Larisa Alexandrovna – In the continued saga of the Bush administration’s war crimes (an apparently no interest by Congress to hold anyone accountable), officials attempted to convince a federal appeals court that Puff the Magic Dragon was a solid source of information:
„In the first case to review the government’s secret evidence for holding a detainee at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a federal appeals court found that accusations against a Muslim from western China held for more than six years were based on bare and unverifiable claims. The unclassified parts of the decision were released on Monday.
With some derision for the Bush administration’s arguments, a three-judge panel said the government contended that its accusations against the detainee should be accepted as true because they had been repeated in at least three secret documents.
The court compared that to the absurd declaration of a character in the Lewis Carroll poem “The Hunting of the Snark”: “I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true.”
“This comes perilously close to suggesting that whatever the government says must be treated as true,” said the panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.“
Perilously close? Has it not been already so for many years now?
onlineredaktion – Die Spannung zwischen Iran, Israel & Amerika nimmt zu. Laut Zeitungsbericht sollen israelische Kampfjets schon Übungsmanöver geflogen haben. Mohamed El Baradei, Chef der UN-Atomenergieorganisation warnte vor einem Angriff: Der Nahe Osten würde zum Feuerball werden.
„Glorreicher Spartaner 08“
Für Hektik sorgte ein Zeitungsbericht der New York Times, wonach Israels Luftwaffe einen Großangriff auf den Iran in einem Manöver geübt hatte. Das Manöver unter dem Namen „Glorreicher Spartaner 08“ hätten am 28. Mai und 12. Juni auf der griechischen Insel Kreta stattgefunden wie die Zeitung am Freitag unter Berufung auf eine griechische Quelle berichtete. Mehr als 100 Kampfjets vom Typ F-16 und F-15 sollten sich demnach auf einen weitreichenden Einsatz vorbereiten.
Auf den Bericht folgte die Warnung El Baradeis. Der Chef der UN-Atomenergieorganisation (IAEA), Mohamed El Baradei, hat eindringlich vor militärischen Angriffen auf den Iran gewarnt. „Ein militärischer Angriff wäre schlimmer als alles andere“, sagte El Baradei mit Blick auf Drohungen aus den USA und Israel. „Er würde den Nahen Osten in einen Feuerball verwandeln“, fügte der IAEA-Chef in einem Samstag ausgestrahlten Interview des Fernsehsenders El Arabija hinzu.
Rücktritt?
Sollte es im Streit um das iranische Atomprogramm zu militärischen Auseinandersetzungen kommen, wäre er nicht in der Lage, seine Arbeit an der Spitze der IAEA fortzusetzen, warnte der IAEA-Chef. Die UN-Behörde überwacht die friedliche und störungsfreie Nutzung der Atomenergie in ihren Mitgliedstaaten. „Ein Angriff würde im Iran einen Notfallplan zur schnellen Herstellung einer Atombombe auslösen, und das mit der Zustimmung aller Iraner, selbst derjenigen, die im Westen leben“, warnte El Baradei. Er sehe im iranischen Atomprogramm zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt keine „unmittelbare Gefahr“ der Weiterverbreitung von Atomwaffen.
Rachel Alexander – The moving story of one of one of America’s true heroes, a veteran who was struck by an IED while serving in Iraq. Featured on the Montel Williams Show with me this Tuesday.
I recently had the opportunity to meet one of our U.S. military’s bravest heroes, Staff Sergeant Jerry Majetich, on the Montel Williams Show.
Jerry served in Iraq until he was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), critically injuring him and causing 3rd degree burns over 100% of his face, neck and scalp along with numerous other serious injuries. Yet Jerry refuses to blame President Bush for what happened, and places the blame squarely upon whom it belongs – the Islamo-fascist terrorists and insurgents who attacked him. Here is his story, told mostly by him with only a few edits by me.
Staff Sergeant Jerry Majetich: 100% face, neck and scalp 3rd degree burns, causing the loss of all hair, both ears (his hearing is fortunately ok), most of his nose, and his vision was gone for two months, with the inability to close either eye for almost three months.
