BartBlog

Author’s note:
Is anyone seeing a pattern here? This started under the Bush administration, yet it continues.

Excerpt:
Last Wednesday, a 21-year-old Bangladeshi national, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, was arrested and accused of traveling to the U.S. to establish an al Qaeda cell and bomb the Federal Reserve Bank in Lower Manhattan.

Buried beneath the headlines and opening paragraphs of the major news outlet reports, however, is the fact that Nafis would have been unable to execute his plot without substantial assistance from the F.B.I.. Authorities assured several news agencies that “the public was never in danger.”

This case is yet another instance, among hundreds, of federal agencies creating terrorist plots so they can take credit for stopping them, instill fear in Americans and justify the billions of taxpayer dollars spent on wars and “homeland security.” This practice earned the number four rank on the list of the 2012 Project Censored most underreported stories in the U.S. media.

Last year, Trevor Aronson, with the aid of the Investigative Reporting Program at University of California-Berkley, completed a yearlong investigation of every case of terrorism that the Department of Justice (D.O.J.) prosecuted since 9/11 that was published in Mother Jones monthly. Out of 508 defendants at the time, 248 were targeted via an informant, 158 were nabbed via a sting operation, and 49 were lured via an informant who led the plot. Only three cases did not involve an informant and/or a F.B.I. sting operation. In 53 percent of the cases, the charges the defendants were convicted of did not involve terrorism.

According to the New York Times, “both F.B.I. leaders and federal prosecutors have defended the approach as valuable in finding and stopping people predisposed to commit terrorism.” There are doubts, however, as to whether these individuals would have had the will or capability to act on their own without being led along by F.B.I. informants.

While this practice is legal under legislation passed since 9/11, its legitimacy is questionable. In many cases it is borderline entrapment under the strict legal definition, but defense attorneys have had difficulty making that argument because important meetings between informants and the unknowing participants are left purposely unrecorded in order to avoid any entrapment charges that could cause the case to be dismissed.

At issue is the word “entrapment”, which has two definitions. There is the common usage, where a citizen might see F.B.I. operations as deliberate traps manipulating unwary people who otherwise were unlikely to become terrorists. Then there is the legal definition of entrapment, where the prosecution merely has to show a subject was predisposed to carry out the actions they later are accused of.

His case reveals several issues. Firstly, Nafis was never in contact with any real terrorists. If terrorists are scattered all about the country in cells, why was he unable to contact a single one of them? Secondly, he was never able to procure any real explosives. Thirdly, if he came in contact with F.B.I. agents, that means he was blindly recruiting anyone for his “terrorist cell.” He even asked a contact over Facebook, an F.B.I. informant, if it was permissible to blow up a country that granted him a student visa. What real terrorist would be naïve enough to do that?

This case makes Nafis sound more like a loner with wild ideas that was led along by the F.B.I. rather than a real terrorist. It also sounds like hundreds of other cases. In fact, some of the most highly publicized “terrorist plots” since 9/11 were “thwarted” under similar circumstances.

If you read my entire article, you will see that I cover just five of the more high profile cases out of hundreds of others in which a seemingly dangerous terrorist plot is thwarted, only to have the facts later reveal that the “terrorists” could not terrorize a fly without the tutelage and material aid of federal law enforcement agencies and informants.

These cases make it clear that the U.S. government is creating terrorism in order to be perceived as thwarting it and scaring the American people into believing there are real terrorists in our country. The motive behind that may be to justify legislation that infringes on civil liberties, huge expenditures on homeland security such as the Transportation Security Administration, surveillance conducted by fusion centers and wars that generate profit for the military-industrial complex. Of course, the most recent case will enable the Federal Reserve to claim it is a terrorist target and request additional security.

Federal law enforcement agencies seem to take an affirmative role in staging the crimes at mosques or, as in the case of the Cleveland bridge bombers, at an occupy protest. When the D.O.J. prosecutes cases like these, it leaves more clear-and-present dangers, such as criminals like the Foot Hood shooter, the Arizona shooter who shot a congresswoman, the Colorado movie theatre shooter or the Sikh temple shooter in Wisconsin, relatively unbothered and discovered only after people are killed.

Perhaps the government is singling out ideological enemies, not real terrorism or crime. The American people simply have no legitimate reason to believe anything that the corporate media or government claims, especially when it has to do with terrorism which has historically been used to further restrict the freedoms of everyday Americans nationwide.

