue
on as before. Nobody left has the power to take down the CIA terror rings.
"I dealt with terrorists in South America in the 1970s, but they never attacked
innocent women and children indiscriminately," he said.
No shit, sherlock, and it's because of you and the most vile mass murderer of all time,
the CIA (and DIA, and NSA, and FBI, etc.), but predominantly the CIA and the Pentagon, that ISIS
and such exists today!
Whether it was Allen Dulles coordinating the escape of endless number of mass murderering Nazis,
who would end up in CIA-overthrown countries, aiding and abetting their secret police (Example:
Walter Rauff, who was responsible for at least 200,000 deaths, ending up as an advisor to Augusto
Pinochet's secret police or DINA) or the grandson of the first chairman of the Bank for International
Settlements, Richard Helms and his MKULTRA, you devils are to blame.
Recommended reading (to better understand why the USA is known as the Great Satan):
Funny how these fucks can come out and say this kind of shit and get away with it. The fucker's
basically pleading guilty to murder, FFS.
Ms No
They didn't kill anybody in South America my ass.... The school of Americas, Operation Condor,
Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Guatamala, El Salvador .... who the hell are they
kidding? The CIA has always been covered and nobody ever cared.
Perimetr
"If there's blame to be put. . ."
It's on the CIA for running its global terrorist operations, funded by the $1 trillion dollars
a year coming from its Afghanistan heroin operation.
sirs and madams,
.
"Christmas celebration this year is going to be a charade because the whole world is at war. We
are close to Christmas. There will be lights, there will be parties, bright trees, even Nativity
scenes – all decked out – while the world continues to wage war.
It's all a charade. The world has not understood the way of peace. The whole world is at war.
A war can be justified, so to speak, with many, many reasons, but when all the world as it is
today, at war, piecemeal though that war may be-a little here, a little there-there is no justification.
What shall remain in the wake of this war, in the midst of which we are living now? What shall
remain? Ruins, thousands of children without education, so many innocent victims, and lots of
money in the pockets of arms dealers."
The discovery of America by Europe had to happen. The savages had to be eliminated and The
Revolutionary War had to happen. Slavery had to begin, and after it, segregation had to begin,
but, what must be, will be, slavery and segregation had to end. Old School colonization of poor
nations had to happen. The Boer War had to happen. The Spanish American War had to happen. The
Main had to be sunk. WWI had to happen. Calvary charges had to end. Totalitarian Communism had
to happen. Germany's 20's depression had to happen, reactionary jingoism had to happen, and Kristallnacht
and the Reichstag fire had to happen. The Allies had to win WWII, Hiroshima and Nagasaki had to
be publicity stunts, and the Cold War had to begin. JFK had to be wacked, the Vietnam War had
to happen, the FED still was happening. Civil Rights laws had to be passed. Recognition of China
had to happen, going off the gold standard had to happen, and Nixon had to be kicked out of office.
Corporate Globalization had to begin. After Carter an actor had to be President. Unions had to
be stifled. Perestroika and glasnost had to happen. The Berlin Wall had to come down. The MIC
had to find another enemy, and suddenly 9/11 had to happen.
Over population has to happen, poisoning the environment has to happen, and the NWO has to
happen.
Ladies and gentlemen, the NWO is here, and there is nothing you can do, and nothing you could
have done to stop it.
Edit. I see none of our supposed enemies 'truth bombing' 9/11, 7/7, and the 13th Paris attacks.
I see no trade embagoes, I see no arguments in the Security Council over the illegality of US/Nato
bombing in Syria.
blindman
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-zuesse/jimmy-carter-is-correct-t_b_79...
Jimmy Carter Is Correct That the U.S. Is No Longer a Democracy
Posted: 08/03/2015 11:48 am EDT
.
On July 28, Thom Hartmann interviewed former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and, at the very end
of his show (as if this massive question were merely an afterthought), asked him his opinion of
the 2010 Citizens United decision and the 2014 McCutcheon decision, both decisions by the five
Republican judges on the U.S. Supreme Court. These two historic decisions enable unlimited secret
money (including foreign money) now to pour into U.S. political and judicial campaigns. Carter
answered:
It violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it's
just an oligarchy with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations
for president or being elected president. And the same thing applies to governors, and U.S. Senators
and congress members. So, now we've just seen a subversion of our political system as a payoff
to major contributors, who want and expect, and sometimes get, favors for themselves after the
election is over. ... At the present time the incumbents, Democrats and Republicans, look upon
this unlimited money as a great benefit to themselves. Somebody that is already in Congress has
a great deal more to sell." ...
.
it is the money "system", man.
blindman
corporations and hoodwink powers ride on the indifference of the damned, the silence of the
dead and doomed.
Dinero D. Profit
The Satus Quo can rely upon the loyalty of their employees, Congress, the military, the military
industrial contractors, their workers and family members, the crime control establishment, all
Uniersity professors and employees, and every employee of all publically traded companies, and
every person employed by the MSM.
The dead and doomed are irrelevant. If you have an establishment job, you'll obey and ask no
vital questions.
Dick Buttkiss
Sunnis and Shiites hate each other far more than they hate Christians, Jews, or anyone else. If
it weren't for oil, the USG wouldn't give a flyiing fuck if they anihilated each other. Instead,
it conspires with them in ways far beyond its ability to comprehend, much less navigate. Thus
is the US ship of state heading for the shoals of its destruction, the only question being how
much of the country and the outside world it takes down with it.
ross81
thats bullshit Western propaganda that Shiites hate Sunnis and vice versa. In the same way that
the Brits stirred up Protestant hatred of Catholics in Ulster for centuries, the US/Israel/Saudi
does the same with Sunnis vs Shiites on a much bigger scale in the Middle East. Divide and Conquer.
geno-econ
This is getting scary in that one or two more attacks will result in travel freezes, flow of Middle
East oil and result in huge increase in military as well as Homeland security costs. A depression
or economic collapse a real possibility Perhaps time for a Peace Conference of all interested
parties. The US started this shit and should be the first to call for a Peace Conference. Macho
talk will only make things worse.
moonmac
We can print trillions out of thin air at the drop of a hat but we can't kill a small group of
terrorists. Got it!
sgt_doom
Or, we pour billions of dollars every year into the CIA, NSA, and DIA, and only a poor old fart
such as myself can figure out that Bilal Erdogan is the ISIS connection to oil trading (Turkish
president, Erdogan's son) and Erdogan's daughter is with ISIS?
GRDguy
Ex-CIA boss gets it wrong, again.
"When you have a small group of people who are willing to lose their lives and kill anyone
they can, we're all vulnerable."
should be:
"When you have a small group of financial sociopaths willing to lie-to, steal-from and kill
anyone they can, we're all vulnerable."
and you'll probably be punished, jailed or shot for tryin' to protect yourself and your family.
Ban KKiller
War profiteer. That is it. Along wth James Comey, James Clapper, Jack Welch and the list is almost
endless...
BarnacleBill
"When you have a small group of people who are willing to lose their lives and kill anyone they
can, we're all vulnerable."
Simply take out the word "their", and the description perfectly fits the CIA, MI6 and their
like. For them, it's all a business deal, nothing more - a massive slum-clearance project. Destroy
people's houses, provide accommodation and food, ship them somewhere else; do it again and again
until the money-printing machine conks out. It's money for old rope.
And, yes, we're all vulnerable. The man got that right.
Duc888
"You get the politicians you deserve."
CIA types are appointed, not elected.
Duc888
I do not know if there are any Catherine Austin Fitts fans on this web site but this is definitely
worth the time. The FEDGOV came after her non stop for 6 years when she worked for HUD under Bush
Sr. If nothing else this lady is tenacious. In this presentation she uncorks exactly HOW the deep
black budgets are paid for...and it ain't your tax dollars. What she uncovered while at HUD was
simply amazing..... and she made an excellent point. At the top... it's NOT "fraud" because that's
how it was all deigned right from the get go after wwII. It brings to mind the funny computer
saying....."it's a feature, not a bug".
She digs right into how the CIA was funded... Truly amazing stuff. ...of course the dick head
brigade will come along here and deride her because of the conference she is speaking at.... well,
who the fuck cares, her presentation is excellent and filled with facts.
Yes it is 1 hour 20 minutes long but imho it is well worth the watch...
"... Efforts to break into Apple products by government security researchers started as early as 2006, a year before Apple introduced its first iPhone and continued through the launch of the iPad in 2010 and beyond, The Intercept said. ..."
CIA researchers have worked for nearly a decade to break the security protecting Apple (AAPL.O)
phones and tablets, investigative news site The Intercept reported on Tuesday, citing documents obtained
from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
The report cites top-secret U.S. documents that suggest U.S. government researchers had created
a version of XCode, Apple's software application development tool, to create surveillance backdoors
into programs distributed on Apple's App Store.
The Intercept has in the past published a number of reports from documents released by whistleblower
Snowden. The site's editors include Glenn Greenwald, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in reporting
on Snowden's revelations, and by Oscar-winning documentary maker Laura Poitras.
It said the latest documents, which covered a period from 2006 to 2013, stop short of proving
whether U.S. intelligence researchers had succeeded in breaking Apple's encryption coding, which
secures user data and communications.
Efforts to break into Apple products by government security researchers started as early as
2006, a year before Apple introduced its first iPhone and continued through the launch of the iPad
in 2010 and beyond, The Intercept said.
Breeching Apple security was part of a top-secret program by the U.S. government, aided by British
intelligence researchers, to hack "secure communications products, both foreign and domestic" including
Google Android phones, it said.
Silicon Valley technology companies have in recent months sought to restore trust among consumers
around the world that their products have not become tools for widespread government surveillance
of citizens.
Last September, Apple strengthened encryption methods for data stored on iPhones, saying the changes
meant the company no longer had any way to extract customer data on the devices, even if a government
ordered it to with a search warrant. Silicon Valley rival Google Inc (GOOGL.O)
said shortly afterward that it also planned to increase the use of stronger encryption tools.
Both companies said the moves were aimed at protecting the privacy of users of their products
and that this was partly a response to wide scale U.S. government spying on Internet users revealed
by Snowden in 2013.
An Apple spokesman pointed to public statements by Chief Executive Tim Cook on privacy, but declined
to comment further.
"I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country
to create a backdoor in any of our products or services," Cook wrote in a statement on privacy and
security published last year. "We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will."
Leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron have expressed
concern that turning such privacy-enhancing tools into mass market features could prevent governments
from tracking militants planning attacks. The CIA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Today, July
6th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from the BothanSpy and Gyrfalcon
projects of the CIA. The implants described in both projects are designed to intercept and
exfiltrate SSH credentials but work on different operating systems with different attack
vectors.
BothanSpy is an implant that targets the SSH client program Xshell on the Microsoft
Windows platform and steals user credentials for all active SSH sessions. These credentials are
either username and password in case of password-authenticated SSH sessions or username,
filename of private SSH key and key password if public key authentication is used.
BothanSpy can exfiltrate the stolen credentials to a CIA-controlled server (so the
implant never touches the disk on the target system) or save it in an enrypted file for later
exfiltration by other means. BothanSpy is installed as a Shellterm 3.x extension on
the target machine.
Gyrfalcon is an implant that targets the OpenSSH client on Linux platforms
(centos,debian,rhel,suse,ubuntu). The implant can not only steal user credentials of active SSH
sessions, but is also capable of collecting full or partial OpenSSH session traffic. All
collected information is stored in an encrypted file for later exfiltration. It is installed
and configured by using a CIA-developed root kit (JQC/KitV) on the target machine.OutlawCountry 30 June, 2017 Today, June 30th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from
the OutlawCountry project of the CIA that targets computers running the Linux
operating system. OutlawCountry allows for the redirection of all outbound network
traffic on the target computer to CIA controlled machines for ex- and infiltration purposes.
The malware consists of a kernel module that creates a hidden netfilter table on a Linux
target; with knowledge of the table name, an operator can create rules that take precedence
over existing netfilter/iptables rules and are concealed from an user or even system
administrator.
The installation and persistence method of the malware is not described in detail in the
document; an operator will have to rely on the available CIA exploits and backdoors to inject
the kernel module into a target operating system. OutlawCountry v1.0 contains one
kernel module for 64-bit CentOS/RHEL 6.x; this module will only work with default kernels.
Also, OutlawCountry v1.0 only supports adding covert DNAT rules to the PREROUTING
chain. Elsa 28 June, 2017 Today, June 28th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from the
ELSA project of the CIA. ELSA is a geo-location malware for WiFi-enabled
devices like laptops running the Micorosoft Windows operating system. Once persistently
installed on a target machine using separate CIA exploits, the malware scans visible WiFi
access points and records the ESS identifier, MAC address and signal strength at regular
intervals. To perform the data collection the target machine does not have to be online or
connected to an access point; it only needs to be running with an enabled WiFi device. If it is
connected to the internet, the malware automatically tries to use public geo-location databases
from Google or Microsoft to resolve the position of the device and stores the longitude and
latitude data along with the timestamp. The collected access point/geo-location information is
stored in encrypted form on the device for later exfiltration. The malware itself does not
beacon this data to a CIA back-end; instead the operator must actively retrieve the log file
from the device - again using separate CIA exploits and backdoors.
The ELSA project allows the customization of the implant to match the target
environment and operational objectives like sampling interval, maximum size of the logfile and
invocation/persistence method. Additional back-end software (again using public geo-location
databases from Google and Microsoft) converts unprocessed access point information from
exfiltrated logfiles to geo-location data to create a tracking profile of the target device.
Leaked DocumentsELSA User Manual Brutal Kangaroo 22 June, 2017 Today, June 22nd 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from
the Brutal Kangaroo project of the CIA. Brutal Kangaroo is a tool suite for
Microsoft Windows that targets closed networks by air gap jumping using thumbdrives. Brutal
Kangaroo components create a custom covert network within the target closed network and
providing functionality for executing surveys, directory listings, and arbitrary
executables.
The documents describe how a CIA operation can infiltrate a closed network (or a single
air-gapped computer) within an organization or enterprise without direct access. It first
infects a Internet-connected computer within the organization (referred to as "primary host")
and installs the BrutalKangeroo malware on it. When a user is using the primary host
and inserts a USB stick into it, the thumbdrive itself is infected with a separate malware. If
this thumbdrive is used to copy data between the closed network and the LAN/WAN, the user will
sooner or later plug the USB disk into a computer on the closed network. By browsing the USB
drive with Windows Explorer on such a protected computer, it also gets infected with
exfiltration/survey malware. If multiple computers on the closed network are under CIA control,
they form a covert network to coordinate tasks and data exchange. Although not explicitly
stated in the documents, this method of compromising closed networks is very similar to how
Stuxnet worked.
The Brutal Kangaroo project consists of the following components: Drifting
Deadline is the thumbdrive infection tool, Shattered Assurance is a server tool
that handles automated infection of thumbdrives (as the primary mode of propagation for the
Brutal Kangaroo suite), Broken Promise is the Brutal Kangaroo
postprocessor (to evaluate collected information) and Shadow is the primary
persistence mechanism (a stage 2 tool that is distributed across a closed network and acts as a
covert command-and-control network; once multiple Shadow instances are installed and
share drives, tasking and payloads can be sent back-and-forth).
CherryBlossom provides a means of monitoring the Internet activity of and
performing software exploits on Targets of interest. In particular,
CherryBlossom is focused on compromising wireless networking devices, such as wireless
routers and access points (APs), to achieve these goals. Such Wi-Fi devices are commonly used
as part of the Internet infrastructure in private homes, public spaces (bars, hotels or
airports), small and medium sized companies as well as enterprise offices. Therefore these
devices are the ideal spot for "Man-In-The-Middle" attacks, as they can easily monitor, control
and manipulate the Internet traffic of connected users. By altering the data stream between the
user and Internet services, the infected device can inject malicious content into the stream to
exploit vulnerabilities in applications or the operating system on the computer of the targeted
user.
The wireless device itself is compromized by implanting a customized CherryBlossom
firmware on it; some devices allow upgrading their firmware over a wireless link, so no
physical access to the device is necessary for a successful infection. Once the new firmware on
the device is flashed, the router or access point will become a so-called FlyTrap . A
FlyTrap will beacon over the Internet to a Command & Control server referred to as
the CherryTree . The beaconed information contains device status and security
information that the CherryTree logs to a database. In response to this information,
the CherryTree sends a Mission with operator-defined tasking. An operator can
use CherryWeb , a browser-based user interface to view Flytrap status and
security info, plan Mission tasking, view Mission -related data, and perform
system administration tasks.
Missions may include tasking on Targets to monitor, actions/exploits to
perform on a Target , and instructions on when and how to send the next beacon. Tasks
for a Flytrap include (among others) the scan for email addresses , chat
usernames , MAC addresses and VoIP numbers in passing network traffic to
trigger additional actions, the copying of the full network traffic of a Target , the
redirection of a Target 's browser (e.g., to Windex for browser exploitation) or the
proxying of a Target 's network connections. FlyTrap can also setup VPN
tunnels to a CherryBlossom -owned VPN server to give an operator access to clients on
the Flytrap 's WLAN/LAN for further exploitation. When the Flytrap detects a
Target , it will send an Alert to the CherryTree and commence any
actions/exploits against the Target . The CherryTree logs Alerts to
a database, and, potentially distributes Alert information to interested parties (via
Catapult ). Leaked Documents
CherryBlossom -- System Req Spec (CDRL-10)
CherryBlossom -- Quick Start Guide WiFi
Devices
CherryBlossom -- Installation Guide CherryBlossom --
Operating Environment (S//NF) See morePandemic 1 June, 2017 Today, June 1st 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from the
"Pandemic" project of the CIA, a persistent implant for Microsoft Windows machines that share
files (programs) with remote users in a local network. "Pandemic" targets remote users by
replacing application code on-the-fly with a trojaned version if the program is retrieved from
the infected machine. To obfuscate its activity, the original file on the file server remains
unchanged; it is only modified/replaced while in transit from the pandemic file server before
being executed on the computer of the remote user. The implant allows the replacement of up to
20 programs with a maximum size of 800 MB for a selected list of remote users (targets).
As the name suggests, a single computer on a local network with shared drives that is
infected with the "Pandemic" implant will act like a "Patient Zero" in the spread of a disease.
It will infect remote computers if the user executes programs stored on the pandemic file
server. Although not explicitly stated in the documents, it seems technically feasible that
remote computers that provide file shares themselves become new pandemic file servers on the
local network to reach new targets. Leaked DocumentsPandemic 1.1 (S/NF) Pandemic 1.1-RC1
(S/NF) Pandemic 1.1-RC1
-- IVVRR Checklist Pandemic 1.0
(S/NF) Pandemic 1.0 -- IVVRR
Checklist See moreAthena 19 May, 2017 Today, May 19th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes documents from the
"Athena" project of the CIA. "Athena" - like the related "Hera" system - provides remote beacon
and loader capabilities on target computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system
(from Windows XP to Windows 10). Once installed, the malware provides a beaconing capability
(including configuration and task handling), the memory loading/unloading of malicious payloads
for specific tasks and the delivery and retrieval of files to/from a specified directory on the
target system. It allows the operator to configure settings during runtime (while the implant
is on target) to customize it to an operation.
According to the documentation (see Athena Technology
Overview ), the malware was developed by the CIA in cooperation with Siege Technologies , a self-proclaimed cyber
security company based in New Hampshire, US. On their website, Siege Technologies states that
the company " ... focuses on leveraging offensive cyberwar technologies and
methodologies to develop predictive cyber security solutions for insurance, government and
other targeted markets. ". On November 15th, 2016 Nehemiah
Security announced the acquisition of Siege Technologies.
In an email from HackingTeam (published by WikiLeaks here ), Jason Syversen, founder
of Siege Technologies with a background in cryptography and hacking, " ... said he set out
to create the equivalent of the military's so-called probability of kill metric, a statistical
analysis of whether an attack is likely to succeed. 'I feel more comfortable working on
electronic warfare,' he said. 'It's a little different than bombs and nuclear weapons -- that's
a morally complex field to be in. Now instead of bombing things and having collateral damage,
you can really reduce civilian casualties, which is a win for everybody.' " Leaked
DocumentsAthena v1.0 User Guide Athena Technology
Overview Athena
(Design) Athena
(Demo) Athena
(Design/Engine) See moreAfterMidnight 12 May, 2017 Today, May 12th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes "AfterMidnight" and
"Assassin", two CIA malware frameworks for the Microsoft Windows platform.
"AfterMidnight" allows operators to dynamically load and execute malware payloads on a
target machine. The main controller disguises as a self-persisting Windows Service DLL and
provides secure execution of "Gremlins" via a HTTPS based Listening Post (LP) system called
"Octopus". Once installed on a target machine AM will call back to a configured LP on a
configurable schedule, checking to see if there is a new plan for it to execute. If there is,
it downloads and stores all needed components before loading all new gremlins in memory.
"Gremlins" are small AM payloads that are meant to run hidden on the target and either subvert
the functionality of targeted software, survey the target (including data exfiltration) or
provide internal services for other gremlins. The special payload "AlphaGremlin" even has a
custom script language which allows operators to schedule custom tasks to be executed on the
target machine.
"Assassin" is a similar kind of malware; it is an automated implant that provides a simple
collection platform on remote computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. Once
the tool is installed on the target, the implant is run within a Windows service process.
"Assassin" (just like "AfterMidnight") will then periodically beacon to its configured
listening post(s) to request tasking and deliver results. Communication occurs over one or more
transport protocols as configured before or during deployment. The "Assassin" C2 (Command and
Control) and LP (Listening Post) subsystems are referred to collectively as" The Gibson" and
allow operators to perform specific tasks on an infected target.. Leaked DocumentsAfterMidnight v1.0
Users Guide AlphaGremlin v0.1.0
Users Guide AfterMidnight Diagrams Assassin v1.4 Users
Guide Assassin v1.3 Users
Guide See moreArchimedes 5 May, 2017 Today, May 5th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes "Archimedes", a tool
used by the CIA to attack a computer inside a Local Area Network (LAN), usually used in
offices. It allows the re-directing of traffic from the target computer inside the LAN through
a computer infected with this malware and controlled by the CIA. This technique is used by the
CIA to redirect the target's computers web browser to an exploitation server while appearing as
a normal browsing session.
The document illustrates a type of attack within a "protected environment" as the the tool
is deployed into an existing local network abusing existing machines to bring targeted
computers under control and allowing further exploitation and abuse. Leaked DocumentsArchimedes 1.0 User
Guide Archimedes 1.3
Addendum Archimedes 1.2
Addendum Archimedes 1.1
Addendum Fulcrum User Manual
v0.62 See moreScribbles 28 April, 2017 Today, April 28th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes the documentation
and source code for CIA's "Scribbles" project, a document-watermarking preprocessing system to
embed "Web beacon"-style tags into documents that are likely to be copied by Insiders,
Whistleblowers, Journalists or others. The released version (v1.0 RC1) is dated March, 1st 2016
and classified SECRET//ORCON/NOFORN until 2066.
Scribbles is intended for off-line preprocessing of Microsoft Office documents. For reasons
of operational security the user guide demands that "[t]he Scribbles executable, parameter
files, receipts and log files should not be installed on a target machine, nor left in a
location where it might be collected by an adversary."
According to the documentation, "the Scribbles document watermarking tool has been
successfully tested on [...] Microsoft Office 2013 (on Windows 8.1 x64), documents from Office
versions 97-2016 (Office 95 documents will not work!) [and d]ocuments that are not be locked
forms, encrypted, or password-protected". But this limitation to Microsoft Office documents
seems to create problems: "If the targeted end-user opens them up in a different application,
such as OpenOffice or LibreOffice, the watermark images and URLs may be visible to the
end-user. For this reason, always make sure that the host names and URL components are
logically consistent with the original content. If you are concerned that the targeted end-user
may open these documents in a non-Microsoft Office application, please take some test documents
and evaluate them in the likely application before deploying them."
Security researches and forensic experts will find more detailed information on how
watermarks are applied to documents in the source code, which is included in this publication
as a zipped archive. Leaked DocumentsScribbles v1.0 RC1 -
User Guide Scribbles (Source
Code) Scribbles v1.0 RC1
- IVVRR Checklist Scribbles
v1.0 RC1 - Readiness Review Worksheet Weeping Angel 21 April, 2017 Today, April 21st 2017, WikiLeaks publishes the User Guide
for CIA's "Weeping Angel" tool - an implant designed for Samsung F Series Smart Televisions.
Based on the "Extending" tool from the MI5/BTSS, the implant is designed to record audio from
the built-in microphone and egress or store the data.
The classification marks of the User Guide document hint that is was originally written by
the british MI5/BTSS and later shared with the CIA. Both agencies collaborated on the further
development of the malware and coordinated their work in Joint Development Workshops. Leaked
DocumentsExtending - User Guide Hive 14 April, 2017 Today, April 14th 2017, WikiLeaks publishes six documents from the
CIA's HIVE
project created by its "Embedded Development Branch"
(EDB).
HIVE is a back-end infrastructure malware with a public-facing HTTPS interface which is used
by CIA implants to transfer exfiltrated information from target machines to the CIA and to
receive commands from its operators to execute specific tasks on the targets. HIVE is used
across multiple malware implants and CIA operations. The public HTTPS interface utilizes
unsuspicious-looking cover domains to hide its presence.
