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When purple things are pulsating on your mind, I'm the one whose clock you want to clean. Aiding is Sparky, the Astral Plane Zen Pup Dog from his mountain stronghold on the Northernmost Island of the Happy Ninja Island chain, this blog will also act as a journal to my wacky antics at an entertainment company and the progress of my self published comic book, The Deposit Man which only appears when I damn well feel like it. Real Soon Now.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

SPARKY: Cheney's goon plays to party line

I'm not camping the Huffington Post but this should get more coverage ... It's a shame how much Bush Juntas I & II continues to take up the ass from the damn Saudis -when we think of their nationals who flew hijacked planes into buildings for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
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The Executive's Henchmen Ride Again

Central Intelligence Agency Director Porter Goss - who in all of my conversations with intelligence officers has only ever been described as a criminal and "Sycophantic Cheney's boy," fired a whistleblower last night for exposing the inhumanity and extreme cruelty of this administration. -
“... The CIA did not reveal the identity of the employee, who was dismissed Thursday, but NBC News reported last night she is Mary McCarthy. An intelligence source confirmed that the report was accurate.

McCarthy began her career in government as an analyst at the CIA in 1984, public documents show. She served as special assistant to the president and senior director for intelligence programs at the White House during the Clinton administration and the first few months of the Bush administration. She later returned to the CIA. Attempts to reach her last night were unsuccessful.

The CIA's statement did not name the reporters it believes were involved, but several intelligence officials said The Post's Dana Priest was among them. This week, Priest won the Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting for articles about the agency, including one that revealed the existence of secret, CIA-run prisons in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. ...”

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Cheney's Boy Porter
The concept of "national security" is not remotely of interest to Goss, Cheney, Bush or any other member of this corrupt and twisted administration. In order to fully care about national security, one would be required to care first. And this administration has proved over and over that it has no care for the citizens of this nation, the soldiers serving this nation, the intelligence officers working to protect this nation, the laws of this nation, the Congress of this nation, the Judiciary of this nation, and in general for anything outside of its own wretched power lust and greed frenzy.

Consider that this career officer may have at one time or another been covert, although not currently. The CIA never publicly fires employees, covert or otherwise, for this very reason. Moreover, everyone I have spoken with says this is the first case they know of where an officer was fired for leaking to the press. So why is Goss so eager to publicly expose this career officer who had recently served in the inspector general's office as well as on the National Security Council?

And why did he time it to coincide with revelations that Secretary Condoleezza Rice passed classified information to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in the same manner as the now imprisoned Larry Franklin?
“ ... Prosecutors disputed the allegation that Rice had improperly leaked information, and opposed the subpoenas. Rice "never gave national defense information" to Rosen, Assistant U.S. Atty. Kevin DiGregory told Ellis.

Rosen and former AIPAC employee Keith Weissman are charged with collaborating with former Pentagon analyst Lawrence A. Franklin to collect secret defense information about the Middle East.

Franklin was sentenced Jan. 20 to more than 12 years in prison for giving classified information to Rosen, Weissman and an Israeli diplomat.

Ellis also approved a defense subpoena for Franklin.

The indictment alleges a conspiracy dating to 1999, including meetings with two other government officials at which secret information was disclosed. Those officials are not charged in the case. Though they are not identified in the indictment, one of them is reported to be Satterfield.

According to prosecutors, Rosen and Weissman assiduously acquired information about a range of secrets, including a sensitive analysis of U.S. policy in Iran. AIPAC fired them last year, saying they acted contrary to the best interests of the organization. ... ”
Because Porter Goss had only one job at the CIA and it had nothing to do with fighting the war on terror or protecting national security. He was appointed to clean house of anyone with a conscience, to bury the bodies and silence the witnesses.

Worse still, consider the information that this whistleblower leaked and what the implications of such a public display of political dirty tricks and intimidation will mean for this nation.

Larry Franklin

Lawrence Franklin
Lawrence Anthony Franklin is a U.S. Air Force Reserve colonel who has pled guilty to passing information about U.S. policy towards Iran to Israel through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the foremost pro-Israel lobbying organization in the U.S, while he was working for the Defense Department. Two former employees of that organization are also facing charges that they assisted him in the AIPAC espionage scandal and passing classified information to an Israeli diplomat Naor Gilon. On January 20, 2006, Judge T.S. Ellis, III sentenced Franklin to 151 months (almost 13 years) in prison and fined him $10,000. [1] The case was heard in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia where a number of "Al-Qaeda" defendants have been given sentences much harsher than Franklin's.