Read more, get links, video and a slideshow here: Madison Independent Examiner – FBI creating terrorism plots to thwart, instilling fear in Americans

I am remiss at failing to notice the post about Rick until today. His graphics were a great contribution to our little community of BartBloggers here and he will be sorely missed. Rick and I have corresponded in the past and he always had nice things to say about my work. I loved the vintage feel of his work. He never let on to the fact that he was battling cancer, which is a testimony to his strength, courage and positive attitude.

Here is an excerpt from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. As you may know, Jobs also recently passed away due to cancer. Ironically, I mentioned both Rick’s graphics and Jobs’ speech to a client of mine today, whom I introduced to bartcop.com.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

RIP Rick, all of us will miss you. A shot of Chinaco Anejo in your honor!

Author’s note:
Yet another remnant of the Bush administration that destroys our civil liberties at the expense of the taxpayers. Perhaps Thurston and Eddie Munster should talk about cutting this instead of social security or Medicare.

Excerpt:
The U.S. government has spent up to $1.4 billion of taxpayer money since 2003 to create “threat fusion centers” under the guise of fighting terrorism. Yet a two-year bipartisan report recently released by the U. S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has found that these “fusion centers,” operating under the control of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in efforts to engage national, state and local intelligence, have not yielded any useful information to support federal counterterrorism intelligence efforts.

Most people who rely on print and TV news probably have never heard of fusion centers. There are as many as 72 of these facilities. 50 state-based and 22 urban centers were set up during the Bush presidency in cooperation between the DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Fusion centers contain large data warehouses that collect information from all 16 US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI, NSA, the military, state and local police agencies, as well as privately owned corporations and organizations. That information includes the cell phone data and emails of every American citizen. There is one of these facilities in Madison near the Dane county regional airport, at 2445 Darwin Road. (See slideshow here).

According to Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the DHS described its fusion centers as “one of the centerpieces of [its] counterterrorism strategy” and its database was supposed to be a central repository of known or “appropriately suspected” terrorists. In theory, local law enforcement officers, in conjunction with DHS officials, conduct surveillance and write up a report known as a Homeland Intelligence Report (HIR) for the DHS to review. If credible, the DHS would then spread the information to the larger intelligence community.

The Senate report, however, found that the fusion centers failed to uncover a single terrorist threat and only gathered information that is used for ordinary criminal investigations that local law enforcement agencies are well-capable of doing. Even DHS officials told the panel the fusion centers produce “predominantly useless information” and “a bunch of crap.”

Five centers the Senate studied spent their federal terrorism grant money on “hidden ‘shirt button’ cameras,” cell phone tracking systems and other surveillance tools. They also spent taxpayer money on things like “dozens of flat-screen TVs” and SUVs, sometimes claiming that Chevrolet Tahoes were intended to help “respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) incidents.”

Here a few more details of what the Senate report reveals:

• A DHS intelligence officer filed a draft report about a U.S. citizen who appeared at a Muslim organization to deliver a day-long motivational talk and a lecture on positive parenting.

• An intelligence officer decided to report on two men who were fishing at the US-Mexican border. A reviewer commented, “I…think that this should never have been nominated for production, nor passed through three reviews.”

• A report was submitted on a motorcycle group for passing out leaflets informing members of their legal rights. A reviewer commented, “The advice given to the groups’ members is protected by the First Amendment.”

And more from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which filed a lawsuit against the FBI, DOJ and NSA regarding fusion centers:

• A DHS analyst at a Wisconsin fusion center prepared a report about protesters on both sides of the abortion debate, despite the fact that no violence was expected.

• A Texas fusion center released an intelligence bulletin that described a purported conspiracy between Muslim civil rights organizations, lobbying groups, the anti-war movement, a former U.S. Congresswoman, the U.S. Treasury Department and hip hop bands to spread Sharia law in the U.S.

• The same month, but on the other side of the political spectrum, a Missouri Fusion Center released a report on “the modern militia movement” that claimed militia members are “usually supporters” of third-party presidential candidates like Ron Paul and Bob Barr.

• In March 2008 the Virginia Fusion Center issued a terrorism threat assessment that described the state’s universities and colleges as “nodes for radicalization” and characterized the “diversity” surrounding a Virginia military base and the state’s “historically black” colleges as possible threats.

