Posted on 08/25/2007 2:26:58 PM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Lowry: The CIA's record leading up to Sept. 11 was one of failure By Rich Lowry Article Last Updated: 08/25/2007 09:07:06 AM MDT
The new report from the CIA's inspector general about the spy agency's pre-9/11 failings could be titled, ''What We Did During Our Holiday From History.'' The stretch between the end of the Cold War and the Sept. 11 attacks was supposed to be a shiny new era of globalized peace and prosperity, to which an intelligence service was considered quaintly irrelevant.
The CIA conformed to the zeitgeist by remaining quaintly irrelevant. George Tenet presided over the agency, failing his way to the second-longest tenure of any director of central intelligence, a Presidential Medal of Freedom and a $4 million book advance. He made the Peter Principle work for him not just by advancing to his level of incompetence, but by benefiting from it handsomely.
Congressional Democrats pushed for the release of the scathing IG report, completed back in June 2005, to embarrass the Bush administration. But most of the failures identified in the report took place during the Clinton administration, which set the CIA's skewed priorities and selected Tenet in the first place. President Bush should be embarrassed only because he didn't fire Tenet upon taking office or after 9/11, while Bush also has failed to undertake a serious retooling of the sclerotic bureaucracy that is the CIA.
Tenet took terrorism seriously, ''sounding the alarm about the threat to many different audiences,'' in the words of the report. Maybe he should have gone on a lecture tour. Where Tenet fell down was in managing his agency. The thought may be father to the deed, but without the actual deed, the thought is only political cover in after-the-fact memoirs.
Tenet insists that he had a ''robust plan'' against al-Qaida. In reality, he only thought he had. He directed that such a plan be formulated, but according to the IG report, it never happened. Worse, Tenet did not ''work with the National Security Council to elevate the relative standing of counterterrorism in the formal ranking of intelligence priorities.''
In Tenet's defense, he operated within the context of a Clinton administration that basically was uninterested in intelligence. Tenet notes that the intelligence community lost 25 percent of its personnel in the 1990s and ''tens of billions of dollars in investment compared with the 1990 baseline.'' He implored the administration for funding increases in 1998 and 1999, but had to go ''outside established channels to work with then-Speaker Gingrich to obtain a $1.2 billion budgetary supplemental.''
Even with more resources, his managers repeatedly moved funds from counterterrorism programs to other needs, without ever raiding other programs to fund counterterrorism, according to the IG report. What could be more important than counterterrorism? Analytic resources were poured into addressing more pressing matters like the Balkans and the environment.
After 9/11, Clinton officials and Tenet argued whether the CIA had been granted the authority to kill Osama bin Laden, with the Clintonites, in a bout of retrospective bloodlust, insisting that it had. The IG report finds that restrictions on the CIA killing bin Laden had been ''arguably, although ambiguously, relaxed'' for a brief period in late 1998 and early 1999 (how Clintonian). But CIA managers refused ''to take advantage of the ambiguities,'' and even if they had, the agency didn't have the covert-action capability to kill bin Laden. Such was life during history's holiday.
What's more scandalous is how the CIA has escaped serious reform even today. Two CIA directors in a row have resisted the IG report's recommendation for an accountability board to evaluate the pre-9/11 performance of CIA officials. That word - not ''board,'' but ''accountability'' - raises hackles at Langley, where everyone is above-average at fighting al-Qaida. Even though as many as 60 CIA employees knew that two of the hijackers were in the U.S. before 9/11 and no one managed to get the word to the FBI, CIA Director Michael Hayden thinks holding anyone accountable for that or other failures would be ''distracting.'' And so the band plays on.
http://monkeytenniscentre.blogspot.com/2007/09/soldiers-take-on-blackwater.html
Friday, September 28, 2007
A soldier’s take on Blackwater
I was going to try and lay off the Blackwater story for a bit, for reasons explained in the post below, but I just got the following comment on yesterday’s post – it’s so good I’m putting it up where more people will get to see it. ‘Buck’ debunks a lot of the BS surrounding the Blackwater story, and provides some great insight into what’s really going on in Iraq. This guy needs to get a blog!
“For the record, I’m an infantry NCO about to go back for his third tour. (I reenlisted, so save your boo-hoos for someone who cares).
I’ll say this: contractors earn the fair market value for what we all do over there. Soldiers don’t because we’re govt. employees just like the President. He doesn’t earn what Michael Eisner does either. However, soldiers also get paid roughly the same salary whether we’re at war or not, so it equals out eventually over a career.
Blackwater employees (who are all ex-Spec Ops guys; good luck being accepted if you’re not) only get paid while they’re at war. Thus, the higher pay ratio. Plus, they don’t have the trillion dollar baggage that comes with govt. employees, such as health insurance, retirement pensions, initial training costs, etc. You’d be surprised just how expensive maintaining just one G.I. from basic training onward can be. It’s a lot more than the cost of one Blackwater guy who’s on average performing far more dangerous work on a daily basis.
Like I said, I’m in the infantry, and frankly, I’d rather the govt. farm out that type of protective detail work than make us do it. It’s often dull and monotonous and it detracts from the real offensive operations that we’re trained for. Plus, it would just be our heads that everyone would be calling for after we were forced to take the EXACT SAME ACTIONS that the press rails against Blackwater et al. for taking.
Newsflash: diplomatic convoys in Iraq are huge targets for the enemy, and Iraqi civilians are notoriously bad eyewitnesses of anything. During my last tour, local shopkeepers were being openly gunned down on the street by the Mahdi Army, aka JAM (guys dressed just like ordinary Iraqi “civilians”) while we were literally a block away drinking chai with the local police captains trying to establish good rapport.
Within minutes we would haul to the scene on foot and ask who shot the man and people would point at us and say “you did.” (Meaning U.S. soldiers.) We were the only ones in the area, so we knew this to be untrue, but the rumors (actually well-timed enemy propaganda) had already spread so fast that even this man’s relatives were already convinced that we had shot him down. He had only been killed for this very reason: to blame on us and thus discredit all the hard work we had already put in around that section of Baghdad.
This type of scenario is what occurs on a daily basis all around Iraq. This is why the war has made such hard and slow progress. All-out combat is relatively rare in Iraq and has been for years. 90% of patrols go by without incident. But we are fighting an information war constantly, and it certainly does not help that our own media is so often complicit.”
‘Buck Sargent’
OEF 2003-04
OIF 2005-06
OIF 2007-?
Update: David at The Thunder Run informs me that the ‘original’ Buck Sargent, if this is he, does indeed have a blog: http://www.bucksargent.net/
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Posted by Mike at 4:51 PM
Labels: Blackwater, War on Terror
British History to be Rewritten so as to Include Muslims
My friend, D.J., once said, “What is history but an agreed upon set of lies and hyperboles to assuage the prevailing academic and social climate.”
At first, we all thought it was a witty and charming little ditty. We all had a good laugh and never really took it too seriously — until now…
mpholygrail.jpg
British history ‘needs rewrite’
By Brian Wheeler
Political reporter, BBC News, at the Labour conference
British history should be rewritten to make it “more inclusive”, says Trevor Phillips, the head of the new human rights and equality commission.
He said Muslims were also part of the national story and “sometimes we have to go back into the tapestry and insert some threads that were lost”.
He quoted the example of the Spanish Armada, which was held up by the Turks at the request of Queen Elizabeth I.
“It was the Turks who saved us,” Mr Phillips told a Labour fringe meeting.
Mr Phillips said he had also been persuaded of the need for a written constitution, saying the UK needed to be “more explicit in our understanding about how we treat each other”.
He said population changes and immigration were happening at unprecedented rate and there was “no going back”.
So it was no longer enough to assume people would inherit the values which bound the country together.
Speaking at an event organised by The Smith Institute, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Young Foundation, he said it was important that new arrivals learned English.
Must be ‘native’ and ‘right for us’
But he also stressed the importance of celebrating Britain’s “human rights culture” and said the government had to be more specific about what it meant to be British - rather than simply stressing values such as “freedom” which were universal.
“We have to have a more explicit set of understandings which we can all share about how we treat each other and we talk to each other and they have to be based on real values.
“I think the prime minister is right to talk about values but I think what is important is not the abstract values. Freedom is shared by all sorts of people.”
If there was a written constitution it would have to be “an expression which is native and right for us”.
He also stressed the importance of a national story in forging a shared sense of identity.
“I think we have to rewrite, redevelop, our national story so that it is inclusive.
“And what I mean by that in practice is this: not that we have to re-write what we are but sometimes we have to go back into the tapestry and insert some threads that were lost.”
‘Stormy times’
He said the abolition of the slave trade, for example, could be retold as being part of the English radical tradition.
“Part of the job of heritage is to cognitize - give physical existence - to that national story.
“And if there is a practical thing, I would say it is that we need to revisit some parts of that national heritage. to rewrite some parts of that national story to tell the whole story.
“When we talk about the Armada it’s only now that we are beginning to realise that part of it is Muslims,” Mr Phillips told the meeting.
“It was the Turks who saved us, because they held up Armada at the request of Elizabeth I.
“Now let’s rewrite that story, let’s use our heritage to rewrite that story so it is truly inclusive.
“That’s the reason for this so we have an identity which brings us together, which binds us in the stormy times that we are going to have in the next century.”
Explore posts in the same categories: British Muslims, Great Britain, History, academia
This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007
Thank you, Ruth.
Where Did the Book Go?
September 30th, 2007
Where Did the Book Go?
Writer Mark Steyn tells us what happened to a book called Alms For Jihad: Charity And Terrorism In The Islamic World written by J. Millard Burr, a former USAID relief coordinator, and a scholar, Robert O. Collins.
Critical of a wealthy Saudi, Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfouz, the book details his ties to charitable causes with ties to terrorism. As a result of a lawsuit in England, the publisher Cambridge University Press pulled all copies of the book.
Steyn questions the responsibility of the publisher for pulling the book and the chilling affect that such actions have on the First Amendment. You can find the article here: http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=59930&v=8454146811
http://terrorism.maxblog.eu/?p=2026
China blew up their own satellite to send America a message
China blew up their own satellite to send America a message
Most people are well aware of the recent blowing up of a Chinese satellite, by China, but is that all it was? I feel, as well as many others, that China was simply sending us a message with their actions. Most superpowers possess nuclear weapons, so no one sane would use a nuke to send a strong message to America. That is why China was letting us know that they have the technology and means to disrupt or destroy our satellites at any given moment, and since attacking a satellite is not actually attacking a country, we would not have grounds to attack their country. Our Global Positioning satellites would be the first to be attacked if China were to act any further, basically making us technologically blind. I personally feel if one attacks our property, in space or on Earth, that it should be treated the same as an attack in our country, but that is just my opinion. Read full story here:
# satellite message [url link]
http://terrorism.maxblog.eu/?p=2039
Censure Jimmy Carter? Absolutely!
