Video: Senior U.S. Foreign Service Officer "forcing US to Iraq is a potential death sentence"

Diplomats in Revolt.

Jack Croddy, Senior U.S. Foreign Service Officer, states...

"Incoming is coming in everyday. Rockets are hitting the Green Zone. So if you force assign people that is shifting the terms of what we're all about. It's one thing if someone believes in what is going on over there...and volunteers, but it is another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment....and I'm sorry, but basically that's a potential Death Sentence...and you know it."

Thank you Mr. Croddy! These 'diplomats' are not conscripts. The Bush administration CAN NOT FORCE them to Iraq. I urge all to follow up and read the comments posted at Buzzflash.net on this topic. FSO's are not the problem. They are HEROES in pursuit of PEACE.


recent posts:
Cheney's staff dressed his dogs like Darth Vadar and Superman for Halloween
Video: Bush on Cheney: "The dark force is near"
Video: Biden on Giuliani.."all he mentions is a noun, a verb, and 911"

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Top UK officials declare Afghanistan LOST.."only political option remains"

On Thursday, Sir Eric "Jock" Stirrup, Chief of the Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal of the British Armed Forces and former UK United Nations High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown, claimed there is no military solution in Afghanistan and a new strategy must be employed save her. They claim only political means can change Afghanistan's destiny, not military means.

"There is a common misperception that the issues in Afghanistan, and indeed elsewhere around the world, can be dealt with by military means. That's a false perception." Sir Jock
......
"The military is a key, an essential element in dealing with those problems, but by and large these problems can only be resolved politically." telegraph

Lord Ashdown was a little more blunt with his statements,

Nato has "lost in Afghanistan" and its failure to bring stability there could provoke a regional sectarian war "on a grand scale"
......
"We have lost, I think, and success is now unlikely...I believe losing in Afghanistan is worse than losing in Iraq. It will mean that Pakistan will fall and it will have serious implications internally for the security of our own countries and will instigate a wider Shiite [Shia], Sunni regional war on a grand scale.
.....
"Some people refer to the First and Second World Wars as European civil wars and I think a similar regional civil war could be initiated by this [failure] to match this magnitude."

It's about time someone smartens up. Sir Jock went on about not "staying the course"...

there was a need to talk to people who "may well have been Taliban in the past. I don't think we should focus too much on what people were in the past,"
.....
"I don't think that we should provide a rigid framework that dictates to people how they should express their appreciating," he said.

"I think what we should do is encourage people to express their appreciation but to develop their own means of that expression."

Good job, UK. Someone needs to break away from "staying the course". We need a 'new' mission, a 'new' strategy and yes...if we "stay the course", we have LOST. Continually bombing will not solve anything. Gaining peace in the skies offers no peace on the ground. Giving the Colony of Iraq and Afghanistan their sovereignty might.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Not a Contractor left out..State Department spends Bush's Money, no strings attached

“We always saw it as a growth area because of the conflicts in the world,” Steve Cannon, former DynCorp executive.

It's nice to be in Bush America...as long as your a Defense Contractor. Little oversight, same overhead, and ever increasing profit margins, not a bad deal.

On Tuesday, the State Department released two reports: An audit on DynCorp and the other on the State Department's use of private contractors in general. Here are a few revelations from the reports courtesy of the NYT,

Over the past four years, the amount of money the State Department pays to private security and law enforcement contractors has soared to nearly $4 billion a year from $1 billion, but they said that the department had added few new officials to oversee the contracts.
.....
there were too few American officials in Iraq to enforce the rules that apply to Blackwater and other security contractors. It also found that the conduct of the contractors had undermined the broader mission of ending the insurgency and establishing a democratic government in Iraq.
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according to former employees, members of Congress and outside experts..."the office has grown too reliant on, and too close to, the 1,200 private soldiers who now guard American officials overseas."
.....
“The lack of competition does concern us a great deal,” said a senior State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We want as many companies as possible.”

And now for DynCorp's swindle on the American people. Remember these next quotes when Bush asks the 'House of Pelosi' to give him more money for waging his "war on drugs",

the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, has issued more than $2.2 billion in contracts for police training and drug eradication in Iraq, Afghanistan, Latin America and elsewhere, according to State Department records. Ninety-four percent of that money has gone to DynCorp.
......
State Department officials viewed it as an interim measure. DynCorp viewed it as an opportunity. “We always saw it as a growth area because of the conflicts in the world,” said Steve Cannon, a former DynCorp executive.

Mr. "boom boom" Cannon was right. Capitalize they did,

Over the next several years, the two small State Department offices issued more than $250 million in police training and diplomatic security contracts to DynCorp for work in Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo.After the 2001 American invasion of Afghanistan, contracts grew again, eventually bringing the company $400 million a year. The law enforcement office had DynCorp dispatch dozens, then hundreds, of police trainers to Afghanistan. The diplomatic security office had DynCorp send employees to guard the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.

