Theodore's World

A furious Bill Clinton warned ABC that its mini-series “The Path to 9/11″ grossly misrepresents his pursuit of Osama bin Laden – and he is demanded the network “pull the drama” if changes aren’t made
Bill Clinton through his surrogates have demanded that ABC “correct all errors” in the docudrama or pull it from the air, charging that it is a “fictitious rewriting of history” regarding President Clinton’s handling of the terrorist threat.
But Dick Morris claims that Clinton’s national security adviser, Sandy Berger, and the president himself “were both responsible for failing to catch or kill bin Laden on several different occasions.”
From The Hollywood ReporterIn recent days, a rising chorus of critics have assailed “Path to 9/11” for offering an inaccurate depiction of pre-Sept. 11 behind-the-scenes politics. Former Clinton officials, including Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and National Security Adviser Samuel Berger have voiced their objections over scenes that cast their involvement in an unflattering light.
However, ABC left open the possibility that the scenes that have been criticized could still be removed from the miniseries, which will be subject to edit before air.
Sources said ABC already has made minor edits to the miniseries, toning down one particular scene involving Berger that was interpreted by some as suggesting he at one point opted to not order the assassination of Osama bin Laden.
OK and there is this…………..
Democrats.Senate.Gov.
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP URGES DISNEY CEO TO CANCEL MISLEADING 9/11 MINISERIES
Washington, DC — Urging him to cancel the grossly inaccurate upcoming miniseries The Path to 9/11, the Senate Democratic Leadership today sent the following letter to Disney President and CEO Robert Iger. Disney’s subsidiary ABC erroneously claims the misleading miniseries is based on 9/11 Commission report and is planning to air it on September 10 and 11. Shockingly, the network is also planning to use the program as a teaching tool through Scholastic, potentially misinforming thousands of children about the most important event in recent American history.
The text of the letter, signed by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, and Senators Debbie Stabenow, Charles Schumer, and Byron Dorgan, is below.
September 7, 2006
Mr. Robert A. Iger
President and CEO
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank CA 91521
Dear Mr. Iger,
We write with serious concerns about the planned upcoming broadcast of The Path to 9/11 mini-series on September 10 and 11. Countless reports from experts on 9/11 who have viewed the program indicate numerous and serious inaccuracies that will undoubtedly serve to misinform the American people about the tragic events surrounding the terrible attacks of that day. Furthermore, the manner in which this program has been developed, funded, and advertised suggests a partisan bent unbecoming of a major company like Disney and a major and well respected news organization like ABC. We therefore urge you to cancel this broadcast to cease Disney’s plans to use it as a teaching tool in schools across America through Scholastic. Presenting such deeply flawed and factually inaccurate misinformation to the American public and to children would be a gross miscarriage of your corporate and civic responsibility to the law, to your shareholders, and to the nation.
The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events.
Disney and ABC claim this program to be based on the 9/11 Commission Report and are using that assertion as part of the promotional campaign for it. The 9/11 Commission is the most respected American authority on the 9/11 attacks, and association with it carries a special responsibility. Indeed, the very events themselves on 9/11, so tragic as they were, demand extreme care by any who attempt to use those events as part of an entertainment or educational program. To quote Steve McPhereson, president of ABC Entertainment, “When you take on the responsibility of telling the story behind such an important event, it is absolutely critical that you get it right.”
Unfortunately, it appears Disney and ABC got it totally wrong.
Despite claims by your network’s representatives that The Path to 9/11 is based on the report of the 9/11 Commission, 9/11 Commissioners themselves, as well as other experts on the issues, disagree.
Richard Ben-Veniste, speaking for himself and fellow 9/11 Commissioners who recently viewed the program, said, “As we were watching, we were trying to think how they could have misinterpreted the 9/11 Commission’s findings the way that they had.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]
Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism czar, and a national security advisor to ABC has described the program as “deeply flawed” and said of the program’s depiction of a Clinton official hanging up on an intelligence agent, “It’s 180 degrees from what happened.” [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]
Reports suggest that an FBI agent who worked on 9/11 and served as a consultant to ABC on this program quit halfway through because, “he thought they were making things up.” [MSNBC, September 7, 2006]
Even Thomas Kean, who serves as a paid consultant to the miniseries, has admitted that scenes in the film are fictionalized. [“9/11 Miniseries Is Criticized as Inaccurate and Biased,” New York Times, September 6, 2006]
That Disney would seek to broadcast an admittedly and proven false recounting of the events of 9/11 raises serious questions about the motivations of its creators and those who approved the deeply flawed program. Finally, that Disney plans to air commercial-free a program that reportedly cost it $40 million to produce serves to add fuel to these concerns.
These concerns are made all the more pressing by the political leaning of and the public statements made by the writer/producer of this miniseries, Mr. Cyrus Nowrasteh, in promoting this miniseries across conservative blogs and talk shows.
Frankly, that ABC and Disney would consider airing a program that could be construed as right-wing political propaganda on such a grave and important event involving the security of our nation is a discredit both to the Disney brand and to the legacy of honesty built at ABC by honorable individuals from David Brinkley to Peter Jennings. Furthermore, that Disney would seek to use Scholastic to promote this misguided programming to American children as a substitute for factual information is a disgrace.
As 9/11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick said, “It is critically important to the safety of our nation that our citizens, and particularly our school children, understand what actually happened and why – so that we can proceed from a common understanding of what went wrong and act with unity to make our country safer.”
Should Disney allow this programming to proceed as planned, the factual record, millions of viewers, countless schoolchildren, and the reputation of Disney as a corporation worthy of the trust of the American people and the United States Congress will be deeply damaged. We urge you, after full consideration of the facts, to uphold your responsibilities as a respected member of American society and as a beneficiary of the free use of the public airwaves to cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program. We look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Sincerely,
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Byron Dorgan