Franklin at the Office of Special Plans

In 2002 and 2003, Franklin worked at the Office of Special Plans which was set up by Donald Rumsfeld. The office was led by prominent neocon Douglas Feith, who sent Larry Franklin overseas repeatedly for sensitive projects involving foreign citizen contacts. [2] Under Feith's authorization,[3] Larry Franklin met with Iran-Contra figures [4] who were shopping [5] Iraq WMD intelligence to an eager audience. [6] This unvetted WMD information was then "stove-piped" to the White House for use in building support for the war. [7] The WMD information gleaned from these "back-channel" meetings turned out to be false. Post invasion, the Iraq Survey Group found Iraq had no stocks of WMD, nor the capability to produce them.

See also

External links

  • Centre for Counterintelligence and Security Studies: Larry Franklin Case [9]
  • FranklinGate [10]
  • Pentagon analyst guilty in Israeli spy scandal [11]
  • Pentagon Analyst Pleads Guilty in AIPAC-Israeli Spy Case [12]
  • Larry Franklin indicted for espionage [13]
  • Toeing an Illegal Line [14]
  • "USG0-1" in AIPAC espionage case is former CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack [15]
  • Dailykos files on Larry Franklin [16]
  • Executive Intelligence Review: Larry Franklin Case [17]
  • Bigger Than AIPAC [18]
  • SourceWatch: Larry Franklin [19]
  • Larry Franklin, flipped [20]
  • Mole Hunt [21]
  • Franklin Affair Blows Neo-con Moles at DoD [22]
  • Israeli Spying On U.S. Unravels, Franklin Sings Like Canary [23]
  • AIPAC Spy Ring Indictment [24]
  • Keith Weissman, an Iran analyst at the AIPAC [25]
  • Keith Weissman at an Iranian event [26]
  • Steven Rosen Indictment [27]
  • Notes on Naor Gilon [28]
  • Notes on Harold Rhode [29]
  • Iran-Contra II: Fresh scrutiny on a rogue Pentagon operation [30]
  • Center for Cooperative Research, Profile: Larry Franklin [31]
  • Israeli Spying archives [32]
  • Still Dreaming of Tehran [33]
  • Jail the War Party for treason [34]
  • Justin Raimondo. Larry Franklin's October Surprise, Antiwar.com, October 8, 2004.
  • Warren P. Strobel. Pentagon analyst charged with passing secrets to Israeli lobby, Knight Ridder, May 5, 2005.
  • Jerry Markon. Pentagon spy for Israel given 12 years, Washington Post, January 21, 2006.
  • USAF Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski (retired): When I was there (Pentagon) in 2002-2003, Larry Franklin was the Iran desk officer with the Defense Under Secretary for Policy, Near East South Asia, moving later to the Office of Special Plans. [35]

American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)

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U.S. President George W. Bush addresses AIPAC
members in Washington on May 18, 2004. To his
right is AIPAC's executive director Howard Kohr
and to his left is AIPAC president Bernice
Manocherian.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a special interest group that lobbies the United States Government on behalf of a strong U.S. - Israel relationship. Describing itself as "America's Pro-Israel Lobby," it is a mass-membership organization including both Jews and non-Jews, and is considered one of the most powerful political lobbies in the United States.

History

Founded in 1953 by I.L. "Si" Kenen, AIPAC's original name was the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs. According to UCLA political science professor and author, Steven Siegel, "the tension between the Eisenhower administration and Israeli supporters was so acute that there were rumors (unfounded as it turned out) that the administration would investigate the American Zionist Council. Therefore, an independent lobbying committee was formed, which years later was renamed [AIPAC]." [SPIEGEL, p. 52]. Today, AIPAC has 65,000 members across 50 states.

Activities and stated goals

AIPAC's stated purpose is to lobby the Congress of the United States on issues and legislation that are in the best interests of Israel and the United States. It regularly meets with members of Congress and holds events where it can share its views. It also provides analysis of the voting records of U.S. federal representatives and senators with regard to how they voted on legislation related to Israel. AIPAC has been effective in gaining support for Israel among members of Congress and White House administrations.

The New York Times described AIPAC on July 6, 1987 as "a major force in shaping United States policy in the Middle East." The article also stated that: "The organization has gained power to influence a presidential candidate's choice of staff, to block practically any arms sale to an Arab country, and to serve as a catalyst for intimate military relations between The Pentagon and the Israeli army. Its leading officials are consulted by State Department and White House policy makers, by senators and generals."

