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Wiretapping Subpoenas Lead to Constitutional Shutdown

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Dems want to know more about the NSA’s secret warrantless eavesdropping on Americans. They drop a subpoena on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and President Bush. Both claim the documents are protected by executive privilege or too classified. This is a very likely future scenario and presumably its one the Administration is attempting to head off with its call yesterday for Congress to explicitly legalize the program.

But what happens next? That’s what Jeffrey Rosen (author of The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America) asks over the New Republic today (reg. req.) The surprising and not so-surprising conclusion: well, someone could end up in the little known jail inside Congress and the government mired in a Constitutional battle.

Restraint, however, may not be enough to prevent a constitutional confrontation that could make Monicagate look tame. That’s because any conflict could escalate quickly when the White House, invoking its radical theory of unilateral executive authority, refuses to cooperate with Democratic investigations. Congress may then hold the White House officials in contempt, setting up legal battles that could make their way to the Supreme Court while paralyzing the government in the process. [...]

The Judiciary Committee, followed by the full House, votes to hold Gonzales in contempt of Congress–a federal crime with a punishment of up to a year in prison. After Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, certifies the contempt citation, she then forwards it along to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, demanding that he haul Gonzales before a grand jury. [...]

Regardless of how the Supreme Court ruled in Conyers v. Gonzales (ed. note: the hypothetical case where Rep. John Conyers issued the subpoena), there would be subsidiary legal battles raging for months as the contempt case made its way up to the Supreme Court. Democrats and Republicans would fight about whether to force Gonzales to testify by granting him the necessary immunity–immunity grants require a two-thirds vote by the relevant committee–and the scope of his immunity might provoke lawsuits of its own. All these fires would be raging from a single investigation into the NSA scandal. At the same time, a series of related battles and lawsuits might be erupting from parallel investigations into Iraq war intelligence, Halliburton cronyism, and the misuse of presidential signing statements.

The more I think about it the more I think Rosen might be right. The question then becomes how far will the new Democratic leadership go to hold back investigations, because despite the election results, I don’t believe the administration is going to change its stance on secrecy and executive power.

All I know is that I need to get my typing fingers in shape real soon to keep up.

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Report: Surveillance a Threat to Fundamental Rights

Friday, July 13th, 2007

By Mick Meaney
RINF Alternative News

A new report from the Council of European Commission for Democracy has warned the widespread use of public surveillance is a threat to our “fundamental rights”. The Venice Commission also made recommendations on how personal freedoms could be protected.

Recommendations include authorities and business to state the zones being filmed and set up a national body to guarantee the lawfulness of such installations, in line with the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights and the international texts governing the gathering and protection of data.

“The right of the owner or inhabitant to protect his or her private property does not mean that a person who enters somebody else’s territory, has no right to respect for his or her privacy. He or she must instead be informed, or reasonably be made aware on other grounds, of the surveillance or the possibility of incidental surveillance. In addition, as is the case with surveillance in public places by public authorities, the person concerned is entitled to know if data have been collected and how the data collected will be processed and what use may be made thereof. And finally, he or she must have a legal remedy to have the legality of the surveillance reviewed,” states the report.

A Home Office spokesman said: “A review was under way into the issue of CCTV and how it can be used most effectively and fairly. There is no doubt that CCTV plays a vital role in the fight against crime.”

Read the report in full here:
http://www.venice.coe.int/docs/2007/CDL-AD(2007)027-e.asp

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Toxic chemical found in fake tubes of toothpaste

Friday, July 13th, 2007

By David Rose

Traces of a toxic chemical have been found in contaminated counterfeit toothpaste.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued an alert yesterday concerning tubes tainted with diethylene glycol. It said that the tubes may have been sold by unauthorised suppliers such as markets, discount shops and car boot sales, but were not linked to super-markets and high street retailers. Counterfeit toothpaste containing diethylene glycol — which is used in antifreeze — has also been found in the United States, South America and Spain in recent months.

Several poisonings have occurred after diethylene was substituted for non-toxic naturally occurring “triol” glycerine (also called glycerol) in foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals. The chemical could be particularly toxic to children and anyone with an impaired liver or kidney function, but the MHRA said that it had no evidence of people suffering adverse reactions to the fake toothpaste in Britain.

The drug watchdog said that there was no evidence of the contaminated product entering the legitimate supply chain, but it was asking hospitals, wholesalers and pharmacies to check stocks. The affected products are fake Sensodyne Original and Sensodyne Mint toothpaste, sold in 50ml tubes with packaging written in English and Arabic. Genuine Sensodyne made by GlaxoSmithKline has packaging written only in English and is sold in 45ml and 75ml tubes. The contaminated toothpaste should be destroyed, the agency said. The MHRA issued the warning after trading standards officers seized 140 tubes of toothpaste from stalls and small discount shops in the Manchester area. The affected batch code is PROD 07 2005/EXP 08/2008.

“We believe that elderly patients, possibly with impaired liver and kidney function, may have purchased this stock due to lower prices in markets, discount shops and car boot sales,” a spokesman for the MHRA said. “If people have toothpaste from this batch they should stop using it, discard it and buy a replacement from an authorised stockist.”

Sensodyne Mint toothpaste is white, whereas the paste in the counterfeit tubes is green. The genuine Sensodyne Original and the fake product contain a pink toothpaste. The MHRA is not recalling Sensodyne toothpaste from legitimate shops.

GlaxoSmithKline said that it did not use diethylene glycol in any of its toothpastes, adding: “These fake products are illegal and have no connection with GSK.” A spokeswoman said it was not known where the counterfeit product came from, but China was “in the frame” because it recently exported toothpaste contaminated with diethylene glycol.

This week it was reported that the former head of the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration had been executed for taking bribes linked to sub-standard medicines.