Jerry was deployed to Iraq in March of 2005 with the 304th Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Company, stationed south of Baghdad in support of the 184th (AA), 3rd ID. On October 18th, 2005, while traveling as the 27th vehicle in a 69-vehicle convoy as part of Operation Clean sweep, he was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). His vehicle had a bounty on it. The rear half of the vehicle disintegrated immediately, killing a member of the security detachment, who was a friend and room mate of Jerry’s, and the Battalion Information Officer, also a good friend. The driver’s door blew off and he was ejected from the vehicle, receiving minor burns to his right arm and leg. The gunner was thrown about 50 feet into a nearby field from the explosion, shattering his right leg and suffering 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his arm, leg, and lower back.
The propane tank in the IED set the vehicle on fire, and Jerry was trapped inside, unable to escape because the door next to him had been welded closed. A Navy Dog Handler, a Air Force UAV pilot, and the Captain leading the convoy somehow pulled him out. While his injuries were being treated, the battle fire continued for nearly 50 minutes. Because the flames on the vehicle were so hot, one of the M16 rounds inside of the vehicle „cooked off,“ flying out to hit Jerry in the upper rear of his right leg. When it was finally safe for a medical helicopter to land, Jerry was shot by an AK47 in the right upper portion of his right leg as he was being transported by stretcher to it. He remained in Baghdad for a day because his condition was so serious medics could not keep him stabilized. He was flown to Landsthul Germany, where he stayed for two days.
Jerry was finally taken to Brook Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston, Texas on November 2nd. While at BAMC, he underwent 44 surgeries. Close to a dozen more surgeries must still be performed.
His injuries include: 35% total body surface 3rd degree burns. 100% face, neck and scalp 3rd degree burns, causing the loss of all hair, both ears (his hearing is fortunately ok), most of his nose, and his vision was gone for two months, with the inability to close either eye for almost three months. His intestines were ruptured and stomach bruised, causing the loss of 1/3 of his small intestines. Because of the multiple surgeries to his stomach, his muscles were unable to heal and he now has what is referred to as „swiss cheese“ by his doctor: a total of six hernias (five in his stomach and one on his right side), which required another surgery. If not taken care of, their size would have increased, interfering with other organs. Total amputation of his right thumb and pinky, and remaining three fingers down to the second knuckle. Finger tip amputations to all of the fingers on his left hand. Loss of use to right arm and shoulder beyond ten pounds. Unable to straighten either arm due to bone growth caused body in reaction to the burns. Unable to stay in sun light for more than a few minutes, and his body does not react well to either extreme cold or heat. Two gunshot wounds in his upper, rear right leg with a loss of muscle and tendons. Frequent loss of memory, both short and long term, due to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Frequent bouts with anxiety in and out of crowds, depression and fatigue.
Jerry retired from the U.S. Army on June 29th, 2007. His wonderful wife has been a great support to him. As can be seen in the pictures accompanying this article, Jerry still has a long way to go to return to a semi-normal life. The cost of the surgeries has been staggering, and even veterans‘ healthcare doesn’t pay for everything. Because of the severity of his injuries, the expense of healing all of them is going to require expensive surgeries beyond what government can provide. Bringing this valiant young man back to where he was before he served our country should be a high priority of patriotic Americans. There are very few worthier causes we should contribute our own money to.
I encourage everyone to watch his moving story on the Montel Williams show on Tuesday, April 1, 2008; after that it will be available on my website at Intellectualconservative. Whether you agree with U.S. involvement in Iraq or not, this young man does not deserve to be cruelly punished simply for serving his country in a war that he had no choice over. Please, consider contributing some amount of money to Jerry for his restorative surgeries. As a valiant American, he deserves no less than the best from us. There is no cause worthier to me personally than this.
