The election has ended and we have out new President Elect Barack Obama. I am so happy that I don't know what to say.
So instead I'll cross post my (first) blog over at open salon (http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=38957). Originally posted 5 November 0910am.
I never thought it'd take me this long to do my first Open Salon post.
It's currently 0910am in Kabul, Afghanistan and I'm GLUED to the screen watching the election results roll in .
I am so unbelievably happy.
I've been deployed to Afghanistan since May this year (2008) and the entire time I've been surround by staunch Republicans who SEVERELY opposed President Elect Obama. Granted they weren't huge McCain fans either but they were voting one way and I was voting another.
Months of Me vs 15 to 20 people. I won some...and I simply gave up other discussions. Towards the end some discussions got very heated...but in the last few days they conceded. They made their snipes but justified it saying my guy was goin to win.
I used my Skype phone and called as many people as I could...considering the 8.5hr time difference. I donated and I managed to raise money and I'm just so happy that the election is over. I can hear the people around me adjusting to the change. Yesterday they declared it would be a dictatorship...and now one just said Obama is a good candidate and they think he is his own man.
I keep pushing the "Purple" idea. Don't let this country be divided into red nor blue...but Purple through and through.
I am in a volunteer military. No matter what I would have served the next Commander in Chief...I'm just so joyous that he will be President Elect Obama.
I know the next few years will be tough but I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel...where before I didn't even see a tunnel.
Tommorrow the real work begins.
But...I really wish I had been in the States for this so I could experience all the energy...instead of sitting in my room alone and calling potential voters...and now surrounded by begrudging well wishers.
My heart is so full...Hope...what a beautiful thing. Now let me get back to work before I get called out as gloating LOL.
beautiful kisses, Siobhan
Kabul, Afghanistan 0925am
I have hope now. I never realized it was missing until the campaign.
Much to my dismay I'm having trouble with my internet connection and Skype. I can't call 50 more people before 3pm as the campaign requested. It's 1117pm in Afghanistan and is WAY past my bedtime but I had to get this out.
So many people question my belief in Barack. The people around me seem to think that they can change the way I think based soley on their rhetoric without any facts. Yesterday, I put the facts directly in front of one of them so they could research it and they refused to even read it. Anytime we discuss politics in my office my one on one talks somehow turn into multiple people against me "discussions" (yesterday it was 5 vs 1) and they still can't win. I give them facts and truth and they give me illogical nonsense.
I have taken great care to not alienate them and to let them know the Obama presidency will be inclusive...and they don't return the sentiments. I understand I intimidate them and I understand the facts upset them...but it does not excuse their childish behavior. My co-workers who support Barack ask me questions quietly and secretly for fear of being dragged into one of my brawls with the others. They say they just don't want to deal with the nonsense.
Maybe it's because I'm the youngest in the office at 25 (and lowest ranking by far as just an E-5/NCO) but I believe people can change and adapt. However, I have now learned the true meaning of the axiom that you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. I can't make them want to think beyond their self-imposed limits...they have to choose.
Other quietly appauld my efforts. I tell them not to because I know I could do so much more...they simply ask how...by not sleeping to call voters? I accept their words...but in my heart I know I could have done more...what's sleep when the future of your country is at stake.
I talked and talked and talked to so many people on my skype phone and in person here (in a very careful way because you know political discussion can be frowned on in the service), called, donated, and raised (very) little money. I converted a few but overwhelmingly I did not convince many...but the few give me hope. Those who were willing to research beyond what their friends and Fox News told them (why does AFN play so much Fox news? More CNN or MSNBC please...how about some NPR alongside "Freedom Radio")
Tomorrow I wake up with hope for a whole new world. It'll be 6am when I go to work...0930pm or 1030 EST time there...(DST is confusing me). The election will be nearing it's end. I will openly shed tears if the future has changed for the better and Barack Obama is President-Elect. My co-workers may mock me but I have never cared for the opinion of (nor courted the good opinion of) other's and I won't start now.
I know things will get worse before better and times will be hard...but I have hope.
Good Night...enjoy your day...get the vote out...I'll see you in the morning...or tonight for you...hopefully we can embrace a new day together
beautiful kisses, Siobhan 1135pm Kabul
It is the eve of a historical vote, and we all need to make sure that we get out and vote. No matter how long the lines, no matter how dak the night, and no matter the weather; it is essential that we all get out and vote. The latest polls show Senator McCain closing the gap in some key states and we must all work to ensure that the gap does not evaporate before our eyes.
VOTE SMART, VOTE CHANGE, VOTE OBAMA!!!
