Tuesday, October 11 2011   -   Anthrax

Scientists' Analysis Disputes F.B.I. Closing of Anthrax Case

By WILLIAM J. BROAD and SCOTT SHANE
October 9, 2011
The New York Times

A decade after wisps of anthrax sent through the mail killed 5 people, sickened 17 others and terrorized the nation, biologists and chemists still disagree on whether federal investigators got the right man and whether the F.B.I.'s long inquiry brushed aside important clues.

Now, three scientists argue that distinctive chemicals found in the dried anthrax spores -- including the unexpected presence of tin -- point to a high degree of manufacturing skill, contrary to federal reassurances that the attack germs were unsophisticated. The scientists make their case in a coming issue of the Journal of Bioterrorism & Biodefense.

F.B.I. documents reviewed by The New York Times show that bureau scientists focused on tin early in their eight-year investigation, calling it an "element of interest" and a potentially critical clue to the criminal case. They later dropped their lengthy inquiry, never mentioned tin publicly and never offered any detailed account of how they thought the powder had been made.

The new paper raises the prospect -- for the first time in a serious scientific forum -- that the Army biodefense expert identified by the F.B.I. as the perpetrator, Bruce E. Ivins, had help in obtaining his germ weapons or conceivably was innocent of the crime.

 

Monday, October 10 2011   -   9/11 Consequences

by Kurt Haskell
October 2, 2011
Adventures with Kurt and Lori

Over the past 21 months, I have come into contact with many people that fail to even consider the possibility that U.S. intelligence agents could have been involved in the underwear bomber plot. It is with these people in mind that I decided to write the following article. I have noticed that recent terrorist attacks within the United States have many similar characteristics. If you look at these plots together as a series of attacks, the modus operandi of U.S. intelligence agencies begins to develop. For this article, I have decided to look at only "terrorist attacks" from January 1, 2002, to the present.

1. Mohamed Mohamud (The Portland Christmas Tree Bomber)
Date Of Incident: November 26, 2010.

The 2010 Portland car bomb plot involved an incident in which Mohamud, a Somali-American student, was arrested in an FBI sting operation, after attempting to set off what he thought was a car bomb at a Christmas tree lighting in Portland, Oregon.

Mohamud had been monitored by the FBI for months. Prior to Mohamud's arrest, an undercover FBI agent, posing as a terrorist, had been in contact with him since June 2010 (A 5 month period). In preparation for the planned bombing of a public gathering, Mohamud and undercover FBI operatives drove to a remote area of Lincoln County, Oregon, where they conducted a test run on November 4, 2010 by detonating a real bomb Mohamud believed to have been hidden inside a backpack. The fake bomb was in a white van that carried six 55-gallon drums with what appeared to be real detonation cords and plastic caps. Mohamud tried to detonate the bomb by dialing a cell phone that was attached to it. When the device failed to explode, the undercover agent suggested he get out of the car to obtain better reception. When he did so, arresting agents moved in. According to the FBI, the device it provided to Mohamud had no explosive components (even the detonating caps were inert) and the public was never in any danger.
 

Sunday, October 9 2011   -   Research/Evidence

October 6, 2011
History Commons Groups

A large number of new entries have been added to the Complete 9/11 Timeline at History Commons describing important events that took place on the day of 9/11, while other new entries add to the growing body of information about 9/11-related training exercises.

One new entry describes how, from 1998, the US Secret Service included computer simulations of planes crashing into the White House in its training exercises. Another notable exercise was held early on the morning of September 11 in the White House Situation Room, based on the scenario of a terrorist bombing in the Middle East.

Also relating to training exercises, new details have emerged about an FBI anti-terrorist unit that was stranded away from Washington at the time of the 9/11 attacks. The Critical Incident Response Group arrived in San Francisco the day before 9/11 for a week of training. Such was the unit's importance that the White House made getting it back to Washington a priority in the hours after the attacks.

New entries describe two mistaken reports of hijacked aircraft on the morning of September 11. ...

 

Wednesday, October 5 2011   -   Open Letters

An Open Letter to Senator Bob Graham, Michael Moore, and Amy Goodman

by David Griffin
October 5, 2011
Foreign Policy Journal

Dear Sen. Graham, Michael Moore, and Amy Goodman:

Regarding your discussions on Democracy Now, September 15th and September 29th, including "Michael Moore Backs Call to Re-Open Investigation of 9/11 Attacks," -- the "best evidence" formulated by the new 9/11 Consensus Panel may be helpful in your quest.

