Celente Predicts Revolution, Food Riots, Tax Rebellions By 2012

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read and see. My real concern here is that this man may well be right. If this is a valid prediction, you can also be sure that this will impact our national security in a major way.) bailout

Trend forecaster, renowned for being accurate in the past, says that America will cease to be a developed nation within 4 years, crisis will be “worse than the great depression”

by Paul Joseph Watson

The man who predicted the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union is now forecasting revolution in America, food riots and tax rebellions – all within four years, while cautioning that putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying Christmas gifts by 2012.

Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week.

Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.

“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.

“America’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” said Celente, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.

Watch the clip.

Celente, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as “The Panic of 2008,” adding that “giants (would) tumble to their deaths,” which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.

The consequence of what we have seen unfold this year would lead to a lowering in living standards, Celente predicted a year ago, which is also being borne out by plummeting retail sales figures.

The prospect of revolution was a concept echoed by a British Ministry of Defence report last year, which predicted that within 30 years, the growing gap between the super rich and the middle class, along with an urban underclass threatening social order would mean, “The world’s middle classes might unite, using access to knowledge, resources and skills to shape transnational processes in their own class interest,” and that, “The middle classes could become a revolutionary class.”

In a separate recent interview, Celente went further on the subject of revolution in America.

“There will be a revolution in this country,” he said. “It’s not going to come yet, but it’s going to come down the line and we’re going to see a third party and this was the catalyst for it: the takeover of Washington, D. C., in broad daylight by Wall Street in this bloodless coup. And it will happen as conditions continue to worsen.”

“The first thing to do is organize with tax revolts. That’s going to be the big one because people can’t afford to pay more school tax, property tax, any kind of tax. You’re going to start seeing those kinds of protests start to develop.”

“It’s going to be very bleak. Very sad. And there is going to be a lot of homeless, the likes of which we have never seen before. Tent cities are already sprouting up around the country and we’re going to see many more.”

“We’re going to start seeing huge areas of vacant real estate and squatters living in them as well. It’s going to be a picture the likes of which Americans are not going to be used to. It’s going to come as a shock and with it, there’s going to be a lot of crime. And the crime is going to be a lot worse than it was before because in the last 1929 Depression, people’s minds weren’t wrecked on all these modern drugs – over-the-counter drugs, or crystal meth or whatever it might be. So, you have a huge underclass of very desperate people with their minds chemically blown beyond anybody’s comprehension.”

Czar: 'Spread the wealth! Change the whole system' Using White House position to push communist policies?

(Analyst's note: And this man is advising the American President? Why?)

By Aaron Klein

Van Jones

JERUSALEM – Just days before his White House appointment, Van Jones, Obama's environmental adviser, used a forum at a major youth convention

to push for what can easily be interpreted as a communist or socialist agenda.

As WND previously reported, Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is an admitted black nationalist and radical communist.

Jones' appointment was announced on March 10.

Two weeks before he started his White House job, however, Jones delivered the keynote address at Power Shift '09, which was billed as the largest youth summit on climate change in history. A reported 12,000 young people were at the D.C. Convention Center for the event.

During his speech, available on YouTube, Jones threw around terms like "eco-apartheid" and "green for some," and preached about spreading the wealth while positing a call to "change the whole system."

In one section of his twenty-minute speech, Jones referenced "our Native American brothers and sisters" who, he claimed, were "pushed," "bullied," "mistreated" and "shoved into all the land that we didn't want."

"Guess what?" Jones continued. "Give them the wealth! Give them then wealth! No justice on stolen land ... we owe them a debt."

"We have to create a green economy, that's true, that's true. But we have to create a green economy that Dr. King would be proud of," he exclaimed.

Jones spoke about using what he termed an environmental revolution to push for other policies, including anti-war activism.

"If all you did was have a clean energy revolution, you wouldn't have done anything. ... You'll have bio-fueled bombers and we'll be fighting wars over lithium for the batteries instead of oil for the engines," he said to applause.

"This movement is deeper than solar power. ... Don't stop there! We are going to change the whole system!" he exclaimed.

The White House did not return multiple WND requests the past few weeks seeking comment on how Jones was screened for his position and whether the White House knew of his admitted radical past.

Jones on 9-11: Blame U.S. 'imperialism' ....

Raft of Deals for Failed Banks Puts U.S. on Hook for Billions

By DAMIAN PALETTA

WASHINGTON -- The biggest spur to deal-making among banks isn't private-equity cash or foreign investors. It is the federal government. bailout

To encourage banks to pick through the wreckage of their collapsed competitors, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has agreed to assume most of the risk on $80 billion in loans and other assets. The agency expects it will eventually have to cover $14 billion in future losses on deals cut so far. The initiative amounts to a subsidy for the banking industry.

Tracking the Nation's Bank Failures

See banks, savings banks and thrifts that have failed since the beginning of 2008.

Through more than 50 deals known as "loss shares," the FDIC has agreed to absorb losses on the detritus of the financial crisis -- from loans on two log cabins in the woods of northwestern Illinois to hundreds of millions of dollars in busted condominium loans in Florida. The agency's total exposure is about six times the amount remaining in its fund that guarantees consumers' deposits, exposing taxpayers to a big, new risk.

As financial markets heal and the economy appears to be pulling out of recession, the federal government is shifting from crisis to cleanup mode. But as the loss-share deals show, its potential financial burden isn't receding. So far, the FDIC has paid out $300 million to a handful of banks under the loss-share agreements.

The practice is largely a response to the number of bank failures of the past 18 months, which has stretched the FDIC's financial and logistical resources. The FDIC had just $10.4 billion in its deposit-insurance fund at the end of June, down from more than $50 billion last year. The agency said Thursday it had 416 banks on its "problem" list at the end of the second quarter, which means the list of banks at a higher risk of insolvency has been growing.

Many of the government programs aimed at attacking the financial crisis have carried high price tags, including the Treasury Department's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, which includes major government investments in American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., and the U.S. auto industry. But federal money isn't just going one way. Some of the emergency programs put in place last year, including TARP, have brought in billions of dollars for the government.