Nuclear power is not “clean and green,” as the industry claims, because large amounts of traditional fossil fuels are required to mine and refine the uranium needed to run nuclear power reactors, to construct the massive concrete reactor buildings, and to transport and store the toxic radioactive waste created by the nuclear process. Burning of this fossil fuel emits significant quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2)—the primary “greenhouse gas”—into the atmosphere. In addition, large amounts of the now-banned chlorofluorocarbon gas (CFC) are emitted during the enrichment of uranium. CFC gas is not only 10,000 to 20,000 times more efficient as an atmospheric heat trapper (“greenhouse gas”) than CO2, but it is a classic “pollutant” and a potent destroyer of the ozone layer.Thousands of tons of solid radioactive waste are presently accumulating in the cooling pools beside the 103 operating nuclear plants in the United States and hundreds of others throughout the world. To compound this problem, the global supplies of usable uranium fuel are finite. If the entire world’s electricity production were replaced today by nuclear energy, there would be less than nine more years of accessible uranium.Meanwhile, every billion dollars spent on the supremely misguided attempt to revivify the nuclear industry is a theft from the production of cheap renewable electricity. Think what these billions could do if invested in the development of wind power, solar power, cogeneration, geothermal energy, biomass, and tidal and wave power, let alone basic energy conservation, which itself could save the United States 20% of the electricity it currently consumes.You would believe how many almost nuclear accidents have occurred. Fission Stories Nuclear Power's Secretshttp://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/article/id2165/pg1/index.htmlJoining the ROE caucuses We have started a Running on Empty (ROE) caucus of Washington State Democrats . We have also started a national ROE caucus. The goal of this caucus is to bring more emphasis by our Party to the coming end of cheap oil and natural gas which will result in an extreme disaster. To become a member of our caucus we require some more information from you. If you agree or basically agree with the following statements and you are a Democrat, then we will accept you into our caucus. 1. There are no sustainable energy sources that will rescue us at our current population levels. 2. Population reduction must be a part of any plan to rationally deal with peak oil (the end of cheap oil, natural gas, and coal), global climate change, biological/species decline, and natural resource depletion. 3. Global climate change will only be mitigated with extremely stringent emissions policies that reduce consumption rates and this must be done before fossil fuels are depleted.4. Absent immediate attention to peak oil, our government and/or political system have no chance whatsoever to react soon enough to help us.James Kunstler The Long EmergencyRichard Heinberg The Party's OverRichard Heinberg Power down WORLD IS FACING A NATURAL RESOURCES CRISIS October 29, 2008The world is heading for an "ecological credit crunch" far worse thanthe current financial crisis because humans are over-using the naturalresources of the planet, an international study warns today.The Living Planet report calculates that humans are using 30% moreresources than the Earth can replenish each year, which is leading todeforestation, degraded soils, polluted air, and water, and dramaticdeclines in numbers of fish and other species. The problem is also getting worse as populations and consumption keepgrowing faster than technology finds new ways of expanding what can beproduced from the natural world. For the first time the report also contains detailed information onthe "water footprint" of every country, and claims 50 countries arealready experiencing "moderate to severe water stress on a year-roundbasis." It also shows that 27 countries are "importing" more thanhalf the water they consume -- in the form of water used to producegoods from wheat to cotton -- including the U.K., Switzerland,Austria, Norway, and the Netherlands. Based on figures from 2005, the index indicates global biodiversityhas declined by nearly a third since 1970. In the 1960s most countries lived within their ecological resources.But the latest figures show that today three-quarters of the world'spopulation live in countries which consume more than they canreplenish. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/29/climatechange-endangeredhabitats
3. Global climate change will only be mitigated with extremely stringent emissions policies that reduce consumption rates and this must be done before fossil fuels are depleted.4. Absent immediate attention to peak oil, our government and/or political system have no chance whatsoever to react soon enough to help us.
WORLD IS FACING A NATURAL RESOURCES CRISIS
October 29, 2008The world is heading for an "ecological credit crunch" far worse thanthe current financial crisis because humans are over-using the naturalresources of the planet, an international study warns today.The Living Planet report calculates that humans are using 30% moreresources than the Earth can replenish each year, which is leading todeforestation, degraded soils, polluted air, and water, and dramaticdeclines in numbers of fish and other species.
The problem is also getting worse as populations and consumption keepgrowing faster than technology finds new ways of expanding what can beproduced from the natural world.
For the first time the report also contains detailed information onthe "water footprint" of every country, and claims 50 countries arealready experiencing "moderate to severe water stress on a year-roundbasis." It also shows that 27 countries are "importing" more thanhalf the water they consume -- in the form of water used to producegoods from wheat to cotton -- including the U.K., Switzerland,Austria, Norway, and the Netherlands.
Based on figures from 2005, the index indicates global biodiversityhas declined by nearly a third since 1970.
In the 1960s most countries lived within their ecological resources.But the latest figures show that today three-quarters of the world'spopulation live in countries which consume more than they canreplenish.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/oct/29/climatechange-endangeredhabitats
Posted by my friend Marcia Yerman on Huffington: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/veterans-families-cast-a_b_139934.html
I previously wrote an article about those who have served in our military, and the challenges facing them and their families. At that time, I interviewed Lorin Walker. We have stayed in touch, and she recently sent me this letter. It speaks for her, and two other women that she quotes in her correspondence. They are all members of what is referred to as a Gold Star Family - those who have lost loved ones who have died in service to our country.
As military family members, we were supportive, proud to serve, and prepared to sacrifice for our country and our values. We were not however, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for artifice. We are Gold Star family members, a mother, a sister-in-law, and an adult child of service members who lost their lives in honorable service of our nation. We feel strongly about the reprehensible way in which the war in Iraq was conceived. The moment that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz sat down to plan how to sell the invasion to the public under false pretenses, we lost. We all lost. The damage done to us and to our reputation as a nation has still not been fixed. How then, could Senator McCain begin to fix what he doesn't even seem to acknowledge has happened? We remember all too well that the war did not begin with the surge. Senator McCain's rhetoric demonstrates a complete denial about all of the "loss" that occurred beforethat -- the loss to our nation's integrity and honor. "Still further, what are we as a country losing when we continue to lay to eternal rest the funny kid on the baseball team and the girl who always knew how to get her little siblings to finish their chores? These aren't Rambos we're sending to do our dirty work, they are our military," said Gold Star mother Rosemary Palmer. "We will forever wonder what each might have contributed to our world." We appreciated Senator McCain when he spoke up about Bush policies that were damaging. Yet, he still does not seem to have acknowledged (even to himself) the ongoing extent of that damage or the resulting loss of public trust -- which is the lifeblood of our entire system. The Iraqi budget is running a surplus while ours is in a downward spiral. When tens of thousands of Iraqis peacefully protest in the streets against long-term U.S. presence, it is time to change course. It is time to refocus and redouble our efforts on Afghanistan, not stubbornly stay in Iraq while being asked to leave. Gold Star sister-in-law, Janine Gastineau said, "The war in Afghanistan has long been overshadowed by the distraction that is the war in Iraq. Every new disaster there rubs more salt in the wounds of our grief." When combined with McCain's insulting record on veterans' issues and his tendency to be out of touch with the plight of average working Americans, it is not surprising that he is also far out of touch with the long-term loss of credibility that Iraq has caused us around the world. Only with a truly myopic definition of victory is it possible to keep talking about winning. As the daughter of a pilot who has been missing for 37 years, I can tell you that the cost of war is decades, generational in scope. To say that we will stay until we have won, in a war that has no clear lines, an ever-shifting definition of the word win is offensive, damaging, unethical, and wrong. It is playing with words to fuel a political campaign. What must we have won to say that we have won, and what more will we have to lose? By stark comparison to Senator McCain, Senator Obama will take the long view. He will look before he leaps. He will not sacrifice American lives lightly or use force to prove a point. He will restore an honor to the American Presidency that is based on mutual trust. He will respect our service members, their families, and the rest of the world. He will engender respect from around the globe and from the troops that will call him Commander in Chief. And finally, there is the question of patriotism. When the political chips are down or policies are failing, those who raise questions or who point out failures are accused of being unpatriotic. We are not unpatriotic people. As one widow said to me, "I was a proud military wife for ten years. I resent anyone who questions my patriotism, or anyone else's, simply because we question a flawed doctrine that endangers precious lives. I would never back down from defense of my country in the presence of a genuine threat. However, I cannot condone the duplicitous politics of McCain and Palin. As a survivor, I am a witness to the pain that plagues the families left behind."We are Gold Star Family Members, true patriots. We are standing up for all that is great about this nation that we love. We are standing with a leader who has inspired the nation and the world, a patriot who will command with authority and lead with intelligence and foresight. We will proudly cast our votes for Barack Obama on Tuesday, November 4th.
We are Gold Star Family Members, true patriots. We are standing up for all that is great about this nation that we love. We are standing with a leader who has inspired the nation and the world, a patriot who will command with authority and lead with intelligence and foresight. We will proudly cast our votes for Barack Obama on Tuesday, November 4th.
Okay, out here we have low manning Fridays since it's the Afghans weekly religious holiday.
Since I don't have to be at work at 6am as usual I'm going to take a nap after I get back from the shower (3hrs in the gym is on the menu tonight BRUTAL) and get up by 230am local time.
It will be 6pm on Thurday in the states and that will give me two hours of calling. I hope to knock out 50 calls in that time...maybe more. On the weekend I'll be able to call at normal hours here (730pm) since it'll be late morning there. It should work out well.
My poster came in the mail but my t-shirt and magnet didn't. Does it sound weird to say I'm sad? Oh well, I can't wait for my Barack the Builder t-shirt to get here LOL.
Siobhan
0941, Kabul
So...last night I stayed up a bit late...about 0030 and made calls with the hopes that I had waited long enough for people to be home (remember 8.5hrs ahead). Not so much luck there but I did spend 45 minutes on the phone with a voter in PA who identified herself as undecided.
When I reached her I stated who I was and asked if she was voting. She said she was undecided. So I gave my quick story on the military and my view and asked her if she had any questions on any specific issues.
Well...when it rains it pours. Let's just say I'm very happy I'm familar with Mr. Obama's platform, had a copy of the "Blueprint for America" with me, and was aware of the truth in all the smear ads. We went from Healthcare, to negative campaigning, to Miltiary concerns, to the GWOT, women's health (had to clarify pro-abortion vs pro-life) and gun control. I answered all her question to the best of my knowledge (so I hope that was enough) and referenced the Blueprint (Whew).
While talking with her I FINALLY understood how someone could still be undecided. She and her husband have had alot of health concerns and issues with money. In other words they were more concerned with their day to day survival than the campaigns. They didn't have a tv until recently and they don't have internet access at home.
She describes the area she lives in as the backwoods both campaigns talk about so much. She told me that people pass around that fake NRA flyer about the Obama campaign but they don't know it's fake (she was unsure if it was or not so I clarified) and her husband works in a hunter shop, earning minimum wage, so gun control is a concern (the flyer claims Mr. Obama will close gun shops).
Her major concern was healthcare (the cost of some of the stuff she's been through without insurance is crazy) and she shared her concern for others who could end up in the situation she used to be in. She felt both camps put out conflicting data so it's hard to understand what the truth is unless you are actively researching the issues.
By the end of our conversation she said I cleared up much of the information she was confused about and that she would come visit the website, which she wrote down, via a public terminal. She said that she was definately more interested in Barack Obama as a candidate since so many of his views seems to match up with hers.
So...I only ended up making 6 calls last night but like the one 20 minute call I had on my first night (with a now Obama campaign volunteer) I felt that really speaking to that one person made a difference.
I am going to hold off until the weekend (in the states) to make anymore calls after I finish my current list. It seems to make more sense to call during the day ON THE WEEKEND. I will try for about 150 calls over the weekend (Friday night through Sunday night) averaging about 50 calls a day.
My real goal is 300 calls but I have to be realistic about missions and such happening.
I also set up a fundraising site with a goal of a $1000.00. I'm already started emailing it around so we'll see how that goes.
Has anyone been on this site before: www.ifkidscouldvote.com ? I bought the horrendously cute Barack The Builder t-shirt. As soon as my campaign poster comes in I'm going to pose with everything, take pictures, and update all my websites LOL. (My myspace will get it first www.myspace.com/hipployta)
beautiful kisses from chilly Kabul, Siobhan
Well, it's about 436pm Kabul time and I'm heading to the gym in about 20 minutes. After an hour of torture...excuse me Spinning...I'll come back and finish off my work around 7pm. I'll go take a shower and at 730pm I'll start calling again.
Today I'm aiming for 40 calls. Last night I actually did 27 but I wasn't logged in the entire time and when I went to update the website 3 of my callers dropped off my lists. So lesson learned...do everything online as I go along LOL. I'm not sure if my progress updated though because on my dashboard it says 24 callers but on the Make a Call section it insists I haven't called anyone. That's a tad confusing as I don't want the people I called recontacted due to a glitch.
I was a bit nervous but by the 10th call I felt pretty good about the process. Only one person said, "I'm sorry I can't talk about this," and hung up. I laughed it off and kept going. So....16 days to go....and between 25 and 40 callers a night to contact. So I should set a goal...if I aim to call 400 people I should hit a minimum of 24 people a night. That seems reasonable and definatly doable.
The numbers are bit sneaky though because I'm giving myself room in case I end up on an overnight mission. If I do extra calls I'll go about my goal and/or be covered in the event of a missed night.
I have been focusing on Vet to Vet Call and and Women calling Women in PA but I think I'm going to spread out to Latin voters in Florida and Youth and College Student Calling. My last name is blatantly spanish so I might as well make use of it. I suppose the gaelic (read:Irish) first and middle name might throw them off though LOL.
Well, off to the gym. Running around in body armour (at 5000 ft!) is no joke so I have to keep it up LOL.
So...I have my call list printed off and read over the "Blueprint" to refresh myself on Mr. Obama's positions.
I'm calling folks in PA because NJ (where I"m a resident) is pretty safe. I'm focusing on the Veteran to Veteran calls numbers. I find it fairly funny and ironic since I'm currently sitting in Kabul, Afghanistan on a year deployment.
I'm using my Skype phone through my laptop because I can just IMAGINE the whining I'll have to hear if I use my work phone and a calling card.
I'm nervous about calling...sort of...but excited also. The only drag is I'm 8.5 hours ahead of the east coast so I have to stay up late or get up early to call. Since it's Saturday I'm aiming for the early afternoon call around 11am to 1pm. That's put me at about 730pm to 930pm out here and if right before my bedtime.
I'm aiming to call 26 people tonight. I hope it goes well. Well I'm going to the gym to work out before dinner and the calling...Wish me luck!
During last night's first presidential debate, Senator John McCain made no fewer than four references to veterans’ issues. This is a huge development for a candidate who did not mention veterans once in his entire 50-minute acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, rather than offering specifics last night, Senator McCain simply made assertions that would require the willing suspension of disbelief for anyone who has taken the time to examine the candidates' respective records on veterans issues.
Comment: Below I have noted information about the CIA and FBI having knowledge about two alleged 9/11 hijackers being connected to Saudi Intelligence prior to 9/11, but withholding that information. I use the term “alleged” because I don’t think the facts add up.
"U.S. intelligence officials said that in January of 2000, Khalid al-mihdhar and Nawaf al-hazmi. attended a meeting of known terrorists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, That fact was communicated by the CIA to the FBI." http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/09/11/ar911.hijackers.landlord/
"It appears that this first Malaysia meetings cable was provided to the FBI. In a January 5 threat update reflected an almost verbatim recitation of portions of the CIA's first Malaysia meetings cable, including the same spelling mistake in reference to a particular place in Malaysia, which indicates that the CIA provided a copy of the first Malaysia meetings cable to the FBI….” http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/oig/fbi-911/chap5.pdf
The CIA was tracking the hijackers and knew they were mujihadeen and associated with so called terrorists. They deliberately let them into the U.S. The C.I.A. did not ask the State Department to place Khalid al-mihdhar and Nawaf al-hazmi names on a watch list intended to prevent entry into the United States until late August 2001. By then, they were both in the country. The C.I.A. passed on information about the two men to the F.B.I. in late August, but by then the bureau had little time to track them down. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E7DA153BF935A35753C1A9649C8B63
FBI Director Freeh, asked for any information from the CIA on what they had on the al Qaeda meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Despite the fact that the CIA did indeed have this information, they either denied its existence or refused to respond to the FBI’s requests. The CIA withheld material information from an ongoing FBI investigation, which was a crime.
In July 2001, emails between high-level CIA managers and CIA officers, indicated that al-Mihdhar was going to take part in the next big al Qaeda attack. When these CIA officers requested permission to transfer this information to the FBI, they were denied. Yet, at almost the same time, CIA Director Tenet was holding meetings at the White House describing a huge al Qaeda attack about to take place inside of the US.
On August 22, 2001, when the CIA discovered that both Mihdhar and Hazmi were in the US, the CIA knew they were here to take part in a huge (alleged) al Qaeda attack. High level managers at the CIA Bin Laden unit, the CIA Yemen station, prevented the transfer of information regarding the Kuala Lumpur meeting to the FBI investigators, the FBI Bin laden unit, the FBI RFU and even by the Director of the FBI. Source: [9/11 Commission report, Footnote 81, p 581]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation had a confidential informer who rented rooms in California to two of the (alleged) Sept. 11 hijackers… http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A04E7DA153BF935A35753C1A9649C8B63
"A former landlord of two of the September 11 hijackers was an FBI informant at the time, knowledgeable sources confirm to CNN." http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/09/11/ar911.hijackers.landlord/
In 2000, a 68-year-old man named Abdussattar Shaikh rented a room in his house in a San Diego suburb, Lemon Grove. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/features/saudi_021129.htm November 29, 2002
FBI HQ in Washington was warned to spread the word about suspicious Arabs at flight training school by Special Agent Steven Butler in Arizona, and they refused to spread that word. FBI HQ in Washington refused to allow the MN agents to check out Zacarias Moussaoui. (see below information on the FBI refusing to allow searches and interview of Moussaoui by MN FBI office ).
"Government officials told U.S. News that Butler disclosed that he had been monitoring a flow of Saudi Arabian money that wound up in the hands of two of the (alleged) 9/11 hijackers. The two men had rented a room from a man Butler had used as a confidential informant, According to officials familiar with his account, Butler said that he had alerted his superiors about the money flows but the warning went nowhere. When these two alleged hijackers got to America, the person who picked them up and actually moved them into this informants apartment was Omar al-Bayoumi, an agent of Saudi Arabia. He even paid their first months rent and opened up a bank account for them. The money was reimbursed into his own account. "Newsweek said, however, the FBI uncovered financial records showing payments to the family of al-Bayoumi from a Washington bank account held in the name of Princess Haifa Al-Faisal, wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and daughter of the late King Faisal." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,71273,00.html
Princess Haifa Al-Faisal sent the to Majeda Dweikat, the Jordanian wife of Osama Basnan, a Saudi living in San Diego. Basnan’s wife signs many of the checks over to her friend Manal Bajadr, the wife of Omar al-Bayoumi. The payments are made through Riggs Bank, a bank which appears to have turned a blind eye to Saudi embassy transaction and also has longstanding ties to covert CIA operations. Basnan and his wife were “very good friends” of al-Bayoumi and his wife. Both couples lived at the Parkwood Apartments at the same time as the two (alleged) hijackers. Many US investigators will later conclude that al-Bayoumi was in fact a Saudi spy.
Some FBI officials allegedly conclude that Alhazmi and Almihdhar also were connected to Saudi intelligence. When Al-hazmi and Al-mihdhar attend a San Diego flying school in May 2000, they are accompanied by one or even two men called Hani. (Possibly Hani Hanjour) Senator Bob Graham (D) co-chaired the congressional inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks, alleges that the White House has covered up possible Saudi Arabian government connections to hijackers Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar. He also concludes that President Bush directed the FBI “to restrain and obfuscate” investigations into these ties, possibly to protect US-Saudi relations.
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=omar_al-bayoumi
Proceeds from the cashed checks, investigators believe, were used by Al-mihdhar and Al-hazmi. Government officials told U.S. News, FBI and treasury investigators had begun formal inquiries into the flow of funds through the Saudi Embassy in Washington. Bank accounts of the embassy and embassy personnel enjoy diplomatic immunity. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/features/saudi_021129.htm November 29, 2002
So, AWOL Bush's good friend Saudi Ambassador Bandar was evidently helping to finance the (alleged) hijackers. http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=19511.msg72768#msg72768
Al-Bayoumi guy was working for the Saudi Government. He left the country in July of 2001. But what is never reported anywhere, is evidently he had a replacement that the FBI admits in this recently unclassified document was working for Saudi Intelligence...... http://intelfiles.egoplex.com/2001-10-03-FBI-penttbomb-bayoumi.pdf
The CIA and FBI ignored the possibility that two of the (alleged) hijackers, Khalid Almidhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, both Saudis, were given Saudi money from two Saudi men they met in California in the year before the attacks, The New York Times reported in its Saturday editions. Sources said the payments amounted to about $3,500 a month. The money filtered into the al-Bayoumi family's bank account in early 2000, just a few months after Almidhar and Alhazmi arrived in Los Angeles from an Al Qaeda planning summit, Newsweek said in a report posted on its Web site Friday night. Source: A draft report by a joint congressional committee probing the terrorist attacks, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,71273,00.html
Within days of the 9-11 attacks, agents of New Scotland Yard, working in conjunction with the FBI, raided al-Bayoumi's apartment in England and found papers hidden beneath the floorboards, according to Newsweek magazine, that had the phone numbers of several officials at the Saudi embassy in Washington 9/11 commission cover-up attempts: "Separately, documents made public in federal court in Alexandria, Va., late last month showed that the Justice Department sought unsuccessfully to prevent F.B.I. agents, and the bureau's director, Robert S. Mueller III, from testifying publicly before the joint inquiry." That was intentional by the way. So what about this FBI Agent testifying,(that Ashcroft and Mueller tried to prevent) who was the handler of this informant?......
"On October 9, members of the special congressional committee investigating the 9/11 attacks met privately with a key FBI witness. The next day, panel members were to meet in open session with CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Robert Mueller. After the FBI agent finished testifying, the open meetings with Tenet and Mueller were summarily canceled."
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/features/saudi_021129.htm
The first indication of a cover-up came when President Bush attempted to appoint Henry Kissinger to head the 9/11 Commission. Kissinger's consulting firm, Kissinger Associates, has had dealings with Saudi Arabia in the past (Scheer, no pagination). When the public and activists raised the roof over this move, Henry was replaced with Thomas Kean. Kean is the director of oil giant Amerada Hess (Hicks 76). At the time of the 9/11 hearings Amerada Hess was conducting a joint venture with the Saudi Arabian oil company Delta Oil (76). The idea that Kean would follow the Saudi money trail of 9/11 was laughable. http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/Commentary/Saudi_Crime_Syndicate.htm
In May 2000, Alhazmi and Almihdhar arrived at Sorbi’s Flying Club, a small school 20 miles north of San Diego, and announced that they wanted to learn to fly Boeing airliners. [Washington Post, 9/30/01] They were there with someone named “Hani”—presumably hijacker Hani Hanjour—but only the two of them went up in an airplane. [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/28/01] Instructor Rick Garza says the dream to fly big jets is the goal of practically every student who comes to the school, but what he noticed as unusual was their lack of any basic understanding of aircraft. Once, he asked Al-mihdhar to draw the aircraft. “He drew the wings on backwards,” he said. Both spoke English poorly, but Almihdhar in particular seemed impossible to communicate with. Rather than following the instructions he was given, he would vaguely reply, “Very good. Very nice.” [Chicago Tribune, 9/30/01] The two offered extra money to Garza if he would teach them to fly multi-engine Boeing planes, but Garza had to decline. [Washington Post, 9/30/01] “I told them they had to learn a lot of other things first… It was like Dumb and Dumber. I mean, they were clueless. It was clear to me they weren’t going to make it as pilots.” [Observer, 10/7/01]
http://www.historycommons.org/essay.jsp?article=essaykhalidandnawaf
There are several reports that Alhazmi traveled to Arizona in January 2001, where he met up with 9/11 plotter Hani Hanjour to resume his flight training. For example, Newsweek reported that after “having flunked out of two California flight schools, [Alhazmi] decided to try his luck in Phoenix” where the magazine said he stayed until April 2001. [Newsweek, 6/2/02] The Los Angeles Times also reported that Alhazmi had renewed his flight training in Arizona but failed to mention for how long. [Los Angeles Times, 9/1/02] Another piece of evidence suggesting that Alhazmi had continued his training in Arizona included a cashier’s check for a Phoenix-area flight school that was found in his car by FBI agents shortly after the attacks as well as evidence that he and Hanjour had flown from Phoenix to Las Vegas in June 2001. [Arizona Republic, 9/28/01] It is also possible that at some point Almihdhar had been in Arizona learning to fly as well. [Arizona Republic, 9/28/01]
Comment: This sounds to me like more false evidence deliberately left to prove the 9/11 jets was flown by some of the alleged hijackers- the patsies.
At the same time that the FBI was getting close to investigating Alhazmi and Almihdhar, the Mossad, Israel’s feared secret service, gave the US an urgent warning, according to recent reports from Germany. These reports say that on August 23, 2001, the Mossad gave the CIA a list of terrorists living in the US and said that they appeared to be planning to carry out an attack in the near future. It appears that a spy ring run by the Mossad had been closely following these terrorists for many months.
A Drug Enforcement Administration report on the Israeli spy ring noted the presence of Israeli spies in San Diego, California and Phoenix, Arizona at times when Alhazmi and Almihdhar would have been in those cities. This report was dated June 2001 and was leaked after 9/11. [DEA Report, 6/01]
Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar were not like the other hijackers. While it is true that the two Saudis were of a similar age and the same nationality as most of the other 9/11 conspirators (Alhazmi was 25 and Almihdhar was 26 [Newsweek, 6/2/02]), they had much more worldly and militant backgrounds than the others, despite their young ages. In the mid-1990s both apparently were in the Bosnia conflict, and then fought in Chechnya at various times between 1996 and 1998. [Observer, 9/23/01, CIA Director Tenet Testimony, 6/18/02, Arab News, 9/20/01, ABC News, 1/9/02, Los Angeles Times, 9/1/02] http://www.historycommons.org/essay.jsp?article=essaykhalidandnawaf
Comment: Note the CIA ran an operation wherein the mujihadeen was placed in Bosnia to fight the Serbs.
It is obvious that this "evidence" was planted by individuals wishing to direct the blame towards Osama Bin Laden. How is it possible that Arab students who had never flown an airplane could take a simulator course and then fly jumbo jets with the skill and precision of "top-gun" pilots? It is not possible and the fact is, the true identities of the 9-11 hijackers remains a mystery. In the days following the disclosure of the "hijackers" names and faces, no less than 7 of the Arab individuals named came forward to protest their obvious innocence. 67
That's right! Seven of the nineteen "hijackers" are alive and well. They were victims of identity theft, some of whom had had their passports stolen. They were interviewed by several news organizations including the Telegraph of England. Here’s an excerpt from David Harrison’s Telegraph story entitled: Revealed: The Men With Stolen Identities: "Their names were flashed around the world as suicide hijackers who carried out the attacks on America. But yesterday four innocent men told how their identities had been stolen. The men - all from Saudi Arabia - spoke of their shock at being mistakenly named by the FBI as suicide terrorists. None of the four was in the United States on September 11 and all are alive in their home country. The Telegraph obtained the first interviews with the men since they learnt that they were on the FBI's list of hijackers who died in the crashes in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. All four said that they were "outraged" to be identified as terrorists. One has never been to America and another is a Saudi Airlines pilot who was on a training course in Tunisia at the time of the attacks. Saudi Airlines said it was considering legal action against the FBI for seriously damaging its reputation and that of its pilots." 68
SalemAl-Hazmi "Mr Al-Hamzi is 26 and had just returned to work at a petrochemical complex in the industrial eastern city of Yanbou after a holiday in Saudi Arabia when the hijackers struck. He was accused of hijacking the American Airlines Flight 77 that hit the Pentagon." - Telegraph 23rd September 2001.
________________________________________ Khalid Al-Mihdhar (Flight 77) "Saudi officials at the embassy were unable to verify the whereabouts of the fifth accused hijacker, Khalid Al-Mihdhar. However, Arab newspapers say Al-Mihdhar is still alive. ".....
there are suggestions that another suspect, Khalid Al Midhar may also be alive." - BBC 23rd September 2001 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1559151.stm
Even after the above has appeared in the world's media the FBI has made no attempt to alter its web-sites which clearly list the wrong names, wrong photos, wrong identities and probably wrong nationalities of the real hijackers. Given that the hijackers (if there were any) were clearly using false identities, why has the FBI never attempted to find out the hijackers true identities? Why does the FBI seem totally disinterested in apprehending the real culprits? This lack of action from one of our "trusted" government departments is very close to treason.
On 9/11 the US was conducting a live-fly exercise
Comment: Live fly means flying real civilian airplanes to simulate hijacking of civilian aircraft.
Mike Ruppert based his information upon confirmation, in writing, from a NORAD official, though the wargame remains classified. This was one of five wargames/simulations on the morning of 9/11, many with confusingly similar names (the confusion no doubt intentional): "Vigilant Guardian", "Northern Vigilance", "Vigilant Warrior", etc.
We already know that the CIA, through the National Reconaissance Office, was conducting a simulation of planes flying into buildings on the morning of Sept 11. This was called a "bizarre coincidence": The Pentagon, under the auspices of the Joint Chiefs, was running a live-fly exercise of a response to multiple hijackings. Numerous aircraft, military and civilian, were used in the exercise. Do you remember that day, hearing that a dozen or so other aircraft were thought hijacked? This is why. With many fighters already committed to other wargames, the number remaining to respond to a threat were outnumbered by the number of apparently hijacked planes. With the transponders switched off, identities of the genuine threat from the simulated became confused. On the same morning of 9/11, the Pentagon, under the auspices of the Joint Chiefs, was running a live-fly exercise of a response to multiple hijackings. Numerous aircraft, military and civilian, were used in the exercise.
Ruppert noted also the change in the standing orders for shoot down on June 1 2001, which took the decisions out of the hands of the field officers and gave it solely to the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. Ruppert suggests that confusion was sewn to blind commanders who might be anticipated to send fighters into the sky and seek approval after the fact. This, in fact, did happen. Most fighter units were committed, some to Alaska and Northern Canada, to wargames. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1694495
As if the Walter Reed scandal weren't enough. According to The Army Times, two major veterans' groups claim that the Pentagon's personnel chief has deliberately and systematically withheld benefits from wounded service members by redefining which injuries qualify as "combat related." Here's the article: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/08/military_veteransletter_defensedepartment_082908w/
The groups, Disabled American Veterans and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, cite a DOD memo that defines "combat related" for the purposes of the new severance pay waiver as limited only to those injured in a combat zone in the line of duty or as a direct result of armed conflict. In laymen's terms--if you receive a check upon separating from the military and then are later deemed eligible for veterans' health benefits, you might have to repay the first amount before you can start collecting the second if your injuries are not deemed "combat related." This may, quite simply, be impossible for a number of our veterans.
Although less reported in the media, the number of troops seriously wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan far exceed the number killed. Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, and huge advances in battlefield triage, we are saving soldiers who might never have made it home in previous wars. This is good news, but it creates even greater demands on our veterans' health care and benefits system.
It would appear that DOD is trying to trim the ranks of those eligible for benefits in the face of a growing budget crisis stemming from providing care to our wounded warriors. This is unconscionable. If our nation decides to send our troops to war, then it must be prepared to take care of those injured in the line of duty. And guess what, John McCain is on record suggested that it might be necessary to such "rationing"of veterans' health care.
Barack Obama is firmly committed to improving the quality of health care for our veterans and rebuilding the VA's benefits system. That's on top of his efforts to combat homelessness among veterans and offer a real Veterans' GI Bill.
"Eight is Enough!" Vote for change, Vote Obama/Biden!!!
With 65 Days to Go, the Republicans get going in the Twin Cities (although with a brief session due to Gustav).
Thankfully, it looks like Gustav will not be as severe as thought.
from Member Bob D, Denville
Why is it that now, Hillary has come up with a cure for the ills of the health care system? She had eight years and was given the charter to do it when her husband was president.
Moreover, she has been in the Senate since 2001. Where is the legislative leadership to introduce a bill or bills to solve the problem or, at least, reduce the agony of the uninsured? Early on in her Senate career, she came to an accord with Newt Gingrich but nothing came of that. She and Bill Frist sponsored a bill to modernize medical records, a far cry from resolving the financial medical morass (and, besides the Veterans Administration has done an admirable job in this area).
According to his House website, Congressman Murphy first put on an Army uniform in 1993 and deployed twice with the Army 82nd Airborne Division -- first to Bosnia in 2002 and later to Baghdad in 2003-2004.
Here's a bit from the blog post:
"Why have I decided to support Barack Obama for president?
"I’m inspired.
"I’m inspired by Senator Obama’s call to change how business is done in Washington and transform this country. I’m proud to be one of millions of supporters in this national grassroots movement for change. And I believe Barack Obama is our best chance to change the direction of our country.
"I take my role as an Iraq war veteran very seriously. Four years ago, in August 2003, I was in the middle of Baghdad . As a Captain with the 82nd Airborne Division, I was a witness to our foreign policy. As a Congressman, I believe that we need to change the direction in Iraq, start bringing our troops home, and refocus on the real War on Terror. And I believe that Senator Obama is best suited to lead in this effort."
See the whole post at this link
On Tuesday, August 21, the Senator addressed the nation’s oldest and largest organization of combat veterans. Those who were there say they were personally moved by the numerous rounds of applause Senator Obama received from the largely Republican audience as he detailed his vision for the future of American foreign policy and his commitment to improving the quality of Veterans Affairs health care.
I tried to drive out from New Jersey to get to Kansas City in time to see this speech, but the rain in Pennsylvania and Ohio slowed me down and I missed it.
He outlined his vision for foreign policy, but the overall theme of the speech was the sacred trust America holds with her veterans.
As he does with other issues, he recognizes that veterans' issues are not ours alone; rather, they are American issues. Not only that, he understands that planning for war means more than making sure we have enough troops to fight the war; it also means making sure we can take care of the health and well-being of those troops once they get back from war.
Here is my favorite passage:
"Caring for those who serve – and for their families – is a fundamental responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief. It is not a separate cost. It is a cost of war. It is something I’ve fought for as a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. And it is something I will fight for as President of the United States.It’s time for comprehensive reform. When I am President, building a 21st century VA to serve our veterans will be an equal priority to building a 21st century military to fight our wars. My Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs will be just as important as my Secretary of Defense."
"Caring for those who serve – and for their families – is a fundamental responsibility of the Commander-in-Chief. It is not a separate cost. It is a cost of war. It is something I’ve fought for as a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. And it is something I will fight for as President of the United States.
It’s time for comprehensive reform. When I am President, building a 21st century VA to serve our veterans will be an equal priority to building a 21st century military to fight our wars. My Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs will be just as important as my Secretary of Defense."
As an Iraq war veteran, I continue to be impressed with how Senator Obama just "gets it."