The work of this distinguished expert Panel was first announced in a North America-wide press release on September 9, 2011.

Brief summary of the Panel's function and importance:

 

Monday, October 3 2011   -   Other Important News

By Michael Collins
October 3, 2011
911truth.org

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just issued an environmental report on its enhanced security plan to cover an area extending from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the northern border of the United States to 100 miles south of the border. While there are few specifics on the new security measures, the environmental report offers enough to see how we will be protected against threats to national security coming from Canada. The Department of Homeland security will enhance efforts and technologies to reduce the danger from "known terrorist affiliates and extremist groups [that] have an undisputed presence along the Northern Border in both the United States and Canada." Northern Border Security Programs, p. 1-3, September 2011 (Northern Border) (Image: thelastminute)

In 2006 the American Civil Liberties Union exposed the expansion of border control activities to within 100 miles of any point on the U.S. border. ACLU labeled this area the Constitution Free Zone. Search and seizure options at border checkpoints are not constrained by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S Constitution, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure. Now, thanks to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), just because they're within 100 miles of the nearest border nearly 200 million citizens are subject to searching and procedures that previously were used exclusively at border checkpoints.

 

Monday, October 3 2011   -   9/11 Consequences

September 29, 2011
By Glenn Greenwald
Salon.com

The FBI has received substantial criticism over the past decade -- much of it valid -- but nobody can deny its record of excellence in thwarting its own Terrorist plots. Time and again, the FBI concocts a Terrorist attack, infiltrates Muslim communities in order to find recruits, persuades them to perpetrate the attack, supplies them with the money, weapons and know-how they need to carry it out -- only to heroically jump in at the last moment, arrest the would-be perpetrators whom the FBI converted, and save a grateful nation from the plot manufactured by the FBI.

Last year, the FBI subjected 19-year-old Somali-American Mohamed Osman Mohamud to months of encouragement, support and money and convinced him to detonate a bomb at a crowded Christmas event in Portland, Oregon, only to arrest him at the last moment and then issue a Press Release boasting of its success. In late 2009, the FBI persuaded and enabled Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year old Jordanian citizen, to place a fake bomb at a Dallas skyscraper and separately convinced Farooque Ahmed, a 34-year-old naturalized American citizen born in Pakistan, to bomb the Washington Metro. And now, the FBI has yet again saved us all from its own Terrorist plot by arresting 26-year-old American citizen Rezwan Ferdaus after having spent months providing him with the plans and materials to attack the Pentagon, American troops in Iraq, and possibly the Capitol Building using "remote-controlled" model airplanes carrying explosives.

None of these cases entail the FBI's learning of an actual plot and then infiltrating it to stop it. They all involve the FBI's purposely seeking out Muslims (typically young and impressionable ones) whom they think harbor animosity toward the U.S. and who therefore can be induced to launch an attack despite having never taken even a single step toward doing so before the FBI targeted them. Each time the FBI announces it has disrupted its own plot, press coverage is predictably hysterical (new Homegrown Terrorist caught!), fear levels predictably rise, and new security measures are often implemented in response (the FBI's Terror plot aimed at the D.C. Metro, for instance, led to the Metro Police announcing a new policy of random searches of passengers' bags). I have several observations and questions about these matters:

 

Sunday, October 2 2011   -   Resources and Materials

October 2, 2011
MountingEvidence.org

Book Description:

"In one volume, Mounting Evidence provides the most important evidence accumulated over many years that calls into question the government's account of 9/11. Any citizen of conscience reading it will demand a new investigation." -Mike Gravel, United States Senate, 1969-1981

There's little doubt the tragic attacks on 9/11 soon became the defining events of our time, shaping much of what has followed. But even now, over a decade later, how well does the public actually understand them? Other researchers have written about key facets of 9/11-the fall of World Trade Center buildings, the air-defense failures, the backgrounds of the hijackers, or the role of the Saudi funders. This impressively researched volume, however, is the first comprehensive treatment of the many different angles. It connects the dots to reveal disturbing patterns. Years after many of us thought the Crime of the Century was solved, "case closed" additional evidence demands a closer look. These findings, which Dr. Rea presents in a lively, accessible way, call out for a new investigation. In Mounting Evidence, Dr. Rea shows how, by understanding the shattering events of that dark day, Americans can end seemingly endless wars, take back personal liberties they've lost, and restore their democracy.

