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(Map of U.S. military bases surrounding oil-rich Iran)
Jerusalem Post: 'US Anti-Missile Ship To Dock In Haifa'
'An American missile ship set to dock at Haifa Port on Monday is equipped with an anti-missile defense system
that could be deployed in the region in the event of an Iranian missile attack against Israel...The USS San Jacinto
...is equipped with the AEGIS missile defense system, which was developed by Lockheed Martin to protect against
aircraft and missiles. The ship will remain in Haifa for three days..."It is possible that one day, if we are under attack,
the US will send these ships to the region to help defend us," a defense official said...'
DEBKAfile, Israel: 'Iran Extends Submarine Range To Hit Tel Aviv And U.S. Mediterranean Targets'
'DEBKAfile's military sources report the Iranian Navy is in the process of deploying two submarine fleets - mini-subs
in Persian Gulf waters for attacks on US shipping and Gulf oil facilities, and the long-range Kilo class sub of Russian,
Chinese and home manufacture, for long-range targets in the Mediterranean, such as the US Sixth Fleet and Israel
coastal towns, primarily Tel Aviv...Tehran has developed a new capability to deploy in the Mediterranean Kilo class
submarines armed with the Russian-made 'Sizzler' Klub-S (3M54) missile. This missile can be shot from underwater
at a range of 300 kilometers and has a powerful 450-kilogram warhead. It is launched from the submarine's 533mm
(21 inch) torpedo tubes. This possibility was outlined by an authoritative Iranian security figure, the spokesman-cum-
commentator at Iran's defense ministry, Gen. Reza Naghdi, on Nov. 12. He said that if Iran were attacked, its navy
- and its submarine fleet in particular - could come close enough to "reach an Israeli coastal target" from the sea.
Iran's submarine fleet consists of 6 Kilo class craft, of which only three or four are serviceable. Another 12 submarines
of the same class are on order from China, but there is no information that any of them has entered service or even
been delivered...The Revolutionary Guards Corps is known to have built a large fleet of mini-subs and special marine
units equipped with fast boats for deployment in the Persian Gulf. They might partly free up the larger Kilo subs for
this option...The Kilo class submarine's displacement is up to 4,000 tons submerged. It is 74 meters long, has a
maximum speed of up to 30 knots surfaced, diving depth of 300 meters and range of more than 12,100 km. The Kilo
carries a crew of 52 sailors and, depending on the type, is armed with six to eight 533 mm torpedo tubes, 24 mines
and air defense missiles. The Kilo submarines' quiet engines enable them to appear and disappear like wraiths,
winning them the name of Black Hole from the US Navy.'
'Potential Casualties If The U.S. Attacks Iran'
'...they have three Kilo class Russian submarines. They are very deadly in shallow water, basically, our anti-submarine
warfare forces probably won't find them until after they have shot. We have two attack subs in the Gulf, but our boats
are too big for shallow water, they don't maneuver well, and their sonar ability is degraded by all the noise of a shallow
bottom...So let us say that we bomb Iran, and they shut down the Gulf. The supply situation of our troops will quickly
become critical. The first reaction would be to pull all units inside large bases. There will not be enough fuel to support
all those local outposts that have been established. Most US supply will come from Turkey or by air. Look at the map
again. It is a long way to fly to Iraq from anywhere. And I do not think we can count on being able to stage aircraft
through any bases in Pakistan in a serious way, the Afghan bases are full up just supporting that war, Incilkik air base
in Turkey will be swamped, and we only have enough capacity to supply one third of our troops by air anyway. Airpower is
a huge US advantage, but in this scenario we're no longer be able to supply enough fuel to maintain air support. Remember,
we will be flying everything in, including aviation fuel. The only air support will come from Turkey, (if Turkey is willing)
or carriers in the Med. And they will have to overfly Syria or Jordan. What will those countries say to that? Oh, and don't
forget, the Iranians are lobbing missiles into US installations, and the Shia close the roads and isolate US installations,
and Iran lets anti air shoulder fired missiles into Iraq, something they have not done up to this point. We are not going
to supply our troops by air at a survivable level...We would be in slow strangulation, but the end result would be that we
would be forced to leave Iraq. ...If the Turks allow US troops to pass though Turkish territory, probably most will be able
to evacuate through there. But most will have to walk. Since over a year ago, there have not been enough vehicles to
equip all units in Iraq. Two or three battalions share one battalion sets of vehicles...The US retreat will have to be in a
series of Kessels. Kessel is a German word meaning cauldron, or large kettle. It refers to German formations on the East
front in Russia in WWII, who, surrounded by Soviet advances, would fight their way out. The troops on the west end
toward the German lines would fight the breakout battles, troops on the east end would be the rear guard, and the
northern and southern units would protect the flanks. All the wounded and supply would be in the middle. In such an
operation, the ability of the US to supply air support would be minimal, as I have said the only reliable air support would
be though the Med over flying Jordan or Syria. Bombers from Diego Garcia would need air to air refueling, and so would
any aircraft dropping supplies on the Kessels making their way out. It would be nasty little infantry fights all the way. by
this method, Kessel extraction through Turkey, we could probably evacuate 50% to 80% of our troops in Iraq. The troops
in Bahrain and Qatar would be mostly lost. The percentage of losses among contractors would be much higher. If Turkey
closed the border to Americans, the best bet would be to try to fight through the Syrians, and get picked up by the
US Navy on the Syrian coast. Don't try the Turks if they are hostile. By this way, we might get 30% out...'