Former State Department officials and Afghan officials said the DynCorp guards were far too aggressive in their tactics, and their conduct alienated Afghan and European officials, as well as Afghan citizens. Gregory Lagana, a DynCorp spokesman, said the company agreed there was a problem and replaced the guards. “The demeanor, the swagger, was wrong,” he said. “We put a stop to that.” Read the full article here

So let me get this straight. From what it sounds like...the U.S. military is not losing the wars, the sub 'machine gun' contractors are. The military can do the job, that's not the problem. Never has been. The problem lies within the 'contracted work'. All they are doing is causing problems and making US pay dearly for it.

Blackwater is losing the hearts in minds of the Iraqis and DynCorp is losing them in Afghanistan. It's the damn contractors and always has been. Bush's dad employed mercenaries in Latin America and so has his son. Worse, he is moving them into the Sudan.

Wake up America, George 'dubya' Bush and crew are swindling US all.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

If Blackwater Leaves Iraq, who Replaces them?

Blackwater USA have been deemed the "cowboy outlaws" of the colony of Iraq, but if Blackwater leaves, who will guard U.S. diplomats? The question was answered on Friday when a U.S. official stated Blackwater USA's role in Iraq will most likely 'draw down' and that one of the two other 'capable' contractors will take their role.

While no decisions have been finalized, Blackwater's role in Baghdad is likely to be taken over by one of two other contractors who provide security for the State Department in Iraq, the officials said. They are Triple Canopy and DynCorp International. Miami Herald

Not to worry, though. Trigger happy Blackwater personnel will simply switch employers...

''There will be some sort of disengagement process, but it won't be that they're shown the door,'' said a State Department official. "As one builds down, another builds up.''
.....
It's unclear whether Blackwater employees in Iraq could simply switch employers. And, according to congressional officials, the State Department's Diplomatic Security service argues that it cannot operate without the helicopters that Blackwater provides for escort and rescue efforts. Miami Herald

Sneaky, sneaky, bastards. Blackwater isn't going anywhere. They're just getting another employer. The State Department doesn't want DynCorp. They don't want Triple Canopy either, even though they've been guarding the Green Zone since 2005. In fact, the State Department knows that Triple Canopy has hired a bunch of Latin Americans to do the job. The State Department wants Erik Princes' feudal army. They want Blackwaters little black helicopters, armored vehicles, high power weapons, and the trigger happy cowboys with their own definition of America's "hearts and minds" approach to win over Iraqis.

Blackwater USA is not going anywhere. They are the guardians of the colony of Iraq. With $834 million invested in Blackwater contracts the State Department can't afford to let 'em go.

Blackwater's current work order under a State Department contract worth $834 million reportedly runs out in May 2008.

They know their lives depend on them.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

12 ex U.S. Army Captians "Staying in Iraq means REINSTATING the DRAFT"

The United States military is stretched to its limits. We are currently fight three wars. Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader "war OF terror". Yet, as the military leadership screams to the executive and the DoD, their message goes unheard. On Tuesday, another scream goes unheard.... Those screams. Start the DRAFT or get out of Iraq, NOW!
Twelve former US army captains Tuesday urged Washington to either abandon Iraq or dramatically increase its military presence there by reinstating mandatory military service.

"There is one way we might be able to succeed in Iraq," wrote the ex-captains, all of whom saw service in Iraq between 2003 and 2006.

"To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately.

"A scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war, and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition," they wrote.

The Iraq war "is as undermanned and under-resourced as it was from the start," the authors wrote, stating bluntly that "Iraq is in shambles."

The authors say they have "seen the corruption and the sectarian division. We understand what it's like to be stretched too thin. And we know when it's time to get out."

The captains describe widespread corruption in the Iraqi government, a country where the infrastructure is in "deplorable condition."

Iraq's oil industry "still fails to produce the revenue that Pentagon war planners hoped would pay for Iraq's reconstruction," they wrote.

Even with the 'surge' of US forces this year there are not enough troops in Iraq. Temporary regional success "may brief well on PowerPoint presentations," but in practice "they just push insurgents to another spot on the map."

Millions of Iraqis "correctly recognize these actions for what they are and vote with their feet -- moving within Iraq or leaving the country entirely.

"Still, our colonels and generals keep holding on to flawed concepts."
Yahoo News

NO, no, no , no, no. Listen to the military. Listen to the youth. Our policymakers are playing "death" with our children and the actual soldiers know it. Stop the insanity. Stand up for your rights. The Draft is not the answer.

As Clausewitz stated...War is Politics by other means. When the policymakers can't NEGOTIATE and COMPROMISE they go to war...and war is Easy for them...it's not with their kids, but with OURS. Damn CHICKENHAWKS!

If they want war...let Jeb's son, Mitt's sons, Rudy's son, Jenna Bush's "fiance" ..let them be the first to go...Let them show how determined they are to support these wars!

related post:
Canada Here We Come: Bush Cabal wants DRAFT 'on the table'
Video Redux: Stop the War..Draft College Republicans

Same Players. Different Scandal.