Rise of the phoneys

–– A total of 253 million counterfeit goods were seized at Europe’s borders last year — three times as many as in 2005 — with 86 per cent coming from China
–– Seizures of personal-care products and perfumes rose to 1.6 million from 112,132 in 2002
–– Three counterfeit batches of popular drugs were recalled last month after the MHRA gave warning that counterfeit medicines were on the increase, including a schizophrenia drug
–– Significant seizures of “drugs” that had no active ingredients were made last year, including statins, blood pressure tablets, ulcer protection tablets and osteoporosis drugs
–– Most counterfeit medicines enter the EU from India (30 per cent), followed by the UAE and China

*Sources: European Commission, MHRA, HMRC

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Sneak Attack On America - New World Order Style

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Breakingwire

Hidden History

When Geraldo Rivera was at ABC News, 20/20 back in the 70’s he interviewed some people that went to a land development in northwest Arkansas, called Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (appears to have been connected with, McCulloch Properties, Pratt Properties, Pratt Holding Company, MCO Properties, MCO Resorts, MCO Holdings, and others, at one time or another, see section below titiled MCO Properties and Charles Hurwitz). The people Geraldo interviewed on 20/20 claimed they signed some papers at Holiday Island that they had not read, lost everything they had including homes if they owned homes, cars, businesses, they even lost their identity, as they had no records in government, such as drivers licenses, birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc., after having signed papers at Holiday Island, and never got their day in court, and all they were left with was their Bibles. They also claimed they could work but didn’t get to keep their pay if they were paid by check, and those people from Holiday Island kept doing things to them that made them paranoid. Bagabonds without a home is what I think Geraldo called them. Geraldo tried to confront someone that was connected with Holiday Island, about all this, their comment was, no comment.

How The Scam Worked

At one time Holiday Island had a fair amount of people touring their property, from all over the country. One would naturally assume that the people Geraldo was interviewing on 20/20, that claimed the people from Holiday Island “kept doing things to them that made them paranoid”, came from various parts of the country, which means that whoever it was, doing things to these people, as they claimed, had a large network of people working with them and/or for them.

In 1981, they were still presenting papers at Holiday Island for those people that they singled out, that appeared to have been written in a secret code or foreign language, (note the people Geraldo interviewed claimed they signed papers at Holiday Island that they had not read) and they told people, something along the lines that implied it was to verify who you are. No one said, if you sign this your giving up your rights, freedoms, liberties, access to the courts, property or volunteering into a black-op experiment to monitor your thoughts, etc., etc.

People would naturally be very suspicious and think it very odd to say the least, if they were signing papers written in english, to buy property, and then someone came up with a paper for them to sign that was written in some sort of secret code or foreign language, that they could not make out, by reading it. There would be very few people that would ever sign such a paper, under those circumstances, of their own free will and accord and no reasonable person would expect, under normal conditions, that anyone presented with such a paper or document, would sign it.

At one time Holiday Island would give you $50.00 and a nights lodging in a motel if you agreed to take a tour of their property. What happened, appears to have gone something like this, for those that were singled out, that is. The paid for motel, office was not opened for the most part, as if they didn’t want any other guests or business. The motel didn’t appear to have anyone else staying there or very few people, if any, even during the middle of tourist season, in a tourist town such as Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

So it appears, they isolated their patsy, that they singled out, for a reason. More than likely, so they could implant them, then continued their fraud and conspiracy to cover that up, in case they were ever exposed, by hypnotizing, tricking their patsy, so they would sign a paper the next day at Holiday Island, that was written in a foreign language or some sort of secret code that I referred to above, and was documented somewhat on 20/20, on the show in question, when the people they interviewed stated that “they had signed papers at Holiday Island that they had not read”.

You might find it interesting to know that shortly after having visited Holiday Island in 1981, I noticed a mark, that looks like a scar, that was caused by a fairly deep cut, on my right hand, below my little finger, but I never cut myself there.

A Black Budget Project.

My experience and adventure in dealing with Holiday Island and those connected with it, are somewhat different, than the people that were interviewed by ABC News 20/20, regarding that land development in Arkansas, in part for the following reasons. When I went to Holiday Island in 1981 I had forgotten that I saw the ABC News show about Holiday Island. Driving back to Kansas from Holiday Island, Arkansas I remembered that Holiday Island was documented by ABC News 20/20. Once they realized that I knew that, they more than likely were somewhat spooked.

Shortly after having visited Holiday Island I had found a note in my apartment saying something along the line that the objective was to create paranoia and it was signed CEPO. Rather that was the actual name of the of the program or operation or they were using CEPO as a cover in case they were ever exposed, I don’t know. Nor do I know what CEPO stands for.

It was several years later while looking things up on the internet I came across someone with a private business, that claimed in his qualifications that he had at one time worked as a contractor in a CIA program called CEPO and that program had to do with detecting rather or not a person was telling the truth. Regardless of that, I thought they were monitoring my thoughts, from almost from the very beginning, from the way they were acting and what they were doing, It wasn’t that hard to figure out they were trying to screw with my mind by what they were doing and the means they had to do it with.

If you think about what I just said, it fits in with what the people Geraldo interviewed said, when the people he interviewed claimed that the people from Holiday Island kept doing things to them that made them paranoid. That’s makes sense, because if someone had the technology to monitor your thoughts and decided to use psychology on you it would naturally make you paranoid as they played with your mind, played on your fears, anxieties, etc, as they tried to control and manipulate you.

From my first hand knowledge of the subject and through reason and logic, I think it would be reasonable, and logical to assume that the number one suspect behind this secret operation or network that I write about and that was documented through ABC news 20/20 and the people they interviewed, when they stumbled onto them, would be the CIA.

From known facts, the most reasonable, logical explanation for what was going on was, the CIA was using was using American citizens to test their technology on.

No Fear Of Being Exposed

Whatever Holiday Island was at the time, or the companies that owned or controlled it, they were not afraid of the Arkansas government or the Federal government coming after them, even after having been investigated by the Federal government and after having been exposed on national television by ABC News 20/20 when they stumbled on to them and documented Holiday Island back in the 70’s. That should tell you something.