On a range of rescue programs run by the Federal Reserve, such as loans to investment banks and purchases of mortgage-backed securities, the Fed earned $16.4 billion through the first six months of 2009. The FDIC said earlier this year that it earned more than $7 billion on the fees it charged through a program that guaranteed debt issued by banks.

On Aug. 14, Alabama's Colonial Bank collapsed, felled by bad commercial-real-estate lending. The FDIC, assuming its traditional role, brokered a sale of the bank's deposits to BB&T Corp., ensuring that customers wouldn't see any interruption. It also agreed to help BB&T buy a $15 billion portfolio of Colonial's loans and other assets by agreeing to absorb more than 80% of future losses. Under the deal, the most BB&T can lose is $500 million, the bank says, and that is only in the unlikely event that the entire portfolio becomes worthless. The FDIC is on the hook to cover the rest.

In June, Wilshire State Bank, a division of Wilshire Bancorp Inc. in Los Angeles, agreed to buy $362 million in deposits and $449 million of assets from failed Mirae Bank, also of Los Angeles. The FDIC agreed to assume most future losses on roughly $341 million of those assets, largely commercial real estate and construction loans in Southern California.

"After we understood how [the loss-share] works, we were literally overjoyed," says Joanne Kim, chief executive of Wilshire State Bank.

Loss-share agreements made a brief appearance in the early 1990s during the savings-and-loan crisis, but haven't been used this extensively before. The FDIC sees the deals as a way to keep bank loans and other assets in the private sector. More importantly, it believes such deals mitigate the cost of cleaning up the industry.

The FDIC contends it would cost the agency considerably more to simply liquidate the assets of failed banks, especially with the current crop of troubled institutions and their portfolios of loans on misbegotten real estate.

The FDIC's premise is that banks that take on the troubled assets will work to improve their value over time. The agency estimates the loss-share deals cut will cost it $11 billion less than if the agency seized the assets and sold them at fair-market value.

"This is an issue the FDIC is grappling with because the loss rates they are estimating on these failed banks are pretty amazing," says Frederick Cannon, chief equity strategist at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc.

By potentially mitigating losses -- or at least stretching them out over time -- the deals provide some protection for the agency's insurance fund. "It's a great opportunity for banks," says James Wigand, deputy director of the FDIC's division of resolutions and receiverships. "It's a great opportunity for us."

US, Afghan forces strike Haqqani Network bases

'Take that thing off your head' ROTC student suspended for telling Muslim to respect flag, remove hijab

from WorldNetDaily

Mark and Heather Lawrence

Maybe it's because her dad served in the U.S. Marines ... or because her high school mascot is a fierce-looking eagle ... or because she plans to enlist in the Army next summer after graduation to defend her country ... whatever the reason, when Heather Lawrence saw a fellow student refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and recite it with the class, the 16-year-old Junior ROTC member saw a teachable moment and took it.

And for that, she's been suspended five days.

Lawrence's troubles with administrators at Springstead High School in Hernando Beach, Fla., began last Wednesday when she noticed a female Muslim student refusing to participate in the Pledge. The student was wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf.

Later in the day, Lawrence encountered the student between periods and told her she should stand for the pledge, reported Hernando Today.

"Take that thing off your head and act like you're proud to be an American," Lawrence told her. ....

reuters Rep. Frank eyes Fed audit, emergency lending curbs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, said he plans legislation to restrict the Federal Reserve's emergency lending powers and subject the central bank to a "complete audit."

At a recent town hall meeting, Frank said the House would pass a bill to use an audit to crack open the central bank's books more widely, but in a way that will not encroach on the central bank's monetary policy independence. ....

Report: U.K. Used Lockerbie Bomber as Bargaining Chip for Oil

from The Sunday Times

The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.

Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.

The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely critizised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.

The correspondence makes it plain that the key decision to include Megrahi in a deal with Libya to allow prisoners to return home was, in fact, taken in London for British national interests. ....

CIA Internal Report Hints at Impact of Harsh Interrogations on 9/11 Mastermind

(Analyst's note: A must read article.)

from FOXNews.com

Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-described architect of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, looms large in a declassified CIA report on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques.

The inspector general's report, released this week, says Mohammed wasn't much help before he was waterboarded but went on to become "one of the U.S. government's key sources on Al Qaeda." Such revelations have fueled the fiery debate over the effectiveness of the CIA's tactics and whether the United States should condone methods that many deem torture.

But additional details of his interactions with interrogators may raise more questions than they answer -- potentially saying more about the captive than his captors.

Intelligence officials described to the Washington Post a scene almost out of the halls of academia, with the once-resistant high-level detainee giving "terrorist tutorials" to them in a makeshift lecture hall. He even scolded one listener for poor note-taking and his inability to recall details of an earlier lecture.

The CIA report makes it clear that Mohammed wasn't willing to divulge much before interrogators resorted to the controversial tactics.

"KSM, an accomplished resistor, provided only a few intelligence reports prior to the use of the waterboard, and analysis of that information revealed that much of it was outdated, inaccurate or incomplete," the report said.

But after he was subjected to waterboarding -- or simulated drowning -- and prolonged sleep deprivation, among other harsh interrogation techniques, Mohammed began to cooperate and apparently even enjoy revealing secrets.

Mohammed "seemed to relish the opportunity, sometimes for hours on end, to discuss the inner workings of Al Qaeda and the group's plans, ideology and operatives," a person familiar with the sessions told the Washington Post. "He'd even use a chalkboard at times."

While it is impossible to know for sure whether less coercive techniques would have gained the same information, those who defend the tactics believe the results are clear.

"What do you think changed KSM's mind?" a former senior intelligence official told the newspaper after being asked about the effect of waterboarding. "Of course it began with that."

Vice President Dick Cheney has been the most vocal proponent of the techniques, arguing that they prevented another terrorist attack and exposed other terror plots.

In an interview with FOX News' Chris Wallace to air Sunday, Cheney assailed Attorney General Eric Holder and Holder's decision to appoint a federal prosecutor to investigate whether criminal charges should be brought against some CIA interrogators.