"Mission Accomplished" Redux..this time Bush has "Destoryed Al Qaeda in Iraq"

"America has one goal in the war on global terrorism: "It's victory -- unconditional, unapologetic and unyielding," Donald Rumsfeld 2005

The Washington Post is reporting the Pentagon is expected to release a raving review of US military forces progress against Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). In short..it's expected to be the second round of Bush and Cheney's famous "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq...this time Bush, following General David Petraeus' pseudo plan, he has 'crippled' AQI.

Before everybody gets all crazy about what the Pentagon is hypothetically going to say,let's take a moment and reflect on what Donald Rumsfeld had said about "accomplishing" the "mission" in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2005.

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Oct. 12, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld suggested to military men and women at a town hall meeting here Oct. 11 how they might answer questions stemming from "growing confusion and some misunderstanding" about the global war on terror.

Speaking to a group of airmen from the 6th Air Mobility Wing and other service members from U.S. Central Command and U.S. Southern Command, Rumsfeld noted that the troops might be getting questions from others about what America is trying to accomplish in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Well, you can tell those who ask such questions that you and your friends across the world are standing on the front lines to protect them and to safeguard their freedoms, as well as your own

and you can tell them something else: that America is not what's wrong with this world...What's wrong with this world are the terrorists, the 'beheaders,' the hostage-takers, the assassins -- the people our forces are fighting every day in a number of locations -- they're what's wrong with the world. And our country's finest men and women are out there meeting them every day.

it is not the mission of the U.S. military to "cower behind illusory defenses" because "defenses don't work." The only defense is to go on the offensive, to stop terrorists before they attack America.

Your mission is to be on the offense; it's to go on the attack and that's what our forces are doing: they're engaging the enemy where they live so that they do not attack us where we live."

America has one goal in the war on global terrorism: It's victory -- unconditional, unapologetic and unyielding...

You fight today so that our children and their children might not have to experience the heartbreak of something like Sept. 11th and the men and women in uniform -- you and your associates all across the globe -- are displaying resolute courage, the kind of courage that's defined our country through the generations. defenselink

and just in case the White House and Pentagon want to start ridiculing our former Generals that are speaking out on the war..remember Rummey's advice

it's service members' responsibility to speak up about what they believe.

Save Democracy from the Monarchy, but be careful...as General Odierno recently stated, it only takes three people" to construct and detonate a suicide car bomb that can "kill thousands."....thump thump thump..the constant drumbeat of fear continues...

The Statements Don Rumsfeld did not say on Camera
Remembering History: Donald Rumsfeld on 9/10/2001
It's Official...Petraeus is marching US towards war with Iran
Kuwait agrees to US Arms package..."no aircraft included"
also:
From the All Spin Zone: Are We About to See “Mission Accomplished” Again?

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Marine Corps wants OUT of Iraq and into Afghanistan

Is it possible for the United States Army to fight one war and the Marine corps another? Well..that's what just might occur. In a closed door session last week of the Defense Senior Leadership Conference, Defense Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and their "regional war fighting commanders" began reviewing Marine Corps commandant General James T. Conway's proposal to shift the Marines out of Iraq and into Afghanistan.

The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.
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It is not clear exactly how many of the marines in Iraq would be moved over. But the plan would require a major reshuffling, and it would make marines the dominant American force in Afghanistan
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a realignment could allow the army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces. iht

So..in essence the Marines are saying "get US out of here, we want our own battlefield". The realignment could face some problems, though. The Air Force might not want the Marines in Afghanistan because they might see their air power role diminished within the region.

Unlike the army, the Marines would bring a significant force of combat aircraft to that conflict.
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it would allow the Marines to carry out the Afghan mission in a way the army cannot, by deploying as an integrated Marine Corps task force that included combat aircraft as well as infantry and armored vehicles, while the army must rely on the Air Force. iht

Ugh...are we beginning to see the fight between the military services for future budgets? A turf war? After all,the Pentagon just received $190 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan while in turn increasing the over all Pentagon budget to $459 billion. No doubt each of the military branches want their "fair" share of that money.

Military officials say the Marine proposal is also an early indication of jockeying among the four armed services for a place in combat missions in years to come. "At the end of the day, this could be decided by parochialism, and making sure each service does not lose equity, as much as on how best to manage the risk of force levels for Iraq and Afghanistan," said one Pentagon planner. iht

..and people say Iraq isn't another Vietnam...it sure feels like it.

Related posts:

Stranded US soldiers Call the Marines to rescue them from Iraq
It's Official.. Petraeus is marching US towards war with Iran
Defense Department 'misplaced' 2.3 Trillion dollars

Same Players. Different Scandal.

It's Official...Petraeus is marching US towards war with Iran

How long do we have before the Bush administration TAKES US into our third war in six years? According to General David Petraeus' recent statements on Iran...not long..not long at all.