Rachel Alexander ist praktizierende Anwältin für die Regierung in Phönix im U.S. Staat Arizona. Als ehemaliges Redaktionsmitglied und Kolumnistin des Arizona Daily Wildcat, gewann sie für ihre journalistischen Arbeiten drei Auszeichnungen und schreibt Kolumnen für IntellectualConservative.com
National Security Archive – Recently declassified documents show that the U.S. military has long sought an agreement with Baghdad that gives American forces virtually unfettered freedom of action, casting into doubt the Bush administration’s current claims that their demands are more limited in scope. News reports have indicated that the Bush administration is exerting pressure on the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to accept a U.S.-Iraq security plan by the end of July 2008. According to these accounts, the plan would give the U.S. more than 50 military bases in Iraq, provide complete freedom of action to conduct military operations, allow complete freedom to arrest and detain Iraqis, and grant U.S. forces and contractors total immunity from Iraqi law. Growing awareness of the implications of the pact have fueled opposition by the Iraqi public – to the extent that Prime Minister al-Maliki announced today that discussions had deadlocked.
Documents obtained by the National Security Archive under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that the U.S. started drafting the agreement in November 2003. While information available in the heavily redacted copies that were provided does not specifically address such hot-button, present-day issues as the number and location of bases, or control of airspace, these preliminary planning documents show that from the outset U.S. aspirations for conducting military operations based in Iraq were essentially without limit.
The Bush administration had initially hoped to see the security pact accepted by an interim Iraqi Governing Council that it itself had appointed. The documents outline a number of „red lines“ that the Defense Department and the Central Command considered crucial during the early planning, including unlimited authority to conduct military operations; the „absolute“ prerogative to detain, interrogate and intern Iraqis; the right to establish its own rules of engagement; complete freedom of movement entering, departing, and within Iraq; full immunity for U.S. forces and contractors; immunity from international tribunals; and exemption from inspections, taxes, and duties.
„When it developed its initial plans for a security pact, the U.S. wanted virtually unlimited freedom of action for its forces – including private contractors,“ said Archive analyst Joyce Battle. „In addition to freedom to wage military operations as it saw fit – and to arrest, detain, and interrogate Iraqis at will – U.S. demands even extended to priority use of public utilities. This was after the invasion had led to the collapse of Iraq’s already fragile infrastructure and Iraqi civilians – old and young, healthy, sick, and disabled – were getting by with a few hours of electricity a day – if they were lucky.“
onlineredaktion – Der amerikanische Präsident Bush hat Iran erneut mit einem Militäreinsatz gedroht, falls die Verhandlungen über das Atomprogramm scheitern sollten. Teherans Atomprogramm ziele auf «Erpressung oder Zerstörung» ab.
Die «grosse Gefahr», die von Iran ausgehe, werde bei seiner anstehenden Reise durch Europa ein wesentliches Thema sein, sagte Bush in einem Interview im italienischen Staatsfernsehen RAI. Auf die Frage, ob die militärische Option offen bleibe, falls der Iran dem internationalen Druck nicht nachgebe, sagte Bush: «Ja, so ist es».
Bush bricht am Montag zu einer sechstägigen Reise nach Brdo (Slowenien), Berlin, Rom, Paris, London und Belfast auf. Im Vatikan wird er auch Papst Benedikt XVI. treffen.
„Freie Welt“ will klare Botschaft
Die freie Welt müsse weiter eine klare Botschaft an den Iran schicken, dass der Ausbau der nuklearen Anreicherungsmöglichkeiten «nicht akzeptabel» sei, da sie den Weg zum Bau von Atomwaffen eröffneten, sagte Bush.
«Ich werde auf dieser Reise fortfahren über die Gefahren eines nuklearen Iran sprechen», sagte Bush. Die freie Welt müsse Iran vom nuklearen Anreicherungsverfahren abbringen.
onlineredaktion – „Wenn der Iran sein Programm zur Entwicklung von Atomwaffen fortsetzt, werden wir angreifen“, verkündete Mofaz in der Tageszeitung ‚Yedioth Ahronoth‘. Um das iranische Atomprogramm zu stoppen, sieht Israels ehemaliger Generalstabschef und Verteidigungsminister „keine andere Alternative als den Iran anzugreifen“. In dem sich zuspitzenden Konflikt hatte der iranische Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinedschad zuvor mehrfach gedroht, Israel von der Landkarte zu tilgen, worauf Mofaz nun seinerseits mit dem Satz konterte: „Er wird eher verschwinden als Israel“.
