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posted by gr8fuldaniel | 2:38 PM
gr8fuldaniel
Rantings, Musings, Observations, Political Protest, My findings in a quest for truth posted here, open to all. Comments have been disabled due to spam bombers. Pray4Peace.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Hurricane Katrina: News & Videos about Hurricane Katrina - CNN.com
Hurricane Katrina: News & Videos about Hurricane Katrina - CNN.com: "93 Stories on Hurricane Katrina"
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 3:58 PM
'US behind recent Iraq bomb attacks'
'US behind recent Iraq bomb attacks'
BLOGNOTE:
Ploy to destabilize the oil-rich country has cheney written all over it.
BLOGNOTE:
Ploy to destabilize the oil-rich country has cheney written all over it.
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 3:08 PM
Red Cross report details CIA war crimes
Red Cross report details CIA war crimes
By Tom Eley 9 April 2009
This week, the New York Review of Books released the full version of an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) report detailing US Central Intelligence Agency torture of 14 “high value” terrorist suspects at prison “black sites” from 2001 until 2006. Earlier, it had produced excerpts of the report and an analysis by author Mark Danner.
The report makes explicit that the CIA violated the laws of war and basic human rights in its treatment of the prisoners, which included beatings, humiliations, sleep deprivation, and suffocation by water (“waterboarding”), among dozens of specifically named acts of brutality.
At several points, the 40-page report refers to CIA actions as illegal according to international law. The ICRC, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the body tasked with overseeing observance of the laws of war. That it has declared acts carried out by US intelligence personnel as torture carries enormous legal weight.
Yet the Obama administration has granted blanket immunity to CIA, military and Bush administration officials who ordered and carried out torture and other war crimes. An Obama administration spokesman, Mark Mansfield, told the New York Times that CIA head Leon Panetta “has stated repeatedly that no one who took actions based on legal guidance from the Department of Justice at the time should be investigated, let alone punished.”
The Obama administration is anxious to avoid prosecution of Bush administration officials for two reasons. First, the report stands as a condemnation not only of the Bush administration, but of leading Democrats, who were well aware of torture, illegal detention, extraordinary rendition and other major violations carried out by the US in the “war on terror.”
Second, the Obama administration wishes to maintain Washington’s full arsenal of repression at its disposal, including torture, in order to carry on longstanding imperialist objectives. Indeed, it is very likely the case that similar abuses as those outlined in the ICRC report continue at US military prison camps in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
By virtue of its silence, the US media has joined Obama in its defense of the Bush administration. It should be headline news that the body tasked with overseeing the laws of war, the ICRC, has written a report that all but proves that Washington carried out a large-scale torture operation over several years. But upon its release, the full ICRC report has been relegated to minor-story status by the New York Times, Washington Post and the television media. The story has been all but dropped since.
For its part, the ICRC has condemned the release of the report, which was produced for high-ranking members of the Bush administration and was declared confidential. Danner has not explained how he obtained a copy. However, the ICRC has verified the report’s authenticity.
The methods of the CIA
The testimony of the 14 detainees repeats descriptions of particular forms of abuse again and again. This demonstrates not only the systematic ....
more.....
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 1:49 PM
CACI Plans to Drop Interrogation Work
CACI Plans to Drop Interrogation Work: "CACI Plans to Drop Interrogation Work
Firm Was Entangled in Abu Ghraib
By Ellen McCarthy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 15, 2005; Page D04
CACI International Inc., the Arlington-based defense contractor that attracted controversy when an employee was accused of participating in the Abu Ghraib prison abuses, is getting out of the interrogation business.
The company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week that once its existing interrogation contract with the Army expires on Sept. 30, it will no longer provide such services."
The filing did not elaborate on the decision, and CACI executives did not return calls yesterday.
An internal Army report last year said Steven A. Stefanowicz, an interrogator employed by the company, was among four individuals suspected to be "either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses" at Abu Ghraib.
Subsequent investigations generally concluded that company employees had played a more limited role than originally reported. Nevertheless, six employees of CACI and Titan Corp., which provided translators to the military, were referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
No charges have been filed.
BLOGNOTE:
I know this is old; but, just to remember why we were hiring torturers.... Its UNCONSTITUTIONAL for soldiers and the CIA to torture. The Geneva Conventions are American Laws. That doesnt mean its OK to HIRE people to do it, but 2nd party would be less aggregious.... on some plane in neo-con world.
Firm Was Entangled in Abu Ghraib
By Ellen McCarthy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 15, 2005; Page D04
CACI International Inc., the Arlington-based defense contractor that attracted controversy when an employee was accused of participating in the Abu Ghraib prison abuses, is getting out of the interrogation business.
The company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission this week that once its existing interrogation contract with the Army expires on Sept. 30, it will no longer provide such services."
The filing did not elaborate on the decision, and CACI executives did not return calls yesterday.
An internal Army report last year said Steven A. Stefanowicz, an interrogator employed by the company, was among four individuals suspected to be "either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses" at Abu Ghraib.