Reviews at Amazon.com

"Who dun it?", September 27, 2011
By Tom - 5.0 out of 5 stars - This review is from: Mounting Evidence: Why We Need A New Investigation Into 9/11 (Paperback)

Dr. Rea has put together a classic "Who dun it?" mystery. He has coupled the basic information about September 11, 2001 that has been given to the public by various sources with a thorough investigation of the unanswered questions which yet remain. These questions raise serious doubts about the authenticity of that which has been spoon fed us by the media. In the well recognized pattern of a good "Who dun it?" Dr. Rea leaves the reader with a multitude of suspects in our government who have yet to be called on to explain their actions. And the reader must ask, "How can we get another, this time unbiased, investigation?"

"Mounting Evidence" reads like a detective story, September 26, 2011
By Helen - 5.0 out of 5 stars - This review is from: Mounting Evidence: Why We Need A New Investigation Into 9/11 (Paperback)

"Mounting Evidence" accomplishes what no other book on 9/11 has even attempted. While other books have focused on various and individual aspects concerning the attack--the collapse of three buildings, the terrorists, or the air defense failures--Dr. Paul W. Rea has written a comprehensive lively treatment of ALL the many angles of this momentous attack. He connects the dots and demonstrates with impeccable documentation the disturbing patterns. His bibliography is also extensive. You can find it on his web site: [...]. "Mounting Evidence" helped me to understand all the events that led to that tragic day. It's truly a page turner that reads like a detective story.

Read more ...

 

Saturday, October 1 2011   -   9/11 Consequences

By Larry Chin
September 30, 2011
Global Research

Iran is engaged in a surreal global shouting match with so-called Al-Qaeda figures over who and what was responsible for the atrocities of 9/11.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began by publicly pronouncing that 9/11 was a US government false flag operation. Al-Qaeda responded by accusing Ahmadinejad of being a conspiracy theorist -- a "9/11 truther". Iran then replied in kind by pointing to CIA involvement with Al-Qaeda.

This spectacle would be uproarious, if the actual stakes were not so high; if this war of words was not part of a much larger and very real war that places the future of the entire world at risk.

What we are witnessing is a typical propaganda battle in which truth, lies and half-truths have been liberally mixed. Only the most clear-minded and astute observers can see the battle lines clearly.

 

Friday, September 30 2011   -   Get Involved

Greetings from Occupied Wall Street,

Posted September 30, 2011, 5:06 a.m. EST
by OccupyWallSt.org

Occupy Wall Street has recently come into the media spotlight, not because of our political message, but because certain high-ranking members of the NYPD punched, threw, and stepped on peaceful marchers. Arrestees were handcuffed so tight their hands turned blue. Many of these people have yet to regain feeling in their extremities. A senior police officer infamously forced women into pens and maced them at point-blank range. While we vehemently condemn these abuses of power, we urge all who read this to remain focused on our intended message. Abuse of power is abuse of power. Whether perpetrated by Wall Street bankers or members of the NYPD, it is the duty of all citizens to oppose injustice. We condemn the actions of unprofessional police who used excessive force in subduing a peaceful march. But we are foremost here to oppose the growing power of the ruling class.

 

Friday, September 30 2011   -   Politics & 9/11

Progressives find hope--in Ron Paul.

By Michael Tracey
September 28, 2011
The American Conservative

It's no secret that Ralph Nader has held the Democratic Party establishment in low regard for decades now: the marginally more palatable alternative in an ugly duopoly, he claims, is still quite ugly. But lately Nader's disdain has reached a new high. "It's gotten so bad," he tells me, "that you can actually say a Republican president--with a Democratic Senate--would produce less bad results than the present situation. That's how bollixed stuff has gone."

Not that he was ever particularly optimistic about the Obama administration, especially its potential to make headway on curtailing corporate welfare, now Nader's signature policy objective. But in that, as with so many aspects of Obama's presidency, the adjectives "disappointing" or "inadequate" don't even begin to capture the depths of progressive disillusionment. Looking ahead to the 2012 presidential race, one might assume that Nader has little to be cheerful about.

Yet he says there is one candidate who sticks out--who even gives him hope: Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

That might sound counterintuitive. Nader, of course, is known as a stalwart of the independent left, having first gained notoriety for his 1960s campaign to impose greater regulatory requirements on automakers--a policy act that would seem to contravene the libertarian understanding of justified governmental power. So I had to ask: how could he profess hope in Ron Paul, who almost certainly would have opposed the very regulations on which Nader built his career?