Censure Jimmy Carter? Absolutely!
In fact, he should be indicted for Sedition and Treason!
Group Seeks to Censure Jimmy Carter
(CNSNews.com) by Susan Jones 22 Mar 2006 — They’re angry, they’re motivated, and they say their voices are going to be heard: A conservative, pro-military group has launched an effort to have former President Jimmy Carter censured by Congress.
That effort includes a CensureCarter website¹, which includes photos of Carter with various dictators and terrorists. Next week, Move America Forward said it will unveil a television ad campaign to spread the word about the effort to censure Carter. [Rest of the story]
Censuring Jimmy Carter
MelMorgan.jpg(WorldNetDaily.com) Commentary by Melanie Morgan 17 Mar 2006: The past few weeks the news media has been fixated on discussions of efforts by Democrats to either impeach or censure President Bush.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., has made the push to censure President Bush for the administration’s wiretapping of suspected terrorists. Meanwhile a group of activist liberals has launched ImpeachPAC, which is raising money to support congressional candidates who favor impeachment proceedings against Bush for taking the fight to the terrorists in Iraq.
I have a better idea, how about censuring a president who has increasingly led an effort to undermine American foreign policy and who has embraced terrorist organizations and urged international funding for them.
How about censuring former president Jimmy Carter?
While the mainstream news media has portrayed Carter in a saintly light, preoccupied with building homes for the underprivileged, Carter has devoted most of his time to condemning the United States to any audience who will have him. [Rest of the commentary]
Vox Populi: Censure Carter? Go for It!
(CNSNews.com) - Readers were all in favor of censuring former President Jimmy Carter. Some see him as an embarrassment, and a Georgia resident blames him for the problems the U.S. is facing today with Iran and North Korea. Read Letters to the Editor
And Cox & Forkum once again prove it’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words:
PeaceLoveGeno-X_lg.jpgYou can tell I’m a big fan of John Cox and Allen Forkum’s work. In fact, if Cox & Forkum were a religion, I’d be a devout Cox&Forkumist!
Duplomacy-X.jpgIt’s good when others validate your ticket, isn’t it? I’ve been ranting about Carter’s treasonous —a term I don’t use lightly— behavior for a long time. Check the links below for a number of previous posts and other links that by themselves constitute a considerable bill of indictment.
In some ², I imagined a phone message I’m sure has been left for Jimmy:
“Mr. Carter - Call your office. The Nobel committee called and wondered if you know where that Peace Prize is. . . .
They’d like it back.”
¹ Clearly this is an initiative I fully support. Check the newest link in our sidebar and if you’re so inclined, CensureCarter.comclick on the link to see the new website and sign the petition.
Melanie Morgan advises that as of today over 20,000 signatures have already been collected. I’d say that’s the start of a groundswell by any definition.
# Previous: Ramsey Clark, the war criminal’s best friend 26 Feb 2006
# Port Paranoia: Prudence or Prejudice? 23 Feb 2006
# The Iran quandary 06 Jan 2006
# “Democrats are the only reason to vote for Republicans” 26 Nov 2005
# Die in your anger 25 Nov 2005
# Bill Clinton to Israel: Iran No Threat 16 Nov 2005
# Peace Process? Laughable! 28 Oct 2005
# NewsMax reports 16 Oct 2005
# Army takes control of Iran nukes 14 Oct 2005
# ²Israelis urge U.S. to stop Iran’s nuke goals 01 Oct 2005
# ²Israelis hit back at Hamas in Gaza 26 Sep 2005
Technorati tags: Media , Politics , Terrorism ,
[40 years ago we found several of these camps, there was nothing left, a foundation or trash dump, maybe.
the bottom spot on the map would be Otay, Calif and it has been a subdivision for 50 years.
granny]
http://terrorism.maxblog.eu/?p=2070
Locations of American Concentration Camps
Locations of American Concentration Camps
ALABAMA
Opelika - Military compound either in or very near town.
Aliceville - WWII German POW camp - capacity 15,000
Ft. McClellan (Anniston) - Opposite side of town from Army Depot;
Maxwell AFB (Montgomery) - Civilian prison camp established under Operation Garden Plot, currently operating with support staff and small inmate population.
Talladega - Federal prison “satellite” camp.
ALASKA
Wilderness - East of Anchorage. No roads, Air & Railroad access only. Estimated capacity of 500,000 Elmendorf AFB - Northeast area of Anchorage - far end of base. Garden Plot facility.
Eielson AFB - Southeast of Fairbanks. Operation Garden Plot facility.
Ft. Wainwright - East of Fairbanks
ARIZONA
Ft. Huachuca - 20 miles from Mexican border, 30 miles from Nogales Rex ‘84 facility.
Pinal County - on the Gila River - WWII Japanese detention camp. May be renovated.
Yuma County - Colorado River - Site of former Japanese detention camp (near proving grounds). This site was completely removed in 1990 according to some reports.
Phoenix - Federal Prison Satellite Camp. Main federal facility expanded.
Florence - WWII prison camp NOW RENOVATED, OPERATIONAL with staff & 400 prisoners, operational capacity of 3,500.
Wickenburg - Airport is ready for conversion; total capacity unknown. Davis-Monthan AFB (Tucson) - Fully staffed and presently holding prisoners!!
Sedona - site of possible UN base.
ARKANSAS
Ft. Chaffee (near Fort Smith, Arkansas) - Has new runway for aircraft, new camp facility with cap of 40,000 prisoners Pine Bluff Arsenal - This location also is the repository for B-Z nerve agent, which causes sleepiness, dizziness, stupor; admitted use is for civilian control. Jerome - Chicot/Drew Counties - site of WWII Japanese camps Rohwer - Descha County - site of WWII Japanese camps Blythville AFB - Closed airbase now being used as camp. New wooden barracks have been constructed at this location. Classic decorations - guard towers, barbed wire, high fences. Berryville - FEMA facility located east of Eureka Springs off Hwy. 62. Omaha - Northeast of Berryville near Missouri state line, on Hwy 65 south of old wood processing plant. Possible crematory facility.
CALIFORNIA
Vandenburg AFB - Rex 84 facility, located near Lompoc & Santa Maria. Internment facility is located near the ocean, close to Space Launch Complex #6, also called “Slick Six”. The launch site has had “a flawless failure record” and is rarely used. Norton AFB - (closed base) now staffed with UN according to some sources. Tule Lake - area of “wildlife refuge”, accessible by unpaved road, just inside Modoc County. Fort Ord - Closed in 1994, this facility is now an urban warfare training center for US and foreign troops, and may have some “P.O.W. - C.I.” enclosures. Twenty-nine Palms Marine Base - Birthplace of the infamous “Would you shoot American citizens?” Quiz. New camps being built on “back. Oakdale - Rex 84 camp capable of holding at least 20,000 people. 90 mi. East of San Francisco. Terminal Island - (Long Beach) located next to naval shipyards operated by ChiCom shipping interests. Federal prison facility located here. Possible deportation point. Ft. Irwin - FEMA facility near Barstow. Base is designated inactive but has staffed camp. McClellan AFB - facility capable for 30,000 - 35,000 Sacramento - Army Depot - No specific information at this time. Mather AFB - Road to facility is blocked off by cement barriers and a stop sign. Sign states area is restricted; as of 1997 there were barbed wire fences pointing inward, a row of stadium lights pointed toward an empty field, etc. Black boxes on poles may have been cameras.
COLORADO
Trinidad - WWII German/Italian camp being renovated. Granada - Prowers County - WWII Japanese internment camp Ft. Carson - Along route 115 near Canon City
CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE
No data available.
FLORIDA
Avon Park - Air Force gunnery range, Avon Park has an on-base “correctional facility” which was a former WWII detention camp. Camp Krome - DoJ detention/interrogation center, Rex 84 facility Eglin AFB - This base is over 30 miles long, from Pensacola to Hwy 331 in De Funiak Springs. High capacity facility, presently manned and populated with some prisoners. Pensacola - Federal Prison Camp Everglades - It is believed that a facility may be carved out of the wilds here.
GEORGIA
Ft. Benning - Located east of Columbus near Alabama state line. Rex 84 site - Prisoners brought in via Lawson Army airfield. Ft. Mc Pherson - US Force Command - Multiple reports that this will be the national headquarters and coordinating center for foreign/UN troop movement and detainee collection. Ft. Gordon - West of Augusta - No information at this time. Unadilla - Dooly County - Manned, staffed FEMA prison on route 230, no prisoners. Oglethorpe - Macon County; facility is located five miles from Montezuma, three miles from Oglethorpe. This FEMA prison has no staff and no prisoners. Morgan - Calhoun County, FEMA facility is fully manned & staffed - no prisoners. Camilla - Mitchell County, south of Albany. This FEMA facility is located on Mt. Zion Rd approximately 5.7 miles south of Camilla. Unmanned - no prisoners, no staff. Hawkinsville - Wilcox County; Five miles east of town, fully manned and staffed but no prisoners. Located on fire road 100/Upper River Road Abbeville - South of Hawkinsville on US route 129; south of town off route 280 near Ocmulgee River. FEMA facility is staffed but without prisoners. McRae - Telfair County - 1.5 miles west of McRae on Hwy 134 (8th St). Facility is on Irwinton Avenue off 8th St., manned & staffed - no prisoners. Fort Gillem - South side of Atlanta - FEMA designated detention facility. Fort Stewart - Savannah area - FEMA designated detention facility
HAWAII
Halawa Heights area - Crematory facility located in hills above city. Area is marked as a state department of health laboratory. Barbers Point NAS - There are several military areas that could be equipped for detention / deportation. Honolulu - Detention transfer facility at the Honolulu airport similar in construction to the one in Oklahoma (pentagon-shaped building where airplanes can taxi up to).
IDAHO
Minidoka/Jerome Counties - WWII Japanese-American internment facility possibly under renovation. Clearwater National Forest - Near Lolo Pass - Just miles from the Montana state line near Moose Creek, this unmanned facility is reported to have a nearby airfield. Wilderness areas - Possible location. No data.
