A Time Magazine 'Person of the Year' argues WikiLeaks serves the public good

Exclusive: Key FBI whistleblower: Had WikiLeaks existed, 9/11, Iraq war could have been prevented

A member of a group of former intelligence professionals that has rallied behind WikiLeaks suggested in a recent interview with Raw Story that the world would be a different and better place had the online secrets outlet come into existence years sooner.

"If there had been a mechanism like Wikileaks, 9/11 could have been prevented," Coleen Rowley, a former special agent/legal counsel at the FBI's Minneapolis division, told Raw Story in an exclusive interview.

Rowley and her colleague Bogdan Dzakovic, a special agent for the FAA's security division, explained this position in an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times in October. However, they admit no claim to the original idea of an established pro-whistle-blower infrastructure. It's purely the US government's, she said.

PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome back to The Real News Network. And it's the first perhaps annual Real News Webathon. We're heading towards our $200,000 target by the end of December 9, where I think we're getting upwards of $165,000 now, with another tonight and tomorrow night to go. So we're doing very well, and I want to thank everybody so far for donating. And if you like what The Real News is doing, please give us a little tap on the donate button here, or you can call 888-449-6772, or you can also email us at contact (at) therealnews (dot) com if you're having any other trouble. But the best thing is just to hit the donate button. The $200,000, I've explained before, covers just barely four months of the work that we're doing now at the level we're doing now, but we really want to expand in 2011. We need producers that specialize in certain areas. And one of the areas we want to specialize is the military-industrial complex. We'd like to have a producer who does nothing but cover stories about the sort of underpinnings of US foreign policy and the real issues that don't get discussed very much in terms of what's driving much of global politics, and even, as I--in the current WikiLeaks there's a layer of truth, one could say, that is not really revealed in these WikiLeaks, because they're not top secret, as we've heard described by some of our guests. Now joining us to talk about WikiLeaks and the world since 9/11 are two people that have been associated with this topic. First joining us from--Peter, you're in Berkeley, California, right?

PETER DALE SCOTT, AUTHOR, FMR. CANADIAN DIPLOMAT: That's correct.

JAY: Joining us from Berkeley, California, is Peter Dale Scott. He's the author of the book--and I'm going to hold it up here, control room--and the book is American War Machine: Deep Politics, the CIA Global Drug Connection, and the Road to Afghanistan. . . . And also joining us now from Minneapolis is Coleen Rowley. Coleen was an FBI agent who uncovered certain things that had to do, she thought, with a possible terrorist attack. And if I remember the story correctly, Coleen, it was someone who was trying to get flying lessons to fly but not necessarily land. But you can correct me on that. And Coleen tried to get this information looked into, and it was more or less blocked by headquarters of FBI. But Coleen, thanks very much for joining us.

COLEEN ROWLEY, FMR. FBI AGENT, POLITICAL ACTIVIST: Thank you.

JAY: Coleen, very, very quickly, just remind us of the story that you were involved with around the 9/11 events.

911workernycsept11 Dems outraged as GOP blocks 9/11 responders health bill

May be end of the road for $7-billion aid package to heroes of 9/11

Senate Republicans on Thursday derailed a bill to aid people who got sick after exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse in the Sept. 11 attack.

Supporters were three votes short of the 60 needed to proceed to debate and a final vote on the bill that would have provided as much as $7.4 billion in health care and compensation to 9/11 responders and survivors. The bill failed on a test vote, 57-42.

Fifty-seven Democrats voted for the bill and 41 Republicans opposed it. Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, switched his vote to 'no' at the last moment, a parliamentary move that allows him to bring the measure up again for a vote.

The New York Times reports:

Republicans have been raising concerns about how to pay for the $7.4 billion measure, while Democrats, led by Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York, have argued that the nation had a moral obligation to assist those who put their lives at risk during rescue operations at ground zero....

In a statement, [New York City Mayor Michael] Bloomberg chastised Senate Republicans for their "wrong-headed political strategy" and called on them to allow the bill to come to the floor for a vote. "The attacks of 9/11 were attacks on America," he said, "and we have a collective responsibility to care for the heroes -- from all 50 states -- who answered the call of duty, saved lives, and helped our nation recover."