Wild Thing’s comment…….
The Senate Democratic leadership just threatened Disney’s broadcast license. Not the use of the word “trustee” at the beginning of the letter and “trust” at the end. This is nothing less than an implicit threat that if Disney tries to meddle in the US elections on behalf of the Republicans, they will pay a very serious price when the Democrats get back in power, or even before.
This raises the stakes incredibly for Disney.
Reid is Senate Minority Leader, not Senate Democratic Leader … why would he sign anything that way?
Apparently the mini series depicts Clinton as being too involved with the Monica scandal to act upon some key information about Bin Laden. Like Nero fiddling while Rome burned, Clinton was diddling while the country was in peril. As they age, the Clinton’s become more and more pathetic.
From what I have read and heard the movie blames Bill Clinton and the Bush administration. Neither one escapes blame. But only the Clinton crew complains. Socialists aka the Democrats are power mad 24 hours per day.
Let’s do some comparing shall we……….. there are Fifty-nine Deceits in Fahrenheit 9/11!!!!! pdf file HERE
Not very smart for the dems to do this. It’s totally against freedom of speech! Thus we have more proof just what low life’s the Democratic party is and how they do NOT want our country to have freedom of speech!!! Add that to they did not want the Patriot Act either.
As far as Sandy Berger it has already been proven he is guilty of things. According to the 9/11 Commission’s Report, Berger was involved in at least 4 occurrences of “failing to support” such requests.
OH and HERE is a wonderful (NOT) blog by our enemy within as they do their thing to get this film cut and cut and cut. It is called The Democratic Party, and this is one of their posts Keep Up the Pressure Open Thread.
Democrats really messed up now. BIG TIME! This will come back to bite them in the ass in November and also in the next Presidential election. No should want a political party that strip’s anyone of freedom of speech. The Democrats are truly the enemy within. Vote republican to maintain our rights to the freedom of speech!
Clinton should have handled this the way GWB handled Farhenheit 911-ignore it. Now people will be flocking to see “What Bill Clinton doesn’t want you to see!” I hope the program gets a 40 share in the ratings.
do you remember how the Clinton’s would silence people when Bill Clinton was President? Heck even before that! We could ask their victims about it but they are all dead. And that list is huge. Vince Foster do you hear me?
And this from the blog Texas Rainmaker.

“As to the argument that the Clinton administration didn’t pass on a chance to get bin Laden… Here are Clinton’s own words.
Mr. bin Laden used to live in Sudan. He was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991, then he went to Sudan. And we’d been hearing that the Sudanese wanted America to start meeting with them again.
They released him. At the time, 1996, he had committed no crime against America, so I did not bring him here, because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America.”

Mary Katharine Ham at Townhall has some great updates and also links on this.
And Vilmar at Right Wing Howler has information on the film.
Others blogging about this:
* HOT AIR
* Darleen’s Place ….take a look also at the great graphic Darleen has for this
* Villanious Company ….Cassandra has written an awesome post.

U.S. Army soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division perform patrol and reconnaissance while en route up a mountain to resupply Observation Post Warheight in the Kunar province of Afghanistan.

USAREUR forbids travel to Turkey without permission
Soldiers and employees of U.S. Army Europe have been forbidden to travel to Turkey unless given permission by high-ranking officials within the command, according to an order published Wednesday on the USAREUR Web site.
According to the posting, the order was issued due to a recent string of bombings and State Department warnings of further violence.
Soldiers would require permission from someone ranked lieutenant colonel or above, while civilians employed by USAREUR would require permission from someone ranked General Schedule-14 or higher.

“I wouldn’t say it’s unusual,” said Bruce Anderson, a spokesman for the Heidelberg, Germany-based command. “Our security people make constant evaluations of the situation in and around our theater and where our people are likely to go. We base that on a number of factors, and the State Department message plays a role in those.”