Subsequent investigations generally concluded that company employees had played a more limited role than originally reported. Nevertheless, six employees of CACI and Titan Corp., which provided translators to the military, were referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
No charges have been filed.
BLOGNOTE:
I know this is old; but, just to remember why we were hiring torturers.... Its UNCONSTITUTIONAL for soldiers and the CIA to torture. The Geneva Conventions are American Laws. That doesnt mean its OK to HIRE people to do it, but 2nd party would be less aggregious.... on some plane in neo-con world.
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 1:44 PM
CACI and Its Friends
CACI and Its Friends
In his now-famous report on Abu Ghraib prison, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba identified Steve Stefanowicz, a civilian interrogator employed by CACI International, as having "allowed and/or instructed" MPs to abuse and humiliate Iraqi prisoners and as giving orders that he knew "equated to physical abuse." Taguba charged that Stefanowicz was one of four people, including a contract interpreter employed by Titan Corporation and two military intelligence officials, who were "either directly or indirectly responsible" for the abuse. On May 21 the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into an unnamed civilian contractor in Iraq after receiving a referral from the Defense Department.
Unlike Titan, which fired a translator suspected by Taguba of sexually humiliating detainees, CACI, which has twenty-seven interrogators working under Army command in Iraq, has taken a defiant stance on Taguba's allegations. On May 27, J.P. "Jack" London, CACI's longtime chairman and CEO, told securities analysts that CACI is unaware of "any specific charges" against its employees but is "working diligently to get the facts." He added, "We feel we've done a fine job for the United States Army," and said that "our work and integrity will come shining through." CACI declined comment for this article. Stefanowicz, through his attorney, has denied any wrongdoing.
CACI's history and operating philosophy provide valuable clues to its activities at Abu Ghraib. Based in Arlington, Virginia, the company was founded in 1962 by two men affiliated with the Air Force's RAND Corporation. For the next thirty-five years, it grew steadily by providing specialty software to the Pentagon and other government agencies, and in the late 1990s it plunged into the military-intelligence market. With the assistance of friends in high places, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage--a CACI director and consultant from 1999 to 2001, when he joined the Bush Administration--CACI entered the small universe of companies providing information technology and services to military units devoted to countering terrorism, a strategy once known to military planners as "asymmetric warfare." Since 9/11, CACI has emerged as one of the most unabashed corporate backers of Bush's foreign policy and a key supporter of the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In his now-famous report on Abu Ghraib prison, Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba identified Steve Stefanowicz, a civilian interrogator employed by CACI International, as having "allowed and/or instructed" MPs to abuse and humiliate Iraqi prisoners and as giving orders that he knew "equated to physical abuse." Taguba charged that Stefanowicz was one of four people, including a contract interpreter employed by Titan Corporation and two military intelligence officials, who were "either directly or indirectly responsible" for the abuse. On May 21 the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into an unnamed civilian contractor in Iraq after receiving a referral from the Defense Department.
Unlike Titan, which fired a translator suspected by Taguba of sexually humiliating detainees, CACI, which has twenty-seven interrogators working under Army command in Iraq, has taken a defiant stance on Taguba's allegations. On May 27, J.P. "Jack" London, CACI's longtime chairman and CEO, told securities analysts that CACI is unaware of "any specific charges" against its employees but is "working diligently to get the facts." He added, "We feel we've done a fine job for the United States Army," and said that "our work and integrity will come shining through." CACI declined comment for this article. Stefanowicz, through his attorney, has denied any wrongdoing.
CACI's history and operating philosophy provide valuable clues to its activities at Abu Ghraib. Based in Arlington, Virginia, the company was founded in 1962 by two men affiliated with the Air Force's RAND Corporation. For the next thirty-five years, it grew steadily by providing specialty software to the Pentagon and other government agencies, and in the late 1990s it plunged into the military-intelligence market. With the assistance of friends in high places, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage--a CACI director and consultant from 1999 to 2001, when he joined the Bush Administration--CACI entered the small universe of companies providing information technology and services to military units devoted to countering terrorism, a strategy once known to military planners as "asymmetric warfare." Since 9/11, CACI has emerged as one of the most unabashed corporate backers of Bush's foreign policy and a key supporter of the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 1:33 PM
Daily Kos: Randi Rhodes being sued by CACI [alleged torture contractors]
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 1:18 PM
The Red Cross Torture Report: What It Means - The New York Review of Books
The Red Cross Torture Report: What It Means - The New York Review of Books
"I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we can't reconcile our core values, our Constitution, our belief that we don't torture, with our national security interests.... That attitude, that philosophy has done incredible damage to our image and position in the world."[5] ~Barack Obama
I want to comment on this later.
Is there a connection to this torture issue and the silence of Randi Rhodes for the last couple months (Seems like years).
Randi was sued by CACI for her claims that CACI had tortured prisoners. She has Discovery that could be VERY valuable to the prosecution!!
"I think that Vice President Cheney has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we can't reconcile our core values, our Constitution, our belief that we don't torture, with our national security interests.... That attitude, that philosophy has done incredible damage to our image and position in the world."[5] ~Barack Obama
I want to comment on this later.