ILLINOIS
Marseilles - Located on the Illinois River off Interstate 80 on Hwy 6. It is a relatively small facility with a cap of 1400 prisoners. Though it is small it is designed like prison facilities with barred windows, but the real smoking gun is the presence of military vehicles. Being located on the Illinois River it is possible that prisoners will be brought in by water as well as by road and air. This facility is approximately 75 miles west of Chicago. National Guard training area nearby. Scott AFB - Barbed wire prisoner enclosure reported to exist just off-base. More info needed, as another facility on-base is believed to exist. Pekin - This Federal satellite prison camp is also on the Illinois River, just south of Peoria. It supplements the federal penitentiary in Marion, which is equipped to handle additional population outside on the grounds. Chanute AFB - Rantoul, near Champaign/Urbana - This closed base had WWII - era barracks that were condemned and torn down, but the medical facility was upgraded and additional fencing put up in the area. More info needed. Marion - Federal Penitentiary and satellite prison camp inside Crab Orchard Nat’l Wildlife Refuge. Manned, staffed, populated fully. Greenfield - Two federal correctional “satellite prison camps” serving Marion - populated as above. Shawnee National Forest - Pope County - This area has seen heavy traffic of foreign military equipment and troops via Illinois Central Railroad, which runs through the area. Suspected location is unknown, but may be close to Vienna and Shawnee correctional centers, located 6 mi. west of Dixon Springs. Savanna Army Depot - NW area of state on Mississippi River. Lincoln, Sheridan, Menard, Pontiac, Galesburg - State prison facilities equipped for major expansion and close or adjacent to highways & railroad tracks. Kankakee - Abandoned industrial area on west side of town (Rt.17 & Main) designated as FEMA detention site. Equipped with water tower, incinerator, a small train yard behind it and the rear of the facility is surrounded by barbed wire facing inwards.
INDIANA
Indianapolis / Marion County - Amtrak railcar repair facility (closed); controversial site of a major alleged detention / processing center. Although some sources state that this site is a “red herring”, photographic and video evidence suggests otherwise. This large facility contains large 3-4 inch gas mains to large furnaces (crematoria??), helicopter landing pads, railheads for prisoners, Red/Blue/Green zones for classifying/processing incoming personnel, one-way turnstiles, barracks, towers, high fences with razor wire, etc. Personnel with government clearance who are friendly to the patriot movement took a guided tour of the facility to confirm this site. This site is located next to a closed refrigeration plant facility. Ft. Benjamin Harrison - Located in the northeast part of Indianapolis, this base has been decommissioned from “active” use but portions are still ideally converted to hold detainees. Helicopter landing areas still exist for prisoners to be brought in by air, land & rail. Crown Point - Across street from county jail, former hospital. One wing presently being used for county work-release program, 80% of facility still unused. Possible FEMA detention center or holding facility. Camp Atterbury - Facility is converted to hold prisoners and boasts two active compounds presently configured for minimum security detainees. Located just west of Interstate 65 near Edinburgh, south of Indianapolis. Terre Haute - Federal Correctional Institution, Satellite prison camp and death facility. Equipped with crematoria reported to have a capacity of 3,000 people a day. FEMA designated facility located here. Fort Wayne - This city located in Northeast Indiana has a FEMA designated detention facility, accessible by air, road and nearby rail. Kingsbury - This “closed” military base is adjacent to a state fish & wildlife preserve. Part of the base is converted to an industrial park, but the southern portion of this property is still used. It is bordered on the south by railroad, and is staffed with some foreign-speaking UN troops. A local police officer who was hunting and camping close to the base in the game preserve was accosted, roughed up, and warned by the English-speaking unit commander to stay away from the area. It was suggested to the officer that the welfare of his family would depend on his “silence”. Located just southeast of LaPorte. Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Area - Youth Corrections farm located here. Facility is “closed”, but is still staffed and being “renovated”. Total capacity unknown. Grissom AFB - This closed airbase still handles a lot of traffic, and has a “state-owned” prison compound on the southern part of the facility.
UNICOR
. Jefferson Proving Grounds - Southern Indiana - This facility was an active base with test firing occurring daily. Portions of the base have been opened to create an industrial park, but other areas are still highly restricted. A camp is believed to be located “downrange”. Facility is equipped with an airfield and has a nearby rail line. Newport - Army Depot - VX nerve gas storage facility. Secret meetings were held here in 1998 regarding the addition of the Kankakee River watershed to the Heritage Rivers Initiative. Hammond - large enclosure identified in FEMA-designated city.
IOWA
No data available.
KANSAS
Leavenworth - US MarshalÂ’s Fed Holding Facility, US Penitentiary, Federal Prison Camp, McConnell Air Force Base. Federal death penalty facility. Concordia - WWII German POW camp used to exist at this location but there is no facility there at this time. Ft. Riley - Just north of Interstate 70, airport, near city of Manhattan. El Dorado - Federal prison converted into forced-labor camp, UNICOR industries. Topeka - 80 acres has been converted into a temporary holding camp.
KENTUCKY
Ashland - Federal prison camp in Eastern Kentucky near the Ohio River. Louisville - FEMA detention facility, located near restricted area US naval ordnance plant. Military airfield located at facility, which is on south side of city. Lexington - FEMA detention facility, National Guard base with adjacent airport facility. Manchester - Federal prison camp located inside Dan Boone National Forest. Ft. Knox - Detention center, possibly located near Salt River, in restricted area of base. Local patriots advise that black Special Forces & UN gray helicopters are occasionally seen in area. Land Between the Lakes - This area was declared a UN biosphere and is an ideal geographic location for detention facilities. Area is an isthmus extending out from Tennessee, between Lake Barkley on the east and Kentucky Lake on the west. Just scant miles from Fort Campbell in Tennessee.
LOUISIANA
Ft. Polk - This is a main base for UN troops & personnel, and a training center for the disarmament of America. Livingston - WWII German/Italian internment camp being renovated?; halfway between Baton Rouge and Hammond, several miles north of Interstate 12. Oakdale - Located on US route 165 about 50 miles south of Alexandria; two federal detention centers just southeast of Fort Polk.
MAINE
Houlton - WWII German internment camp in Northern Maine, off US Route 1.
MARYLAND, and DC
Ft. Meade - Halfway between the District of Criminals and Baltimore. Data needed. Ft. Detrick - Biological warfare center for the NWO, located in Frederick.
MASSACHUSETTS
Camp Edwards / Otis AFB - Cape Cod - This “inactive” base is being converted to hold many New Englander patriots. Capacity unknown. Ft. Devens - Active detention facility. More data needed.
MICHIGAN
Camp Grayling - Michigan NatÂ’l Guard base has several confirmed detention camps, classic setup with high fences, razor wire, etc. Guard towers are very well-built, sturdy. Multiple compounds within larger enclosures. Facility deep within forest area. Sawyer AFB - Upper Peninsula - south of Marquette - No data available. Bay City - Classic enclosure with guard towers, high fence, and close to shipping port on Saginaw Bay, which connects to Lake Huron. Could be a deportation point to overseas via St. Lawrence Seaway. Southwest - possibly Berrien County - FEMA detention center. Lansing - FEMA detention facility.
MINNESOTA
Duluth - Federal prison camp facility. Camp Ripley - new prison facility.
MISSISSIPPI
These sites are confirmed hoaxes. Hancock County - NASA test site De Soto National Forest. “These two supposed camps in Mississippi do not exist. Members of the Mississippi Militia have checked these out on more than one occasion beginning back when they first appeared on the Internet and throughout the Patriot Movement.” - Commander D. Rayner, Mississippi Militia
MISSOURI
Richards-Gebaur AFB - located in Grandview, near K.C.MO. A very large internment facility has been built on this base, and all base personnel are restricted from coming near it. Ft. Leonard Wood - Situated in the middle of Mark Twain National Forest in Pulaski County. This site has been known for some UN training, also home to the US Army Urban Warfare Training school “Stem Village”. Warsaw - Unconfirmed report of a large concentration camp facility.
MONTANA
Malmstrom AFB - UN aircraft groups stationed here, and possibly a detention facility.
NEBRASKA
Scottsbluff - WWII German POW camp (renovated?). Northwest, Northeast corners of state - FEMA detention facilities - more data needed. South Central part of state - Many old WWII sites - some may be renovated.
NEVADA
Elko - Ten miles south of town. Wells - Camp is located in the OÂ’Niel basin area, 40 miles north of Wells, past Thousand Springs, west off Hwy 93 for 25 miles. Pershing County - Camp is located at I-80 mile marker 112, south side of the highway, about a mile back on the county road and then just off the road about 3/4mi. Winnemucca - Battle Mountain area - at the base of the mountains. Nellis Air Force Range - Northwest from Las Vegas on Route 95. Nellis AFB is just north of Las Vegas on Hwy 604. Stillwater Naval Air Station - east of Reno . No additional data.
NEW HAMPSHIRE / VERMONT
Northern New Hampshire - near Lake Francis. No additional data.
NEW JERSEY
Ft. Dix / McGuire AFB - Possible deportation point for detainees. Lots of pictures taken of detention compounds and posted on Internet, this camp is well-known. Facility is now complete and ready for occupancy.
NEW MEXICO
Ft. Bliss - This base actually straddles Texas state line. Just south of Alomogordo, Ft. Bliss has thousands of acres for people who refuse to go with the “New Order”. Holloman AFB (Alomogordo)- Home of the German Luftwaffe in Amerika; major UN base. New facility being built on this base, according to recent visitors. Many former USAF buildings have been torn down by the busy and rapidly growing German military force located here. Fort Stanton - currently being used as a youth detention facility approximately 35 miles north of Ruidoso, New Mexico. Not a great deal of information concerning the Lordsburg location. White Sands Missile Range - Currently being used as a storage facility for United Nations vehicles and equipment. Observers have seen this material brought in on the Whitesands rail spur in Oro Grande New Mexico about thirty miles from the Texas, New Mexico Border.
NEW YORK
Ft. Drum - two compounds: Rex 84 detention camp and FEMA detention facility. Albany - FEMA detention facility. Otisville - Federal correctional facility, near Middletown. Buffalo - FEMA detention facility.
NORTH CAROLINA
Camp Lejeune / New River Marine Airfield - facility has renovated, occupied WWII detention compounds and “mock city” that closely resembles Anytown, USA. Fort Bragg - Special Warfare Training Center. Renovated WWII detention facility. Andrews - Federal experiment in putting a small town under siege. Began with the search/ hunt for survivalist Eric Rudolph. No persons were allowed in or out of town without federal permission and travel through town was highly restricted. Most residents compelled to stay in their homes. Unregistered Baptist pastor from Indiana visiting Andrews affirmed these facts.
NORTH DAKOTA
Minot AFB - Home of UN air group. More data needed on facility.
OHIO
Camp Perry - Site renovated; once used as a POW camp to house German and Italian prisoners of WWII. Some tar paper covered huts built for housing these prisoners are still standing. Recently, the construction of multiple 200-man barracks have replaced most of the huts. Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus - FEMA detention facilities. Data needed. Lima - FEMA detention facility. Another facility located in/near old stone quarry near Interstate 75. Railroad access to property, fences etc.