 

Friday, September 30 2011   -   In the Media

September 29, 2011
DemocracyNow.org

In his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore explored the complex ties between Bush administration officials and associates, the Saudi Royal family, and those believed to have carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Today, Moore is backing former Florida governor and senator Bob Graham’s call for President Obama to reopen the investigation into 9/11 after new information emerged about the possible role of prominent Saudis. According to recent news reports, a wealthy young Saudi couple fled their home in a gated community in Sarasota, Florida, just a week or so before Sept. 11, 2001, leaving behind three cars and nearly all of their possessions. "There are many unanswered questions and they should be answered," Moore says. He also was targeted by his critics for this film. Moore talks about how the Bush administration worried the movie would hurt Bush’s re-election chances, and how he found out that he ranked second behind then-President Bush on the number of discovered plots to attack him. [includes rush transcript]  

Tuesday, September 27 2011   -   In the Media

"Rewrite: police vs. protesters"
By Nick Ramsey
September 26, 2011

Rewriting Occupy Wall Street protests

(Ed note: Sorry, readers--I don't know of a way to "unembed" the ad from that video... ugh!) Please click Read More to continue reading this report.

 

Monday, September 26 2011   -   Other Important News

September 24~October 1, 2011
American Library Association

Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States.

Intellectual freedom--the freedom to access information and express ideas, even if the information and ideas might be considered unorthodox or unpopular--provides the foundation for Banned Books Week. BBW stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints for all who wish to read and access them.

The books featured during Banned Books Week have been targets of attempted bannings. Fortunately, while some books were banned or restricted, in a majority of cases the books were not banned, all thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and members of the community to retain the books in the library collections. Imagine how many more books might be challenged--and possibly banned or restricted--if librarians, teachers, and booksellers across the country did not use Banned Books Week each year to teach the importance of our First Amendment rights and the power of literature, and to draw attention to the danger that exists when restraints are imposed on the availability of information in a free society.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. In 2011, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; National Coalition Against Censorship; National Council of Teachers of English; and PEN American Center also signed on as sponsors.

 

Saturday, September 24 2011   -   Legal Response to 9/11

September 21, 2011
by Daily Mail Reporter
UK Daily Mail

An insurance firm has withdrawn its lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, which had claimed the country funded the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

A division of Lloyd's of London had filed documents in a U.S. court on September 8 demanding the return of $215million compensation it paid victims.

But the lawsuit has now been dropped.

Attorney Stephen Cozen of law firm Cozen O'Connor, which represents Lloyd's, told Insurance Journal that he cannot comment on why Lloyd’s decided to drop the case less than two weeks after filing the complaint.  

Thursday, September 22 2011   -   Other Important News

September 20, 2011
By Will Bunch
Attytood - Will's blog at Philly.com

What do you think was running in the pro-government, pro-Mubarek newspapers in Egypt back in February, when crowds of unhappy and often un- or under-employed citizens began crowding into Tahrir Square? I don't know the answer to that, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say there probably wasn't a lot of coverage of what was happening in Tahrir Square, at least at first. They were probably running cute feature stories about an old-time falafel stand in a changing Cairo neighborhood, or maybe articles on parking problems at the Great Pyramids. They certainly weren't going to call attention to the elephant in the room that was about to knock over a corrupt and decadent society.

I was thinking about that this week, during the extra time I had on my hands because I wasn't reading in the pages of the New York Times or the Washington Post about the Wall Street protests that have been going on now for four days, with hundreds of disenchanted and disaffected youth camping out nightly in a lower Manhattan park, marching on the financial district by day, getting arrested and provoking a large police presence including a phalanx of NYPD cops guarding the notorious Merrill Lynch bronze idol of greed.

Call me crazy, but as a journalist marking his 30th anniversary in the news business this year, I would think that an ongoing protest like that in my hometown would at least make the local newspaper. Not necessarily on Page 1, and not even every day necessarily. But at least wedged somewhere between the various ads for Tiffany and Saks, etc.

p>Maybe that explains why I've never gotten a job at the New York Times.

Apparently for editors in their plush 8th Avenue skyscraper, the Wall Street Day of Rage is not among the news that the New York Times considers fit to print (emphasis on the word "print"...more on that aspect in a second). Instead, since as many as 2,000 demonstrators against Wall Street and government corruption first crowded into Manhattan's Zuccotti Park on Saturday (the numbers have dwindled since then), the metro section of the Times has gone wild with the imminent closing of the orginal Ray's Pizza as well as the looming disappearance of parking meters(maybe the Gray Lady is just selling nostalgic to newspapers' graying audience?)