"We had a track record of eight years defending the nation against any further mass casualty attacks from Al Qaeda," Cheney said. "The approach of the Obama administration should be to come to those people who were involved in that policy and say, 'How did you do it? What were the keys to keeping this country safe over that period of time?'"

"Instead they are out there threatening to disbar the lawyers who gave us the legal opinions -- threatening contrary to what the president originally said. They're going to go out and investigate the CIA personnel who carried out those investigations," he said.

Two of the three documents Cheney claimed would show the value of the enhanced interrogation program are now declassified.

The CIA is still reviewing the third document. It is not described as a smoking gun that will definitively link specific intelligence to waterboarding.

Click here to read the Washington Post story.

Pickens: Oil Will Reach $300 a Barrel

(Analyst's note: What we see here is strategic thinking regarding some of our national infrastructure. This is an absolutely must read article.)

from MoneyNews.com

Oil legend T. Boone Pickens, now CEO of BP Capital, says oil prices will continue to rise, possibly reaching $300 per barrel.

“Look at the history,” Pickens told Dan Mangru of Moneynews. It proves oil prices will go up, as OPEC revenues increased five times over the last five years, he says.

Click Here Now to Watch this
Never-Seen Exclusive Interview

Supply is stuck permanently at 85 million barrels per day, and demand will keep rising over the long term, Pickens says. By 2019, demand will reach 90 million barrels a day, he predicts.

“The only way if you peak on supply that you can kill demand is with price,” Pickens says. That’s what happened when oil prices hit a high of $147 in 2007.

So, 10 years from now, “the price of oil could well be $300,” he told Mangru.

To reduce our reliance on coal, Pickens suggests a “cash for clunkers”-style plan whereby power companies would get paid to retire coal plants and build natural gas plants instead.

With 22 percent of U.S. power already coming from natural gas, “the technology is in place” for that idea, Pickens says. “It would be easy to do.”

Natural gas can easily replace foreign oil, as gas supplies are plentiful, Pickens says. “Nobody ever stands up and says, ‘Hey Boone, that’s a bad idea,’ because if they do, they’re for foreign oil.”

Switching to natural gas from diesel on 18-wheel trucks alone will cut U.S. imports from OPEC by half to about 2.25 million barrels per day in seven years, he says.

And that reduction in turn will improve national security, he says.

“We import almost 70 percent of our oil, and over half of what we import actually comes from countries that aren’t even friendly to us,” Pickens points out.

Renewable energy, including wind and solar power also is vital, he says.

“Will it work? Of course it will work. You have to get your oar in the water and get started on it and not just go: ‘We don’t want to change anything.’”

Without change, the United States will continue to rely on coal for 52 percent of its power supply. “If you want to go forward with technologies of the future, you’re going to have to get into renewable,” Pickens says.

He says wind power will become feasible when natural gas trades at $6 or $7 per thousand cubic feet. The price now stands at $3.

“You’re going to have to wait. A lot of things are waiting now for economies to recover. But as the economy recovers, prices are going to move up,” Pickens says.

In the meantime, natural gas is viable as a transportation fuel. “The cheaper natural gas is, the better deal it is for our country,” Pickens says.

New Video Shows Signs al Qaeda Fears US Closing In

from National Terror Alert

Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri has ordered his fighters to target Pakistan amid growing signs that its army and US drones are closing in on al-Qaeda. Military analysts and retired senior army chiefs said his call reflected growing disarray in the militant ranks following the death of Pakistan’s feared Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud earlier this month and the brutal leadership battle it has provoked. ....

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Mullen – 9/11 Plotters Still Alive And Planning More Attacks

Those who plotted the deadly attacks on World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, are still alive and planning to carry out more terror strikes, a top US military general has said. “The people behind that deadly day are still at it. They live and plan and train in safe havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” Navy admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said. ....

Doctors Warning of Severe Form of H1N1 Virus

from National Terror Alert

Doctors are reporting a severe form of H1N1 that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalized with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need intensive care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic. ....

Homeowners take to streets: 'Lower taxes now!'

(South Florida Sun-Sentinel) "They are going berserk. People are absolutely flipping out" ...

Message to Muslim World Gets a Critique

By THOM SHANKER

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting. ....

Gadian alleges US has camps in Mindanao

By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter

A retired military officer claimed Thursday that the US military has two permanent structures in Mindanao and that American servicemen were joining Filipino soldiers in combat operations.

Retired Navy Lt. Nancy Gadian told the Legislative Oversight on the Visiting Forces Agreement (LOVFA) that a permanent structure was built in Camp Navarro for the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JOSTF) Philippines after the first Balikatan exercises in 2002.

“Prior to their presence in Camp Navarro, the US military built permanent and temporary structures in the Edwin Andrews Air Base to house their personnel and equipment, which included tanks and communication equipment,” she said.

Both camps are in Zamboanga City.

The 1987 Constitution bans the establishment of permanent military facilities for foreign powers.

“Camp Navarro is guarded by US Marines. There are at least 500 American soldiers there at any given time, with or without Balikatan exercises,” Gadian added.

She said that while American servicemen could enter Philippine military camps, Filipino soldiers could enter Camp Navarro only if they were invited and only designated places. ....

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US denies troops involved in combat in Philippines

US fears Yemen next staging ground for al-Qaida

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON — American authorities are pressuring Yemen to counter a rising internal al-Qaida threat more aggressively and improve intelligence-sharing amid growing worries that the country could become the next significant terrorist staging ground.

As insurgent attacks have spiked in the embattled Middle East nation over the past year, the U.S. has bolstered counterterrorism training there, including efforts to shore up Yemen's borders and combat terror financing and arms trafficking.

Al-Qaida's increased strength at organizing and training new recruits in Yemen's vast ungoverned spaces has also led the U.S. to consider boosting financial aid and sales of military equipment to Yemen's government.

Shari Villarosa, senior State Department counterterrorism adviser, said that the security situation in Yemen has "deteriorated significantly" and that the Yemeni government's political will to battle al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations has shifted at times.

