The Cold Hard Truth

BRILLIANT WRITER AGHAST AT ELECTION CYCLE

2007-05-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

OBAMA PANIC- (?) Andrew, have an Earl Grey

"Coulter accuses Newsweek of working for al Qaeda; Drudge links to a hysterical liberal; a trivial gaffe gets major play. He really is a threat, isn't he?" -Andrew Sullivan, the Daily Dish

"Coulter accuses Newsweek of working for Al Qaeda" (shes done that before); "Drudge links to hysterical liberal" (he used to link to Dowd before the Times got cheap-Times Select-4.95 per article-I'm good thanks!) "Trivial gaffe gets major play." (Biden's gaffe got attention and no one even thinks he's a serious candidate.)

Shock and Awe.

THIS IS WHY THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED WITH NATIONAL SECURITY

2007-05-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Senior House Republicans are complaining about Democrats' plans to divert "scarce" intelligence funds to study global warming. The House next week will consider the Democrat-crafted Intelligence Authorization bill, which includes a provision directing an assessment of the effects that climate change has on national security. -Washington Times

NOT A JOKE!!!!!

HOLIDAY IN HELL- Why Club Med should hold off on Kurdistan

2007-05-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Last summer, you may have been among the astonished viewers of American television who were treated to a series of commercials from a group calling itself "Kurdistan—The Other Iraq." These rather touching and artless little spots (theotheriraq.com) urged you to consider investing in business, and even made you ponder taking your vacation, in the country's three northern provinces.
- Christopher Hitchens, from "Holiday in Iraq" Vanity Fair

An Amnesty International spokesman in London said they receive frequent reports of honour crimes from Iraq – particularly in the predominantly Kurdish north.
Most victims are women and girls who are considered by male relatives to have shamed their families by immoral behaviour.
Kurdish authorities have introduced reforms outlawing honour killings, but have failed to investigate them or prosecute suspects, added the Amnesty spokesman. -Daily Mail courtesy www.drudgereport.com

GIRL GETS STONED TO DEATH IN IRAQ

2007-05-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Aren't Arabs fun folk. There is a video going around the net of a girl being stoned in Kurdistan for dating a Sunni. Christopher Hitchens keeps telling us how nice it is there and how he vacations there. The problem is "Islam" more than it was "Saddam." They call it an "honor killing." At this point I guess calling an A-bomb a "final solution" wouldn't be justified.

CLASH OF THE "SPITE-AN'S"

2007-05-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to feel like that magical time here in Narnia when nearly half of our "legal" citizens reep the rewards of the "Voting Rights Act" and get to choose between two competing visions for the country: regrettably bad and horribly worse. One group of people (Democrats) want to treat Al Qaeda like an advocacy group and 9/11 like a protest that went too far. The other group of people (Republicans) have a tendecy to believe that Jesus chooses their breakfast cereal for them. Cheerios represent "wholeness" and the "circle of life" whereas Count Chocula is a no go for obvious reasons. (The count is pro choice.) For those like myself who thrive on the exchange of ideas and cleverly worded "slurs" every day in this campaign will be a blessing! It is not entirely fair to describe these two political parties by mocking their most extreme supporters but extremism much like "sex" and "fear" sells and motivates. In watching the Democratic and Republican debates I had the recurring thought: are dictatorships that bad? They've done wonders for the major league baseball. I am going to post regularly and include "serious debate topics" like the war, the corruption and politization of religion, the expansion of failed social programs, the culture war update: the traditional values coalition is "surging" to counter the ACLU, and much much more. I will also publish the opinions of "others" so long as they are "white-land owning males," which is only right if you think about it, but why think about it when someone else can think for you! It's America stupid! What a year it will be.

GOOGLE HAS LET ME KNOW YOU CAN NOW BLOG IN HINDI !!

2007-05-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

In that case I'm gonna start posting again. The racoon, garden snake, and two slugs who read this site will be thrilled!

We Are Good People

2007-01-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

The American people, me included are unwilling to write off the Iraq war as a complete loss because of the blood and treasure spent thus far in trying to facilitate the young democracy’s post liberation phase-hoping somewhat in vain, for an expedited and satisfactory result. However they are also undeniably fed up with the wars current course and in large part ready to wash their hands of the undertaking believing they’ve “done enough” (which has become a popular mantra among democratic politicians trying to rationalize a pullout while retaining credibility-a hard sale.) Indeed the people of this country have done more than enough for the embattled regime. We’ve liberated a tyranny and helped provide security for the bloody transition from a flimsy governing council to real elections yielding a real president. We’ve worked to establish civic institutions that could carry Iraq and the larger Muslim world into the 21st century while being an influential example to the region. This has come at an amazing price to mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, lovers and friends of the fallen. This has come at a huge price to the American taxpayer-and whatever course is considered and chosen in the future let us not forget another example of our generosity and selflessness in the world.

ITS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

2007-01-12T07:49:00.000-08:00

www.anncoulter.com Is the Duke Lacrosse case so big it merits an entire article? Couldn't Ann have thrown in a snappy paragraph about the case in an article about the Iraq war?

"You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family."
-Barbra Boxer to Condi Rice (NY POST) -implying that since Sec Rice had no children she was unfit to speak on sacrifice.
Boxer is out of line here and dangerous to Democrats who want to be seen as something other that left wing Hollywood lunatics. Insulting Rice's personal life shows Boxer as classless.

"Hillary Heads to Iraq." -DRUDGE headline.
Looking for Donations? New Bagdhad Clinton Library? Maybe just a break from some pre election stress. No better place to relax than the sand.

"I think what [Mr. Bush has] decided to do is both courageous and correct," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, told reporters yesterday. "It strikes me, in listening to the critics emerging already, that the president can't win either way. Before he changed directions, he was being criticized. And now that he's changing directions, he's being criticized." -Washington Times

Yes it is tough to be criticized for a loosing approach, then when the strategy is changed to what many members of your own party consider a "blunder," only more criticism!!! I hear ya Mitch. It's really out of control.

Surge in Troops, Dip in Polls: Time for a Sit Down

2007-01-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

President Bush is playing the role of an unemployed teenager on a Friday night: time to ask for money. Now it is true, not many teenagers have to ask Congress for a loan (Bush actually might have) and generally don't ask for 20,000 troops to go along with it, but the emotional paradigm is essentially the same. Teenagers in this position,who must lobby the controller of the purse strings, are having a conversation they would rather not have in hopes of securing funds they feel a birthright to for a purpose that they feel is the difference between life and death. This is where the comparison becomes odious, as many do, in that the resources allotted for the Iraq war are the difference between life and death for many brave soldiers and Iraqis. However I feel President Bush would rather not address anyone on the war his administration must feel is "self explanatory." If he didn't feel that way he would've done so before the clamoring about his approval ratings and legacy reached a deafening tone, and certainly before the situation in Iraq became so desperate that immediate context was needed. The White House has been careful and quiet throughout the midterm transition crowning Nancy Pelosi as the chief thorn in the bloated overextended conservative ass. She and Harry Reid have sent Bush a letter responding to his proposal to increase troops in Iraq to advance security. Inasmuch as the surge would only lessen the ratio of "soldiers to thugs" from 200 to 1 to 100 to 1 the letter could've been titled "No, but seriously." As a proponent of democracy I'll be listening to the President. I only hope it's just not too little too late.

We've Democratized the Internet...for Lunatics!

2007-01-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

In an ever burgeoning world of media savy bloggers, camera phone paper's, Wikipedia, Youtube, Drudgereport, Instapundit, etc, the establishment press has felt the pressure of an oversaturated, highly competitive news market where the consumers are quickly becoming the editors. Some blogs have more daily visits than newspapers have subscribers. People are watching important events and interviews on Youtube rather than on network television. (Less commercials for Zoloft) Matt Drudge and Andrew Sullivan, bloggers on the forefront of the trend, have become internet celebrities with extremely popular webpages whose content travels back and forth from independent to institutional media sources. Drudge broke the Clinton/Lewinsky story before major news outlets wanted the liability. Sullivan is a frequent guest on television where elements of his blog are discussed in Charlie Rose's dark room. In this new age of media where the tendency to be a bit reckless and exaggerated trumps the need to be "detail oriented," and above all, exposure on any level trumps "accuracy," one should read and watch cautiously and do well to remember that www.PresidentBushisanalienwhoatemybaby.com may not have the fact checking department that CBS news does. No, wait, in the last election CBS news let the oracle Dan Rather report a made up story so I retract my last statement. They briefly considered changing their symbol from an eye to a muzzled mouth and their motto to: " No one lies on Jag!" -apparently an attempt to reconnect with the heartland. All jokes and Katie Couric aside, CBS did get crucified for the mistake and rightly so; whereas some internet news sources act without any fear of a retroactive review of their content. In fairness, most respectable bloggers bring their journalism ethics with them from other experiences. However the medium of the internet has created a genre of what I call "conspiracy journalism" i.e. journalism primarily concerned with less reported stories on secretive topics (defense,intelligence) and "exposes": facts strung together with a narrative viewpoint. Some of these individuals, Michael Moore, Alex Jones, etc have achieved national notoriety for their willingness to penetrate government facilities with megaphones spouting insane nonsense about the Bildeberg group. (What is brave about this? With cameras rolling and a crew behind them what is exactly the real danger? Do they imagine the fabled Illuminati hitmen of their lurid imaginations are going to jump out from behind a bush and attack them long enough for Alex jones to say "I told you so." - culminating in a new Fox special "When David Gergen attacks") Moore and Jones are both wealthy individuals who are cashing in on a psychological movement that gained momentum after the Kennedy assassination. Christopher Hitchens has referred to the JFK assasination as "the moment the psychic movement of the sixties started." Throughout the next two decades this movement used every assassination, intelligence leak, secret meeting, clandestine failure, display of nepotism, government miscalculation, terrorist attack, drug bust, emergence of disease, and example of dishonesty as facets in what I call : "The greatest story ever told-high." These events are strung together in attempt to connect and transform them from random meaningless occurrences, to meticulously designed precursors to a unified one world government takeover of the world. Just put this in context : (If the owner of a pizza place hires his son to work behind the counter-it's fine. If the C.I.A. director hires a family member-it's evidence of a Bavarian cult.) All the published lists of the members of Skull and Bones prove is that nepotism is alive and well at Yale. Who would've guessed. Also members of elite secret societies and mega money families rarely work at Denny's. Shocker! The fact that some groups like the Bildeberg group have secret meetings doesn't necessarily mean they are a shadow government, it means they want the opinions of their members respected. The military industrial complex is a simple give and take. Military needs industry, and on certain cases , like 9/11: industry needs the military. This relationship does require vetting as its motives need frequent examining. Democracy requires a transparency of government in these issues. Most of these contracts are public record. In the larger issue, most of everything revealed to us by Alex Jones is one google away. This information, some of it demoralizing, most of it embarrassing, and generally empirical proof of nothing more than incompetence, is out in the open for everyone to view. Jones' viewpoint, like others in his field (which is not as they would have us believe: a job) rarely diverges from the party line that world events are manipulated at the highest level by a one world government that secretly meets and worships Satan. (Satan apparently attends the Bildeberg conference disguised as a European diplomat. Ingenious!) It is a no brainer to say that the U.S. has been involved in some seedy transactions with other governments and private citizens. It is also fair to say as a matter of national security, much of what the CIA does cannot be discussed on the View. Also preferential treatment is given to companies that are run by former government officials. I don't know if this adds up to the darkly humorous tale told by Illuminati & Co, but there are certain things brought to light that need further examination. Democracy only survives on the tenacity of its citizens.: their willingness to probe and examine their government and exercise civilian control over it. However in the age of information, opinion driven journalism, and the internet, every crack pot with a vocabulary has some a forum and few deserve one.