Anti-Virus companies and forensic experts have noticed that some possible state-actor
malware used such kind of back-end infrastructure by analyzing the communication behaviour of
these specific implants, but were unable to attribute the back-end (and therefore the implant
itself) to operations run by the CIA. In a recent
blog post by Symantec , that was able to attribute the "Longhorn" activities to the CIA
based on the Vault 7 , such
back-end infrastructure is described:
For C&C servers, Longhorn typically configures
a specific domain and IP address combination per target. The domains appear to be registered by
the attackers; however they use privacy services to hide their real identity. The IP addresses
are typically owned by legitimate companies offering virtual private server (VPS) or webhosting
services. The malware communicates with C&C servers over HTTPS using a custom underlying
cryptographic protocol to protect communications from identification.
Grasshopper is provided with a variety of modules that can be used by a CIA operator as
blocks to construct a customized implant that will behave differently, for example maintaining
persistence on the computer differently, depending on what particular features or capabilities
are selected in the process of building the bundle. Additionally, Grasshopper provides a very
flexible language to define rules that are used to "perform a pre-installation survey of the
target device, assuring that the payload will only [be] installed if the target has the right
configuration". Through this grammar CIA operators are able to build from very simple to very
complex logic used to determine, for example, if the target device is running a specific
version of Microsoft Windows, or if a particular Antivirus product is running or not.
Grasshopper allows tools to be installed using a variety of persistence mechanisms and
modified using a variety of extensions (like encryption). The requirement list of the Automated
Implant Branch (AIB) for Grasshopper puts special attention on PSP avoidance , so that any
Personal Security Products like 'MS Security Essentials', 'Rising', 'Symantec Endpoint'
or 'Kaspersky IS' on target machines do not detect Grasshopper elements.
One of the persistence mechanisms used by the CIA here is 'Stolen Goods' - whose "components
were taken from malware known as Carberp, a suspected Russian organized crime rootkit."
confirming the recycling of malware found on the
Internet by the CIA. "The source of Carberp was published online, and has allowed AED/RDB to
easily steal components as needed from the malware.". While the CIA claims that "[most] of
Carberp was not used in Stolen Goods" they do acknowledge that "[the] persistence method, and
parts of the installer, were taken and modified to fit our needs", providing a further example
of reuse of portions of publicly available malware by the CIA, as observed in their analysis of leaked
material from the italian company "HackingTeam" .
Marble does this by hiding ("obfuscating") text fragments used in CIA malware from visual inspection. This is the digital
equivallent of a specalized CIA tool to place covers over the english language text on U.S.
produced weapons systems before giving them to insurgents secretly backed by the CIA.
Marble forms part of the CIA's anti-forensics approach and the
CIA's Core
Library of malware code. It is " [D]esigned to allow for flexible and easy-to-use
obfuscation " as " string obfuscation algorithms (especially those that are unique) are
often used to link malware to a specific developer or development shop. "
The Marble source code also includes a deobfuscator to reverse CIA text obfuscation.
Combined with the revealed obfuscation techniques, a pattern or signature emerges which can
assist forensic investigators attribute previous hacking attacks and viruses to the CIA. Marble
was in use at the CIA during 2016. It reached 1.0 in 2015.
The source code shows that Marble has test examples not just in English but also in Chinese,
Russian, Korean, Arabic and Farsi. This would permit a forensic attribution double game, for
example by pretending that the spoken language of the malware creator was not American English,
but Chinese, but then showing attempts to conceal the use of Chinese, drawing forensic
investigators even more strongly to the wrong conclusion, --- but there are other
possibilities, such as hiding fake error messages.
The Marble Framework is used for obfuscation only and does not contain any vulnerabilties or
exploits by itself. Leaked DocumentsMarble Framework (Source Code) Dark Matter 23 March, 2017 Today, March 23rd 2017, WikiLeaks releases Vault 7 "Dark
Matter", which contains documentation for several CIA projects that infect Apple Mac firmware
(meaning the infection persists even if the operating system is re-installed) developed by the
CIA's Embedded Development Branch (EDB). These documents explain the techniques used by CIA to
gain 'persistence' on Apple Mac devices, including Macs and iPhones and demonstrate their use
of EFI/UEFI and firmware malware.
Among others, these documents reveal the "Sonic Screwdriver" project which, as explained by
the CIA, is a "mechanism for executing code on peripheral devices while a Mac laptop or desktop
is booting" allowing an attacker to boot its attack software for example from a USB stick "even
when a firmware password is enabled". The CIA's "Sonic Screwdriver" infector is stored on the
modified firmware of an Apple Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter.
"DarkSeaSkies" is "an implant that persists in the EFI firmware of an Apple MacBook Air
computer" and consists of "DarkMatter", "SeaPea" and "NightSkies", respectively EFI,
kernel-space and user-space implants.
Documents on the "Triton" MacOSX malware, its infector "Dark Mallet" and its EFI-persistent
version "DerStarke" are also included in this release. While the DerStarke1.4 manual released
today dates to 2013, other Vault 7 documents show that as of 2016 the CIA continues to rely on
and update these systems and is working on the production of DerStarke2.0 .
Also included in this release is the manual for the CIA's "NightSkies 1.2" a
"beacon/loader/implant tool" for the Apple iPhone. Noteworthy is that NightSkies had reached
1.2 by 2008, and is expressly designed to be physically installed onto factory fresh iPhones.
i.e the CIA has been infecting the iPhone supply chain of its targets since at least 2008.
While CIA assets are sometimes used to physically infect systems in the custody of a target
it is likely that many CIA physical access attacks have infected the targeted organization's
supply chain including by interdicting mail orders and other shipments (opening, infecting, and
resending) leaving the United States or otherwise.
So, secure your systems people. Attackers potentially trying to use these tools still need to
somehow get a shell on your system in order to install this stuff.
Detecting on your system
As far as detecting on your system, that's going to be tough since:
The instructions note to name the script something before uploading/running it
We don't have a copy of any of the scripts they're talking about
But - we do know a couple things..
It runs in the background. A simple 'ps' will show you the processes and you should be able
to spot something unfamiliar running, and kill it
history file gone would indicate that 'something' happened.. not necessarily this though.
if you find evidence of the 'CIA' JQC/KitV root kit on your system which may be tough..
She's just what they're looking for. They keep changing the spokesholes for the State Department
pressers because they're looking for a way to defend the indefensible. If the rest of the people
in the room actually are reporters who eat, sleep and breathe news, they know very well that there
is – at the very least – doubt that Assad actually carried out any chemical attacks on 'his own
people'. They know 'rebel' groups in Syria do possess chemical weapons, and there is considerable
evidence of their staging events to pluck western heartstrings and initiate a western intervention
to overthrow Assad. So when she just talks over him and repeats government talking points, they
all know what she's doing. They all also know that the United States government continually claims
to have irrefutable evidence of this thing and that war crime which it will not disclose. None
of it, except for the shite they get from social media. You're just supposed to take their word
for it.
That would be fine if they had never been caught in a lie. Or even not very often. As the situation
is, well
Compare the performance of the US blonde spokeswoman with that of the Russian blonde spokeswoman.
Zakharova [09:57]:
" There are experts and they should be working. If we make conclusions that are based on
politically charged motivations, then this is what we are witnessing now and shall continue to
do so ".
The US journalist, in response to Zakharova's detailed criticism of the US policy of shooting
first and not asking questions, namely of not using appointed specialists on the ground to check
claims of who was/is responsible for chemical weapons attacks but instead just acting on what
Washington thinks was/is the "reality" of the situation (and remember, there are some in Washington
who claim that "reality" is their creation!), says that it is too dangerous for appointed investigators
into chemical weapon usage to enter terrorist occupied zones in order to check on the facts [10:08]:
" But experts can't [get there] "
Zakharova responds [10:15]:
" But why can't they get there? Why exactly can't they get there? Is it Damascus saying
that they can't go in? "
The US journalist states that Idlib is a "different situation" [10:27]
Zakharova [10:35], who now appears to be somewhat amused by the journalist's line of thought:
" So what, then, is the logic? If there is no security there, then we can make binding resolutions
that are based on absolutely nothing at all? Is that correct? But that's well, that's well
that's some kind of madness! "
The journalist then repeats that it still is very difficult, very dangerous, to enter the combat
zones.
Zakharova replies [10:55]"
" So let's go to plan B - Colin Powell with a test-tube! Do I understand you correctly?
If it's too dangerous to go there, then let's make decisions based on absolutely falsified grounds.
But from our point of view, they have no basis upon which an objective opinion can be decided
".
Zakhorova then goes on to rip the US journalist's contentions apart in a manner vastly different
to the way in which the US spokeswoman, Nauert, dealt with the journalist in Washington, who posed
questions that she openly sneered and smirked at, as can be seen at the beginning of the clip.
Nauert , by the
way, who is a former member of the
Council
on Foreign Relations , is married to Scott Norby, an investment banker who works at Goldman
Sachs.
"... Many "never-Trumpers" of both parties see the deep state's national security bureaucracy as
their best hope to destroy Trump and thus defend constitutional government, but those hopes are misguided.
..."
"... As Michael Glennon, author of National Security and Double Government, pointed out in a June
2017 Harper's essay, if "the president maintains his attack, splintered and demoralized factions within
the bureaucracy could actually support - not oppose - many potential Trump initiatives, such as stepped-up
drone strikes, cyberattacks, covert action, immigration bans, and mass surveillance." ..."
"... Corraborative evidence of Valentine's thesis is, perhaps surprisingly, provided by the CIA's
own website where a number of redacted historical documents have been published. Presumably, they are
documents first revealed under the Freedom of Information Act. A few however are copies of news articles
once available to the public but now archived by the CIA which has blacked-out portions of the articles.
..."
"... This led to an investigation by New Times in a day when there were still "investigative reporters,"
and not the government sycophants of today. Based on firsthand accounts, their investigation concluded
that Operation Phoenix was the "only systematized kidnapping, torture and assassination program ever
sponsored by the United States government. . . . Its victims were noncombatants." At least 40,000 were
murdered, with "only" about 8,000 supposed Viet Cong political cadres targeted for execution, with the
rest civilians (including women and children) killed and "later conveniently labeled VCI. Hundreds of
thousands were jailed without trial, often after sadistic abuse." The article notes that Phoenix was
conceived, financed, and directed by the Central Intelligence Agency ..."
"... But the article noted that one of the most persistent criticisms of Phoenix was that it resulted
"in the arrest and imprisonment of many innocent civilians." These were called "Class C Communist offenders,"
some of whom may actually have been forced to commit such "belligerent acts" as digging trenches or
carrying rice. It was those alleged as the "hard core, full-time cadre" who were deemed to make up the
"shadow government" designated as Class A and B Viet Cong. ..."
"... Ironically, by the Bush administration's broad definition of "unlawful combatants," CIA officers
and their support structure also would fit the category. But the American public is generally forgiving
of its own war criminals though most self-righteous and hypocritical in judging foreign war criminals.
But perhaps given sufficient evidence, the American public could begin to see both the immorality of
this behavior and its counterproductive consequences. ..."
"... Talleyrand is credited with saying, "They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing." Reportedly,
that was borrowed from a 1796 letter by a French naval officer, which stated, in the original language:
Personne n'est corrigé; personne n'a su ni rien oublier ni rien appendre. In English: "Nobody has been
corrected; no one has known to forget, nor yet to learn anything." That sums up the CIA leadership entirely.
..."
Douglas Valentine has once again added to the store of knowledge necessary for American citizens
to understand how the U.S. government actually works today, in his most recent book entitled
The CIA As Organized Crime . (Valentine previously wrote The Phoenix Program ,
which should be read with the current book.)
The US "deep state" – of which the CIA is an integral part – is an open secret now and the Phoenix
Program (assassinations, death squads, torture, mass detentions, exploitation of information) has
been its means of controlling populations. Consequently, knowing the deep state's methods is the
only hope of building a democratic opposition to the deep state and to restore as much as possible
the Constitutional system we had in previous centuries, as imperfect as it was.
Princeton University political theorist Sheldon Wolin described the US political system in place
by 2003 as "inverted totalitarianism." He reaffirmed that in 2009 after seeing a year of the Obama
administration. Correctly identifying the threat against constitutional governance is the first step
to restore it, and as Wolin understood, substantive constitutional government ended long before Donald
Trump campaigned. He's just taking unconstitutional governance to the next level in following the
same path as his recent predecessors. However, even as some elements of the "deep state" seek to
remove Trump, the President now has many "deep state" instruments in his own hands to be used at
his unreviewable discretion.
Many "never-Trumpers" of both parties see the deep state's national security bureaucracy as
their best hope to destroy Trump and thus defend constitutional government, but those hopes are misguided.
After all, the deep state's bureaucratic leadership has worked arduously for decades to subvert
constitutional order.
As Michael Glennon, author of National Security and Double Government, pointed out in a June
2017 Harper's essay, if "the president maintains his attack, splintered and demoralized factions
within the bureaucracy could actually support - not oppose - many potential Trump initiatives, such
as stepped-up drone strikes, cyberattacks, covert action, immigration bans, and mass surveillance."
Glennon noted that the propensity of "security managers" to back policies which ratchet up levels
of security "will play into Trump's hands, so that if and when he finally does declare victory, a
revamped security directorate could emerge more menacing than ever, with him its devoted new ally."
Before that happens, it is incumbent for Americans to understand what Valentine explains in his book
of CIA methods of "population control" as first fully developed in the Vietnam War's Phoenix Program.
Hating the US
There also must be the realization that our "national security" apparatchiks - principally but
not solely the CIA - have served to exponentially increase the numbers of those people who hate the
US.
Some of these people turn to terrorism as an expression of that hostility. Anyone who is at all
familiar with the CIA and Al Qaeda knows that the CIA has been Al Qaeda's most important "combat
multiplier" since 9/11, and the CIA can be said to have birthed ISIS as well with the mistreatment
of incarcerated Iraqi men in US prisons in Iraq.
Indeed, by following the model of the Phoenix Program, the CIA must be seen in the Twenty-first
Century as a combination of the ultimate "Murder, Inc.," when judged by the CIA's methods such as
drone warfare and its victims; and the Keystone Kops, when the multiple failures of CIA policies
are considered. This is not to make light of what the CIA does, but the CIA's misguided policies
and practices have served to generate wrath, hatred and violence against Americans, which we see
manifested in cities such as San Bernardino, Orlando, New York and Boston.
Pointing out the harm to Americans is not to dismiss the havoc that Americans under the influence
of the CIA have perpetrated on foreign populations. But "morality" seems a lost virtue today in the
US, which is under the influence of so much militaristic war propaganda that morality no longer enters
into the equation in determining foreign policy.
In addition to the harm the CIA has caused to people around the world, the CIA works tirelessly
at subverting its own government at home, as was most visible in the spying on and subversion of
the torture investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The subversion of democracy
also includes the role the CIA plays in developing and disseminating war propaganda as "information
warfare," upon the American people. This is what the Rand Corporation under the editorship of Zalmay
Khalilzad has described as "conditioning the battlefield," which begins with the minds of the American
population.
Douglas Valentine discusses and documents the role of the CIA in disseminating pro-war propaganda
and disinformation as complementary to the violent tactics of the Phoenix Program in Vietnam. Valentine
explains that "before Phoenix was adopted as the model for policing the American empire, many US
military commanders in Vietnam resisted the Phoenix strategy of targeting civilians with Einsatzgruppen-style
'special forces' and Gestapo-style secret police."
Military Commanders considered that type of program a flagrant violation of the Law of War. "Their
main job is to zap the in-betweeners – you know, the people who aren't all the way with the government
and aren't all the way with the Viet Cong either. They figure if you zap enough in-betweeners, people
will begin to get the idea," according to one quote from The Phoenix Program referring to
the unit tasked with much of the Phoenix operations.
Nazi Influences
Comparing the Phoenix Program and its operatives to "Einsatzgruppen-style 'special forces' and
Gestapo-style secret police" is not a distortion of the strategic understanding of each. Both programs
were extreme forms of repression operating under martial law principles where the slightest form
of dissent was deemed to represent the work of the "enemy." Hitler's Bandit Hunters: The SS and the
Nazi Occupation of Europe by Philip W. Blood describes German "Security Warfare" as practiced in
World War II, which can be seen as identical in form to the Phoenix Program as to how the enemy is
defined as anyone who is "potentially" a threat, deemed either "partizans" or terrorists.
That the Germans included entire racial categories in that does not change the underlying logic,
which was, anyone deemed an internal enemy in a territory in which their military operated had to
be "neutralized" by any means necessary. The US military and the South Vietnamese military governments
operated under the same principles but not based on race, rather the perception that certain areas
and villages were loyal to the Viet Cong.
This repressive doctrine was also not unique to the Nazis in Europe and the US military in Vietnam.
Similar though less sophisticated strategies were used against the American Indians and by the imperial
powers of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries, including by the US in its newly acquired
territories of the Philippines and in the Caribbean. This "imperial policing," i.e., counterinsurgency,
simply moved to more manipulative and, in ways, more violent levels.
That the US drew upon German counterinsurgency doctrine, as brutal as it was, is well documented.
This is shown explicitly in a 2011 article published in the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
entitled German Counterinsurgency Revisited by Charles D. Melson. He wrote that in 1942, Nazi commander
Heinrich Himmler named a deputy for "anti-bandit warfare," (Bevollmachtigter fur die Bandenkampfung
im Osten), SS-General von dem Bach, whose responsibilities expanded in 1943 to head all SS and police
anti-bandit units and operations. He was one of the architects of the Einsatzguppen "concept of anti-partisan
warfare," a German predecessor to the "Phoenix Program."
'Anti-Partisan' Lessons
It wasn't a coincidence that this "anti-partisan" warfare concept should be adopted by US forces
in Vietnam and retained to the present day. Melson pointed out that a "post-war German special forces
officer described hunter or ranger units as 'men who knew every possible ruse and tactic of guerrilla
warfare. They had gone through the hell of combat against the crafty partisans in the endless swamps
and forests of Russia.'"
Consequently, "The German special forces and reconnaissance school was a sought after posting
for North Atlantic Treaty Organization special operations personnel," who presumably included members
of the newly created US Army Special Forces soldiers, which was in part headquartered at Bad Tolz
in Germany, as well as CIA paramilitary officers.
Just as with the later Phoenix Program to the present-day US global counterinsurgency, Melson
wrote that the "attitude of the [local] population and the amount of assistance it was willing to
give guerilla units was of great concern to the Germans. Different treatment was supposed to be accorded
to affected populations, bandit supporters, and bandits, while so-called population and resource
control measures for each were noted (but were in practice, treated apparently one and the same).
'Action against enemy agitation' was the psychological or information operations of the
Nazi
period. The Nazis believed that, 'Because of the close relationship of guerilla warfare
and politics, actions against enemy agitation are a task that is just as important as interdiction
and combat actions. All means must be used to ward off enemy influence and waken and maintain a clear
political will.'"
This is typical of any totalitarian system – a movement or a government – whether the process
is characterized as counterinsurgency or internal security. The idea of any civilian collaboration
with the "enemy" is the basis for what the US government charges as "conspiracy" in the Guantanamo
Military Commissions.
Valentine explains the Phoenix program as having been developed by the CIA in 1967 to combine
"existing counterinsurgency programs in a concerted effort to 'neutralize' the Vietcong infrastructure
(VCI)." He explained further that "neutralize" meant "to kill, capture, or make to defect." "Infrastructure"
meant civilians suspected of supporting North Vietnamese and Vietcong soldiers. Central to the Phoenix
program was that its targets were civilians, making the operation a violation of the Geneva Conventions
which guaranteed protection to civilians in time of war.
"The Vietnam's War's Silver Lining: A Bureaucratic Model for Population Control Emerges" is the
title of Chapter 3. Valentine writes that the "CIA's Phoenix program changed how America fights its
wars and how the public views this new type of political and psychological warfare, in which civilian
casualties are an explicit objective." The intent of the Phoenix program evolved from "neutralizing"
enemy leaders into "a program of systematic repression for the political control of the South Vietnamese
people. It sought to accomplish this through a highly bureaucratized system of disposing of people
who could not be ideologically assimilated." The CIA claimed a legal basis for the program in "emergency
decrees" and orders for "administrative detention."
Lauding Petraeus
Valentine refers to a paper by David Kilcullen entitled Countering Global Insurgency. Kilcullen
is one of the so-called "counterinsurgency experts" whom General David Petraeus gathered together
in a cell to promote and refine "counterinsurgency," or COIN, for the modern era. Fred Kaplan, who
is considered a "liberal author and journalist" at Slate, wrote a panegyric to these cultists entitled,
The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War. The purpose of this
cell was to change the practices of the US military into that of "imperial policing," or COIN, as
they preferred to call it.
But Kilcullen argued in his paper that "The 'War on Terrorism'" is actually a campaign to counter
a global insurgency. Therefore, Kilcullen argued, "we need a new paradigm, capable of addressing
globalised insurgency." His "disaggregation strategy" called for "actions to target the insurgent
infrastructure that would resemble the unfairly maligned (but highly effective) Vietnam-era Phoenix
program."
He went on, "Contrary to popular mythology, this was largely a civilian aid and development program,
supported by targeted military pacification operations and intelligence activity to disrupt the Viet
Cong Infrastructure. A global Phoenix program (including the other key elements that formed part
of the successful Vietnam CORDS system) would provide a useful start point to consider how Disaggregation
would develop in practice."
It is readily apparent that, in fact, a Phoenix-type program is now US global policy and - just
like in Vietnam - it is applying "death squad" strategies that eliminate not only active combatants
but also civilians who simply find themselves in the same vicinity, thus creating antagonisms that
expand the number of fighters.
Corraborative evidence of Valentine's thesis is, perhaps surprisingly, provided by the CIA's
own website where a number of redacted historical documents have been published. Presumably, they
are documents first revealed under the Freedom of Information Act. A few however are copies of news
articles once available to the public but now archived by the CIA which has blacked-out portions
of the articles.
The Bloody Reality
One "sanitized" article - approved for release in 2011 - is a partially redacted New Times article
of Aug. 22, 1975, by Michael Drosnin. The article recounts a story of a US Army counterintelligence
officer "who directed a small part of a secret war aimed not at the enemy's soldiers but at its civilian
leaders." He describes how a CIA-directed Phoenix operative dumped a bag of "eleven bloody ears"
as proof of six people killed.
The officer, who recalled this incident in 1971, said, "It made me sick. I couldn't go on with
what I was doing in Vietnam. . . . It was an assassination campaign . . . my job was to identify
and eliminate VCI, the Viet Cong 'infrastructure' – the communist's shadow government. I worked directly
with two Vietnamese units, very tough guys who didn't wear uniforms . . . In the beginning they brought
back about 10 percent alive. By the end they had stopped taking prisoners.
"How many VC they got I don't know. I saw a hell of a lot of dead bodies. We'd put a tag on saying
VCI, but no one really knew – it was just some native in black pajamas with 16 bullet holes."
This led to an investigation by New Times in a day when there were still "investigative reporters,"
and not the government sycophants of today. Based on firsthand accounts, their investigation concluded
that Operation Phoenix was the "only systematized kidnapping, torture and assassination program ever
sponsored by the United States government. . . . Its victims were noncombatants." At least 40,000
were murdered, with "only" about 8,000 supposed Viet Cong political cadres targeted for execution,
with the rest civilians (including women and children) killed and "later conveniently labeled VCI.
Hundreds of thousands were jailed without trial, often after sadistic abuse." The article notes that
Phoenix was conceived, financed, and directed by the Central Intelligence Agency, as Mr. Valentine
writes.
A second article archived by the CIA was by the Christian Science Monitor, dated Jan. 5, 1971,
describing how the Saigon government was "taking steps that could help eliminate one of the most
glaring abuses of its controversial Phoenix program, which is aimed against the Viet Cong political
and administrative apparatus." Note how the Monitor shifted blame away from the CIA and onto the
South Vietnamese government.
But the article noted that one of the most persistent criticisms of Phoenix was that it resulted
"in the arrest and imprisonment of many innocent civilians." These were called "Class C Communist
offenders," some of whom may actually have been forced to commit such "belligerent acts" as digging
trenches or carrying rice. It was those alleged as the "hard core, full-time cadre" who were deemed
to make up the "shadow government" designated as Class A and B Viet Cong.
Yet "security committees" throughout South Vietnam, under the direction of the CIA, sentenced
at least 10,000 "Class C civilians" to prison each year, far more than Class A and B combined. The
article stated, "Thousands of these prisoners are never brought to court trial, and thousands of
other have never been sentenced." The latter statement would mean they were just held in "indefinite
detention," like the prisoners held at Guantanamo and other US detention centers with high levels
of CIA involvement.
Not surprisingly to someone not affiliated with the CIA, the article found as well that "Individual
case histories indicate that many who have gone to prison as active supporters of neither the government
nor the Viet Cong come out as active backers of the Viet Cong and with an implacable hatred of the
government." In other words, the CIA and the COIN enthusiasts are achieving the same results today
with the prisons they set up in Iraq and Afghanistan.
CIA Crimes
Valentine broadly covers the illegalities of the CIA over the years, including its well-documented
role in facilitating the drug trade over the years. But, in this reviewer's opinion, his most valuable
contribution is his description of the CIA's participation going back at least to the Vietnam War
in the treatment of what the US government today calls "unlawful combatants."