„Israel ist gezwungen, allein gegen den Iran vorzugehen“, so die Schlagzeile von „Maariv“ auf der Titelseite der Wochenendausgabe. Noch weiter geht das Blatt „Yedioth Ahronoth“: „Mofas: Israel muss den Iran angreifen.“ Mofas, im Iran geborener Ex-Verteidigungsminister, hat allerdings weniger Ahmadinedschad und dessen Staat als Außenministerin Zippi Livni und das Amt des Regierungschefs in Jerusalem im Visier. Das Thema Iran dient ihm als Vorwahlkampfmunition.
Intelnote – The Pearl Harbor History Associates are happy to be able to bring this work to the Internet after decades of being hidden in the stacks or costing $100+ for each volume on the used market. We hope this will be useful in the study of the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the study of events leading to wars whenever they occur. Our greatest wish is that by learning more about how wars start we can learn more about how to prevent them, and some day will come the time when we will „study war no more.“
Foreword
The Department of Defense is releasing for public use and research this multi-volume study giving the „MAGIC“ or communications intelligence background of the 1941 Pearl Harbor disaster. In its review of classified records pursuant to E.O. 11652, the Department of Defense decided that it was in the public interest to declassify the intelligence which the U.S. obtained from the communications of its World War II enemies. This study contains a major part of the communications intelligence which the U.S. derived from intercepted Japanese communications during 1941.
The Magic Background To Pearl Harbor
The documentation presented here is both voluminous and significant. The large volume of intelligence concerning Japanese secret plans, policies, and activities which U.S. cryptologic specialists produced will augment the information already available on Pearl Harbor from Congressional and other public hearings. Of particular importance in this study is the correlation of the intelligence with the discussions of Secretary of State Hull and Japanese Ambassador Nomura in the critical months before Pearl Harbor. Scholars no doubt will find new challenges in this voluminous intelligence information as they examine not only the decisions made by the U.S. but also the intelligence which influenced and occasionally prompted those decisions.
Michael Dickinson – Coming soon, from the folks who brought you the microwave – Raytheon! After more than ten years in the making and at a cost of over 40 million dollars, ‘Silent Guardian’, or Active Denial System, (ADS, in it’s formal mood), is almost ready for public release!
Yes, Raytheon – manufacturer of the 100 bunker buster bombs kindly flown by America to Israel at the height of their bombardment of Lebanon, and supplier of electronic equipment for the apartheid wall built on Palestinian land; – Raytheon – with its73,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of 20 billion dollars has gone and done it again!
For, Raytheon – the world’s largest producer of guided missiles, and fifth largest defense contractor in the world, provider of aircraft radar systems, weapons sights and targeting systems, communication and battle-management systems, and satellite components – has come up with a system which could scatter a crowd in a trice without a drop of blood being spilled.
Yes, folks, originally designed to protect military personnel against small-arms fire without the use of lethal force, Silent Guardian, ADS, the Pain Ray, call it what you will, (Raytheon would prefer you not to use the latter however), will finally soon be here!
Transmitted at the speed of light over a 700 yard distance, the Pain Ray is a millimeter-wave beam that penetrates 1/64th of an inch beneath the skin, causing the water molecules there to bubble, producing an intense burning sensation, said to feel like being burnt by molten lava or a hot iron. Its delivery system attached to a Humvee and aimed right, the Pain Ray makes people run away – fast.
Tests conducted at Kirtland Air Force Base south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, employ realistic combat scenarios to determine its potential effectiveness in a deployed environment, the first to expose an entire test subject to the ray.
The Defense Department want to use it for protecting Defense resources, peacekeeping, humanitarian missions and other situations in which the use of lethal force is undesirable, but already there have been inquiries from other institutes and wealthy individuals about using it to protect private property.