AIPAC's views of its strengths and achievements

AIPAC claims its strengths lie in its national membership base and great research capacity to understand both Israel's interest and the interests of other countries affecting US-Israel relationship around the world. Some of the achievements it claims [1] include:

  • Isolating Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad by advocating that the Administration place the terrorist groups on a more restrictive terrorist list, allowing the United States to sanction foreign financial institutions if they fail to block the organizations’ assets.
  • Disrupting Hamas financing by urging the Administration to freeze the assets of the U.S.-based Holy Land Foundation, which has been accused of funneling money to the terrorist organization.
  • Defending Israel from terrorist bomb attacks by securing $28 million for Israel to purchase American technology, including robots and scanners, designed to detect and neutralize bombs.

Successes

AIPAC advises members of Congress about the issues that face today's Middle East, including the dangers of extremism and terrorism. It was an early supporter of the Counter-Terrorism Act of 1995, which resulted in increased FBI resources being committed to fight terrorism, as well as expanded federal jurisdiction in prosecuting criminal activities related to terrorism.

AIPAC also supported the funding of a number of Israeli military projects that have resulted in many new additions to the arsenal of America's Armed Services. The Arrow anti-missile system is now the most advanced working anti-ballistic missile system in the world.

Martin Indyk research director at the AIPAC, founded the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) think-tank in 1985.

AIPAC lobbies for financial aid from the United States to Israel, helping to procure nearly $3 billion in aid. [1]

Controversies

AIPAC has been connected to several controversial events.

In 1982, AIPAC was able to convince the US Congress and President Reagan to veto a French-supported UN resolution condemning the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon, which called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Lebanon to allow for the safe evacuation of Palestinians. This caused some critics in the media to argue that the "Reagan administration could not commit itself to concrete action to stop the killing in Lebanon". [2] The United States defended its vote stating that the proposed resolution would allow the PLO to retain its weapons during the evacuation, thus allowing it to potentially carry out attacks throughout the evacuation.

In 1992, AIPAC president David Steiner had to resign when he was tape recorded boasting about his political influence, saying he had "cut a deal" with the Bush administration to give more aid to Israel. He had arranged for "almost a billion dollars in other goodies," he added and was "negotiating" with the incoming Clinton administration over appointing a pro-Israeli Secretary of State. Steiner also stated AIPAC had "a dozen people in (the Clinton) headquarters. And they are all going to get big jobs."

Haim Katz told the Washington Times that he taped the conversation because "as someone Jewish, I am concerned when a small group has a disproportionate power. I think that hurts everyone, including Jews. If David Steiner wants to talk about the incredible, disproportionate clout AIPAC has, the public should know about it."[3]

Franklin, Rosen, Weissman

  • In August 2004, it was revealed that the FBI had been conducting an investigation of Larry Franklin, a United States Department of Defense employee, on suspicion of espionage.
  • In May 2005, the Justice Department announced that Franklin had been arrested and charged with providing classified information about potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. The one-count criminal complaint did not identify AIPAC by name, but described a luncheon meeting in which, allegedly, Franklin disclosed top-secret information to two AIPAC officials.
  • In August 2005, former AIPAC policy director Steven Rosen and AIPAC senior Iran analyst Keith Weissman were indicted for illegally conspiring to gather and disclose classified national security information to Israel.
  • On January 20, 2006, Judge T. S. Ellis III sentenced Franklin to 151 months (almost 13 years) in prison and fined him $10,000.
For full details, see AIPAC espionage scandal

Supporters

AIPAC has a wide base of supporters both in and outside of Congress. Support among congressional members includes a majority of members of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. One supporter, state Rep. Mark B. Cohen of Philadelphia (a delegate to the 2004 AIPAC national convention in Washington, D.C.) said: "AIPAC plays valuable roles in expanding the pro-Israel communities in the United States, and in putting them in touch with those who influence the direction of American foreign policy. AIPAC is a diverse, broad-based organization which seeks to synthesize the views of its backers with objective information to pursue the advocacy of policies that benefit both the United States and Israel. No organization can better articulate the American interests in a strong U.S.-Israel military alliance than AIPAC can."

President George W. Bush, addressing AIPAC members in Washington on May 18, 2004, stated: "AIPAC is doing important work. In Washington and beyond, AIPAC is calling attention to the great security challenges of our time. You've always understood and warned against the evil ambition of terrorism and their networks. In a dangerous new century, your work is more vital than ever."