"Unlawful combatants" is a descriptive term made up by the Bush administration to remove people
whom US officials alleged were "terrorists" from the legal protections of the Geneva Conventions
and Human Rights Law and thus to justify their capture or killing in the so-called "Global War on
Terror." Since the US government deems them "unlawful" – because they do not belong to an organized
military structure and do not wear insignia – they are denied the "privilege" of belligerency that
applies to traditional soldiers. But – unless they take a "direct part in hostilities" – they would
still maintain their civilian status under the law of war and thus not lose the legal protection
due to civilians even if they exhibit sympathy or support to one side in a conflict.
Ironically, by the Bush administration's broad definition of "unlawful combatants," CIA officers
and their support structure also would fit the category. But the American public is generally forgiving
of its own war criminals though most self-righteous and hypocritical in judging foreign war criminals.
But perhaps given sufficient evidence, the American public could begin to see both the immorality
of this behavior and its counterproductive consequences.
This is not to condemn all CIA officers, some of whom acted in good faith that they were actually
defending the United States by acquiring information on a professed enemy in the tradition of Nathan
Hale. But it is to harshly condemn those CIA officials and officers who betrayed the United States
by subverting its Constitution, including waging secret wars against foreign countries without a
declaration of war by Congress. And it decidedly condemns the CIA war criminals who acted as a law
unto themselves in the torture and murder of foreign nationals, as Valentine's book describes.
Talleyrand is credited with saying, "They have learned nothing and forgotten nothing." Reportedly,
that was borrowed from a 1796 letter by a French naval officer, which stated, in the original language:
Personne n'est corrigé; personne n'a su ni rien oublier ni rien appendre. In English: "Nobody has
been corrected; no one has known to forget, nor yet to learn anything." That sums up the CIA leadership
entirely.
Douglas Valentine's book is a thorough documentation of that fact and it is essential reading
for all Americans if we are to have any hope for salvaging a remnant of representative government.
Todd E. Pierce retired as a Major in the US Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps in November
2012. His most recent assignment was defense counsel in the Office of Chief Defense Counsel, Office
of Military Commissions. This originally appeared at
ConsortiumNews.com .
The U.S. intelligence community is
vast , composed of
17 distinct organizations
each operating under its own shroud of secrecy.
Oversight of these agencies generally falls to the Department of Defense or Congress, leaving
the average citizen with precious little knowledge of how they operate.
Funded by largely classified budgets, it's difficult to assess how much the U.S. annually spends
on these clandestine operations, but
one 2012 estimate pegs the
cost at about $75 billion.
The following slides highlight the expansive reach of the U.S. intelligence community.
The Central Intelligence Agency spies on foreign governments and organizes covert ops. screenshot
The CIA is the most well-known U.S. spying agency, formed by the passage of the National Security
Act of 1947. The agency has its roots with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) that operated
during World War II.
Headquarters : Langley, Va.
Mission : CIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates intelligence gathered on foreign nations.
This comes through signals and human intelligence sources.
Budget : Classified. On their
website
, the CIA states, "neither the number of employees nor the size of the Agency's budget can,
at present, be publicly disclosed. A common misconception is that the Agency has an unlimited
budget, which is far from true."
the annual intelligence budget was $44 billion.
The National Security Agency was once so secretive it was jokingly called 'No Such Agency.'
NSA Headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland
NSA
Budget : Classified. Some estimate the NSA is actually the largest intelligence organization
in the world -
three times the size of the CIA. The headquarters alone takes up 6.3 million square feet -
around the same size as the Pentagon - with 112 acres of parking spaces,
reports the Washington Post.
The Defense Intelligence Agency works to understand what foreign militaries will do before
they do it. DIA its overseas spy network
to collect first-hand intelligence.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : The DIA serves as the lead intelligence agency for the Dept. of Defense, coordinating
analysis and collection of intelligence on foreign militaries, in addition to surveillance and
reconnaissance operations. The DIA is the common link between military and national intelligence
agencies.
Budget : Classified. The DIA does not reveal budget information, although they
do say they have more than 16,500
men and women working for them and are under DoD and congressional oversight.
The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research provides diplomats the necessary
tools for effective foreign policy.
The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) has ties to the
Office of Strategic Services from World War II, but was transferred to State after the war.
INR now
reports directly to the Secretary of State, harnessing intelligence from all sources and offering
independent analysis of global events and real-time insight.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : This agency serves as the Secretary of State's
primary advisor on intelligence matters, and gives support to other policymakers, ambassadors,
and embassy staff.
Air Force Intelligence provides reconnaissance for US ground troops.
Formerly known as the Air Intelligence Agency, the agency is now known as the Air Force ISR
- Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance. Air Force intelligence was established
in 1948 to
get information to troops on the ground, and most recently, the ISR has collected that intelligence
from aerial drones.
Headquarters : Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
Mission : Air Force ISR collects and analyzes intelligence on foreign nations and hostile forces,
both in and out of combat zones. They also conduct electronic and photographic surveillance, and
provide weather and mapping data to troops in the field.
Budget :
Unknown . The budget of ISR apparently falls under the Air Force's Operation & Maintenance
budget, which includes other areas outside of the agency's scope such as flying operations and
logistics. That number for 2012, however, was just over $46 million.
The FBI's National Security Branch oversees counterterrorism and intelligence gathering.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's
National Security Branch (NSB) was
established in 2005
, combining resources that include counterterrorism, counter-intelligence, weapons of mass
destruction, and intelligence under a single FBI leader.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : Formed after 9/11 and the Iraq WMD commission - when intelligence agencies were not
sharing data with each other - the NSB integrates intel on national security and criminal threats
from a variety of sources that are often intertwined in order to protect U.S. interests.
Budget : Total FBI budget was approximately $8.1 billion in 2012, which included an increase
of $119 million "to enhance our counterterrorism, computer intrusions, and other programs,"
according to their
website.
Army Intelligence and Security Command offers essential intel to troops on the battlefield.
Army intelligence has been around since spies worked for the Continental Army in
1775 , but the U.S.
Army's Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) was established
in 1977 to
become the major unifying command of army intelligence.
Headquarters : Fort Belvoir, Va.
Mission : INSCOM provides commanders on the ground with information they may need on the battlefield:
intercepted enemy radio communications, maps, ground imagery, and information on force structure
and numbers.
The Department of Energy, Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence gathers information
on foreign nuclear weapons.
Surprisingly, the Energy Department
even has an intelligence service.
The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence focuses on technical intelligence on nuclear
weapons and nonproliferation, nuclear energy (especially foreign), and energy security.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : The Dept. of Energy doesn't have the ability to conduct foreign intelligence, instead
relying on information passed to
them by other agencies (such as the CIA or NSA). If it involves weapons of mass destruction,
the DoE offers up the analytical expertise.
Budget : Unknown. Like other government budgets, the intelligence activity is not specifically
mentioned, although it may fall under "Atomic Energy Defense Activities" which had a total budget
of more than
$16 billion in 2012.
Coast Guard Intelligence provides information on maritime security and homeland defense.
Coast Guard Intelligence (CGI) was formed in
1915 and now falls under
the Dept. of Homeland Security, providing information on maritime and port security, search and
rescue, and counter-narcotics.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : Although CGI is
technically an intelligence agency, its primary mission is as an investigative arm of the
Coast Guard. CGI special agents "conduct criminal, counterintelligence and personnel security
investigations within the Coast Guard's area of responsibility," with the majority being criminal
offenses violating military law, according to the Coast Guard's official
website . However, the
Coast Guard
does have specialists conducting analysis and collection of intelligence.
Budget : Unknown. Like the Army, the budget has some overlap, although the 2014 budget request
includes $60
million for C4ISR systems, an acronym for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
CGI headquarters is relatively small, only employing
about 280 .
The Treasury's Office of Intelligence and Analysis collects terrorism and financial intelligence.
The Office of Intelligence and Analysis is fairly new,
established in 2004 by the Intelligence Authorization Act. OIA's focus is mainly on providing
information to combat terrorism and illicit financial transactions.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : OIA safeguards the U.S. financial system "against illicit use and combating rogue
nations, terrorist facilitators, weapons of mass destruction proliferators, money launderers,
drug kingpins, and other national security threats,"
according to DNI.
The Drug Enforcement Administration hunts down illegal drugs.
The DEA has been gathering intelligence for anti-drug operations since its establishment in
1973 . The agency collects
and provides intelligence to other law enforcement agencies and helps with investigations.
Headquarters : El Paso, Texas
Mission : DEA assists local and federal law enforcement in conducting major drug investigations,
along with developing "information that leads to seizures and arrests, and provid[ing] policy
makers with drug trend information upon which programmatic decisions can be based,"
according to their website.
The Marine Corps Intelligence Activity monitors the Corp's battlefields.
Like Army intelligence, the Marine Corps provides their own agency to collect and analyze information
for troops on the ground. This includes map making, radio intercepts, human intelligence, and
counter-intelligence.
Headquarters : Quantico, Va.
Mission : The
primary function of Marine IA is to give tactical and operational intelligence to battlefield
commanders. They also serve as the "go-to" unit for the Commandant of the Marine Corps on understanding
intel.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency provides advanced mapping for military forces.
Having its roots from the
1972
formation of the Defense Mapping Agency and formerly known as
NIMA , the agency was renamed the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in
2003 . The
agency has the task of collecting and understanding Earth's physical and man-made attributes.
Using advanced imagery (mainly from satellites), it was NGA watching Osama bin Laden's compound
in Pakistan.
Headquarters : Ft. Belvoir, Va.
Mission : NGA
employs cartographers
and analysts that collect and generate information about the Earth. This data is used in navigation,
national security, military operations, and humanitarian aid efforts.
Budget : Classified
. NGA employs approximately 14,500 government civilians.
The National Reconnaissance Office is responsible for America's spy satellites.
While the NGA is responsible for gaining information from satellite data, the National Reconnaissance
Office - created secretly in
1961 and not acknowledged
until 1992 - is in charge with satellite design, building, launch, and maintenance.
Headquarters : Chantilly, Va.
Mission : NRO gives its mission as "innovative overhead intelligence systems for national security."
Simply put, the
NRO provides their "customers" at the CIA, DoD, and elsewhere with technologically advanced
spy satellites.
The Office of Naval Intelligence provides information on the world's oceans to sailors everywhere.
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in
1882
for "the purpose of collecting and recording naval information" that could be useful in war and
peace. Like other military intelligence services, ONI gives maritime commanders information they
need on foreign forces.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : ONI gathers intelligence and moves it rapidly to decision makers. "We produce maritime
intelligence on weapons and technology proliferation and smuggling and illicit maritime activities
that directly supports the U.S. Navy, joint war fighters and national decision makers and agencies,"
according to
their website.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis looks for information
on any potential threats to the US.
The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis works primarily on
homeland threats - collecting and analyzing information, and sharing intelligence with local
and federal law enforcement through the use of "
fusion
centers ."
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : They work on four main areas: understanding threats through analysis, collecting
information relevant to homeland security, sharing that information with the agencies that need
it, and managing the homeland security enterprise,
according to DNI.
Budget : Classified. In a Congressional Research Service
report , it was noted
that "DNI does not publicly disclose details about the intelligence budget, but ... reported that
the aggregate amount appropriated to the [national intelligence program] for FY2009 was $49.8
billion."
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is where all the intelligence should come
together for delivery to the president.
Established in
2004 , the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) manages the efforts of the
entire U.S. intelligence community. Director
James R. Clapper
serves as the principal advisor to the president as well as the National Security and Homeland
Security Councils.
Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
Mission : The DNI has
two main missions: to lead intelligence integration, and "forge an intelligence community
that delivers the most insightful intelligence possible."
Budget : The specifics of the office itself are unknown, but the total aggregate amount for
the national intelligence program is
more than $48 billion.
- 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies are working on intelligence, counterterrorism,
or homeland security in the U.S.
- Just
the NSA alone is contracting with more than 250 companies on intelligence work, including
big names like Northrop Grumman and SAIC.
- Many intelligence agencies are doing redundant work, such as 51 federal and military organizations
that track the flow of money in and out of terror networks.
- One reason why those intelligence budgets are classified: millions of dollars in
so-called "ghost money" given to foreign governments.
"... Lots of people out there (Hello lurkers!) know that the Pork Pie News Networks are either feeding them unadulterated bs or lying by omission so actually make a real effort to find out more – whether they agree with it or not – but are faced with having to wade through rivers of f/ktard commenters. It is dispiriting to say the least. ..."
"... That may well be the idea, particularly those organizations that want to hose a and discredit alternative media sites (sic the JTRIG program and the likes of Brigade 77 and digilogues that have been running for years). If you can hack it, you probably think a) does this make sense? b) who is bono? c) timing, timing, timing.. d) is anything logically missing from the picture/story? e) if so, what conclusions can we draw from that? etc. It's not easy. ..."
"... Once upon a time we had newspaper columnists to do our thinking for us who we would religiously read. Now it is each one for themselves. What a pain in the ass. Fortunately we have the Kremlin Stooge and a bunch of other sites to help! :-) ..."
"... Don't miss the link to TTG's comment on leaks at Sic Semper Tyrannis! ..."
"... Yet again, you do not get this kind of information from the Pork Pie News Networks, the same ones who cosy up to the security services in return for juicy tidbits and also rubbish 'alternative news/websites/blogs'. ..."
"... the notion of compartmentalized operational security and broad state electronic surveillance of the population are mutually exclusive. ..."
He's one of a handful of good commenters there among the nutbags, antisemites, conspiracy theorists
etc. It's one of the things that really bugs me about great (supposedly) alternative news/opinion/blogs.
They always get immediately contaminated by all sorts of narcissistic 'tards who just want to
s/t the bed for everyone else, particularly the flyby trolls. Lots of people out there (Hello
lurkers!) know that the Pork Pie News Networks are either feeding them unadulterated bs or lying
by omission so actually make a real effort to find out more – whether they agree with it or not
– but are faced with having to wade through rivers of f/ktard commenters. It is dispiriting to
say the least.
That may well be the idea, particularly those organizations that want to hose a and discredit
alternative media sites (sic the JTRIG program and the likes of Brigade 77 and digilogues that
have been running for years). If you can hack it, you probably think a) does this make sense?
b) who is bono? c) timing, timing, timing.. d) is anything logically missing from the picture/story?
e) if so, what conclusions can we draw from that? etc. It's not easy.
Once upon a time we had newspaper columnists to do our thinking for us who we would religiously
read. Now it is each one for themselves. What a pain in the ass. Fortunately we have the Kremlin
Stooge and a bunch of other sites to help! :-)
My only thoughts are, wouldn't such info be compartmentalized (standard operating procedure,
innit?), i.e. a 'translator' would not have free and unlimited access, but rather have
access to only very specific highly secret info? If there are that many translators out there,
then compartmentalization would work very well. It is totally counter intuitive, nay stupid
, to allow free range to anyone but the top of the top. More people, more chance of leaks,
accidents or incomptence.
Don't miss the link to TTG's comment on leaks at Sic Semper Tyrannis!
Yet again, you do not get this kind of information from the Pork Pie News Networks, the
same ones who cosy up to the security services in return for juicy tidbits and also rubbish 'alternative
news/websites/blogs'.
Indeed it is; Secret and Top secret information is made available to those who
(1) are cleared
to the appropriate level, and
(2) have the need to know.
It's "and". Not "or". Top Secret information may not be viewed by anyone with a Top Secret
security clearance – only by those who need to know that information to carry out their duties
related to it.
Information may actually specify, "Top Secret – Eyes Only" in which the personnel holding a
Top Secret clearance who may view the material are either listed, or it is restricted only to
the addressee.
I dunno, because that whole Snowden thing revealed a lot of holes in the American security apparatus.
Snowden himself was surprised just how much stuff he was able to access, and he was just a contractor
at the time, not even a permanent employee.
Well, yes, because the notion of compartmentalized operational security and broad state electronic
surveillance of the population are mutually exclusive.
But to the very best of my knowledge Snowden did not reveal any secrets of America's defense
systems, its operational structure, its past military operations or its future plans in that area,
if he knew them. The damaging information he disclosed all related to American spying on foreign
leaders and the American electorate
"... Which leads us to a larger question: who benefits? Clearly both the Saudis and the Israelis – whose semi-clandestine alliance has been documented in this space – had everything to gain from this intra-Arab spat. United by fear and hatred of Iran, Riyadh and Tel Aviv have been quietly cooperating to unite the Sunni Arabs against Iran – and draw the United States into open conflict with Tehran. Both abhorred and denounced the Iran deal, and are seeking to actively undermine it: that's another item at the top of the FDD/UAE meet up. ..."
"... Another factor is the relationship between Mr. Al-Taiba and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a powerful figure in the administration: the ambassador has been described as Kushner's " mentor " when it comes to schooling him on all matters Middle Eastern. Kushner, for his part, is a strong advocate for Israel. ..."
"... There are no innocents, no "good guys" in this part of the world: the reality is that all of these Middle Eastern actors have been subsidizing terrorist outfits, in Syria and elsewhere. The Saudis are perhaps the worst offenders : their worldwide network of radical Wahabist mosques and "educational" outfits has been pushing a terrorist agenda for decades. ..."
"... The UAE has also been a lucrative source of funding for radical Islamic terrorism, notably in Afghanistan and Pakistan . And while Qatar has not been stingy in this regard, its stance has been notably non-sectarian: while they've given support to the Muslim Brotherhood – perhaps the least radical Sunni organization – they are also capable of sending official congratulations to recently re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. ..."
"... This is their great "sin" in the eyes of the Saudi-led Sunni Axis: they have tried to mediate the Sunni-Shi'ite religious war, which threatens the entire region with the kind of bloody turmoil that occasioned Europe's Thirty Years' War between Catholics and Protestants. ..."
"... The crazy notion that Iran is the world's leading exporter of terrorism is a page right out of the Israeli-Saudi playbook ..."
"... The Saudi-Qatari conflict has all the hallmarks of a joint Saudi-Israeli operation, complete with cyber-hacking, a full-scale propaganda war, and a clueless Uncle Sam stupidly falling for a brazen deception. What's amazing is that, despite the plethora of evidence that the whole thing is a pretty transparent put up job, the usual suspects continue to get away with it. ..."
Despite the Qataris' claim – since verified by the FBI,
according to Qatar's foreign minister – that the Qatar News Agency site had been hacked, and
that the Emir had given no such speech, both the Saudis and the UAkE, through their official media
outlets, launched a campaign targeting Qatar. Overflight rights were revoked: diplomatic contacts
ended: Qatar citizens were forbidden to enter Saudi/UAE territory even to change planes. And in a
public statement delivered in the rose garden of the White House President Trump clearly sided
with the Saudi/UAE consortium, complementing a series of
remarkably stupid tweets that basically said the same thing.
The US news media managed to get
a Russian angle on all this, claiming that "Russian hackers" were behind the targeting of the
Qatar News Agency: as usual they offered no evidence for this assertion. Yet just who was behind
this hacking incident seems crucial to understanding the real genesis of – and motive behind – the
Qatar controversy, which could augur a new regional crisis possibly dragging in Iran.
So let's look at the timeline in the context of
yet another hacking incident, this one involving the hotmail account of Yousef Al-Otaiba, the
UAE's well-connected ambassador to the US. The Saudi-Qatari conflict has all the hallmarks of a joint
Saudi-Israeli operation, complete with cyber-hacking, a full-scale propaganda war, and a clueless
Uncle Sam stupidly falling for a brazen deception. What's amazing is that, despite the plethora of
evidence that the whole thing is a pretty transparent put up job, the usual suspects continue to
get away with it. he hackers, who call themselves "GlobalLeaks," released a tranche of emails between
Al-Taiba and individuals connected to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). The Foundation
is a pro-Israel thinktank originally called "Emet:
An Educational Initiative, Inc.," founded in 2001 by a group of pro-Israel billionaires and designed
to blunt growing American sympathy for the Palestinians. FDD has since expanded its mission, under
chief honcho Clifford May, to encompass a full-scale projection of Israeli propaganda in the US.
The Otaiba-FDD emails reveal extensive cooperation between the ostensibly ultra-Islamic UAE – which,
like its Saudi allies and much of the Arab world, has never recognized the state of Israel - and
the staunchly Zionist FDD. (See some of the emails
here,
here,
here, and
here.) A
great deal of the back and forth is between FDD general counsel and former Bush era National Security
Advisor John Hannah and Mr. Al-Otaiba.
The emails detail FDD's efforts to show Al-Otaiba that UAE companies doing business with Iran
need to be sanctioned: a "target list" is included. The correspondence also details plans for a June
11-14 meeting with FDD personnel and UAE political and military officials, including the ambassador,
FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz, and former US defense secretary Robert Gates. And most significantly, on the
agenda was "discussion of possible U.S./UAE policies to positively impact Iranian internal situation"
including "political, economic, military, intelligence, and cyber tools" designed to "contain
and defeat Iranian aggression."
Hmmmm "cyber tools," eh?
Now add to the timeline
this reporting by the New York Times:
"[T]hree days after the Trump meeting in Riyadh, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
held a conference in Washington dedicated to criticism of Qatar, titled 'Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood's
Global Affiliates.'
"Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary and a friend of Mr. Otaiba, gave the keynote.
Attendees included many of the authors of the critical op-ed articles and senior Obama administration
officials. Organizers encouraged Mr. Otaiba to attend, and his staff sent Abu Dhabi, the Emirati
capital, a detailed report.
"No representative of Qatar was invited. The hack of the Qatari news agency took place after
midnight that night."
What a coincidence!
As
this piece in the Washington Post puts it, the speculation that "Russian hackers" under
Russian state control are behind the Qatar hack is "unlikely." Emails from the hackers bearing Russian
"(.ru) addresses seem designed to put detectives off the trail. The Post piece avers that
hackers-for-hire were the responsible parties, but the question is: who were they working for?
Which leads us to a larger question: who benefits? Clearly both the Saudis and the Israelis
– whose semi-clandestine alliance has been documented
in this space – had everything to gain from this intra-Arab spat. United by fear and hatred of
Iran, Riyadh and Tel Aviv have been quietly cooperating to unite the Sunni Arabs against Iran – and
draw the United States into open conflict with Tehran. Both abhorred and denounced the Iran deal,
and are seeking to actively undermine it: that's another item at the top of the FDD/UAE meet up.
Another factor is the relationship between Mr. Al-Taiba and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law
and a powerful figure in the administration: the ambassador has been described as Kushner's "mentor"
when it comes to schooling him on all matters Middle Eastern. Kushner, for his part, is a strong
advocate for Israel.
There are no innocents, no "good guys" in this part of the world: the reality is that all
of these Middle Eastern actors have been subsidizing terrorist outfits, in Syria and elsewhere. The
Saudis are perhaps the
worst offenders: their
worldwide network of radical Wahabist mosques and "educational" outfits has been pushing a terrorist
agenda for decades.
The UAE has also been a lucrative source of funding for radical Islamic terrorism, notably
in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. And while Qatar has not been stingy in this regard, its stance has
been notably non-sectarian: while they've given support to the Muslim Brotherhood – perhaps the least
radical Sunni organization – they are also capable of sending
official congratulations to recently re-elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
This is their great "sin" in the eyes of the Saudi-led Sunni Axis: they have tried to mediate
the Sunni-Shi'ite religious war, which threatens the entire region with the kind of bloody turmoil
that occasioned Europe's
Thirty Years' War between Catholics and Protestants.
The idea that Qatar is solely responsible for the growth and development of Middle Eastern terrorism
is laughable on its face: that narrative simply won't stand even the most careless scrutiny. And
the proposition that Saudi Arabia is any kind of anti-terrorist bulwark is a cruel joke. That the
Trump administration is taking this line is absolutely criminal: it amounts to appeasing and succoring
the epicenter of radical
Islamic terrorism.
The crazy notion that Iran is the world's leading exporter of terrorism is a page right out
of the Israeli-Saudi playbook: for the Trump administration to echo this nonsense contradicts
the facts and contravenes American interests in the region. For it is
the Saudis who have been funding and arming ISIS, and al-Qaeda, in Syria. And the Israelis have
openly proclaimed their
preference for ISIS over Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad. It is radical Sunni fundamentalists,
not pro-Iranian Shi'ites, who have been conducting a global jihad against American and European targets.
Iran is fighting ISIS in Syria – while the US in bombing Syrian government troops, the main obstacle
to the ISIS/al-Qaeda forces.
The Saudi-Qatari conflict has all the hallmarks of a joint Saudi-Israeli operation, complete
with cyber-hacking, a full-scale propaganda war, and a clueless Uncle Sam stupidly falling for a
brazen deception. What's amazing is that, despite the plethora of evidence that the whole thing is
a pretty transparent put up job, the usual suspects continue to get away with it.
"... "They have been misled and they are not analyzing the information in its entirety. We have talked about it with former President Obama and with several other officials. No one ever showed me any direct evidence. When we spoke with President Obama about that, you know, you should probably better ask him about it – I think he will tell you that he, too, is confident of it. But when he and I talked I saw that he, too, started having doubts. At any rate, that's how I saw it." ..."