It should be obvious by now, that the CIA and their network was not afraid at the time of being exposed or of the oversight committees (a dog and pony show for the American people) that was set up in the early 70’s to watch over the intelligence community around the same time this CEPO program appears to have first come online.

Media Black-Out

What Holiday Island is today, the companies that owned it or were connected with it, or who owns it today, etc., etc., I don’t know, but when that story first broke on ABC News 20/20, in the 70’s, it must of been the buzz, in the political circles in Arkansas, as you can imagine.

Several years back I called what I was led to believe was the producers office for ABC News 20/20 and told them about the show in question and what I was looking for and had them check their files to find out when it was aired, after a few minutes the person came back on the phone and said, she could not find information on it because she didn’t know what that show was categorized under.

In the mean time you have Mrs. Clinton running for president and the controlled media spiking this story, in their attempt to fool the American public into thinking they are going to get something different, rather than the conservatives, neocons if they vote for Mrs. Clinton.

In reality, if Mrs. Clinton becomes President the American people are going to get another person with very strong CIA ties, that’s of the same ilk as Bush - Cheney, if not worse.

In Typical Clinton Fashion Hillary Denies Denies Denies

On July,20, 2006, I posted a article on the internet titled “Warrantless Spy Program Monitoring Peoples Thoughts”. The next day on July 21, New York Daily News published a article titled “Hil frets chips will be put in kids’ brains”. The article quotes Mrs. Clinton “At the rate that technology is advancing, people will be implanting chips in our children to advertise directly into their brains and tell them what kind of products to buy,” The New York Democrat said the country was performing a “massive experiment”….. Mrs. Clinton was speaking at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

I can’t help but wonder, what would the odds be of Hillary Clinton talking about such a obscure subject as implanting chips in people, just hours after this original post appeared?

Why Am I Now The Only One Talking About This?

Did the people interviewed on 20/20 in regards to the program in question, die mysteriously, and under questionable circumstances, like so many other people that the Clinton’s were associated with? Arkancided is what some people call it, or CIAcided like others say, because there is not really any difference between the two. Perhaps the reason other people are not talking about this matter any more is, they were driven insane, by the unregulated mind manipulators and their candy store of hidden technology. Perhaps some of their early victims may have been recruited into their network, that I talk about and that is why they are not talking any more?

The only people that would truly consider me a threat of any kind, would be the network or maybe a better term would be secret society that I write about here,

Bush Administration Warrantless Spy Program - A Trojan Horse Sneak Attack

Regardless of what The Bush Administration says on alleged changes to their Warrantless Wiretapping, the facts remain that the Eschalon Spy Program has been around long before the War On Terrorism began, intercepting, phone calls, faxes, email, without a warrant, and the Israeli back door into the phone system, that was documented on Fox News when they did a 4 part series on the largest spy ring ever uncovered in America can be used to spy on Americans. So you might ask yourself, being Bush and his comrades already have the capability to monitor phone calls, and are, what were they really up to?

I would say, based on my experience and based on what other people have said about this, along with other factors, that the Bush administration through their warrantless wiretapping program are more than likely trying to legitimize what they have been doing all along. That is monitoring peoples thoughts without a warrant.

The excuse being used at this time and currently being promoted by the administration and their cronies in the press, is that warrantless searches and spying is necessary in order to keep us safe. They also try to imply that no mater what political party happens to be in power, now or in the future, that this newly granted authority will not be misused.

I am trying to point out, through this article, that these people, no mater who they are, have already misused this technology against American citizens and this has gone on in administration after administration and the dangers that can cause to a free society,

If they could sneak up on those Holiday Island victims that were documented by ABC News 20/20, and others, through stealth, and monitor their thoughts. the question begs to be asked, will they be able to some day sneak up on the rest of the American people?

Perhaps with advancements in this 30+ year old technology they will be able to turn American population into virtual human slaves? That may not be as far out as you think considering that the Washington Post has published a article titled “Mind Games” that claims the military is working on such types of technology. If their telling us about that, through the press and also through official documents such as Air Force 2025, admitting they want a micro chipped society, what else aren’t they telling us about and hiding behind a cloak of national security?

If the whole truth be known, the security they talk about is really security for themselves, their friends, their political cronies and network, for they can use this technology and other power grabs, to enrich themselves, in the hopes of enslaving America and then ultimately the world, through their contrived wars, emergencies, dangers and fear mongering, before more people wake up to their scams, crimes, conspiracies and treason.

Why I Write About This

Basically I am just corroborating what has already been documented to some extent, through ABC News 20/20 and the people they interviewed, and expanding on what they didn’t tell and/or didn’t know at the time, when the stumbled on to what has all the hallmarks of a secret black budget, illegal, covert, unethical, operation.

Hopefully by me writing about this, and telling what I know, it will encourage others that have knowledge about this matter to also step forward. I also hope that other truth seekers also research this matter for themselves and hopefully help expose what’s really going on and/or expand on this research, because this is one of the most vital issues of are time and has enormous implications. Perhaps by exposing their evil plot it will help make the world a safer, better place, not only for us here, but future generations yet to come.

I am just a average Joe, that loves life, it’s wonders, beauty, freedom, liberty, privacy and our beloved Republic, and expect good, honest government, and do not like or appreciate other peoples sorry attempt to get me caught up in their ongoing frauds and conspiracies against myself and/or others, by keeping quite about this.

What qualifies me to tell you what I think about all this and give you my opinion about this, is the fact that I saw the ABC News 20/20 show documenting what I consider to be a slam dunk, government, black budget operation dealing with the subject at hand - That I was at Holiday Island in 1981 - And that I have off and on over the last 26 or so years had to deal with these people, their network, secret society, or whatever you want to call them.

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911 and the British Broadcasting Conspiracy DVD on sale now

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Only from RINF

Pre-order your copy today for only $19.95

The new British documentary has been released focusing on the BBC’s selective and distorted coverage of the events of 9/11.