BUSH's DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION: EVERYWHERE BUT AMERICA!

2006-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

A Rejoinder to Joe Clark

In the unintentionally hysterical title “Bush’s Democratic Revolution,” of his last offering in the paper “The Cornell American,” which itself bears a name that could be considered an oxymoron, Joe Clark, generally pragmatic and well meaning conservative draws careful comparisons between the Marxist revolutions of yesteryear, and the new found conservative enthusiasm for a foreign policy of intervention into failed Arab states with the hopes of “facilitating liberal democracy.”. (Like after 9/11 when we demanded Saudi Arabia stop funding terrorism and started treating women equally-oh wait-my mistake!.)
Clark begins the article “Critiqued from the Scowcroft-Kissinger model, our current foreign policy towards the Arab world seems a great break from the former aim of stability.” He then applauds the “new framework for engaging with despotic regimes such as Iraq, Syria, and Iran.” It is interesting that Saudi Arabia: the country that was home to the majority of hijackers that carried out 9/11, not to mention arguably the ideological “Mecca” of the Islamic extremist movement, and last but not least: financially in bed with the policy makers of the country leading the democracy project is not mentioned ONCE in the entire screed! The Saudis have clearly been omitted from the list of hostile countries based on the fact that some of its more progressive leaders wear Armani suits.
Clark notes an “alliance” between former radical leftist intellectuals like Christopher Hitchens and David Horrowitz and “Texan” conservative President Bush (?) (Only in the Ivy League would someone refuse to mention Saudi Arabia once in an article about the need for democratic change in the Arab world and then treat “Texas” as if it were its own country.) on the subject of democratizing the Arab world. Saying the reason for this alliance is “clear…though not in front of ones nose.” Although it is unclear the exact point a bra burning radical becomes a Neo Conservative-one can understand this “strange marriage,” as Clark calls it, by appreciating the “inner yearning among leftist intellectuals to change what institutions and cultures they see as oppressive and unjust.”
Yea, okay, but here’s the thing. Several countries in the Arab world have cultures that would be considered oppressive and worse. So how does one pick and choose which backwards, murderous regimes to overthrow and which to support while retaining credibility. Clark really believes that intention trumps all. In his world the U.S. can go on a wild eyed democratic conversion of the Middle East fueled only by theory while in practice destroying its own credibility with things like Abu Graib, Gitmo, and routine torture of prisoners. This is the equivalent of a cop speeding. The fact that Saddam Hussein was sitting on the world’s third largest reserve of energy was obviously a non issue because the “gathering” threat of his phantom nukes was so dangerous it dwarfed all other economic considerations. Saudi Arabia, which contributes to the culture of terrorism more than Iraq did, by any stretch of the imagination, has had little pressure in any real sense to change their ways. Arabs, like many Americans, can sense an inconsistency in the U.S. policy and therefore have trouble jumping on the bandwagon.

As a result I would like to change Clarks first sentence, which he does word beautifully, to reflect what I feel is an accurate sentiment among of governing elite. “A new framework for engaging despotic regimes (that have either strategic importance in the region for future engagements or a hell of a lot of oil) and “facilitating liberal democracy” (by torture, secrecy, and basically any undemocratic means necessary) to create a Jeffersonian democracy in the heart of a cauldron of religious totalitarianism- unless of course the despotic regime happens to be our best friend. And for producing more of the men that carried out 9/11 than any other nation, what else Saudi Arabia could deserve but than a slap on the wrist-unless of course the Saudis had cut that wrist off in a public forum-something our best friend is known to do. That old adage: show me your friends and ill show you who you are rings true even in realpolitik.

THE CIA-From WWII to Good Will Hunting

2006-12-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

I used one of my Christmas presents, a Regal gift card, which is a good gift for someone who you fear would use the physical money to purchase drugs, to see the film "The Good shepherd"; an exploration of the birth of the CIA, with Matt Damon, Robert DeNiro and a woman whose name should be Angelina Jolie-Dillon. The movie, which is long and bloated but intrinsically entertaining due to solid performances and an occasionally witty and thought provoking screenplay, tells the elaborate and secretive story of the birth of Americas intelligence community during WWII. From the OSS to the CIA, the 30's to the 50's, Stalin to Castro, Yale to Washington; the story is a tale of transition within families and governments. The need to develop an overseas intelligence agency came about shorty before our introduction into WWII. The agency, called the Office for Special Services, was comprised of hand picked "loyal and patriotic" Americans from the institutions of Americas ruling class, primarily the elite Skull and Bones society. Damons character is "tapped" for Bones while at Yale and approached about joining the O.S.S. by DeNiro's character at Deer Island, a longime Skull and Bones retreat. He impregnates Jolie and its practically forced to marry her. She is the sister of another bonesman. It's like a Mafia wedding without antipasto. In true "Godfather" style Damon is mysteriously called away at the wedding to leave for an overseas trip of indeterminate length and leaves Jolie to mind the house and raise baby bones. During this time he is introduced to the world of "intelligence, counter intelligence, disinformation" and how to utilize them. He sees an old English teacher who "knew too much" get "dealt with" and that hardens the young idealist. He is thrust into a "dirty" but essential business where no one can be trusted. Informants have to be tortured. Defectors provide disinformation. None of the female double agents are fucking you for you. All the while baby bones is having his 3rd birthday back in America, which Damon must miss. After WWII, Russia begins to get cute. They spread the ideology of communism throughout Eastern Europe without adversity and courted Cuba, the little island close enough to throw an egg at Miami-or a missile. The disastrous "bay of pigs" debacle is laboriously detailed. Kennedy promised air cover for Cuban rebels aided by the CIA, and double crossed them. The rebels were slaughtered. Castro remained in power. The Soviets were emboldened. This event is seen as the precursor to the Cuban missile crisis. In fairness to Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and demerol are definitely more enjoyable than the successful prosecution of covert military operations. I will one day write a history of Democratic party pastimes entitled "From Monroe To Lewinsky: the Declining Quality of Women Democrats Refuse to Admit Association with." The CIA is born from the OSS because an agency is needed to do in peacetime what the OSS did in wartime. Russia is grabbing land, infiltrating governments, and trying to acquire the bomb. In the imminent need to counterbalance the Soviet trend the CIA is set up with some key players from the previous agency that haven't been deemed "loyalty risks." "Loyalty risks" are apparently dealt with by the CIA the same way O.J. handles his spurts of anger-without a book deal from Judith Reagan. The CIA is literally above the law inasmuch as it doesn't have to follow any laws. It is managed with civilian oversight from Congress to prevent a consolidation of power within the old white hands of a few. Other than that, the clandestine covert nature of the organization is virtually impenetrable, and for good reason: if we had any idea what these people were doing we'd cut their funding. And Obviously national security. All the while, baby bones has fittingly lived up to his legacy as a bonesman and decided to join the CIA to please poppa bones. Mama bones is unhappy, unfulfilled, and lonely. She goes to live with her mother. Having a family pizza place is manifestly easier than having a family spy ring, however when in Rome. The family drama is played up as baby bones begins to boink an African working for the Russians. However as he explains to his father "he loves her." Two people from different backgrounds is a difficult obstacle in any relationship. I believe it is even harder to overcome the cold war. So Damon's character did what any father who wasn't supportive of the union would do: warned his son that this wasn't a good move, and then promptly had the Russians throw the girl out of a plane. Romeo and Juliet meets 007. The movie ends where it began with the showing a new class of bonesmen ready to fill the shoes of their fathers. There is a permanence to these institutions built on unwavering faith and an extreme feeling of purpose among their members. Not all Skull and bones members become CIA agents. John Kerry for example became a blowhard. President Bush, whose reportedly not at all interested in the club since becoming a member, owned a baseball team. There are few exceptions to success though. Skulls are generally successful-like Asians at math-it's just what they do. Non conformists and people who supposedly read between the lines constantly blather about a unified one world government made up of the Skull and Bones, Tri lateral commission, the Bildeberg group, the Masons, and certain sects of Mathletes, who manufacture history by designing events and the rationale for them- like when they met with God to whip up Hurricane Katrina. Pearl Harbor, the JFK assassination, and 9/11 have all come under scrutiny by the "read between the lines" crowd as monumental events that were composed by a shadow government to alter the nations course. In that analysis the Japanese imperialists and Al Qaida get off pretty easy. I find it all pretty unbelievable for two reasons: Bill Maher doesn't even believe it and I'm not on the drugs I used to be. The conspiracy crowd is short on logic, a lot of them are dirty, but the drugs are good! At the end of the day, the movie is worth seeing. The CIA is not a career for someone who wants to coach little league. Skull and bones has the resources to dress the tomb up a little: earth Tones, less ornate cold Masonic stuff, perhaps an omelet station manned by the less capable bonesmen who aren't fit for the intelligence community. I'm brimming with ideas and open to anything should anyone want to tap me. More importantly, as elite, secretive, and powerful as these institutions are; perhaps the event that most altered the course of the world was made by a carpenter whose family was to poor to afford a room at the inn. Now that's a legacy. Makes you think.