"The U.S. wants to help Yemen because we do not want to see Yemen become another Afghanistan where al-Qaida can train, plan and execute terrorist actions against us," Villarosa said. ....

Dealing With The Secret Government

by Christopher Hayes

It is now clear that we are facing an implacable enemy whose avowed objective is world domination by whatever means and at whatever cost. There are no rules in such a game. Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. If the United States is to survive, long-standing American concepts of "fair play" must be reconsidered. ....

Colorado Springs welcomes homes the troops

Afghan MP furious NATO troops captured taliban leader in a medical facility

(Analyst's note: We have here additional insight into the enemy we are fighting.)

from the Jawa Report

On August 26th, NATO and Afghan troops captured a taliban leader, and 5 other taliban terrorists after they were fired on from a medical clinic.

Now, an Afghan member of parliament, Khalid Farooqi, a member of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan is furious that NATO troops and Afghan troops defended themselves. Foorqi claims it is an offense to fire on a medical facility. While technically true, it is also an offense to use a medical facility as launching pad for an attack, which the taliban did. But Farooqi isn't concerned about details. BBC

A member of the Afghan parliament has criticised a Nato air strike on a clinic where a Taliban leader was being treated for his injuries.[...]

Khalid Faroqi, who represents Paktika province, said it was an offence to fire on such a facility.

Nato says that troops first made sure there were no civilians inside.

It says security forces were fired upon as they approached the clinic and responded by ordering helicopter strikes.

Blogged by iPhone.

‘Headed Home’: Sen. Hatch Writes Song Dedicated to Sen. Kennedy

(Analyst's note: This is a must read - hear -- a very nice musical touch from a friend of Senator Kennedy that proves we really can have different base beliefs about how to succeed in this country and still remain civil toward one another. You can listen by simply clicking on the title above. Just know that the "Him" being spoken of in this tribute is really Jesus Christ.)

Islamist Terrorism Suspect Arrested as German Case Widens

By Tony Czuczka

Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- German federal agents arrested a 24- year-old man suspected of supporting an Islamist group that allegedly plotted attacks on U.S. citizens in Germany, the federal prosecutor’s office said. ....

Islamist Groups Threaten Free Speech Ruling

By: Jamie Glazov

FrontpageMagazine Interview's guest today is Joe Kaufman, the Chairman of Americans Against Hate and the founder of CAIR Watch.

FP: Joe Kaufman, welcome to Frontpage Interview.

A little while ago, there was a great victory for you, for the War on Terror and for freedom of speech. The Texas Court of Appeals dismissed the case that was brought against you.

But now it appears that the saga continues. The Muslim groups are pushing forward and asking the Texas Supreme Court to review the case.

What exactly is going on? Give us an update.

Kaufman: Since my legal victory in the State of Texas Court of Appeals, where the appellate agreed that I was a journalist and ruled unanimously that the case brought against me had no merit to continue, the other side has attempted to fight the ruling. First, they tried to get the appellate to reconsider its decision, but they lost that too, as the decision was upheld. Now, they are making a last gasp effort to get the Texas Supreme Court to review the matter.

FP: For some of our readers that might not know, tell us what this case is about.

Kaufman: In October 2007, I traveled to Texas to hold a demonstration against the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), outside an event the group was sponsoring at Six Flags Over Texas. I had discovered proof that ICNA was connected to the financing of Hamas overseas – an illegal act – and I wanted to expose this information to the public. During the protest, I was served with a lawsuit and a restraining order filed by seven Dallas-area Islamist groups. The groups included the Muslim American Society (MAS) and three Islamic centers owned by the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT). They claimed that I had libeled them in an article I had written about ICNA’s event prior to arriving in Texas. The article did not mention one of the seven groups.

FP: What freedoms does this lawsuit threaten?

Kaufman: The first Constitutional right that the groups attempted to rob me of was my right to Freedom of Assembly. As I mentioned, during the demonstration I was served with a restraining order. The groups obtained it two days prior to the protest taking place. The groups were of the belief that this order would stop me from being able to conduct a protest. As stated in a press release put out by the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), the group financing the case against me, “After he was served, Mr. Kaufman ignored the Restraining Order and held a sign that said ‘SIX FLAGS OVER TERRORISTS,’ and other defamatory signs.” These groups actually thought that what I was doing, exercising my right as an American to assemble and protest, was illegal.

The second right that the groups attempted to take from me was my right to Freedom of Speech. As I have contended all along, the case brought against me was entirely frivolous. The groups were suing me for an article I had written which didn’t even mention them. They filed a restraining order against me, when I had never threatened them in any way, which they admitted under oath on the stand. The only reason why this case was brought against me was because they don’t like what I say about groups such as ICNA or MAS. They don’t want me discussing the groups’ terrorism ties, because they know that my research and writings could assist in getting the groups shut down. Their quest is to silence me – to harm me financially and silence me.

As one of the leaders of MAS, Mahdi Bray, recently stated on his radio show [with MLFA head Khalil Meek by his side], “In order to deal with these haters, these bashers, these Islamophobes, we’ve got to be willing to spend our money in a court of law. And not necessarily because we don’t look for money, but we need to be able to say we need to spend our money and make you spend your money, and you’re gonna stop doing this to us. I mean, I think we need to set the example. I think the situation with Joe Kaufman was an excellent example…”

The third Constitutional right that the groups tried to take from me was my right to Freedom of Press. As stated by the appellate court, I am a journalist. That’s what I do. That’s my life. Not only did these groups seek to obtain an injunction from the court to “remove” from my “web blog” material that I had previously written – again material that didn’t even mention them – but they sought as well to have me restrained from publishing statements in the future that they deemed “annoying” to them. The “web blog” that the groups reference is actually FrontPage Magazine, which is of course not run by me, but by David Horowitz. Yet, according to the Plaintiffs, I “founded” FrontPage.

FP: So what might happen now? What are the prospects with the Supreme Court being asked to review the case?