Order Here

‘911 and the British Broadcasting Conspiracy’ features ex-MI5 officer David Shayler and was produced by Adrian Connock, who was also responsible for the ‘Mind the Gap’ documentary that exposed the false flag terrorist attacks of 7/7/05.

Special attention has been paid to the BBC’s ‘Conspiracy Files’ programme which aired on BBC 2, February 18th 2007 and omitted hardcore evidence proving 9/11 was an inside job.

‘911 and the British Broadcasting Conspiracy’ demolishes the weak attempt by the BBC to cover up the truth behind 9/11 and exposes their foreknowledge of the collapse of WTC building 7, when they reported the event 20 minutes before the building came down.

Order Here

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French police officer kills children and colleague

Friday, July 13th, 2007

A police officer killed his two children and a superior Friday before turning his gun on himself at his suburban Paris station, an official said.

The killings occurred about 12.15 p.m. (1015 GMT) at the gendarmerie station at Malakoof, south of the French capital. Gendarmes carry out policing functions, but under the Defense Ministry. No motive was given.

The officer, whose identity was not made public, fatally shot a superior and then killed his two children, around 10 years of age, before killing himself, Commander Pierre Bouquin said. He said the officer used his personal weapon in the killings.

Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, who served as defense minister in the previous government, rushed to the police station.

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15 Congress Members for Impeachment

Friday, July 13th, 2007

By David SwansonCongressman Sam Farr (D., Calif.) is the latest member of Congress to respond to intense pressure from his constituents and co-sponsor H Res 333, articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. The official list of co-sponsors at thomas.loc.gov includes 11 names, plus the original sponsor Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio). That makes 12. In addition, Congressman Bob Filner (D., Calif.) has said he will sign on, and has said so publicly in media interviews including this one: http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0189.html

That makes 13, or 14 with Farr. Then there is Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. (D., Ill.) who has not signed onto H Res 333 or introduced his own articles of impeachment against Cheney or Bush, but who recently released this statement:

“In her first weeks as leader of the Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi withdrew the notion of impeachment proceedings against either President Bush or Vice President Cheney [actually she did that 8 months earlier, and Jackson began parroting her line right away, but who's counting]. With the president’s decision to once again subvert the legal process and the will of the American people by commuting the sentence of convicted felon Lewis ‘Scooter’ Libby, I call on House Democrats to reconsider impeachment proceedings. Lewis Libby was convicted of lying under oath to cover up the outing of active, undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame. It is beyond unthinkable that the president would undermine the legal process to protect a man who engaged in treason against the United States government, threatening the security of the American people. In November’s election, voters put Democrats in charge of Congress because they believed our pledge of oversight and accountability. Now it’s time for us to honor that pledge. The Executive Branch should be held responsible for its illegalities. Our democratic system is grounded in the principle of checks and balances. When the Executive Branch disregards the will of the people, our lawmakers must not be silent. Today’s actions, coupled with the president’s unwillingness to comply with Senate and House inquiries, leave Democrats with no other option than to consider impeachment so that we can gather the information needed to achieve justice for all Americans.”

If Jackson signs onto H Res 333, there will be 15 cosponsors.

Sam Farr represents Santa Cruz, California, the first city in the country to have passed a resolution demanding impeachment. Santa Cruz city council passed that first resolution in 2003, and passed another in 2006. Santa Cruz is also home to COIN (Coalition for Impeachment Now) led by local organizers Sherry Conable and Louis LaFortune. Following Santa Cruz’s lead, a total of at least 79 towns and cities have passed resolutions demanding the impeachment of Cheney and / or Bush: http://impeachpac.org/resolutions-list

Of all the polling companies in the United States, only one has ever polled, and only once, on whether Americans want Cheney impeached. 54 percent of Americans and 76 percent of Democrats said Yes. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/polling

Counting Farr and Jackson, a total of 3 percent of Congress Members and 6 percent of Democratic Congress Members have taken the position shared by over three-quarters of Democrats, 51 percent of Independents, and 17 percent of Republicans around the country.

Meanwhile, Cheney’s popularity has reached a record low, with 13 percent of the country in favor of his performance. And that figure actually comes from May, prior to the most recent few scandals and exposed abuses of power: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/09/polls-cheney-nears-quayle-as-least-popular-veep

What will it take for Congress to act? The majority of the people want it, and the least popular Vice President in history can’t be all that intimidating, can he? Isn’t it time we started intimidating him? http://www.impeachcheney.org

People from around the country are headed to Washington on July 23rd to find out whether pressure from the citizens of this republic counts for anything anymore: http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/24450

Take action — click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Impeach Already

Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers

http://www.davidswanson.org

DAVID SWANSON is a co-founder of After Downing Street, a writer and activist, and the Washington Director of Democrats.com. He is a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and serves on the Executive Council of the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, TNG-CWA. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, Media Coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as Communications Coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Swanson obtained a Master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia in 1997.

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FBI Employees Face Criminal Probe Over Patriot Act Abuse

Friday, July 13th, 2007

By Ryan Singel

FBI personnel who used misleading emergency letters to acquire thousands of Americans’ phone records are the subject of a criminal investigation, top bureau officials told civil liberties groups Monday.

The unprecedented criminal probe, revealed at an outreach meeting led by FBI director Robert Mueller and general counsel Valerie Caproni at FBI headquarters, is looking at the actions of an antiterrorism team known as the Communications Analysis Unit, according to two people who attended the meeting independently and who informed Wired News, requesting anonymity.

The privately disclosed investigation would mark the first time government officials have faced possible prosecution for misuse of Patriot Act investigative tools, and highlights the seriousness of recent reports about the FBI’s misuse of a powerful self-issued subpoena known as a National Security Letter.

Unit employees, who are not authorized to request records in investigations, sent form letters to telephone companies to acquire detailed billing information on specific phone numbers by falsely promising that subpoenas were already in the works.

According to a third source, FBI officials also said at the meeting that some bureau employees have already been granted immunity from prosecution in the investigation. The third source, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, did not recall, however, that FBI officials described the investigation as “criminal.”