CAN'T STOP/ WON'T STOP: the bitch has balls

2006-06-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

The "lil Kim" of America's conservative movement has returned with a new book dedicated to exposing Liberalism as a state sponcored religion with abortion, gay marriage, and atheism as its tenets. She lays out a somewhat rationale argument for this thesis by citing countless (meticulously researched and endnoted I'm certain) examples of Liberals bashing Christianity and Christian values. Ann does her part to uphold the "turn the other cheek" philosophy Jesus lived by by calling the widows of the 9/11 victims who protested the war "witches and harpies" and opines that thier husbands were going to leave them anyway. She ponders how women could "enjoy their husbands deaths so much." The fact that Hillary Clinton, (who, like being a fan of the yankees and the Mets, is, depending on the audience: Christian, Jewish and Muslim) picked a fight with the Cornell firebrand who helped get her husband impeached was a great promotional tool for Ann. Ann has been around Long Island recently getting heckled in bookstores while Sean Hannity reads a question off an index card someone else wrote for him. (This is why Fox is #1) The book, full disclosure, I have not read yet. I've read 25%. The chapter where she evisorates the "jersey girls" for example illustrates Ann making a point and defeating it by being less honorable than the women she is criticizing. Ann's philosophy on discourse is that to defeat extreme liberalism, conservatives have to roll out a level of cacaphonous hatred that would make Jesse Healms pause, but they must do so intelligently. She is correct in her assertion that liberals drag out "untouochables" to make thieir points. These are people who: were injured in Iraq, lost loved ones in 9/11, or for whatever reason cannot be challenged in the public arena(except by Ann) on the merits of their argument because of their story. It's worth buying for the look on other people faces in the bookstore (I get in an argument every time!.) Plus Ann needs more money to provide security for herself. As a fan of hers, not a follower, a fan; I think she's gotten so good at drumming up excitement that she trades meaningful arguments for shouting in packed Huntington bookstores filled with crazy people. The security is tighter than the white house. However it cant be easy to, as Kim would say "blow that big." In Ann's own words, her career proves that nerve might indeed concur all: "I had no one to blame for my failure which sent me on the dreaded upward spiral of success." That is the last line of the last paragraph of her last book where she talks about her family and if you listen real close, you can hear a little girl from New Canaan Connecticut who at times, is simply astounded at her impact. The new book is out everywhere. "GODLESS: The Church of Liberalism." Another Bestseller. Give the NY Times # 1 blonde badass her due.

THE SECRETS OF 40 WALL ST

2005-09-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

In a country where image sells everything; certainly commerce and pop culture, and arguably…a war, why not a multi million dollar currency trading firm? A movie-like Wall Street funhouse where the mirrors, set between mahogany wood paneled desks that housed a staff comprised of young, wealthy, and arrogant traders who beat investors in the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway out of upwards of one hundred million dollars, would only reflect the ignorance of it’s investors and the impotence of the S.E.C., while artfully concealing the steady flow of their clients funds being poured into accounts in Austria and Budapest.
The scam, much like Enron’s mark to market accounting with Arthur Andersen: “Our profits are what we say they are,” was stunningly simple. In Evergreen International’s language, it was “Your money is where we say it is.” To the world Evergreen was a well packaged currency trading establishment with three New York offices. The office at 40 Wall St. was constantly packed wall to wall with traders pounding thousands out of the phone with every call, and then Gary Farberov, former president of First Equity (the clearing house used to launder the money) and Andre Kodouchev, the owner of both companies, would make large deposits in foreign banks. Clients would be allowed a portion of their money on occasion. As a former employee said “You give the guy a hundred grand to get the Ferrari-why f—k up a good thing.” If clients wanted to cash out their whole account, the Evergreen traders were instructed not to take no for an answer. At all costs, keep them in.
The goal of the aggressive traders that Evergreen International Spot trading and First Equity Enterprises employed was to build relationships with clients, gain their trust, and then convince them to invest their money in currency markets that were, in actuality –the private bank accounts of the Russian mob. The traders would call wealthy individuals, owners of companies etc, and pitch them 25% returns with the tenacity and bravado that comes with a $50,000 monthly check (not an uncommon payout for 8 to 10% commission, which Evergreen traders commonly received.) These guys, many from Long Island, like their sales managers Justin Fauci (who legend has it, in a moment straight out of the movie Wall St. burned $10,000) were skilled at sales and motivated by money. They didn’t ask too many questions. Those who did, didn’t last. The cash flowed like Stoli in a Moscow whorehouse, and for a while, everyone was happy.
Since Forex trading fell under the realm of unregulated foreign currency markets, Evergreen International Spot trading enjoyed the benefits of a powerless and disinterested Securities and Exchange Commission throughout the tech boom of the late 90’s, enabling them to pillage $110 million U.S. (In all, prosecutors said, more than 1,400 Evergreen clients in more than a dozen countries — many from Australia and New Zealand — were cheated of $110 million from 1998 to September 2001.)
The firm’s clients, over 1400 worldwide, but mostly from Australia and New Zealand, lost millions they thought were secure in accounts. “Reputable” banks like the First Bank of Australia and Chase Manhattan were in on the action for a while. (Curiously, much like when they invested 50 million into a partnership with Enron called LJM that Enron C.F.O. Andy Fastow made up; you can count on Chase Manhattan to do no homework ever.) Evergreen International and First Equity Enterprises (the supposed clearing house) were indeed the worlds’ most successful “boiler room.” The characters are begging for a major motion picture: politically connected Russians (owner Andre Koudachev was a consultant to the governor of Moscow), a team of ruthless traders, and the beautiful but venomous female executive- who, herself, tried to make off with 90 million.( And They say women aren’t equal in the workplace!)
Polina Sirotina, who was an financial officer at the now infamous Evergreen International spot trading and it’s metaphorical clearing house “First Equity Enterprises” (that actually served as the chop shop for the wildly successful forex trading/money laundering operation): glanced in the mirrors more than once to admire a $100,000 necklace or fur coat purchased unwittingly for her by the Australian investor class.
In January of Evergreen’s final year, a New York private investigator, Gus Papay, made a formal complaint to the SEC about the regulator's failure to look into allegations he made in 1999 about the activities of Evergreen and First Equity. .Mr Papay was hired in 1999 by a Canadian client to look into the two companies. His client was already an investor and was being pressed to add more funds to his Evergreen account. Mr Papay visited the Evergreen premises, became suspicious and advised his client to withdraw his money. Mr Papay also contacted the SEC at the time to raise concerns about the two companies. He says he was told by an SEC lawyer there was nothing it could do because the forex industry was unlicensed. So after a long successful run, the cracks in evergreen’s foundation began to show. The two Canadian investigators were sure something wasn’t quite right. The tactics employed by brokers at the instance a client wanted to clear an account were a tip off.
The most interesting thing about Evergreen International wasn’t the scam. Getting New Zealanders to invest in phony currencies is about as impressive as saying that Bill Clinton hit on you. Both events are rather common. What intrigues me about Evergreen is how easy it was to fly under the radar for so long, without the status or political connections of a company like Enron. Evergreen relied solely on presentation to sell itself. The mixture of well polished operation and an unregulated product set in motion what can be called the most successful boiler room in history. I’m sick and tired of debating the ethics of corporate governance every time a company is successful in defrauding its investors. The American left will say that capitalism is to blame: “we need more regulation.” (Fun Fact-Tyco, WorldCom, Global crossing: all regulated companies!). The American right will say it’s a Godless society that spawns a materialism so virulent it masks right and wrong. I say shame on everyone. Shame on the traders (those who even knew what was going on-in a company like Evergreen-you were on a need to know,) shame on the investors for being foolish, and shame on the masterminds for using our country and our laws against us. Shame on the S.E.C. for lying down. But most of all, for this ardent capitalist, shame on a public that only asks questions after the fact, and lets a well presented hoax become reality-whether in the case of a war, an election, or a currency trading firm.

The two companies and their owner, Andrei Koudachev, and the president of First Equity, Gary Farberov, were indicted by the US attorney's office after the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York. First Equity had offices in the twin towers, and when investors tried to get their money back after September 11 they found the principals and the money had disappeared.

The lucrative, and unnoticed jig-was up. Thus began the list of indictments:

Mr. Gary Farberov, the former president of First Equity, which represented itself as a clearing house for Evergreen, but was allegedly a shop front for money laundering by siphoning investors' funds to secret bank accounts in Hungary and Austria changed his previous not guilty plea to guilty.

Defendant: Forex International Ltd. charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud. Status: Unknown

Defendant Andrei Borisovich Koudachev charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud.
Status: Fugitive

Defendant Gary Farberov charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud. Status: Unknown

Defendant Evergreen International Spot Trading, Inc. charged with: 18:371, and 3551 et seq. - did knowingly and intentionally conspire to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud. Status: Unknown

Defendant Sergei Habarov charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Fugitive

Defendant Polina Sirotina charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.

Defendant Justin Fauci charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.

Defendant Mamed Mekhtiev charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud)
Status: Released - Fugitive

Defendant Peter Papaemmanuel charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.

Defendant Albert Guglielmo charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released.

Defendant Philip Levenson charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. Status: Released.

Defendant Brian Pasqualini charged with: 18:371 and 3551 et seq- CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE UNITED STATES (Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud) Status: Released

The Trouble with Service

2005-08-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

CUSTOMER SERVICE: We’re sorry that’s not an option, Please Return to main menu

WHAT SERVICE SECTOR?