Is there a connection to this torture issue and the silence of Randi Rhodes for the last couple months (Seems like years).
Randi was sued by CACI for her claims that CACI had tortured prisoners. She has Discovery that could be VERY valuable to the prosecution!!
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 1:02 PM
'Will you open fire on UK citizens' Army personnel being asked
'Will you open fire on UK citizens' Army personnel being asked
I found this long and extracted conversation to be both bizarre and frightening. I will state at this point that he is someone that I have known for years, and trust implicitly. The fact that service personnel are actually being asked in special briefing sessions whether they would fire on their own nationals indicates that the rumours about the Army being put on standby are indeed very true.
BLOGNOTE:
Beware!
The same elite globalists want these powers here in america too
I found this long and extracted conversation to be both bizarre and frightening. I will state at this point that he is someone that I have known for years, and trust implicitly. The fact that service personnel are actually being asked in special briefing sessions whether they would fire on their own nationals indicates that the rumours about the Army being put on standby are indeed very true.
BLOGNOTE:
Beware!
The same elite globalists want these powers here in america too
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 12:19 PM
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
HR808/U.S. Department of PEACE - News | IMAGINE PEACE
HR808/U.S. Department of PEACE - News IMAGINE PEACE
The Honorable — —United States House of Representatives— — House Office BuildingDistrict of Columbia 20515
Dear Representative —:
Just a brief letter, if I may, to urge you to support legislation to establish a US cabinet-level Department of Peace and Non-Violence. Your support of legislation to help make this concept a reality will be extremely important.
As one who served in the US Air Force as an officer and then the US Foreign Service and Senior Foreign Service for a total of 32 years, I’m personally a very strong backer of a Department of Peace. I want to stress the fact that I’m not anti-military. The US Military plays an essential and critical role in our foreign policy, and must sometimes be the tool that the US Government utilizes. However, a Department of Peace could be instrumental in helping to assure that peaceful options are “on the table” for consideration when security and emergency situations arise overseas. Such non-violent options, of course, won’t always be possible – unfortunately, military options are sometimes the only courses of action that are workable. However, it’s critical that peaceful, non-violent options are always given consideration.
I’ve occasionally heard counter-arguments that a Department of Peace would be duplicative and expensive. Undoubtedly, there might be some duplication, but careful planning can help to minimize or eliminate many of the duplicative functions. In terms of the expense, I would argue that at a time when our Department of Defense expenditures are pushing $500 billion annually, that the comparative costs of setting up and running a Department of Peace and Non-Violence would be relatively miniscule. In fact, in the long run a Department of Peace would very possibly save billions of dollars – one overseas conflict mitigated or prevented could pay the costs of a Department of Peace for a decade. I would argue that when all aspects of a Department of Peace are considered and given the nature of the world today, impacted by globalization, competition for resources, terrorism, well-armed national military forces, the growing spread of nuclear capabilities, and many other factors, that we can’t afford to be without a Department of Peace.
I’ve served in many hostile environments during my time with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), a Phoenix-based NGO focusing on development in sub-Saharan Africa. I’ve spent 22 years living overseas and 12 additional years working from.................
more....
The Honorable — —United States House of Representatives— — House Office BuildingDistrict of Columbia 20515
Dear Representative —:
Just a brief letter, if I may, to urge you to support legislation to establish a US cabinet-level Department of Peace and Non-Violence. Your support of legislation to help make this concept a reality will be extremely important.
As one who served in the US Air Force as an officer and then the US Foreign Service and Senior Foreign Service for a total of 32 years, I’m personally a very strong backer of a Department of Peace. I want to stress the fact that I’m not anti-military. The US Military plays an essential and critical role in our foreign policy, and must sometimes be the tool that the US Government utilizes. However, a Department of Peace could be instrumental in helping to assure that peaceful options are “on the table” for consideration when security and emergency situations arise overseas. Such non-violent options, of course, won’t always be possible – unfortunately, military options are sometimes the only courses of action that are workable. However, it’s critical that peaceful, non-violent options are always given consideration.
I’ve occasionally heard counter-arguments that a Department of Peace would be duplicative and expensive. Undoubtedly, there might be some duplication, but careful planning can help to minimize or eliminate many of the duplicative functions. In terms of the expense, I would argue that at a time when our Department of Defense expenditures are pushing $500 billion annually, that the comparative costs of setting up and running a Department of Peace and Non-Violence would be relatively miniscule. In fact, in the long run a Department of Peace would very possibly save billions of dollars – one overseas conflict mitigated or prevented could pay the costs of a Department of Peace for a decade. I would argue that when all aspects of a Department of Peace are considered and given the nature of the world today, impacted by globalization, competition for resources, terrorism, well-armed national military forces, the growing spread of nuclear capabilities, and many other factors, that we can’t afford to be without a Department of Peace.
I’ve served in many hostile environments during my time with the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of State, the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) and the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), a Phoenix-based NGO focusing on development in sub-Saharan Africa. I’ve spent 22 years living overseas and 12 additional years working from.................
more....
posted by gr8fuldaniel | 12:40 PM