Like so many post-9/11 surveillance laws passed under the vague guise of “national security,” these fusion centers violate the civil liberties of ordinary Americans that should be guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and other laws. An entire section of the Senate report is dedicated to Privacy Act violations and the collection of information completely unrelated to any criminal or terrorist activity in the HIRs.

The Senate report and the activity of fusion centers makes it clear that these facilities are designed to spy on American citizens, invading their privacy while doing nothing to stop terrorism. With all the talk in the Presidential campaigns about frivolous spending, perhaps these worthless facilities should be addressed, instead of Medicare or Social Security.

This may sound like a conspiracy theory, but it is reality. In fact, the one episode of “Conspiracy Theory” done by former navy SEAL and Governor Jesse Ventura that dealt with these fusion centers was refused to be aired by TruTV. In that episode he interviews a young woman from Missouri who was put on the terrorism watch list by her local fusion center for supporting Ron Paul in the Republican primary election. (See “banned” video here).

This is yet more evidence that America is turning from a democracy or constitutional republic into a corporate fascist state. Just look at the 14 defining characteristics of fascism and decide for yourself.

Read more, get links, video and slideshow here: Madison Independent Examiner – Fusion centers: Invading your privacy at your expense

YOS has been busy, and admittedly not thinking about Bart Blog when it came to this sad news. THIS was a major miss on his part, and he apologies. RS was a frequent contributor here, and once a friend of Scribe. For those who missed the news…

Written by DJ Allyn, as posted at Our End of the Net

Many people here will remember RS Janes and will even come across a lot of his work from when he was an intricate part of the several previous websites that this one eventually morphed into.

From the original Political Pulpit, to the Political Puzzle, to Liberaltopia, and LT Saloon, Rick was a regular fixture on these sites and continued to be so on several others.  The author of the Tattlesnake entries here as well as many cartoons, he always found a way to entertain while giving us a message.

Rick passed away the other day from cancer.  His wife Val, says that then end was quick and fairly pain-free.  She posts a memorial on Rick’s personal blog, Fishink.us.

He will be missed by all who have known him.

Author’s note:
It is time to put the chickenhawk, war-mongering idiots out there. America cannot afford another war. If  Netanyahu wants war, let Israel go alone with it. And give the cheerleaders in the media an M-4 and a parachute and drop them in Iran too.

No more Americans dying for Israel

Excerpt:
The U.N. summit this week featured two fiery speeches, one by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the other by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s speech received full media coverage on several networks in the U.S. that included photos of his cartoon-quality bomb drawing prop, while Ahmadinejad’s was cut short on CNN before the section where he said that countries and religions should have no problems with each other.

That is just the tip of the iceberg regarding what the U.S. corporate-owned media fails to report about Ahmadinejad, Iran, and its nuclear program. The deception has been going on for years.

A meeting between Ahmadinejad and Jewish religious leaders during his visit to NYC was ignored by the U.S. media. A video and any mention of it was banned by major media outlets in the U.S., Europe and Israel. (See banned video here). In that meeting he was presented a gift by the rabbis and exchanged well-wishes for all religions, people and cultures. Both the rabbis and Ahmadinejad discussed the distinction between the Jewish people and the Zionist Likud party in control of the Israeli government.

In contrast, but also equally ignored by the mainstream media, is a speech given to The Washington Institute for Near East Policy this month by an Israel lobbyist, Patrick Clawson. Citing false flag operations that began past wars, he openly suggests provoking Iran into firing the first shot in a conflict and if that does not work, “it would be best if somebody else started the war.”

Another story about Iran that was ignored by U.S. corporate media until The Washington Post finally got around to covering it last month is that a plot to provoke Iran into war occurred in 2007, but was foiled by a high-ranking naval intelligence officer named Gwenyth Todd. Gordan Duff, writing for Veteran’s Today, provides an even more detailed account than the Post.

For her efforts, Todd was driven out of the navy, investigated by the FBI, may have been attempted to be assassinated, and eventually decided to move to Australia. “If you want my opinion, I am 100 percent convinced that this is about my thwarting plans to provoke war with Iran,” Todd said at one point.

The U.S. corporate media continually fails to mention that when the latest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iran is compared to the May 2012 report, it reveals that Iran has actually reduced the stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium available for any possible “breakout” to weapons grade enrichment over the last three months rather than increasing it.