Anderson said he did not know when the order would be rescinded or how people within USAREUR would be informed if it is.
Turkey is a popular vacation destination that has many resorts along its Mediterranean and Aegean Sea coasts.
On Tuesday, a percussion bomb exploded next to the ruling AK Party’s offices in the western Turkish city of Izmir, but caused no injuries, the state news agency Anatolian reported. The bomb was left in a garbage container and shattered nearby windows in the major port city.
The U.S. Air Force has a base in Izmir.
Seven bombings occurred in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Adana, Marmaris and Antalya between Aug. 25-28, injuring 60 or more people, including foreign tourists, and killing three Turkish nationals, according to the State Department.
The bombings were thought to have been carried out by allies or members of the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, which wants to create its own nation within southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq.
Air Force Gen. (Ret.) Joseph W. Ralston, the former commander of the U.S. European Command and supreme allied commander for NATO, was recently appointed by the State Department as a U.S. special envoy for countering the PKK.
Anderson said that soldiers and employees who travel to Turkey must know how to make contact with a U.S. Consulate in case of an emergency, as well as make contact with individual command. Supervisors are also required to be able to make contact with their subordinates who are traveling in Turkey, he said.

“Sometimes our soldiers and employees travel to other countries and don’t have their own force protection,” Anderson said. “Their security is the embassy. They need to know who can help them and know how to be able to contact those people and get help if they need it.”

Security tips
Here are some security measures travelers can take:
* Travel in small groups and vary movements;
* Always let someone know where you’re going and when you expect to return;
* Try to be inconspicuous; don’t draw attention to yourself;
* Be aware of your surroundings;
* Avoid spontaneous gatherings or demonstrations;
* If you happen to come upon a demonstration, remain calm and disengage from the situation;
* Stay away from high-risk places (Department of State consular information sheets for each country provide information on high risk places);
* Know emergency numbers and potential safe areas;
* Carry a cell phone if possible;
* Keep vehicle in good working order and fuel tank at least half full;
* If there is an incident at your destination or any location on your itinerary inform your unit of your status as soon as possible.
Source: U.S. Army Europe Web site Stars and Strips

Wild Thing’s comment…….
I am glad our military is taking this concern seriously in regards to Turkey. And a BIG thank you too to our 10th Mountain Division!

DOD
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 – U.S. Air Force special investigators and Kyrgyz authorities are continuing search efforts to locate an Air Force officer missing since Sept 5, officials said.
Maj. Jill Metzger, personnel chief at the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing, was last seen by a group of her coworkers at the Zum shopping center in the capital city of Bishkek.
“We will not rest until we find Major Metzger,” said Col. Joel “Scott” Reese, the wing’s commander. “She is an extremely valuable member of our warfighting team, and we are doing everything in our power to locate and return her to safety.”
Reese said Metzger is an exemplary officer. Her well-known attention to detail and passion for excellence make her absence strongly felt, he added.
A 22-member task force of U.S. special agents and their support crew are working closely with local authorities using every available means to find information concerning her whereabouts. The shopping center’s security tapes were helpful in directing investigators to which shops Metzger visited the night she disappeared. The city’s police force combed public transportation and hospitals and distributed flyers with her photo and physical description throughout the city.
Local media has joined the search by posting and publishing her picture, description and contact information for anyone who has a lead or tip.
“The local law enforcement agencies are giving us outstanding support in our time of need,” Reese said. “We are all committed to Major Metzger and her family and ask for continued thoughts and prayers from our world-wide Air Force family.”
(From a U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news release.)

And this from the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan – A U.S. Airman from the 376 Air Expeditionary Wing was declared missing at a Bishkek shopping center Sept. 5 at between 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. local.
The servicemember was separated from the group from Manas Air Base in the Zum shopping center and has not been located.
The 376th AEW base officials are working with the U.S. Embassy and local officials to locate the servicemember as soon as possible. Anyone with information about the U.S. servicemember’s whereabouts should contact the Embassy’s security investigator at 551-241 x 4516.
The servicemember’s identity will not be released at this time.
Please refer all media queries to the 376 AEW Public Affairs office. Call x720-418 for English, 785-139 for Russian

UPDATE on information
available

Published: September 7, 2006 Filed at 1:29 p.m. ET BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) —
A U.S. military spokeswoman said Thursday that nothing has been ruled out in the disappearance of an American servicewoman who vanished two days ago, even though the local police chief said she was not kidnapped.
Investigators continued their search for Air Force Maj. Jill Metzger, 33, who disappeared Tuesday after being separated from a group of servicemen while visiting a department store in Bishkek.

”I rule out the theory that the U.S. citizen may have been kidnapped,” Interior Minister Murat Sutalinov told reporters. He said that police had received no demand for ransom.