"... As I noted in a Jan. 20 article about Obama's news conference two days earlier, "Did President Barack Obama acknowledge that the extraordinary propaganda campaign to blame Russia for helping Donald Trump become president has a very big hole in it, i.e., that the US intelligence community has no idea how the Democratic emails reached WikiLeaks? For weeks, eloquent obfuscation – expressed with 'high confidence' – has been the name of the game, but inadvertent admissions now are dispelling some of the clouds. ..."
"... "Hackers may be anywhere," Putin said. "There may be hackers, by the way, in the United States who very craftily and professionally passed the buck to Russia. Can't you imagine such a scenario? In the middle of an internal political fight, it was convenient for them, whatever the reason, to put out that information. And put it out they did. And, doing it, they made a reference to Russia. Can't you imagine it happening? I can. ..."
"... "Let us recall the assassination of President Kennedy. There is a theory that Kennedy's assassination was arranged by the United States special services. If this theory is correct, and one cannot rule it out, so what can be easier in today's context, being able to rely on the entire technical capabilities available to special services than to organize some kind of attacks in the appropriate manner while making a reference to Russia in the process. " ..."
"... The capabilities shown in what WikiLeaks calls the "Vault 7" trove of CIA documents required the creation of hundreds of millions of lines of source code. At $25 per line of code, that amounts to about $2.5 billion for each 100 million code lines. But the Deep State has that kind of money and would probably consider the expenditure a good return on investment for "proving" the Russians hacked into Democratic Party emails. ..."
"... In other words, it is altogether possible that the hacking attributed to Russia was actually one of several "active measures" undertaken by a cabal consisting of the CIA, FBI, NSA and Clapper – the same agencies responsible for the lame, evidence-free report of Jan. 6, that Clapper and Brennan acknowledged last month was not the consensus view of the 17 intelligence agencies. ..."
"... There is also the issue of the forensics. Former FBI Director James Comey displayed considerable discomfort on March 20, explaining to the House Intelligence Committee why the FBI did not insist on getting physical access to the Democratic National Committee's computers in order to do its own proper forensics, but chose to rely on the examination done by the DNC's private contractor, Crowdstrike. ..."
"... The firm itself has conflicts of interests in its links to the pro-NATO and anti-Russia think tank, the Atlantic Council, through Dmitri Alperovitch, who is an Atlantic Council senior fellow and the co-founder of Crowdstrike. ..."
"... Given the stakes involved in the Russia-gate investigation – now including a possible impeachment battle over removing the President of the United States – wouldn't it seem logical for the FBI to insist on its own forensics for this fundamental predicate of the case? Or could Comey's hesitancy to demand access to the DNC's computers be explained by a fear that FBI technicians not fully briefed on CIA/NSA/FBI Deep State programs might uncover a lot more than he wanted? ..."
To prove their chops, mainstream media stars can't wait to
go head-to-head with a demonized foreign leader, like Vladimir Putin, and let him have it, even if
their "facts" are wrong, as Megyn Kelly showed
NBC's Megyn Kelly wielded one of Official Washington's most beloved groupthinks to smack Russian
President Vladimir Putin over his denials that he and his government were responsible for hacking
Democratic emails and interfering with the U.S. presidential election.
In her June 2 interview with Putin, Kelly noted that all "17 intelligence agencies" of the US
government concurred in their conclusion of Russian guilt and how could Putin suggest that they all
are "lying." It's an argument that has been used to silence skeptics for months and apparently is
so useful that no one seems to care that it isn't true.
For instance, on May 8, in testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, former Director of
National Intelligence James Clapper conceded publicly that the number of intelligence agencies involved
in the assessment was three, not 17, and that the analysts assigned to the project from CIA, FBI
and NSA had been "handpicked."
On May 23, in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, former CIA Director John Brennan
confirmed Clapper's account about the three agencies involved. "It wasn't a full interagency community
assessment that was coordinated among the 17 agencies," Brennan acknowledged.
But
those public admissions haven't stopped Democrats and the mainstream media from continuing to
repeat the false claim. In
comments on May 31, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton repeated the canard, with a
flourish, saying: "Seventeen agencies, all in agreement, which I know from my experience as a Senator
and Secretary of State, is hard to get."
A couple of days later, Kelly revived the myth of the consensus among the 17 intelligence agencies
in her interview with the Russian president. But Putin passed up the opportunity to correct her,
replying instead:
"They have been misled and they are not analyzing the information in its entirety. We have
talked about it with former President Obama and with several other officials. No one ever showed
me any direct evidence. When we spoke with President Obama about that, you know, you should probably
better ask him about it – I think he will tell you that he, too, is confident of it. But when he
and I talked I saw that he, too, started having doubts. At any rate, that's how I saw it."
As I noted in a
Jan. 20 article about Obama's news conference two days earlier, "Did President Barack Obama acknowledge
that the extraordinary propaganda campaign to blame Russia for helping Donald Trump become president
has a very big hole in it, i.e., that the US intelligence community has no idea how the Democratic
emails reached WikiLeaks? For weeks, eloquent obfuscation – expressed with 'high confidence' – has
been the name of the game, but inadvertent admissions now are dispelling some of the clouds.
"At President Obama's Jan. 18 press conference, he admitted as much: 'the conclusions of the intelligence
community with respect to the Russian hacking were not conclusive as to whether WikiLeaks was witting
or not in being the conduit through which we heard about the DNC e-mails that were leaked .'" [Emphasis
added]
Explaining the Technology
More importantly, Putin in his interview with Kelly points out that "today's technology" enables
hacking to be "masked and camouflaged to an extent that no one can understand the origin" of the
hack. "And, vice versa, it is possible to set up any entity or any individual that everyone will
think that they are the exact source of that attack. Modern technology is very sophisticated and
subtle and allows this to be done. And when we realize that we will get rid of all the illusions.
"
Later, when Kelly came back to the issue of hacking, Putin expanded on the difficulty in tracing
the source of cyber attacks.
"Hackers may be anywhere," Putin said. "There may be hackers, by the way, in the United States
who very craftily and professionally passed the buck to Russia. Can't you imagine such a scenario?
In the middle of an internal political fight, it was convenient for them, whatever the reason, to
put out that information. And put it out they did. And, doing it, they made a reference to Russia.
Can't you imagine it happening? I can.
"Let us recall the assassination of President Kennedy. There is a theory that Kennedy's assassination
was arranged by the United States special services. If this theory is correct, and one cannot rule
it out, so what can be easier in today's context, being able to rely on the entire technical capabilities
available to special services than to organize some kind of attacks in the appropriate manner while
making a reference to Russia in the process. "
Kelly: "Let's move on."
However carefully Megyn Kelly and her NBC colleagues peruse The New York Times, they might well
not know WikiLeaks' disclosure on March 31 of original CIA documents showing that the agency had
created a program allowing it to break into computers and servers and make it look like others did
it by leaving telltale signs (like Cyrillic markings, for example).
The capabilities shown in what WikiLeaks calls the
"Vault 7" trove of CIA documents required
the creation of hundreds of millions of lines of source code. At $25 per line of code, that amounts
to about $2.5 billion for each 100 million code lines. But the Deep State has that kind of money
and would probably consider the expenditure a good return on investment for "proving" the Russians
hacked into Democratic Party emails.
In other words, it is altogether possible that the hacking attributed to Russia was actually
one of several "active measures" undertaken by a cabal consisting of the CIA, FBI, NSA and Clapper
– the same agencies responsible for the lame, evidence-free report of Jan. 6, that Clapper and Brennan
acknowledged last month was not the consensus view of the 17 intelligence agencies.
There is also the issue of the forensics. Former FBI Director James Comey displayed considerable
discomfort on March 20, explaining to the House Intelligence Committee why the FBI did not insist
on getting physical access to the Democratic National Committee's computers in order to do its own
proper forensics, but chose to rely on the examination done by the DNC's private contractor, Crowdstrike.
The firm itself has conflicts of interests in its links to the pro-NATO and anti-Russia think
tank, the Atlantic Council, through Dmitri Alperovitch, who is an Atlantic Council
senior fellow and the
co-founder of Crowdstrike.
Strange Oversight
Given the stakes involved in the Russia-gate investigation – now including a possible impeachment
battle over removing the President of the United States – wouldn't it seem logical for the FBI to
insist on its own forensics for this fundamental predicate of the case? Or could Comey's hesitancy
to demand access to the DNC's computers be explained by a fear that FBI technicians not fully briefed
on CIA/NSA/FBI Deep State programs might uncover a lot more than he wanted?
Comey was asked again about this curious oversight on June 8 by Senate Intelligence Committee
Chair Richard Burr:
BURR: "And the FBI, in this case, unlike other cases that you might investigate – did you ever
have access to the actual hardware that was hacked? Or did you have to rely on a third party to provide
you the data that they had collected?"
COMEY: "In the case of the DNC, and, I believe, the DCCC, but I'm sure the DNC, we did not have
access to the devices themselves. We got relevant forensic information from a private party, a high-class
entity, that had done the work. But we didn't get direct access."
BURR: "But no content?"
COMEY: "Correct."
BURR: "Isn't content an important part of the forensics from a counterintelligence standpoint?"
COMEY: "It is, although what was briefed to me by my folks – the people who were my folks at the
time is that they had gotten the information from the private party that they needed to understand
the intrusion by the spring of 2016."
Burr demurred on asking Comey to explain what amounts to gross misfeasance, if not worse. Perhaps,
NBC could arrange for Megyn Kelly to interview Burr to ask if he has a clue as to what Putin might
have been referring to when he noted, "There may be hackers, by the way, in the United States who
very craftily and professionally passed the buck to Russia."
Given the congressional intelligence "oversight" committees' obsequiousness and repeated "high
esteem" for the "intelligence community," there seems an even chance that – no doubt because of an
oversight – the CIA/FBI/NSA deep-stage troika failed to brief the Senate "oversight committee" chairman
on WikiLeaks "Vault 7" disclosures – even when WikiLeaks publishes original CIA documents.
Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour
in inner-city Washington. He was an Army Infantry/Intelligence officer and CIA analyst for a total
of 30 years and now servers on the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
(VIPS). Reprinted with permission from Consortium
News .
"... Mueller was even okay with the CIA conducting torture programs after his own agents warned against participation. Agents were simply instructed not to document such torture, and any "war crimes files" were made to disappear. Not only did "collect it all" surveillance and torture programs continue, but Mueller's (and then Comey's) FBI later worked to prosecute NSA and CIA whistleblowers who revealed these illegalities. ..."
"... Mueller didn't speak the truth about a war he knew to be unjustified. He didn't speak out against torture. He didn't speak out against unconstitutional surveillance. And he didn't tell the truth about 9/11. He is just "their man." ..."
"... Since Mueller was apparently appointed at least in part as a result of Comey's leak, and no evidence has been shown of the phony Russia charges despite months of possibly extra-legal digging, Mueller's appointment should be cancelled and his office liquidated if that can be done in some fashion. If not, may be he should show more integrity than has heretofore been the case and liquidate the office himself. ..."
"... My old San Fran days memory recalls that "liberal" Democrat Diane Feinstein nominated neo-nazi Republican Mueller to US Attorney for N. California. I recall some thought because her husband was under investigation for a corrupt arms deal. That's just my memory ..."
"... So Clinton's odd lesbian Attorney General helped boost a Republican to greater powers. ..."
"... He was referring specifically to a widely publicized Sept. 14 statement in which he offered assurances - later proved to be false - that the bureau had no warning that terrorists might be training in American flight schools. On Sept. 17, Mr. Mueller went further, saying he knew of "no warning signs" of any sort of attack. ..."
"... Senator Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is on the Judiciary Committee, said his staff investigators would explore the accusations made by the Minneapolis agent, Coleen Rowley, that Mr. Mueller and other senior F.B.I. officials had intentionally shaded the truth about the investigation last summer of Zacarias Moussaoui." ..."
"... To summarize, we have a "Republican" from Northern California nominated by a "liberal" Democrat to become part of the Clinton "Justice" department who played a key role as FBI Director to cover 9-11. He now reappears from the grave with great praise from Democrats openly plotting to overthrow President Trump to investigate absurdly silly things like speaking to Russian diplomats. Let us recall Trump openly expressed doubts about the 9-11 twin towers ruse on 9-11! ..."
"... The 911 cover up team is now about to take President Trump down over yet another false flag, and this team would include the leadership of both parties. How convenient that the Democrats are doing the dirty work so that Fox News and the rest can now engage in covering up the Republicans' behind-the-scenes role in all this. ..."
"... March 07, 2017 CIA Leak: "Russian Election Hackers" May Work In Langley ..."
"... Attribution of cyber-intrusions and attacks is nearly impossible. A well executed attack can not be traced back to its culprit. If there are some trails that seem attributable one should be very cautions following them. They are likely faked. ..."
"... Although many details are still hazy because of secrecy – and further befogged by politics – it appears House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes was informed last week about invasive electronic surveillance of senior U.S. government officials and, in turn, passed that information onto President Trump. ..."
"... The 9/11 myth is a multi-layered deception. Those within the kosher parameters of the 9/11 cult include the following: ..."
Mainstream commentators display amnesia when they describe former FBI Directors Robert Mueller
and James Comey as stellar and credible law enforcement figures. Perhaps if they included J. Edgar
Hoover, such fulsome praise could be put into proper perspective.
Although these Hoover successors, now occupying center stage in the investigation of President
Trump, have been hailed for their impeccable character by much of Official Washington, the truth
is, as top law enforcement officials of the George W. Bush Administration (Mueller as FBI Director
and James Comey as Deputy Attorney General), both presided over post-9/11 cover-ups and secret abuses
of the Constitution, enabled Bush-Cheney fabrications used to launch wrongful wars, and exhibited
plain vanilla incompetence.
TIME Magazine would probably have not called my own disclosures a "
bombshell
memo " to the Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry in May 2002 if it had not been for Mueller's
having so misled everyone after 9/11. Although he bore no personal responsibility for intelligence
failures before the attack, since he only became FBI Director a week before, Mueller denied or downplayed
the significance of warnings that had poured in yet were all ignored or mishandled during the Spring
and Summer of 2001.
Bush Administration officials had circled the wagons and refused to publicly own up to what the
9/11 Commission eventually concluded, "that the
system had
been blinking red ." Failures to read, share or act upon important intelligence, which a FBI
agent witness termed "
criminal negligence " in later trial testimony, were therefore not fixed in a timely manner.
(Some failures were never fixed at all.)
Worse, Bush and Cheney used that post 9/11 period of obfuscation to "roll out" their misbegotten
"war on terror," which only served to
exponentially increase worldwide terrorism .
Unfulfilled Promise
I wanted to believe Director Mueller when he expressed some regret in our personal meeting the
night before we both testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He told me he was seeking improvements
and that I should not hesitate to contact him if I ever witnessed a similar situation to what was
behind the FBI's pre 9/11 failures.
A few months later, when it appeared he was acceding to Bush-Cheney's ginning up intelligence
to launch the unjustified, counterproductive and illegal war on Iraq, I took Mueller up on his offer,
emailing him my concerns in late February 2003. Mueller knew, for instance, that Vice President
Dick Cheney's claims connecting 9/11 to Iraq were bogus yet he remained quiet. He also never responded
to my email.
Beyond ignoring politicized intelligence, Mueller bent to other political pressures. In the aftermath
of the 9/11 attacks, Mueller directed the "
post 9/11 round-up "
of about 1,000 immigrants who mostly happened to be in the wrong place (the New York City area) at
the wrong time. FBI Headquarters encouraged more and more detentions for what seemed to be essentially
P.R. purposes. Field offices were required to report daily the number of detentions in order to supply
grist for FBI press releases about FBI "progress" in fighting terrorism. Consequently, some of the
detainees were brutalized and jailed for up to a year despite the fact that
none turned out to be terrorists .
A History of Failure
Long before he became FBI Director, serious
questions existed about Mueller's role as Acting U.S. Attorney in Boston in effectively enabling
decades of corruption and covering up of the FBI's illicit deals with mobster Whitey Bulger and other
"top echelon" informants who committed numerous murders and crimes. When the truth was finally uncovered
through intrepid investigative reporting and persistent, honest judges, U.S. taxpayers footed a $100
million court award to the four men framed for murders committed by (the FBI-operated) Bulger gang.
For his part, Deputy Attorney General
James Comey , too, went along with the abuses of Bush and Cheney after 9/11 and signed off on
a number of highly illegal programs including warrantless surveillance of Americans and
torture of captives . Comey also defended the Bush Administration's three-year-long detention
of an American citizen without charges or right to counsel.
Up to the March 2004 night in Attorney General John Ashcroft's hospital room, both Comey and Mueller
were complicit with implementing a form of martial law, perpetrated via secret Office of Legal Counsel
memos mainly written by John Yoo and predicated upon Yoo's singular theories of absolute "imperial"
or "war presidency" powers, and requiring Ashcroft every 90 days to renew certification of a "state
of emergency."
The Comey/Mueller Myth
What's not well understood is that Comey's and Mueller's joint intervention to stop Bush's men
from forcing the sick Attorney General to sign the certification that night was a short-lived moment.
A few days later, they all simply went back to the drawing board to draft new legal loopholes to
continue the same (unconstitutional) surveillance of Americans.
The mythology of this episode, repeated endlessly throughout the press, is that Comey and Mueller
did something significant and lasting in that hospital room. They didn't. Only the legal rationale
for their unconstitutional actions was tweaked.
Mueller was even okay with the CIA conducting
torture programs
after his own agents warned against participation. Agents were simply instructed not to document
such torture, and any "war crimes files" were made to disappear. Not only did "collect it all" surveillance
and torture programs continue, but Mueller's (and then Comey's) FBI later worked to prosecute NSA
and CIA whistleblowers who revealed these illegalities.
ORDER IT NOW
Neither Comey nor Mueller - who are reported to be "
joined at the hip " - deserve their current lionization among politicians and mainstream media.
Instead of Jimmy Stewart-like "G-men" with reputations for principled integrity, the two close confidants
and collaborators merely proved themselves, along with former CIA Director George "Slam Dunk" Tenet,
reliably politicized sycophants, enmeshing themselves in a series of wrongful abuses of power along
with official incompetence.
It seems clear that based on his history and close "partnership" with Comey, called "one of the
closest working relationships the top ranks of the Justice Department have ever seen," Mueller was
chosen as
Special Counsel not because he has integrity but because he will do what the powerful want him
to do.
Mueller didn't speak the truth about a war he knew to be unjustified. He didn't speak out
against torture. He didn't speak out against unconstitutional surveillance. And he didn't tell the
truth about 9/11. He is just "their man."
Coleen Rowley , a retired FBI special agent and division legal counsel whose May 2002 memo
to then-FBI Director Robert Mueller exposed some of the FBI's pre-9/11 failures, was named one of
TIME magazine's "Persons of the Year" in 2002. Her 2003 letter to Robert Mueller in opposition to
launching the Iraq War is
archived in full text on the NYT and her 2013 op-ed entitled "
Questions for the FBI Nominee " was published on the day of James Comey's confirmation hearing.
This piece will also be cross-posted on Rowley's Huffington Post page.
As Colleen Rowley has so thoroughly and unequivocally demonstrated here, both Comey and Mueller
are living examples of the Peter Principle (that managers rise to the level of their incompetence).
According to Jonathan Turley, one of the best and most respected legal experts, Comey may have
violated the law using his professor friend to leak what he thought was an incriminating memorandum
documenting Trump's "hope" that he would lay off Flynn because Flynn was a "good guy." Even torture
advocate Dershowitz, who, for his obvious faults, is a talented lawyer, indicates that it is preposterous
to call this "obstruction of justice" when Trump had the power to pardon anybody. Meanwhile, the
fact that Comey didn't find it necessary to document his interrogation of the harpy on the "matter"
of her email server reveals that he seemed totally willing for justice to be obstructed in a more
obvious fashion if he was on board with those doing the obstructing. It also came out that some
of his testimony today appears to contradict statements he made under oath to Senator Grassley
in a hearing dated May 3.
Since Mueller was apparently appointed at least in part as a result of Comey's leak, and
no evidence has been shown of the phony Russia charges despite months of possibly extra-legal
digging, Mueller's appointment should be cancelled and his office liquidated if that can be done
in some fashion. If not, may be he should show more integrity than has heretofore been the case
and liquidate the office himself.
My old San Fran days memory recalls that "liberal" Democrat Diane Feinstein nominated neo-nazi
Republican Mueller to US Attorney for N. California. I recall some thought because her husband
was under investigation for a corrupt arms deal. That's just my memory
There are now lots of current news stories of Feinstein and open coup plotter Schumer excited
about Muller's appointment to convict Trump for something. This from her own website:
Washington-Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the
appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel: "The appointment of Bob
Mueller as special counsel for the Russia investigation is a good first step to get to the bottom
of the many questions we have about Russian interference in our election and possible ties to
the president.
"Bob was a fine U.S. attorney, a great FBI director and there's no better person who could
be asked to perform this function. He is respected, he is talented and he has the knowledge and
ability to do the right thing."
"In announcing his resignation, Yamaguchi said Attorney General Janet Reno will appoint Robert
Mueller, a former federal prosecutor in San Francisco, as interim U.S. attorney. He is currently
chief of the homicide division at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, D.C. Mueller has spent
almost his entire career as a federal prosecutor, doing both civil and criminal work in the San
Francisco district and then moving to the U.S. attorney's office in Boston. He eventually joined
the Justice Department, where he was an assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division."
So Clinton's odd lesbian Attorney General helped boost a Republican to greater powers.
Mueller went on to play key roles in the PanAm Lockerbie coverup and the 9-11 ruse, despite
this:
"Mr. Mueller's credibility was harshly attacked in a letter made public last weekend in which
a Minneapolis agent said the F.B.I. director was engaged in a public relations campaign "to protect
the F.B.I. at all costs" after Sept. 11. But they said a review of his public remarks about the
Sept. 11 investigation had raised uncomfortable questions about the F.B.I. director's credibility
and about his ability to gather accurate information from his deputies."
In a news conference on Wednesday that amounted to a painful mea culpa for the bureau and for
his performance in the nine months since he took over the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mr.
Mueller said, "I have made mistakes occasionally in my public comments based on information or
a lack of information that I subsequently got."
He was referring specifically to a widely publicized Sept. 14 statement in which he offered
assurances - later proved to be false - that the bureau had no warning that terrorists might be
training in American flight schools. On Sept. 17, Mr. Mueller went further, saying he knew of
"no warning signs" of any sort of attack.
Senator Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is on the Judiciary Committee, said
his staff investigators would explore the accusations made by the Minneapolis agent, Coleen Rowley,
that Mr. Mueller and other senior F.B.I. officials had intentionally shaded the truth about the
investigation last summer of Zacarias Moussaoui."
To summarize, we have a "Republican" from Northern California nominated by a "liberal"
Democrat to become part of the Clinton "Justice" department who played a key role as FBI Director
to cover 9-11. He now reappears from the grave with great praise from Democrats openly plotting
to overthrow President Trump to investigate absurdly silly things like speaking to Russian diplomats.
Let us recall Trump openly expressed doubts about the 9-11 twin towers ruse on 9-11!
Yes, all corruption in DC eventually becomes a 9-11 thread.
The 911 cover up team is now about to take President Trump down over yet another false
flag, and this team would include the leadership of both parties. How convenient that the Democrats
are doing the dirty work so that Fox News and the rest can now engage in covering up the Republicans'
behind-the-scenes role in all this.
Also, Colleen Rowley mentions that Meuller ignored his FBI agents' warnings about not going
along with CIA torture overseas, yet there is reason to believe that FBI agents were in fact sent
overseas to coordinate this activity with the CIA and Mossad.
March 07, 2017 CIA Leak: "Russian Election Hackers" May Work In Langley
Attribution of cyber-intrusions and attacks is nearly impossible. A well executed attack
can not be traced back to its culprit. If there are some trails that seem attributable one should
be very cautions following them. They are likely faked.
Aug 8, 2016 "I want to scare Assad" Mike Morell on Charlie Rose
Mike Morell, former deputy director of the CIA, discusses the need to put pressure on Syria
and Russia. The full conversation airs on PBS on August 8th, 2016.
I need to leak a memo (actually my own interpretation of what happened after the fact) to counter
any possible lies Trump might say just in case Trump produces a tape of the meeting.
Counterpunch does publish many interesting articles, once upon a time, I was to considering
subscription to the print edition, but no credit card, and the 80 to 90% idiocy on the site, The
article at the link below is not unrepresentative, though it is at the bottom end of the scale.
March 31, 2017 The Surveillance State Behind Russia-Gate
Although many details are still hazy because of secrecy – and further befogged by politics
– it appears House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes was informed last week about invasive
electronic surveillance of senior U.S. government officials and, in turn, passed that information
onto President Trump.
Jan 2, 2017 CNN Caught Using Video Game Image In Fake Russian Hacking Story
It looks like CNN Has tried to pull the wool over our eyes once again. This time, they used
a screenshot from the Fallout 4 Video game to paint the picture of Russian Hacking. To bad that's
not what a real hacking screen looks like. And an image you will only find in the video game!
Nice Try Clinton News Network!
