Posted on 09/10/2010 7:41:49 AM PDT by STARWISE
The Defense Department is attempting to buy the entire first printing - 10,000 copies - of a memoir by a controversial former Defense Intelligence Agency officer so that the book can be destroyed, according to military and other sources.
"Operation Dark Heart," which was scheduled to be published this month by St. Martin's Press, recounts the adventures and frustrations of an Army reservist, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, who served in Afghanistan in 2003, a moment when the attention of Washington and the military had shifted to Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
WOW !!
Well — now I WANT ONE!
Just getting ready to post that .. ;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Friday, August 13, 2010, just as St. Martin’s Press was readying its initial shipment of this book, the Department of Defense contacted us to express its concern that our publication ofOperation Dark Heart could cause damage to U.S. national security.
After consulting with our author, we agreed to incorporate some of the government’s changes into a revised edition of his book while redacting other text he was told was classified.
The newly revised book keeps our national interests secure, but this highly qualified warrior’s story is still intact. Shaffer’s assessment of successes and failures in Afghanistan remains dramatic, shocking, and crucial reading for anyone concerned about the outcome of the war.
“While I do not agree with the edits in many ways, the DoD redactions enhance the reader’s understanding by drawing attention to the flawed results created by a disorganized and heavy handed military intelligence bureaucracy.” —Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer
Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer had run intelligence operations for years before he arrived in Afghanistan. He was part of the “dark side of the force”-—the shadowy elements of the U.S. government that function outside the bounds of the normal system.
His group called themselves the Jedi Knights and pledged to use the dark arts of espionage to protect the country from its enemies.
Shaffer’s mission to Afghanistan, however, was unlike any he had ever experienced before.
There, he led a black-ops team on the forefront of the military efforts to block the Taliban’s resurgence. They not only planned complex intelligence operations to beat back the insurgents, but also played a key role in executing those operations-—outside the wire.
They succeeded in striking at the core of the Taliban and their safe havens across the border in Pakistan. For a moment Shaffer saw us winning the war.
Then the military brass got involved. The policies that top officials relied on were hopelessly flawed. Shaffer and his team were forced to sit and watch as the insurgency grew-—just across the border in Pakistan.
This wasn’t the first time he had seen bureaucracy stand in the way of national security. He had participated in Able Danger, the aborted intelligence operation that identified many of the future 9/11 terrorists but failed to pursue them. His attempt to reveal the truth to the 9/11 Commission would not go over well with his higher-ups.
Operation Dark Heart tells the story of what really went on—and what went wrong—in Afghanistan. Shaffer witnessed firsthand the tipping point, when what seemed like certain victory turned into failure. Now, in this book, he maps out a way that could put us on the path to winning the war.
Praise
“Anthony Shaffer has written a gripping account, filled with amazing detail, of an otherwise secret world. Shaffer has the instincts of a thriller writer and the knowledge and perspective of the professional insider. Operation Dark Heart is a fascinating page-turner.”
— Doug Stanton, author of Horse Soldiers
“A fascinating look into the highly complex world of modern combat, clandestine intelligence and bureaucrats run amok. Tony Shaffer walks and runs us through a critical time in the history in the war in Afghanistan. From the opening to the closing, you are on the edge of your seat. Tony is, in all aspects, the real Jack Bauer - but with an intellect.”
—Dr. Christopher M. Lehman, former Special Assistant to President Reagan, National Security Counsel
About the Author(s)Anthony Shaffer
LT. COL. ANTHONY SHAFFER is a Bronze Star Medal recipient and a lieutenant colonel in the U. S. Army Reserve. He is a CIA-trained senior intelligence operations officer with more than twenty-two years of experience in the intelligence community. Currently, he is a Fellow and Special Lecturer at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in Washington, D.C.
http://us.macmillan.com/operationdarkheart
Seems to be Kindle only ...near as I can figure out...no mention of Sony eBook format.
On sale at Tower Books
Oh goody!!! Let me know if you actually get it,
Mean while...see #82.
Sensenbrenner virtually ended his career and position of seniority on trying to bring to light the details of this one operation. He knows the details and now all of a sudden he is holding his tongue? Geez the relevations must be incredibly damaging to Bubba and the Hildebeast.
~~~~
And remember how Rep. Curt Weldon’s Congressional career
was effectively destroyed.
Rep. Curt Weldon: DIA lies, destroys reputations
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/swank102105.htm
Sorry, we’re under construction!