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko confirmed that the meeting took place but declined to comment on the content of the conversation, saying only, “The FBI does not confirm or deny investigations.”

Neither the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General nor the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility returned calls for comment.

While the scope of the alleged investigation is unknown, investigators could be examining whether the unit violated the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, or committed fraud by falsely swearing that subpoenas were being prepared.

National Security Letters are self-issued subpoenas that allow investigators in terrorism and espionage cases to require phone companies, banks, credit reporting agencies and internet service providers to turn over records on Americans considered “relevant” to an investigation. Those records are then fed into three computer systems, including a shared data-mining tool known as the Investigative Data Warehouse.

Though warned in 2001 to use this power sparingly, FBI agents issued more than 47,000 National Security Letters in 2005, more than half of which targeted Americans.

Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, have downplayed the gravity of the reported errors while attempting to mollify critics by promising to strengthen internal oversight.

The Communications Analysis Unit, part of the FBI’s Communications Exploitation Section based in the agency’s headquarters building, is tasked with analyzing terrorist communications and providing intelligence to the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. However, because it only supports investigators, unit employees cannot issue subpoenas and instead need to have counterterrorism investigators do so.

However, the Justice Department’s Inspector General reported (.pdf) in March that the office issued 739 “exigent letters” to AT&T, Verizon and MCI seeking information on more than 3,000 phone numbers. The letters stated: “Due to exigent circumstances, it is requested that records for the attached list of telephone numbers be provided. Subpoenas requesting this information have been submitted to the U.S. Attorney’s Office who will process and serve them formally to (Phone Company Name) as expeditiously as possible.”

However, no such subpoenas had been filed with U.S. Attorneys and only later were some of the requests followed up with proper legal process, according to the Inspector General’s report.

Several of the letters included requests for records for more than 100 phone numbers.

Bassem Youssef, the current head of the Communications Analysis Unit, told Congress in March that key FBI lawyers knew about the problem in 2005, when he notified them and put an end to the false letters.

Youssef first noticed the problem with the letters in 2005 when he took over the unit and quickly brought the matter to the attention of his supervisor and the FBI’s Office of the General Counsel, according to a March letter (.pdf) sent by his lawyer, Stephen Kohn, to Sen. Chuck Grassley.

“At all times, the (National Security Law Branch) and the FBI (Office of the General Counsel) knew that the field offices and operational units were non-compliant in obtaining the legal documentation,” Kohn wrote.

Youssef is currently suing the FBI for retaliating against him for complaining that the bureau was wasting his Arabic-language skills and antiterrorism experience. He attempted to get proper National Security Letters filed to provide post-facto legal backing for the exigent letters but was hampered by uncooperative field offices, according to the Senate letter.

Kohn did not respond to requests for comment.

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US House votes for troop pullout

Friday, July 13th, 2007

The United States House of Representatives has voted in favour of pulling most combat troops out of Iraq by April next year. The legislation calls for the Pentagon to begin withdrawing combat troops within four months.

The vote comes despite President George W Bush’s threat to veto any timetable.

Correspondents say the House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats, is hoping to pressure the Senate to approve a similar timeline.

It is the third time this year the House has voted to end US military involvement in Iraq.

Two previous efforts either failed in the Senate or were vetoed by President Bush.

The latest attempt would allow some US forces to stay in Iraq to train the Iraqi army and carry out counter-terrorism operations.

“It is time for the president to listen to the American people and do what is necessary to protect this nation,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat.

“That means admitting his Iraq policy has failed, working with the Democrats and Republicans in Congress on crafting a new way forward in Iraq and refocusing our collective efforts on defeating al-Qaeda.”

Earlier, President Bush presented an interim report on Iraq which said there had been only limited military and political progress following his decision to send troop reinforcements earlier this year.

The security situation remains “complex and extremely challenging”, the report said.

It added that the economic picture was “uneven” and political reconciliation lagging.

Mixed results

The report said the Iraqi parliament had failed to debate crucial legislation for the country’s oil industry.

It also warned of “tough fighting” during the summer, saying al-Qaeda was likely to “increase its tempo of attacks”.

“The report makes clear that not even the White House can conclude there has been significant progress,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat. “We have already waited too long.”

But Mr Bush rejected calls for a withdrawal of US forces, saying it would be disastrous.

He said troops would only be withdrawn when conditions were right, “not because pollsters say it’ll be good politics”.

The Iraqi ambassador to Washington, Samir Sumaidaie, told the BBC that the US had set an unrealistic timescale to solve Iraq’s problems.

“The Iraqi government is working under extremely difficult conditions, not all of which were created by them. To say that we have failed and we are doomed to fail is defeatist,” he said.

The BBC’s James Coomarasamy in Washington says the most eagerly awaited reaction is yet to come - that of wavering Republicans who could determine whether or not Congress will try to force the president’s hand.

Three Republicans in the Senate have broken ranks with the president and called for a phased troop withdrawal.

Several others have signed on as supporters of a bipartisan bill to implement a series of changes recommended last December by the Iraqi Study Group.

The Democrats will need support from the Republicans if they are to push the legislation through in a final Senate vote expected next week.

BBC

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Iraq civilian deaths down but political reforms stalled, says White House

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Mark Tran
Thursday July 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

US and Iraqi soldiers stand on a street during a dawn raid on suspected al-Qaida members in Baquba, 35 miles north-east of Baghdad.
US and Iraqi soldiers stand on a street during a dawn raid on suspected al-Qaida members in Baquba, 35 miles north-east of Baghdad. Photograph: AP

The White House today delivered its interim report on Iraq as President George Bush sought to stem a rising rebellion within his own Republican party over the war.Moments after the report’s release, Mr Bush insisted there would be no precipitous withdrawal of US combat troops despite crumbling Republican support.

“A drawdown not linked to the success of the operation would be a disaster,” a defiant Mr Bush told a White House press conference.