@Che Guava This is another good read Che Guava. November 07, 2016 FBI Director James Comey:
Hillary Should Not Face Criminal Charges
But Who Conducted the Investigation? FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Whose Wife Received
$467,500. FBI Director James Comey (image left) decided to issue a report two days before the
November election confirming that there is no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Hillary in
relation to the recent release of 650,000 Emails on October 28th.
@Carlton Meyer This a very good read on the 9/11 event. September 07, 2016 September 11, 2001:
The 15th Anniversary of the Crime and Cover-up of the Century "What Really Happened"?
New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to be trucked away and shipped to China – an order that constitutes
disturbing a crime scene – which is a federal crime.
@MarkinLA I need to leak a memo (actually my own interpretation of what happened after the
fact) to counter any possible lies Trump might say just in case Trump produces a tape of the meeting.
What is wrong with this sentence? Actually what is right about your post ia that it draws attention
to the likelihood that the President would have recordings of all such conversations (not ones
when he says "come for a walk with me while I stretch my legs in the garden") and that, anyway,
a canny fellow like Comey would assume so and, accordingly, make notes immediately afterwards
to ensure that he was right on all the key points. Which all leads to the conclusion that recordings
would bear out Comey.
@Agent76 As a big factor in Comey's thinking just before the election when new material possibly
pertinent to Clinton's irregullarities came to FBI attention would have been his own self interest
it seems reasonable to suppose that both his embarrassment of Clinton by his communication to
Congress and his exoneration of her were part of a process which began with "how bad could it
be for me if Clinton wins [as I sulppose she will] and something really bad turns up from the
investigation of the emails?". Then, given it was true, the exonerating statement is a no brainer
(he restores his position as well as he can with Clinton in case she wins and he inly diminishes
his credit with Trump slightly if Trumo wins).
The 9/11 myth is a multi-layered deception. Those within the kosher parameters of the 9/11
cult include the following:
Believers in the ridiculous official narrative of the 19 miracle working Jihadist amateur
pilots and hydrocarbon based office fires.
Those who maintain that the Bush Administration was "incompetent" and that it "ignored
the warnings."
The LIHOP crowd- Bush and Cheney deviously let it happen on purpose.
Robert Muller's role has nothing to do with being an impartial prosecutor but about being a
"fixer" in proper Washingtonian parlance. He was probably brought into the FBI to insure a foreordained
"slam dunk" verdict that 19 Arab amateur pilots hijacked 4 airliners led by a deathly ill man
living in a cave, performed miraculous feats of aviation which would have made Waldo Pepper envious
and violated the laws of physics all in one day. Now he is serving another purpose for his string
pullers in the deep state by torpedoing Trump.
As Conan-Doyle wrote, "Whenever you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable,
must be the truth."
Office fires, nor jet fuel, nor building collapses or aircraft impacts will not cause hundreds
of thousands of tons of structural steel and concrete to undergo molecular dissociation and turn
into dust clouds. They generally do not cause the metal components of vehicles in the vicinity
to be destroyed while their non-metallic components remain intact. Neither will conventional explosives
or even nano-thermite. The destruction of WTC 1, WTC 2 and the core of WTC 6 was not caused by
any of these things alone. WTC 7 may have been a case of conventional controlled demolition, but
the idea that it experienced universal failure and collapsed into its footprint because of "raging
fires" is too stupid for words.
It is O'Brien holding up the three fingers and torturing Winston into seeing two – except that
a good part of our public accepts their masters' voice willingly and enthusiastically, even today
in 2017.
The 9/11 myth is a multi-layered deception. Those within the kosher parameters of the 9/11
cult include the following:
Not sure anyone would accuse Philip Giraldi (former counter-terrorism specialist and military
intelligence officer of the CIA) of someone who is "within the kosher parameters of the 9/11 cult":
If there had been such a gathering, I would imagine that the Washington Post would have
found out about it on the next day as intelligence officers are gregarious and like to talk.
This has been my principal problem with the debate in some quarters about the 9/11 Commission.
Their report did indeed miss many important angles in order to protect certain governmental
interests, but if there had been a genuine conspiracy involving what must have been hundreds
of people to demolish the Twin Towers with explosives, it surely would have leaked long ago
.
"... There has been a lot of media coverage mostly written by Israelis or American Jews regarding Israel's "victory" fifty years ago during the so-called Six Days War directed against its Arab neighbors but I have yet to see an account that mentions the fate of the U.S.S. Liberty . ..."
"... The Liberty survivors who will be present in Arlington on Thursday will be fewer than usual because the crew is having its own 50 th anniversary commemoration in Norfolk, Virginia, home of the U.S. Atlantic fleet. In truth the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty by Israeli warplanes and torpedo boats on June 8, 1967, has almost faded from memory, with a younger generation completely unaware that a United States naval vessel was once deliberately targeted and nearly sunk by America's "greatest friend and ally" Israel. The attack was followed by a cover-up that demonstrated clearly that at least one president of the United States even back nearly fifty years ago valued his relationship with the state of Israel above his loyalty to his own country. ..."
"... The entire 6-day war was a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack by Israel against Egypt and other Arab states. Just as the Israeli government lied about the attack on the Liberty, they lied about being attacked by Egypt. When are the US populatation going to say enough and force the US government to stop supporting this mendacious, duplicious and brutal apartheid artificial Zionist colony in the Middle East? Today, 6/5 the Senate passed a unanimous resolution to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem immediately. Trunp is still delaying. But for how long? ..."
"... A few years ago, the Israeli pilot who led the attack on the USS Liberty was interviewed by the Jerusalem post. He said the sailers were lucky he didn't have bombs on board, otherwise he would have sunk it. ..."
"... That always seemed an odd aspect of the story to me. If it were a deliberate attack, why leave survivors? Why not sink it? This wasn't the Yamamoto, for heaven's sake. It probably wouldn't have taken more than one direct it from a 2000 pound bomb to sink it. there is no shortage of hocus pocus amongst the great powers of the day.british officers sending Australian troops to there death at Gallipoli is another example ..."
"... It was a failed false flag; the purpose of which: to incriminate Egypt. The entire plot relied on the total destruction of the Liberty and it's crew: no ship, no crew, no evidence. (The failed false flag hypothesis at least makes some sense of Israeli motives. ..."
"... Which leads to the 2nd point ( harder to demonstrate ) that the highest level of the US Admin KNEW about this or "a" pending false flag attack by the Israelis. The speed - confidence - with which Macnamara calls off the jets, the well oiled cover up later, all, at least, suggest US foreknowledge. US complicity would also help explain why the Israelis weren't that worried about radio traffic ID'ing their fighters. ..."
"... The whole "false flag" thing should be obviously wrong to you all. There is no way Israel ever could have framed Egypt for an attack on a US ship because, like Israel, like every other country then and now, nobody has any incentive to deliberately attack a US ship. Moreover, by the time of the attack, Israel had already won the war, and the USA was already quietly supporting Israel. ..."
"... And as Dave Pinsen pointed out, if Israel had intended to sink the Liberty, it would have done so quite easily. ..."
"... The difference between Pres Eisenhower 1956 and LBJ 1967 is that Eisenhower was independent of Jewish power. LBJ was totally owned by Jews in both foreign policy and domestic policy( 1965 immigration act, 1968 affirmative action act, EEOC, funding all sorts of black militant war on poverty programs, on and on). ..."
"... War unleashed is rarely rational. The '67 War was an audacious gamble for nascent Israel. Raw memories of Ike's humbling restraint in Suez '56 may have been fresh. Why tolerate loose ends that risk defeat? Trust no one. Better to eliminate all unknowns, anything that imperils success. The universal war code: do all that's necessary to win. Eliminate all unknowns. The rest will sort itself out. And so they did (my uneducated guess). ..."
"... Why is there an urgent NEED for a "special prosecutor" to investigate the influence of a foreign power on our political system ,when it 's RUSSIA, ......but No NEED whatsoever , when its King BIBI and Israel? ..."
The 50 year cover-up of a mass murder of U.S. servicemen orchestrated by Israel and its friends
Philip Giraldi June 6, 2017
1,600 Words
204
Comments Reply
There has been a lot of media coverage mostly written by Israelis or American Jews regarding
Israel's "victory" fifty years ago during the so-called Six Days War directed against its Arab neighbors
but I have yet to see an account that mentions the fate of the U.S.S. Liberty .
Nevertheless, the Liberty is not forgotten. This Thursday at noon at Arlington National
Cemetery there will be a small gathering for the annual
coming together with the survivors and friends of the most decorated ship in the history of the
U.S. Navy, a victim of a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack by Israel that has been covered
up for half a century by the powers that be in Washington. The moving service will include reminiscences
by surviving crew members plus the ringing of a ship's bell for each one of the thirty-four American
sailors, Marines and civilians that were killed in the deliberate Israeli air and sea onslaught that
sought to sink the intelligence gathering ship and kill all its crew. Present will be a number of
veterans like myself and other Americans who are committed to ensuring that the story of the Liberty
will not die in hopes that someday the United States government will have the courage to acknowledge
what actually happened on that fateful day.
The Liberty survivors who will be present in Arlington on Thursday will be fewer than usual
because the crew is having its own 50 th anniversary commemoration in Norfolk, Virginia,
home of the U.S. Atlantic fleet. In truth the attack on the U.S.S. Liberty by Israeli warplanes
and torpedo boats on June 8, 1967, has almost faded from memory, with a younger generation completely
unaware that a United States naval vessel was once deliberately targeted and nearly sunk by America's
"greatest friend and ally" Israel. The attack was followed by a cover-up that demonstrated clearly
that at least one president of the United States even back nearly fifty years ago valued his relationship
with the state of Israel above his loyalty to his own country.
It was in truth the worst attack ever carried out on a U.S. Naval vessel in peace time. In addition
to the death toll, 171 more of the crew were wounded in the two-hour assault, which was clearly intended
to destroy the intelligence gathering vessel operating in international waters collecting information
on the ongoing fighting between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The Israelis, whose planes had their
Star of David markings covered up so Egypt could be blamed, attacked the ship repeatedly from the
air and with gunboats from the sea. When one Israeli pilot hesitated, refusing to attack what was
clearly an American ship, he was instructed to proceed anyway.
The most disgusting part of the tale relates to how U.S. warplanes sent to the Liberty
's aid from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean were called back by Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara acting under orders from President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who declared that he would rather
see the ship go to the bottom of the sea than embarrass his good friend Israel. Ironically, the first
ship to reach the Liberty and offer assistance was from the Soviet Union, an offer that was
declined.
Johnson reportedly feared Jewish influence over Congress and in the media, which might work together
to block his "Great Society" legislative initiatives, not to mention his expected reelection bid
in 1968. It was an early manifestation of the power of the Jewish lobby in American politics and
foreign relations. One has to hope that both LBJ and McNamara are currently burning in hell.
The incredible courage and determination of the surviving crew was the only thing that kept the
Liberty from sinking. The ship's commanding officer Captain William McGonagle was awarded
a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic role in keeping the ship afloat, though President Lyndon
Baines Johnson broke with tradition and refused to hold the medal ceremony in the White House, also
declining to award it personally, delegating that task to the Secretary of the Navy in a closed to
the public presentation made at the Washington Navy Yard. The additional medals given to other crew
members in the aftermath of the attack made the U.S.S. Liberty the most decorated ship based
on a single engagement with hostile forces in the history of the United States Navy.
The cover-up of the attack began immediately. The Liberty crew was sworn to secrecy over
the incident, as were the Naval dockyard workers in Malta, and even the men of the U.S.S. Davis
, which had assisted the badly damaged Liberty to port were ordered to be silent. A hastily
convened and conducted court of inquiry headed by Admiral John McCain acted under orders from Washington
to declare the attack a case of mistaken identity. The inquiry's senior legal counsel Captain Ward
Boston, who subsequently
declared the attack
to be a "deliberate effort to sink an American ship and murder its entire crew," also described
how "President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered him to conclude that
the attack was a case of 'mistaken identity' despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary." The
court's findings were rewritten and sections relating to Israeli war crimes, to include the machine
gunning of life rafts, were excised. Following in his father's footsteps, Senator John McCain of
Arizona has used his position on the Senate Armed Services Committee to effectively block any reconvening
of a board of inquiry to reexamine the evidence. Most of the documents relating to the Liberty
incident have never been released to the public in spite of the 50 years that have passed since
the attack took place.
ORDER IT NOW
The faux court of inquiry and the medals awarded in secret were only the first steps in
the cover-up, which has persisted to this day, orchestrated by politicians and a media that seem
to place Israel's interests ahead of those of the United States. Liberty survivors have been
finding it difficult even to make their case in public. In April 2016 a billboard that read "Help
the USS Liberty Survivors – Attacked by Israel"
was taken down in New Bedford Massachusetts. The billboard had been placed by the Honor Liberty
Vets Organization and, as is normal practice, was paid for through a contractual arrangement that
would require the billboard company to post the image for a fixed length of time. It was one of a
number of billboards placed in different states. Inevitably, Israel's well connected friends began
to complain. One Jewish businessman threatened to take his business elsewhere, so the advertising
company obligingly removed the billboard two weeks early.
After fifty years, the dwindling number of survivors of the Liberty are not looking for
punishment or revenge. When asked, they will tell you that they only ask for accountability, that
an impartial inquiry into the attack be convened and that the true story of what took place finally
be revealed to the public.
That Congress is deaf to the pleas of the Liberty crew should surprise no one as the nation's
legislative body has been for years, as Pat Buchanan once put it, "Israeli occupied territory." The
Lobby's ability to force Congress and even the presidency to submit to its will has been spelled
out in some detail by critics, first by Paul Findley in
They Dare to Speak Out , later by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in
The Israel Lobby , in Alison Weir's
Against Our Better Judgment , and most recently in Kirk Beattie's excellent
Congress and the Shaping of the Middle East .
Government willingness at all levels to protect Israel even when it is killing Americans is remarkable,
but it is symptom of the deep corruption that has generated a tendency to go to bat for Israel reflexively,
even when it is damaging to U.S. interests and to the rights that American citizens are supposed
to enjoy. I note particularly
legislation currently working its way through Congress and numerous statehouses make it illegal
for any federal or state funding to go to any entity that supports the Boycott, Divest and Sanction
movement, better known as BDS. BDS is a way to put pressure on the Israeli government over its human
rights abuses that is both non-violent and potentially effective. Israel's supporters have labeled
BDS as anti-Semitic and have had some success in making any criticism of Israel labeled a "hate crime."
So the treatment of the U.S.S. Liberty should surprise no one in a country whose governing
class has been for decades doing the bidding of the powerful lobby of a tiny client state that has
been nothing but trouble and expense for the United States of America. Will it ever end? As the Israel
Lobby currently controls the relevant parts of the federal government and much of the media, change
is not likely to happen overnight, but there are some positive signs. The BDS movement is growing
in spite of the pressure it is experiencing and will not go away. And opinion polls suggest that
the American people are finally waking up to realize that they are sick and tired of the entire farce
playing out in the Middle East under Israeli direction. Israel, which aggressively spies on us, kills
our citizens and takes billions of dollars of our tax money which could be better spent here, is
no friend of the United States and never has been. Just ask anyone who served on the U.S.S. Liberty
.
On June 8, 1967, US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty was suddenly and brutally attacked
on the high seas in international waters by the air and naval forces of Israel. The Israeli
forces attacked with full knowledge that this was an American ship and lied about it. Survivors
have been forbidden for 40 years to tell their story under oath to the American public. The
USS Liberty Memorial web site tells their story and is dedicated to the memory of the 34 brave
men who died.
The Attack
After surveilling USS Liberty for more than nine hours with almost hourly aircraft overflights
and radar tracking, the air and naval forces of Israel attacked our ship in international waters
without warning. USS Liberty was identified as a US naval ship by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft
nine hours before the attack and continuously tracked by Israeli radar and aircraft thereafter.
Sailing in international waters at less than five knots, with no offensive armament, our ship
was not a military threat to anyone.
The Israeli forces attacked without warning and without attempting to contact us. Thirty
four Americans were killed in the attack and another 174 were wounded. The ship, a $40-million
dollar state-of-the-art signals intelligence platform, was later declared unsalvageable and
sold for scrap.
The Cover Up
Despite a near-universal consensus that the Israeli attack was made with full knowledge
that USS Liberty was a US Navy ship, the Johnson administration began an immediate cover-up
of this fact. Though administration officers continued individually to characterize the attack
as deliberate, the Johnson administration never sought the prosecution of the guilty parties
or otherwise attempted to seek justice for the victims. They concealed and altered evidence
in their effort to downplay the attack. Though they never formally accepted the Israeli explanation
that it was an accident, they never pressed for a full investigation either. They simply allowed
those responsible literally to get away with murder.
In an ongoing effort to reveal the truth about the attack, the USS Liberty Veterans Association
has filed with the Secretary of the Army in the manner prescribed by law a detailed, fully
documented Report of War Crimes describing the circumstances of the attack on our ship and
evidence that it was a crime under international law. In accordance with international law
and treaties, the United States is obligated to investigate the allegations. So far, the United
States has declined even to acknowledge that the report has been filed. The full text of the
report can be found at
http://www.gtr5.com/evidence/warcrimes.pdf
Yes, the Israelis intentionally attacked the USS Liberty. Whose idea was it?
"That should tell you WE, the USA were expecting an attack and most likely Lyndon Johnson
was in on the nefarious plot. So it looks like LBJ told the Israelis go ahead and sink the
USS Liberty (miraculously it did not sink) and that will give us a pretext to enter the Six
Day War on Israel's side, launch an invasion of Egypt and depose Nassar who the USA did not
like and who was too cozy with the USSR. In other words, LBJ was cooking up a Gulf of Tonkin
type incident to justify a criminal Middle East war, based on a US sponsored false flag attack."
The further I learn about this grotesque, criminal incident the further I strongly suspect
two things:
1. It was a failed false flag; the purpose of which: to incriminate Egypt. The entire plot relied
on the total destruction of the Liberty and it's crew: no ship, no crew, no evidence. (The failed
false flag hypothesis at least makes some sense of Israeli motives. Against this view: the Israelis
failed, which may be interpreted as evidence that complete destruction was NOT the goal. Also,
it might be thought how could the Israelis be SO stupid as to think, given the length of time
from observation to concluded attack, that they could "get away with it"? But again, no ship,
no crew, no evidence. The rest is denial and bullshit.)
2. Which leads to the 2nd point ( harder to demonstrate ) that the highest level of the US Admin
KNEW about this or "a" pending false flag attack by the Israelis. The speed – confidence – with
which Macnamara calls off the jets, the well oiled cover up later, all, at least, suggest
US foreknowledge. US complicity would also help explain why the Israelis weren't that worried
about radio traffic ID'ing their fighters.
On even the bare facts the Liberty incident represented that even 50 years ago, the US
government was in (treasonous ) thrall to a foreign power.
a victim of a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack by Israel that has been covered
up for half a century by the powers that be in Washington.
The entire 6-day war was a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack by Israel against Egypt
and other Arab states. Just as the Israeli government lied about the attack on the Liberty, they
lied about being attacked by Egypt. When are the US populatation going to say enough and force
the US government to stop supporting this mendacious, duplicious and brutal apartheid artificial
Zionist colony in the Middle East?
@mcohen phil .why waste your time.the USS liberty was intercepted by soviet forces spying
on communications between Russia and Egypt.it was attacked by aircraft piloted by Russian pilots,
there is no way the USA would directly attack Russian forces in retaliation.it is all about proxy
armies doing there bidding. What an ass.
If this is true, why did the Israelis belatedly pay some reparations to the crew? When McNamara
ordered a stop to the rescue effort and said he didn't want to shame our ally, was he talking
about the Soviet Union? Why, after the fall of the Soviet Union, were the US archives not unsealed
in order to exonerate our greatest ally?
BTW, does anyone else on your ward believe your theory?
After this savage and brutal attack by Israel against an American ship and nothing happened
to Israel, they realized that they could now openly attack the USA, while having their MSM blame
Muslims, so that Israel could bend and twist our foreign policy to do their bidding.
Which led straight to the 9/11 False Flag, masterminded by Israel, with help from traitors
in the WH, the Pentagon, CIA, FBI and NSA. With generous help from the Lying MSM.
a victim of a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack by Israel that has been covered
up for half a century by the powers that be in Washington.
The entire 6-day war was a particularly brutal and unprovoked attack by Israel against Egypt
and other Arab states. Just as the Israeli government lied about the attack on the Liberty, they
lied about being attacked by Egypt. When are the US populatation going to say enough and force
the US government to stop supporting this mendacious, duplicious and brutal apartheid artificial
Zionist colony in the Middle East? Today, 6/5 the Senate passed a unanimous resolution to move
the US Embassy to Jerusalem immediately. Trunp is still delaying. But for how long?
A few years ago, the
Israeli pilot
who led the attack on the USS Liberty was interviewed by the Jerusalem post. He said the sailers
were lucky he didn't have bombs on board, otherwise he would have sunk it.
That always seemed an odd aspect of the story to me. If it were a deliberate attack, why
leave survivors? Why not sink it? This wasn't the Yamamoto, for heaven's sake. It probably wouldn't
have taken more than one direct it from a 2000 pound bomb to sink it. there is no shortage of
hocus pocus amongst the great powers of the day.british officers sending Australian troops to
there death at Gallipoli is another example
snickity snick
daisy has a dick
standing on the corner
turning a trick
stand in line take your pick
pearls for swine
some are skinny some are thick
bought by the dime
what you see you never get
where fools tread
a slow horse dead bet
on a path easily misled
take out the trash
gather wood for fire
burn the lot to ash
no truth from a liar.
Interestingly Devin Nunes is tied in with the USS Liberty.
In the award ceremony at the Visalia (California) office of Rep. Devin Nunes, the Republican
congressman pinned the Silver Star next to the Purple Heart that Halbardier found in his home
mailbox three years ago. Nunes said, "The government has kept this quiet I think for too long,
and I felt as my constituent he [Halbardier] needed to get recognized for the services he made
to his country."
Someone sure has a bug-up-their-butt about this. "War" is always a mess. Deal with it we used
to throw VC out the huey doors till the last one gave up what we wanted to hear. Now we buy our
shirts and shoes from there. The time spent re-living the "Liberty" is time you will "never get
back".
@Dave Pinsen The ship you are thinking of is the Yamato.
Yamamoto was the admiral who reluctantly but to the best of his ability led the attack on Pearl
Harbour (very effective and brilliant, except for the mysteriously missing carriers) and various
other actions until his later assassination by US presidential order.
A military genius, and he knew what the absence of carriers meant.
Using torpedo boats is equivalent to such a bomb as your pilot described, but the Liberty did
not sink before the situation changed enough to make the Israelis back off.
@Che Guava The ship you are thinking of is the Yamato.
Yamamoto was the admiral who reluctantly but to the best of his ability led the attack on Pearl
Harbour (very effective and brilliant, except for the mysteriously missing carriers) and various
other actions until his later assassination by US presidential order.
A military genius, and he knew what the absence of carriers meant.
Using torpedo boats is equivalent to such a bomb as your pilot described, but the Liberty did
not sink before the situation changed enough to make the Israelis back off.
Your pilot sounds like a very poisonous person. Not that effective or brilliant. The fixation
on battleship row was sophomoric. According to Admiral Nimitz, taking out the shore support facilities
would have had a much greater impact on the US ability to wage war in the Pacific, forcing the
US fleet to base its operations out of San Diego. That would have made it virtually impossible
to project US power into the western Pacific during the crucial time in which the battles of the
Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal took place.
The Japanese also had an unrealized opportunity to seize Oahu because the land forces defending
it were weak. As it was, most of the damaged ships were salvaged after sitting in the mud and
they were facing obsolescence as first line assets with the battleship and carrier building program
then underway.
@Joe Franklin Here's the official USS Liberty survivors website, authored by the Navy servicemen
that survived the Israeli attack:
http://www.gtr5.com/
On June 8, 1967, US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty was suddenly and brutally attacked
on the high seas in international waters by the air and naval forces of Israel. The Israeli
forces attacked with full knowledge that this was an American ship and lied about it. Survivors
have been forbidden for 40 years to tell their story under oath to the American public. The
USS Liberty Memorial web site tells their story and is dedicated to the memory of the 34 brave
men who died.
The Attack
After surveilling USS Liberty for more than nine hours with almost hourly aircraft overflights
and radar tracking, the air and naval forces of Israel attacked our ship in international waters
without warning. USS Liberty was identified as a US naval ship by Israeli reconnaissance aircraft
nine hours before the attack and continuously tracked by Israeli radar and aircraft thereafter.
Sailing in international waters at less than five knots, with no offensive armament, our ship
was not a military threat to anyone.
The Israeli forces attacked without warning and without attempting to contact us. Thirty
four Americans were killed in the attack and another 174 were wounded. The ship, a $40-million
dollar state-of-the-art signals intelligence platform, was later declared unsalvageable and
sold for scrap.
The Cover Up
Despite a near-universal consensus that the Israeli attack was made with full knowledge
that USS Liberty was a US Navy ship, the Johnson administration began an immediate cover-up
of this fact. Though administration officers continued individually to characterize the attack
as deliberate, the Johnson administration never sought the prosecution of the guilty parties
or otherwise attempted to seek justice for the victims. They concealed and altered evidence
in their effort to downplay the attack. Though they never formally accepted the Israeli explanation
that it was an accident, they never pressed for a full investigation either. They simply allowed
those responsible literally to get away with murder.