Since we came pretty close to designating the art of making a whopper a manufacturing job last year, we can pretty much conclude that sector of the economy has got as much life left in it as Ted Kennedy’s liver. It is, in the parlance of economists, the technology and service sectors of our economy that will lead in the bringing about the new era of global prosperity. Great- the Tech market is about as stable as the Gaza strip, and what exactly is meant by service. Well, I sincerely hope no ones talking about customer service. I hope we’re talking about some sort of acronym or metaphor. Service is a very general term and could mean anything from time spent in the military of ones country or an act performed on the President of ones country by a plump woman who sells handbags on the internet. Customer service, the topic we’re dealing with today-because technology requires research and further examination of Bill Clinton’s taste in women requires lawyers-is in sharp decline. In a Chicago Sun Times article entitled “Customer Service, sorry not my job,” Ted Pincus says “To some of us consumers rudeness and curtness have become accepted norms of behavior and we’re almost immunized to irritants,” -certain irritants. Pincus recalls the story of a friend who asked for help in a drug store and the clerk responded by saying “Sorry but this is a self service store.” What happened to the rules of the marketplace? Today we’ll conclude that customer service inexplicably sucks, try to understand why, and see what, if anything can be done about this.
In today’s market, if you’re lucky you’ll be ignored or insulted. If your luck runs out you’ll be betrayed, or robbed. So do your duty and consume. What happened to the customer always being right? From the morons who run the local burger joint to the tycoons of Enron. Everyone’s either inept or a snake or just really rude and ugly. One of the most interesting definitions of customer service can be found on Newsday’s editorial page, May 5, 2004, described by Edward Champion: “Customer service. The very term implies a soft-spoken, clean-cut Babbitt man from the Eisenhower era, a teetotaler who votes Republican but never discusses politics, a necktie who calls you "sir" or "ma'am" and exudes an ineluctable folksy charisma, a guy who spends his Thursday evenings at the bingo parlor and who will pomade his hair well into his autumn years. A man prepared to listen to the customer's needs, who might have attended a Dale Carnegie course, maybe donning a daring fashion accouterment like a purple polka-dot bowtie. Chances are his name is Harold or Orville.” A dated, though comforting image, hard to square with some of the characters I’m sure you’ve encountered in the jungle. Champion concludes, in obvious agreement with me, that the fabled idea that the customer is always right went the way of the polka dot bow tie.” He says “But after spending a half hour dealing with outsourced customer service from a faraway nation the other day, I'm convinced that today's definition of customer service involves nothing less than bad dialogue and circle jerks.” I don’t know what the hell he was trying to buy. In any event, my beef isn’t so much the outsourcing. Globalizations important or something and those Indian chicks with the British accents are hot. Pat Buchanan, get over it. My problem is that the unspoken code that used to govern customer relations has been replaced by the happenstance corroded values people apply to their own lives. On Customer Relationship Management Dot com, a survey in an article written by Joshua Weinberger in June 14, 2004 issue, finds 63% of consumers feel customer service has gotten no better over the past five to ten years.
A plethora of studies show a good amount of the fury, frustration, and blind maniacal rage garnered towards consumer relations begins with a phone call. Everyone has horror stories about voicemail systems that loop with the same stupid message “Your call is important to us, please continue to hold” or “all our customer care representatives-meaning anyone who graduated with a philosophy degree- are busy helping other customers.” All those representatives are busy helping customers? No one’s having a cigarette? Lunch? A little office quickie, perhaps? If my call was so important to you, you wouldn’t put me in the position of having to listen to a Michael Bolton song on repeat. Ironically when someone does answer the phone, hold doesn’t seem so bad. If you’ve ever called your local Fridays-or generic Friday’s imitator: basically any restaurant with cheap crap on the walls, and a staff that wears pins and takes pills. We’ve all had that overly friendly waiter or waitress who’s just a little too happy for someone who spent all day singing Happy Birthday to a bunch of stoned teenagers who just lied to get the free sundae. I’m not knocking the restaurant industry for obvious reasons, and certainly not planning to start with the one that put whiskey in barbeque sauce, cause that’s up there with the wheel; but the girls-and it’s mostly girls-who pick up the phone at these joints start shouting promotions at you for at least a half a minute before they breathe. “Hi, thank you for calling the Huntington Fridays, where in here it’s always Friday, and your welcome to try any of our new appetizers, half price, with the purchase of an entrée and a frozen drink-like our new Mega Malibu Mudslide or Poolside Peach Passion. By any two entrees-full price-and get a dollar off desert, By any three entrees full price- and get a dollar added to desert-If you’re Christie Alley: your are legally prohibited from eating desert ever again. This is Alexis, how may I help you?”
It reminds me of the long voice trail off at the end of any drug ads-which is every other ad on TV- “may cause nausea, vomiting, fever, hair loss, and SARS.” But “Ask your doctor about Sycho-symaticcodone”- the only medication proven to aid in patients trying to rationalize taking medication for no reason whatsoever. I’m with Bill Maher, who on his HBO Real Time Comedy special said “You shouldn’t be asking your doctor for all different kinds of medicine, it’s not a deli.” The urge to buy and sell; the thrill of a pulsating and open market; the dream of getting something for nothing, are all tenets of our universal religion: capitalism. These instincts, as natural as the complications that accompany them, are part of the American experience-like it or not; but why have they become a tireless and hazardous chore. Now that we’ve concluded that customer service
Perhaps one of the reasons that customer relations have turned into a roman coliseum is that, customer service, as a profession is. Well is it a profession? A professional is someone accomplished in a certain field, but customer relations are an unavoidable aspect of every business enterprise to a different degree. Depending on who you talk to, the service industry includes: real estate agents, bankers, brokers, waiters, insurance salesman, health professionals, firefighters and police. To some the concept of customer service is reserved for the obligatory department bearing that name in every large company. This is the department that may employ the people whom you go to for the ceremonial returning of a bad wedding gift at Macy's, or they may handle your application for car insurance at Geico. This is the department tasked with handling you and the problem that they'll assure you only exists in your head. They will handle your complaints by thoroughly and efficiently ignoring them. Geico is partially owned by the mammoth Berkshire Hathaway Inc, the brainchild of the world’s second riches man: Warren Buffet. However the customer service center seems to be missing the go get em attitude that built Berkshire Hathaway. They do have an established reputation and a dancing lizard on T.V. every five minutes. You’re not going beat these people. You’re going hold to save that 15%. In the big Department stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond, Ikea, or Home Depot returning merchandise can be a test on ones collective will and sanity. Another thing, if I return something under $25 dollars, is it really necessary we go through the formality of store credit. If I wanted another sweater from this store I'd buy it myself. I shouldn't be forced to. I might want to use that money for health insurance, cocaine, or a college education.
The brainless drones executing these orders repeatedly and with less personality than your average navigation system make you long for the days of mom and pop stores when people knew you by name and your order before you said it. There is no major for customer service or consumer relations. But there are majors that can guarantee you a job in this field. Now at the risk of offending anyone and everyone: if you’ve majored in a language that hasn’t been spoken and a hundred years: you’re going to work in retail. If you’ve majored in Plato’s day dreams, or Tea leaves, or Ancient myths involving frogs, welcome to telecommunications. I’m not trying to shatter anyone’s dreams here, but marketability is just as important as education, and one of the problems with customer service today is that it is filled with people who’d rather be doing other things: like for example not helping you.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE "REALIST"

2004-11-30T21:19:00.002-08:00

President Bush's immigration plan (amnesty-lite) looks like a Trojan horse; this horse is filled with illegal immigrants, some of whom may not be here for the American Dream. (Some may be here because Allah told them to go to Mexico) If a "tactical nuclear weapon were to go off in one of our cities" (that was the line Cheney used in the debate that made people looked at John Edwards and say "He should have took the Peterson case") was smuggled in over the border- all this jive about "where there's a willing worker and a willing employee" won't quite do. Don't get me wrong it's a nice phrase, but there are people in the U.S. without jobs, like the Hilton sisters. Someone should find them something productive to do. Don't forget Al Gore. (Actually History just called me and gave me the green light to forget Al Gore!) Elected Republicans and Democrats have become such a homogenized breed of bureaucrat, especially on spending and immigration. Ironically the pundit class has become more and more divisive causing people to believe that Republicans and Democrats in Washington are intrinsically different. If only that were true. The deal with the devil was when both parties decided the Spanish vote was a matter of their political future and superseded ours. So for all intents and purposes Vicente Fox could be the secretary of Labor: El Secratario de Trabajo. The Republicans get the guff now because they're in power, but John Kerry wasn't closing the borders or militarizing them either because putting the military on the border might...discourage illegal aliens from crossing it! Well isn't that what were trying to do! No silly we're trying to get the Spanish vote to solidify a long term majority in office. Well, okay but shouldn't the long term survival of the country be a concern too.
The Ukraine looks like Palm Beach 4 years ago except manifestly not as fun. You really admire what a mature and strong country we are to look back and realize that during that period we met adversity with Saturday Night Live skits-some of their best material ever-and generally conducted ourselves well. No one had thoughts of fleeing to Belarus. A century of communism is rough on anybody and illustrates why the Ukraine is handling the situation the way they are. Some suspect Putin, the Russian President, to have had a hand in election malfeasance favoring the Russian backed candidate to win. Putin has recently raised some eyebrows by responding to the brutality of Beslan by severely limiting (some would say abolishing) democracy in that country. Whose word can you trust if not a former KGB agent?
Theo Van Gogh, a revolutionary filmmaker in Holland (the land of weed, booze, and hookers-similar to the Clinton library) was murdered by a Muslim extremist a couple weeks ago. Since then Holland is considering reforming their immigration policy and their welfare policy. I would also change the country motto: "Come for the dope, Stay for the welfare." Islamic extremists are running rampant through Europe, which won't have any Europeans in it soon because children are so "last generation." Europeans, who just want a quiet cafe to smoke a cigarette(my 1 single area of agreement with them) aren't in for Islamic fundamentalism-mainly because the "burka" isn't a versatile garment. How would one smoke a cigarette? Of course this doesn't mean Europe will ever make the connection between terrorism and appeasing terrorists.
Even in our great country, when Republicans are in office, we're going to have an immigration policy that looks, smells, and feels like amnesty. No one wants to play the game of the honest, realistic patriot who spoils the party. Well, if a "TNW' explodes in one of our cities. Their will be hell to pay and history to answer to and no excuses. Maybe then I'll check out Belarus.