Our estimated launch date is September 30, 2010 so we should be back in:
19 Days, 18 Hours, 13 Minutes, 11 Seconds
Current status: Waiting on the man
http://www.operationdarkheart.com/
eBay auction status
WoW ! There’s 6 for sale at $17.99 Buy It Now
I remember when everybody ran for the hills on this one.
Some serious mojo involved here.
No, Professor Ahmed, the Founders Were Not So Fond of Islam
************************************EXCERPT INTRO**********************************
Posted on Fri 10 Sep 2010 08:05:24 AM PST by Kaslin
While doing the MSM circuit this week, American University professor Akbar Ahmed told some whoppers about Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin
Akbar Ahmed, the chair of Islamic studies at American University, has advised many government officials, including General Petraeus, Richard Holbrooke, and George W. Bush. He speaks regularly on BBC and CNN, and has appeared on many U.S. shows, including Oprah and Nightline.
To oppose the “burn the Quran” event planned by Pastor Terry Jones, Ahmed wrote an editorial for CNN in which he stated:
Not only are the actions of Jones contrary to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, but they are also against the ideals of the American Founding Fathers.
…
The Founding Fathers read and honored the same Quran that Jones is now seeking to burn.
…
[John Adams, America’s second president] showed the utmost respect for Islam, naming the Prophet Mohammed as one of the greatest truth seekers in history.
These statements are utterly opposed by the facts.
John Adams said absolutely nothing of the kind. Correspondence from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson on July 16, 1814, reveals John Adams’ true feelings about Islam: Adams states that Mohammed is “a military fanatic” who “denies that laws were made for him; he arrogates everything to himself by force of arms.”
This is a guy who has always puts his country first and has paid the price for speaking out once in a while.As a leader of Able Danger a military program to detect terrorists he did just that and than paid the price for doing so,sad day for america,IMHO.
For those of you who may not recall he actually alerted his superiors about 911 "before" it happened.
He was immersed in a bureaucratic maze of nanny land so bad that he was restricted as to what he and his other terrorist researchers could search yet he still found out intel on 911 and passed it on.
NO one had the guts to act on it however.
Later on he was attacked by almost everyone in power for speaking out and the fact that the govt. is now trying to keep his book off the market comes as no surprise to me at all.
This guy is a true American hero and will always get my support no matter what.
My crowning day was to actually talk with him on C-span one morning I will never forget it.
Thanks for this link its a wonderful expose of exactly what happened to Col Anthony Shaffer and how he was screwed over for exposing just how incompetent govt. agencies tasked with securing the country can get.
TIA
My order at Overstock.com is now showing Presale, expected to ship Sep 28, 2010
.
Concerned that I would be getting the redacted edition, I had the following online chat with an Overstock.com customer rep:
Welcome to Overstock.com Live Chat, you will be connected with a chat representative as quickly as possible.Welcome to Overstock.com, you are now chatting with Casey Q..
Casey Q.: Thanks for visiting Overstock.com, this is Casey Q., how can I help you?
you: Will my order #87654321 be fulfilled with the original edition?
Casey Q.: Would you mind verifying your first and last name as well as the billing address for security purposes?
Casey Q.: Yes.
you: Just answer the question: Will the "presale" to be shipped on 28 Sep be the original edition or not?
Casey Q.: I have answered the question.
you: OK. The reason I asked is, the publisher is being pressured to come out with a redacted edition. I don't want that edition. I will chargeback if I receive that edition. So, I want to cancel unless you are shipping the original, unredacted version.
Casey Q.: Yes we are shipping the original.
you: OK, thank you. (I assume you really did check — cancels on back-ordered items are cheaper to process than chargebacks.)
Casey Q.: I have actually been asked constantly over the past few days.
Casey Q.: Once I saw the book I knew.
you: OK. Thanks.
So. We will see.
After enduring the 9/11 cOmmission Hearings and report and the Weldon Hearings it is my firmly held belief that the American people will NEVER know the truth. Neither political party wants the truth known and each, along with our military brass will go to their deaths witholding it from us.
Thanks for the pings on this one ladies, much appreciated. We need to support this guy as much as we can.
I am a little confused though about the book. Able Danger was happening in 1999-2000 yet the reports about this new book say that it covers a period from 2003-2005 in Afghanistan. Does this book have anything to say about Able Danger or is it going to be about another operation?
Whatever...the truth needs to come out no matter who it hurts in the government and bureaucracy imho. As long as they redact names and methods we still use...it shouldn’t matter. This smells like the higher ups are protecting their own incompetence.
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