OKLAHOMA
Tinker AFB (OKC) - All base personnel are prohibited from going near civilian detention area, which is under constant guard. Will Rogers World Airport - FEMAÂ’s main processing center for west of the Mississippi. All personnel are kept out of the security zone. Federal prisoner transfer center located here (A pentagon-shaped building where airplanes can taxi up to). Photos have been taken and this site will try to post soon! El Reno - Renovated federal internment facility with CURRENT population of 12,000 on Route 66. McAlester - near Army Munitions Plant property - former WWII German / Italian POW camp designated for future use. Ft. Sill (Lawton) - Former WWII detention camps. More data still needed.
OREGON
Sheridan - Federal prison satellite camp northwest of Salem. Josephine County - WWII Japanese internment camp ready for renovation. Sheridan - FEMA detention center. Umatilla - New prison spotted.
PENNSYLVANIA
Allenwood - Federal prison camp located south of Williamsport on the Susquehanna River. It has a current inmate population of 300, and is identified by William Pabst as having a capacity in excess of 15,000 on 400 acres.
Indiantown Gap Military Reservation - located north of Harrisburg. Used for WWII POW camp and renovated by Jimmy Carter. Was used to hold Cubans during Mariel boat lift.
Camp Hill - State prison close to Army depot. Lots of room, located in Camp Hill, Pa. New Cumberland Army Depot - on the Susquehanna River, located off Interstate 83 and Interstate 76.
Schuylkill Haven - Federal prison camp, north of Reading.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Greenville - Unoccupied youth prison camp; total capacity unknown.
Charleston - Naval Reserve & Air Force base, restricted area on naval base.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Yankton - Federal prison camp
Black Hills NatÂ’l Forest - north of Edgemont, southwest part of state. WWII internment camp being renovated.
TENNESSEE
Ft. Campbell - Next to Land Between the Lakes; adjacent to airfield and US Alt. 41.
Millington - Federal prison camp next door to Memphis Naval Air Station.
Crossville - Site of WWII German / Italian prison camp is renovated; completed barracks and behind the camp in the woods is a training facility with high tight ropes and a rappelling deck.
Nashville - There are two buildings built on State property that are definitely built to hold prisoners. They are identical buildings - side by side on Old Briley Parkway. High barbed wire fence that curves inward.
TEXAS
Austin - Robert Mueller Municipal airport has detention areas inside hangars.
Bastrop - Prison and military vehicle motor pool.
Eden - 1500 bed privately run federal center. Currently holds illegal aliens.
Ft. Hood (Killeen) - Newly built concentration camp, with towers, barbed wire etc., just like the one featured in the movie Amerika. Mock city for NWO shock- force training. Some footage of this area was used in “Waco: A New Revelation” Reese AFB (Lubbock) - FEMA designated detention facility.
Sheppard AFB - in Wichita Falls just south of Ft. Sill, OK. FEMA designated detention facility.
North Dallas - near Carrolton - water treatment plant, close to interstate and railroad.
Mexia - East of Waco 33mi.; WWII German facility may be renovated.
Amarillo - FEMA designated detention facility
Ft. Bliss (El Paso) - Extensive renovation of buildings and from what patriots have been able to see, many of these buildings that are being renovated are being surrounded by razor wire.
Beaumont / Port Arthur area - hundreds of acres of federal camps already built on large-scale detention camp design, complete with the double rows of chain link fencing with razor type concertina wire on top of each row. Some (but not all) of these facilities are currently being used for low-risk state prisoners who require a minimum of supervision.
Ft. Worth - Federal prison under construction on the site of Carswell AFB.
UTAH
Millard County - Central Utah - WWII Japanese camp. (Renovated?)
Ft. Douglas - This “inactive” military reservation has a renovated WWII concentration camp.
Migratory Bird Refuge - West of Brigham City - contains a WWII internment camp that was built before the game preserve was established.
Cedar City - east of city - no data available. Wendover - WWII internment camp may be renovated.
Skull Valley - southwestern Camp William property - east of the old bombing range. Camp was accidentally discovered by a man and his son who were rabbit hunting; they were discovered and apprehended. SW of Tooele.
VIRGINIA
Ft. A.P. Hill (Fredericksburg) - Rex 84 / FEMA facility. Estimated capacity 45,000.
Petersburg - Federal satellite prison camp, south of Richmond.
WEST VIRGINIA
Beckley - Alderson - Lewisburg - Former WWII detention camps that are now converted into active federal prison complexes capable of holding several times their current populations. Alderson is presently a womenÂ’s federal reformatory.
Morgantown - Federal prison camp located in northern WV; just north of Kingwood.
Mill Creek - FEMA detention facility.
Kingwood - Newly built detention camp at Camp Dawson Army Reservation. More data needed on Camp Dawson.
WASHINGTON
Seattle/Tacoma - SeaTac Airport: fully operational federal transfer center
Okanogan County - Borders Canada and is a site for a massive concentration camp capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people for slave labor. This is probably one of the locations that will be used to hold hard core patriots who will be held captive for the rest of their lives.
Sand Point Naval Station - Seattle - FEMA detention center used actively during the 1999 WTO protests to classify prisoners.
Ft. Lewis / McChord AFB - near Tacoma - This is one of several sites that may be used to ship prisoners overseas for slave labor.
WISCONSIN
Ft. McCoy - Rex 84 facility with several complete interment compounds.
Oxford - Central part of state - Federal prison & staellite camp and FEMA detention facility.
WYOMING
Heart Mountain - Park County N. of Cody - WWII Japanese interment camp ready for renovation.
Laramie - FEMA detention facility
Southwest - near Lyman - FEMA detention facility
East Yellowstone - Manned internment facility - Investigating patriots were apprehended by European soldiers speaking in an unknown language. Federal government assumed custody of the persons and arranged their release.
OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
There are many other locations not listed above that are worthy of consideration as a possible detention camp site, but due to space limitations and the time needed to verify, could not be included here. Virtually all military reservations, posts, bases, stations, & depots can be considered highly suspect (because it is “federal” land). Also fitting this category are “Regional Airports” and “International Airports” which also fall under federal jurisdiction and have limited-access areas. Mental hospitals, closed hospitals & nursing homes, closed military bases, wildlife refuges, state prisons, toxic waste dumps, hotels and other areas all have varying degrees of potential for being a detention camp area. The likelihood of a site being suspect increases with transportation access to the site, including airports/airstrips, railheads, navigable waterways & ports, interstate and US highways. Some facilities are “disguised” as industrial or commercial properties, camouflaged or even wholly contained inside large buildings (Indianapolis) or factories. Many inner-city buildings left vacant during the de-industrialization of America have been quietly acquired and held, sometimes retrofitted for their new uses.
CANADA
Our Canadian friends tell us that virtually all Canadian military bases, especially those north of the 50th Parallel, are all set up with concentration camps. Not even half of these can be listed, but here are a few sites with the massive land space to handle any population:
Suffield CFB - just north of Medicine Hat, less than 60 miles from the USA.
Primrose Lake Air Range - 70 miles northeast of Edmonton.
Wainwright CFB - halfway between Medicine Hat and Primrose Lake.
Ft. Nelson - Northernmost point on the BC Railway line.
Ft. McPherson - Very cold territory ~ NW Territories. Ft. Providence - Located on Great Slave Lake. Halifax - Nova Scotia. Dept. of National Defense reserveÂ…. And others.
OVERSEAS LOCATIONS
Guayanabo, Puerto Rico - Federal prison camp facility. Capacity unknown.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - US Marine Corps Base - Presently home to 30,000 Marines Cubans and 40,000 Albanians, and how many from Afghanistan and Iraq?. Total capacity unknown.
My original story on ‘Concentration Camps built for American Citizens’: Concentration Camps for American Citizens
Any Questions?
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 30th, 2007 at 11:20 am and is filed under terrorism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
http://terrorism.maxblog.eu/?p=2077
Give me a break, Mr. Ramsey
Give me a break, Mr. Ramsey
Ibrahim Ramsey, the Civil and Human Rights Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom division of the MAS, needs to chill as he writes, “For U.S. Muslims, More Surveillance Could Mean More Intimidation.” He worries that an unfettered prosecution will select Muslims as targets because prosecutors are “willing and able to stretch, and even distort, the law when it comes to Muslims.”
His case in point? None other than that of Sami Al-Arian, who according to Ramsey “languishes in a prison, suffering from diabetes and severe deprivation and cruelty, without being convicted of any crime. “
Wrong poster boy you have there, Mr. Ramsey. Sami Al-Arian is in prison because a) he pleaded guilty to assisting Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terror organization responsible for hundreds of murders, something he denied doing for more than 10 years, and b) he refuses to testify in a terror prosecution claiming that his plea agreement exempts him from what every other citizen must do when called upon.
http://www.masnet.org/views.asp?id=4177
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 30th, 2007 at 1:05 pm and is filed under terrorism.
http://terrorism.maxblog.eu/?p=2087
United States experiencing mysterious odors
United States experiencing mysterious odors
The reports of mysterious odors are popping up all over the United States. New York City experienced an odor with no known origin earlier this year, creating somewhat of a panic with the citizens, which is understandable in these terror times. Connecticut has had there share of an enigma fragrance, with no origin ever discovered. Even as far North as Alaska, an odor with no known host was evident to citizens and public officials alike. There are countless other locations throughout the U.S. that has had mystery scents make a guest appearance with no known cause. Could these odors be tests by the U.S. Government, to study the paths in which they take, so as to know where a real toxic cloud would go if a dirty bomb was ever set off by terrorists? How far fetched is it for the security agencies to perform tests in real cities, so as to better prepare for a real threat? It is better to know the path that a toxic cloud would travel, so as to minimize casualties. However, if in fact, these non-toxic odors are created by our government, they could at least inform the city officials, so that the citizens could be notified prior to testing, to ease fears that is not surprisingly caused by it. If these smells are not due to government tests, then someone undesirable may be doing tests of their own. Also, not far fetched, is terror cells performing their own tests, to track the pattern that a dirty bomb would make if detonated. Whatever the creator of these odors, it is not known to the public or even city officials. Do you have any theories?
Below are just a few stories involving these mystery odors in the United States.
New York City odor story: NYC ODOR
Connecticut odor: Conn. odor
Nikiski, Alaska odor: Alaska odor
San Diego odor: San Diego odor
This entry was posted on Sunday, September 30th, 2007 at 3:37 pm and is filed under terrorism.