Testing, conducted on human volunteers and animals by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Human Effectiveness Directorate continues, and although it has not been proved that exposure to the ray can cause cancer, it has been ascertained that the corneas of Rhesus monkeys can be damaged.
Deployment of the system is slated to begin in Iraq in 2010, but there are rumors that it has already been tested there.
Raytheon congratulates itself on having developed a non-lethal weapon which has been described as „Holy Grail of crowd control,“ but their Silent Guardian also has its critics. One, author Richard Hunter asks:
“But what happens if the people faced with such a weapon can’t just run away? What happens if they’re trapped in a crowd, and the crowd can’t move? How much pain must that crowd endure? How long can any member of the crowd be exposed to that weapon before his or her skin — or their eyes — simply cook off?
What happens if the devices are used deliberately in a manner designed to cause maximum harm — say, by training the device on prisoners trapped in prison cells until they literally go mad with pain?
What happens if the system operator turns up the power? A little bit works well, why not try a lot?
What happens if the scientists didn’t test the devices thoroughly, and they turn out to render anyone touched by them blind, or impotent, or sterile?”
And the National Lawyers Guild of the US has accused Raytheon of being „implicated in the commission of war crime.”
One critical group, the Derry Anti-War Coalition, occupied the Raytheon weapons factory in Ireland in 2006 to protest at the production of guided missile components there.
Said a spokesman:
„We are calling for arms components manufacturers to be shut down all over Ireland – North and South. It is disgraceful that so many companies in Ireland are profiteering from the maiming and murder of peaceful and innocent civilians in the Middle East. We are calling for and supporting non-violent occupation of all weapons manufacturers that supply arms to the Israeli Military.“
The protestors were arrested and charged with damaging Raytheon property. They await conviction. The cheeky blighters have got up a petition to sign to support them!
As if you would!
They wouldn’t have been able to get into the building if a Silent Guardian had been in action. A tiny squirt of the Pain Ray would have quickly sent them yelping away.
Roll on the ADS! Coming soon! To a street near you!
[Update.] Ein großes Frachtflugzeug, das im Auftrag des US-Militärs unterwegs war, ist beim Start in Brüssel mitten durch gebrochen. Die Maschine vom Typ Boeing 747-200 der US-Firma Kalitta Air war auf dem Weg nach Bahrain und kam nach Angaben der Feuerwehr und von Augenzeugen von der Startbahn ab. Vorangegangen war ein seltsames Geräusch, was den Piloten veranlasste, den Startvorgang abzubrechen und das Flugzeug wieder am Boden aufzusetzen. Dadurch brach es wie ein morscher Ast in zwei Teile.
Die fünfköpfige Besatzung trug nur leichte Verletzungen davon. Sie hatte sich über Rutschen in Sicherheit gebracht.
Zunächst wurde vermutet, dass die Boeing auch Kriegsgerät für die US-Armee transportierte.
Denn Kalitta Air ist eine Frachtfirma der eher unüblichen Art. Sie hat eine weltweite Sondererlaubnis zur Landung auf US-Militärflughäfen (CALP) und ist hauptsächlich für die amerikanische Luftwaffe (Air Mobility Command) unterwegs. 2005 ergatterte sie von der US-Armee einen Vertrag über 1,2 Milliarden Dollar. Ebenfalls anrüchig: Amnesty International hatte die Firma vor Jahren verdächtigt, an den Gefangenentransporten der CIA beteiligt zu sein.
Konkret handelte es sich bei der verunfallten Maschine um eine Boeing 747-209F/SCD, Baujahr 1980, mit der Registriernummer N704CK und der Seriennummer 22299/462. 2003 ging sie von der China Airlines an den Unternehmer Conrad Kalitta aus Michigan über. Er besitzt eine Flotte von ca. 20 Maschinen dieser Bauart. Die N704CK war im Jahr 2004 auch häufiger in Deutschland zu sehen.