He said he shared the concerns of his fellow Republicans but added that he had “an obligation to hear out my commander on the ground and I will take his recommendation as well as consult members of Congress”.

Ordered by Congress as an interim assessment of Mr Bush’s “surge” strategy to send in an extra 30,000 troops, the report concluded the overall trend in Iraq was positive under the present approach.

But it admitted insufficient progress on eight of 18 congressional benchmarks, mainly concerning political reconciliation. Results were mixed on two other political benchmarks, and “satisfactory” progress was reported in the remaining areas, which mostly concerned military issues.

The paper warned that al-Qaida forces would step up attacks in Iraq leading up to September in an attempt to influence US public opinion over the war.

Today’s progress report has assumed considerable importance given the Republican rift over US policy on Iraq. Two more Republican senators, Olympia Snowe and Chuck Hagel, yesterday said they would support Democratic efforts to begin US troop cuts.

At least eight Republican senators - most of them up for re-election next year - have said they favour one or more of several proposed versions of a defence bill that would require early troop cuts.

In a swipe at critics of US policy, the report said progress towards political reconciliation had been hampered by “increasing concern among Iraqi political leaders that the United States may not have a long-term commitment to Iraq”.

It said “local political accommodations” had dramatically improved conditions in some of Iraq’s most violent areas, but it would take time for improved conditions locally to translate into broader political accommodations at the national level.

“What is important is the overall trajectory, which, under our present strategy, has begun to stabilise, compared to the deteriorating trajectory seen over the course of 2006,” the White House said in the report.

While the Senate lacks enough votes to override a presidential veto on troop withdrawals, the administration is alarmed at the growing number of senior Republicans deserting Mr Bush.

The president has argued that his strategy of sending extra troops to Iraq, enacted in February, must be given time to work.

The president and national security officials are urgently lobbying Republicans in Congress to hold off from trying to withdraw or redeploy troops until General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, and the US ambassador in Iraq, Ryan Crocker, deliver a more comprehensive assessment in September.

Today’s report is expected to provide ammunition to both sides of the debate. It said the Iraqi government had failed to make satisfactory progress on a law to share oil revenues between the country’s Shia, Sunnis and Kurds, or on a law on de-Baathification that would allow former officials of Saddam Hussein’s regime to apply for government jobs.

It said Iraqi government progress had been satisfactory on reducing sectarian violence, but unsatisfactory on eliminating militia control of local security.

On al-Qaida, the White House said the number of suicide and car bomb attacks fell off markedly in May and June, possibly because of US and Iraqi government operations.

“We should expect, however, that al-Qaida in Iraq will attempt to increase its tempo of attacks as September approaches in an effort to influence US domestic opinion about sustained US engagement in Iraq,” the report said.

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Music Master, Anti-Fascist: Remembering the Maestro

Friday, July 13th, 2007

By Stephen Lendman
RINF Alternative News

The term maestro means a “master” or “teacher” in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. In English it refers to a distinguished musician or noted figure in any artistic field. Most often, however, it’s a term of respect for an eminent conductor of classical music. For this writer, the term applies to one great man above all others, and this year commemorates the 50th anniversary of his death - the incomparable Arturo Toscanini whose anti-fascism enhanced his musical prominence and is the reason for this article.

Here’s what former New York Times music critic Olin Downes once wrote about him: “Toscanini (had) unparalleled qualities as an interpreter. (His performances showed) profound intuition, abnormal concentration (and) consuming sincerity which make them what they are, and without a precise equivalent in any other conductor of which we know….People marvel at such physical as well as artistic capacity. Toscanini is a physical and mental phenomenon….(The) supreme….spirit of the sovereign artist….sustains him….Watch him as he walks slowly to the podium and mounts the stand. Then see what happens the instant he faces the orchestra, scoreless….taking command immediately with imperious authority and elan. A rock-ribbed steadfastness of tempo emanates from the baton….as the music ebbs and flows from this extraordinary blend of control and release…..Toscanini (is) like the invincible titan and warrior of the faith. (He’s) the great master, the ageless hero….the incorruptible and consummate artist (creating) art (that is) greater than man himself….And it is this….which makes his fellow-man his debtor.”

The Maestro was born in Parma, Italy March 25, 1867. He began his musical career as a cellist and debuted at age 19 as a conductor in Rio de Janeiro in 1886 when he was unexpectedly called on to substitute for the regular music director. Amazingly, he led the orchestra and cast in Verdi’s classic Aida from memory without ever before having done it. It changed his life and the operatic and symphonic world.

Toscanini was considered by many critics and fellow musicians the greatest conductor of his era, or any other, that lasted nearly seven decades from 1886 to his retirement in 1954 at age 86. His perfectionism was demanding and extraordinary and was aided by his phenomenal memory. He conducted all his concerts without scores, remembering every nuance of every note of every performance until once late in his life his memory faltered on April 4, 1954 at age 86. In mid-performance, he stopped conducting live on-air. He covered his eyes and the orchestra, so dependent on his leadership, at first fell silent. With help, he managed to finish the concert with the well-rehearsed orchestra leading their Maestro who led them for so many years. Before the concert’s end, Toscanini dropped his baton and left the stage. He never conducted in public again.

Toscanini’s musical genius had an enormously enriching influence on many, including this writer. It began a lifelong love for the classics that remains to this day and is still enjoyed in a large collection of old but very serviceable LP recordings of his operas and symphonic works.

The first ever bought is still the one most cherished - his classic 1946 recording of Puccini’s La Boheme with a distinguished cast. It was performed live to a worldwide audience on NBC Radio on two successive Sundays beginning 50 years and two days after he premiered it in the Regio Opera House in Turin, Italy for his friend and composer Giacomo Puccini. In the recorded performance, as in some others, Toscanini can be heard humming at several dramatic moments and at one stunning point sighing in an expression of deep emotion. Some critics said it detracted from the performance. Others, and this writer, felt it enriched the listening experience, making it special by glorifying and highlighting it. It made a lasting impact on listeners still remaining for this one over 60 years later.