2004-11-30T21:19:00.000-08:00

President Bush's new immigration plan

TO SOME IT WILL ALWAYS BE A MYSTERY

2004-11-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

The mainstream media is now apparently taking show suggestions from anyone with a computer. I almost choke on whatever I'm eating when I hear some network anchors: (Matthews, the other guy on MSNBC who used to play baseball or something-McEnroe!-no, no that's not him-same ratings tho, similar show style....Olberman! "Countdown"(to one viewer.) The lunacy coming out of the blogosphere (where I am one of the only sane ones) has been finding its way onto the airwaves everywhere from ABC to NBC to Fox to CNN (who still thinks the election is too close to call!) This is the electronic vote stealing theory where Karl Rove, the embodiment of all things evil, hacked the system and had the contest rigged in Ohio and everywhere else they used electronic voting machines unless Kerry won-those machines are fine. We here at this blog are not going to actively disprove this theory because its been done for us by John Kerry's lawyers and because Bush won the popular vote by over 3 million votes and I (unlike the producers of network new shows) believe that "news" shouldn't come from {w w w. Bush put a chip in my brain. c o m } This a product of the rubber room left frothing at the mouth at Bush's victory consoling themselves with elaborate lies. Air America and the internet-two institutions with minimal fact checking-have been the primary springboard for the latest black helicopter. But lets give all the credit to those crazy bloggers: No one listens to Air America. Has anyone noticed liberals never loose elections anymore, they're always stolen from them. This is like an eight year old kid who lost a basketball game screaming that the game wasn't fair, or he only lost because he was tired. We've all done things like this but there's a time to grow up. So as not to face the fact that the American people didn't elect them, the far left has created a world in which they're ideas never loose. Better yet they never even have a chance to win! Since the game is rigged the left is always the hapless victim of history and entirely immune from criticism or self examination. Similar to many of their constituents the democrats are living their motto "Blame Someone Else!" No one just plain fails in life anymore, politically or personally; it is always the fault of rich white men huddled in a smoke filled room somewhere pulling the strings and stacking the odds against us. We are all victims living in the wealthiest country on earth where the poorest among us are fat, drive cars, collect government checks, and finance pricey drug and alcohol addictions. It is in many ways more profitable to be poor than some evil rich person paying confiscatory taxes. By the way that evil top 1 percent is the reason why the poor can live like kings compared to the way they do in any other nation. We are off topic but not really. This is the thesis of all the conspirators: the game is fixed so don't play, and if you do and fail to accomplish things-it will never be your fault. It is the fault of an immoral society. The injustice is all around just waiting to be claimed and warn as a mark of pride by those who delight in excusing themselves from any real self examination. Slavery is the reason the African American out of wedlock birthrate is 70%. The poor are a result of corporations-try to make sense out of that one! And of course Halliburton is pillaging the earth, the Carlyle group is running the world. Dick Cheney is a reptile. John Kerry didn't loose because he was a horrible candidate silly, he lost because Karl Rove and the Masons hacked into the computers. Americans are just crazy about 12 yr olds having abortions without parental consent just like the Democrats are. They only voted for Bush because they hate gay people! It was Jim Bob from the trailer park that propelled Bush to victory-or Karl Roves army of cyber fascists-or the New World Order. It can't be that a party of rotten ideas and unelectable candidates tends to loose elections. As the networks beat this dead horse because reporting on things like say...the war are dangerous and difficult, remember that history isn't a series of planned events to which we all witless reactionaries. It is our story... Like it or not.

IT'S NOT AN INSURGENCE

2004-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

Our troops have begun to dismantle what has wrongly been called an "insurgency" in the terrorist stronghold of Fallujah-as Christopher Hitchens notes-what would you call the Iraqis fighting for freedom in their country's military or national guard-counter insurgents? The term insurgency is fallacious, especially because estimates of the "resistance" (also a romantic term that's slightly misleading like "insurgent" because it evokes the perception of noble independence movements- like our own-that sought to establish freedom and banish tyranny; the antithesis of Iraq's "insurgence" which only seeks to defeat America and impose Iranian style theocracy on that country) are about 25,000 in a country of 29 million. This is not a popular uprising as incompetent members of the press have lead us to believe.
There are large parts of the country that are pacified, stable, operating and not to mention completely capable of holding January elections. This is not to discount the importance of success in Fallujah, Samarra, Ramadi-the terrorist bases, nor should it be a rousing endorsement of our post war plan which has had some rather brutal unintended and unnecessary consequences. The larger truth that has sadly been mangled in partisan campaign bickering is that America has the chief role to play in defeating terrorism. Not the only role, but inarguably the leading one. It is our generations calling to do for our grandchildren what other generations have done for us: defeat the great evils our time. Islamic religious fanaticism is the disease spreading through the middle east. It is, like communism, fascism, and terrorism-an ideology bent on world domination. It isn't-as liberal loonies have told us-the way they do things over there, better not to interfere. Well okay for the heartless, but not interfering has created the culture of terrorism. It is not, as liberals believe, the result of too much American intervention. That is the subject of Pat Buchanans' new book who is certainly no liberal but just as wrong about some things. He believes that had the U.S. not entered WWII the communists and the fascists would have killed each other off: no cold war, no Korea, no Vietnam. It's a nice theory but what if someone won WWII. Then I guess it would be time for the uh-ohs. I guess its easier to write a book about what we should have done in WWII 50 yrs after we've done it. It is equally as easy to criticize Bush for invading Iraq to find WMD's that weren't there after the Kay report, but not before. We need forward thinking and historical context. The animals beheading Americans in Iraq aren't the minutemen. The Iraq war isn't a crusade. America didn't create the problems in the Middle East because we buy oil from Saudi Arabia. The "insurgents" aren't insurgents. They are terrorists. It's not an "uprising" it's terrorism. It's not religion, it's fascism. We need to call things by their rightful names because otherwise people get confused.

A GREAT WAY TO SEE OUR DIVIDED COUNTRY

2004-11-08T18:35:00.001-08:00

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/

MAUREEN DOWD LOOSES HER MIND "We're entering a Dark Age."

2004-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

"W.'s presidency rushes backward, stifling possibilities, stirring intolerance, confusing church with state, blowing off the world, replacing science with religion, and facts with faith. We're entering another dark age, more creationist than cutting edge, more premodern than postmodern. Instead of leading America to an exciting new reality, the Bushies cocoon in a scary, paranoid, regressive reality. Their new health care plan will probably be a return to leeches.
America has always had strains of isolationism, nativism, chauvinism, puritanism and religious fanaticism. But most of our leaders, even our devout presidents, have tried to keep these impulses under control. Not this crew. They don't call to our better angels; they summon our nasty devils." for more of Ms. Dowds hate click http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/07/opinion/07dowd.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fMaureen%20Dowd

And Now a Word for President Bush

2004-11-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

I'm glad it's over. I'm glad Bush won. I'm glad the republicans held a majority in the house and senate. Now I'm worried about Iraq. This administrations inability to prosecute the Iraq war successfully(not enough troops, Abu Graib, Fallujah, etc) has strained even this wars most ardent supporters. (like myself) This President got my vote, and now he has my criticism. The public relations effort to sell this war around the world was non existent. Maybe we felt we didn't need one; like the troops we didn't need to secure Iraqs borders. Al Qaeda has one: we don't. Every instance Al Jazeera broadcasts footage of carnage from Iraq-our soldiers become targets. The fact that we have no communication strategy for this war has enabled the terrorists to write the script which includes "Zionists, oil, BUSHDEVIL, crusaders, etc." They have been able to manipulate the perception of our war effort, put our soldiers in extreme danger and now have branded them "the jews" according to NY Times columnist Tom Friedman, and damage our credibility with the Arab public. We have the strongest military in the world but the jihadists are winning the war of propaganda and perception, invariably dooming our mission to democratize the Middle East to failure. Our military blunders are another matter, and probably not as fatal. In a world where perception is reality: the Iraqis are starting to think we're the devil, and we haven't convinced them otherwise and that is the big challenge. Now that the administration has rightly been allowed to finish what they started. It's time to wake up and smell the failures- and then do something about them.

BUSH ENDORSEMENT

2004-11-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

This blog and its editor endorses President George W. Bush. Good Luck and God Bless America.

MY EXCHANGE WITH OSAMA

2004-10-31T17:57:00.000-08:00

This is a mock conversation I have with the O.B.L. using direct quotes from his new video released on Arab television/terrorist network Al Jazeera. Some of these sound familiar. Michael Moore talking points for example. (When a mass murderer starts quoting you-is that good?)

OSAMA: To the American people, my talk to you is about the best way to avoid another Manhattan, about the war, its reasons and its consequences .. I tell you: Security is an important element of human life, and free people do not give up their security. Unlike what Bush says that we hate freedom, let him tell us why didn't we attack Sweden, for example?

TIM: Let me stop you there. I will let you finish but it's pretty clear to anyone over 10 yrs old why you chose the United States to attack instead of Sweden and that was your mistake. I guarantee you. Sweden-that was a good one.

OSAMA: It is known that those who hate freedom do not have dignified souls, like those of the 19 blessed ones. We fought you because we are free ... and want to regain freedom for our nation.

TIM: Define "we." The women of Afghanistan weren't free until they kicked your sorry ass out. Is it dignified to treat women as cattle? They were dying under the Taliban because they couldn't see a male doctor and women weren't allowed to be doctors-now they can vote. That must irk you.

OSAMA: We did not find it difficult to deal with Bush and his administration, because it is similar to regimes in our countries, half of which are ruled by the military and the other half are ruled by the sons of kings and presidents. We have a long experience with them. Both types include many who are full of arrogance and greed.
This resemblance became clear in the Bush the father's visits to the region. ... He wound up being impressed by the royal and military regimes and envied them for staying decades in their positions and embezzling the nation's money with no supervision.

TIM: What about the sons of oil millionaires? As I recall your family was one of the first four to start pumping billions out of Saudi Arabia before you of course were kicked out of the country. Yes young Osama was a very privileged man, economics degree and all. I find it funny that you prattle on about military regimes who embezzle money with no supervision and then suggest that Prez. Bush's father was fond of them. Thanks to George H.W. Bush Saddam Hussein wasn't able to extend his lawlessness to Kuwait and its oil. Thanks to George W. Bush, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein's regime, both operating with little supervision and against the interests of its people, have been destroyed. Two free nations are emerging. By the way were you behind the anthrax or is that home grown loonies?

OSAMA: He passed on tyranny and oppression to his son, and they called it the Patriot Act, under the pretext of fighting terror. Bush the father did well in placing his sons as governors and did not forget to pass on the expertise in fraud from the leaders of the (Mideast) region to Florida to use it in critical moments.