On Saturday, Petraeus gave a speech to reporters in which he basically linked Iran to everything going wrong in Iraq. Assassinated governors, smuggled sophisticated weaponry, the dreaded explosively formed projectiles (EFPs)..and oh yeah...the Iranian ambassador to Iraq..he's a Qods force member, too. Here are a few of his statements...

"They are responsible for providing the weapons, the training, the funding and in some cases the direction for operations that have indeed killed U.S. soldiers,"

"There is no question about the connection between Iran and these components, (the) attacks that have killed our soldiers."
......

"The ambassador is a Qods force member," said Petraeus, before appearing to suggest that Kazemi-Qomi was not under the U.S. military spotlight because he was a diplomat.
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"There should be no question about the malign, lethal involvement and activities of the Qods force in this country"
.....

"They are implicated in the assassination of some governors in the southern provinces," said Petraeus.

Asked to be more specific, he said one case "was clearly an explosively formed projectile".

"They only come from Iran and they are only used by militias so it's a sort of a signature trademark of militia extremists. The other case the suspicion is the same, we just don't have the same quality of forensics."

Asked if there was intelligence directly linking Iran to the two bomb attacks, he said: "I would not comment on this." Read the full article

Amazing...without a doubt we are off to war....again. Soon Fox News will be broadcasting 24/7 in 'night vision'. We'll start seeing the Pentagon flashing video propaganda of how 'pin point' their air strikes have been. The sky will be filled with tracers flying through the air in all directions.

Folks...We the People, have seen this 'show' all too often lately. Stop BUSH/CHENEY NOW!

Same Players. Different Scandal.

DoD: 40,000 decks of "Mesopotamia Antiquities " playing cards for our troops

Do you remember the US military "Iraq Most Wanted" playing cards? Well, they've done it again. This time with good intentions, but 4 years too late. This week the US military will unveil the "Mesopotamia Antiquities " playing cards for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 40,000 new decks of playing cards are a product of the Defense Department's Legacy Resource Management Program which attempts to raise the "historical awareness" of our troops while in Babylon. After all...nobody likes a soldier who 'loots' and 'pillages' a sovereign country, right?

It is aimed at making troops aware they should not pick up and take home artifacts and to avoid causing damage to historic sites, such as an incident after the 2003 invasion of Iraq when U.S. troops built a helicopter pad on the ruins of Babylon and filled their sandbags with archaeological fragments from the ancient city.
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featuring the monuments and antiquities of Iraq and Afghanistan, with exhortations to military personnel to safeguard them. The packs will be distributed to U.S. troops in the region throughout the autumn.
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The same motif is featured on the packet and the back of every playing card, a terracotta Assyrian tablet with cuneiform markings on a black background. Below that runs the logo "Respect Iraqi and Afghan Heritage," which is repeated, around the pictured tablet, in Arabic and the Afghan languages Darri and Peshto. At bottom in English is "Support the Mission . . . Show Respect." On the front faces, the cards feature artifacts, ancient sites, or GIs on location.
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In the background of each card is a ghostly fragment of a graphic, like a watermark, which clicks into a complete image when all the cards in one suit are pieced together.Melik Kaylan

Examples of the tips and slogans...

"A looted archaeological site means that details of our common past are lost forever."

"This site has survived for 17 centuries. Will it and others survive you?"

The jack of diamonds shows the Statue of Liberty and asks, "How would you feel if someone destroyed her torch?" Melik Kaylan

“Drive around, not over, archaeological sites"

But of course the Defense Department doesn't want our troops to "tread too lightly" so all cards also carry the slogan

"ROE first!"--telling you that Rules of Engagement, namely not getting killed, precede other considerations. Melik Kaylan

“Obviously we have to put our soldiers’ safety first.. but they would consider whether there might be a way to return fire without harming the site. Dr. Laurie Rush

I highly suggest you Download the entire deck of cards and check them out for yourself.

Same Players. Different Scandal.

US soldiers Stranded Call the Marines to 'rescue' them from Iraq

What happens when you're scheduled for a troop rotation out of Iraq, but the military doesn't have air transport to get you out? Apparently if you're the 16th Military Police Brigade based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. you find the next best option...call the Marines.

This is wild. Our troops are being stranded in Iraq. Are you kidding me? Here are a few excerpts from an article in the Air Force Times on Oct 1.

Having a tough time getting a ride home? Call the 22nd MEU.

That’s what about 600 soldiers and airmen in Iraq did recently when the assets that were originally supposed to fly them to Kuwait couldn’t make it because of technical issues and other, critical missions..

.....

The troops, who had been providing security for eight months at Camp Bucca, Iraq, were flown to Camp Buehring, Kuwait, to start their trip home to the U.S.

“This is possibly the best airlift we’ve ever seen,” said Air Force Capt. Thomas McGillicuddy, a troop commander with the 886th Expeditionary Security Force Squadron, in the release. “The Marines were timely, they were efficient — we’ve never seen something like that before. If the Marines hadn’t agreed to take us out, all of us would have been there for another 10 to 13 days, minimum.”