In this in-depth interview with tireless 9/11 Truth campaigner Bob McIlvaine, we look at 9/11 in its historical context. We also hear about Bob's detailed research into what happened to his son Bobby on 9/11 and the evidence an explosion, rather than the planes, killed his son.

Listen Here: http://visibility911.com/blog/?p=1854

Bob McIlvaine: As a long-term 9/11 Truth researcher (2001), an ex-history teacher and someone who has worked in mental health, Bob has a unique perspective on society and its drives. In this interview Bob gives us an insight into how he sees the world and its workings and why 9/11 Truth should be seen as possibly the best chance we've had at bringing peace to our world. Bob believes that we may have already been successful at preventing other wars with our exposure of the 9/11 fraud. I totally agree. Bob says he is "always ready to go!" when he is called to speak about the 9/11 tragedy and uses every opportunity to educate the population about the lies they have been told and to celebrate his son's short but exceptional life. Thank you, Bob, for your tenacity, drive and absolute commitment to expose the criminals responsible for your son's death and all those that perished on that terrible day. You are a great inspiration for us all! [Continued]

Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup
Saturday, December 4 at 7:00 pm on Channel 12.1

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
With the departure of the Bush Administration and the arrival of an "era of transparency," opportunities are arising for the disclosure of new information that may shed more light on the events that took place before and after 9/11/2001. This film takes viewers on a turbulent journey through several pivotal moments in history before delving into the most significant catastrophe in recent memory, 9/11. Loaded with powerful, new footage and in-depth interviews with the likes of Steven Earl Jones, an American physicist who has discovered undetonated explosive material in multiple samples of dust from the World Trade Center collapses, this documentary presents a wide array of evidence. The American people continue to live in the aftermath of 9/11 and deal with its ongoing repercussions. Is this just another machination of power on the timeline of history? If so, the real question is what happens next? Or better yet, what can we do to prevent another 9/11? LOOSE CHANGE 9/11 serves as a fundamental call to action which is fueled by hope that those affected by 9/11 will soon receive the answers that they have sought after for nearly a decade.

Last week Rosie O'Donnell hosted 9/11 family member Bob McIlvaine and engineer Tony Szamboti on her Sirius XM radio show to discuss the buildingwhat.org campaign. A full description of the discussion can be found here and the show can be heard here.

Just after September 11th 2001, many governments began investigations into possible insider trading related to the terrorist attacks of that day. Such investigations were initiated by the governments of Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monte Carlo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United States, and others. Although the investigators were clearly concerned about insider trading, and considerable evidence did exist, none of the investigations resulted in a single indictment. That's because the people identified as having been involved in the suspicious trades were seen as unlikely to have been associated with those alleged to have committed the 9/11 crimes.

This is an example of the circular logic often used by those who created the official explanations for 9/11. The reasoning goes like this: if we assume that we know who the perpetrators were (i.e. the popular version of "al Qaeda") and those who were involved in the trades did not appear to be connected to those assumed perpetrators, then insider trading did not occur.

That's basically what the 9/11 Commission told us. The Commission concluded that "exhaustive investigations" by the SEC and the FBI "uncovered no evidence that anyone with advance knowledge of the attacks profited through securities transactions." What they meant was that someone did profit through securities transactions but, based on the Commission's assumptions of guilt, those who profited were not associated with those who were guilty of conducting the attacks. In a footnote, the Commission report acknowledged "highly suspicious trading on its face," but said that this trading on United Airlines was traced back to "A single U.S.-based institutional investor with no conceivable ties to al Qaeda."¹

With respect to insider trading, or what is more technically called informed trading, the Commission report was itself suspect for several reasons. First, the informed trades relating to 9/11 covered far more than just airline company stock. The stocks of financial and reinsurance companies, as well as other financial vehicles, were identified as being associated with suspicious trades. Huge credit card transactions, completed just before the attacks, were also involved. The Commission ultimately tried to frame all of this highly suspicious trading in terms of a series of misunderstandings. However, the possibility that so many leading financial experts were so completely wrong is doubtful at best and, if true, would constitute another unbelievable scenario in the already highly improbable sequence of events represented by the official story of 9/11.

