David Slesinger
February 2, 2009
911Courage.blogspot.com
Commentary & Transcript follow.

by Reprehensor
911blogger.com
March 7, 2009

In 1996, directors Chris Hilton and David Roberts released "An Unholy Alliance" as the second part of a trilogy of documentaries dealing with the global drug trade, with a focus on heroin and opium. The documentary offers a valuable history of the drug trade, with much rare footage, including footage of CIA favorite, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Since Hekmatyar is back in the news, now is an important time to remind people of Hekmatyar's dubious past, and his links to the heroin industry in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The CIA and the Afghan Arabs

An Unholy Alliance starts off in Peshawar, which was a major hub of activity for the CIA and the ISI, as they deployed the Afghan Mujahadin in a proxy war against the Soviet Union, beginning in 1979. Since the 1980s, CIA apologists like Peter Bergen, and former CIA station chief Milton Bearden have claimed that the CIA never directly trained the Mujahidin and the associated Arabic recruits;

Intro from 911blogger.com:
"Experimental Virus Material" - Live Avian Flu & Human Flu Viruses "Accidentally" mixed, then sent to several Euro facilities

The Czech press is all over this story, but not much so far in the US. A quick search shows this blog entry;

Baxter bird flu botch

And the following report in the mainstream Canadian press: The Toronto Sun;

Baxter: Product contained live bird flu virus

By Helen Branswell, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Last Updated: 27th February 2009, 3:26pm

The company that released contaminated flu virus material from a plant in Austria confirmed Friday that the experimental product contained live H5N1 avian flu viruses.

And an official of the World Health Organization’s European operation said the body is closely monitoring the investigation into the events that took place at Baxter International’s research facility in Orth-Donau, Austria.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 5, 2009

POLITICAL LEADERS FOR 9/11 TRUTH LAUNCHED TODAY

Political Leaders for 9/11 Truth (pl911truth.com) is today being launched as the latest formal group calling for a new investigation into the events of September 11, 2001. The organization is headed by Councilor (Senator) Yukihisa Fujita of Japan and former Senator Karen Johnson of Arizona.

This initiative is formed around a petition asking President Obama "to authorize a new, truly independent, investigation to determine what happened on 9/11."

Political Leaders for 9/11 Truth thus joins other concerned citizens’ groups calling for a new investigation, including Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, Firefighters for 9/11 Truth, Lawyers for 9/11 Truth, Medical Professionals for 9/11 Truth, Pilots for 9/11 Truth, Religious Leaders for 9/11 Truth, Scholars for 9/11 Truth and Justice, and Veterans for 9/11 Truth.

Independent researchers from these professions have established beyond any reasonable doubt that the official account of 9/11 is false and that the official investigations have been cover-up operations.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009
GeorgeWashington2.blogspot.com
Congressman Holt Introduces Anthrax Commission Legislation - Modeled After 9/11 Commission

Are we going to fall for yet another whitewash?

Congressman Holt wants an anthrax investigation modeled on the 9/11 Commission.

Senators Leahy and White house want a torture investigation modeled on the 9/11 Commission.

But - according to the 9/11 Commission itself - the whole thing was a joke:

• The co-chairs of the 9/11 Commission (Thomas Keane and Lee Hamilton) now admit that the Commission largely operated based upon political considerations

"As I sit here tonight listening to the crap about extending troop withdrawal 19 months, instead of 16 months, and keeping 50,000 troops in Iraq as so called "advisers' or "trainers' or whatever they want to nickname them, I am outraged! I expected this, but did you? This is wrong. The occupation is wrong, and those of us in the anti-war movement have been screaming this at the top of our lungs for the last 6 years, even before the first boots were on the ground in Iraq.

Even before the campaign of "shock and awe' even lit up the skies above innocent people. What the hell are we thinking?

Mobilize on the 19th, do something loud and meaningful. Complacency is not acceptable, nor is silence. People are dying, people are crippled for life, we must act now. We owe it to the Iraqi people.'

(Washington, D.C.) -- Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) today introduced the Anthrax Attacks Investigation Act of 2009, legislation that would establish a Congressional commission to investigate the 2001 anthrax attacks and the federal government's response to and investigation of the attacks. The bipartisan commission would make recommendations to the President and Congress on how the country can best prevent and respond to any future bioterrorism attack. The attacks evidently originated from a postal box in Holt's Central New Jersey congressional district, disrupting the lives and livelihoods of many of his constituents. Holt has consistently raised questions about the federal investigation into the attacks.

"All of us -- but especially the families of the victims of the anthrax attacks -- deserve credible answers about how the attacks happened and whether the case really is closed," Holt said. "The Commission, like the 9/11 Commission, would do that, and it would help American families know that the government is better prepared to protect them and their children from future bioterrorism attacks."

Sen. Leahy Proceeds With Truth Commission
Today on C-Span, 10am Eastern

Senate Judiciary Cmte. Chairman Leahy (D-VT) holds a hearing on the creation of a nonpartisan commission to investigate past national security policies. Sen. Leahy (D-VT) first called for a truth commission, which would inquire into alleged wrongdoing by past Administrations, during an event on Capitol Hill.

watch Truth Commission: C-SPAN3 at 10am (ET)

Dear Senator Leahy,

We felt compelled to write to you regarding your recent call for the formation of a "Truth Commission". According to your press comments, this Commission is supposed to look at the following:

* the politicization of prosecution in the Justice Department
* the wiretapping of U.S. citizens
* the flawed intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq
* the use of torture at Guantanamo and so-called black sites abroad

These are serious allegations of criminal activity by certain members of the Bush Administration. While we applaud your initiative in looking into these matters, we feel this approach is wrong.