.....

“We knew this mission was important, and we knew these airmen and soldiers were in need of a lift, so we had to rearrange some of our planned training,” said Col. Doug Stilwell, the MEU commander. “But, ultimately, this will not interfere with our original intentions of getting plenty of quality training during our stay at Camp Buehring.”

From the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit press release.

“The MEU is really the Swiss Army Knife of military units,” said Stilwell. “We can support a full spectrum of operations from sustained combat ashore and precision raids to humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, or a mission such as this where we provide aviation lift to a non-organic unit. Whether the situation involves a crisis or a unit needing support, when the 22nd MEU is around, we can take care of it.”

watch the amazing video

Come on Bush and Company, at least provide our troops their transport out of Iraq. These HEROES deserve better. Sad, sad, sad. ..and people say the military isn't stretched too thin.



Same Players. Different Scandal.

Oscar Wyatt: Traitor? or just another Billionare Texas Oilman? The VERDICT : GUILTY

Update: Oct. 1st, the WSJ is reporting that Oscar Wyatt Jr. has Pleaded GUILTY.

The plea deal calls for Mr. Wyatt to be sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison, unless the judge decides otherwise. He also has agreed to forfeit $11 million.

Repost: The Houston Chronicle still seems to be the only newspaper reporting on this rather interesting court case. While our mainstream media focus in on 'OJ getting squeezed', 83 year old former Coastal Corp CEO, Oscar Wyatt Jr., is charged with funneling millions of dollars to Saddam during the UN oil for food program. Not Treason, but for fraud and conspiracy. If convicted on all counts he could be sentenced to 74 years in prison.

Earlier in the trial prosecutors played an audio tape which basically had Former TX Gov. Connally, Wyatt, and Saddam having a conversation about a possible invasion of Iraq by George H.W. Bush after Iraq invaded Kuwait. It's a wild trial. Wyatt stated that he believed Bush was railroading him since he had advised former presidents JFK, Johnson, Reagan, Nixon, and Clinton, but neither of the Bushes.

And on Monday the trial got even more interesting. Satellites tied to seats, plane trips to Jordan, broken bolts, Iraqi Embassy members hauling off crates. It's way more interesting than OJ. The prosecutors have also introduced another 'star' shady witness, Vincent, who pleaded guilty two years ago and is looking for a plea deal. Here are a few excerpts from the article

Former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein told Houston oilman Oscar Wyatt in 1995 that the ranks of Iraq's friends had dwindled so dramatically during the years of economic sanctions he could count them on one hand, former consultant Samir Vincent testified today.

"You are one of them," Saddam told Wyatt, Vincent said.

Wyatt replied, "I appreciate the gesture, Mr. President. I feel the same way about Iraq," Vincent testified.

Vincent testified last week that he accompanied Wyatt on seven or eight trips to Iraq between 1991 and 1997, including a trip capped off by an April 1, 1995 audience with Saddam. Prosecutors showed a picture said to show Saddam sitting with Wyatt, Vincent and former Iraqi government leader Tariq Aziz.

Vincent testified today said that sometime in 1994 or 1995 he and Wyatt flew on a plane to Amman, Jordan, with a crate containing satellite equipment. The crate was strapped to seats aboard the plane, Vincent said.

When they arrived in Amman on their way to Baghdad, Vincent said, officials from Iraq's embassy there took the crate. And eventually, the equipment was installed at the offices of Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization or SOMO in Baghdad, Vincent said.

The Iraqis later complained, however, they were having trouble with a faulty bolt on a satellite dish after it had been installed on the roof of SOMO's offices, Vincent said. Vincent testified he then brought the problematic bolt back to the United States and turned it over to officials at Wyatt's company, Houston-based Coastal Corp.

Wyatt's lawyers have even claimed they were stopped in 2002 by Customs Enforcement at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and documents and an address book were taken from them

In a court filing this week, Wyatt's lawyers said Wyatt was returning to Houston and went through Customs screening at Intercontinental. The address book, the filing said, "was missing from his briefcase when he arrived at his office."

A document filed with the motion and identified as a Customs Service "custody receipt for retained or seized property" said the address book was found at the airport's international terminal. The receipt contained the notation "possible sanction violations." 9/14/07

who was in that address book? The infamous 50 million dolllar tax evader and Scooter Libby longtime client, Mark Rich.

The address book contains the name of Marc Rich, who fled the country after being charged with tax evasion and fraud. In one of his last acts as president, Clinton pardoned the fugitive financier, touching off a firestorm.

The lawyers said letting jurors see the entry would be "totally irrelevant and inflammatory."

"Wyatt's relationship with Rich, if any, adds nothing to the government's allegations of prohibited transactions with Iraq except the prejudicial association of their suspect with a notorious felon," the lawyers wrote.

Stop watching OJ! Saddam is talking from the grave...still talking $hit to the Bu$hes.