However, Capt. Anna Carpenter, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military base in Kyrgyzstan where Metzger is stationed, said ”nothing has been ruled out.”

Interior Ministry spokesman Nurdin Jangarayev told The Associated Press that Metzger and another U.S. servicewoman were recorded on a security camera on Tuesday afternoon as they entered the TsUM department store in central Bishkek.
She separated from her companion three minutes later, he said. In the next three hours, two calls were placed to her cell phone but neither was answered; records show that the phone was in the area of Bishkek’s bus station when one call was placed, but was in another neighborhood for a later call, Jangarayev said.

”This is worrying because it could mean that her phone was in someone else’s hands or that she was unconscious and could not reply,” he said.

The ministry, which oversees the police, is also trying to establish the holder of a phone she called about 45 minutes before she was last seen, he said. Police Chief Moldomusa Kongantiyev said Wednesday that Metzger had been expected to return to the United States by the weekend.
A statement from base officials said group of 22 U.S. military investigators and logistics officers along with Kyrgyz police are involved in the search for Metzger, who was stationed at an air base near Bishkek with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing.
She was dressed in civilian clothes at the time of the disappearance, according to base officials. Carpenter said that ”there has been a lot of progress” in the investigation but could not discuss details.
The Pentagon on Thursday formally declared Metzger missing, a status officially known as ”duty status whereabouts unknown,” and disclosed that her normal duty station is Moody Air Force Base, Ga., as a member of the 347th Mission Support Squadron.
It said she was on temporary duty in Kyrgyzstan but offered no other details. Metzger’s father, John, said in a telephone interview from his home in Henderson, N.C., that the family was waiting and praying.

”We’ve got a prayer chain all the way across the nation, and it’s our hope that God will return her safely,” he said.

In 2003, Jill Metzger was stationed at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany when she won the women’s division of the U.S. Air Force Marathon, The Henderson Daily Dispatch reported at the time. She was a member of the Air Force-Europe team. Metzger had run in every Air Force marathon since its inception seven years earlier, the newspaper said, and had run marathons in Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.
Base officials announced new travel restrictions Thursday, barring all off-duty personnel from leaving the base until Metzger is found.

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla.— A QF-4 Drone in flight as it is tracked by a missile at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The drones are used as moving targets to test weapons. (Courtesy photo)
By 691st Armament Systems Squadron
Sep 7, 2006
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — One Eglin squadron plays a key role in keeping fighter pilots’ air-to-air warfighting skills sharp by providing them real aircraft as flying targets.
The 691st Armament Systems Squadron, made up of 52 military, civilian and contract workers, delivered the 200th QF-4 drone this spring to Tyndall AFB, Fla., where it will be flown as a remote-controlled aerial target.
“We enable the warfighter to test and train against targets that are representative of what they would face in combat,” said Audrea Feist, 691st ARSS Full Scale Targets IPT lead. “It’s a great feeling knowing that the product we provide enhances our warfighters’ readiness.”
The QF-4 is an F-4 fighter that has been converted into a drone to resemble enemy aircraft.
The Air Force, Navy and Army use these drones for developmental/operational test and evaluation, weapon system evaluation and for live-fire lethality testing for ground-to-air and air-to-air missiles, according to Glenn Ragsdale, QF-4 lead engineer.
BAE Systems Electronics and Integrated Solutions has been a key contractor in converting the aircraft into drones, said Lt. Col. Shaun House, 691st ARSS commander.
The process begins with the F-4 aircraft being retrieved from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, better known as the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. The aircraft are repaired and brought back to flying status and flown to BAE in Mojave, Calif., where electronic components are added to enable the aircraft to fly without a pilot in the cockpit.
After completion of the drone conversion process, which takes about 160 days, BAE conducts a test flight, and the converted aircraft is then flown to either Tyndall or Holloman AFB, N.M.
The government then conducts a flight test prior to acceptance of the drone. Once this process is complete, the Air Force and sister services, as well as allied nations, use the QF-4 to test the lethality and accuracy of their weapons systems.
The Air Force has issued contracts to BAE for a total of 243 QF-4 aerial targets.

Wild Thing’s comment……
I just love all the militrary toys…..heh heh…..and I love how the terrorists hate them.

This image provided by the Direction of Penal Centers of El Salvador shows an x-ray taken of one of four prisoners at a maximum security Salvadoran prison in Zacatecoluca, 35 miles southeast of the capital of El Salvador. Four cellular telephones were found in the intestines of as many prisoners in El Salvador’s maximum-security prison, authorities said Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2006. The discovery happened Tuesday at the prison in Zacatecoluca after suspicious prison officials took x-rays of each of the prisoners, prison spokesman Jaime Villanova said. (AP Photo)

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Cellular telephones were found inside four prisoners in El Salvador’s maximum-security prison, authorities said Wednesday.
The discovery was made Tuesday at the prison in Zacatecoluca, in central El Salvador, after suspicious officials took X-rays of each of the inmates, federal corrections chief Jaime Villanova said.
The names of the prisoners, all members of the dangerous Mara Salvatrucha gang, were not released in order to avoid jeopardizing an ongoing investigation that began a month ago, he said.
Capt. Juan Ramon Arevalo, director of the prison known as Zacatras, said the gang members had introduced the cell phones, wrapped in plastic bags, into their bodies through their anuses. Authorities also found nine cell phone chips and one charger.