Toscanini was more than a great music master. He was also uncompromisingly anti-fascist at a time of Mussolini’s rise to power in his native Italy in the 1920s followed by Hitler in 1930s Germany. Though non-political overall, throughout that period and during WW II, he was distinguished for his views as a symbol of freedom and humanity when so little of it existed at a time of global war on three continents. More on that below.

Throughout the late 19th century, Toscanini slowly built his reputation conducting in various concert halls throughout Italy. He directed the premiere performances of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci in 1892 and La Boheme in 1896. He also directed the Italian premieres of Wagner’s Gotterdammerung in 1895 and Siegfried in 1899 at the famed La Scala opera house that first began operating two years after the United States declared its independence from the British Crown. During his illustrious career, he conducted throughout Europe, North and South America and became the principal conductor of the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1908, remaining there until 1915. In 1926, he debuted with the New York Philharmonic, became its co-conductor in 1927 and its principal music director in 1929.

While on tour in Bologna, Italy in 1931, he was assaulted by fascist thugs for his views, authorities temporarily confiscated his passport, and the Fascist party surrounded his Milan home with carabinieri. During the same period, he was constantly attacked by the Fascist press for his uncompromising views. As a result, Toscanini refused thereafter to conduct in Italy during Mussolini’s reign.

In 1933, he withdrew from Bayreuth after Hitler became German Chancellor in January that year. He even sent Hitler a personal telegram stating his views to which the German dictator responded by banning further sale or performance of his recordings. That same year his daughter, Wanda, married famed concert pianist Vladimir Horowitz who performed on-stage and in recordings many times with his renowned father-in-law. In the 1930s, Toscanini resigned from the New York Philharmonic to lead the Vienna Philmarmonic, later withdrawing from the Salzburg Festival in 1938 protesting Hitler’s Anschluss takeover of Austria in March that year.

Beginning with his first concert on Christmas Day, 1937, he began his association with the NBC Symphony, many of whose recordings this writer has and treasures as classics. Company president David Sarnoff created the orchestra expressly for the Maestro as an inducement for him to return to New York. He did and remained the orchestra’s conductor until his retirement in 1954.

Many critics and classical musicians regard the 1937 - 1954 17 year era as the golden age of symphonic music in America when Arturo Toscanini led the NBC Symphony throughout the period. His weekly concerts were held in NBC’s famed Studio 8-H in New York’s Rockefeller Center until the fall of 1950 when they were moved to Carnegie Hall for its superior acoustics.

A personal note: Live Sunday evening concerts were broadcast worldwide on NBC Radio, including 10 televised in the US from 1948 - 1952. They were held around the dinner hour in the 1940s and early 1950s. My mother introduced me to them. She played classical piano, listened when able, as did I as a young boy. It began a lifetime love for the classics and the Maestro’s incomparable performances that touched everyone hearing them. Toscanini’s uncompromising standards of excellence and relentless quest for perfection had a profound effect on his listeners. I’m one of them any time I choose from my large collection of his recordings. They preserve his music forever that’s as powerful and moving now as when first performed.

One other personal note: My mother’s love of great music was matched by her passion for learning. She pursued it and received her well-deserved degree along with her son in the same class of 1956, seven months before Toscanini’s death. It was the first time a mother and son ever graduated together in the 320 year history of the oldest higher institution of learning in the country. June 14, 1956 was her day. Her son just went along for the ride.

Toscanini the Anti-Fascist

As a conductor and anti-fascist, Toscanini was uncompromising. This section covers the political philosophy of a non-political man who was fiercely democratic. It emerged when the Maestro publicly denounced Benito Mussolini after he led his National Fascist Party’s march on Rome in October, 1922 declaring himself Il Duce or supreme leader. Toscanini thereafter refused to play the Fascist anthem Giovanezza he didn’t consider fit music and wanted nothing to do with the Fascist dictator.

When Italian King Emmanuel III declared himself Emperor of conquered Ethiopia in 1936, Toscanini wrote: “Cursed Rome. Mussolini, the Emperor-King, and the Pope. Pigs, all of them.” In a letter to Berlin in 1941, he wrote: “You are too poisoned by the atmosphere that surrounds you, you are all living now too much amid shame and dishonor, without showing any sign of rebellion, to be able to value people like me, who have remained and will remain above the mud, not to give it a worse name, that is drowning the Italians.”

Earlier in 1938, he wrote: “I’ve never been and will never be involved in politics; that is, I became involved only once in ‘19, and for Mussolini and I repented….I’ve never taken part in Societies, either political or artistic….I’ve always believed only an individual can be a gentleman….Everyone ought to express his own opinion honestly and courageously, then dictators, criminals, wouldn’t last so long.”

In February, 1941 Toscanini intervened on behalf of fellow Italian and anti-fascist, Claudio Alcorso. He’d been arrested because of his nationality in allied Australia in July, 1940 and held for what became a bitter three and a half year confinement. It was because Australia judged Italians during the war the way the US viewed Japanese Americans. It made Alcorso believe “a dogmatic mentality was not the sole prerogative of German and Italian Fascists.” Toscanini’s efforts failed despite repeated efforts, though Alcorso was finally freed after Mussolini and his Fascist party fell in 1943.

While Mussolini ruled as Italy’s dictator, the Maestro refused to perform in his native country including at the famed Milan La Scala opera house. He publicly stated: “Never! I refuse to turn La Scala into a market place for Fascist demonstrations. They have the square outside and also the Galleria nearby for that, but while I conduct the Scala orchestra, it will remain the home of opera and never will it become a propaganda platform.” Mussolini gave his brazen response: “Never will my feet cross the threshold of La Scala until Toscanini, the anti-Fascist, goes from there. How dare he refuse to play Giovanezza (the Fascist anthem)?”