HERE IT COMES?
A Convenient, Contrived Israeli Pretext For War? 'You Attack Our Nuclear Reactor, We'll Attack Yours?'
'Islamic Iran Terror Murders 3 In Dimona, Israel - Reactor Unharmed'
'February 4, 2008: An Islamic suicide bomber blew himself up in the southern Israel town of Dimona. The terror attack
murdered at least three people and wounded forty. Dimona, is the location of Israel's nuclear reactor. The blast did not
occur at the reactor site but rather miles away. The suicide terror bombing was carried out by two attackers, according
to Israel security sources. "One terrorist succeeded in detonating his explosives. The other terrorist was killed by a police
officer from an elite unit seconds before he could detonate himself," a security source told the Israel News Agency. "These
terrorists struck at innocent civilians in a poverty struck desert town. They has no chance of getting near the Dimona
reactor, not by foot, not by air or any other means. Dimona is one of the most secure places in the world. Islamic terrorists
are trying to develop nuclear weapons in Iran for their stated purpose of "wiping Israel off the map." They have not and
will not succeed." The Israel emergency medica service, Magen David Adom had ambulances taking the wounded to
Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. "Many believe that the attack on Jewish civilians in Dimona was the result of Iranian spin
and public relations to place media focus on Israel's defense rather than Iran's illegal production of nuclear weapons and
open declaration to "wipe Israel off the map". Rosa Elberg, a resident of the town, said that the terror bomber detonated
his explosives inside a cafe'. "It is like a war, people are running like crazy," she told Israel TV Channel 2. "I didn't see
anyone suspicious. I heard a boom and my ears are still ringing." Another eyewitness told Israel Radio that many people
were at the commercial center at the time because of the sunny weather. The Negev Nuclear Research Center is an Israel
nuclear installation located in the Negev desert, about twenty kilometers to the south of the city of Dimona. Construction
of the Dimona reactor took place in 1958, with French assistance according to the secret Protocol of Se`vres agreements.
The complex was constructed in secret, and outside the International Atomic Energy Agency inspection regime. The purpose
of Dimona is for the peaceful production of electricity although many have Dimona to be the manufacturing plant of nuclear
weapons. The Israel government refuses to confirm or deny that Dimona has over 200 nuclear weapons at the ready to
defend Israel. In 1986, Mordechai Vanunu, a former technician at Dimona, revealed to the media some alleged evidence
of Israel's nuclear program. Israel agents allegedly abducted Vanunu from Italy and transported him to Israel. An Israel court
then tried him in secret on charges of treason and espionage, and sentenced him to eighteen years imprisonment. At the
time of Vanunu's arrest, The Times reported that Israel had material for approximately 20 hydrogen bombs and 200 fission
bombs. Shalom Bar Avi, a journalist who spoke to Israel TV Channel 10, stated: "I am here no longer as a journalist but as
a simple citizen. I pray and hope my wife is okay." Bar Avi praised the police's quick response to the attack, and said the
officer who identified the second attacker shot "four or five times, he took no chances." The Jerusalem Brigades of Islamic
Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, confirming in its statement that the terrorists entered Israel through the Sinai
desert, but several minutes later several organizations, including Hamas and Fatah, also claimed responsibility. Palestinian
news agency of Maan reported that a spokesman for al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of Fatah confirmed during a phone interview
with Maan that his group was behind the blast. Israel has been on alert against terror attacks since the Hamas terror group
in Gaza breached the border with Egypt on January 23. The breach made the Negev, where Dimona is located, more vulnerable
to penetration by Palestinian terrorists who could enter through the Sinai. Egypt security forces yesterday resealed the only
remaining gap on the Egypt side of the border fences with barbed wire and metal barricades, ending the nearly two-week-long
Gaza border breaches crisis. "No one can reach the reactor at Dimona, Israel," said an Israel security source. "Not even the
Prime Minister or Defense Minister can visit without special security clearance by several domestic security organizations. So
Islamic terrorists searched for soft targets as they have in the past - Israel men, women and children. Our security forces
were prepared for such an attack and for this reason the second suicide bomber never had a chance of harming more innocent
people." "Monday's terror attack gives us a painful reminder that we must be vigilant and maintain our readiness in all areas,"
Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said hours after a 20-year-old woman was killed and 38 people were wounded, one critically,
in a suicide bombing in the Dimona commercial center. "We are waging a war on terror. It is continuing without bounds and
we will get to everyone involved in terror activity," said Olmert during a Kadima faction meeting. Many believe that the attack
on Jewish civilians in Dimona was the result of Iran spin and public relations to place media focus on Israel's defense rather
than Iran's illegal production of nuclear weapons and open declaration to "wipe Israel off the map". Iran accused France
yesterday of adopting an “unfriendly” position in Tehran's nuclear arrogance with the West. The Iran Foreign Ministry
summoned the French Ambassador to Tehran, Bernard Poletti, in an apparent tit-for-tat response after Paris called in the
Iranian envoy last week over anti-Israel remarks made by its hardline President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. At a time when
Iraq and the war on terrorism tend to dominate the debate on international affairs, the possibility of an attack on Iran's
nuclear facilities has become a major topic of discussion in the United States. There are reports that the Bush administration
is seriously considereding this option. In Israel, planning appears to have progressed quite a bit further as it appears that
some in Israel are seriously considering a preemptive attack similar to the June 1981 attack on Osirak that destroyed Iraq's
nuclear reactor. Meir Dagan, the Chief of Mossad, told parliament members in his inaugural appearance before the Israel
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Iran was close to the "point of no return" and that the specter of Iran
possession of nuclear weapons was the greatest threat to Israel since its inception.'