[live links at site]
[I keep thinking “buy Horse and strong ropes, tour Canada”, but then I say a prayer of thanks for all of our Military, that did not go to Canada and will not...........Thank you.
granny]
Escaping War: America’s Refugee Soldiers
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=3&id=10364
Escaping War: America’s Refugee Soldiers
29/09/2007
By Mina Al-Oraibi
London, Asharq Al-Awsat- When 26 year old Lee Zaslofsky bid his
parents farewell as he prepared to flee to an unknown future in
Canada, rather then serve in a war he did not believe in, little did
he know that three decades later he would be at the forefront of a
campaign to help a new generation of US soldiers flee a war and seek
asylum in Canada.
The US Army is facing difficulties in recruitment; the monthly number
of army volunteers is at its lowest in years, in addition to an
increasing number of soldiers opting to go north to Canada rather than
east to Iraq.
After evading the Vietnam War by seeking refuge in Canada in January
1970, where he has remained since; Zaslofsky is now trying to help
soldiers who have made the same choice with regards to the war in Iraq.
“I never expected this to happen in my country again,” Zaslofsky told
Asharq Al-Awsat in reference to the US being embroiled in a long war
that lacks public support.
Zaslofsky, speaking from Toronto, added, “Many of these American
soldiers decide against fighting in this war, like they did with
Vietnam, because they feel sorry for what they’ve seen happen to the
people there. They prefer the hard choice of leaving their country for
good rather than being involved in this war.”
Since 2004, Zaslofsky has been working with the War Resisters Support
Campaign, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to help
American soldiers fleeing to Canada and protect their rights. With
approximately 75 volunteers, Zaslofsky explained that the campaign,
“aims to help those (soldiers) who arrive in Canada in several ways:
we provide them with material aid and give them legal advice and
provide them with housing at the houses of volunteers.” He added that,
“the other part of our work is the important political work, raising
awareness in the media and pushing the Canadian government to allow
them to stay here.”
War Resisters Support Campaign was the first destination for James
Burmeister who decided to leave the US Army last spring after being
informed that he would be redeployed to Iraq. Burmeister had
previously served six months in Iraq that ended with a serious injury
in which he lost hearing in his left ear.
As to the reasons behind his opposition to the war and his decision to
not return to Iraq, Burmeister told Asharq Al-Awsat, “I stopped
believing in this war. I was told I would do humanitarian work in
Iraq, things like building schools and hospitals to help the Iraqis
but I found it (the war) was all about kill and capture operations.”
He revealed that going to Iraq last year was his first military combat
experience, saying that the suffering he had endured there was
unexpected. “It’s nothing like what we see in the movies or what we
are told. You go looking for trouble and you don’t see it for weeks,
then suddenly there is so much chaos,” he said in reference to the
targeting of US troops in Iraq.
Burmeister arrived in Canada in May 2007 from Germany where he had
been in the American military hospital [Landstuhl Regional Medical
Center (LRMC)] recovering from an injury he had suffered following a
bomb explosion that targeted his convoy in the Iraqi capital.
Following three months of lengthy treatment and surgery for a head
injury, the US Army issued an order to send Burmeister back to Iraq.
“They wanted to send me back there on crutches and taking
anti-depressants,” he said.
Burmeister spoke at length of the psychological effects the war had on
him, saying “I realized how my mind was changing while I was in Iraq,
I just wanted to kill. I had to step back, it was frightening.”
This is when Burmeister knew that returning to Iraq was not an option.
He went to Toronto with his German wife whom he had met during the
time he was based in Germany before his first trip to Iraq. After he
contacted volunteers from the War Resisters Support Campaign, he
relocated to Ottawa where he stayed with a volunteering family since
all the houses of the volunteers in Toronto were occupied by other
soldiers.
Burmeister feels a certain sense of guilt towards his comrades who
remain in Iraq, thinking at times about returning to his country.
“Because I feel it’s the right thing to do even if I face prison or
a dishonorable discharge from the army,” but added, “I can’t go back
to the killing.”
Burmeister says he refuses to participate in the practices of what he
described as “small kill teams”, which include “four of five soldiers,
with a couple of snipers, who would go out on the streets and put
something out, like a camera. Then they’d put a sign out [that said]
if anyone touched it, they would be killed. But a lot of these people
do not read English, so they would touch it to see what it is, and
then they would be shot. [This is justified by] saying the American
army has the right to shoot anyone trying to steal its property.”
“People there are nice. Most of the Iraqis I met are smart, spoke good
English, they are really respectful people especially the elders,”
he said, “I’d lay my life down for the Iraqis but I don’t see a role
for us there they are fighting each other, and us being there won’t
change that.”
Like all other applications issued by American soldiers in Canada,
Burmeister’s asylum application was rejected. It was also stated that
his pregnant wife should return back to the US since she would not
face prosecution if she returned to Germany. Should Burmeister return,
it is likely that the army will redeploy him to Iraq or he would
face a court martial.
Burmeister’s family supports his decision; he said that they call him
on a daily basis from Oregon to check on him. However, Matthew Lowell,
another American soldier in Canada, is not so sure his family backs
his decision. “I do talk to my family, although they haven’t come to
visit me at all. As far as them supporting my decision, I am not fully
certain,” he said.
Unlike Burmeister, Lowell did not serve in Iraq; in fact he has never
been there but chose to seek asylum before his time came to fight in
Iraq in protest against the US presence in Iraq.
In his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Lowell said, “I tried to get
out legitimately before deciding to go AWOL [Absent Without Official
Leave]. Nothing I did worked though; I came to Canada first in
September-October 2003. At that time, I didn’t know about applying for
refugee status or a work permit and just got a job that paid under the
table”.
But then Lowell decided to return to his country, “After about seven
to eight months, my mum talked me into going back and trying to get
everything resolved. I went back, told them I wanted out, that I
didn’t agree with what was going on in Iraq and I didn’t want [to be]
any part of it.”
Upon his return to the US, his attempts to get out of the military
failed and so he escaped Fort Knox in Kentucky and was imprisoned for
four days as a result. He was forced to return whereupon he was
physically assaulted and maltreated, according to his account. In
November 2005, he made the decision to escape to Canada alone and for
good.
Stressing his opposition against the war in Iraq, Lowell said, “From
the beginning I could see that it had nothing to do with (Al-Qaeda
leader Osama) Bin Laden; it was not in defense of our country, Saddam
was not an immediate threat to the US.” Furthermore, he insisted that
he had opposed the war from a moral standpoint even before it had
begun, “Later on, however, I started to realize that it wasn’t
sanctioned by the UN, women and children were getting killed and the
US was bombing cities without sending warnings for people to
evacuate,” he said.
In 2004, Jeremy Hinzman of the 82nd Airborne Division became the
American first soldier to seek refuge in Canada since the beginning of
the war in Iraq. He was 25 years old when he first arrived in Canada
where he came with his wife Nga Thi Nguyen and their son Liam.
However, his request for asylum was rejected.
Nineteen year-old American soldier Brandon Hughey arrived at the city
of Saint Catherines [Ontario] two months later, and the number of
asylum seeking troops has been on the rise since then. Since 2004, 35
soldiers have turned to War Resistors Support Campaign for help after
arriving in Canada. Many come with their families, which makes the
number of Americans fleeing to Canada approximately 100 people.
Zaslofsky stated that presently, there are between 100-200 US soldiers
in Canada, however not all of them had contacted the Campaign and the
majority of them have not sought asylum, which makes it difficult to
get an accurate enumeration. Thus far, the Immigration and Refugee
Board (IRB) in Canada has rejected the asylum applications submitted
by US Army deserters.
In March 2005, Hinzman applied to be discharged or reassigned as a
Conscientious Objector (CO) against the war in Iraq, but the IRB did
not consider the reason sufficient to grant him asylum in Canada. The
Supreme Court of Canada is expected to consider Hinzman’s case this
fall. If the Supreme Court were to agree to hear his case then the
issue of US soldiers seeking asylum in Canada will become a
wide-spanning judicial one that will compel the IRB to look into more
cases. However, until this time comes, Hinzman, like other US
soldiers, will continue to await a change in Canadian policy.
It is worth noting that between 1965 and 1973, over 50,000 Americans
who were within the conscription age during the Vietnam War moved to
Canada to dodge the draft. Adopting a stance against the war, Pierre
Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister stated, “Those who make the
conscientious judgments that they must not participate in the warÂ…
have my complete sympathy,” confirming that, “Canada should be a
refuge from militarism.”
However, the incumbent Canadian government, led by Stephen Harper’s
Conservative Party, and who is close to President George W. Bush, does
not want to open its doors to fleeing US soldiers.
Despite the Canadian government’s caution to maintain good relations
with the US administration, there is public pressure and demands to
let the American troops remain in Canada. According to a poll
published last August 16, 64.5 percent of the population of Ontario,
one of Canada’s largest provinces, voted in favor of allowing the US
troops to stay in Canada, while 27.2 percent voted that they be
repatriated back to the United States, and the rest were unsure.
According to Zaslofsky, “The current government is the main obstacle
for them staying here; it’s a minority conservative government that
wants to stay close to the Bush administration”. He added, “If this
government was in power when the decision to go to war in Iraq was
taken (2003), it would have decided to take part in it.”
It is noteworthy that the former Canadian government had refused to
participate in the war and continued to oppose it until the
Conservative Party of Canada came to office in January 2006.
But the Canadian Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration refuses to
draw a comparison between the current situation and the Vietnam War.
As the spokesperson for the ministry said, “The two situations are
incomparable”. She added that, “The ministry has received 13
applications for asylum, two of them have been assessed and turned
down and they are now being appealed at the [Immigration and] Refugee
Board. The rest are being assessed.”
If the ministry decided that a case deserved consideration as an
asylum case, it would send it to the IRB, which would then decide
whether to accept or reject the case. But the spokesman refrained from
discussing the details of the asylum seeking policy and concluded
that, “Each case is decided individually and [based] on its merit.”
But both Burmeister and Lowell’s applications to seek asylum in Canada
have been rejected. Lowell explained that his case was denied because
he was facing “prosecution not persecution” in the event of returning
to his country. The US Department of Defense refused to comment on the
issue of US soldiers in Canada; however, a spokesperson said that, “In
2006 there was a slight increase from previous years”. Regarding the
consequences of sending soldiers to the US after going AWOL, she said
“each case is evaluated on an individual basis, but the policy is to
return most deserters to their unit because those commanders are in
the best position to address the soldiers’ specific issues.”
Moreover, she explained that, “the army does not actively look for
deserters, but they can be returned to military control by civilian
law enforcement. This normally happens when police check
identification during a traffic stop.”
Lowell understands that there are American circles, and even Iraqi
ones, that consider deserting to be a cowardly act. His response is:
“call me what you want. I left my country, my friends, my family, all
because of my conscience and morals. What kind of person would I be if
I agreed to participate in the slaughtering of people who didn’t agree
with my way of life, who didn’t threaten my family, my friends, and
everything that I know? When I joined the military it was to defend
all those that I hold dear. I volunteered for the military on those
grounds, so why if we aren’t defending, should I have to kill?” He
concluded: “At least I can still hold my head up high and carry myself
with pride and respect”.