Gefährliches Material schien nicht an Bord gewesen zu sein. Angeblich hatte das Flugzeug 76 Tonnen Fracht geladen, darunter ein Auto und etwa zur Hälfte Post. So jedenfalls die offizielle Verlautbarung. Damit war der Frachtjumbo ungefähr zu drei Vierteln seiner Kapazität ausgelastet.
Kriegscarrier N704CK: Diesmal ohne Leichen …
Inzwischen hat sich herausgestellt, dass die Firma Kalitta Air auch der Hauptvertragspartner (11 Mio. Dollar) für den Transport von kriegsgefallenen Soldaten im Irak ist. Wäre der Frachter auf dem Rückweg gewesen, hätte der Crash vermutlich noch mehr Aufsehen erregt.
Die Flugzeuge der Kalitta Air werden für eine Parade am Memorial Day (30. Mai) zurück erwartet, der zu Ehren der im Krieg für das Land Gefallenen begangen wird. Nun ist es wohl eins weniger.
… zum Memorial Day
Der Unfall verursachte zunächst Verspätungen beim Flugbetrieb in Brüssel. Auch der Zugverkehr vom und zum Airport wurde aus Sicherheitsgründen vorübergehend unterbrochen. Die Boeing kam nur wenige Meter vor einer vielbefahrenen ICE-Strecke zu stehen. Dieses Foto zeigt eindringlich, wie nahe die moderne Zivilisation wieder mal an einer Katastrophe vorbeigeschrammt ist. Doch solche Details sind für die Mainstream-Medien kaum eine Meldung wert.
„The Air Force wants a suite of hacker tools, to give it „access“ to — and „full control“ of — any kind of computer there is. And once the info warriors are in, the Air Force wants them to keep tabs on their „adversaries‘ information infrastructure completely undetected.“
The government is growing increasingly interested in waging war online. The Air Force recently put together a „Cyberspace Command,“ with a charter to rule networks the way its fighter jets rule the skies. The Department of Homeland Security, Darpa, and other agencies are teaming up for a five-year, $30 billion „national cybersecurity initiative.“ That includes an electronic test range, where federally-funded hackers can test out the latest electronic attacks. „You used to need an army to wage a war,“ a recent Air Force commercial notes. „Now, all you need is an Internet connection.“
Now let’s go back for a minute to the war games of Cyberstorm:
„The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) successfully executed Cyber Storm, the first national cyber exercise Feb. 6 thru Feb. 10, 2006. The exercise was the first government-led, full-scale cyber security exercise of its kind. NCSD, a division within the department’s Preparedness Directorate, provides the federal government with a centralized cyber security coordination and preparedness function called for in the National Strategy for Homeland Security, the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7. NCSD is the focal point for the federal government’s interaction with state and local government, the private sector and the international community concerning cyberspace vulnerability reduction efforts.“
So if I am looking at this whole picture correctly, the the DHS operations of this are going to be defensive and the DOD is going to offensive. But it gets worse (back to Wired):
„On Monday, the Air Force Research Laboratory introduced a two-year, $11 million effort to put together hardware and software tools for „Dominant Cyber Offensive Engagement.“ „Of interest are any and all techniques to enable user and/or root level access,“ a request for proposals notes, „to both fixed (PC) or mobile computing platforms… any and all operating systems, patch levels, applications and hardware.“ This isn’t just some computer science study, mind you; „research efforts under this program are expected to result in complete functional capabilities.“
Unlike an Air Force colonel’s proposal, to knock down enemy websites with military botnets, the Research Lab is encouraging a sneaky, „low and slow“ approach. The preferred attack consists of lying quiet, and then „stealthily exfiltrat[ing] information“ from adversaries‘ networks. Read all at At Largely
politicacomment
Larisa Alexandrovna – In the continued saga of the Bush administration’s war crimes (an apparently no interest by Congress to hold anyone accountable), officials attempted to convince a federal appeals court that Puff the Magic Dragon was a solid source of information:
Rachel Alexander – The moving story of one of one of America’s true heroes, a veteran who was struck by an IED while serving in Iraq. Featured on the Montel Williams Show with me this Tuesday.
35% total body surface 3rd degree burns.
politanalysis dot com 