In an ongoing effort to reveal the truth about the attack, the USS Liberty Veterans Association
has filed with the Secretary of the Army in the manner prescribed by law a detailed, fully
documented Report of War Crimes describing the circumstances of the attack on our ship and
evidence that it was a crime under international law. In accordance with international law
and treaties, the United States is obligated to investigate the allegations. So far, the United
States has declined even to acknowledge that the report has been filed. The full text of the
report can be found at http://www.gtr5.com/evidence/warcrimes.pdf
In an ongoing effort to reveal the truth about the attack, the USS Liberty Veterans Association
has filed with the Secretary of the Army in the manner prescribed by law a detailed, fully
documented Report of War Crimes describing the circumstances of the attack on our ship and
evidence that it was a crime under international law.
With all due respect to the heroic sailors and civilian staff of the USS Liberty – they
were sacrificed by the U.S. military to justify a war against Egypt. LBJ wanted war FOR HIS OWN
PURPOSES, but apparently later pulled back. So much for the idea of LBJ being an Israeli puppet.
Let's look at a timeline:
October 1956 – March 1957 Great Britain, France and Israel join to retake control of
the Suez Canal. Eisenhower administration takes vigorous steps to force all three to retreat from
Egypt.
November 24, 1963 – Former (?) CIA agent Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered in LBJ's home
state of Texas. Oswald had earlier served as radio operator keeping in touch with Gary Powers
during Powers' overflights of the Soviet Union. Powers himself later confirmed this in a book.
Powers later died when his helicopter crashed.
Two days earlier, JFK had also been murdered in Texas, clearing the way for LBJ to become president.
August 1964 – LBJ stages the "Gulf of Tonkin" incident to justify all-out U.S. involvement
in the Vietnam War.
June 1967 – LBJ and McNamara are kept informed in real time as the U.S. intelligence
vessel USS Liberty is attacked and sunk by a combined air/sea attack. U.S. aircraft are scrambled
but are recalled on personal orders from McNamara, almost certainly at LBJ's instructions.
The U.S. military command was throughout following the USS Liberty incident in real time
through radar, radio, visual surveillance and intelligence sources in Israel and Egypt.
January 1968 – Still not satisfied in his blood lust, LBJ stages yet another incident
sacrificing a U.S. intelligence vessel, the USS Pueblo. This time, the aim is to provoke yet another
confrontation with North Korea in the middle of the Vietnam war.
CONCLUSION: Johnson wanted war, the more the better. War presents great opportunities for profiteering,
and just as importantly, allows an administration to push through policies that would never be
tolerated in peacetime.
Fellow Democrats Woodrow Wilson (WW I), FDR (WW II) and Harry Truman (Korea) had shown how
it's done.
Someone sure has a bug-up-their-butt about this. "War" is always a mess. Deal with it...we
used to throw VC out the huey doors till the last one gave up what we wanted to hear. Now we buy
our shirts and shoes from there. The time spent re-living the "Liberty" is time you will "never
get back". No, the Liberty affair is one of the few 'unadulterated' examples that clearly shows
that the Zionists are not our friends! So it must be kept 'alive'!
For those who've not seen my latest article above - the first instalment of a two parter, with
the second part due June 8 - I trust you can all find time to read* and if you like what you read,
then repost on your respective Facebook TLs, and otherwise circulate, republish, and/or Tweet
as you see fit.
Taking my cue from Phil Nelson's new book, Remember the Liberty: Almost Sunk by Treason on
the High Seas but incorporating numerous other sources, my comprehensive analysis and commentary
on the Liberty tragedy and the Six-Day War in which it took place is I believe one of the most
important topics I've attempted to cover. The real backstory behind both of these events is one
that has rarely if ever been explored - much less exposed - in such depth. As a heads up, there
is one especially shocking revelation (to be revealed in Part 2), that will test most folks ability
to cope with cognitive dissonance. It changes the narrative completely.
@Quartermaster The Liberty incident was not covered up. It was investigated and the problem
was that 6th Fleet HQ had informed the Israelis we did not have any ships in the region. Flying
a false flag is not illegal under international law, as long as the ship is not engaged in hostilities.
Israel admitted their mistake and paid reparations. Giraldi is simply promulgating a conspiracy
theory. yes yes indeed, it was all a tragic mistake.
we know this because once the mistake was recognized (and the Israeli pilots had changed out
of their orgasm-soaked panties), Israel rushed to aid the survivors of the Liberty. Riiiight.
Among the dozen-and-a-half stupid and mendacious things Finkelstein says in the second part
of the interview with the painfully p-a-t-i-e-n-t Aaron Mate (make that, Mat – ay, kinda like
Benjamin Ni-tay / Netanyahu/Milikovsky) is that "Israel became an asset to USA."
http://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/remembering-the-u-s-s-liberty-2/#comment-1896678
He got it ass backward: LBJ was an asset of the Israelis
(see Jeff Gates's explication of how the "transgenerational criminal syndicate" aka zionists
use assets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlbN2GEYW9w&t=48s
@5 min: "An Asset is Someone who has been profiled in sufficient depth, that if you put them in
a time, place and circumstance you know within an acceptable range of probabilities that they
will perform consistent with their personality profile ."
What's 'er name Krim was in the White House to ensure that LBJ stayed on script; one imagines
she had in her overnight bag photos of Jackie's bloody pink suit, in the event LBJ was tempted
to stray.
Regarding Mat é combined with the gush- rush of three aging Jewish scribblers to "set
the record straight" - I'm not buying.
English Outsider, A commenter on Pat Lang's blog, analyzed a New York Times article that purported
to "fairly" report on the situation in Aleppo. English Outsider, who appears to be a PR professional,
argued that the NYTimes piece was a "narrative adjustment exercise" -
"That's a polite way of saying that the press start out by giving us one story but later,
when it becomes apparent that the story they were selling is nonsense, they have to try to move
to the new story without us noticing the change. . . . you don't have to be an expert to see that
that NYT piece cited isn't honest journalism."
And you don't have to be an aromachologist to detect the bullshit in Finkelstein's tall tales
in the second Maté interview.
As for Mat é, he deserves an Emmy for his semi-penitent demeanor in the Finkelstein
interviews. He's had plenty of practice, having done reporting for Democracy Now and for The Intercept.
MoonofAlabama posted this important take-down of the Intercept -
Do Not Trust The Intercept or How To Burn A Source.
Nor is mcohen's claim that Finkelstein is Mossad (#32) persuasive: In Der Judenstaat,
Theodor Herzl complained/warned:
"We continue to produce an abundance of mediocre intellects who find no outlet, and
this endangers our social position as much as does our increasing wealth. Educated Jews without
means are now rapidly becoming Socialists. Hence we are certain to suffer very severely in the
struggle between classes, because we stand in the most exposed position in the camps of both Socialists
and capitalists. "
This describes NF to a T, and also serves to explain the proliferation of think-tanks, set
up to provide a paycheck for that legion of over-credentialed under-aware faux-intellects seeking
relevance - and a pension.
@jilles dykstra You must be a book reader and internet researcher. Good post Jilles Dykstra.
Sep 5, 2016 9/11 Suspects: Rudy Giuliani
Mayor Giuliani oversaw the illegal destruction of the 9/11 crime scene and is criminally liable
for the deaths of hundreds of emergency workers for not passing on prior warnings about the collapses
of the Twin Towers. It is no wonder, then, that the Fire Department of New York so passionately
detest Giuliani for his actions in disgracing their fallen brothers and covering up the 9/11 crime.
September 07, 2016 September 11, 2001: The 15th Anniversary of the Crime and Cover-up of the
Century "What Really Happened"?
The arrow points to a "squib" of exploding gas which is commonly seen with controlled demolitions.
Some of the "splinters" seen (the only solid objects that did not pulverize into dust) are actually
chunks of steel beams that were being exploded upward and laterally. The nicely-sectioned steel
beams and girders were soon ordered by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to be trucked away and shipped
to China – an order that constitutes disturbing a crime scene – which is a federal crime.
@Quartermaster As if conspiracies do not exist --
Few of them are well documented, but the 1956 GB, France Israel one against Egypt was.
Ben Gurion wanted the conspiracy in writing, the French document was never destroyed.
Helms, former CIA director, in a documentary on the Liberty, BBCW, confirmed the McNamara Israel
conspiracy.
The WASP Elites will always, ALWAYS, sacrifice the majority of white Christians they rule
in order to help Jews.
IDK Jake
it seems to me that the founders of this nation were wholly WASPs, yet had little to do with
Jews per se. Benjamin Franklin, a WASP's WASP, purportedly had this to say:
"There is a great danger for the United State of America. This great danger is the Jew.
Gentlemen, in every land the Jews have settled, they have depressed the moral level and lowered
the degree of commercial honesty. They have remained apart and unassimilated; oppressed, they
attempt to strangle the nation financially, as in the case of Portugal and Spain.
For more than seventeen hundred years they have lamented their sorrowful fate - namely,
that they have been driven out of their mother land; but, gentlemen, if the civilized world
today should give them back Palestine and their property, they would immediately find pressing
reason for not returning there. Why? Because they are vampires and vampires cannot live on
other vampires –they cannot live among themselves. They must live among Christians and others
who do not belong to their race.
If they are not expelled from the United States by the Constitution within less than one
hundred years, they will stream into this country in such numbers that they will rule and destroy
us and change our form of Government for which we Americans shed our blood and sacrificed our
life, property and personal freedom. If the Jews are not excluded within two hundred years,
our children will be working in the field to feed Jews while they remain in the counting houses,
gleefully rubbing their hands.
I warn you, gentlemen, if you do not exclude the Jews forever, your children and your children's
children will curse you in their graves. Their ideas are not those of Americans, even when
they lived among us for ten generations. The leopard cannot change his spots. The Jews are
a danger to this land, and if they are allowed to enter, they will imperil our institutions.
They should be excluded by the Constitution."
if you 'Bing' "benjamin franklin on Jews"
every single page will start with the same Wiki page 'debunking' the speech
every single page
what other issue does Bing consider so important that they will start every page with the same
article?
anyways, it seems to me that the early days of this republic had little to do with Jews, other
than as slave ship owners and money lenders. I remember how well the local WASPs treated Leo Frank,
and it wasn't with kid gloves.
I suspect that the fealty to all things Jewish began with the charter of the Federal Reserve
Bank, fully owed by international Jewish bankster$, and that was when all nations either
bowed to all things Jewish, or were eventually forced to by relentless wars until they did. Germany
being a prime example.
I grew up in a WASP household of sorts, and there was no anti-Semitism for sure, but then there
wasn't any Judeophilia either. (no rapture bunnies in my WASPy childhood home, just Easter bunnies
; )
[curious, I 'Binged' the 'protocols of zion'. The first page starts with a Wiki page 'debunking'
the Protocols- as you'd expect. But by the second page it's gone. Not so the Franklin speech.
Every Bing page on the Franklin speech starts with the Wiki page 'debunking' it]
The WASP Elites will always, ALWAYS, sacrifice the majority of white Christians they rule in
order to help Jews.
IDK Jake
it seems to me that the founders of this nation were wholly WASPs, yet had little to do with
Jews per se. Benjamin Franklin, a WASP's WASP, purportedly had this to say:
"There is a great danger for the United State of America. This great danger is the Jew. Gentlemen,
in every land the Jews have settled, they have depressed the moral level and lowered the degree
of commercial honesty. They have remained apart and unassimilated; oppressed, they attempt
to strangle the nation financially, as in the case of Portugal and Spain.
For more than seventeen hundred years they have lamented their sorrowful fate - namely,
that they have been driven out of their mother land; but, gentlemen, if the civilized world
today should give them back Palestine and their property, they would immediately find pressing
reason for not returning there. Why? Because they are vampires and vampires cannot live on
other vampires --they cannot live among themselves. They must live among Christians and others
who do not belong to their race.
If they are not expelled from the United States by the Constitution within less than one
hundred years, they will stream into this country in such numbers that they will rule and destroy
us and change our form of Government for which we Americans shed our blood and sacrificed our
life, property and personal freedom. If the Jews are not excluded within two hundred years,
our children will be working in the field to feed Jews while they remain in the counting houses,
gleefully rubbing their hands.
I warn you, gentlemen, if you do not exclude the Jews forever, your children and your children's
children will curse you in their graves. Their ideas are not those of Americans, even when
they lived among us for ten generations. The leopard cannot change his spots. The Jews are
a danger to this land, and if they are allowed to enter, they will imperil our institutions.
They should be excluded by the Constitution."
if you 'Bing' "benjamin franklin on Jews" every single page will start with the same Wiki page
'debunking' the speech every single page
what other issue does Bing consider so important that they will start every page with the same
article? anyways, it seems to me that the early days of this republic had little to do with Jews,
other than as slave ship owners and money lenders. I remember how well the local WASPs treated
Leo Frank, and it wasn't with kid gloves.
I suspect that the fealty to all things Jewish began with the charter of the Federal Reserve
Bank, fully owed by international Jewish bankster$, and that was when all nations either
bowed to all things Jewish, or were eventually forced to by relentless wars until they did. Germany
being a prime example.
I grew up in a WASP household of sorts, and there was no anti-Semitism for sure, but then there
wasn't any Judeophilia either. (no rapture bunnies in my WASPy childhood home, just Easter bunnies
; )
[curious, I 'Binged' the 'protocols of zion'. The first page starts with a Wiki page 'debunking'
the Protocols- as you'd expect. But by the second page it's gone. Not so the Franklin speech.
Every Bing page on the Franklin speech starts with the Wiki page 'debunking' it]
Benjamin Franklin, a WASP's WASP, purportedly had this to say:
The entire quoted passage is bunk as will be obvious to anyone who has ACTUALLY read political
documents from the 18th and 19th century. Real Americans are familiar, for instance, with the
Federalist Letters, and with some private correspondence both during the 18th century Revolutionary
War and the 19th century Civil War.
In the quoted passage, the reference to "Palestine" is anachronistic – the area was a non-descript
Ottoman territory during Franklin's life, part of the Beirut Villayet.
Equally, the word "vampire" is a blatant anachronism. The whole vampire craze only started
in the 19th century.
The whole focus on Jews is also bizarre – there were very few Jews in the American colonies
during Franklin's lifetime.
Lastly, the diction of the quoted passage is fake 19th century written in the 20th century
. Ben Franklin died in 1790.
Styles change. Nobody would mistake a Hank Williams song for a 1980s hit. The quoted passage
sounds completely "off" in the same way, only more so.
How did the Zionist enterprise get away with the USS Liberty attack? How did they get away
with the burning of the USIS library in Alexandria? And how did their supporters in the media
(Ex. Judith Miller, Michael Gordon, etc.) and gov't (Perle, Wolfowitz, Feith, etc.) escape entirely
free of blame for ginning up a bunch of bogus info on Saddam's WMD? And now these folks are doing
their best to get Uncle Sam to destroy the Assad gov't and take on the Iranians while risking
war with Russia.
If you have enough money (Edelson, Saban) to buy Congress and enough control of the MSM, it
doesn't matter whether you tell the truth or not. The Israelis could bomb Ceder Rapids, Iowa and
half of Congress and most of the MSM would find reasons to justify the attack.
The pen maybe mightier than the sword but the dollar is stronger than both.
Hi PG, we're "crying crocodile tears", that's what the hasbara claim and are assured by our
low lives cuck politicians, even prostitutes sometimes wake up to the pimp's abuse and
will do something. We have a museum and a memorial built in our soil to commemorate the
hollowfuax that never happened here or doubtfully there. There are hundreds of channels
on the idiot box these days, full of all garbage you can think of. On a daily basis there
is at least ten shows on different channel that will have something about this hollow-fiction..
Few years ago I read a book by Richard Burton, written in the 19th century. Part of the book talked
about Jews in Europe, mainly eastern. He actually warned of "their practices towards the Magyar
and Slavs concerning money lending (usury)" that dispossessed a lot of poor farmers of their property
and everything that had been accumulated over generations. He went on to say , if these people
can find any excuse or support from authority, they will not hesitate to finish off these "jews".
His prediction came very close at the beginning of last century.
When USS Liberty was bombed, there was all kinds of excuses (same as the ones we hear to
this day, concerning any crime committed by the tribe), but the whore(s) can never go against
her pimp master. Have you ever seen any resolution at the United Colonial Nations being voted
by U.S. of Israel that condemned actual and real crimes by that " shitty " country?
If we are not gonna get justice committed against us (9/11 included), you think our slave
cuckticians will care what happens to others?
We are now fully trained (like robots) to serve the master pimp .. The pimp says attack
that country, we do it, kill one of fellow prostitute, we do it. Forced slaves never obeyed like
this. Quite phenomenal
@American Shniper Can you imagine the atrocities Israel had our service men and women committing
against black and brown people let alone our white brothers and sisters if they can force our
government to turn it's back on WHITE service MEN, not white women, WHITE service men?
The men who made this country what it is was murdered by Israeli's with no consequences nor
acknowledgement for over 50 years....WOW! And you want to make blacks your enemy? You really don't
get it, do you?
Let me spell it out to you: Lyndon B. Johnson wanted a war – any war – for fun and profit.
It is absurd to imagine that the president of the most powerful nation on earth in 1967 would
take orders from a barely half-developed country in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Most likely, LBJ expressly ordered Israel to attack the USS Liberty to give himself an excuse
to bomb Cairo. Quite possibly, his orders to bomb Cairo were defied by senior military or civilian
leaders afraid of provoking WW III, thus necessitating an impromptu cover-up.
Put yourself in the shoes of the Israeli leadership in 1967 – why would they risk massively
antagonizing the U.S. in the middle of a risky war? The only reasonable explanations are:
(1) Israel had been ordered by LBJ to sink the USS Liberty (see above). This kind of
order would have to have come from LBJ personally, not McNamara, for the Israelis to take on the
risk. (Remember the U.S. betrayal of irregular forces at the Bay of Pigs was a recent memory.)
(2) The USS Liberty itself was a major problem for Israel, e.g. because it was passing key
intelligence to Egypt and the Arabs.
Given the extensive hush-up operations in the U.S. after the fact, (1) seems much more likely.
This would also explain why senior U.S. brass went into overdrive concocting bizarre but coordinated
stories to deflect attention from their own shameful involvement in the murder of Americans.
@animalogic The further I learn about this grotesque, criminal incident the further I strongly
suspect two things:
1. It was a failed false flag; the purpose of which: to incriminate Egypt. The entire plot
relied on the total destruction of the Liberty and it's crew: no ship, no crew, no evidence. (The
failed false flag hypothesis at least makes some sense of Israeli motives. Against this view:
the Israelis failed, which may be interpreted as evidence that complete destruction was NOT the
goal. Also, it might be thought how could the Israelis be SO stupid as to think, given the length
of time from observation to concluded attack, that they could "get away with it"? But again, no
ship, no crew, no evidence. The rest is denial and bullshit.)
2. Which leads to the 2nd point ( harder to demonstrate ) that the highest level of the
US Admin KNEW about this or "a" pending false flag attack by the Israelis. The speed - confidence
- with which Macnamara calls off the jets, the well oiled cover up later, all, at least, suggest
US foreknowledge. US complicity would also help explain why the Israelis weren't that worried
about radio traffic ID'ing their fighters.
On even the bare facts the Liberty incident represented that even 50 years ago,
the US government was in (treasonous ) thrall to a foreign power.
On even the bare facts the Liberty incident represented that even 50 years ago, the US government
was in (treasonous ) thrall to a foreign power.
With respect, this does not follow at all. The entire world (U.S., UK, France, Israel) treated
the Suez Canal as a key geostrategic area. In the 1956/1957 Suez Canal Crisis, the U.S. intervened
forcefully against the UK/French/Israeli alliance which had no option but to back down
in the face of U.S. opposition.
The U.S. was and is pursuing its own aims. That these aims are often contrary to the interests
of 95% of the U.S. population does not change the fact that the power elite are vigorously furthering
their own interests.
"Cultural Marxists" love to say that "oppressed" groups have no "agency," i.e. shit just happens
to them, they are tossed helplessly in a roiling sea of events.
Is it really a reasonable explanation of observed facts to assume that everything the U.S.
does is dictated by a few people in a small, far-away country?
You're right about the wrong use of the word Palestine. In the 18th century Christians called
it the Holy Land. Turk pirates and slave traders still roamed the Atlantic and the Mediterranean
at the time so the Christian pilgrimages were few and far between till 1830s when France conquered
Algeria. The Holy Land was pretty much ignored in Franklins time.
This is just another example of Rurik's "research " by Wikepedia instead of the nearest university
library. Even middle school children are told to not rely on wikepedia
On even the bare facts the Liberty incident represented that even 50 years ago, the US government
was in (treasonous ) thrall to a foreign power.
With respect, this does not follow at all. The entire world (U.S., UK, France, Israel) treated
the Suez Canal as a key geostrategic area. In the 1956/1957 Suez Canal Crisis, the U.S. intervened
forcefully against the UK/French/Israeli alliance which had no option but to back down
in the face of U.S. opposition.
The U.S. was and is pursuing its own aims. That these aims are often contrary to the interests
of 95% of the U.S. population does not change the fact that the power elite are vigorously furthering
their own interests.
"Cultural Marxists" love to say that "oppressed" groups have no "agency," i.e. shit just happens
to them, they are tossed helplessly in a roiling sea of events.
Is it really a reasonable explanation of observed facts to assume that everything the U.S.
does is dictated by a few people in a small, far-away country? The difference between Pres
Eisenhower 1956 and LBJ 1967 is that Eisenhower was independent of Jewish power. LBJ was totally
owned by Jews in both foreign policy and domestic policy( 1965 immigration act, 1968 affirmative
action act, EEOC, funding all sorts of black militant war on poverty programs, on and on).
I don't believe in any of the who killed JFK conspiracy theories, but in terms of who benefits,
LBJs anti White domestic policies fulfilled the dreams of every NAACP Jew since 1910.
Syria has killed more people in the past 3 years than Israel has in the past 100 years.
In fact in October of 1982 alone , Syria killed more people than Israel has in the past 100
years. Talk about a license to kill ........ No, zionist shill, what is taking place in Syria
is also a war for Israel;
Zionist agents have been planning this proxy war, going back at least to 2006, according to
Assange.
ZUSA and its coalition of rogue states have been fighting a proxy war against Syria through
the use of Salafist-Wahhabi extremists from all over the world, posing as Syrian "rebels".
Veteran CIA Ray McGovern, during a cross talk interview on Syria, at 1:14; The Elephant
in the room re the reason for ZUSA's regime change policies toward Syria: Israel
The whole "false flag" thing should be obviously wrong to you all. There is no way Israel
ever could have framed Egypt for an attack on a US ship because, like Israel, like every other
country then and now, nobody has any incentive to deliberately attack a US ship. Moreover, by
the time of the attack, Israel had already won the war, and the USA was already quietly supporting
Israel.
And as Dave Pinsen pointed out, if Israel had intended to sink the Liberty, it would have
done so quite easily.
The difference between Pres Eisenhower 1956 and LBJ 1967 is that Eisenhower was independent
of Jewish power. LBJ was totally owned by Jews in both foreign policy and domestic policy( 1965
immigration act, 1968 affirmative action act, EEOC, funding all sorts of black militant war on
poverty programs, on and on).
I don't believe in any of the who killed JFK conspiracy theories, but in terms of who benefits,
LBJs anti White domestic policies fulfilled the dreams of every NAACP Jew since 1910. I think
LBJ was more than owned given his ancestry and his very early support and actions going back to
Leo Frank and going into the 30s with his support for Jewish immigration. According to historian
James M. Smallwood, Congressman Johnson used legal and sometimes illegal methods to smuggle 'hundreds
of Jews into Texas, using Galveston as the entry port. Enough money could buy false passports
and fake visas in Cuba, Mexico and other Latin American countries . . . Johnson smuggled boatloads
and planeloads of Jews into Texas. He hid them in the Texas National Youth Administration . .
. Johnson saved at least four or five hundred Jews, possibly more.'
During World War II Johnson attended a small Austin gathering to sell $65,000 in war bonds.
According to Gomolak, Johnson and a Jewish friend called Novy then raised a very 'substantial
sum for arms for Jewish underground fighters in Palestine.' One source cited by the historian
reports that 'Novy and Johnson had been secretly shipping heavy crates labeled 'Texas Grapefruit'
– but containing arms – to Jewish underground 'freedom fighters' in Palestine.'
For a description of LBJ's backing for Israel, see Neff's, 'LBJ Was First to Align US with
Israel's Policies', in the Washington Report on Middle East, Nov-Dec 1996 p. 96. His affinity
for Israel is movingly described by the Senior Editor of the Jewish Press in his article 'LBJ
and Israel', 7 Sept 2002.
LBJ's early backing for Israel can be found in the Senate Records, 1957-58, the Eisenhower
Library and LBJ's own Presidential Library. After the 1956 Suez debacle, Israel clung on to Gaza
and Aquaba, despite demands from both the US and UN to quit. By the spring of 1957, UN Secretary
General Dag Hammarskjöld was actively promoting UN sanctions against Israel as an aggressor nation
and in defiance of UN Resolutions.