My related post
Saddam Hussein Speaks from the Grave

Same Players. Different Scandals.

Whose Guarding the Green Zone? Contractors defending the Military

This is a repost, but with the current fiasco going on in Iraq with Blackwater I thought it should be brought back up.

As the Bush Administration plays 4th Branch politics on television nightly, their true crimes against the American public are being committed out of the media spotlight. This Administration is quietly outsourcing U.S. military operations around the globe. When no bid contracts come to mind, one thinks Halliburton, KBR, Bechtel....yet, the contracts the media are not talking about is this Administration's hiring of private sub 'machine gun' contractors to do the tasks of the U.S. military. Blackwater USA, has a companion...Welcome Triple Canopy Inc., America's Green Zone Defenders.

With increasing concerns of the U.S. military being pushed to its limits, the Administration is finding other ways to continue the war effort. Since 2004, Triple Canopy Inc., have been performing security operations for many U.S. military enclaves peppered throughout Iraq. Triple Canopy Inc., founded in 2003 by former U.S. Delta force and Green Beret veterans, has been guarding the Green Zone since they were awarded the winning bid in 2005 over a British based security firm. These private armies pose a 'national security threat' to the United States itself.

"No open policy debate took place; no executive order was publicly issued, And who is in charge of overseeing these armed men? One thing is sure: they are crucial to the war effort.", stated Daniel Bergner of the NY Times.

We already have a military? Do we really need to use privately funded corporate armies, as well? Although Triple Canopy Inc.'s founders might be American, not all their employees hold the same credentials. The current expansion of sub 'machine gun' contractors in Iraq is depleting the ranks of America's special forces veterans. With companies such as Blackwater USA, DynCorp and Triple Canopy Inc., being awarded more and more contracts from the U.S. government the search for qualified 'security consultants' has gone global. Their ranks need to be filled. The search for a qualified pool of talent has taken Triple Canopy Inc. and others to Latin America raising concerns of compromising U.S. military and diplomatic security throughout Iraq.

"...ads seeking former members of the armed forces and police officers interested in working as a security personnel in exchange for "excellent wages" began to appear in newspapers in Lima... ...Hundreds of people applied" stated Angel Paez of IPS

"...about 200 of them American and almost all the rest from Chile and Fiji" wrote Bergner in 2005. "Another concern is that Triple Canopy employees have been recruited mainly in Latin America and speak little English...'A delay in communicating a problem because the guard cannot speak English down his walkie-talkie can have fatal consequences'"

Stop this nonsense. For every sub 'machine gun' contractor added to the ranks of these corporate private armies, another U.S. soldier is replaced by someone not accountable to military justice or the U.S. justice system. The world views these 'employees', not as independent contractors, but as the U.S. Military itself.

Iraq is consuming the U.S. military at an immeasurable rate, yet this Administration continues this so called 'surge' with private armies are not responsible or accountable to the American government. Triple Canopy Inc.'s contract reads,

"...the insurance policy covering the company's personnel will not provide coverage in case of an incident that occurs when employees are off-duty or outside their place of work. If employees are attacked by insurgents at home, for instance, they will receive no compensation..."

What happens when this war comes to a close? Does one think these companies will close up shop and shut their doors? Fighting the war and securing assets through the use of contracted sub 'machine gun' contractors is dangerous, irresponsible, and subversive. Triple Canopy Inc., Blackwater USA, DynCorp, and others are in the business to make money not guard against injustice. Capitalism has gone to far..stop the insanity. End this conflict now. This war should not be fought in terms of profit maximization. More than just Americans are losing their sons and daughters in this quest for oil.

Government contracts are the only way this Administration can continue to fight this war of terror. If the media were not so concerned with "Hollywood IT girls gone bad" perhaps the American public would recognize that their democrazy is being subverted directly under their noses. Save our country from 'W''s vision of our NeW hOmeland, Demand a return to our Nation and the rule of law. Americans should be defending Americans, not Latin Americas defending Americans. This is what occurs when a country insists on invading another without a global coalition. Instead, the coalition of the willing, wants to get PAID and be responsible to no one. Welcome to the Homeland.

Related article:
From Jungles to Deserts: Latin Americans in the War on Terror

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Lynne Cheney...Put a Leash on your DOG

Throughout America we have leash laws. When one takes their beloved dogs to the park they have to keep them on a leash..in fact..one has to pick up their crap as well. This law benefits of US all. It allows US to enjoy our parks, sidewalks, neighborhoods, etc. without having to worry about being bitten or stepping into a steaming pile of CRAP. Why then does Lynne Cheney get a free pass? Why doesn't she have to obey our leash laws? Why does she continue to let her DOG run free...without a leash..letting him terrorize the global community ...worse yet, she never cleans up his CRAP.