Instead, the U.S. media focused on the fact that production has increased. According to Gareth Porter’s analysis published on the global Inter Press Service news agency, however, the reduction of the stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium despite increased production is clear evidence “of a major acceleration in the fabrication of fuel plates for the Tehran Research Reactor, which needs 20-percent enriched uranium to produce medical isotopes. When 20-percent uranium is used to make fuel plates…it is very difficult to convert it back to a form that can be enriched to weapons grade levels.”

Yet another omission by mainstream U.S. media is the fact that IAEA reports in Iran are only possible because Iran is a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and allows the IAEA to inspect all of its nuclear facilities. Even Bill Clinton, who has in the past spoken out against war with Iran, did not seem to grasp that concept when he said on CNN’s Piers Morgan, “If you don’t want a nuclear weapon, then why won’t you comply with the international community’s inspection regime…” Perhaps he has been reading too much “news’ lately.

Phil Weiss raised a great point about the true intentions of the New York Times in his blog, Mondoweiss. In a piece entitled “‘NYT’ serves as echo chamber for Israeli hawks, quoting 7 on Iran, plus 2 Israel lobbyists” he asks, “When do American realists get their turn? When will American experts be quoted who say Iran can be contained or that Israel should give up its nukes?”

Here is a short list of other facts about Iran and Israel’s nuclear programs that have been kept from the American people by corporate media since propaganda about a nuclear-armed Iran began in 2007:

• In accordance with the conditions set in the NPT, Iran informed the IAEA of its intention to build a new uranium enrichment site within six months before it went online.
• The IAEA and all 16 United States Intelligence Agencies are unanimous in agreement that Iran is not building and does not possess nuclear weapons. Documents from the former South African regime declassified in 2010 reveal that Israel not only possesses, but also offered to sell nuclear weapons to South Africa as far back as 1975.
• Last Spring, Rose Gottemoeller, an assistant secretary of state and Washington’s chief nuclear arms negotiator, asked Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel refused.
• The United Nations passed a resolution calling on Israel to sign the NPT and to submit to IAEA inspections. Israel refused.
• The IAEA asked Israel to sign the NPT and allow inspections. Israel refused.
• Israel made the same accusations against Iraq that it is making against Iran, leading up to Israel’s bombing of the power station at Osirak in Iraq. Following the invasion of 2003, international experts examined the ruins of the power station at Osirak and found no evidence of nuclear materials or a clandestine weapons factory in the rubble.

It has become clear that the government of Israel, as well as the neo-conservative faction in the U.S., is pushing for a war with Iran, aided and abetted by the U.S. corporate media – the same media that sold the war in Iraq.

Simply putting the information presented in this article out there can get one labeled an “anti-Semite,” but it is a fact that most Israeli people, most Iranian people and most American people do not want this war. Anti-war is not anti-Semite. As the rabbis told Ahmadinejad, there is a clear distinction between Israelis who practice Judaism and the Zionists that control their government. There is no reason all nations and religions involved cannot live in peace (link to video from an Israeli).

A preemptive war with Iran would cost thousands, if not millions of lives. A war with Iran would be devastating to an already fragile U.S. economy – even if Israel goes it alone. It would cause gasoline prices to soar through the roof. Furthermore, a war with Iran could ignite a much larger global conflict, because both China and Russia have geopolitical and economic interests at stake with Iran. A panel of experts concluded that the costs would far outweigh the benefits.

Now is the time for the American people to look at the facts, see the big picture and say “no more wars.” Too many young Americans have died already for special interests. Every politician and talking head in the media that is promoting war with Iran must be called out for what they really are – liars, because lies of omission are still lies. They must keep being told that through phone calls, emails and social media until they realize the American people will not be deceived again. And the level-headed people that are against another war must be supported. Only “we the people” can stop this war before it begins.

Read more, see videos and get links here: Madison Independent Examiner – U.N. summit: What the U.S. media fails to report

Author’s note:
More and more people are questioning the events of 9/11 and it is getting to the point where it is becoming “mainstream” and not just a “conspiracy theory.” Questioning the official story of 9/11 has been taboo and akin to shooting yourself in the foot for journalists for the past 11 years. I think that may be beginning to change. I realize that I only scratch the surface here, because any article on 9/11 can lead to major scope creep and get very long, so I tried to just stick to the point that it is breaking in to the mainstream, but there is far more to this if you choose to look into it.

Excerpt:
More and more people from all walks of life and all professions seem to be questioning the “official” narrative of what happened on 9/11. Those who are questioning the events of 9/11 may be moving under the radar of the corporate media from being labeled “conspiracy theorists” to legitimate investigators with legitimate questions and concerns.