TIM: So where ever you are your getting the New York Times. That should be the a new Kerry slogan "Bin Laden's against the Patriot Act too!" What act did the Taliban sign before they decided to punish women violently for not wearing burkas? And your observation about the 2000 election. I had no idea you were so concerned with democracy. I would think you would be pleased with the changes in the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan. How exactly is Al Qaeda run. Elections? Campaigns? Checks and Balances?

OSAMA: It never occurred to us that the commander in chief of the American armed forces would leave 50,000 of his citizens in the two towers to face these horrors alone.
It appeared to him (Bush) that a little girl's talk about her goat and its butting was more important than the planes and their butting of the skyscrapers. That gave us three times the required time to carry out the operations, thank God.

TIM: Well many things didn't occur to you-starting with your ass whooping in Afghanistan followed by the elections in that country. In our country our leaders read to small children in schools or-things you could have spent your millions building in Afghanistan in lieu of terrorist training camps. Our leaders do such things instead of say... raping women and killing them. Sometimes the story is about a goat. Your primary method of travel is a goat. President Bush was waiting while the secured his plane. Who's the fool? By the way the Michael Moore talking points aren't too impressive coming from a supposed "terrorist mastermind."Your no Hitler! But you are enemy # 1 and will be found. I assure you and apologize for the wait.

OSAMA: Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush or al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands. Any state that does not mess with our security has naturally guaranteed its own security.

TIM: Well don't you wish. In fact we plan to mess with your security big time. You are a vile human being whose death network is crumbling. There is no peace deal. You are responsible for the deaths of 3,000 fellow countrymen. Anything you had to say was said then. Your laughable attempt at humanizing yourself is repulsive. See ya soon.

NEW BIN LADEN TAPE SAYS BUSH IS CORRUPT, DEMOCRATS AGREE

2004-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Osama is Back with Democratic National Committee talking points like "Bush misled the country." Tomorrow I will post my election wrap up focusing on this point. To check out the Bin Laden video you can go to www.drudgereport.com or www.newsmax.com

IT'S REAL-C.I.A. and F.B.I. AUTHENTICATE TAPE

2004-10-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

The drudge report is reporting that ABC news has withheld 15 minutes of the terror tape they obtained from the C.I.A. (I was just wondering by the way-Who the f*** does ABC news think it is?) The withheld parts contain warnings about Bush and Cheney and presumably what will happen if we don't elect them. ABC news has decided not to air the tape before the election. ABC investigative reporter Brian Ross said in the Wasington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) that ABC wasn't ready to air something that's "quite frightening." This from a network that airs "The View." ABC isn't airing the video because they fear it could help Bush and Cheney get reelected. We already have ABC news political director Mark Halperin saying Kerry's distortions aren't "central to his efforts to win." The flipside being Bush distorts because he has to, Kerry does it because it's popular. Biased? Yes, quite cleary. The American people have a right to know that the terrorists are employing a technique on the U.S. that has been used effectively in other countries: trying to influence out election cycle. There is a war going on. Why won't ABC let the public in on it?

"THE STREETS WILL RUN WITH BLOOD" NEW AL QAEDA THREAT IN U.S.

2004-10-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is a report filed by Matt Drudge. The C.I.A. has been unable to authenticate the tape. A disturbing reminder that, as Christopher Hitchens said: "We can talk about bring our boys home but their boys are here!"

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX WED OCT 27, 2004 12:42:01 ET XXXXX ABCNEWS HOLDS TERROR WARNING TAPE**Exclusive**In the last week before the election, ABCNEWS is holding a videotaped message from a purported al Qaeda terrorist warning of a new attack on America, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned. The terrorist claims on tape the next attack will dwarf 9/11. "The streets will run with blood," and "America will mourn in silence" because they will be unable to count the number of the dead. Further claims: America has brought this on itself for electing George Bush who has made war on Islam by destroying the Taliban and making war on Al Qaeda. ABCNEWS strongly denies holding the tape back from broadcast over political concerns during the last days of the election.The CIA is analyzing the tape, a top federal source tells the DRUDGE REPORT.ABCNEWS obtained the tape from a source in Waziristan, Pakistan over the weekend, sources tells DRUDGE. "We have been working 24 hours a day trying to authenticate [the tape]," a senior ABCNEWS source said Wednesday morning, dismissing a claim that ABC was planning to air portions of the video during Monday's WORLD NEWS TONIGHT.The terrorist's face is concealed by a headdress, and he speaks in an American accent, making it difficult to identify the individual. US intelligence officials believe the man on tape may be Adam Gadhan - aka Adam Pearlman, a California native who was highlighted by the FBI in May as an individual most likely to be involved in or have knowledge of the next al Qaeda attacks.According to the FBI, Gadahn, 25, attended al-Qaida training camps and served as an al-Qaida translator.The disturbing tape runs an hour -- the man simply identifies himself as 'Assam the American.'

What do I stand for? I'll get back to you-Have you heard my accent!

2004-10-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

"Well, you know, I don't know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good. But I don't know that she's ever had a real job I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things. And I'm older, and my validation of what I do and what I believe and my experience is a little bit bigger because I'm older, and I've had different experiences. And it's not a criticism of her. It's just, you know, what life is about." -Teresa Heinz Kerry to a reporter after being asked how she would be different from Laura Bush.
HMMMMMM. Andrew Sullivan(www.andrewsullivan.com) has this one right when he proclaimed "Shut Her Up!"
To me this provides an insight into Teresa's psyche. Being a mother, teacher, and librarian(as the fist lady has) constitutes not having a "real job." Teresa issued an apology(probably written for her) saying how important teaching was, blah blah blah, how sorry she was that she forgot Laura worked,blah blah blah, and how important being a mother is, blah. No one believes the apology is sincere. Laura Bush said one wasn't necessary. Note to Teresa: Thats class. Class isn't just about how large of an estate someone controls-it's about being above the crap tossed around in a presidential campaign. Apparently a "real job" and "experience" is only acquired if you A.) marry a billionaire B.) after he dies, decide how his money is to be spent, including philanthropic causes like your current husbands presidential campaign! By the way all you stay at home moms-or as Teresa would call you "fat lazy baby machines"-you must leave your kids behind and immediately marry a billionaire just to say you have a "real job."
This is like when John Edwards told a group of people in a town hall meeting when asked where he could defeat the president: "Talking like this-the South." HMMMM. That I guess would be the first "Vote for Me because I Talk Like You," platform. This shows the contempt that some elite politicians have for regular people. John Edwards thinks he can fake out the South-"I don't believe what you believe-but I talk like you!" Abortion for 12 yr olds-Sure-but have you heard my accent! Medical Liability Reform-no chance-but my dad worked in a mill! It's part of the strategy that regular people are too dumb to get policy- so just smile at em. The South is vehemently opposed to everything Edwards supports: Abortion, higher taxes, more sex ed in schools,the right to sue for no reason whatsoever, and abolishing God from the public square. However Edwards has got a plan for that too-"Look at my beautiful children!" Edwards wife has recently accused the Cheney's of being ashamed of their daughter. To which I would respond-We love Mary Cheney and her lesbianism, the better question Mrs. Edwards is: Why aren't you ashamed of your husband? In fact Mary Cheney is one of the many people I would vote for over John Edwards. Other names from the list include-Kim Jong Ill, Yasser Arafat, Paul Krugman, etc. In fact there are very few people I would not vote for over John Edwards/John Kerry ticket. They include the Osama Bin Laden/Saddam Hussein ticket-that's pretty much it!

The shameless pandering and patronizing the Dems do down South is part of the bait and switch method. John Kerry opposed everything Reagan did and didn't support the 1st Gulf War-but he served in Vietnam God Dammit! Oh okay, we're sorry-didn't realize that. Parade the families of the candidates around and pretend the Democrats haven't lead the abortion charge. Talk about your father who worked in a mill, then don't explain why you constantly choose the needs of wealthy trial lawyers over poor Americans without health insurance. Talk about "faith" then ban God in public, unless it's Allah. (See the NY city public school system) Talk about the rights of states to deal with gay marriage differently(which I agree with) but only to disguise the fact that you don't support states rights when it comes to education, abortion, or gun control. And if your not exactly on the ticket, just married to someone who is, you can always insult mothers and teachers-then claim to have forgotten the fact that mothering and teaching are jobs in a fake "apology." Even tho you may hate what we stand for-Did you know I grew up in Africa?

Do You want to be a Muslim?