While Burmeister and Lowell await the Supreme Court’s decision
regarding their cases, they depend on the help of war resistors in
Canada. If their appeals are refused then they would be forced to
return to the US, however Zaslofsky expressed doubts that the soldiers
would be repatriated and said, “that would cause a big outcry in
Canada and would embarrass the government, so that might keep them
here for a while and then look into it.”
With the US presence in Iraq and in the absence of declaring a date
for withdrawal, the gradual flow of American soldiers into Canada
shows no signs of abating. Zaslofsky revealed that he has begun to
receive daily emails and phone calls from US soldiers inquiring about
their rights and the means to Canada.
“Some get in touch just to inquire and know what there options are, we
don’t advise them to come to Canada unless all their other options are
out and we advise them to think long and hard before making their
decision.” He added that once the decision is made, “we give them
advice on what to expect once they come here and how they can cross
the border,” and was quick to emphasize that, “we don’t tell them to
do anything illegal.”
After having fled the US thinking he would never return, Zaslofsky was
able to go back in 1975 after then-US-President Gerald Ford issued a
partial amnesty to some draft dodgers, while former US President Jimmy
Carter who came after him ordered a general amnesty. However, with the
turbulent security situation in Iraq and the unlikelihood of the US
withdrawing its troops next year, the future of US soldiers remains
uncertain in Iraq, the United States and Canada.
You are very welcome.
September 30, 2007 Anti-Terrorism News
Iraqi army says kills 40 militants — arrested 8, defused bombs in operations in Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070930/ts_nm/iraq_army_dc_1;_ylt=AiHPzIUAAtY2QzANgju2PfJX6GMA
(Iraq) Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda network; two killed, 21 detained
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14348&Itemid=128
(Iraq) Al-Qaeda senior leader captured in Samara - report — Abdel-Rahman al-Anbary
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1361103.php/Al-Qaeda_senior_leader_captured_in_Samara_-_report
(Iraq) US says Iranian-made missiles found in Iraq
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestiranus_070930130734;_ylt=AqLEwL5ONnLITqIEEENn8edX6GMA
(Iraq) U.S. struggle to defeat IEDs takes place in streets, shadows
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21053750/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/29/AR2007092900750.html?hpid=topnews
Washington Post historical analysis of IEDs issues in Afghanistan and Iraq - summer 2002 - summer 2004
(my title)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/29/AR2007092900751.html?hpid=topnews
(Iraq) US soldier killed in small arms fire attack in Baghdad
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=1024037
(Iraq) Death toll in Mosul car bomb rises to 6 killed, 21 injured — update
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=1023964
(Iraq) Tribal Members Join in Effort To Assist U.S., Iraqi Forces
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/29/AR2007092901528.html
(Iraq) Diyala sheiks pledge cooperation to oust al-Qaida, but reconciliation remains bumpy
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Rocky-Reconciliation.php
(Iraq) U.S. Embassy reiterates support for unified Iraq
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq.php
(Afghanistan) Six Afghan police killed in Kandahar
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2007/September/subcontinent_September1167.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
(Afghanistan) Three civilians, two police killed in Afghanistan — in Paktya — Taliban ambush in Paktya province — 7 Taliban killed and 3 arrested after fighting
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrest_070930122453;_ylt=Au2jLHKyDznulD.2EzV.xsPOVooA
(Afghanistan) Taliban debating peace, Karzai says
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/afghanistan;_ylt=ApEYZLWziHrk4U3ZJtEOxNrOVooA
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/09/29/afghanistan.bus.ap/index.html
(Afghanistan) Taliban spurns Karzai’s offer to meet Omar — update - additional detail in later story
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21055255/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunresttalkstaliban_070930080939;_ylt=AivZw5cU7eyMqvjO6XNJezfOVooA
(Pakistan) Militant attacks leave 1 soldier dead, 14 wounded in northwestern Pakistan, official says
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-Violence.php
(Pakistan) Waziristan breeding ground of suicide bombers: UN report — 80 percent of suicide bombers in Afghanistan came from the Waziristan agencies
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\09\30\story_30-9-2007_pg7_44
(Pakistan) Militants blow up two barbershops in Swat — fail to destroy Buddhist carvings
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\09\30\story_30-9-2007_pg7_19
(Pakistan) ‘Terrorists may attack twin cities’ — Islamabad and Rawalpindi during the coming few days
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\09\30\story_30-9-2007_pg7_50
(India Kashmir) Kashmir mosque siege ends, two Hizb-ul Mujahideen terrorists killed
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=7bcdf400-bc37-4564-93da-956b2fc4ab87&&Headline=J%26amp%3bK+mosque+siege+ends%2c+terrorists+killed
(India) Top cops to meet to tackle financial terror — Hawala transfers, fake currency, foreign
contributions masked as social or religious donations remain key elements in financing
cross-border terrorism
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Top_cops_to_meet_to_tackle_financial_terror/articleshow/2415927.cms
(UK) US airbase bomb plotter on run in UK — German officials disclosed
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2558165.ece
(UK) Islamists ‘urge young Muslims to use violence’ — Hizb ut-Tahrir has urged Muslim
students at British universities to fight Allied troops in Iraq
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/30/nhizb130.xml
(U.S.) Isolating the menace in a sterile “supermax” - Top-security prison now home to terrorists
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21043739/from/RSS/
(U.S.) Gitmo detainees on Supreme Court docket
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070930/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_new_term
(Iran) Report: US trains Gulf air forces for war with Iran
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=NSOC2O0PJZQGBQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/09/30/wiran130.xml
Iran gov’t backs parliament’s ‘terrorist’ label for US army, CIA
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/africa/ME-GEN-Iran-US-CIA.php
Algerian military kills 10 suspected terrorists
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/africa/news/article_1361113.php/Algerian_military_kills_10_suspected_terrorists
(Sudan) Rebels storm peacekeeping base in Darfur, killing 12 soldiers
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/09/30/sudan.darfur.ap/index.html
(Turkey) Death toll in ambush by suspected Kurdish rebels increases to 13
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/europe/EU-GEN-Turkey-Kurds.php
(Spain) ETA issues statement, saying fight for independence from Spain will continue
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/europe/EU-POL-Spain-ETA-Statement.php
(Europe) West is taking fight against terrorism online
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/30/business/net01.php
(Austria) Online List of politicians as possible attack targets surfaces in Austria
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411505523&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
September 21, 2007 news reports on list:
http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/posted/archive/2007/09/20/terror-tracking-group-releases-info-on-targets-named-by-austrian-canadian-jihadist-cell.aspx
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jTK0C1ygyuzbzfz-B_ve-qsO40og
(UK) Terror survival course launched
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7019937.stm
(Saudi Arabia) Terror finance trail vanishes in Saudi Arabia
http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article3013006.ece
(Lebanon) Camp defeat sends Lebanese militants into hiding
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_mideast_afp/lebanonunrestislamist_070930024637;_ylt=Ak6Vbvzd5ef1GkEDSc3xVHragGIB
(Syria) ‘Arab research center’ in Syria denies reports of IAF air strike
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411514513&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Syria says Israeli air raid aimed at justifying attack
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcd8yNVwB0Z6ZOjoi1YKbiWIremw
Hezbollah: ‘Israel will pay a heavy price if it attacks Syria’
http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2007/09/hezbollah_israe.php
Egypt allows Hamas members to cross into Gaza
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2007/September/middleeast_September392.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
Hamas renews call for cease-fire with Israel
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411514633&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(Gaza) Senior Fatah Official Arrested in Gaza by Hamas
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/133953
(Gaza) Clash at southern Gaza mosque leaves nine wounded, including two critically
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/29/africa/ME-GEN-Gaza-Mosque-Clash.php
(Thailand) Police captain killed in southern ambush — in Yala province
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/previousdetail.php?id=122152
(Maldives) Has Islamic terrorism arrived on Maldives? Nation run with legal system based on Sharia law
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/30/nmaldives230.xml
Maldives police arrest 7 suspects after bomb blast wounds 12 tourists
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/asia/AS-GEN-Maldives-Explosion.php
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/30/maldives.explosion.ap/index.html
(Sri Lanka) Six rebels killed in Sri Lanka: army
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_asia_afp/srilankaunrest_070930102538;_ylt=AvAfIQEJi77GSpGlmrd4tLctM8oA
(North Korea) Nuclear envoys reach ‘comprehensive’ NKorea deal: US
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070930/wl_asia_afp/nkoreanuclearweaponstalks_11;_ylt=AkpbgWeFcVwfDBbzF5Hdtj6CscEA
(Nepal) 4 men arrested in fatal Katmandu bomb blasts
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/30/asia/AS-GEN-Nepal-Bombings.php
(U.S./Columbia) U.S. to assist those forced to aid FARC
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/NATION/109300043/1001
(Colombia) Dozens of Colombia politicians killed ahead of vote
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28447012.htm
Other News:
(U.S.) Michigan: Anti-Jewish, anti-Christian fliers found on cars — flier read: “Kill Jews and
Christians if they don’t believe in Allah and Mohammad.”
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/092807/loc_fliers001.shtml
(Israel) Haifa succa defaced with swastikas
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411512761&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
(UK) Virus lab ‘ignored warning of leak’
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2558204.ece
CNN/AP: McCain: I would vote for Muslim president
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/09/30/mccain-i-would-vote-for-muslim-president/
NY Daily News: McCain: No Muslim president, U.S. better with Christian one
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/09/29/2007-09-29_mccain_no_muslim_president_us_better_wit.html
Special Dispatch—Iran
October 1, 2007
No. 1728
To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit:
http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD172807
Activists Tell of Iranian Authorities’ Persecution of Arab Population
in
Iran’s Al-Ahwaz Province
The following are excerpts from a debate on the Arabs of Iran’s
Al-Ahwaz
province, which aired on ANB TV on September 7, 2007.
To view the clip visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1567.htm
Musa Al-Sharifi of the Al-Ahwaz Democratic Solidarity Party: “With
regard to
our Arab region of Al-Ahwaz, the [Iranian] government’s policy is to
expropriate lands, to deport the indigenous Arab inhabitants to other
regions,
and to replace them with people from the Persian provinces of central
Iran.”
Interviewer: “How is this done? The Arabs own the lands, which are
expropriated by government decree, or what?”
Musa Al-Sharifi: “Yes, this process began in the days of the Shah with
the
sugar cane projects and so on. They would take the lands from the Arab
farmers
and establish on them camps for the army or the security agencies, or
fictitious economic projects and so on. This process began in the time
of the
Shah, and intensified in the Islamic Republic.”