'IAF Train Intensively For Iran Strike With Mini-Nukes'
'The Israel Air Force is training for a tactical nuclear strike on Iranian nuclear production facilities. The IAF is practicing for a
mission to destroy key Iranian facilities, at least one with low-yield nuclear munitions, the Times of London reported. Citing
"several Israeli sources," the Times said that two IAF squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian facility using a combination
of precision laser bombs and low-yield nuclear "bunker-busters". The Times report was supplemented by one from Fox News.
The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese
cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb,
the Times said. Under the plans, the report said, conventional laser-guided bombs would open shafts into the targets. Then the
"mini-nukes" would then be fired into a plant at Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive fallout.
"As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished," said
one of the sources. Israeli intelligence recently announced that Iran is on the verge of producing enough enriched uranium
to make nuclear weapons by 2009. Meir Dagan, head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, told the Knesset, Israel's
parliament, also believes that the Iranians will have a complete nuclear device by 2009. Israel has identified three prime targets
south of Tehran believed to be central to Iran's nuclear program, the Times reported: Natanz, where thousands of centrifuges
are being installed for uranium enrichment; A uranium conversion facility near Isfahan, and a heavy water reactor at Arak.
Ephraim Sneh, the former deputy Israeli defense minister, said last month: "The time is approaching when Israel and the
international community will have to decide whether to take military action against Iran." But he lamented that "At the end of
the day it is always down to the Jews to deal with the problem." The United States has described a strike against Iranian targets
as a "last resort", leading Israelis to believe that it will be left to the IAF to strike. The Times, citing Israeli sources, said Israeli
pilots have flown to Gibraltar in recent weeks to train for the 2,000-mile round trip to the Iranian targets. The report said
that the air force squadrons are based at Hatzerim in the Negev desert and Tel Nof, south of Tel Aviv, under the personal
supervision of Major General Eliezer Shkedy, commander of the Israeli Air Force, training to use Israel's arsenal of tactical
nuclear weapons on the mission. The Israelis believe that Iran's expected retaliation "would be constrained by fear of an
Israeli second strike." The leak of a possible nuclear option by Israel may be intentional, US analysts have said. "In the
cold war, we made it clear to the Russians that it was a virtual certainty that nukes would fly and fly early," said an
American
defense source. "Israel may be adopting the same tactics: 'You produce a weapon; you die'."...'
(Note: The article above was written before the release of the recent NIE confirming Iran's peaceful nuclear program)
Jerusalem Post: 'Thinking The Unthinkable: An Iranian Second Strike'
'...If the US or Israel bombs Iran's nuclear facilities, can Iran strike back at Israel with weapons of mass destruction?