“Each one had a cellular with a number of chips,” Arevalo said, adding that one also had hidden a charger in his anal cavity.

The inmates allegedly used cell phones to direct criminal activities on the street from inside the prison, Arevalo said. The smuggled phones were found during an investigation at prisons throughout the country amid complaints from business owners of extortion by gang members.
Prisoners change phone chips frequently to avoid being traced, Arevalo said.
The police have doubled their security levels to combat the criminals.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
OMG! And what happens when the phone rings? I can’t even think about this anymore.

A new GPS-guided “Screamer” bundle from the Joint Precision Air Drop System falls out the back of a C-130 Hercules over Afghanistan Aug. 26. The drop was made from 17,500 feet above mean sea level and was the first joint Air Force-Army operational drop of JPADS in the Central Command area of responsibility. Four bundles were dropped from the Alaska Air National Guard C-130. The system is designed to provide precision airdrops from high altitudes, eliminating the threat of small-arms fire. All four bundles arrived less than 25 meters from the desired target. Photo by Senior Airman Brian Ferguson, USAF

Bagram C-130s drop high-tech cargo delivery system
Tech. Sergeants Steven Hayes and Luzmarina Arevalo install the center vertical restraint in a C-130 Hercules Aug. 25. Sergeant Hayes is a loadmaster and Joint Precision Air Drop System, or JPADS, trainer from the Air Mobility Warfare Center. Sergeant Arevalo is a loadmaster with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron. The 774th EAS performed the first operational drop of a new Global Positioning System-guided JPADS bundle. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brian Ferguson)

Army Spc. Oscar Osorio attaches the parachute activation cord of a Joint Precision Air Drop System bundle to a C-130 Hercules static line before an airdrop over Afghanistan Aug. 31. Specialist Copley is a parachute rigger with the 647th Quartermaster Detachment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brian Ferguson)
Bagram C-130s Use High-Tech Cargo Delivery System
DOD
The same global positioning technology that helps fighter and bomber pilots deliver smart bombs with pinpoint accuracy now allows bundles dropped from cargo planes to steer themselves to drop zones.
A C-130 Hercules from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here dropped supplies to a U.S. Army unit in Afghanistan.
An Air National Guard crew, deployed from Alaska’s 144th Airlift Squadron, dropped bundles using the Joint Precision Airdrop System, or JPADS, which the Army and Air Force have been developing together since 1993.

“This was the first Air Force employment of the Joint Precision Airdrop System in an operational or combat airlift mission,” said Maj. Neil Richardson, chief of the combat programs and policy branch at Air Mobility Command. He deployed here as part of the JPADS Mobile Training Team to oversee the first combat use of the system and to train C-130 crews how to use it.

“The system did exactly what it was designed for and delivered ammunition and water to ground troops here in Afghanistan,” he said.

The JPADS is a family of systems designed to bring the same accuracy to the airlift community that strike pilots have enjoyed since the development of GPS-guided bombs, called joint direct attack munitions, or JDAMS. “It’s the JDAMS of logistics,” Richardson said.

“Soldiers in forward fighting positions will have a viable means of airdrop resupply, which is more accurate and increases survivability of critical supplies, like ammunition, fuel, food and water,” said Chief Warrant Officer Cortez Frazier, aerial delivery chief for Combined Joint Task Force 76’s Joint Logistics Command. “JPADS will ensure the warfighter can continue to combat and win against terrorism.”

“We’re resupplying small units, so we don’t need a big volume of parachutes and equipment,” said Army Lt. Col. Robert Gagnon, the deputy commander of the 10th Sustainment Brigade, whose job is resupplying aoldiers in Afghanistan. “It allows us to get into a small area from a stand-off distance, where the aircraft is out of harm’s way.”

Please go HERE to read the rest of the article.

(more…)

ACLU Accuses Bush Of Gutting Geneva Conventions Enforcement and Undermining Due Process For Terror Detainees

It isn’t surprising that the ACLU were quick to react to Bush’s jaw dropping speech admitting to secret CIA prisons and pushing Congress to pass legislation that would put captured terror suspects under the rule of a military tribunal.
Via ACLU:

America is a nation dedicated to upholding the rule of law. However, President Bush’s draft proposal for military commissions fails to meet the standards recognized by the Supreme Court in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. The court held the President’s initial military commission scheme was illegal because it violated Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, the most basic standards regarding treatment of detainees. The new proposal has nearly all of the same problems, and will eventually be found to be illegal. For example, it would allow a person to be convicted based on secret evidence and would allow the use of evidence obtained as the result of horrific abuse.