Wake up America! Can you not hear the drumbeat? Can you not hear that damn barking DOG keeping the global community awake at night? Her DOG is rabid..foaming at the mouth..baring his teeth and readying himself to attack. That dog is Dick Cheney, the 4th Branch! Recent reports of Cheney urging his lackey, Bush, to give the green light to attack Iran is the most dangerous and preeminent threat to peace. He wants to wage another war...a war on civilization..and it is likely he is perpetrating another grave crime on the global community. Gulf of Tonkin II, if you will. Why would I say this...?? Because during the Aug. 10th press conferences. Bush has put Iran on notice..they are laying the foundations to take "preemptive action" on Iran.

"One of the main reasons that I asked [U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan] Crocker to meet with Iranians inside Iraq was to send the message that there will be consequences for people transporting, delivering EFPs, highly sophisticated IEDs [improvised explosive devices] that kill Americans in Iraq....when we catch you [Iran]playing a non-constructive role [in Iraq] there will be a price to pay."

Let US look at the larger picture..The stage has been set. The events of 9/11 has allowed the Bush Cabal to usher in a wide array of "enabling acts" to consolidate power and censor supposed enemies. All in the name of 'national security'. Secrecy is PARAMOUNT. These acts are backed by Gonzo and the rest of his neo con lackeys whom they have placed throughout prominent positions of power within our international economic and political systems worldwide. The Same Players from Different Scandals. Hell, Zalmay Khalilzad...the infamous dual source for Iraq possessing WMD's is now our Ambassador to the UN. This is after he screwed up as Ambassador to Afghanistan and then Iraq. The dominoes are set worldwide. They are only waiting for a fingertip to give them a slight shove...and we are off again. To the horrids and grim realities of war...all on 'shady intelligence'.

Iraq is a clusterF*$k, Afghanistan is in shambles, Private Military Armies are on the rise, the 'chatter' has recently increased and intensified, the global economic system is falling apart, the Russian and US Air Force have restarted their Cold War 'games' over the Pacific, Bush has signed an executive order stating he can invoke "Martial law" at any moment, we have just REARMED the Persian Gulf states and Israel with our most technologically advanced weapons,....Iran is being blamed for EVERYTHING going wrong in Iraq. Worse yet, the rhetoric appears to be backed with the force of 2 carrier strike groups settling into the Gulf seas since at least May 2007. The DOG is barking! We failed to listen to the DOG before...Let US not make that mistake again.

How could the US enter into an Iranian war? War with Iran will most likely not be started by the United States. My assumption is this is the reason we are REARMING the Gulf States and Israel.

"Given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards," Cheney stated in 2005

Israel will undoubtedly bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities with the NEW ADVANCED WEAPON systems that Rice and Gates just brought them. NATO and the US will then follow in step defending Israels' decision. We will have entered Samuel P. Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations".

Avigdor Lieberman Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, said on Tuesday that he received the tacit blessing of Europe and the United States for an Israeli military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

“If we start military operations against Iran alone, then Europe and the US will support us,” Lieberman told Army Radio following a meeting earlier in the week with NATO and European Union officials.Israel Today 7/11/07

Can't you hear the drumbeat? Recently, to make matters worse, Lt. Gen Lute has placed the Draft squarely in the center of the 'table' stating,

"I think it certainly makes sense to consider it...And I can tell you this has always been an option on the table. But, ultimately this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security on means or another." Lt. Gen Lute on NPR

It sounds as if the 'option' might become a reality. The US military can not withstand another war. We don't even have enough troops to complete our current mission. How are they going to enter into another war..put bluntly..the DRAFT. The United States will soon withdraw of Iraq, but will not leave the region. Our boys aren't coming home anytime soon. It appears that the Bush Cabal is dead set on waging this new 'generational war'....they appear to be stating that the only way home will be heading north...straight through Iran.

With all these dangers presenting themselves to the world, our leaders have gone on vacation. The "resident in the Oval Office" has gone back to the 'Western White House' in Crawford. The Iraqi Parliament are swimming in the Green Zone pools. Our infrastructure is crumbling due to lack of money, yet we've spent a minimum of a trillion dollars on Iraq with nothing to show for it.

If there is one thing this Administration has proved to the American people it is that their voices are not heard. That their only policy is WAR. For them, war is easy to endure....as long as it is not their own children. Mitt just proved that. This apparently is the motto that the Bush Cabal and the GOP believe. Meanwhile Dick Cheney is left to wander through the empty halls of D.C. alone. Dangerous...He is way too close to the 'button'..and his finger is twitching. He needs to go NOW. Before he starts his next Corporate War. Stop this egomaniac ...Lynne Cheney...Put a leash on your DOG! America...Don't let the dominoes fall..AGAIN!

Same Players. Different Scandal.

Machiavelli Revisited: '94 interview with the 4th Branch

Dick Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire

Video: Dick Cheney '94: "Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire"...admits if the US went into Iraq without allies it would lead to a US OCCUPATION. He knew his plan...he knew what would occur if we went. It's time to IMPEACH. "if you take down the Central Government of Iraq you could easily see parts of Iraq fly off....How many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth"

other musings of the 4th Branch

Same Players. Different Scandal.