This is obviously a vital question to answer before deciding whether to use the "military option." Unfortunately, there
is no one conclusive answer...if Iran decided to strike back at Israel with its worst weapons - missiles armed with plague,
anthrax, nerve gas or other catastrophic substances - and Israel failed to wipe them out on the ground or in the air, the
effect of even one of those missiles landing, says Shoham, would be "bad." Asked what he means by "bad," he declines
to elaborate, saying, "I don't want to terrify the readers."...A lot has been written and said about the dangers of a nuclear
armed Iran and about the possibility of bombing its nuclear facilities out of existence. Much less, however, has been written
and said about the dangers of such a preemptive strike. However, this is starting to change. On the eve of his trip to the
US to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the beginning of June, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, a
former chief of General Staff and defense minister, gave an interview to Yediot Aharonot in which he warned of the possible
"destructive consequences" of a US attack on Iran. "An American attack, Mofaz tells close associates, is liable to set the
entire Middle East ablaze and cause incalculable damage to Israel's population...In an interview with The Jerusalem Post,
Mofaz warned: "The potential for a regional escalation as a result of [a preemptive] attack is great"...the more Shihab-3
missiles the Iranians fire in a single volley, the harder it would be for the Arrow to take them out. "If the Iranians fire one
a day, the Arrow could intercept all of them. If they fire their missiles all at once, some could get through," says Shapir,
and Kam agrees. The usefulness of Israelis' personal defensive measures - gas masks and sealed security rooms - has
never been tested against an actual WMD attack because there has never been one here. Over the years, there have
been a litany of problems with the gas masks, Shoham notes, while adding that these problems are solvable. Assuming
the gas masks were in perfect working order and distributed to all Israelis in time, they could, theoretically, defend
against a poison gas attack. However, many biological agents such as anthrax and VX enter through the skin, so in
such cases gas masks would be of no use. A privately-purchased protective suit could be effective, but outfitting all
7 million Israelis is not in the cards. And if anthrax, bubonic plague, botulism, nerve agents or the like were loosed
among Israel's population, it's highly speculative whether, or for how long, people could survive wearing gas masks
or even protective suits inside their sealed rooms...'
'Revealing Deliberate Deceptions: A Truthout Interview With Daniel Ellsberg'
'Daniel Ellsberg, perhaps the country's most famous whistleblower, fears that before the Bush administration leaves
office they will try to attack Iran. Indeed, Ellsberg's argument gained merit as George W. Bush increased his rhetoric
against Iran when he delivered his final State of the Union Address. Bush accused Iran of training militia extremists
in Iraq, and emphasized the US will confront its enemies...The recent announcement in December by the National
Intelligence Estimate (NIE) revealed, counter to the president's claims, Iran did not have an active nuclear program.
This was unexpected, says Ellsberg. The administration had said, weeks before this release, they had no intention
of putting out NIE summaries, Ellsberg says. However, the information was released because, according to newspaper
reports, there was the threat of leaks: "As one news story put it, intelligence officials were lined up to go to jail, if
the administration did not release those findings," says Ellsberg, emphasizing his creed in the need to take risks for
the sake of revealing truth. "I wish I could say it made an attack on Iran zero, and it hasn't, but it has reduced it and
confirms, in my opinion, the power of being willing to risk prosecution, willing to give up your career, your clearance,
which these people would have done if they'd put that information out - and the mere threat was enough to get it out
in this case," emphasizes Ellsberg. Ellsberg says Bush will simply find a different pretext from the nuclear program.
"After all, it was about a year ago that he really stopped pressing the nuclear program as the main reason to start
attacking Iran and start talking about what they were doing against US forces in Iraq," says Ellsberg, who claims
people in the military have recently undercut this statement by saying there is no evidence of Iran's involvement
against US forces in Iraq. Bush could also use an incident that is blamed on Iran as a means to begin a war with
them...The American public, and media in general, have not picked up on the urgency surrounding a pending war
with Iran, Ellsberg says. For over two years, Sy Hersh and others have been writing detailed articles stating
operational plans against Iran are being updated to the minute, so that within hours or a day
they can be implemented....'
Capitol Hill Blue, Virginia: 'The REAL Reason We Are In Iraq'
'As sad as it may seem, rather than an abject failure, I'm now beginning to believe that Bush and his cabal's plans
in the Middle East have actually been a resounding success from their point of view. For their apparent collective
"stupidity" has resulted in continued turmoil in the Middle East, which, in turn, allows the Government of Israel to
continue its decades of racism, apartheid and hegemony in the region. What's more, Mr. Bush's, continued failure
to "win the peace" in Iraq and Afghanistan has virtually guaranteed that our troops will now be there for decades.
All of which is EXACTLY what the Government of Israel wants. For decades, the Government of Israel has had both
our Presidents AND our members of the US Congress by the short hairs. Organizations like AIPAC (backed up by the
ruthless scare tactics of the Israeli Mossad operating within our borders) have made absolutely sure of that. This, in
turn, means that NONE of what the US is now fighting for in Iraq or Afghanistan has anything to do with finding
weapons of mass destruction, bringing "democracy" to nations whose people haven't a clue as to what that word
means, protecting our own "national security", or even lowering the price of oil (or controlling its flow). Rather, I
firmly believe our continued presence in Iraq and Afghanistan has everything to do with keeping the developing
Moslem world in the Middle East a constant state of turmoil so as to underwrite and enable the Government of
Israel's obsessive need to expand both its borders and its influence in the region. The Government of Israel's
shameful performance in southern Lebanon in 2006 and it's ongoing blockade of the Gaza strip…all the while
dropping cluster bombs and anti-personnel munitions on civilian targets…should leave absolutely NO doubt in
anyone's mind as to exactly what the Israeli Government's real intentions are. What's more, these ongoing "holy
wars" also guarantee that billions and billions of your and my tax dollars will continue flowing into the coffers of
the hopelessly corrupt US defense contractors along with their various lobbyists and "think tanks" (not to mention
keeping all those campaign contributions flowing into Presidential and Congressional campaign coffers from the
now-fully-employed defense constituencies "back home"!). It's a win-win for everyone. That is, of course, except
for the beleaguered US taxpayer and our brave (mostly young) soldiers who are giving their very lives to
underwrite such blatant apartheid, shameful collusion and systemic government corruption...'