Of course the ACLU automatically accuse the U.S. of using horrific abuse to obtain our evidence without any evidence whatsoever to back that claim up. You can also bet that if one of their terrorist plaintiffs were to go before our court system they would make the claim that any evidence we have against them was obtained through such procedures and argue it was inadmissible. This is only one of hundreds of reasons that Congress needs to pass the legislation the President is requesting so these terrorist creeps, several of which are in the top Al Qaeda chain of command, need to go before a military tribunal. They are not American citizens and we can not afford the dangers involved in allowing them to be represented before the U.S. courts, in all probability represented by the ACLU.

“The president should have listened to the current Judge Advocates General for the four military services, all of whom have urged close adherence to the court-martial procedures, and all of whom oppose the use of secret evidence and coerced evidence. By contrast, Senators John Warner (R-VA), John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are reportedly following the advice of these top generals and admirals and supporting due process protections that are more in line with the time-tested courts-martial procedures.
“The president also proposes to gut enforceability of the Geneva Conventions by amending the War Crimes Act to completely immunize from prosecution civilians who subjected persons to horrific abuse that may have fallen short of the definition of ‘torture.’ As a result, government officials and civilian contractors who authorized or carried out water boarding, threats of death, and other abuse would get a ‘get out of jail free’ card under the president’s bill. The nation’s soldiers and sailors would remain liable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but civilians would be immune from prosecution under the only statute that applies to many of these acts. That is simply wrong.

No, what is “simply wrong” is that cowards committed to terrorism and jihad against America that do are not signatories of nor abide by the Geneva Conventions should be afforded the protections of it. The sickening fact that the ACLU would steep low enough to represent an enemy of our nation to sue a military member for doing their job in capturing and interrogating these killers. This is exactly what the President is asking Congress to keep from happening. The President is asking Congress to make it clear what our protectors can and can not do and to protect them from prosecution of being sued by the very scum buckets they protect us from.

“The new Army Field Manual avoids some of the worst problems with earlier drafts and clarifies that those held by the military or at military facilities must be afforded the protections of the Geneva Conventions. However, it then creates loopholes for so-called ‘unlawful combatants’ by depriving them of the same protections–and specifically authorizes holding persons in isolation. And, the new manual does not apply to those held by the CIA. The Bush proposal is lip service unless the executive branch actually holds people accountable for violating it.

“So called” unlawful combatants? If you are not abiding by the rules of being a lawful combatant then you aren’t one. It is that simple. The ACLU are the ones looking for loop holes in the system, and the very reason they are so up and arms on this is that it closes them up. What the President is asking is for Congress to make the definitions clear. In the Hamdan case, which the ACLU played a major part in, the door was left wide open for Congress to clarify and create legislation making military tribunals the main process for due process dealing with terrorists caught on the battle field. What does the ACLU have against bringing these murderers to justice?
The ACLU Defend the enemy. They have a long history of this one. They defended the P.L.O. in 1985. They defended Quadafi in the 1980’s. And they continue today. They have told Gitmo detainees they have the right to remain silent, as in not talking to interrogators. One issue that really disturbs me is their refusal of funds from organizations such as the United Way that were concerned the money would be used to support terrorism.

In October of 2004, the ACLU turned down $1.15 million in funding from two of it’s most generous and loyal contributors, the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, saying new anti-terrorism restrictions demanded by the institutions make it unable to accept their funds.
“The Ford Foundation now bars recipients of its funds from engaging in any activity that “promotes violence, terrorism, bigotry, or the destruction of any state.”
The Rockefeller Foundation’s provisions state that recipients of its funds may not “directly or indirectly engage in, promote, or support other organizations or individuals who engage in or promote terrorist activity.”

They have since then demanded that the government release and make public top secret security information regarding not only the activities of our military, but also that of our intelligence forces. They have also initiated one lawsuit after another against the government to stop the searching of individuals for security purposes in mass transit situations, to stop what they call profiling (we will never see a Protestant white middle-aged woman as a terrorist working with an extremist Islamic organization) by race, sex and religion, and to stop the government from detaining and questioning or interrogating individuals who have ties or contact with known terrorist individuals and organizations.
They tried to kill the Patriot Act because they see the rights of an individual who may or may not be an American citizen as more important than the safety of the nation at large. They want the borders open because they see that as an infringement of the rights of non-Americans to become Americans however they can manage it. They want to have military and intelligence sources, activities, and planning revealed to the public so they can “watch dog” and ensure freedoms of individuals and/or groups are not being compromised, but in doing so will enable those very individuals and/or groups under surveillance the ability to avoid surveillance and possible capture before they do something destructive to American citizens.
When it comes to America’s enemies you can count on the ACLU to be there to defend them.
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Habibullah Khan Report
Osama bin Laden, America’s most wanted man, will not face capture in Pakistan if he agrees to lead a “peaceful life,” Pakistani officials tell ABC News.
The surprising announcement comes as Pakistani army officials announced they were pulling their troops out of the North Waziristan region as part of a “peace deal” with the Taliban.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden “would not be taken into custody,” Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, “as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen.”