[...]
Mansour Al-Ahwazi, political activist: “Various methods are used in the
ethnic
cleansing. We did not claim that there were killings... There are
killings,
indiscriminate executions, and all that, but not like what happened in
Yugoslavia and other places. They are trying to finish off our
existence.
[...]
“The first city of Persian settlers is called Shirinshah. You can find
it on
the map, or you can open Google Earth and see this Persian city in the
heart
of the Arab region. Lands in this region were expropriated under the
pretext
of the sugar cane project and were used to build the city of
Shirinshah.
“The first settlement in the time of the Shah was called New Yazd, but
after
the revolution, the Iranians who were brought there fled from New Yazd.
When
the Iranian regime believes that the Arab or international situation
allows it
to get away with these things, it intensifies its actions. After the
Arab
defeat by Israel in 1967, they carried out the first settlement plan of
New
Yazd. They brought people from Yazd, and settled them in Al-Ahwaz. They
did
this when they saw that the condition of the Arabs deteriorated, even
though
the Arabs completely ignore our cause.
“Now that Iraq is no longer competing with Iran, and now that Iran has
gained
a monopoly over the strategic situation in the region, they have
stepped up
the expropriation of lands in Al-Ahwaz. The Iranian regime – despite
all its
claims to support the Arab causes and so on... Whenever it identifies
some
weakness in the [Arab] nation, it escalates its ethnic cleansing
policies in
Al-Ahwaz.
[...]
“The Al-Ahwaz issue highlights the contradictions of the Iranian
government.
The Iranian government professes to call for unity, to avoid
sectarianism, and
to defend the Shiites. It tries to use the Shiite bargaining chip in
some Arab
countries in order to promote its plans and in order to extract some
concessions from the U.S. or from some of the other Western powers. If
Iran
really defends the Shiites, why does it oppress the [Arab] Shiites of
Al-Ahwaz? The majority [of the Arabs] there are Shiite. If it really
defends
the [Arab] peoples in Lebanon and Palestine, why does it oppress its
own Arab
people? This is the greatest contradiction in the policy of the Iranian
government.
“This issue highlights the contradictions of the Iranian government on
all
levels – on the sectarian level, as well as the Islamic level. The
Iranian
government is, in fact, coming to a dead-end, not only in terms of its
foreign
policy, but domestically as well.
“For example, some time ago they closed the Al-Ashraq cultural
institute,
which was the only Arab cultural institute in Al-Ahwaz. It was closed
two days
ago, as you can read on the Internet. This was done for no reason
whatsoever.
It did not support violence or any political organization. All it did
was
distribute Arab and Islamic books. It was attacked and was closed down.
“This is part of the faltering policy of the Ahmadinejad government –
just
like it chose to run ahead with its nuclear program, it failed to start
a
dialogue with its [non-Persian] peoples, and to find a formula of
compromise
in this regard. It has now begun to escalate its indiscriminate arrests
and
its attacks.
“There have been many more executions in recent years, since the rise
of
Ahmadinejad, and many cultural institutes have been closed down. [The
Iranian
government] has begun to push matters towards a dead end, and to
encourage
people to rise up and create unrest. What is happening now in
Baluchistan... I
am sure that you have heard about the kidnappings. In Kurdistan, two
helicopters were attacked. They blame the West for all this unrest, and
try to
say this is the result of conspiracies, but it is the result of their
own
policy.
[...]
“Iran rules Al-Ahwaz by virtue of the status quo alone. It enjoys no
historical, political, or even popular legitimacy in Al-Ahwaz.
[...]
“As the international situation deteriorates for the Iranian
government, its
control will weaken. Their fear of this leads them to escalate the
oppression
in Al-Ahwaz.
[...]
“The unity of Iran has begun to face very grave dangers, because the
broadest
common denominator – the religious or Shiite element – has weakened
greatly.”
Interviewer: “In what sense has it weakened? They derive strength from
this.”
Mansour Al-Ahwazi: “No, this element has weakened greatly, because the
government’s policy. Take, for example, the issue of the veil. They
impose the
veil, but in the early days of the revolution, it was worn out of
personal
conviction, and no one imposed it. Iranian women seek any opportunity
to
express their rage at the policies of the Iranian government, which
imposes
the veil.
“In the past, Iranian women wore the veil out of personal conviction.
Now, it
has become a matter of oppression, and you can see how they mobilize
armies in
order to attack and humiliate women and to force them to wear the
veil.”
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit
organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East.
Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are
available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used
with
proper attribution.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
(UK) Islamists ‘urge young Muslims to use violence’ — Hizb ut-Tahrir has urged Muslim students at British universities to fight Allied troops in Iraq
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/30/nhizb130.xml
By Tom Harper
Last Updated: 12:16am BST 30/09/2007
An extremist Islamist group, which remains legal despite Government promises to ban it, has urged Muslim students at British universities to fight Allied troops in Iraq.
Hizb ut Tahrir, which wants to overthrow democracy and establish a worldwide Islamic theocracy, distributed leaflets to young Muslims inciting them to resist the occupation of Islamic lands, according to a TV documentary by a former group member.
One leaflet read: “Your forefathers destroyed the first crusader campaigns. Should you not proceed like them and destroy the new crusaders?
“Let the armies move to help the Muslims in Iraq, for they seek your help.” Another leaflet, handed out last August, pours scorn on the UN and tells followers to embark on a Jihad, or “holy war”.
Former Hizb ut Tahrir member Shiraz Maher presents his account of the group’s activities in an edition of Panorama on BBC1 tomorrow night.
Tony Blair promised to ban the organisation after the July 7 London bombings but Labour has since claimed there is not enough evidence to demonstrate Hizb ut Tahrir is violent.
The Panorama documentary contains the first testimony indicating it has advocated the use of force. The group has been accused of fuelling terrorism in the past, but has always denied involvement in any form of violent activity.
Omar Shariff, the first UK suicide bomber, who blew himself up in a Tel Aviv bar in 2003, is alleged to have been radicalised by Hizb ut Tahrir.
The organisation denies this and says no relationship has ever been established by the police or the security services.
Omar Khayam, who was jailed last year for dressing as a suicide bomber during the Danish cartoon protests, is also alleged to have been an supporter in Bedford, which the group also denies.
David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Hizb ut Tahrir is part of a global organisation whose affiliates, members and supporters are anti-semitic, anti-democracy and support violence.
“Due to its clear links to terrorism, the Government pledg-ed to ban it two years ago but has failed to take action.”
Panorama has also uncovered a speech made in August last year by Ata Abu-Rishta, the global leader of Hizb ut Tahrir, when he called for the “destruction” of Hindus living in Kashmir, Russians in Chechnya and Jews in Israel.
“The Caliphate (global Islamic government) will liberate the countries and the people from the influence of the Kafer (non-believer) and its allies and the tyranny of its men and followers,” he said.
Rishta also spoke recently at its annual conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, where, as video footage in the Panorama exposé shows, he whipped the 100,000-strong crowd into a frenzy by calling for a war on Jews. Saleem Atchia, a senior member of Hizb ut Tahrir UK, later made a firebrand speech from the same platform.
Maher, a former friend of the bombers who tried to blow up Glasgow Airport in June and the organisation’s north-east ‘director’ until he left in 2005, claims its aims are the same the world over.
He says its British disciples believe they will eventually fight on these shores.
“Hizb ut Tahrir despises democracy and believes Shariah law must be imposed over the whole world, by force if necessary,” he said.
“I think unless we challenge this we are sleepwalking into a very dangerous future.”
Parmjit Dhanda, a minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government and Labour MP for Gloucester, says the organisation has escaped a ban because the Government is frightened of a successful legal challenge.
He said: “What a propaganda coup it would be if we tried banning them but lost in the courts.”
A spokesman for Hizb ut Tahrir said the programme was “based on no more than hearsay and innuendo” and said it was not anti-semitic.
He said: “Hizb ut Tahrir remains firmly committed in undertaking its political struggle against the tyrants of the Muslim world in order to establish the Caliphate in the Muslim world and end the brutal era of colonialism.”
Last year, the Government warned more than 20 universities that extremists were targeting students.
RADICAL JIHADIST THREAT INSIDE THE U.S.
Inside the Ring
Bill Gertz
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070914/NATION04/109140086/1008
“Sen. Joe Lieberman pressed senior U.S. intelligence and security
officials
this week on what the Bush administration is doing to counter the
ideology
of Islamic extremism domestically and internationally. The answer from
the
top officials: Not much. Mr. Lieberman, chairman of the Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said during a hearing
Monday
that a war of ideas is needed to counter Islamic extremists. “Because
this
is a war, but it is ultimately a war against, and with, an ideology
that is
inimical to our own values of freedom and tolerance and diversity,” the
Connecticut independent said. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III
revealed
during the hearing that the FBI has no counterideology response other
than
its “outreach” to Muslim-American communities so they “understand the
FBI”
and address “the radicalization issue,” he said. Asked whether the FBI
has a
responsibility to wage a battle of ideas within U.S. Muslim-American
communities, Mr. Mueller said: “You put that where I would say no, that
it
would not be our responsibility for any religion to engage in the war
of
ideas.”
The FBI’s responsibility, he said, is “to explain that once one goes
over
the line and it becomes not a war of ideas but a criminal offense, this
is
what you can expect, and to elicit the support of those in whatever
religious community to assist us in assuring that those who cross that
line
are appropriately investigated and convicted.” The comment shows that
despite the creation of a dedicated FBI intelligence-gathering branch,
the
bureau remains limited to investigation and law enforcement.”
The international Sunni jihadist group Muslim Brotherhood set up
numerous
U.S. front groups since the 1990s that should be regarded as hostile
and a
threat to the United States, a Pentagon Joint Staff analyst said.
Stephen Caughlin, a lawyer and military intelligence specialist on the
Joint
Staff, stated in a Sept. 7 memorandum that many U.S. Muslim groups
viewed as
moderate by the Justice Department and other government agencies
secretly
are linked to the pro-terrorist Muslim Brotherhood. The groups also are
engaged in influence and deception operations designed to mask their
true
aims, he said.
Documents entered into evidence in the federal terrorism trial in
Dallas of
the Holy Land Foundation, a charity charged with illegally funding the
Palestinian Hamas terrorist group, reveal new security threats from a
network of more than 29 U.S. Muslim groups.
“These documents are beginning to define the structure and outline of
domestic jihad threat entities, associated nongovernmental
organizations and
potential terrorist or insurgent support systems,” Mr. Caughlin said.
Specifically, a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood memorandum “describes aspects
of the
global jihad’s strategic information warfare campaign and indications
of its
structure, reach and activities,” Mr. Caughlin said.