Critics

AIPAC also has critics, including United States Representative Cynthia McKinney and journalist Alexander Cockburn of CounterPunch, who claim that AIPAC was instrumental in helping to defeat Congressional candidates that AIPAC deemed unfriendly to Israel, Representative McKinney of Georgia (after her first term as a Representative) and former Representative Earl F. Hilliard of Alabama.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Other critics, such as Representative Dave Obey, of Wisconsin, contend that AIPAC primarily reflects the right-wing Likud's positions, rather than representing those of more left-wing Israeli political parties, such as the Labor Party.[8] [3] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] For critics, the relationship between AIPAC and the Israeli government raises other concerns. AIPAC is not registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) [14], which requires those who receive funds or act on behalf of a foreign government to register. While AIPAC maintains that it receives no funds or directions from the State of Israel, past critics, such as former American Senator William Fulbright and former senior CIA official Victor Marchetti, contended that AIPAC should have registered. The recent AIPAC espionage scandal has increased attention to FARA's possible applicability to AIPAC. [15]

Hedrick Smith claimed in his book The Power Game: How Washington Works that AIPAC had become a superlobby: "[It] gained so much political muscle that by 1985 AIPAC and its allies could force President Reagan to renege on an arms deal he had promised to [Jordan's] King Hussein. By 1986, the pro-Israel lobby could stop Reagan from making another jet fighter deal with Saudi Arabia, and Secretary of State George Shultz had to sit down with AIPAC's executive director -- not Congressional leaders -- to find out what level of arms sales to the Saudis AIPAC would tolerate".

Mearsheimer & Walt paper

Main article: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

John Mearsheimer, political science professor at the University of Chicago, and Stephen Walt, Academic Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, published a working paper, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, in March, 2006 claiming that U.S. Middle East policy is not in America's national interest and is motivated primarily by AIPAC. This paper has garnered much criticism, and Harvard asked to have its name removed from it.

References

  1. ? AIPAC. AIPAC: Who we are. AIPAC. Accessed March 28, 2006.
  2. ? Cockburn, Alexander. From Cynthia McKinney to Katha Pollitt, to the ILWU to Paul Krugman, CounterPunch, August 21, 2002. Accessed March 26, 2006.
  3. ? a b Muwakkil, Salim. The warp factor of the Israeli lobby, Chicago Tribune, July 1, 2002. Accessed on http://www.obermayer.us/, March 26, 2006.
  4. ? Nigut, Bill. Deconstructing Cynthia McKinney, Atlanta Jewish Times, November 5, 1999. Accessed March 26, 2006.
  5. ? McKinney. Cynthia Ann McKinney: The Voice of the Voiceless, Campaign Web Site. Accessed March 26, 2006.
  6. ? Hughes, William. McKinney's Defeat: Undue Meddling, CounterPunch, September 5, 2002. Accessed March 26, 2006.
  7. ? Madsen, Wayne. Crushing Congressional Dissent: The Fall of Hilliard, Barr and McKinney, CounterPunch, August 22, 2002. Accessed March 26, 2006.
  8. ? Edsall, Thomas B. and Moore, Molly. Pro-Israel Lobby Has Strong Voice. The Washington Post, September 5, 2004. Accessed March 26, 2006.
  9. ? Zogby, James. Is AIPAC in Trouble? Part IV: The Problems Within the Lobby and the Jewish Community, Arab American Institute, August 30, 1993. Accessed March 27, 2006.
  10. ? Ticker, Bruce. AIPAC Charges Offer Opportunity, Philadelphia Jewish Voice, September 2005. Accessed March 27, 2006.
  11. ? Rozen, Laura and Vest, Jason. Cloak and Swagger, The American Prospect, November 2, 2004. Accessed March 27, 2006.
  12. ? Nir, Ori. Questions raised over AIPAC's tactics, The Forward, September 3, 2004. Accessed March 27, 2006.
  13. ? Dorf, Matthew. After Barak win, AIPAC reverses opposition to a Palestinian state, The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, May 28, 1999. Accessed March 27, 2006.
  14. ? Foreign Agents Registration Unit (FARA) Counterespionage Section, Department of Justice, Criminal Division. Accessed March 28, 2006.
  15. ? Nir, Ori. Leaders Fear Probe Will Force Pro-Israel Lobby To File as ‘Foreign Agent' Could Fuel Dual Loyalty Talk. The Forward. December 21, 2004. Accessed March 28, 2006.

See also

External links


Critical or questioning

Disclaimer: Sparky's Mom is an AIPAC lobbyist.
And the Anderson papers nonsence the FBI is going on about shows that the Government is not done hunting out dangerous Jews ...

Too many people on stupid pills out there - Sparks

posted by Coat @ 10:18 PM  

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