The Post-9/11 World Is A Detriment To Humanity

* We are fighting illegal preemptive wars against three countries. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. The resulting wars have caused well over 1,000,000 casualties. Preemptive war is illegal according to the Nuremberg Charter, and the United Nations charter. These wars are destabilizing the entire Middle East, and causing anti-American sentiment throughout the world.

* In America, the Constitution is being forgotten with the passage of bills like the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act. Americans are forced to wonder if their conversations are being monitored through the use of illegal wiretapping. The freedom of the press, and the right to peacefully assemble is being discarded.

* Hatred towards Muslims and Jews is being fueled.

* Executive Power within the United States is being expanded to the point of near-dictatorship, and accountability for the actions of the Executive, and other members of Government is non-existent.

* A constant state of fear is the norm.

November 16, 2010
By Richard Forno
Counterpunch.com

The lede on the DRUDGEREPORT most of Monday showed a Catholic nun being patted down at an airport security checkpoint, with the caption starkly declaring that "THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON."

He's right.

Ten years after 9/11, Americans who fly are facing a Faustian choice between subjecting themselves to a virtual (and potentially medically damaging) strip search conducted in questionable machines run by federal employees or a psychologically damaging pat-down of their bodies. Osama bin Ladin must be giggling himself silly this week.

But what should we expect in a society that requires adults to wear bicycle helmets while pedaling in the park, provides disclaimers of liability on TV advertisements, or prints warnings on fast-food coffee cups? The name of the game is zero risk. Not risk mitigation, or accepting responsibility for one's actions, but risk aversion. It's a failure to acknowledge that we can't protect against everything bad that can happen to us, so we must protect against everything we think might -- might -- be harmful at some point.

It's living in fear.

November 11, 2010
Source: Enlish.Aljazerra.net

Photo: Ghailani was arrested in Pakistan in 2004 and transferred to the US-run Guantanamo Bay prison in 2006 [AFP]

The first former Guantanamo detainee to be tried in a civilian court has been found not guilty on all but one of the 286 charges in the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa.

A federal jury handed down the verdict on Wednesday to Ahmed Ghailani, a Tanzanian national who had been accused of conspiring in the car bomb attacks in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people.

The jury found him guilty of one charge of conspiracy to damage or destroy US property by means of an explosive device.

Ghailani was cleared of 276 murder and attempted murder counts, along with five other conspiracy charges.

However, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years after his conspiracy conviction.

Colorado Democrats Call for New 9/11 Investigation: An Insider Tells Us How They Did It

It's true! The Democratic Platform for the state of Colorado is the first major party in the US to adopt a resolution for a new investigation into the official story of the events surrounding 9/11.

It started in 2004 when I, a complete novice in political processes, decided to participate in my precinct caucus in order to try to make a difference here in Colorado.1 The night before, I learned that the caucus is also a time to bring policy resolutions for consideration. Hurriedly, I wrote a resolution for a new, independent investigation into 9/11, figuring that here is an opportunity, at least, to educate a few more people. To my surprise, my precinct caucus neighbors voted for it!

The next step was to get it passed at the county level: the Denver County Assembly and Convention. To do this, I needed to get 10% of the attendees to sign a petition -- another chance to educate more people! I needed 200 signatures, which I managed to get with the spontaneous help of a couple of other 9/11 truth activists. Now I could present this resolution to the Assembly, at the end of a long hard day, which wound up being attended by about 100 of the most serious participants.

Without any further ado, we invite you to watch the interview and give us feedback on the poll we plan to commission to survey New Yorkers on their support for a new Building 7 investigation. Your generosity and determination have made this campaign possible, and so we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. For more details about the "BuildingWhat?" TV ad campaign, visit BuildingWhat.org

Sincerely,
The BuildingWhat? Team