The Muslim Brotherhood memo on organizing Muslims in North America said
that
all members “must understand their work in America is a kind of grand
jihad
in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within, and
‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands and the hands of
believers
so that it is eliminated and God’s religion is made victorious over all
other religions.”
Mr. Caughlin said in his memo that “consequently, outreach strategies
must
be adjusted in the face of credible information that seeming Islamic
humanitarian or professional nongovernmental organizations may be part
of
the global jihad with potential for being part of the terrorist or
insurgent
support system,” he said.
Mr. Caughlin said the 1991 memorandum identifies the Islamic Society of
North America (ISNA) as part of the Muslim Brotherhood. The ISNA, one
of
more than 300 unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation
trial,
recently became a subject of controversy among officials who opposed
the
Justice Department’s participation in a conference held last month,
despite
opposition from two members of Congress.
continued.............
Plot exposes possible threat of terrorists from Caribbean
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/5174403.html
Plot exposes possible threat of terrorists from Caribbean
PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD - With bustling shopping malls, jammed highways
and
towering construction cranes dotting its skyline, this booming
Caribbean
capital resembles heartland America, not some faraway land where
anti-U.S.
sentiment holds sway.
In June, however, news that a band of Islamic extremists born here and
in
neighboring Guyana allegedly plotted to blow up fuel lines supplying
New
York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport raised troubling questions
about whether Americans should worry about terror threats emerging from
their own hemispheric backyard.
Last month, a Trinidad court ordered three of the plotters extradited
to the
United States, and news reports said documents in the case showed the
men
were seeking assistance from Iran.
Regional experts agree that the terror threat from the Caribbean is
generally low, although they say the recently unveiled plot and the
violent
history of an Islamic extremist group in Trinidad should not be
ignored.
“In Trinidad people were laughing at the whole thing, but that’s not to
deny
that the Caribbean, because of its location and use as a corridor for
drug
trafficking, is vulnerable and needs attention,” said Anthony Bryan, a
Trinidad native and analyst for the Center for Strategic and
International
Studies, a Washington, D.C. think tank.
A potential target
Further complicating the picture is the fact that Trinidad supplies
nearly
three-quarters of America’s liquefied natural gas, all of it shipped to
U.S.
ports aboard vessels that terror experts have identified as potential
targets.
A recent report by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm
of
the U.S. Congress, warned that lax security and corruption at Caribbean
ports warranted more attention. The report’s author also expressed
concerns
over the “growing influence” of Islamic extremist groups in the region.
Experts also point to the role of Venezuela’s socialist president, Hugo
Chavez, in whipping up anti-American sentiment in the region. While not
perceived as a direct threat to the U.S., Chavez has forged new ties
with
Iran, establishing trade links to cement an ideological bond aimed at
undermining U.S. influence in the region.
“Chavez is providing Iran an entree into the region,” said Dan Erikson,
a
Caribbean analyst at Inter-American Dialogue, another D.C.-based think
tank.
“He’s set up direct flights between Caracas and Tehran and signed trade
deals. It is not something to ignore.”
Until the June arrests of the JFK plotters, few Americans were aware
that
the Caribbean was home to even a small Islamic population.
Trinidad and Tobago supports one of the largest, a mix of immigrants
from
India and Afro-Caribbean residents who converted to Islam. About 6
percent
of Trinidad’s 1.3 million residents are Muslim.
Active militant group
The highest-profile Islamic group here is Jamaat al-Muslimeen, a
militant
sect that emerged in the 1960s, paralleling the rise of Black Power
groups
in the U.S.
Instead of fading from the scene, however, Jamaat in 1990 staged a
bloody
coup attempt in Trinidad, wounding the prime minister and killing 24
people
in an assault mounted by more than 100 heavily-armed militants. The
coup
quickly fizzled, however, when the Trinidad population refused to back
it,
and Jamaat’s leaders negotiated a surrender in which they escaped
prosecution.
In the years since, Jamaat’s leader, Yasin Abu Bakr, has stayed in the
news.
He beat charges of ordering the assassination of two dissidents from
his
group, was investigated for links to a string of bombings and is
awaiting
trial on sedition charges. A member of his group was also convicted in
South
Florida in 2004 in a plot to smuggle weapons to Trinidad.
American officials believe the JFK plotters approached Bakr for
assistance,
but Bakr told reporters he “knows nothing of these matters.”
Trinidad residents doubt the JFK plotters posed a credible threat to
the
U.S. or that Bakr’s group has designs on anything but local power, but
they
still shake their heads over the reports linking their island to
Islamic
extremism.
“Trinidad poses no threat to the U.S.,” said Narine Maharaj, a Trinidad
taxi
driver. “This group is very small. But it is troubling that the
authorities
don’t seem able to bring any charges against them that stick.”
Ahmadinejad says US Putting Him in Same Boat as Bin Laden
http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=10362
Ahmadinejad says US Putting Him in Same Boat as Bin Laden
29/09/2007
Tehran (dpa) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday
blamed some circles within the United States of putting him in the
same boat as the head of the terrorist network al-Qaeda Osama bin
Laden.
“Some US circles wanted to sabotage my trip to New York by for example
putting my picture next to bin Laden,” Ahmadinejad told the news
network Khabar.
Ahmadinejad also blamed the US government and New York City officials
for rejecting his request to visit the site of the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks.
“All I wanted to do was pay my respect and tribute at the site to the
victims but this simple request was rejected,” he said.
Ahmadinejad said that the world in general and the US in particular
should evaluate the roots of the September 11 attack and not simply
take the occasion to create general prejudice and suspicion.
Ahmadinejad compared the status of September 11 to the Holocaust,
saying that both issues were used against the Islamic world.
Iranian officials and state media have in recent days accused the US
of failing in its alleged effort to distort Ahmadinejad’s image during
his visit to the United Nations General Assembly.
I Think that I might say “This is a Saudi’s take on the U.S. news about Saudi Arabia.”
[2005 threat/plan]
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Map of Future Al-Qaeda Operations
By SITE Institute
February 14, 2005
A message posted to a leading al-Qaeda-frequented Jihadist message board on February 12, 2005, purports to answer the questions: “What is the future of al-Qaeda? And what will the upcoming operations be?” In answering these questions the message claims to lay out a future “map of the operations against America and its interests,” with coverage of the following categories:
A big operation inside America: The message states: “Regarding the big operation, God willing, it is going to take place inside the American territory; the date of this operation is approaching, for 3 years and 4 months have gone by since the September 11, 2001 blessed attack. That period gave the American people enough chance [time] to reconsider their position and their way of thinking, but they have not done so; therefore, the future attack is going to be strong and unconventional, in order to cause the largest amount of material and human losses.” The message notes further that Usama bin Laden’s pre-US election statement to the American people was a “warning and an invitation to the American people to change the policy of its Government before pain is inflicted upon them as a result of their silence and their approval of the crimes committed by their Government. This would be the last or penultimate message, after which they will endure the pain that will fall upon them, and they must choose between their lives and the Crusader-Zionist project that will only bring them destruction, poverty, fear and death.”
Operations against American forces and points of interest: The message warns of a “number of operations against American Forces, and against points of interest of Americans and their allies, Arabs and others.” The message explains that these attacks will be in two broad sectors: (1) “Depleting the American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan through an escalation in carrying out more painful attacks against it.” (2) “Targeting the American points of interest in all the countries, mainly oil facilities in the Persian Gulf that represent the main artery of the American economy.” The message notes that attacks on oil facilities will have several adverse consequences for the US, including that they will (a) “cause harm to the American economy as a result of the rise in the price of oil,” (b) “cause an embarrassment to America before all the countries in the world, which will be certain of America’s inability to provide oil supply contrary to what it claims,” and (c) “cause a loss of confidence in the capability of [America’s] slaves in the Arabian Peninsula to protect its interests,” forcing American forces to patrol them itself, thereby coming into direct contact with Muslim citizens which “will increase the scandalous behavior of those [Muslim] regimes that will comply with all of America’s demands” and “will facilitate the opening of a new front, and the drowning of America in a new swamp that will be more difficult than the swamps of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Targeting America’s allies through assassinations: The message warns: “As for America’s allies, they will be targeted by the assassination of the heads of the regimes, security officers, a number of presidents, and kings; this is in addition to the assassination of security officials such as intelligence officers who will be forming in their country a kind of a mafia….” The further explains that “future assassinations will serve political and strategic goals that aim at striking the American plan, by targeting individuals that America relies on for the success of this plan. The list of targeted regimes includes the regimes of Al-Saud in the Arabian Peninsula, Mubarak in Egypt, and the Jordanian regime, in addition to collaborators of the Americans in Iraq such as al-Rafida [Shiites] and others.” The further points out: “Also, with the targeting of intelligence officers, America will lose an important source of information, in addition to the protection provided by those individuals to its points of interest in the region.”
Palestine: Finally, the message turns to “the captured Palestine, in whose name speaks the Bahai Mahmoud Abbas Mirza, who does not even know Sûrah al-Fatiha [Opening verse of the Qur’an] by heart.” The message warns that the Palestinians “must make up their minds and choose between Allâh, His Prophet, Islam, and Palestine, and those criminal traitors, be they Palestinians or Arabs.”
A full translation of the message is provided to our Intel Service members.
[2005 threat / plan, appears to match some of the reports we are now reading.......granny]
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Instructions on How to Carry Out an Islamic Revolution Given on a Jihadist Message Board
By SITE Institute
February 18, 2005
A message entitled “The Military Revolution” was posted on February 17, 2005 to a popular Jihadist message board that contains a specific section for jihad military training. The message includes instructions for carrying out a military revolution by force.
The message, written by an author identified only as “Hamza”, calls on the armed forces to lead the revolution and points out, “if we want the revolution to succeed, we must first and foremost rely on one basic element: the military.” The message explains that “the revolution should be brought about by recruiting the military commanders and elements with the proper tenacity, who desire to change the present situation.” Different branches, including the air force, the infantry, the armored corps, the light armory, the communications unit, and the reserve forces are all called upon to complete important functions in the revolution.
The directions describe the places that must be seized; military bases, homes of senior officers, and communication centers: “Communications should be cut off within the military base, and the people in them should be either killed or taken captive, relieved of all weapons and cellular phones.” The author also enumerates the targets that must be destroyed; the Ministry of Defense and General Staff, the Presidential Palace, the Ministry of the Interior and Intelligence, and the Airports.
The instructions conclude with emphasis on the speed of action, “All this should take place simultaneously and rapidly, in the blink of an eye. Timing is extremely important: any delay in implementing the plan will have a direct impact on the status of the revolution.”
A full translation of the message is provided to our Intel Service members.
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