The Israeli plan was scuppered in the US mainly by Senate Leader LBJ, who urged the State Dept.
not to support sanctions 'against a small country like Israel' and rallied support in the Senate
to block any legislation. (See New York Times of 20 February 1957 and, perhaps significantly,
Louis Bloomfield's monograph, 'Egypt, Israel and the Gulf of Aquaba'.)
Like JFK, his predecessor President Eisenhower was no advocate of 'Israel, Right or Wrong'.
LBJ and Eisenhower locked horns over Israel when Ike became heavily involved with the crisis over
Israeli attempts to annex a Palestinian area around Banat Ya'qub in 1953 in order to divert water
from the River Jordan. America stepped in to broker a deal. When the UN observers realised that
the Israelis were ignoring their part of the agreement, Ike moved swiftly to revoke tax-deductible
status of Jewish-Americans to Zionist organisations in order to force Israel to honour its obligations.
Despite enormous pressure from US Jewish lobby groups, LBJ himself and claims that his policies
were 'anti-Semitic', Eisenhower stood firm. When the Israeli government realised that their money
supply really was going to dry up, they backed down and Ike restored aid. Full accounts are in
the LBJ Library Archive and – from a more objective viewpoint – in the 'jfk montreal' site.
Just one month after succeeding Kennedy, LBJ attended the December 1963 dedication of the Agudas
Achim Synagogue in Austin. Novy opened the ceremony by saying Johnson, 'We can't thank him enough
for all those Jews he got out of Germany during the days of Hitler.'
Let me spell it out to you: Lyndon B. Johnson wanted a war - any war - for fun and profit.
It is absurd to imagine that the president of the most powerful nation on earth in 1967 would
take orders from a barely half-developed country in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Most likely, LBJ expressly ordered Israel to attack the USS Liberty to give himself an excuse
to bomb Cairo. Quite possibly, his orders to bomb Cairo were defied by senior military or civilian
leaders afraid of provoking WW III, thus necessitating an impromptu cover-up.
Put yourself in the shoes of the Israeli leadership in 1967 - why would they risk massively
antagonizing the U.S. in the middle of a risky war? The only reasonable explanations are:
(1) Israel had been ordered by LBJ to sink the USS Liberty (see above). This kind of
order would have to have come from LBJ personally, not McNamara, for the Israelis to take on the
risk. (Remember the U.S. betrayal of irregular forces at the Bay of Pigs was a recent memory.)
(2) The USS Liberty itself was a major problem for Israel, e.g. because it was passing key
intelligence to Egypt and the Arabs.
Given the extensive hush-up operations in the U.S. after the fact, (1) seems much more likely.
This would also explain why senior U.S. brass went into overdrive concocting bizarre but coordinated
stories to deflect attention from their own shameful involvement in the murder of Americans. It
is absurd to imagine that the president of the most powerful nation on earth in 1967 would take
orders from a barely half-developed country in the Eastern Mediterranean.
"Were going to be screening the Zapruder film for you after tonight dinner again Mr President".
@Bragadocious I looked at the casualty list and found a Toth and a Mendle, both of which can
be Jewish names....or not. I wonder how the Jews on board felt about this attack. Given the actions
of LBJ, it seems the Jew card has definite credit limits -- when you're going against the "Jewish
State." Toth is a very common Hungarian surname, it actually means "Slovak". Of course can be
a jewish person, but not a typical jewish surname.
For 2 hours on June 8th 1967 the USA was at war with Israel and the USA won!!
With great skill and courage the crew of the USS Liberty kept their ship afloat and managed
to send out a distress signal while under intense attack by Jewish jets and torpedo boats aiming
to sink them without a trace.
The Israelis were finally obliged to pull back, and traitor* Johnson had to recall his "retaliation"
attack on Egypt and also ensure that the USS Liberty story fast disappeared from circulation,
the same as the surviving sailors.
To draw some parallels:
In London on the 5th of November 1605 conspirator Guy Fawkes was arrested guarding explosives
placed under the House of Lords with which he and his fellow plotters planned to assassinate King
James I.
In thanksgiving for the arrest, Londoners lit bonfires around the city, and the following January
just before the plotter's execution , the 5th of November was made a public holiday and came to
be known as "Guy Fawkes Night" ("Bonfire Night"), the point being that more than 400 years later
the day is still celebrated (barbeques, drinks, bonfires and fireworks) and everyone learns again
of the treason of Guy Fawkes.
So, kudos to Americans who light bonfires on "Lyndon Baines Johnson Night" (8th June) to remember
his treason and commemorate the heroism of the USS Liberty crew.
* Traitor: Whether Johnson was blackmailed through Israeli knowledge of his part in the Kennedy
assassination (Nelson 2011) or because he was their co-conspirator (Collins-Piper 1995) is irrelevant.
The fact is that he knew of Operation Cyanide and the coming attack on the ship and collaborated.
The killings in Syria are being carried out by the minority alawite dictatorship (alawites
are 10% of the Syrian poplulation) that siezed power in a coup and has never relinquished it.
In one month in 1982 the Syrians killed more people than Israel has in the past 100 years.
The killing done by Syria in the past 3 years is 20 X what Israel has done in 100 years. Israel
is 100% more responsible than Alawites for casualties in Syria. The shrill and desperate hasbara
lies from Tel Aviv's troll army are getting more ugly and more absurd while Israel becomes
weaker and more reviled.
@Lot So Israel, able to defeat multiple Arab armies and airforces in a matter of days, was
only able to kill about 1/5 of the people on an unarmed ship?
This degree of paranoid retardation is kind of fascinating.
So Israel, able to defeat multiple Arab armies and airforces in a matter of days, was only
able to kill about 1/5 of the people on an unarmed ship?
the only way Israel could ever survive even one day is with American weapons and expertise,
and of course their well documented treachery.
they are notorious cowards and inept soldiers. Why else would they do all they could to get
others to do their fighting for them?
why else would Ariel Sharon use Lebanese Phalange militias to slaughter the women and children
of Sabra and Shatila? There was the possibility that one of the women or children might have picked
up a sharp object or table leg and throttled one of the little Zio-boyz with it. Better to hide
from a distance and get others to fight for you, huh?
Hell, even the Israeli government was so appalled at Sharon's brazen cowardice that they charged
him with a war crime for that little incident.
Just look at how a few ragtag Hezbollah troops can defeat the entire IDF with a fraction of
the weaponry and nearly infinite toys the IDF has courtesy the ZUSA tax payer, but it's all for
nothing when the weapons are in the hands of cowards and incompetents.
look at em all huddled down on their bellies with a sniper rifle to shoot children from the
roof top
and then if that isn't stomach turning enough, the brave IDF soldier even congratulates his
colleague for shooting a child! Wow, what gallantry! What valor!
I'm surprised the IDF got as far as they did with the USS Liberty, since it did have a machine
gun on deck and a few of the officers had side arms. And who know if they were able to call for
help. In fact, as I understand it, the reason the IDF called off the attack is because they heard
that jets were scrambled to assist the Liberty, and they wanted no part of a fair fight. So sure,
they tried to sink her with all hands, but endemic cowardice and notorious incompetence saved
the day.
Not necessarily sane or analytical, but here goes:
"...I am not...convinced that it [attack on the Liberty] was an Israeli...decision at the
highest level..."
"None of the motives suggested are so compelling...to be accepted..."
Agreed. Conspiracies seem far fetched. Nuking Cairo? False flags? Israeli soldiers sworn to
secrecy? LBJ or Macnamara planning involvement? Utter nonsense (my opinion).
That said, this isn't my first USS Liberty rodeo: http://www.unz.com/pgiraldi/aipac-is-back-in-town/#new_comments
post #225, #250, #268, #292, #316 (31 Mar - 4 Apr 2017)
As stated there, 'Attack on the Liberty' and James Bamford's 'The Cover-Up' (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/aug/08/israel)
differ significantly from the official US and Israeli accounts. Some of Bamford's points:
IDF motive: To attack and sink an Egyptian destroyer steaming at 30 knots after it shelled
El Arish.
Bamford: Liberty was easily distinguished from a warship, lacked heavy guns and sprouted spy antenna
masts. It was clearly marked (Latin markings, ensigns - sailors hoisted a second large ensign
during the attack). It was steaming at 5 knots (top speed well below 30 knots). IDF surveilled
Liberty regularly for over six hours prior to the attack, at one point with friendly acknowledgment.
Crewman Larry Weaver: "I was actually able to wave to the co-pilot. He waved back and actually
smiled at me - I could see him that well. There's no question about it. They had seen the ship's
markings and the American flag."
IDF explanation: mistaken identity.
Bamford: IDF prolonged close surveillance (including friendly acknowledgment), followed by communication
jamming, cannon fire, machine guns, rockets, napalm, 1000-lb bombs, torpedoes, and strafing life
rafts. An attack thus varied and sustained seems unlikely mistaken or authored by mistaken judgment
on behalf of the Israeli commanders on site (let alone further up the chain).
Was Israel truly regretful? Let Bamford tell it:
"In the days following the attack, the Israeli government gave the US government a classified
report that attempted to justify the claim that the attack was a mistake. On the basis of that
same report, an Israeli court of inquiry completely exonerated the government and all those involved.
No one was ever court-martialled, reduced in rank or even reprimanded. On the contrary, Israel
chose instead to honour motor torpedo boat 203, which fired the deadly torpedo at the Liberty.
The ship's wheel and bell were placed on prominent display at the naval museum, among the maritime
artefacts of which the Israeli navy was most proud."
War unleashed is rarely rational. The '67 War was an audacious gamble for nascent Israel.
Raw memories of Ike's humbling restraint in Suez '56 may have been fresh. Why tolerate loose ends
that risk defeat? Trust no one. Better to eliminate all unknowns, anything that imperils success.
The universal war code: do all that's necessary to win. Eliminate all unknowns. The rest will
sort itself out. And so they did (my uneducated guess).
"surely [it's] time to declassify everything."
Couldn't agree more.
[Anon] " I am not convinced that it [attack on the Liberty] was an Israeli decision at
the highest level "
We're all guessing. Hard to believe the coordination of air force and navy wouldn't rise
to the highest IDF level, if not higher.
With respect, I suspect the question was meant in a different sense.
Everyone here seems to agree that the Israeli government intentionally ordered the coordinated
air-sea attack on the USS Liberty – the attack does not seem to have been an instance of erroneous
"friendly fire."
I read the question as asking whether the decision to attack was an Israeli decision in the
sense that the idea originated with the Israeli government.
The alternative, of course, would be that LBJ and McNamara ordered Israel to attack and sink
the USS Liberty as a pretext to enable the U.S. to launch an attack – possibly nuclear – against
Egypt. Under this scenario, the Israeli government would have received the U.S. order and "decided"
to implement the U.S. order by issuing instructions to the respective IDF units that carried out
the attack.
Remember that we are talking about the same LBJ/McNamara who are KNOWN to have staged the Gulf
of Tonkin spectacle (against North Vietnam) in 1964 and the USS Pueblo incident (against North
Korea) in 1968.
Two points need to be addressed by any theory seeking to explain what happened:
(1) As I have pointed out many times, radar and radio surveillance technology in 1967 easily
enabled the U.S. to identify the source of the coordinated attacks in real time. In addition,
U.S. intelligence assets in Egypt and Israel would quickly have advised the U.S. of what actually
happened.
This means that the U.S. could not have been hoodwinked, nor would the Israeli government have
thought for even a second that they would be able to hoodwink the U.S. leadership. Public statements
from both sides may deny this, but the state of technology in 1967 makes any claim of U.S. ignorance
laughable.
(2) What did the Israeli government THINK the attack on an intelligence asset operated by
their most important de facto ally would achieve?
Again, whatever may have been said in public, the idea that the U.S. leadership would think
for even a second that Egypt had attacked the USS Liberty is risible, so this could not have been
the intention of the Israeli government unless one posits a sudden outbreak of collective insanity.
Why is there an urgent NEED for a "special prosecutor" to investigate the influence of
a foreign power on our political system ,when it 's RUSSIA, ......but No NEED whatsoever , when
its King BIBI and Israel?
Have any of our MSM outlets ever even broached this subject ?
Is the issue of "influence peddling" only germane when "some countries" are influential...but
not OTHERS ?
Who made THIS the law of the land?..Who says it's "just" ?.....and why ? The investigation
we need now is the murder of SETH RICH.
The whole "Impeach Trump" campaign is focused on Russian connections and alleged Russian hacking
of DNC emails. Whatever anyone thinks of our legally elected President Trump, it is the office
of the Presidency that is being fraudulently attacked. The Trump-haters are suppressing any information
about the murder of Seth Rich, who may have leaked the DNC emails in question. That would be a
leak, not a hack, and it would throw the Dems' corruption case into the toilet.
Demand an investigation.
Appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate the murder of Seth Rich, the alleged Wikileaks
email leaker.
On July 10, 2016, Seth Rich was shot twice in the early morning as he walked back to his
house in Washington D.C. Immediately after the crime, the death was called an armed robbery
but none of Seth Rich's belongings were taken from him.
Rod Wheeler, a private investigator hired by the family, said that there was evidence Seth
Rich had contacted WikiLeaks and that law enforcement were covering this up. MSM is not covering
this murder, instead pushing it to the side, so it is now up to us.
The facts do not add up, law enforcement stopped covering the crime, and now it is time
for us to fight for justice. Seth Rich deserves this.
Israel controls the world while at the same time being inept cowards.
they don't control the world, but they do control our fecal congress and our media, and the only
way they were able to pull that off is because Woodrow Wilson gave them the keys to our Treasury.
Trust me "anon", if I had access to trillions of dollars of wealth, that I could lend out to my
buddies and force the American tax slave to pay me interest on the money I lent out, and could
give my buddies interest free loans and tell them when to short certain markets and have the fecal
gov bail me and my buddies out when our casino bets went bad, well then "anon", I can promise
you that there'd be some serious changes in the way business was conducted around here.
All the war criminals would find themselves at the Hague but pronto.
all the banksters would be in pound-arse prison for a combined thousands + years
the American people would finally be able to vote on genuine patriots that serve their interests,
and not the interests of a criminal foreign rogue state.
so many things would change, if only I owned the Federal Reserve Bank instead of international
Jewish supremacists.
I'd return them to the 1948 borders and force them to compensate every single Palestinian for
any and all property that the Jews have stolen from the Arabs. I'd force them to pay massive reparations
for the myriad and heinous crimes they've committed over the decades.
I'd do so many things "anon". Every single deepstate agent responsible for the USS Liberty
would be brought to justice, and hanged by the neck until they stopped dancing. Ditto 9/11.
the media would return to informing the public honestly and entertaining them with art that
exalts the human spirit, rather than squalid potty culture.
there's just so many things that would change if only our congress would coin our currency
as the Constitution demands, rather than handing that privilege over to the world's greediest
banksters and notorious cowards.
yea, when it comes to financial treachery and chicanery, my hat is off to the Jews. They're
second to none, and none come close. But in combat, something tells me I'd rather have a German
or a Russian at me back. I'd prefer Max or Vlad if I'm going to be in a fight, and not Irving
or Moshe so much.
they don't control the world, but they do control our fecal congress and our media,
What about the European governments and media ? They must be controlled by Jews as well.
Surely they are only flooding their own countries with Muslims and provoking the native population
not to procreate because of the hand of the Jew ?? And what about Turki and Libya? . Surely they
are controlled by Jews as well , as they are the mechanism of flooding Europe with Muslims . Surely
the good Muslims of Turki and Libya are not flooding Europe and impending white genocide on their
own volition . Surely the Jew must be in control of that evil as well ?? Could inept cowards really
pull all of this off so smoothly ??
I'd return them to the 1948 borders and force them to compensate every single Palestinian
for any and all property that the Jews have stolen from the Arabs. I'd force them to pay massive
reparations for the myriad and heinous crimes they've committed over the decades
Jordan is occupying 78% of Palestine. what would your plans be for them ?
Tell me about the compensation package you would offer to the following countries that all receive
US aid :
Sudan -Occupation of Darfur -700,000 killed ; Indonesia – Occupation of Papua -500,000 killed.
Turki-occupation of Kurdistan and Cyprus – 80,000 killed ; Morocco = Occupation of Western Sahara
– 40,000 killed ; Entirety of Israel – Palestinian conflict – 23,000 killed
Then he should be most upset with Syria , who was complicit in the marine barracks bombing in
Beirut in 1982 . You see that had American casualties of 241 killed. USS Liberty only had casualties
of 35 killed. Furthermore the barracks bombing was deliberate murder whereas USS Liberty was a
mistake . Also USS Liberty was a very long time ago and nothing of the sort ever happened again
from the Israelis. Conversely the Beirut bombing of US marines was more recent.So by every metric
, Syria is far worse .
p.s. Your comments screech JEW
--
That is superiour to your comments that screech : Loser , social outcast , mentally deranged ,
dim witted , friendless , mentally sick , obsessed with Jews and totally unhappy .
Then he should be most upset with Syria , who was complicit in the marine barracks bombing
in Beirut in 1982 .
Some background info on the incident that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of American troops:
"American Marines, who had been dispatched to Lebanon as peacekeepers to oversee the PLO
evacuation but then had departed, hastily returned after the Sabra and Shatila massacres. They
were housed in a large warehouse complex near Beirut's airport.
Over the next year, American forces found themselves drawn into the worsening Lebanese civil
war. A key moment occurred on Sept. 18, 1983, when Reagan's national security adviser Robert
McFarlane*, who was considered a staunch supporter of Israel , ordered U.S. warships
to bombard Muslim targets inside Lebanon.
As Gen. Colin Powell, then a top aide to Defense Secretary Weinberger, wrote in his memoir,
"When the shells started falling on the Shiites, they assumed the American 'referee' had
taken sides." [See Powell's My American Journey.]
Muslim attacks on the Marines in Beirut soon escalated. On Oct. 23, 1983, two Shiite Muslims
drove explosives-laden trucks into two buildings in Beirut, one housing French forces and the
other the Marines. The blasts killed 241 Americans and 58 French."
* Just to underscore how pro-Israel Robert McFarlane is, he was among those who were calling
for the release of Jonathan Pollard (in a Feb. 9 letter to President Obama).
"... Targeting telco and ISP systems administrators goes well outside the bounds of "national security."
These people aren't suspected terrorists. They're just people inconveniently placed between the NSA
and its goal of " collecting it all ." ..."
"... The NSA's own documents say that QUANTUMHAND "exploits the computer of a target that uses Facebook."
The man-on-the-side attack impersonates a server , not the site itself. The NSA denies impersonating,
but that's not what The Intercept said or what its own documents state. This animated explanation, using
the NSA's Powerpoint presentation, shows what the attack does -- it tips the TURBINE servers, which
then send the malware payload before the Facebook servers can respond. ..."
"... To the end user, it looks as though Facebook is just running slowly. ..."
"... When the NSA says it doesn't impersonate sites, it truly doesn't. It injects malware by beating
Facebook server response time. It doesn't serve up faux Facebook pages; it simply grabs the files and
data from compromised computers. ..."
"... The exploit is almost wholly divorced from Facebook itself. The social media site is an opportunity
for malware deployment, and the NSA doesn't need to impersonate a site to achieve its aims. This is
the NSA maintaining deniability in the face of damning allegations -- claiming something was said that
actually wasn't and resorting to (ultimately futile) attempts to portray journalists as somehow less
trustworthy than the agency. ..."
"... At this point, the mere fact that the NSA denies doing something is almost enough to convince
me that they are doing it. I'm trying not to be paranoid. They just make it so difficult. ..."
"... considering how much access they seemed to have I think it is entirely possible for them to
do that. And the criminal energy to do it definitely there as well. ..."
"... And there is still the question if Facebook and similar sites might be at least funded, if
not run by intelligence agencies altogether. If that is the case that would put this denial in an entirely
different light. It would read "We don't impersonate companies. We ARE the companies."... ..."
"... Max level sophistry. I wonder if anyone at the NSA even remembers what the truth is, it's been
coated in so many layers of bullshit. ..."
"... As for its "national security directive," it made a mockery of that when it proudly announced
in its documents that "we hunt sys admins." ..."
The recent leaks published at Glenn Greenwald's new home, The Intercept, detailed the NSA's
spread of malware around the world, with a stated goal of sabotaging "millions" of computers.
As was noted then, the NSA hadn't issued a comment. The GCHQ, named as a co-conspirator, had already
commented, delivering the usual spiel about legality, oversight and directives -- a word salad that
has pretty much replaced "no comment" in the intelligence world.
The NSA has now issued a formal statement on the leaks, denying everything -- including something
that wasn't even alleged. In what has become the new "no comment" on the NSA side, the words "appropriate,"
"lawful" and "legitimate" are trotted out, along with the now de rigueur accusations that everything
printed (including, apparently, its own internal documents) is false.
Recent media reports that allege NSA has infected millions of computers around the world with
malware, and that NSA is impersonating U.S. social media or other websites, are inaccurate. NSA
uses its technical capabilities only to support lawful and appropriate foreign intelligence operations,
all of which must be carried out in strict accordance with its authorities. Technical capability
must be understood within the legal, policy, and operational context within which the capability
must be employed.
First off, for the NSA to claim that loading up "millions" of computers with malware is somehow targeted
(and not "indiscriminate") is laughable. As for its "national security directive," it made a mockery
of that when it proudly announced in its documents that "we hunt sys admins."
Targeting telco and ISP systems administrators goes well outside the bounds of "national security."
These people aren't suspected terrorists. They're just people inconveniently placed between the NSA
and its goal of "
collecting it all ."
Last, but not least, the NSA plays semantic games to deny an accusation that was never made, calling
to mind Clapper's denial of a
conveniently horrendous translation of a French article on its spying efforts there.
NSA does not use its technical capabilities to impersonate U.S. company websites.
This "denial" refers to this portion of The Intercept's article.
In some cases the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site
as a launching pad to infect a target's computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive... In
one man-on-the-side technique, codenamed QUANTUMHAND, the agency disguises itself as a fake Facebook
server. When a target attempts to log in to the social media site, the NSA transmits malicious
data packets that trick the target's computer into thinking they are being sent from the real
Facebook. By concealing its malware within what looks like an ordinary Facebook page, the NSA
is able to hack into the targeted computer and covertly siphon out data from its hard drive.
The NSA's own documents say that QUANTUMHAND "exploits the computer of a target that uses Facebook."
The man-on-the-side attack impersonates a server , not the site itself.
The NSA denies impersonating, but that's not what The Intercept said or what its own documents
state. This animated explanation, using the NSA's Powerpoint presentation, shows what the attack
does -- it tips the TURBINE servers, which then send the malware payload before the Facebook servers
can respond.
To the end user, it looks as though Facebook is just running slowly.
When the NSA says it doesn't impersonate sites, it truly doesn't. It injects malware by beating
Facebook server response time. It doesn't serve up faux Facebook pages; it simply grabs the files
and data from compromised computers.
The exploit is almost wholly divorced from Facebook itself. The social media site is an opportunity
for malware deployment, and the NSA doesn't need to impersonate a site to achieve its aims. This
is the NSA maintaining deniability in the face of damning allegations -- claiming something was said
that actually wasn't and resorting to (ultimately futile) attempts to portray journalists as somehow
less trustworthy than the agency.
NSA does not use its technical capabilities to impersonate U.S. company websites.
At this point, the mere fact that the NSA denies doing something is almost enough to convince
me that they are doing it. I'm trying not to be paranoid. They just make it so difficult.
Anonymous Coward , 14 Mar 2014 @ 9:48am
Re: Denial = Confirmation?
considering how much access they seemed to have I think it is entirely possible for them
to do that. And the criminal energy to do it definitely there as well.
By now you have to assume the worst when it comes to them, and once the truth comes out it
tends to paint and even worse picture then what you could imagine.
And there is still the question if Facebook and similar sites might be at least funded,
if not run by intelligence agencies altogether. If that is the case that would put this denial
in an entirely different light. It would read "We don't impersonate companies. We ARE the companies."...
I can not stress this poster's sentiment, as well as voiced in the article itself, of the CHILDISH
semantic games the alphabet spooks will play... they WILL (metaphorically speaking) look you straight
in the eye, piss on your leg, and INSIST it is raining; THEN fabricate evidence to 'prove' it
was rain...
In my readings about the evil done in our name, with our money, *supposedly* to 'protect and
serve' us, by the boys in black, you can NOT UNDERESTIMATE the most simplistic, and -to repeat
myself -- CHILDISH ways they will LIE AND DISSEMBLE...
They are scum, they are slime, they are NOT the best and the brightest, they are the worst
and most immoral...
YOU CAN NOT OVERSTATE THEIR MORAL VACUITY...
we do NOT deserve these pieces of shit...
Anonymous Coward , 14 Mar 2014 @ 11:17am
We know that the NSA, with the cooperation of the companies involved, has equipment co-located
at major backbones and POPs to achieve the goals for QUANTUMHAND, QUANTUMINSERT, and etc.
At what point will we start confronting these companies and pressuring them to discontinue
such cooperation? I know it's no easy task, but just as much as the government is reeling from
all the public pressure, so too will these companies if we press their hands. Make it affect their
bottom line.