2004-10-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

I think examining our failures is necessary, so long as we also focus on the progress we have made and the victories that we have won over slavery, totalitarianism, fascism, communism, and now terrorism. Reveling in the mistakes our ancestors may have made seems to be counter productive in its very nature. If I didn’t loath conspiracy theorists I might suggest that the obsession with our past mistakes is designed to distract attention from our present problem which is largely shaping up to be the fact that a good many lunatics want us dead. The pro longed discussion of any other topic seems infantile and petty when weighed against the consequences of loosing clarity in this new world where boeing planes are missiles. What has been made absolutely clear on 9/11 and in the days after was that terrorists were playing for keeps. Their goal was and remains to this day the absolute destruction of the western world. I think the problem with this goal is that somehow people can’t grasp it. That, in a way, says a good thing about our culture. We cannot comprehend why people would be that evil. We can’t wrap our heads around the idea that people slaughtered innocent civilians to meet virgins in Heaven. We couldn’t understand the intense hatred that would justify such a belief. It is an inhuman thought process that reaches such a conclusion and a completely disturbing rationale for what happened that day. Unfortunately our inability to conceive of this motive effectively sends us on our way searching for another. This is when the “Why do they hate us,” crowd begins to preach about Muslim fundamentalists having specific grievances about U.S. Mid East policy: They don’t like our support of Israel. They don’t like our troop presence in Saudi Arabia. They don’t like any American intervention in the Middle East of any kind. They seek, as characterized by President Bush, “America’s retreat from the world.” Well lets take a look at the specific grievances anyway just to make sure there not reasonable.
Osama’s biggest pet peeve is the American troop presence in Saudi Arabia, which is part and parcel of his abhorrence for the U.S. Saudi relationship. Osama, in his usual charming fashion, called for jihad to “expel the infidels from the holy land.” His belief that infidels, or his affectionate name for non fundamentalist Muslims, must not be permitted in the land of Mecca and Medina-Islam’s two holist sites- isn’t because he doesn’t like our tax policy. It’s because he believes the western world is the source of all evil in the world, and its association with the House of Saud, further illustrates its intention to corrupt Islamic regimes throughout the world. Well, what exactly is America corrupting in Saudi Arabia? Are we stealing the oil? Not by the looks of the Saudi palaces. It looks as if some members of Saudi society have been well compensated by America’s thirst for petroleum. Unfortunately the benefits have only been financial, and unevenly distributed. A great many Saudi’s live in poverty while a decadent class of royalty builds palaces. The impoverished public has become radicalized against America due to state sponsored religious education that blames the West for everything that doesn’t get blamed on Jews. Not surprisingly, the oppressed and angry Saudi Arabians, desperate to blame someone for their lot in life, find the West to be a fitting culprit. It’s the “Great Satan’s” fault. We have a troop presence in Japan and Germany, and have for years. Yet radical Japanese and German groups haven’t demanded we be expelled. This is an important distinction because it gets to the heart of whether there is anything specific American troops are doing in Saudi Arabia that bothers Bin Laden, or is it simply the fact that they are there. This can be seen in the larger context of “Do they hate us for who we are or because we are.” I’m afraid countless evidence points to the latter. Justification for Bin Ladens ‘objection to a U.S. troop presence in Saudi Arabia can only be offered by those who agree with his characterization of the U.S. as a whole. If the U.S. is indeed the source of the entire world’s evil, as the title “Great Satan” would suggest, than a troop presence would be a troublesome indication of ill intentioned political maneuvering. However to those infidels like me, who see Osama for what he is-Hitler with a turban; the opposition to the U.S. troop presence in Saudi Arabia, is indistinguishable from his other opinions about where geographically “infidels” should be permitted to go.
The second specific grievance the nihilists have is a widespread disapproval of U.S. support for Israel. They argue that the U.S. supplies Israel with weaponry and funding to commit acts of terrorism. The Israeli-Palestinian crisis has been the catalyst for thousands of Palestinian homicide bombers to blow themselves up in Israeli disco Tec’s on teen night. Israel has responded with, at times, devastating military force that has killed Palestinian civilians. Long sordid story short: the conflict is a mess in which America has tried to strike a balance, and hasn’t succeeded in doing that. And rightly so, we should support Israel; not in everything it does, but in its right to exist as a free nation. I’m waiting for the Palestinians to convince me that they recognize Israel’s right to exist. We have a historic responsibility to support democracy, and Israel-the only democracy in neighborhood that favors totalitarianism, is the recipient of not only our aid but also our opinion. President Bush is the first American president to call for a Palestinian state. He is vocal on Israeli actions that he feels might hurt the war on terror. In fact, Israel complains that we restrain them from fighting terrorism when we oppose massive military strikes or bulldozing settlements in the West Bank. Israel has lived with terrorism for a long time, and is a great example of what it means to “steel yourself” to terror. Essentially “steel yourself” means to toughen up. Israel has not been correct in every response to terrorism and at times has used excessive force, but they have also been experiencing daily attacks for years, and are tired of seeing their children die. It is a perplexing situation, especially when Israel is being confronted with a hatred so deeply imbedded in Muslim society. Saddam Hussein’s Baath party was started in Syria and inspired by some of Hitler’s most effective Nazi propaganda. Theatres in Egypt were going to show the Passion because it would inflame hatred against Jews. Saudi Arabian clerics have expressed (on state sponsored television) that the recent attacks in the kingdom are the result of “the Zionists,” and that Islam permits praying for the destruction of Christians and Jews. A myth that the Jews who had been working at the world trade center had been warned not to go into work that day was widely circulated in the Arab media. Some media outlets even went as far as to say that Israeli intelligence was responsible for the attack. So the Jews get the blame for 9/11, killing Christ, conspiring with the Great Satan to oppress Arabs, allowing women to drive and hold elected office, and generally exemplifying the qualities of an infidel. The hatred for America is partly because; the crazy Muslims like Bin Laden think that U.S. foreign policy is run by the Jews, and therefore is specifically designed to oppress Muslims. That’s not a grievance, that’s insanity. Anyone who subscribes to that idea that if America abandoned Israel: Al Qaeda would play nice, is worse than wrong, they’re stupid.
Al Qaeda’s specific grievances seem to be more of a non specific hatred of anything Western. They also might like us more if we cloaked our women, enforced a fundamental interpretation of the Koran by force, and renounced the evil of technology (meaning showers) -any takers? Their disagreements with U.S. policy grow out of a willful ignorance that is employed to mask the fact that people like Osama Bin Laden, a multi millionaire with a degree in economics-which he uses to mastermind terror attacks from a cave-are the real problem with the Middle East. Osama was a millionaire. It’s not about money. He had a degree in Economics. It’s not about education. His family was connected. He had opportunity. What motivated him to reject the luxurious life of a Saudi business man? What drove him to seek refuge in the darkest corners of the earth? What effectively turned him evil? What motivates countless young men and women with futures to sacrifice themselves for the cause of Islamic extremism? Liberals have gotten the war on terror wrong, for the same reason that they got the cold war wrong. This isn’t about better health care. This is much deeper. The phrases good and evil are attacked for geopolitical oversimplifications, but overcomplicating someone’s motives in attempts to understand them is dangerous.
This wasn’t a hunger strike to promote human rights. This was a vicious attack carried out by people who felt that they were doing God’s work. The terrorists didn’t come with a list of demands. As NY Times columnist Tom Freidman said, “Their act was their demand.” Their goal was not to foster an understanding of political injustice in the world. Their goal was to destroy symbols of American prosperity, thousands of lives, and send the rest of us cowering in fear. Not exactly the best way to prove a point, if indeed there was a point. What could they have hoped to achieve from 9/11 except America’s destruction? Want to make them happy? Keep up the Michael Moore crap about us starting this. They must love that.

Stem Cells Cure Terrorism?

2004-10-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

WW III is well underway, and interestingly enough stem cells won’t be much help. Islamic militants are be-heading any foreign individual working to stabilize Iraq in the hopes of persuading that individuals country of origin to agree to the terrorist’s demands and remove troops from Iraq. The disturbing images of captive men screaming for their lives broadcast across the world are horrifying to any civilized person. It should only to serve to deepen our understanding of the enemy we face, and make us want to kill them. So its not, how shall we say, “out of character” for liberals to blame George W. Bush. They think invading Iraq was our mistake, primarily because it has angered the terrorists, also the fact that Saddam didn’t have stockpiles of weapons that John Kerry and Bill Clinton thought he did.
So far, the tactic that the terrorists are employing has only worked on two countries: the Philippines and Spain. After a tape of a Philippine man pleading for his life came over the airwaves of that country, their government removed all troops from Iraq. The man was released. The man’s mother thanked the terrorists for not harming her son. Apparently the fact that her son was kidnapped, tortured, and threatened with decapitation deserved a Hallmark card because instead of killing her son, the terrorists succeeded in forcing her nation’s foreign policy to be subservient to the will of Allah. After the bombing of the Madrid train station by Al Qaeda, the public of Spain elected a socialist government that removed all troops from Iraq. In the papers of Spain the bombing was blamed on the Iraq war. By confronting Saddam Hussein, the USA had stirred up trouble in the usually benign and peaceful Middle East. Thus the cowboy Americans were once again creating “new enemies” like the fundamentalists in Iran and Syria who were celebrating the 4th of July and singing the star spangled banner right up until the Iraq war when they “started” to hate us. These two victories emboldened Al Qaeda, which is excited at using this new method of political terror.
In fact the mentality of surrender is alive and well in every corner of the world, except unfortunately the Middle East. Hamas, Hizbollah, Al Qaeda, Ansar al Islam, etc are undaunted by violence, hardship, and chaos. They call it Tuesday. They aren’t dissuaded by temporary setbacks. They are devastatingly patient and diabolically committed to their murderous work. They aren’t concerned with the rise and fall of public opinion for their acts of genocide, nor do they put much stock in the Geneva Convention. They welcome death. They live by war. It is an honor to be “martyred” or even better to “martyr” oneself taking as many people with you as possible.
Terrorists watch missiles light up the sky over Baghdad like its “Disney on Ice” steadfast in their course of action, never reconsidering their maniacal behavior, or the goal it’s supposed to achieve. The Iraq war is their Super Bowl, where they have a chance to defeat the Great Satan, proving Bin Laden’s theory. The one formulated after Clinton withdrew troops from Rwanda following our soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu .The theory is that the U.S. is a “paper tiger” that will fold if things get tough. Bin Laden & Company believes that any superpower is beatable after they were able to force the Soviets to retreat (with help from the U.S.) from Afghanistan in the 1980’s. That victory gave the terrorists do have a sick savvy about them. If they can beat the United States, they can pretty much waltz through Europe taking power unopposed.
Devotees of the Bin Laden doctrine equate surrender with death. Terrorists may be lacking in sanity, perspective, and proper hygiene but one thing they have going for them is an unwavering resolve to kill anyone who doesn’t subscribe to a fundamentalist version of Islam. Why? As sick as it is, they believe in what they are fighting for. The question is: do we?
With the political season upon us, some bad intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs, and a political party that has taken every opportunity to de-legitimize a war while it’s being fought(Democrats supported the Iraq war only long enough to send troops into battle) Americans should remember that we’re still at war. The Farenheight 9/11 crowd, who have divorced themselves from all logical thought long ago, keep blathering about Bush lying about the weapons. That charge has no merit since the C.I.A., Britain’s M.I.6, and Russia’s intelligence agency all told Bush that Saddam had weapons. As Bill O’Reilly pointed while debating Michael Moore, “Acting on bad information isn’t a lie, it’s a mistake.” Moore refused to see that; more evidence of the rabid dog theory.
The mistake was the intelligence failure, not the war. Characterizing the liberation of a country as a “mistake” seems trivial. Saddam is gone. He won’t be funding Palestinian suicide bombers, or gassing the Kurds, or aiding Al Qaeda (You don’t think so-read the 9/11 Commissions report.) The people of Iraq are building a democracy against tremendous odds in a part of the world that could use one. Democrats will only concede that a free Iraq will be a devastating blow to terrorism with the cynical refrain “Yeah if it works.” Well that’s the plan. The Iraq people want democracy run by Iraqi’s, and that’s what they’ve got. 1000 American lives have been lost in that effort. Surrender isn’t an option. The paper tiger isn’t purring.

This looks like "evidence" to me.