As the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, you already have the responsibility and legal authority to investigate matters relating to federal criminal law without having to form a special commission. You are also bound by your oath of office to support and uphold the Constitution by ensuring that those who govern also abide by the rule of law.

The dithering and ducking going on in the Obama White House and the Holder Justice Department over the crimes of the Bush administration are taking on a comic aspect.

On the one hand, we have President Obama assuring us that under his administration, there will be respect for the rule of law, and on the other hand we have this one-time constitutional law professor and his attorney general declaiming that there is no need for the appointment of a prosecutor to bring charges against the people in the last administration, in the CIA, in the National Security Agency and in the Defense Department and the military who clearly have broken the law in serious and felonious ways.

What gets silly is that America is either a nation of laws...or it isn't. It is either a place where "nobody is above the law"...or it isn't.

There is really no middle ground here.

Andy Worthington, London-based journalist and author of "The Guantánamo Files" (Pluto Press), has released the first definitive list of the 779 prisoners held in the US prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The list, which is the result of three years' research and writing about Guantánamo, provides details of the 533 prisoners who have been released, and includes, for the first time ever, accurate dates for their release. It also provides details of the 241 prisoners who are still held, including the 59 prisoners who have been cleared for release. Although some stories are still unknown, the stories of nearly 700 prisoners are referenced either by links to Andy's extensive archive of articles about Guantánamo, or to the chapters in "The Guantánamo Files" where they can be found.

Steve Bhaerman, Swami Beyondananda, David Ray Griffin
From Carol: I heartily recommend what should be a very enlightening conversation between two of my favorite 9/11 Truth heroes- David Ray Griffin and Steve Bhaerman. Here are details on the show from the Swami, himself:

The Caterpillar, the Butterfly, and Inconvenienter Truths

"The truth shall upset you free."
-- Swami Beyondananda

I've had some lively discussions with my cohorts (or as my friend Anodea Judith prefers, "co-hearts") at Heartland Matrix about how to deal with the darker side of the news. We all seem to agree about two things. First, the greater portion of our energy must be directed toward cohering the newly emerging butterfly organism, as the caterpillar seems to be doing just fine in deconstructing itself. Secondly, if we are going to have a look at the darkness, the most helpful thing we can do is to shine the light of love and laughter on it.

And so it is in this spirit that we interviewed David Ray Griffin on this week's Heartland Security Radio Show. Griffin is a renowned and very mainstream theologian who, for the past six years, has been investigating the official 9/11 story. I call him a "non-conspiracy theorist," because his focus is not on what might have happened, but what very likely didn't happen. Using mainstream news reports only, he manages to deconstruct the official story, leaving unanswered questions in stark contrast to the unquestioned answers we've been spoonfed.

I first wrote about Susan Lindauer's struggle against the Bush-Cheney regime in October 2007, "American Cassandra: Susan Lindauer's Story." This was initially published in "Scoop" Independent Media (complete series) and carried by a wide variety of concerned Internet news sites and blogs. This interview follows the full dismissal of charges against her just before President Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009. This is the first in-depth interview that Lindauer has offered regarding 9/11. Below is part one of the interview.

I asked Ms. Lindauer to make her own statement about why she's willing to go into detail now about 9/11 and the government's handling of pre-9/11 intelligence.

NEW YORK -- According to a letter filed by the government in court today, the CIA acknowledged it destroyed 92 tapes of interrogations. The admission comes in an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit seeking records of the treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody abroad. In December 2007, the ACLU filed a motion to hold the CIA in contempt for its destruction of videotapes recording the harsh interrogation of prisoners in violation of a court order requiring the agency to produce or identify all the requested records. That motion is still pending.

The following can be attributed to Amrit Singh, staff attorney with the ACLU:

"This letter provides further evidence for holding the CIA in contempt of court. The large number of videotapes destroyed confirms that the agency engaged in a systemic attempt to hide evidence of its illegal interrogations and to evade the court's order. Our contempt motion has been pending in court for over a year now -- it is time to hold the CIA accountable for its flagrant disregard for the rule of law."

The tapes, which show CIA operatives subjecting suspects to extremely harsh interrogation methods, should have been identified and processed for the ACLU in response to its FOIA request demanding information on the treatment and interrogation of detainees in U.S. custody. The tapes were also withheld from the 9/11 Commission, appointed by former President Bush and Congress, which had formally requested that the CIA hand over transcripts and recordings documenting the interrogation of CIA prisoners.

By Devlin Barrett
Associated Press on ABC News
March 2, 2009

WASHINGTON -- New documents show the CIA destroyed nearly 100 tapes of terror interrogations, far more than has previously been acknowledged.

The revelation Monday comes as a criminal prosecutor is wrapping up his investigation in the matter.

The acknowledgment of dozens of destroyed tapes came in a letter filed by government lawyers in New York, where the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit seeking more details of terror interrogation programs.

"The CIA can now identify the number of videotapes that were destroyed," said the letter by Acting U.S. Attorney Lev Dassin. "Ninety two videotapes were destroyed."