Anonymous Coward , 14 Mar 2014 @ 1:49pm
is techdirt an hack target?
this page of your site tries to run scripts from
google
amazonaws
twitter
facebook
ajax.googleapis
techdirt
and install cookies from
techdirt
imigur
and request resources from
rp-api
vimeo
and install/use tracking beacons from
facebook connect
google +1
gravitar
nativo
quantcast
redit
repost.us
scorecard research beacon
twitter button.
...and who knows what else would run if all that was allowed to proceed. (I'm not going to
run them to find out the 2nd level stuff)
for all the great reporting techdirt does on spying/tracking/privacy- you need to get you shit
together already with this site; it seams like you're part of the problem. Please explain the
technical facts as to why these same types of hacks couldn't be done to your readers through this
clusterfuck of off site scripts/beacons/cookies/resources your forcing on people to ignorant to
know how to block them.
As for its "national security directive," it made a mockery of that when it proudly
announced in its documents that "we hunt sys admins."
Well, heck, that's easy. Since the computers of the sys admins are just means to an ends, simply
define "target" in a way that excludes anyone whose computers are compromised as a means to an
end.
Anonymous mouse , 14 Mar 2014 @ 1:56pm
I seem to remember some articles about why people who don't use Facebook are suspect. To wit,
Are these possible signs that the NSA and GHCQ planted those stories?
Anonymous Coward , 14 Mar 2014 @ 3:49pm
The fun has yet to really begin
On April 8th, this year, Microsoft will stop installing new security patches from Windows XP,
leaving computers running it totally vulnerable to such hacks. Anybody want to place bets on the
fact that the alphabet soup agencies of our wonderful gummint are going to be first in line to
exploit them? Just think what NSA could do with 300,000,000+ computers to play with!
"... I'm sure the number of American's spied upon is pretty damning and might actually cause some blowback (especially if it's 90-100% of the population as I suspect), which could put its use in jeopardy. ..."
"... the Postal Service has confirmed that it takes a photograph of the outside of every letter and package mailed in the United States and occasionally provides the photos to law enforcement agencies. ..."
"... It's obvious that they somehow accessed nearly all communications of Americans at one point or another. Even if technically they didn't look at much of the data. ..."
Then, yesterday, there was a public Senate Intelligence Committee hearing over the issue of the 702
renewal. While most of the press is focused on the
refusal of those testifying to say whether President Trump had spoken to them about various investigations
concerning Russia, there was something else concerning that was brought up. Coats, despite his earlier
promises and the promises of his office, is now saying that it would be impossible to give a number.
Not surprisingly, for the folks in Congress who have been insisting on getting this number (and
giving it to the public), this... did not sit well. When it was Senator Wyden's turn to question
the panel, he
went off on Coats for going back on his word.
This morning you went back on that promise and you said that even putting together a sampling,
a statistical estimate, would jeopardize national security. I think that is a very, very damaging
position to stake out.
Later in that exchange, there was this exchange (which, if you watch it, involved both men being
fairly testy with each other):
Wyden: Can the government use FISA 702 to collect communications it knows are entirely domestic?
Coats: Not to my knowledge. It would be against the law.
As Marcy Wheeler points out, that exchange may prove to be similar to Wyden's now infamous question
to Coats' predecessor, Clapper, about whether or not the NSA collected information on millions of
Americans (the "not wittingly" response, which was later shown to be completely bogus). Wheeler points
out that for Coats to actually believe that, it would appear that
he doesn't know how 702 is actually used , even though he signed a memo about this very thing.
Wheeler points to the recent FISC opinion reauthorizing 702 data collection that states that if the
Director of the NSA signs a waiver for all of the domestic collections, then the NSA can still collect
a wholly domestic communication under 702. That FISC opinion cites a March 30th memo that Coats would
have signed as the justification for this argument. So for him to now say that it's illegal for the
very thing his own memo from March says is okay... seems like a serious problem.
And Wyden's not the only one upset about this. Since this was a Senate hearing, Rep. Conyers wasn't
there, but he put out a
blistering statement calling Coats' statements "unacceptable."
The intelligence community has-for many months-expressly promised members of both parties
that they would deliver this estimate to us in time to inform our debate on the reauthorization
of Section 702. As late as last August, we had discussed and approved the specific methodologies
that the NSA might use to make good on their promise.
Today, Director Coats announced that the estimate is 'infeasible' and will not be forthcoming.
I find that outcome unacceptable.
Over the course of the last year, we believed we had worked past the excuses we are offered
today. The nation's leading civil liberties organizations see no threat to privacy in this project,
and have said so publicly. The agencies demonstrated to us how they might perform this analysis
without significant diversion of resources. I am deeply disappointed in a return to these old
talking points.
Section 702 is built on trust. It will be more difficult to find that trust as we move forward
with the debate.
As we discussed earlier this week, a bunch of Senators have already been pushing a
permanent renewal of 702 with no changes at all. As the debate heats up on the renewal of Section
702 ahead of its expiration later this year, we're going to need Congress to hold the intelligence
community to its promise to reveal at least some data on how these programs impact Americans'
communications.
Until these Senators start actually holding these guys accountable and not renew their authority
of Section 702, these hearings are just bluster. I like Wyden and what he's doing (it seems single
handedly), but unfortunately it doesn't mean much to the NSA. Withholding the information won't
change any politicians views of it and its 'necessity', so they might as well err on the side
of caution.
I'm sure the number of American's spied upon is pretty damning and might actually
cause some blowback (especially if it's 90-100% of the population as I suspect), which could put
its use in jeopardy.
Plus those who don't use electronic-based forms of communication, but who have friends and
relatives who do, and who mention them in emails and on Facebook.
Also those who pay their grocery bills with a credit or debit card. Purchase history is occasionally
requested by police.
Also people not into ebooks, but who check out books from the library.
Don't forget travel details, for those who cross a border. Or fly. Or pay for gas and meals
with a credit / debit card.
Or who use local transit. My city switched to electronic fare cards a few months ago. Naturally,
it was just revealed that the private travel history of bus riders is being handed to police without
requiring a warrant.
But hey, there's still non-electronic communication like snail mail. That hardly ever gets
opened. Although the Postal Service
has confirmed that it takes a photograph of the outside of every letter and package mailed
in the United States and occasionally provides the photos to law enforcement agencies.
James T , 8 Jun 2017 @ 10:44am
They can't
It's obvious that they somehow accessed nearly all communications of Americans at one
point or another. Even if technically they didn't look at much of the data.
If true then they certainly wouldn't want to say we spied on everyone. That would damage their
position which is that they are being responsible Intelligence agencies.
Anonymous Coward , 8 Jun 2017 @ 12:06pm
Infeasible to justify funding for an office that can't even justify itself
If the office cannot even compute a rough estimate, then it is either uncooperative or supremely
incompetent. In either case, it is infeasible to continue funding such an entity. Funding for
continued operation of the surveillance programs should be stripped until such time as it can
comply with simple oversight requirements.
A former U.S. intelligence contractor tells Circa he walked away with more than 600 million
classified documents on 47 hard drives from the National Security Agency and the CIA, a haul
potentially larger than Edward Snowden's now infamous breach.
And now he is suing former FBI Director James Comey and other government figures, alleging the
bureau has covered up evidence he provided them showing widespread spying on Americans that
violated civil liberties.
The suit, filed late Monday night by Dennis Montgomery, was assigned to the same federal judge
who has already ruled that some of the NSA's collection of data on Americans violates the U.S.
Constitution's Fourth Amendment, setting up an intriguing legal proceeding in the nation's
capital this summer.
Montgomery says the evidence he gave to the FBI chronicle the warrantless collection of phone,
financial and personal data and the unmasking of identities in spy data about millions of
Americans.
... ... ...
Montgomery alleges that more than 20 million American identities were illegally unmasked -
credit reports, emails, phone conversations and Internet traffic, were some of the items the NSA
and CIA collected.
He said he returned the hard drives to the FBI, a fact confirmed in government documents reviewed
by Circa.
"They're doing this domestic surveillance on Americans, running a project on U.S. soil,"
Montgomery alleged. He did not disclose the classified name of the project but said he revealed
all aspects of the project during his interview with the FBI.
"Can you imagine what someone can do with the information they were collecting on Americans, can
you imagine that kind of power."
Officials with the FBI and CIA declined to comment due to current and pending litigation.
... ... ...
The FBI contacts with Montgomery were encouraged by a senior status federal judge, who
encouraged the two sides to meet rather than allow for any of the classified materials to leak,
according to interviews Circa conducted.
Montgomery's lawsuit, which included his lawyer, the well-known conservative activist Larry
Klayman, alleges Montgomery provided extensive evidence to the FBI of illegal spying on Americans
ranging from judges to businessman like the future President Donald Trump.
The suit did not offer specifics of any illegal spying, but it accused the bureau of failing
to take proper actions to rectify Montgomery's concerns.
Montgomery divulged to the FBI a "pattern and practice of conducting illegal, unconstitutional
surveillance against millions of Americans, including prominent Americans such as the chief
justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, other justices, 156 judges, prominent businessmen, and others
such as Donald J. Trump, as well as Plaintiffs themselves," Montgomery and Klayman alleged in
their suit.
"Plaintiffs were assured that the FBI, under Defendant Comey, would conduct a full
investigation into the grave instances of illegal and unconstitutional activity set forth by
Montgomery. However, the FBI, on Defendant Comey's orders, buried the FBI's investigation because
the FBI itself is involved in an ongoing conspiracy to not only conduct the aforementioned
illegal, unconstitutional surveillance, but to cover it up as well," the suit added.
Klayman and Montgomery also alleged that they have evidence that they themselves have been
improperly spied upon by U.S. intelligence. The suit named numerous other defendants as well,
including current NSA Director Mike Rogers, former CIA Director John Brennan and even former
President Barack Obama.
"... Jihad 2.0 may be directed against Slavs in Macedonia, against Iran and against Turkey. Not to mention against the Russian underbelly. The invisible angle is that they can always be deployed to jeopardize China's drive to integrate southeast Europe as a key node of the New Silk Roads. ..."
Let's start with 28 EU leaders discussing the Western Balkans at a recent summit and blaming – what
else – "Russian aggression" in the EU's backyard.
Cue to a Montenegro prosecutor raging that "Russian state bodies" staged a coup attempt during
the October 2016 elections to stop the country from joining NATO.
And cue to President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker warning that Donald Trump's
anti-EU rhetoric could lead to war in the Balkans. Juncker, condescending as ever, maintains that,
"If we leave them to themselves - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Macedonia, Albania, all
of these countries - we will have a war again."
The Balkans may be about to explode – all over again. Yet with a twist; unlike 1999, NATO won't
get away with bombing a defenseless Belgrade for 78 days. A new generation of Russian missiles would
easily prevent it.
The 1999 tragedy in the Balkans was essentially stirred up by fake massacres in Kosovo set up
by the BND – German intelligence - using local Albanians and BND agent provocateurs, who shot both
sides to stir up a war and break up Yugoslavia.
All Eyes on Albania
What's evolving at the current geopolitical juncture is even murkier.
The usual suspects do what they usually do; blame Russia, and damn any evidence.
So let a knowledgeable insider, Dr. Olsi Jazexhi, director of the Free Media Institute in Tirana,
Albania, be our guide.
In December 2016, the CIA's John Brennan went to Albania and issued a fatwa for "war against Russia"
– especially in Macedonia.
As Dr. Jazexhi
explains , "after Brennan left Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, a close friend of George
Soros, gathered all Albanian political parties in Macedonia and ordered them to support Zoran Zaev
against Nikola Gruevski. Gruevski is seen as filo-Russian and anti-NATO, while Zaev is a lapdog of
Soros. As a result, Gruevski was boycotted by Albanians and Zaev had their support to form a government.
The promise of Zaev to Albanians is that Macedonia will adapt Albanian as an official language and
create a third (half) Albanian state in the Balkans. Macedonians are resisting, but Tirana and Edi
Rama are orchestrating Albanian political parties against Gruevski. The end game is to make Macedonia
a NATO member."
Meanwhile, in Kosovo – essentially a nasty narco-Mafioso scam posing as a state and housing Camp
Bondsteel, the largest
overseas US military base on the planet - Hashim Thaci, the president and former Kosovo Liberation
Army (KLA) goon, is "building an army for Kosovo. The final aim is to integrate Kosovo into NATO
even though Serbia rejects this for its former autonomous province."
Jazexhi also details how, "in Albania, we have two major terrorist organizations being protected
by the Americans and the Europeans."
The first is what Ankara describes as the Fetullah Gulen Terror organization (FETO), allegedly
instrumentalized by German intelligence; "Turkey is protesting why Albania hosts the FETO group but
the Americans host them against Erdogan."
The second is Mojahedin-e Khalq (MKO), which fights against Tehran; "Albania is being turned into
the center of MKO. John Bolton was recently in Tirana, with other international supporters of MKO,
and they are attacking Iran and calling for regime change."
The MKO's wacky Marjam Rajavi has also visited Tirana, developing plans to "topple the Ayatollahs"
in Iran.
The key issue, as Jazexhi emphasizes, is that "after turning the Balkans into a recruiting center
for ISIS/Daesh during the Syria war, now the Americans are turning Albania into a jihad 2.0 state."
So what is developing is "the same historical mistake as made by the Albanians of Kosovo, who
have 100% linked their future with Camp Bondsteel and would will be instantly re-invaded by Serbia
in case NATO or the US leave (which they will, sooner or later, inevitably).
Meanwhile, the European Union and the Americans, who want to de-radicalize the Wahhabi Muslims
of Europe, keep mum about the Iranian jihadis."
The "Invisible" Enemy
So the key piece of the puzzle is the configuration of Albania as the center of Jihad 2.0 - against
the Slavs in Macedonia, against Tehran, and also against Ankara. No wonder the chief adviser of the
Albanian government, until a few months ago, was a certain Tony Blair.
But then there is the "invisible" enemy that really matters.
In late March, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic went to Beijing in his last official visit before
the April 2 elections. Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that economic cooperation with Serbia
– and the Balkans at large – is a priority for China.
No question. In 2014, Beijing created a fund that will invest 10 billion euros in Central and
Eastern Europe. Last year, China Everbright bought Tirana's airport in Albania. China Exim Bank is
financing highway construction in both Macedonia and Montenegro.
In Serbia, China Road and Bridge Corporation built the 170 million euro Pupin bridge over the
Danube in Belgrade – a.k.a. the "Sino-Serbian Friendship Bridge", inaugurated in 2014 and 85% financed
by a China Exim Bank loan.
And the cherry in the (infrastructure development) cake is the 350 km, $2.89 billion high-speed
rail line between Athens and Budapest, via Macedonia and Belgrade.
The EU has set off alarm bells on the flagship $1.8 billion Budapest-Belgrade stretch, investigating
whether the Hungarian section violated strict EU laws according to which public tenders are a must
for large transportation projects.
Inbuilt is the proverbial Western haughtiness, ruling that the Chinese could not possibly be capable
of building high-speed rail infrastructure as well if not better – and for a lower cost – than in
Europe.
Budapest-Belgrade happens to be the crucial stretch of the Land Sea Express Route that Beijing
pledged to build, way back in 2014, with Hungary, Serbia and Macedonia. That's the crux of the Southeastern
Europe node of the New Silk Roads, now Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); a trade corridor between the
container port of Pireus, in the Mediterranean – co-owned by China Ocean Shipping Company since 2010
– all the way to Central Europe.
NATO's official spin is that it must be planted in the Balkans to fight the "threat of terrorism."
According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, "I recently visited Bosnia Herzegovina and
Kosovo, and I'm encouraged to see how focused they are on countering the threat of foreign fighters."
Well, the "foreign fighters" happen to be right at home, not only in Kosovo but soon in Albania,
the capital of Jihad 2.0. NATO after all excels in creating emerging "threats" that are essential
to justify its existence.
Jihad 2.0 may be directed against Slavs in Macedonia, against Iran and against Turkey. Not to
mention against the Russian underbelly. The invisible angle is that they can always be deployed to
jeopardize China's drive to integrate southeast Europe as a key node of the New Silk Roads.
Looks more and more like psyop operation -- a part of a Neo-McCarthyism propaganda campaign.
Notable quotes:
"... So why even go out of your way to leak these supposedly worthless documents to the press in the first place? Who benefits? ..."
"... Deep state benefits - analysis(?) is leaked which show as you say no proof, but it keeps the anti-russia propaganda going for another month or so - just as the anti-trump deep state and media wants. Sigh. ..."
"... P.S if any of you get a chance try to catch the interview on RT where German journo, who is unfortunately dead, states categorically that CIA and his bosses would instruct him on what to write and how to write it. ..."
"... If Reality Leigh Winner goes to trial and receives serious prison time, then The Intercept was wrong, but until then I'll think she's a Clintonist useful idiot. ..."
"... That would be Udo Ulfkotte. He used to work for FAZ. You have to take into account that he tried to live from writing books after FAZ and conspiracy theories do sell. ..."
"... Greenwald and Poitras are now the only two people with full access to the complete cache of NSA files ... just Glenn and Laura at the for-profit journalism company created by the founder of eBay. ..."
"... CIA Agents Caught Red Handed Trolling Alternative Media Sites http://humansarefree.com/2017/06/cia-agents-caught-red-handed-trolling.html I think we talked about this years ago, in regards to Israeli paid trolls, but we've gone so far into the Panopticon control grid, what difference does it make. ..."
"... I also think, it is possible that Hillary Clinton and Putin had a very personal not so private war after Hillary announced that she would do everything to prevent a realignment of Post Soviet States. And employing Victoria Nuland to achieve just that. ..."
"... ...which of course how psyops works. Because this leak will fuel more of the Trump/Russian conspiracies and hatred in the MSM. ..."
"... Are you from one of those USG "perception management" projects? Well, if you are, American taxpayers should be pissed off if this is all the "best and brightest" can come up with. The USG IC has an annual budget of $65 billion so if this is a black op., they have more than enough money to be able to afford the arrest of the "leaker" and even pay for her to get decently lawyered up. ..."
"... This whole episode smacks of a psy-op to me. If - and this is a big if - the Russians did hack into any voting systems, I'd be more willing to believe it was to collect evidence of malfeasance on the part of our own government than it would have been to manipulate the results themselves. ..."
"... Important to note is that Putin just mentioned in his interview with Megyn Kelly that it doesn't matter who's president of the United States because no matter what, the policy remains the same. That's a pretty direct indictment of the integrity of US elections, so what better time to up the ante with respect to the obvious lies about Russian interference in our elections than right after Putin calls our elections Kabuki theater? ..."
"... Well for one she is not a whistleblower, she is another anti-Trump neocon working for the deep state. She I believe leaked material just to attack Trump and Russia even more with info, as we have seen so many times now past months. She nor we as readers have any idea if there is any truth to the claim to start with. So why leak it? Well obviously, like past months, some groups in our society benefit from this greatly. ..."
"... I haven't trusted The Intercept since they ran their hit piece on Tulsi Gabbard. ..."
"... Ghostship. True enough. But knowing it is still different from effectively dealing with it. The elite/CIA controlled mass media still has a lot of power to persuade people as do the corporations that finance political elections. As well as the people who make money from arms sales. These people who may be loosely referred to as 'deep state' don't want to give up any of that power/money. ..."
"... She follows a neocon agenda (war against afghanistan, war against Syria, hatered against Russia, hatred against foreign policy that Trump have i.e), she works for the deep state, she leak deep state material to smear her "enemies". ..."
"... Who are those who spread this bs to the MSM about Trump and Russia constantly for past months? Where does it come from if not from the deep state groups? ..."
"... Omidyar being behind the Intercept has always been an iffy proposition at best, and it has never sat well that Greenwald is apparently satisfied with such an arrangement. ..."
"... And you just know Mark Ames will have a piece up bashing Omidyar, Greenwald and Scahill. Speaking of Scahill, other than a weekly podcast, what exactly does he do for the Intercept? ..."
"... Greenwald is a self-serving hack and the Intercept functions alongside outlets like DemocracyNow! to provide a Democrat-friendly perspective on the world to people who think they are very "progressive". They will never challenge the fundamental precepts of US imperialism and the oligarchic powers behind it, or truly rock the boat. ..."
"... There's a chance they got played. As noted, the documents don't actual show evidence of actual interference with voting system beyond data gathering. ..."
"... Alternatively, the document was prepared in such a way that it was actually politically harmless but it could snare the leaker who would be triumphantly and publicly "executed". That can improve the discipline in the shop. ..."
"... This is silly nonsense. There is no difference at all between the neocons and the neolibs (the neolords). They come from exactly the same place and believe in exactly the same thing. Specifically, they are atychiphobs; they cannot endure any form of failure. So they always must attach themselves to whatever they perceive as the winning side. And ultimately rule the rest of the losing world. For them that's all there is; Hillary is an example, and most rich individuals also. They would absolutely prefer death to loserdom. So of course they have no concerns at all about the fate of the losers. They are all the same. ..."
"... Sounds like a con job from start to finish. Along the lines of bellingcat, SOHR ect. Just another method of disseminating propaganda. ..."
"... this whole thing is such a circus! and yes, the NSA has access to far more info than these stupid documents allude to, not to mention that the US has got to have some massive access to Russian data. ..."
"... I should add: If Putin were directly responsible for hacking anything, Clinton should kiss Putin's who-cares-what for waiting until AFTER the primaries. She got to be part of the final coin-toss. ..."
"... really, why is this NSA document even considered whistle-blowing? ..."
"... Setting aside the antics of the Intercept, let's consider how preposterous this story is at face value. She's basically a translator for a few Middle Eastern languages. So she's reading email or web sites or listening to phone calls and doing her translating thing. It's not like she's a high-level analyst preparing briefings for the National Intelligence director - she's a damn low-level translator (no offense to NSA translators out there). ..."
"... If Winner DID manage to stumble upon a Top Secret memo on her work network unrelated to her job, then her supervisor would have known it within minutes. Everything anybody does is constantly monitored and logged, right down to the keystroke. SHE would know that. In fact, she would be fired for not reporting this impossible access to top secret information immediately. She would be further punished for even having the document linger on her screen for more than a second or two. There's a reason they put TOP SECRET at the very top of every page. Classified documents also have their own security/surveillance/monitoring mechanisms. The document itself (or the document management system) knows or is told who is allowed to read it or even see that it exists. It would record her access, even if all the other security and monitoring software the agency had failed completely. So you get the idea. Even if she saw this document (unlikely) and did NOT report the inappropriate access, she would eventually be frog-walked out of the building before the end of the day. ..."
"... Top Secret documents (and their networks) do not allow you to print them at all, and certainly not on some random office printer. ..."
"... All modern printers and copy machines have an invisible watermark that identifies the time/date you printed a page and the serial number of the machine. If she copied it somewhere, then they copy can be traced to a certain machine and date/time. She's busted either way if the feds got their hands on it, and SHE KNOWS THAT. ..."
"... Sorry - but unless someone can prove she has an extra chromosome or two, I have to believe this is a charade. She won't go to jail because she's in on it with the NSA and it's not a real Top Secret document anyway. NO intelligence agency will ever verify or deny something you show them is either legitimate or Top Secret, so even that part is wrong. If you call them to ask about a document you have, they will politely put you on hold so they can dispatch some DHS thugs to kick in your door and retrieve said document - without telling you anything either way. ..."
"... I tend to agree with the hint, hint - #RealityWinner is an obvious PsyOp. Her employer probably had a deal for her - agree to be "used", play the part in a little prosecution game we'll have going, make sure you leak to Cook - and don't worry, you'll be well rewarded in the end. ..."
"... The timing of this leak and the choice of media outlet is very convenient for the Establishment Dems/Deep State Russia investigation. Leaking to the Intercept, which has credibility in the alternative media, would be a convenient way to get the story covered in the MSM and leftist media. It certainly helps to distract Berners from the Seth Rich story. Some interns at the Intercept did a sloppy job checking up on their source. ..."
"... thank you for this. i left a comment on that article yesterday about how dumb the technical aspects were and apparently you noticed as well (i also mentioned stuxnet as an example of what an effective and professional attack would actually look like). ..."
"... as i also mentioned: hillary won durham by a WIDE margin (almost 100k votes). seems like any "hacking" worked to her advantage, not trump's. ..."
"... i've been reading douglas valentine's book on the phoenix program and other CIA criminality https://www.amazon.com/CIA-Organized-Crime-Illegal-Operations/dp/0997287012 ..."
"... It looks like a real half-arsed psyops -- here is the "Russia did it" smoking gun we've all been waiting for and it gets sorta rolled out but not trumpeted hysterically. Why the Intercept? Why not the NYtimes or wapo? ..."
"... It's becoming more difficult daily to find something that doesn't stink. I see it as an attempt to further bury the censored NBC interview with Putin where he explained several hard truths, one of which I alluded to yesterday. Compare vid here, http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/nbc-edited-out-putins-hard-truths-heres.html with uncensored one here, which includes transcript, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/54688 ..."
Yesterday The Intercept
published a leaked five page NSA analysis about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S.
elections. Its reporting outed the leaker of the NSA documents. That person, R.L. Winner, has now
been arrested and is likely to be jailed for years if not for the rest of her life.
FBI
search (pdf) and
arrest warrant
(pdf) applications unveil irresponsible behavior by the Intercept 's reporters and editors
which neglected all operational security trade-craft that might have prevented the revealing of the
source. It leaves one scratching the head if this was intentional or just sheer incompetence. Either
way - the