'The CIA's 'Operation Gladio' - Death Plan For Democracy'
'In late January 2008, a secret paramilitary group (formerly?) allied with America was busted in Turkey. Thirteen
members of a shadowy right-wing group in Turkey were charged with "forming an armed terrorist group in order
to provoke members of the public into armed revolt against the government."...The use of proxy mercenary forces
to terrorize nations into submitting to US political demands has been the cornerstone of American foreign policy
since at least the era of the Berlin Wall, and it still is...In Europe, the American government actively sought to
eliminate political opposition to its fascist world plans through the use of open violent repression and covert
terroristic "false flag" attacks upon popular patriotic resistance movements and their leaders. Using ultra right
-wing homegrown fascists, in both Europe and America, secret paramilitary militias were created, called "Stay
Behind" forces at the end of World War II. Since then, the CIA activated these groups to successfully quash
anti-American liberal and social democratic popular resistance movements. The agency denies this, but the series
of exposes of their network in Europe since 1990 have proven the professed denials to be false...The secret plans
for Europe entailed large covert paramilitary units in every NATO nation, that were trained and ready to suppress
all anti-American protests by liberals and social democrats. The official name of the covert programs was "Gladio."
The official cover story (and its original purpose) was that these right-wing paramilitary units were "Stay Behind"
forces, which were created as copies of the French "underground" resistance, to be activated upon a Soviet
conquest and occupation of Europe. The Stay Behind/Gladio forces saw a change of mission in the sixties, when
the European socialist/liberal alliance began to awaken strong nationalist movements in every NATO country. The
Timewatch investigation documents the secret formation of these neo-fascist units throughout Europe, highlighting
individual local leaders and their personal testimony about participating in armed attacks upon government armories
and supermarkets, as well as terror bombings, like the bomb that was detonated at Bologna's train station, killing 85
and wounded over 200. Other revelations from the video about the operation include a damning investigation of
Gladio by the European Union, interviews with key Gladio players like neocon Michael Ledeen, shadowy Iran/Contra
figures Gen. John Singlaub, CIA spokesmen like former Director William Colby and Ray Cline, as well as pivotal
controversial documentation on secret Army participation. In contradiction of CIA denials about the true purpose of
Gladio and the scope of its operations and neoconservative lies that there was no Gladio, the following excerpt, from
joint resolution (EP 22.11.90) of the European Parliament condemns actions of US and allied intelligence agencies
involved: "Whereas in certain Member States military secret services (or uncontrolled branches thereof) were involved
in serious cases of terrorism and crime as evidenced by, various judicial inquiries... these organizations operated and
continue to operate completely outside the law...whereas the various `GLADIO' organizations have at their disposal
independent arsenals and military resources which give them an unknown strike potential, thereby jeopardizing the
democratic structures of the countries in which they are operating or have been operating..."...The brainwashing
science possessed by the government and applied through its foundations and institutes (such as Rand, Ford, Carnegie,
Stanford and Tavistock Institute) dwarfs the alleged manipulative powers of any imagined conspiracy. This proved to
be extremely successful, especially when combined with spectacular fear producing terror attacks. In truth, mind
control science, developed and implemented since World War II...is all CIA. With the rise of former CIA director
George Bush to the position of "vice president elect," (and their "October surprise" obtained with a purloined speech
prep book for the great debate) the agency began to apply those behavioral control techniques of Gladio to the political
process...The Gladio-centered US foreign policy, which was so successfully played-out in Europe, effectively countered
the Soviet expansion at a high cost to European democracy. The application of that policy to Islamic countries facing
a Soviet threat, such as Afghanistan, helped to roll-back the Soviets, but at a terrible cost. The training of Islamic
paramilitary forces to carry-out terror attacks for political reasons, evolved into the unfolding nightmare known as the
war on terror. In Afghanistan, the CIA armed, trained and supported Islamic "Gladios" who carried-out Brzezenski's
plans for staging terrorist attacks upon popular local Afghan tribal leaders, as a means to instigate the widespread tribal
warfare which eventually lured the Soviets to intervene in December 1979...'
'How An Iranian 'Oil Bourse' Threatens The American Empire'
...Iran's planned oil bourse threatens not only Bush's simplistic view of the world, it strikes at the the coffers of "big
oil". Isolated by mysteriously cut internet cables, Iran - if it is not nuked - will this month begin trading oil in currencies
other than the dollar...the US empire will collapse when the dollar collapses...Certainly, when oil is no longer traded
in dollars, it is not only the dollar that will collapse. It means that the US --on the bad end of a huge balance of trade
deficit --will no longer be able to afford to import goods or services. For a nation that long ago...gave up its role as a
manufacturing nation, this collapse will be monumental, catastrophic. The fact that oil had been traded in dollars was
the only thing propping up the dollar. That there was a demand for dollars because there was a demand for oil meant
that you could continue to buy imported goods with dollars. Now --imagine a world in which no other country need
"purchase" dollars in order to import oil! What if oil producing nations agree to accept other currencies? What if they
refuse to accept dollars? Go to Wal-Mart or even your local supermarket. Almost everything on the shelves is imported.
Imagine a shop owner refusing to accept in payment your worthless dollars in payment for anything in the shop! As Gore
Vidal pointed out, the US empire ended in the eighties, when the US became a net debtor nation. GOP regimes since
have only made the situation worse. Just as empire became the business of Rome, empire had become the "business"
of the US which no longer produces enough to employ its population let alone export to the rest of the world. Most US
consumer goods are imported from China, sold in Warl-Mart, discarded in America. America's best days are over.
We live in the twilight of empire.'
The U.S. Press Continues Its Coverup Of Sibel Edmonds' Astonishing 'Nuclear Treason' Allegations,
-The White House Begins To Panic, And Tries To Retroactively 'Legitimize' These Crimes Through The Back Door...
'White House In Panic Over Sibel Edmonds?'
'...Sixteen days after the UK Times' published a blockbuster article, 'For Sale: West's Deadly Nuclear Secrets',
about how certain top US government officials were enabling Turkish and Israeli interests in supplying the nuclear
black market, President Bush quietly announced on Tuesday that he wants Congress to approve sales of nuclear
technology to Turkey. Is this a reaction to the Times article? It sure looks like it. I wouldn't be surprised if we soon
start hearing about retroactive immunity for the guilty parties, just as we are seeing in the illegal spying case currently
in the Senate. As always happens in this case, the silence in the US media is deafening. Two years ago, Bush's efforts
to sell nuclear technology prompted much "indignation and furor," but not a single major US media outlet has yet
reported the proposed deal with Turkey. Agence France-Presse put out a report on its wires which has been picked
up around the world, but that's about it...'
'Talking Nuclear Turkey'
'You wouldn't know it from the American press, but President Bush just cleared the way for a nuclear cooperation
agreement with Turkey that had been on ice since 2000, submitting it to Congress for approval on Wednesday. The
deal, signed under the Clinton administration, had been stalled by a subsequent finding that certain Turkish "private
entities" posed a proliferation threat. That threat has been addressed by Turkey, according to President Bush in his
message accompanying the bill to Congress. This is a very significant move, part of a larger initiative I've written
about before, designed to help Turkey secure its energy supply, and to keep it from slipping further out of the West's
sphere of influence and into energy-based tactical alliances with Russia and Iran. The nuclear angle will become
even more central to that effort given the difficulties encountered in moving the EU's Nabucco pipeline project forward.
The deal does not allow for the transfer of sensitive technology or data, and the Secretaries of State and Energy as
well as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission all signed off on the updated Nuclear Proliferation Assessment Statement
(NPAS). Still, the timing of the Bush administration's announcement seems suspect, coming as it does on the heels of
a meeting between President Bush and Turkish President Abdullah Gul where energy policy figured prominently, as
well as on the eve of Turkey's call for tenders for the construction of its first reactor. It also comes in the immediate
aftermath of Sibel Edmonds' accusations, reported widely in the English and Turkish press but ignored Stateside, that
Turkey was the longstanding beneficiary of nuclear secrets funneled out of Washington...'
'Why Bush Wants To Legalize The Nuke Trade With Turkey'
'..What "private entities" the Press Release refers to is not clear, but it could well include the American Turkish Council,
the "entity" revealed in the Times article. The Bushites seem to be covering their own exposed backsides, for the timing
of Bush's call to sell nuke secrets to Turkey is certainly suspicious, if not overtly conspicuous. It appears the White House
has been spooked by Edmonds and hopes to absolve the U.S. officials allegedly involved in the illegal sale of nuclear
technology to private Turkish "entities"...Totally complicit in the nuke trade, the U.S. government, according to Edmonds,
has known of the expansive criminal activities of these foreign nations' presence in the States, which has included all sorts
of illegal activities like drug trafficking, espionage and money laundering...'
'The Big Fix: Bushists Seek To Legalize the Nuke Black Market'
'..According to the late Israeli scholar Israel Shahak: "...massive involvement of Israeli Intelligence in drug trafficking must
be well known to (and is probably approved by) its American opposite numbers. Ample precedents for that exist. ... It can
therefore be tentatively presumed that in its encouragement of drug traffic and traffickers, as in much else, Israel acts as
a proxy executor of the American will. This would at least partly explain why this policy works. -- Israel Shahak, 'Open
Secrets: Israeli Nuclear and Foreign Policies' [London: Pluto Press, 1997] p. 121." Precisely as Sibel Edmonds has
described regarding the drug trafficking angle of the nuclear proliferation network'
...And Bush Quickly Brings Neocon Paul Wolfowitz Back On Board!
'Paul Wolfowitz To Advise On Arms Control For Bush'
'Paul Wolfowitz has been appointed a high-level adviser on arms control to the Bush administration, dealing with
issues such as Iran and North Korea. The appointment of the former head of the World Bank to the International
Security Advisory Board will once again give one of Mr Bush's hawkish proponents of the Iraq war an official
channel to the administration. The panel's duty is to supply independent advice on arms control, disarmament,
non-proliferation< and related subjects..'
Daily Kos: 'Leading Neocon Was Part Of The (Alleged) Spy Ring Sibel Edmonds Discovered?'
(This is a major story, with lots of links, so you're recommended to read it in full)
But 'Those In The Know' Continue Steadfast In Their Support Of Sibel Edmonds...
'Interview: Ex-CIA Agent, Phil Giraldi, On Sibel Edmonds' Allegations'
'...Giraldi, who is familiar with how these things work, says: "(A)s a translator (she) would have worked very closely
with the FBI supervising officers to try to figure out what these transcripts meant. So the argument that she only saw
these 'bits' is not really true, she would have been very interactive in terms of the people running these operations and
she would have found out a lot more." Giraldi makes another good point. None of the guilty parties identified in the case
have gone out of their way to exonerate their good names..."I'm wondering why, if these people are innocent, they aren't
making a more serious effort to demonstrate that they are." Giraldi also debunks the 'she uncovered a sting operation'
idea that has started floating around lately, after 5 years: "And the other argument that keeps getting trotted out, is that
Grossman and all these other people might have been part of some sting operation back in 2001, 2002. Well, first of all
a sting operation back in 2001, 2002 that has been pretty much exposed in the media in the subsequent six years is not
something that you would necessarily have to hide. You could say 'Look, they were involved in doing the finest, highest
level work for the US government' - they could say something like that to make this story go away, but they haven't done
that. And I assure you, as a CIA officer, that the agency would never have used the number 3 person at State Dept as a
person in a sting operation. The State Dept would never have permitted it, and the agency would never have even
conceived of it, so the whole argument that this was some kind of sophisticated scam to sting the A.Q. Khan network or
something like that is ridiculous." Then there's this: "See the point is that she's been gagged, and think about what the
gag means. The gag means that the government is trying to suppress classified information that she has. That means
that they believe that what she is saying is true."...'
The London 'Sunday Times' Masterfully Continues Scooping The Timid, Silent U.S. Press On This Major Story...
UPDATE! 'Mole's Tip-Off Thwarted Nuclear Spy Ring Probe'
'An investigation into the illicit sale of American nuclear secrets was compromised by a senior official in the State
Department, a former FBI employee has claimed. The official is said to have tipped off a foreign contact about a bogus
CIA company used to investigate the sale of nuclear secrets. The firm, Brewster Jennings & Associates, was a front for
Valerie Plame, the former CIA agent. Her public outing two years later in 2003 by White House officials became a cause
celebre. The claims that a State Department official blew the investigation into a nuclear smuggling ring have been made
by Sibel Edmonds, 38, a former Turkish language translator in the FBI's Washington field office...Her latest claims relate
to a number of intercepted recordings believed to have been made between the summer and autumn of 2001. At that time,
foreign agents were actively attempting to acquire the West's nuclear secrets and technology. Among the buyers were
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's intelligence agency, which was working with Abdul Qadeer Khan, the 'father
of the Islamic bomb', who in turn was selling nuclear technology to rogue states such as Libya...Brewster Jennings was
one of a number of covert enterprises set up to infiltrate the nuclear ring. It is is believed to have been based in Boston
and consisted of little more than a name, a telephone number and a post office box address...The FBI was monitoring
Turkish diplomatic and political figures based in Washington who were allegedly working with the Israelis and using
'moles' in military and academic institutions to acquire nuclear secrets. The creation of this nuclear ring had been
assisted, Edmonds says, by the senior official in the State Department who she heard in one conversation arranging to
pick up a $15,000 bribe. One group of Turkish agents who had come to America on the pretext of researching alternative
energy sources was introduced to Brewster Jennings through the Washington-based American Turkish Council (ATC), a
lobby group that aids commercial ties between the countries. Edmonds says the Turks believed Brewster Jennings to be
energy consultants and were planning to hire them. But she said: "He [the State Department official] found out about the
arrangement...and he contacted one of the foreign targets and said...you need to stay away from Brewster Jennings
because they are a cover for the government. The target...immediately followed up by calling several people to warn
them about Brewster Jennings. At least one of them was at the ATC. This person also called an ISI person to warn them."