Kaufman: Considering that this is a case of “first impression,” meaning an interpretation of law that has not yet been heard by a given court, the Texas Supreme Court might want to visit it. However, the appellate court was very thorough in what it wrote concerning my case. Little, if anything, was left out of its decision. I’m confident that that will at least be considered.

FP: What is ultimately at stake with this case?

Kaufman: All of the freedoms that we cherish are at stake. As Mahdi Bray said, I was used as an example – an example to be duplicated many times in the future. While a court ruled in my favor, the plaintiffs’ success came in the form of extensive legal bills and time. If there is one individual out there who is fearful about speaking out against those who support terror, because of what I had to personally endure, then the other side has won. We must fight this. We cannot give in to fear. We cannot allow the enemy to destroy what so many of our countrymen died to protect.

FP: Tell us a bit about who has given you help and support.

Kaufman: Many exceptional people helped me both legally and financially, in order for me to keep the rights that I enjoy as an American. My main legal team included: Bill Becker of the Becker Law Firm; Manny Klausner of the Individual Rights Foundation; Brandon Bolling of Cummings, McClorey, Davis, & Acho PLC; Richard Thompson of the Thomas More Law Center; and my Texas attorneys Tom Brandon and Tom Harkins of Whitaker, Chalk, Swindle & Sawyer, LLP.

My support team included: David Horowitz of the David Horowitz Freedom Center; Daniel Pipes and Brooke Goldstein of the Middle East Forum; David Yerushalmi of the Society of Americans for National Existence; Steven Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism; and Peter Feaman, Tom Trento and Ann Fishman of the Florida Security Council.

I’m not the type of person that likes to rely on others, but without all of these individuals I don’t know what I would have done.

FP: What can the average citizen do to help you?

Kaufman: Unfortunately, I still have legal bills that need to be paid, and depending on the Texas Supreme Court decision, they could only get higher. I would appreciate it if those who are reading about my ordeal would donate to my case. Both the Horowitz Freedom Center and the Middle East Forum’s Legal Project have legal funds set up for this purpose. Please get in touch with one of them, if you wish to help me and this cause.

And remember, it’s not just about me. It’s not just me whose freedoms are on the line. It’s all of ours.

FP: How are you feeling yourself? What are your thoughts and how are you? It’s been stressful on you no doubt?

Kaufman: I have been doing what I do every day for the past eight years. In that time, I have always been conscious of the fact that someday the groups I have devoted my life to shutting down might try to pull some stunt in order to stop me. So mentally, I’ve been ready for this.

That said, it’s not fun getting sued, especially when considering the money it takes to fight it. As well, it’s not pleasant to know that you have a restraining order hanging over your head, especially when you know that you have never threatened anyone in your life. And most importantly, it’s not good to know that the bad guys could file a bogus lawsuit and restraining order and actually have it considered by a knowledgeable judge in a court of law.

Whatever the case, I did not get involved in this field thinking that it was going to be an easy ride. I got into it, because I took the terrorist attacks against my country, the United States of America, personally, and I’m not about to let seven Dallas-area extremist groups get to me enough to quit. I am in it till the end, and I’m extremely proud of what I do and what I have accomplished.

FP: Joe Kaufman, thank you for joining Frontpage Interview.

As Mr. Kaufman mentioned, the Freedom Center is actively involved in this case; it has been providing legal assistance and has been helping pay for local counsel in Texas working on Mr. Kaufman’s defense.

Americas Freedom - Tea Party Speech

(Analyst's note: This is an absolutely must read - see video. Remember that she is 11 years old and working without a teleprompter. Just click on the title above.)

Giving China help with cyber warfare - Plan may make it easier to hand over militarily critical exports

(Analyst's note: This report is troubling.)

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN

The Obama administration is considering easing U.S. export controls to China even though the director for national intelligence is warning about Chinese cyber warfare threats to U.S. military information systems. In addition, there are increasing reports of Chinese military buildup to match U.S. capabilities, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

The one group jubilant over the White House decision to undertake yet another comprehensive review of U.S. export control laws toward China is the U.S. business community.

"The U.S. has one of the most robust export control systems in the world," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said last week. "But it is rooted in the Cold War era of over 50 years ago and must be updated to address the threats we face today and the changing economic and technological landscape."

Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council and a former U.S. Commerce under secretary who was in charge of export controls, applauded the White House initiative. Through the NFTC, the Coalition for Security

and Competitiveness, or CSC, similarly supported the initiative.

.... The question of loosening controls, however, centers on whether rewarding Chinese behavior is appropriate or whether it is oriented more toward aiding business at a time of global economic recession. ....

Audio -- Court using 'socialization' to challenge religious beliefs

Audio -- 1 million sign petition against Obamacare

Town-hall clash! Arrest threat over Obama 'Joker' poster Officer threatens arrest: This ain't America no more

(Analyst's note: An extremely troubling report and video.)

By Drew Zahn

Editor's note: Earlier reports that Officer Wesley Cheeks Jr. is a police officer were in error. Further investigation has revealed Officer Cheeks is a trained member of the Fairfax County Public Schools' trained School Security Officer team.

A depiction of the sign banned by Officer Cheeks

"This used to be America," argued a protester outside a health-care town hall meeting in Reston, Va., after a security officer threatened him with arrest for holding up a sign with a picture critical of Barack Obama.

The officer's response?

"It ain't no more, OK?"

A video of the town hall held earlier this week by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., shows an unnamed protester standing on school grounds carrying a sign that read "Organizing for National Socialist Health Care – The Final Solution" and depicted Barack Obama in the Joker's makeup.

Officer Wesley Cheeks Jr. then told the protester that even though others were holding signs, his sign was unacceptable because of the depiction of Obama.

"But you got this with a picture," Cheeks said, explaining why the protester was being singled out from the others. "That's the difference. This has got a picture on it. That don't have a picture on it.

"Sir, leave the picture down," the officer said. "If you put the picture back up, you'll be charged with trespassing."