"Meeting Resistance" Trailer: What if America was Invaded?

"MEETING RESISTANCE", is by far the most provocative documentary to come out of the Iraq war debacle. Directors Steve Connors' and Molly Bingham have given the world unfettered access into the realities of war from the "insurgents mindset" of the American "occupation". In their own words, the "insurgents", give an emotional account of how the American invasion drove them to stand up and fight for their country.

"MEETING RESISTANCE" focuses on eight "insurgents", each with his or her own tale and reasons for opposing the American-led occupation.... The film witnesses how they began to organize themselves, reveals why they have decided to violently oppose the occupation of the country, and hears in their words the underlying ideological foundation to fight." Electronic Media Press Kit

"Their personal stories as well as their ideological ones are at once dramatic, eye-opening, and concerning..they challenge the notion that those opposing the occupation are simply "dead enders," "common criminals", Al Qaeda operatives" and "die hard Ba'athis"

view the documentary trailer and become speechless as I have. We all owe Steve Conners' and Molly Bingham a debt of gratitude for producing such a brilliant documentary. For offering US a glimpse into the REAL IRAQ. "we all bleed the same"...the world weeps together. We must end this OCCUPATION.

Meeting Resistance Trailer


Producer Daniel J Chalfen
Editor David Emanuele
current screenings in LA? Call 213.617.0268
other great documentaries
Sean Smith Into the Surge Sean Smith The Real Iraq

America hears the ALARM...Hits Snooze One More Time

As the "resident in the Oval Office" , Congress, and the Iraqi Parliament enjoy vacation together, the 4th Branch remains in DC creating another ill conceived strategy for his next Corporate War. Hear the Drumbeat, America. The neo con drum circle are beating their drums with intensity. Its almost wartime...again...

Co Sponsoring the War of Terror

Inside the Green Zone: American 'paradise' Revisited

As the Iraq war pushes deep into another abysmal year, the Bush Cabal are finding it harder to keep 'confidential' information secret than ever before. Slowly all their dirty little secrets will come to bare all their criminal deeds. One of these dastardly secrets is the Green Zone in Iraq. home and sole 'source' of western journalists, it serves as the HQ of the allied armed forces, western diplomats, the Iraqi Parliament, and 'base' to countless sub 'machine gun' contractors in the war on terror. Subject of many controversies, the Green Zone, IS IRAQ to the American populace. What is in this 'Green Zone'? who is there? what does it look like? Who knows...."it's national security"

Hush...stop asking questions.

In a shocking discovery...the Green Zone is an American 'paradise'. Consisting of 320 acres, on prime Baghdad real estate...the Green Zone is exactly that..a Green zone..an area in which Americans...and other 'westerners' alike can cajole and hop about within 'Iraq'. It serves as a resting place, an eatery, a tennis 'mecca', home to the few western journalist in Iraq ...it's paradise in the lands of Mesopotamia...the cradle of civilization. The Green Zone is exactly what the Bush Cabal wants to hide from the public...The real Iraq....gated "luxury Iraq".

Filled with pools, national monuments, world class date orchards, palaces..the Green Zone was once Saddam's and his associates residential zone.

"an uncrowded district of villas, palaces, and monuments set in a park like expanse that spreads for four square miles inside a meander of the Tigris River at the center of the ruined city."William Langewiesche

His personal Disneyland, if you will. Not anymore. Currently the Green Zone offers another reality...the realities of western occupation. As the rest of Iraq suffers through an occupation for 'blood oil', western companies enjoy the comforts of Iraq's' former Dictator. They have commandeered the very essence of Iraq. Take a moment a go on the tour...the tour 'w', 4th Branch, and the "domesticated" Western press don't want you to see....The missing "news" in their coverage.

















Camp Victory


Failed Opportunities...Lost Souls


Humvee: Baghdad Road Rage


Green Zone Journalism...Pathetic


KBR Living


For the love of Haliburton


Sean Smith, award winning war photographer for the Guardian, Observational Films

Into the Surge and The Real Iraq
Same Players. Different Scandal.

Blackwater USA Magazine Advertisement

Source: Journal of International Peace Operations

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28 years of consecutive Yale alumni in the Oval Office is enough... Democracy subverted! Welcome to our NeW hOmeland.

4th Branch Membership Requirement: Yale alumni Mandatory

Contemporary Yale Alumni

Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi Taliban Spokesman

Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ernesto Zedillo(former President of Mexico) Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Hillary Clinton, John Ashcroft, Gary Hart, Howard Dean, Dean Acheson, Les Aspin, Porter Goss, Stephen Hadley, John Negroponte, Strobe Talbott, Paul Bremer, Scooter Libby, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Kagan, Joe Lieberman, John Kerry, David Gergen.....the list is endless.

* Dick Cheney was kicked out of Yale. Instead he started his own post graduate fraternity....The 4th Branch

Same Players. Different Scandal.