Toscanini condemned Mussolini for his comments telling La Scala’s directors: “I will conduct Giovanezza never and for nobody!” He stood resolute by his word. He deplored dictatorships and never played in Czarist or Stalinist Russia as well. He was an implacable enemy of tyranny. In Weimar pre-Hitler Germany, he was the first non-German to appear at the Wagner Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, but refused to return in 1933 after Hitler came to power. He denounced the Nazi’s treatment of Jewish musicians in protest. He also refused to conduct at Austria’s Salzburg Festival because noted Jewish conductor Bruno Walter’s performances there weren’t broadcast in Germany. Later in 1938 and 1939, he conducted, without compensation, at a Lucerne, Switzerland festival with an orchestra entirely composed of musicians who’d fled German persecution.

During WW II, Toscanini said: “Italy will certainly have a revolution as a result of the current war; the Allies will either favor and help it, or hinder it. The Allies’ attitude will determine whether the revolution will, or will not, result in an orderly democratic government….” If he were still living, Toscanini would be outspoken about today’s world and the ugliness Washington injects in it. He’d denounce fascism’s rise in America and the power of wealth and privilege driving it. He was a democrat and patriot whose influential views had weight.

Today the Mastro would be in the artistic forefront leading the struggle for the same freedoms he believed in when fascism earlier engulfed Europe, Asia and North Africa in its greatest of all wars. In words and stunning music, he’d be in the lead to prevent it happening again so the spirit of equity, social justice and peace on earth could prevail for all above the darkness of tyranny now threatening everyone in the age of George Bush’s America.

Toscanini conducted his last concert on April 4, 1954 as mentioned above. Always one to surprise (as he did two and a half months earlier choosing Un Ballo in maschera over Rigoletto for his final opera performance), he eschewed his native Italy and chose an all-Wagner program for the occasion. He died of a stroke at age 89 on January 16, 1957. His extraordinary music and democratic spirit are sorely missed but not forgotten.

Throughout the year, many Toscanini commemorative concerts and events were and are still being held in the US, his native Italy and elsewhere. Most notable was the New York Public Library’s showcase exhibition of rare Library material on the Maestro’s legacy that ran from February 21 through May 25, 2007. It was called Arturo Toscanini: Homage to the Maestro. It included rare rehearsal and performance recordings and unique documents on Toscanini’s multifaceted persona. Among items on exhibit were photographs, annotated scores, letters, and many seldom ever seen unpublished materials donated by the Toscanini family to the Library’s Music Division. Through these and other documents, the Maestro’s memory, spirit and music remains alive.

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‘No proof’ against Australia doctor

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Police say they are still examining hard drives and other electronic material from Haneef's home [EPA]

Australian police have reportedly found no evidence to charge an Indian doctor who has been held without charge for 11 days on suspicion of connection to atttempted UK bomb attacks.However, officials still believe Muhammad Haneef played a role in last month’s failed bombings, the Australian newspaper reported citing government documents.

Haneef, 27, was arrested in the eastern Australian city of Brisbane on July 2 while trying to leave the country on a one-way ticket to India.

The paper said that despite a massive investigation, authorities have failed to uncover any evidence with which to charge him.

Haneef, an Indian national who emigrated to Australia from Britain last year, is a distant cousin of Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, two suspects held in Britain in connection with two bomb-laden cars found in London on June 29 and an attack on Glasgow airport the next day.

Kafeel Ahmed is being held under police guard in UK hospital where he remains in a critical condition from severe burns caused by the Glasgow attack.

‘Support’

The documents cited by the Australian said police do not want to release Haneef because they suspect he “provided support to the terrorist organization responsible for the terrorist acts in London and/or Glasgow.”

Investigators have seized several computer hard drives, PDAs, flash drives and computer disks as well as phones and digital cameras belonging to Haneef and his associates, the paper reported.

It quoted officials as saying the inquiry had been complicated by the need to process the large volume of electronic data they had found and check it with material held by British authorities.

The Australian said police were likely to urge Brisbane magistrates to allow them to hold Haneef for another 72 hours, adding that investigations could take up to two more weeks to complete.

“If Mr Haneef was released from detention, it would be more difficult for authorities to effectively monitor his movements and who he communicates with, either in Australia or overseas,” the paper quoted government documents saying.

Agencies

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White House admits CIA leak

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Agencies

The US president has publicly acknowledged that someone in his administration leaked the identity of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA operative.

Answering questions at a press conference on Thursday, George Bush would not, though, directly address a question on whether he was disappointed in the officials who had leaked Plame’s name.

“You know, I’ve often thought about what would have happened had that person come forth and said, ‘I did it’,” he told reporters.

“Would we have had this, you know, endless hours of investigation and a lot of money being spent on this matter?”

At the press conference, Bush was asked about his decision to commute the 30-month prison sentence of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the former chief of staff to Dick Cheney, the vice-president.

Libby was convicted of lying and obstruction of justice in the investigation into the leaking of Plame’s identity.

Sentence commuted

But 10 days ago, Bush labelled the sentence “excessive” and used his presidential powers to commute the sentence, though he left in place a $250,000 fine.

The president had initially said he would fire anyone in his administration found to have publicly disclosed the identity of Plame, whose husband, Joseph Wilson, was a vocal anti-war critic.

“It has been a tough issue for a lot of people in the White House, and it’s run its course, and now we’re going to move on,” said Bush.

Meanwhile, also on Thursday, Reggie B Walton, the district judge who sentenced Libby, took issue with Bush’s characterisation of Libby’s sentence as “excessive”, noting that the 2-1/2 year sentence was at the low end of federal sentencing guidelines.

“It is fair to say the court is somewhat perplexed as to how its sentence could be accurately described as ‘excessive’”, wrote Walton, who was appointed to his position by Bush.

Karl Rove, the White House political adviser, and Richard Armitage, the deputy secretary of state, were the primary sources for a 2003 newspaper article outing Plame.

Ari Fleischer, a former White House press secretary, also admitted telling reporters about her.

Jurors at the trial apparently believed prosecutors who said Libby discussed Plame with reporters from the New York Times and Time magazine. Libby was the only one charged in the matter.

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