Video of the exchange can be seen below:

Federal Reserve Board fights to keep its secrets Warns disclosing where money went would cause 'irreparable harm'

By Drew Zahn

Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve Board, despite being ordered to disclose to whom it awarded roughly $2 trillion in discount "stimulus" loans, is fighting to keep the information under wraps as a protected "trade secret."

Earlier this week, a U.S. district court judge rejected the Fed's argument that the names of borrowers are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act and ordered the board to release the information by Monday, Aug. 31.

The Fed's board of governors, however, has now filed a motion asking the judge to delay enforcement of the order, seeking time to appeal and arguing that disclosing which banks borrowed the funds could lead to a backlash from the banks' customers and stockholders.

Demand the money managers come clean by signing the petition in support of an audit of the Federal Reserve now!

"The immediate release of these documents will destroy the board's claims of exemption and right of appellate review," the motion said. "The institutions whose names and information would be disclosed will also suffer irreparable harm."

Bloomberg LP, which sued the Fed on behalf of its Bloomberg News unit for not complying with a FOIA request last year, disagrees.

"Our argument is that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the banks' interest in secrecy," said Thomas Golden, a lawyer who represents Bloomberg.

"What has the Fed got to hide?" said Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders in an email reported by Bloomberg. "The time has come for the Fed to stop stonewalling and hand this information over to the public." ....

A Big Victory!

(Analyst's note: Another letter from a friend.)

From: tphillips@afp-mail.com
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:02:37 -0400

Ever wonder if we can win tough public policy battles like health care and cap-and-trade?
Well, today we scored a big victory on a crucial issue that looked impossible just a few months ago.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the outrageously mis-named Employee Free Choice Act -- or Card Check -- is NOT going to be brought to a vote this year!

Card Check would effectively take the secret ballot away from American workers when it comes to deciding whether or not they want to join a union. It would take a cherished freedom away from millions of Americans, and at Americans for Prosperity we've been fighting it tooth-and-nail throughout the year.

A few months ago, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and their Big Labor allies were confident of passing this legislation, which would dramatically expand the power of unions by giving them millions of new union members along with their "forced dues."

We launched a "Save Our Secret Ballot" effort with rallies in key states like Pennsylvania (where union organizers aggressively attacked us), North Carolina, Arkansas and Virginia. We urged grassroots activists like you to call and email your Senators and House members. AFP was one of several free-market groups who took up the fight to stop this union power grab. TO SEE PHOTOS AND COVERAGE OF OUR GRASSROOTS EVENTS CLICK HERE .

Faced with this grassroots uprising, the big-government side had to back away -- and today they did.
So, we should take heart! Yes, we face a big challenge on stopping the health care takeover. Sure, the cap-and-trade battle is not easy. But, if we fight aggressively, fight hard and remain committed we can win -- just like we won the Card Check battle.

Today, I was in Wisconsin where Americans for Prosperity Foundation hosted a series of Town Hall meetings across this great state with special guest John Stossel of ABC's "20/20". AFP Foundation provided citizens with a forum to discuss a government takeover of health care. The crowds were huge and energetic: 1,900 in Madison (last night), 500 in La Crosse today and over 1,200 earlier this evening in Wausau, which is the home district of House Appropriations Chairman David Obey, who has refused to hold town hall meetings with his constituents.

Over 1,900 packed our town hall event in Madison, Wisconsin
You could feel the electricity in the room from seniors, small business owners, young couples, students, all committed to making sure the government keeps its "hands off our health care." CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS AND COVERAGE OF THE EVENTS.
Crowd of over 1,200 in Wausau We've got a long way to go on the health care and cap-and-trade battles. Several Senators are now saying Congress will stay in session deep into December in an attempt to wear us down.
While we gird for the long road ahead, let's take a moment to savor a victory for freedom today on the Card Check issue.
Then, let's get up and back to the fight for freedom!
Sincerely,

Tim Phillips
PS: You may have seen AFP's very own Phil Kerpen on Glenn Beck's FOX News show on Monday and Tuesday as Phil exposed the influence of the Apollo Alliance of big environmental groups, labor unions, and social justice community organizers on the stimulus bill. If you missed it, you can watch it here!



Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation's premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 700,000 members, including members in all 50 states, and 25 state chapters. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Identy Theft Avoidance - Census Bureau

(Analyst's note: Just received this note from a friend. It is an absolutely must read item.)

To all, something to be aware of in this world of stealing identities.


(PLEASE NOTE: I really think you should take a GOOD,HARD look at this. I was contacted by phone by the Census Bureau some time ago & I asked enough questions to ascertain that it was indeed the Census Bureau plus it said on my pho. ID that the # calling was from the Census Bureau in our County seat. I had a difficult time persuading them that I was suspicious since this was the FIRST time in 25 years that I had been contacted by any method from them~~Lee)

This information is being distributed by the Dallas / Ft. Worth IBMer Organization to warn it's thousands of members of fraud associated with the 2010 Census (some pre-census activity is already underway). However, this warning is for ALL citizens so you may want to pass it on to everyone you know.

2010 Census Cautions
by Susan Johnson - August 3, 2009 12:07 pm
Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers With the U.S. Census process beginning, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises people to be cooperative, but cautious, so as not to become a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data. The big question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist? BBB offers the following advice:

** If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a hand held device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. However, you should never invite anyone you don?t know into your home.


** Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census. While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, it will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers nor will employees solicit donations.

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, they will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are Supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit www.bbb.org

Letter to Senator McCain - just received

Dear Senator McCain:


First of all, please allow me to express my gratitude for your service to your Country; your ordeal while under captivity by the Socialist/Communist Vietnamese, is illustrative of the violent nature of ideological Socialism. The terrible injuries that were inflicted upon you by those socialists, is a horror story in and of itself!

Which gives me pause Senator! It is no secret that Obama is a socialist, a Marxist Socialist, a Saul Alinsky-trained Marxist/ Socialist "Community Organizer", who is taking this Nation down the road through Fascism/Socialism, to the inevitable eventuality of Communism! It puzzle me then, why you would want to help a socialist, when you suffered so much personal agony at socialist hands?