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.
In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the “peace agreement” between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

“What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan,” said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.

The agreement was signed on the same day President Bush said the United States was working with its allies “to deny terrorists the enclaves they seek to establish in ungoverned areas across the world.”
The Pakistani Army had gone into Waziristan, under heavy pressure from the United States, but faced a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

“They’re throwing the towel,” said Alexis Debat, who is a Senior Fellow at the Nixon Center and an ABC News consultant. “They’re giving al Qaeda and the Taliban a blank check and saying essentially make yourselves at home in the tribal areas,” Debat said.

Wild Thing’s comment…….
Maybe this is for the best…now we can go in and clean things up without having to go through the Pakistanis who give the heads up to Osama and his crowd, protecting him while saying they are helping us. It is too bad though, because just recently Pakistan told us they want to help in the fight against terrorists. I just don’t get why leaders of countries cave in when it comes to fighting back. imo, It comes down to handing over an entire country to the enemy.
One of our many allies is the Polish military.They are outspoken in their support of the United States, even when other European countries are running for cover; their troops are on the frontlines with ours, some even participating in the opening engagements of Operation Iraqi Freedom; and they are offering to open their borders for US forces to be stationed in their country, even as other European nations are pushing for US troops to leave their soil.
In addition, I love the fact that Poland considers Ronald Reagan to be the greatest of American Presidents and are planning on erecting a statue in his honor.
Romania, Hungary and Czeclovakia, are also offering forward bases, just to name a few.
And some of the others, Australia, Britain, Italy, Ukraine, and Japan, along with all of the other little countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Georgia who sent troops to support us in Afghanistan and Iraq.

UPDATE:

I had done this post about this and now I see others have also been posting about it. I am adding in the video on this as well.

* Michelle Malkin
* Stop the ACLU
* The Fourth Rail

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) — Danish police have arrested nine people suspected of planning a terror attack, reports reaching here from Denmark said Tuesday.
The nine, who had got materials to make explosives in connection with the preparation for a terror attack, were arrested during a police raid overnight in heavily immigrant-populated neighborhood of Vollsmose, a suburb west of Odense in central Denmark, the reports said, citing the country’s intelligence service.
The suspects, whose identities were not disclosed, were all aged under 30 and would face a custody hearing later Tuesday, said Lars Findsen, head of the Danish Security Intelligence Service.
Findsen gave no details on the target of the attack, saying that the arrests would not prompt Denmark to raise its terror alert.
Denmark has raised its terror preparedness after the London terror attacks last year and disputes earlier this year over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad which was first published in a Danish newspaper.

First there was this from Harry Reid…………

REID: THE SENATE IS ALMOST OUT OF TIME TO HELP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
Modern “Do Nothing Congress” has only eight weeks remaining
Washington, DC—Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today delivered the following speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate, urging Bush Republicans to put aside their politically motivated agenda to address the real challenges the American people face every day. With the Senate rapidly running out of legislative days to tackle serious issues like gas prices, health care costs, and the minimum wage, there is no time left to spare.
You can read the entire bunch of bull HERE

And now we have this….Three Cheers for Josh Bolten, Chief of Staff!