2004-10-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

This is some of the "evidence" that Democrats keep insisting doesn't exist with regard to Saddam and Al Qaeda: An article I wrote about an event at nassau.

Iraq was a threat, said Laurie Mylroie; President of the Washington think tank Information for Democracy and the author of Study of Revenge and Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf with New York Times reporter Judith Miller, while speaking at Nassau Community College in October of 2002.
Mylroie’s contention is that in the years following the Gulf War and the passing of U.N. resolution 687 (which called for Iraq to declare all the components of its nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons programs within 105 days so they could be destroyed by inspectors and sanctions could be lifted) Saddam Hussein’s regime has been actively pursuing weapons of mass destruction and supporting terrorism directed at the United States. “A major mistake was made in the 90’s that lead to the events of 9/11,” said a mournful Mylroie before laying out the case that Iraq was complicit in several terrorist attacks directed at the U.S. including the first world trade center bombing and 9/11.
Mylroie began her presentation with a brief history of the aftermath of Desert Storm, recounting Saddam’s refusal to comply with the “core element” of the 1991 cease fire agreement resolution 687: declaring his nuclear, biological, and chemical materials so inspectors could destroy them. Instead Hussein kicked inspectors out, and thus sanctions weren’t lifted. As a Middle East advisor to Bill Clinton’s campaign in 92 and a critic of his handling of terrorism once in office, Mylroie explained that the prevailing wisdom at that time was that lifting sanctions against Iraq would put Saddam “in the weapons business.” Therefore the foreign policy intelligencia believed sanctions would effectively contain the danger that Iraq posed to the U.S. In August 1995 Khamil Hussein, Saddam’s stepson, defected and informed on the regime to U.S. authorities. Khamil claimed he supervised Iraq’s unconventional weapons program. He maintained that Iraq had “huge amounts” of unconventional weapons banned by U.N., including chemical agents like VX gas. This came a year after Iraq admitted to having anthrax, synthesized from a biological program intended for “peaceful purposes.” Other “stunning revelations” that were revealed from Khamils’ defection included that Iraq had 25 scud missiles with biological warheads strategically pointed to be fired at Israel and Saudi Arabia if the regime fell. She spends less time on the weapons, possibly because before the Iraq war the belief that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction was widely held as a “given.” Her most compelling argument for deposing Saddam is that Iraq has attacked the United States several times, “hiding behind” the veil of Islamic militancy. She contends these attacks have resulted in the death of thousands of Americans, but have been wrongly attributed to terrorist networks operating independently of state sponsorship.
“But The Gulf War never really ended. The two phenomena the ongoing war with Iraq and the spread of Islamic militancy existed at the same time, the 1990s, and in the same space, the Sunni Muslim Middle East. Did they merge?” Mylroie asks. This question frames her thesis that Iraq has been behind both world trade center attacks. In fact the Middle East expert said “Iraq was almost certainly directly involved in those attacks. After 1996, when Osama bin Laden moved from Sudan to Afghanistan, Iraqi intelligence became an integral part of Al Qaeda, or so it would seem.” Mylroie, who holds a doctorate in political science from Harvard, lays out the evidence of the Iraq-Al Qaeda link like a professor “Since September 11, 2001, American authorities have learned a great deal more about Al Qaeda. As they now understand, a clan lies at the heart of the major acts of Islamic terrorism directed against America from the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center though the September 11 strikes. That family consists of the person known as Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and a number of his "nephews." So far, five such individuals have been publicly named, and there are probably more. Mohammed is the recognized mastermind of the September 11 attacks…The most well-known of Mohammed's supposed nephews is Ramzi Yousef, who is the recognized mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.” She insists this connection isn’t meaningless; it reveals the extent of Iraqi involvement in terrorism. “The individuals in this "family" are all Baluch, a Sunni Muslim people who live in Eastern Iran and Western Pakistan…Saddam Hussein's intelligence apparatus had deep and well-established ties with the Baluch on both sides of the Iranian-Pakistani border…This whole "family" of terrorist masterminds is, quite arguably, a construction of Iraqi intelligence: While Iraq occupied Kuwait, Iraqi intelligence tampered with Kuwait's files to create legends for elements of its Baluch network. That is why these people appear to be a family,” explained Mylroie with the degree of absolute certainty that had been a theme of her lecture.
Mylroie insists that the Washington bureaucracy has been blind to any connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda. She pontificates that a resistance to acknowledge mistakes, inarguably leaving Saddam in power after the Gulf war, has been partially to blame. Also she believes the Clinton administration “spun America’s terrorist problem” while ignoring Iraqi ties to militant Islam and believing that terrorist networks like Al Qaeda which are headed by fundamentalists like Osama wouldn’t be linked with Saddam Hussein because he is a secularist. She notes that differences can always be worked out in the interest of a common enemy. She concludes the secular vs. religious argument isn’t definitive reason to dismiss a possible connection. Mylroie offers searing indictments of those in the political community who believe that terrorists could be capable of such devastating attacks without some form of state backing. That notion, she says, is “wishful thinking.” She concluded confidently by stating “If the administration were to lay out all the evidence it has linking Iraq to al Qaeda, including the 9/11 attacks, it could also explain that the U.S. has no choice but to finish off Saddam — he is already at war with us.” Mylroie has been steadfast in sticking by her assessment, even after the 9/11 comissions’ report that Iraq and Al Qaeda didn’t collaborate in 9/11. In an article in the New York Sun she wrote “The claim of the 9/11 commission that "no credible" evidence exists linking Iraq to Al Qaeda's assaults on America, including the attack of September 11, 2001, is itself not credible.” She is resolute in her analysis and never in doubt and her presentation is provoking because it deals with an issue that has been largely dismissed by the press. Laurie Mylroie certainly isn’t letting this story go.

WE REPORT. YOU EXTORT.

2004-10-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

"Today is the worst day of my life," said a somber Bill O'Reilly, the host of the most watched cable news program "The O'Reilly Factor." O'Reilly and FoxNews were filing a countersuit for extortion in response to a purported request for 60 million that came from Andrea Mackris, a fox producer, who is suing O'Reilly for sexual harassment. Mackris claims she has tapes of the lewd conversations she shared with the anchor, over dinner and the telephone. After supposedly trying to extort 60 mil from Bill, he said "enough is enough." He went on Live with Regis&Kelly to confess that he is fully aware that he "might go down" as a result of his decision to file suit(and publicize the incident) but that he had to take a stand regardless of the way it affects his career. "It's who I am," said FoxNews' main event. More on this story as the facts become clear. One thing that is quite clear tho: It's gonna be a story.

MEDIA BIAS TIME!

2004-10-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Halperin Memo Dated Friday October 8, 2004 (I got this from www.drudgereport.com)
This is a memo obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT from ABCNEWS political director Mark Halperin where an average person on LSD would notice he was asking his staff to take sides. You Decide.

It goes without saying that the stakes are getting very high for the country and the campaigns - and our responsibilities become quite graveI do not want to set off (sp?) and endless colloquy that none of us have time for today - nor do I want to stifle one. Please respond if you feel you can advance the discussion.The New York Times (Nagourney/Stevenson) and Howard Fineman on the web both make the same point today: the current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done.Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win.We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable when the facts don't warrant that.I'm sure many of you have this week felt the stepped up Bush efforts to complain about our coverage. This is all part of their efforts to get away with as much as possible with the stepped up, renewed efforts to win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.It's up to Kerry to defend himself, of course. But as one of the few news organizations with the skill and strength to help voters evaluate what the candidates are saying to serve the public interest. Now is the time for all of us to step up and do that right.

2004-10-12T13:58:00.001-07:00

War Update
In the season of political debates, 30 second attack ads that play fast and loose with the truth, and analytical observations from the self appointed gaurdians of political discourse-the pundit class, it is easy to forget the cold hard truth of the matter: we are at war. Suprisingly, especially for fans of cable news, this war is not between Republicans and Democrats. It is a monumental conflict between those who value freedom and human rights and those who contort the religion of Islam to justify facism, genocide, and terrorism. In case one feels that the terms "facism" "genocide" and "terrorism" overstate the argument, I would direct you to familiarize yourself with the situation in Sudan (which Sec. of State Powell has called "genocide"), the routine discoveries of mass graves in Iraq that were filled with regime dissidents and bodies of women and children or Saddam's childrens prison where Iraqi children whose parents were enemies of the Baath party were imprisoned. In the future I will post links to all these sources, but for now it will have to suffice to say that the most cursory research into any of these subjects will validate my claims and in large part my terminology. The term "facism" shouldn't be used lighty. For example, inarguably, the two most egregious examples of facism in the last century have been Adolf Hitler's rise to power and Michael Bloomberg banning smoking in the bars and restuarants of New York City. Hitler, much like his present counterparts in the Muslim world, oppressed and exterminated people that didn't meet certain criteria. For Hitler, it was all those not of the Aryan race. For the Islamofacists it is those who don't subscribe to a fundamentalist version of Islam or "infidels," as Usama charmingly refers to us. For Michael Bloomberg-it is the smokers. The disturbing images of be-heading from Iraq should serve to deepen our understanding of the enemy we face and shape our perspective on this war on terrorism that we must win. Even those who call for retreat and defeat in Iraq do not advocate abandoning the war on terror on the whole. Often the argument made is that the resources being used in Iraq could've and should've been used to locate bin Laden(assuming that he's not dead) and "finish the job in Afghanistan." Afghan elections went off without major violence to derail them this past week. However, due to erasable ink, 14 of the candidates are challenging the results. The headline shoud've been " Afghan elections: Just Like Palm Beach." The election itself was an encouraging sign but reports that the Taliban, with the help of local warlords, have regained control of certain parts of the country cannot be dismissed. I will offer detailed analysis of both military efforts in the next post. This introductory screed is meant to frame, in general terms, the necessity of an honest debate and exchange of ideas without loosing clarity about this war-which we all own now. It's not Donald Rumsfeld's war. It is our friends who are dying and our tax dollars financing this. I think it's time to pay attention to more than 30 sec. ads.This is a reality to which the vigorous debate of stem cell reseach should understandably take a back seat. Elections should undoubtedly be a referendum on the leadership of the administration in power, the qualifications of the challenger, and the issues of the day( whether they be stem cell research, tax cuts, education, etc.) but they shoudn't erode our national unity or distract us from our mission.