Obama's Health Care is a death warrant for many veterans as yourself, who fought socialist regimes for our freedom! Our WWII Veterans fought Hitler's "National Socialism", and Bonito Mussolini's "Fascism", while our Korean veterans fought Korean/Chinese Communism; in short, this Nations' veterans have fought those ideologies, and many have died in the process! And now, because they are old, some Obama-appointed bureaucrat will evaluate their "worth", and determine whether or not they are "entitled" to life extending, and life saving treatment and procedures! There is much more "wrong" with this socialized Health Care Legislation, but the systematic annihilation of our old people, because they committed the "crime" of merely growing old, is particularly heinous, because of its impact on those veterans!

Why then Senator, did you throw Obama a "Life Line" for his socialized medicine, rather than attempting to save those veterans, by working to absolutely defeat it? Obama made no bones about how he feels about our veterans, when he intended to have them pay for the treatment of their own war injuries! How calloused were his remarks, that "they were volunteers weren't they?", and they "knew what they were getting into!"

And, you actually helped this man! That Senator is reason for you to apologize to all of our living veterans, and the rest of the non-socialist Nation, your conduct is simply shameful sir!

Robert DiStefano

Shock horror: Pakistan abandons plans for military push against Taliban

by Robert Spencer

What a surprise!

"Pakistan: No Military Campaign Against the Taliban," by Bobby Ghosh for Time, August 28 (thanks to John):

Despite strenuous entreaties by top U.S. officials, Pakistan has abandoned plans to mount a military offensive against the terrorist group responsible for a two-year campaign of suicide bombings across the country. Although the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been in disarray since an Aug. 5 missile strike from a CIA-operated drone killed its leader, Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani military has concluded that a ground attack on its strongholds in South Waziristan would be too difficult....

Chairman of tax-writing committee failed to report millions...

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Charles Rangel failed to report as much as $1.3 million in outside income -- including up to $1 million for a Harlem building sale -- on financial-disclosure forms he filed between 2002 and 2006, according to newly amended records. ....

UAE Seizes North Korean Weapons Shipment to Iran (Update2)

(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates has seized a ship carrying North Korean-manufactured munitions, detonators, explosives and rocket-propelled grenades bound for Iran in violation of United Nations sanctions, diplomats said. ....

A Radical Approach to Restoration

Larry Schweikart

The problem is not the Constitution – the problem is that government's nature is to grow, and unless actively, deliberately checked at all times, it will grow. It’s time to rethink strategy. ....

MUST READ! The Mysterious Origins of the H1N1 "Swine Flu" Virus

2009 is NOT 1918 - can this 'pandemic' scare be a nasty - but purposeful - hoax?

Numerous doctors and scientists suspect that the swine flu virus was cultured in a laboratory. A mainstream Australian virologist, Adrian Gibbs – who was one of the first to analyze the genetic properties of the 2009 swine flu – believes that scientists accidentally created the H1N1 virus while producing vaccines. And Dr. John Carlo, Dallas Co. Medical Director, "This strain of swine influenza that’s been cultured in a laboratory is something that’s not been seen anywhere actually in the United States and the world, so this is actually a new strain of influenza that’s been identified."4 Because of this, the 2009 swine flu virus – which has yet to be detected in any animals – has a rather suspicious pedigree.

Video: Is Obama building his own massive civilian national security force?

CDC States H1N1 Vaccine May Maim and Kill 30,000 Americans.

(Analyst's note: This is certainly troubling.)

FDA guidelines for the novel H1N1 vaccine only require that it work in 3 out of every 10 recipients.

"Last Saturday, I attended one of 10 “public engagement” meetings the CDC is holding across the country, utilizing a new model of public engagement designed to provide a public viewpoint or societal perspective on the topic at hand (mass vaccination) to the sponsor (in this case, the CDC). We were asked to accept several assumptions in considering the topic." [Isn't this frightening?.........being asked to assume certain hypotheses in matters affecting your life........or your death?]

AUDIO: Mark Levin - Obama's Civilian Army

(Analyst's note: Absolutely must read - hear)

Are you aware of this issue?!

Senator: U.S. 'almost reaching a revolution'

(Chickasha Express-Star, Oklahoma) "People are not buying these concepts that are completely foreign to America," Inhofe said. "We're almost reaching a revolution in this country" ...

Did White House green light Lockerbie bomber's release?

(Ken Blackwell) The recent events in Scotland show the futility of treating a war as a criminal justice issue. Did Gordon Brown get a green light from the Obama administration ...

Soviet files show Kennedy sought deal with Andropov to undermine Reagan

(Peter Robinson) When Reagan chose to confront the Soviet Union, calling it the evil empire that it was, Kennedy chose to offer aid and comfort to Andropov ...

Click here for additional information about "Teddy" and his record of destructive social engineering. For more click here.

Cheney: Obama Team Should Be Debriefing CIA Interrogators, Not Investigating Them

Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Friday the Obama administration should be debriefing CIA interrogators about keeping the country safe rather than trying to punish them for doing their jobs. ....

Click here to see the video.

Bill would give president emergency control of Internet

(Analyst's note: This is certainly troubling.)

by Declan McCullagh

Internet companies and civil liberties groups were alarmed this spring when a U.S. Senate bill proposed handing the White House the power to disconnect private-sector computers from the Internet.

They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency.

The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that certain computer systems and networks in the private sector be managed by people who have been awarded that license.

"I think the redraft, while improved, remains troubling due to its vagueness," said Larry Clinton, president of the Internet Security Alliance, which counts representatives of Verizon, Verisign, Nortel, and Carnegie Mellon University on its board. "It is unclear what authority Sen. Rockefeller thinks is necessary over the private sector. Unless this is clarified, we cannot properly analyze, let alone support the bill."

Representatives of other large Internet and telecommunications companies expressed concerns about the bill in a teleconference with Rockefeller's aides this week, but were not immediately available for interviews on Thursday.....

Team Obama denies politicizing homeland security. Insert laugh track.

By Michelle Malkin

Props to the Associated Press for stepping outside its traditional role as Obama water-carriers and shedding light on the none-too-surprising politicization of border security funding under DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.

She’s in a state of denial.

The White House is desperately undermining transparency.

And maybe it’s finally dawning on the media stenographers that the Era of HopeNChangeyness ain’t all it was cracked up to be.

Light bulbs going off:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday that politics did not influence the decision to spend millions of dollars in stimulus money on little-used border checkpoints while passing over higher-priority projects.

Members of Congress have asked for answers after The Associated Press showed that the Obama administration did not follow its internal priority list when handing out money to repair border stations nationwide.

Two Montana senators have taken credit for securing money for projects in their state, including $15 million for a border crossing that sees about three travelers a day. Democratic Sen. John Tester said he and colleague Max Baucus personally appealed to Napolitano to make that and other Montana projects happen.

At a Dallas news conference Thursday, Napolitano said the AP story “was just wrong and I’ll say that because there was no kind of political issues involved there.”

The AP reviewed the department’s priority list, which showed that some low-priority projects were being funded ahead of more pressing needs. Officials would not allow AP to keep or publish the list and would not provide justifications for deviating from it.

Obama's health rationer-in-chief

(Betsy McCaughey)

White House health-care adviser Ezekiel Emanuel blames the Hippocratic Oath for the 'overuse' of medical care.

Dr. Emanuel is part of a school of thought that redefines a physician's duty, insisting that it includes working for the greater good of society instead of focusing only on a patient's needs ....

President Obama's terror strategy puts U.S. at risk

(Michael Goodwin) Pull together the loose threads of recent events and President Obama's vision for fighting the war on terror becomes one very scary picture. Scary, that is, for innocent Americans ...

Defense officials prepare for H1N1 flu

While the Health and Human Services Department works out plans for immunizing millions of Americans against the H1N1 flu virus, Defense officials are working on a parallel track to protect service members and mitigate the flu's effect on military operations. ....

For Intelligence Officers, A Wiki Way to Connect Dots

By Steve Vogel

Intellipedia, the intelligence community's version of Wikipedia, hummed in the aftermath of the Iranian presidential election in June, with personnel at myriad government agencies updating a page dedicated to tracking the disputed results. .....

CIA Probe Reignites a Partisan Battle Over Spy Agency's Activities

A partisan battle has erupted following Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to investigate CIA interrogators for possible abuses against high-level terror detainees and House Democratic leaders' charge that the CIA misled them on Bush-era anti-terror policies. ....

Social Networking Poll Shows Users More Vulnerable Than Ever

A chilling effect on CIA agents?

Will investigating possible abuses by agency interrogators damage their ability to do their jobs? Robert Alt and David Kaye debate. ....

Contractor reports of violations flowing into Defense IG's office

By Elizabeth Newell

Since a controversial rule requiring contractors to disclose their own criminal contracting violations went into effect in mid-December, the Defense Department's inspector general has received more than 50 disclosures. ....

The secret deal behind Megrahi’s release

By Wayne Madsen

British intelligence sources report to WMR that a series of high-level financial deals between Libya, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, former Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin, and Scottish First Minister Alexander Salmond resulted in the release from a Scottish prison of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, the Libyan Arab Airlines officials convicted of planting the bomb on board Pan Am 103 that killed 281 people on the plane and in the village of Lockerbie in 1988. Megrahi’s colleague, Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, was acquitted of charges in the terrorist attack.

In fact, according to the British intelligence sources, the Libyans were never responsible for the bombing of PanAm 103, which was carried out by the Iranians and their Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) proxies in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in retaliation for the shooting down by the USS Vincennes of an Iran Air Airbus-300 over the Persian Gulf in July 1988 that killed all 290 passengers and crew.

WMR discovered from Cypriot authorities that the bomb intended for PanAm 103 arrived at Larnaca International Airport on a private plane from Lebanon, was placed on a flight to Frankfurt and then transferred to a feeder flight from Frankfurt to London Heathrow and, ultimately, on the ill-fated PanAm Boeing 747 bound for New York.

National Security Agency (NSA) and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) intercepts of Iranian and Greek banking communications proved the Iranian connection but the U.S., British, and Israeli governments saw fit to blame Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi for the attack.

Negotiations on the deal to free Megrahi, who stood to embarass the British and U.S. governments with new evidence of his innocence if the appeal of his conviction had gone forward, began last October after two major Scottish banks, Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), collapsed. After HSBC and Barclays made overtures to the Bank of England to buy HBOS and RBS, the proposals were rejected by what is known in Whitehall as the “Larnarkshire Mafia” -- Brown, Darling, and Martin -- that intervened in the Scottish financial crisis and ordered that public money via commercial funds be used to prop up HBOS and RBS. Eventually, Lloyds TSB bought HBOS creating Lloyds Banking Group, which was, itself, later bailed out by the British government.

The word from Whitehall is that, although Parliament is in summer recess, senior staffers know that a major secret deal was worked out between Number 10 and Number 11 Downing Street (the residences of the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, respectively) and Qaddafi and sealed after a meeting two weeks ago between Mandelson and Qaddafi’s son, Saif al Islam Qaddafi, at a Rothschild family-owned villa on Corfu.

The deal worked out is that profits realized from future oil and gas deals between Britain and Libya will be used to bail out the Scottish banks. As for speculation that Labor wants to use the Scottish financial crisis to prove that current plans by the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) government to move Scotland toward independence and that Scotland cannot fare on its own without London. Brown and Salmond, a former RBS senior economist who negotiated Scotland North Sea oil revenue spending plans between RBS and the government while working for the bank, are on very close terms, according to our sources. Brown, a former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Salmond knew exactly what they were getting in return from Qaddafi and his son when they hammered out the “bailout-for-Megrahi” agreement -- the financial bailout of Scotland’s two largest banks that were riddled with toxic bad loans by sweetheart oil and gas deals with Libya. Qaddafi was celebrating more than Megrahi’s release at the public ceremony in Libya -- the mercurial Libyan leader, once considered a pariah, is now one of the most influential business moguls in Great Britain -- on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall.

Previously published in the Wayne Madsen Report.