Response from the Chief of Staff Josh Bolten to a Democratic Letter
September 5, 2006
White House
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
528 Hart SOB
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Reid:
Thank you for your September 4 letter to the President. I am responding on his behalf.
A useful discussion of what we need to do in Iraq requires an accurate and fair-minded description of our current policy: As the President has explained, our goal is an Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself. In order to achieve this goal, we are pursuing a strategy along three main tracks — political, economic, and security. Along each of these tracks, we are constantly adjusting our tactics to meet conditions on the ground. We have witnessed both successes and setbacks along the way, which is the story of every war that has been waged and won.
Your letter recites four elements of a proposed “new direction” in Iraq. Three of those elements reflect well-established Administration policy; the fourth is dangerously misguided.
First, you propose “transitioning the U.S. mission in Iraq to counter-terrorism, training, logistics and force protection.” That is what we are now doing, and have been doing for several years. Our efforts to train the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have evolved and accelerated over the past three years. Our military has had substantial success in building the Iraqi Army — and increasingly we have seen the Iraqi Army take the lead in fighting the enemies of a free Iraq. The Iraqi Security Forces still must rely on U.S. support, both in direct combat and especially in key combat support functions. But any fair-minded reading of the current situation must recognize that the ISF are unquestionably more capable and shouldering a greater portion of the burden than a year ago — and because of the extraordinary efforts of the United States military, we expect they will become increasingly capable with each passing month. Your recommendation that we focus on counter-terrorism training and operations — which is the most demanding task facing our troops — tracks not only with our policy but also our understanding, as well as the understanding of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, that Iraq is a central front in the war against terror.
Second, your letter proposes “working with Iraqi leaders to disarm the militias and to develop a broad-based and sustainable political settlement, including amending the Constitution to achieve a fair sharing of power and resources.” You are once again urging that the Bush Administration adopt an approach that has not only been embraced, but is now being executed. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is pursuing a national reconciliation project. It is an undertaking that (a) was devised by the Iraqis; (b) has the support of the United States, our coalition partners and the United Nations; and (c) is now being implemented. Further, in Iraq’s political evolution, the Sunnis, who boycotted the first Iraq election, are now much more involved in the political process. Prime Minister Maliki is head of a free government that represents all communities in Iraq for the first time in that nation’s history. It is in the context of this broad-based, unity government, and the lasting national compact that government is pursuing, that the Iraqis will consider what amendments might be required to the constitution that the Iraqi people adopted last year. On the matter of disarming militias: that is precisely what Prime Minister al-Maliki is working to do. Indeed, Coalition leaders are working with him and his ministers to devise and implement a program to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate members of militias and other illegal armed groups.
Third, your letter calls for “convening an international conference and contact group to support a political settlement in Iraq, to preserve Iraq’s sovereignty, and to revitalize the stalled economic reconstruction and rebuilding effort.” The International Compact for Iraq, launched recently by the sovereign Iraqi government and the United Nations, is the best way to work with regional and international partners to make substantial economic progress in Iraq, help revitalize the economic reconstruction and rebuilding of that nation, and support a fair and just political settlement in Iraq — all while preserving Iraqi sovereignty. This effort is well under way, it has momentum, and I urge you to support it.
Three of the key proposals found in your letter, then, are already reflected in current U.S. and Iraqi policy in the region.
On the fourth element of your proposed “new direction,” however, we do disagree strongly. Our strategy calls for redeploying troops from Iraq as conditions on the ground allow, when the Iraqi Security Forces are capable of defending their nation, and when our military commanders believe the time is right. Your proposal is driven by none of these factors; instead, it would have U.S. forces begin withdrawing from Iraq by the end of the year, without regard to the conditions on the ground. Because your letter lacks specifics, it is difficult to determine exactly what is contemplated by the “phased redeployment” you propose. (One such proposal, advanced by Representative Murtha, a signatory to your letter, suggested that U.S. forces should be redeployed as a “quick reaction force” to Okinawa, which is nearly 5,000 miles from Baghdad).
Regardless of the specifics you envision by “phased redeployment,” any premature withdrawal of U.S forces would have disastrous consequences for America’s security. Such a policy would embolden our terrorist enemies; betray the hopes of the Iraqi people; lead to a terrorist state in control of huge oil reserves; shatter the confidence our regional allies have in America; undermine the spread of democracy in the Middle East; and mean the sacrifices of American troops would have been in vain. This “new direction” would lead to a crippling defeat for America and a staggering victory for Islamic extremists. That is not a direction this President will follow. The President is being guided by a commitment to victory — and that plan, in turn, is being driven by the counsel and recommendations of our military commanders in the region.
Finally, your letter calls for replacing Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. We strongly disagree. Secretary Rumsfeld is an honorable and able public servant. Under his leadership, the United States Armed Forces and our allies have overthrown two brutal tyrannies and liberated more than 50 million people. Al Qaeda has suffered tremendous blows. Secretary Rumsfeld has pursued vigorously the President’s vision for a transformed U.S. military. And he has played a lead role in forging and implementing many of the policies you now recommend in Iraq. Secretary Rumsfeld retains the full confidence of the President.
We appreciate your stated interest in working with the Administration on policies that honor the sacrifice of our troops and promote our national security, which we believe can be accomplished only through victory in this central front in the War on Terror.
Sincerely,
Joshua B. Bolten
Chief of Staff
Identical Letters Sent To:
The Honorable Harry Reid, Senate Democratic Leader
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader
The Honorable Dick Durbin, Senate Assistant Democratic Leader
The Honorable Steny Hoyer, House Minority Whip
The Honorable Carl Levin, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
The Honorable Ike Skelton, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
The Honorable Joe Biden, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The Honorable Tom Lantos, Ranking Member, House International Relations Committee
The Honorable Jay Rockefeller, Vice Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee
The Honorable Jane Harman, Ranking Member, House Intelligence Committee
The Honorable Daniel Inouye, Ranking Member, Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee
The Honorable John Murtha, Ranking Member, House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee