New World Next Week: Episode132 - Somalian Psyops, Flu Fraud, War Crimes

NewWorldNextWeek.com: Episode132 -
Somalian Psyops, Flu Fraud, War Crimes
Welcome to New World Next Week - the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Story #1: Political Sockpuppetry - US Military Behind Fake African News Sites
Bloggers' Fear - Russian Crackdown On Illegal Web Content Causes Stir
Corbett Report on Psyops 101: An Introduction To Psychological Operations
NWNW Flashback: Fake Report Of Russian Tanks Sparks Panic In Country Of Georgia

Story #2: British Medical journal Says Roche's Tamiflu Won't Stop Flu
Poll Shows Men Would Rather Do Taxes Than Get Flu Shot
Flashback: WHO Raises Pandemic Alert To Second-Highest Level

Story #3: Personal Sufferings Of Palestinians To Be Heard At Upcoming War Crime Conference
Flashback: Media Monarchy Interview w/ Nile Bowie on the 'Pacific Century'

Bonus: Israeli, Palestinian Groups Place Ads On TriMet Trains, Buses
'Coup Du Jour' and Petraeus-gate: James Corbett and James Evan Pilato on 'Ground Zero With Clyde Lewis'

Visit NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various formats to download, burn and share. And as always, stay up-to-date by subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report here and Media Monarchy here. Thank you.

Previous: Episode131 - Hopenosis Hangover, Fiscal Cliffs, Chinese Transfers

#PoliceStateUpdates: Prepare for a Noisy Morning

Government Admits Naked Body Scanners Huge Waste of Money*

Homeland Security Concedes Airport Body Scanner 'Vulnerabilities'*
Video: TSA tried to cover up $184 million in wasteful spending*
Suspicious package delays flights at Hartsfield-Jackson as agents appeared to be joking*
Video: Geraldo Rivera was 'manually raped' by TSA*
Rep. King suggests administration may have misled public on bomb plot, calls for review*
Republican leader sues for being called a terrorist*
Plot Raises Questions About Airport Security*
Latest Underwear Bomber Was Actually CIA Double Agent*
CIA sacrifices valuable intelligence source to foil underwear bomb plot*
Missing words from 9/11 tribunal: CIA and big-boy pants*
Video: Arrest-Proof Yourself: An Interview with Dale C. Carson*
Video: Six year old boy suspended for sexual harassment*
Video: The state has criminalized normal childhood behaviour?*
Video: Pentagon prepares 'Re-Education Camps' for American citizens*
Federal Judge Blocks Obama’s Right to Impose Indefinite Detention without Trial*
Video: With the stroke of a pen, Obama makes free speech a felony*
Obama Justice Dept. Supports Citizens’ Right to Record Police*
Video: Government's gunrunning Kingpin in hot water with Congress*
Video: Sibel Edmonds, the "Classified Woman" finally tells her story*
Military jets on Olympics exercise heard over Wycombe*
Video: Britain's Olympic paranoia targets protests*
Jets Will Patrol Chicago on Friday*
Utah and Arizona Pass Bills to Seize Federal Land; Sioux Indians Demand the Same*
Georgia Sheriffs, Fearing Occupy Movement, Evict Family at Gunpoint*
License Plate Tracking Spreads beyond Criminal Suspects*
Few Companies Fight Patriot Act Gag Orders, FBI Admits*
Video: Russian troops to train on American soil*
Video: New Jersey town cracks down on texting while walking*
Air Force Drones Allowed to Record U.S. Citizens in U.S.*
Video: Instruments of war to be used domestically*

new world next week - dec22

new world next week: episode096 -
korean war, manning up, funding terror

Welcome to New World Next Week - the video series from Corbett Report & Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Story #1: The Changing Face of Pyongyang - Hereditary Succession Under Close Scrutiny of Elite US Policy Makers
Related: Kim Jong-il Is Dead, Long Live Kim Jong-un!
Update: South Korean Intelligence Disputes Circumstances of Kim Jong-il's Death
NWNW Flashback: 2010 Prediction of Kim Jong Il's Death

Story #2: Manning Opts Not to Testify In WikiLeaks Hearing
Related: Investigators Show Evidence of WikiLeaks Link
Sibel Edmonds - Revisiting My Silence on WikiLeaks

Story #3: US Troops Guarded Terrorist Camp in Iraq
Video Flashback: Anti-Iran Terrorist Confession - Jundollah Leader Abdolmalek Rigi
Video Update: The Manas Question - Drugs, Revolution & Terrorism on the Road to Afghanistan

Visit NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various formats to download, burn & share. And as always, stay up-to-date by subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report here & Media Monarchy here. Thank you.

previous: drone detention, canada kyoto, teen toking

obama issues executive order institutionalizing indefinite detention

from aclu.org: President Obama today issued an executive order that permits ongoing indefinite detention of Guantánamo detainees while establishing a periodic administrative review process for them. The administration also announced it will lift the ban on bringing new military commissions charges against detainees that don’t already have ongoing cases in the substandard system. The American Civil Liberties Union has long called for Guantánamo to be shut down and opposes the indefinite detention of prisoners there, some of whom have been imprisoned by the U.S. without charge or trial for nine years. The ACLU has also long called for an end to the illegitimate military commissions and for the government to prosecute terrorism suspects in the federal criminal courts.

flashback: obamessiah retains right to detain without habeas

related warwhores updates:
prisoners help build patriot missiles*

new world next week - mar4

9/11 trials, americanada & the death of printaganda

Corbett Report & Media Monarchy are proud to present the latest episode of the New World Next Week - the weekly video series that uncovers the subtext & gives you the context on some of the most important developments in alternative news & open source intelligence. This week's episode further explores the tortured patsies of 9/11 & their coming show trials + the deepening integration of the US/Canada militaries & some great news on the death of printaganda.

Story#1: Pentagon Drops Military Charges Against 9/11 Plotters
The Real Reason Only 5 Detainees Coming to NYC?
Flashback: Newly Released DOJ Memos Support Account of Torture of KSM's Children using Insects

Story#2: US & Canada to Extend Security Measures Past Olympics
The War on Terrorism & the Countdown to the 2010 Olympics
Flashback: US/Canada Border Security & Military Integration

Story#3: Internet Overtakes Print in US News Consumption
Pew Research: Understanding the Participatory News Consumer
Flashback: Anarchy, a Threat on the Electronic Frontier?

As mentioned at the end of this episode, Media Monarchy & Corbett Report are now accepting $10 donations for the new DVD from Divergent Films & PeaceRevolution.org: '20/20 Hindsight: Censorship on the Frontline'. Your donation gets you this new whistleblower documentary with numerous extras + you'll help support the alternative media that brings you news the corporate-controlled media won't touch. And as always, you'll stay up-to-date if you subscribe to the feeds from Corbett Report here & Media Monarchy here. Thank You.

previous episode: nwnw - feb25

pentagon drops military charges against 9/11 plotters

from mcclatchy: The Pentagon on Friday [feb26] officially dropped military charges against the accused mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks & 4 other alleged conspirators, a development that likely foreshadows their transfer to NYC to face charges in a civilian federal court.

The Pentagon said the dismissal of the charges "without prejudice" against alleged plot leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others, Walid Bin Attash, Ramzi Bin al Shibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, was a procedural step to clear the way for their civilian trials.

There was no word on when indictments would be issued in New York against the men or when they would be transferred from Guantanamo to the United States.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Nov. 13 that the five men would be tried in federal court for the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. Criticism quickly followed by Republicans and others who said trying the men inside the United States would create security risks and allow the defendants legal protections that they shouldn't have.

flashback: real reason only 5 detainees are coming to ny?

2/11 newspurge: reckless, unraveling & economic punch

9/11 updates:
new aerial photos of wtc on 9/11 released*
an attack from harvard law on the escalating 9/11 truth movement: 'cognitive infiltration' of 9/11 conspiracy groups*
mystery of 9/11 'unraveling' says major japanese weekly: 'the official story is not convincing'*
tsa detains 21yr old traveler with arabic flash cards & asks him: 'how do you feel about 9/11?'*
video: actor/comedian hal sparks speaks out for 9/11 truth*


drugwar:
when 70% support marijuana legalization,
starbucks gets the message*

econocrash: 
'more empires have fallen because of reckless finances than invasion'*
geithner says US will 'never' lose aaa debt rating*
video: dodd wants constitutional amendment to prevent corporate personhood*
video: paulson says being close to wall st 'a huge help'*

US drops plan for 9/11 trials in nyc

from nytimes: The Obama administration on Friday gave up on its plan to try the Sept. 11 plotters in Lower Manhattan, bowing to almost unanimous pressure from New York officials and business leaders to move the terrorism trial elsewhere.

“I think I can acknowledge the obvious,” an administration official said. “We’re considering other options.”

The reversal on whether to try the alleged 9/11 terrorists blocks from the former World Trade Center site seemed to come suddenly this week, after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg abandoned his strong support for the plan and said the cost and disruption would be too great.

But behind the brave face that many New Yorkers had put on for weeks, resistance had been gathering steam.

After a dinner in New York on Dec. 14, Steven Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, pulled aside David Axelrod, President Obama’s closest adviser, to convey an urgent plea: move the 9/11 trial out of Manhattan.

More recently, in a series of presentations to business leaders, local elected officials and community representatives of Chinatown, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly laid out his plan for securing the trial: blanketing a swath of Lower Manhattan with police checkpoints, vehicle searches, rooftop snipers and canine patrols.

“They were not received well,” said one city official.


republicans unite to halt trials of alleged 9/11 plotters
from afp: US lawmakers Tuesday unveiled plans to block public funding for US-based trials involving Guantanamo detainees who are accused of plotting the September 11, 2001 attacks. Republican lawmakers Frank Wolf and Lindsey Graham joined forces to introduce legislation which "would explicitly block this dangerous and wasteful trial from any domestic civilian court," Wolf said. They also won support from Democrats Jim Webb and Blanche Lincoln, as well as independent senator Joe Lieberman. If approved, the legislation would stop the Justice Department from using public funds to try the alleged mastermind of the 2001 attacks, Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, and his four co-accused, in domestic US courts.

dc air natl guard on 9/11 & the many deaths of osama:
updates to the complete 9/11 timeline
from history commons: After a hiatus of a couple of weeks, dozens of new entries have been published in the 9/11 Timeline over the last few days. The largest chunk of them covers events at the DC Air National Guard, based at Andrews Air Force Base, on the day of the attacks. Initially, officers assumed that the first crash into the WTC was an accident. However, after the second crash, Andrews learned the Secret Service wanted fighters launched. Although the Secret Service then said it didn’t on the phone, pilots started overwriting recent exercise data on their flight disks... There are also several new entries about Osama bin Laden, for whom al-Qaeda offered to arrange a TV interview in October 2001. After the interview had been done, western intelligence naturally managed to come into possession of it before it was broadcast by Al Jazeera. We also have some more about bin Laden’s health. He died of lung problems in December 2001, was buried in an earthquake in 2005, and expired in Iran in 2006, all of which makes his near-death condition in 2007 remarkable.

9/11 updates: defense, design, flight deck door & documents

norad may ground costly 9/11 air defense system*
dwain deets: nasa engineer speaks on destruction of wtc*
the terror trials will not be televised*
paul craig roberts: trial that will convict us all*
video: son of sydney opera house designer backs petition to investigate wtc collapse*
was 9/11 a conspiracy? 'truthers' make their case*
ntsb data: flight deck door remained closed on aa77: hijacking 'impossible'*
9/11 commission documents about the nsa*
video: between the lies*


previous 9/11 updates post:
terror trials, truth & consequences

new world next week - nov19

The temperature is rising on this New World Next Week as James and James team up once again to bring you the news hot off the web. This week we cover the 9/11 patsy trials, the Obamilitia media hype and the Ukraine virus:

Story#1: The Real Reason Only 5 Detainees Coming to NYC?
Main 9/11 Plotter Will Be Convicted, Executed: Obama

Story#2: 100 New Militia Groups Since Obama Elected
Rage Grows in America: Anti‑Government Conspiracies (ADL special report)

Story#3: H1N1 'Super Flu' Plague in Ukraine Sparks Concern, Conspiracy Theories about Origins
Vaccines as Biological Weapons? Live Avian Flu Virus Placed in Baxter Vaccine Materials

As always, please support James Evan Pilato and his incredible work by subscribing to the MediaMonarchy.com podcast ... For more news and information, visit The Corbett Report

previous episode: new world next week - nov12

9/11 updates: terror trials, truth & consequences

the real reason only 5 detainees are coming to new york?
from history commons: US Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that five detainees would be moved from Guantanamo Bay to New York, where they would stand trial for carrying out the 9/11 attacks. However, five other detainees will continue to be tried before military commissions, which have lower standards of evidence. The five detainees coming to New York have previously indicated they intend to plead guilty, although the five to be tried before military commissions have not.

The New York five are:Khalid Sheikh Mohammed;Ramzi bin al-Shibh; Ali Abdul Aziz Ali; Mustafa al-Hawsawi; and Khallad bin Attash. They indicated their intention to plead guilty at a hearing in Gunatanamo on 8 December 2008.

According to this McClatchy article, the five Holder says will be tried before military commissions are: Ibrahim al Qosi, who is trying to have incriminating statements he says were made under torture/coercion suppressed and wants to go home to Sudan; Omar Khadr, who is fighting the charges against him. His lawyers claim most of the evidence against him is based on statements he made under coercion; Ahmed al Darbi, who says he was tortured into confessing; Noor Uthman Mohammed, who denied many of the charges against him; and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who says he’s innocent and was also tortured into confessing.

As I pointed out earlier today, there is a lot of evidence against al-Nashiri. However, based on what I know of the Khadr case, he would stand a very good chance of acquittal, unless the bar was lowered from beyond reasonable doubt to “I guess he might have done it.” The other three to be tried before military commissions I don’t know much about.

Is it just a coincidence that the five detainees who have indicated they intend to plead guilty are going to New York, but the ones that are fighting the charges are getting military commissions?

related updates:
what happens if a 9/11 terrorist defendant is found not guilty?*
mukasey: 'very high' risk of attack over nyc 9/11 trial*
don’t execute khalid sheik mohammed*
nytimes book review: 'the ground truth'*
video: rethinking 9/11 -
why truth & reconciliation are better strategies than war*
9/11 monuments to the 'scene of the crime'*
obama says ksm will be convicted & executed*
cia paid millions of dollars to isi since 9/11*
kean opposes ny 9/11 trial*
video: obama 'crossed the line' by predicting ksm death sentence*

11/20 update: 'heads i win, tails you lose':
holder says 9/11 accused to remain in prison even if acquitted*

9/11 updates: bin laden, bunker, cross, parliment & pandora's box

bin laden videotape not new, monitoring site says
from reuters: A videotape of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden released on Friday is the Pashto-language version of a tape released several months ago, said IntelCenter, a U.S.-based terrorism monitoring firm. The tape, titled "To Our People in Pakistan," was broadly released in Arabic and Urdu on July 12, IntelCenter said. Excerpts had been aired by the Al Jazeera television network on June 3, it added. Earlier on Friday, IntelCenter had said al-Qaeda's as-Sahab Media had released a new video from bin Laden.

9/11's delayed legacy: cancer for many rescue workers

plans for security bunker at world trade center site still lacking
from nydailynews: Eight years after terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center, the Port Authority still hasn't figured out where to put its crucial security bunker, the Daily News has learned. Plans for a central command post to monitor security at Ground Zero are far from complete: The agency has no final design, no set budget, no opening date and no location, officials confirm. Known as the SWOCC, the Site-Wide Operations Coordination Center was supposed to safeguard the public against terror threats and provide day-to-day management for the nation's No.1 terrorist target.

video: wtc cross finder calls for 9/11 truth
from 9/11 blogger: WeAreChange.org spoke to 1st Responder Frank Silecchia who discovered the famous steel cross recovered from Ground Zero. He supports 9/11 truth.


swedish member of parliament:
leading politicians support 9/11 truth movement
from truthnews: A Swedish Member of Parliament has pledged support for a new investigation into the events of 9/11, adding that prominent political figures support the view that elements of the U.S. government were involved in staging the attacks. An article headlined “The U.S. was part of the attack” in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, highlights comments made by MP Egon Frid of the country’s “Left Party”.

“The U.S. administration knew of the terrorist attack before and was a part of it,” Frid said in an interview with Swedish TV network TV4 on it’s “Kalla Facts” (Hard Facts) programme... Frid also revealed that he has joined the “Political Leaders For 9/11 Truth” group, to which other notables have pledged support, such as Andreas von Buelow, former German State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense, Yukihisa Fujita, Japanese Member of Parliament, Michael Meacher, Minister of the British Parliament, Cynthia McKinney, Jesse Ventura, and many other political luminaries from all corners of the globe. The group was founded earlier this year, joining the growing ranks of professionals calling for a new independent investigation into 9/11, including the groups:

Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth
Firefighters for 9/11 Truth
Journalists & Other Media Professionals for 9/11 Truth
Lawyers for 9/11 Truth
Medical Professionals for 9/11 Truth
Pilots for 9/11 Truth
Religious Leaders for 9/11 Truth
Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice
Veterans for 9/11 Truth

video: pandora's black box - flight of american 77

11/12 updates:
history commons: successful foia requests & more very partial foia successes*
300 seat airliner crash test will prove official 9/11 story false*

11/13 update: 'ny trial' for key 9/11 suspects
from bbc: Alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be sent from Guantanamo Bay to New York for trial in a civilian court, reports say. Citing unnamed government officials, the reports said he would be transferred from the US prison camp in Cuba with four other suspects. US Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce the decision later, the officials say.

Mr Mohammed has admitted planning the 9/11 attacks, the US military says. The five men have until now been facing prosecution at US military commissions in Guantanamo. But US President Barack Obama has made closing the detention camp a top priority. His administration says it will try some detainees in US courts and repatriate or resettle others who are not perceived as a threat.

However, questions remain over the fate of those assessed as dangerous but who for legal reasons could not be prosecuted in a US court - prompting suggestions that the 22 January closure deadline will slip. According to the reports, Mr Holder will also announce that a suspect in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen will be tried at a military tribunal.

9/11 updates: anniversary ailments, plans & beams

media making plans for 9/11 anniversary - and beyond

top 5 worst 9/11 memorials
from vigilant citizen: 9/11 has inspired a myriad of memorials who are scattered all across America. Some of them are of questionable taste, others contain strange occult symbolism while others simply piss people off. Here’s the five most offensive... #5 Boston Memorial, #4 Polish Plaque, #3 All-Seeing Eye Memorial, #2 Teardrop Memorial & #1 Crescent of Embrace... 9/11 was a terrible tragedy, no matter who made it happen **cough** Rumsfeld **cough cough ** False flag terror ** cough**. Sorry, I don’t usually cough while typing. Since this event was the most terrible terrorist act committed on US soil, it is simply fitting that many memorials appear in honor of those who unjustly lost their lives. Some of them are very touching, inspiring and heartfelt. Others, not so much. Some even make you wonder if they were actually built for the victims or to serve an agenda. The monuments here are controversial, insensitive and slightly offensive…a little like this article. Enjoy.

schlussel cites 9/11 sites on novak's 'inside job' piece

steel beam from 9/11 attacks returned to new wtc
from dpa: A massive steel column from the original World Trade Centre destroyed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, was returned to its original site on Monday to be a part of the memorial monument for victims. The 58-ton, 12-metre-high beam plunged deep into 'Ground Zero,' the site of the World Trade Centre's twins towers that collapsed, was the most visible remnant of the attacks. It stood erect while debris from the towers smouldered around it for weeks after the attacks. Its return also marked the rebirth of the World Trade Centre. The column was brought back from a depot at John F Kennedy airport to be the centre piece of the planned National September 11 Memorial and Museum. News reports said other large artefacts from 'Ground Zero' will also be returned to the site as construction for the new World Trade Centre is progressing. Joseph Daniels, president of the September 11 Memorial Foundation, was quoted as saying that artefacts like the steel column have "tremendous emblematic meaning... The last column represents all the effort by individuals that made this recovery effort unprecedented in American history," Daniels said. The United States will mark the eight anniversary of the attacks next month in which more than 3,000 people died.


lucky larry, wtc owner, to stop paying developer penalties

lawyers can question 9/11 suspect in writing
from ap: Lawyers for a Guantanamo Bay detainee will be allowed to question — in writing — accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a federal judge has ruled. The decision is a setback for government lawyers who had sought to limit the scope of detainee lawyers' challenges to the detention and prosecution of terror suspects. In a written ruling, Judge Ricardo Urbina says lawyers for detainee Abdul Raheem Ghulam Rabbani can submit written questions about their client to Mohammed. Prosecutors say he worked for Mohammed, but Rabbani's lawyers contend he was just a menial servant, not a part of any terror network. The ruling says prosecutors may review the answers before delivering them to Rabbani's lawyers to remove any national security information.

video: 100s of 9/11 1st responders die of cancer

army judge: 9/11 lawyers can't see cia 'black sites'
from miami herald: A military judge says defense lawyers for an alleged Sept. 11 plotter held at Guantánamo don't need to inspect secret CIA overseas prisons to determine whether the accused al Qaeda terrorist is competent to stand trial. Judge Stephen Henley, an Army colonel, ruled Monday that the so-called black sites have likely changed enough since 2006 that an inspection would be of no use to Ramzi Bin al Shibh's Pentagon-appointed defense lawyers.

here's why we went to afghanistan & it wasn't 9/11

update: sibel edmonds' deposition video & transcript released*

6/11 newspurge

9/11 updates:
obama may toss 'full trials' for alleged 9/11 plotters*
flashback: feb20, 1981: boeing 707 nearly hits tv mast atop world trade center*
mos def on 9/11: "it just doesn't feel right"*

drugwar:
US to ramp up intel efforts in drug war*
drones vs drugs*
psychiatric drugs eyed for adolescents*
uk government 'to ban legal highs'*
video: rhode island senate passes medical marijuana compassion center bill*

geopolitiks:
north korea jails US journalists*
north korea sentences US reporters to 12yrs 'hard labor'*
silence on north korea detainments causes concern among current tv staff*
experts say US may be able to negotiate reporters' release from north korea*
US preps for possible showdown with pyongyang*
north korea would use nuclear weapons in a 'merciless offensive'*
gates: we can take down north korean missile*
video: bomb kills at least 11 at pakistan hotel*
search for pakistan blast victims*
gorbachev calls for new american revolution*
china runs 'great wall 6' anti-terror drills*
kyrgyzstan: sorry, barack, we’re giving you the boot*
shell settles nigeria case*
6 arrested in suspected plot to attack g8*

warwhores:
US remains top military spender, peace researchers say*
US, china & russia lift arms spending to new record*

one note of wv worry:
judges told to avoid cases involving big donors:
massey energy, big $ & corrupt judges in west virginia*

obamessiah: more troops, more torture, less change

US military deaths in iraq war at 4,285

obama readies troops as afghans pile up body parts
from jeremy scahill: As rage spreads in Afghanistan after US bombing that killed up to 130 people, unnamed Pentagon officials are spinning another cover-up. Defiant Obama moves ahead with troop increase... Standing between Hamid Karzai and Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday, Obama said the US would “make every effort” to avoid civilian deaths in both countries (which are regularly bombed by the US). But as he was making those remarks, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was arriving in Kabul on Wednesday “to make sure that preparations were moving forward for the troop increase and that soldiers and Marines were getting the equipment they needed.”

huge US camp arises in afghan desert of death

obama set to revive military commissions
from washington post: The Obama administration is preparing to revive the system of military commissions established at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, under new rules that would offer terrorism suspects greater legal protections, government officials said. The rules would block the use of evidence obtained from coercive interrogations, tighten the admissibility of hearsay testimony and allow detainees greater freedom to choose their attorneys, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

thoughts on the war between US & pakistan & more thoughts on the war between US & pakistan

obama reverses stance on immigration
from washington times: On the thorniest of political issues, President Obama has embraced the enforcement-first position on immigration that he criticized during last year's presidential campaign, and he now says he can't move forward with the type of comprehensive bill he wants until voters are convinced that the borders can be enforced.

memos shed light on cia use of sleep deprivation

cheney may be willing to testify under oath about torture program
from thinkprogress: Today on CBS’s Face the Nation, Vice President Cheney vigorously defended the Bush administration’s torture policies and his belief that by rejecting them, President Obama is raising “the risk to the American people of another attack.” Cheney said that the Bush administration’s interrogation policies will one day be viewed as “one of the great success stories of American intelligence.” When host Bob Schieffer asked Cheney whether he would be willing to testify to Congress under oath, Cheney initially hedged, but then indicated that he would be willing to do so...

black budget blows by $50b mark

update: obama to retain military tribunals for terrorism trials
from dpa: US President Barack Obama will continue to use military tribunals to put suspected terrorists on trial, The New York Times reported Friday on its website. Obama will retain the military commissions first established for terrorism trials by his predecessor, president George W Bush. But Obama plans to seek congressional approval for an expansion of defendant rights under the tribunal system, the Times reported, citing officials briefed on the Obama plan. The White House was expected to announce Obama's tribunal decision later Friday. Campaigning during the presidential election, which he won in November, Obama had sharply criticized Bush's tribunal system. Nine tribunal hearings were postponed when Obama took office in January, and US officials were expected to seek additional delays while the administration seeks to reform the military commission process.

9/11 updates: propaganda, tribunals & failed experiments

new a&e fbi show portrays 9/11 truthers as dope smoking terrorists
from paul joseph watson: A new FBI drama currently showing on A&E portrays 9/11 truthers as dope smoking terrorists in its pilot episode, a ploy made all the more interesting for the fact that A&E is part-owned by Hearst Corporation, which has also attempted to debunk 9/11 truth with savage hit pieces via its subsidiaries The History Channel and Popular Mechanics. The plot of the show, which stars Patrick Swayze, centers around an attempt to infiltrate a group who are suspected of smuggling Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers into Iraq. In one scene, a member of the group talks with an FBI agent who is operating undercover. “Are you a truther or a sheep?” the man asks the FBI agent. He continues, “9/11 was a false flag operation man, wake up, a self-inflicted wound to control the masses, you know there was no planes, all of them were holograms and CGI.” The man then takes a drag on a marijuana spliff and gives the FBI agent a crazed look. The insertion of the 9/11 truther caveat in the episode serves no purpose except seemingly to convince the viewer that the man is unstable and dangerous. The mention of CGI and holograms, an obsessive tenet of an extreme fringe that attempted to hijack the 9/11 truth movement a few years ago, also serves only to detract more credibility from the subject.

conspiracy? what is the truth about 9/11?

US treasury targets bin laden son, al-qaeda with iran ties
from afp: The US Treasury Department on Friday targeted one of Osama bin Laden's sons and three other alleged Al Qaeda operatives with Iranian ties under an executive order that freezes their assets under US jurisdiction and outlaws their supporters. Osama bin Laden's son Sa'ad, along with Mustafa Hamid, Muhammad Rab'a al-Sayid al-Bahtiyti and Ali Saleh Husain, are alleged to have worked for Al Qaeda in Iran, and some have ties to the Iranian government, said the department in a statement.

al-qaeda bungles arms experiment
from washington times: An al Qaeda affiliate in Algeria closed a base earlier this month after an experiment with unconventional weapons went awry, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Monday. The official, who spoke on the condition he not be named because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said he could not confirm press reports that the accident killed at least 40 al Qaeda operatives, but he said the mishap led the militant group to shut down a base in the mountains of Tizi Ouzou province in eastern Algeria.

9/11 tribunal resumes at guantanamo
from dpa: The military tribunal of the five alleged co- conspirators in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was set to resume on Monday amid speculation president-elect Barack Obama will suspend the proceedings shortly after taking office. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the plot, and four co-defendants were due to appear before the military commission for pretrial hearings, including one on whether Ramzi bin al-Shibh is mentally competent to handle his defence.

update1: boastful 9/11 suspects admit guilt
from ap: Two alleged orchestrators of the 2001 attacks on America casually declared their guilt on Monday in a messy and perhaps final session of the Guantanamo war crimes court. This week's military hearings could be the last at Guantanamo - President-elect Barack Obama has said he would close the offshore prison and many expect him to suspend the military tribunals and order new trials in the U.S. Ramzi Binalshibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed architect of the terrorist attacks, were unapologetic about their roles during a series of outbursts as translators struggled to keep up and the judge repeatedly sought to regain control. "We did what we did; we're proud of Sept. 11," announced Binalshibh, who has said he wants to plead guilty to charges that could put him to death. The judge must first determine if he is mentally competent to stand trial. Mohammed shrugged off the potential death sentence for the murder of nearly 3,000 people in the Sept. 11 attacks. "We don't care about capital punishment," said Mohammed, whose thick gray beard flows to the top of his white prison jumpsuit. "We are doing jihad for the cause of God."

update2: judge suspends case against 9/11 plotters
from dpa: A US military judge on Wednesday accepted a motion to suspend the criminal proceedings at Guantanano Bay, Cuba against five men accused of organizing the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a spokesman for the military commissions confirmed. The ruling followed an order by US President Barack Obama to delay the proceedings so his administration could review all of the cases before the military tribunals, in what could be the first step toward closing the notorious prison camp. Miliary prosecutors filed the motion on Obama's request and the judge agreed to a 120-day suspension, the spokesman said. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants face execution if convicted of murdering nearly 3,000 people. Three of the defendants, including Mohammed, are representing themselves in the case. Mohammed has said he wants to receive the death penalty.

9/11 updates: secret trials, white house moles & hero myths

judge's order could keep public from hearing details of 9/11 trials
from washington post: The military judge overseeing proceedings against five of the men accused of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks signed an order designed to protect classified information that is so broad it could prevent public scrutiny of the most important trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to lawyers and human rights groups.

The protective order, which was signed on Dec. 18 by Judge Stephen R. Henley, an Army colonel, not only protects documents and information that have been classified by intelligence agencies, it also presumptively classifies any information "referring" to a host of agencies, including the CIA, the FBI and the State Department. The order also allows the court in certain circumstances to classify information already in the public domain and presumptively classifies "any statements made by the accused."

Three of the accused, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, are defending themselves and, under the order, anything they say during the course of the trial could be shielded from the public.

"These rules turn the presumption of openness on its head, making what is perhaps the most important trial in American history presumptively closed to the public and the press," said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch. "If these rules applied in all cases, there would be no such thing as an open trial in America."

william safire hinted white house 'mole' may have aided 9/11 terrorists
from peter's new york: The discovery in my personal archives of issues of The New York Times and the New York Post from the days immediately following September 11, 2001 has become the basis for a several-part series on early reportage of the events of that day. The use of the original issues as opposed to electronic media has the advantage of easy reference, and absolute reliability regarding the source. This third essay will explore the remarkable drama surrounding the activities of President George W. Bush on that fateful day. We find that once New York Times columnist William Safire came into possession of the facts related to Bush’s 10-hour absence from Washington, he concluded that a “mole” in the White House may have cooperated with the 9/11 terrorists. He is thus joined at the hip with Robert Novak, who came to a similar conclusion in his column of the same day.

the myth of bush as 'the hero of september 11'
from huffington post: As January 20 grows larger in the window, I've been thinking more often about the Bush legacy - specifically about certain aspects of the president's record that are in danger of being completely obliterated and replaced with myths and wholesale fiction. Some of this effort is of course the purview of Karl Rove and Karen Hughes and their legacy project, while rough drafts of revisionist Bush history are being contributed by certain establishment media hacks - desperate to chisel into the record their take on this outgoing president. For example. Last week on a special episode of Hardball, my favorite insufferable hack, TIME's Mark Halperin, remarked that one of the president's greatest accomplishments was his response to the September 11 terrorist attacks:

"I do think he deserves high marks for his public presentations after a rocky start in the first few hours. [...] You can't be sure of it, but I'm confident that he performed there very well. And other presidents may not have performed as well."

Which other presidents? Lincoln after Fort Sumter? Roosevelt after Pearl Harbor? Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis? At least Halperin interrupted his verbal dry-hump to acknowledge (sort-of) that President Bush sat there in a glazed stupor for nine minutes after being told, literally, that America was under attack.