A good example is Jesse Ventura’s recent appearance on CNN’s Piers Morgan. Ventura, who hosts a program on TruTV called “Conspiracy Theory,” appeared on Morgan’s show last week. After discussing 9/11, Morgan tried to dismiss Ventura and said he has “crackpot” ideas. Ventura then asked the audience, “How many people think I make crackpot points?” Only one audience member acknowledged. He then asked, “How many people think I make sensible points?” Almost the entire audience applauded him.

Another good example is Colorado PBS’s airing of a documentary film that was created by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 truth. It is the first time a major news network has aired anything like it. The documentary, entitled “9/11: Explosive Evidence – Experts Speak Out,” features dozens of architects and engineers who unequivocally state that the twin towers, and WTC 7 which was not hit by a plane, were brought down by controlled demolition.

If the official story is to be believed, then 9/11 was an architectural and engineering disaster that should have led to an urgent and exhaustive inquiry, along with suggestions for improvements and upgrades for other buildings of the same construction. (You can watch the full-length film here for a limited time before it is only available for purchase on DVD).

The film has a section near the end in which psychologists explain why the media and many of the public are so reluctant to question the official story. The reasons come down to trauma, belief in authority and cognitive dissonance. People simply do not want to believe anything that contradicts their “world view” and their faith in the authorities that provide their security. Confronted with contradictory evidence, people resort to denial as a defense mechanism.

According to Victoria Alexander, writing for Digital Journal, three days before the 11th anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy, the documentary ranked number three among “most watched” documentaries on PBS and number one among “most shared.” “With the presidential election only weeks away, both the Republicans and Democrats, as equally staunch defenders of the official story, stand to be affected if the public’s suspicion of government corruption grows deeper.”

Questions regarding the events of 9/11 and studies are nothing new. They have been taking place for years. For years the internet has been loaded with information questioning the official story of 9/11. Several versions of a documentary entitled “Loose Change” were released between 2005 and 2009 and generated over 50 million hits on the internet.

Another fact that has never been publicized in mainstream media is the amount of credible people that question the events of 9/11. The corporate media publicizes questions by people such as Rosie O’Donnell and Charlie Sheen, but ignore the people listed on Patriots Question 9/11, which include over 3000 professionals from the military, government, academia, engineering, aviation, architecture, etc., that question the official story. A quick browse of the list reveals that these are not a bunch of “crackpots,” but are professionals who have the knowledge and skills in their fields to ask legitimate questions about what really happened on 9/11.

One key distinction between the 9/11 truth movement and conspiracy theorists, however, is that the 9/11 truth movement and many of the victim’s families have simply been calling for a new investigation, not making allegations as to whom are really behind the attacks. Some, however, do go further than that.

Yet another voice bringing the unanswered questions of 9/11 to the attention of the mainstream may turn out to come from Italy. Judge Ferdinando Imposimato, the honorary president of the Italian Supreme Court, has written to the Journal of 9/11 Studies announcing his intention to bring a case before the International Criminal Court citing key figures in the U.S. administration for involvement in the execution of the 9/11 attacks.

Imposimato writes:

The 9/11 attacks were a global state terror operation permitted by the administration of the USA, which had foreknowledge of the operation yet remained intentionally unresponsive in order to make war against Afghanistan and Iraq. To put it briefly, the 9/11 events were an instance of the strategy of tension enacted by political and economic powers in the USA to seek advantages for the oil and arms industries.

Whether or not anything comes of Imposimato’s law suit, the work of the architects and engineers, or anyone else who demands a new investigation into the horrific events of 9/11, one thing is clear. With a slow but steady drip of information coming from the many 9/11 researchers and grass roots movements, more people than ever are questioning the events of 9/11. And by implication, they are questioning the honesty of U.S. government officials who are engaging in costly wars and passing legislation that erodes the U.S. constitution in order to “protect” Americans from terrorism.

If most Americans come to believe that the terrorists responsible for the events of 9/11 are the same people that run huge corporations, banks, the U.S. government’s and Israel’s intelligence agencies, then that could change the dynamics of the political scene for years to come.

I simply encourage readers to watch the documentary that was broadcast on PBS, do their own research and draw their own conclusions.

Read full article, get links and videos here: Madison Independent Examiner – 9/11 official story doubts becoming more mainstream.