If the ISI was made aware of the CIA front company, then this would almost certainly have damaged the investigation into
the activities of Khan...It would be more than two years before Khan was forced to admit he had been selling nuclear
weapons technology to Libya, Iran and North Korea...Phillip Giraldi, a former CIA officer, said:..."If indeed that [State
Department] official was working with the Turks to violate US law on nuclear exports, it would have been in his interest
to alert them to the fact that this woman's company was affiliated to the CIA. I don't know if that's
treason legally but many people would consider it to be."...'
'UK Times: Brewster Jennings Outed By 'Treasonous' U.S. Government Official In 2001, Not 2003'
'...Significantly, since the Times began this series three weeks ago, the White House has quietly moved to legalize the
sale of nuclear technonlogy to Turkey in an apparent attempt to 'Exonerate Neocon Criminals' who have been illegally
selling this technology for a decade. Congress has 90 days to block this legislation, otherwise it becomes law. If Turkey
wants and deserves nuclear technology, this decision should be made openly and transparently, not the result of stealth
decisions made by this administration to hide crimes of senior U.S. officials. We need public open hearings to determine
which officials have been supplying the nuclear black market before this becomes law.'
'Sibel, Nukes, And Covering Ass'
'...the Bush administration is pressing Congress for approval of sales of nuclear technology to Turkey...NPAS stands for
nuclear proliferation assessment statement, but what's interesting about the statement is that in it, the Bush administration
admits that there are already nuclear proliferation activities in Turkey, carried out by "certain Turkish entities". I'm willing
to bet that these "entities" refer to the Turkish companies, very possibly including those that Sibel has mentioned in
connection with nuclear technology black-marketing. Furthermore, according to the White House press release, the U.S.
government had to bring these "Turkish entities" to the attention of the Turkish government. That is the biggest load of
baloney ever! Does anyone - naive Westerners excepted, of course - honestly believe that, in a fascist regime like Turkey,
either the civil government or the Pasas wouldn't know about nuclear "proliferation activities" taking place inside the
country? Such an idea is not only absolutely preposterous, it's also impossible...'
But It All Comes Back To What Appears To Be A Straight Transaction - U.S. Nuclear Secrets For Turkish Drug Money...
'Sibel Edmonds, Susurluk And The Turkish Mafia' (2006)
'...Edmonds, who gave evidence to the 9/11 commission based on her experience, was fired by the FBI after she accused
colleagues of corruption involving Turkey. She is a celebrated whistle-blower in America. But she is bound by a draconian
gag order. She can't say a lot, but anyone interested in Susurluk's legacy should listen carefully to what she does say. She
questioned how drug trafficking can stop when it is so vital to the Turkish economy: "The sums of money are huge. If it
stopped it would cause an economic crash." Dr Ertan Bese, of the Turkish National Police Academy, wrote in his 2004
doctoral thesis on Turkish organised crime, that the underworld economy of Turkey is worth $60 billion, amounting to a
massive 25 per cent of Turkey's national income. A huge proportion of this figure is derived from heroin trafficking.
Edmonds has testified, in secret, to how she discussed hearing Turkish consular officials in the USA apparently
discussing drug deals. She told Druglink: "In Turkey everything is run by the military. These activities cannot take
place without the permission of the military and the permission of Turkish intelligence."...'
For The Complete Series Of News Links For This Amazing Story,
Click On The Banner Below:
Iran Is taking No Chances With Either Bush Or Israel...
'Iran Vows to Retaliate Against US Bases in Gulf if U.S. Attacks First'
'Jealous nuclear-armed Israel suspects Iranians also working on nuclear warhead'
'Iran returns down offensive letter from U.S.'
'Iran To Face More Travel Bans, Asset Freezes'
'Unleash NATO - The 'First Use Of Nukes' Doctrine'
'The Imperial Pretention '
'U.S. The Biggest Producer of Terror'
'$5 million reward for failed 9/11 tip-off'
'A Sociology of Neoconservatism'
Harper's: 'Will the Real Leo Strauss Please Stand Up?'
...And Pakistan Is Politely 'Disinterested' In Additional U.S. Military 'Help'
'U.S., not Taliban, threat to Pak nukes: Mehsud'
'Nuclear Arsenal Remains Secure, Pakistani General Asserts'
'Pakistan Rebuffs Secret US Plea for CIA Buildup'
The Gaza Crisis - Is It Being Maipulated By Opportunistic Israel?
'Israel moves to dump Gaza problem on Egypt'
'Open border is Israel's chance to lose responsibility for Gaza, says minister'
'Egyptian guards move to close Gaza border'
'Bulldozer thwarts Egyptians at Gaza border'
'Egypt battles to turn the tide as Hamas knocks new hole in wall'
'Egyptian riot police try to stem tide of Palestinians'
'The world's strangest guided tour highlights the abuse of Palestinians '
'Israel's Experimental Pressure Backfires'
Gaza: 'Worse Than a Crime' - Uri Avnery
'The People in Gaza Challenge Sham Peace Process' - Juan Cole
'Breakout Into Israel' Ahead
'Gaza: the Empire strikes back (and risks loosing Egypt in the process)'
'Gaza's falling wall changes Middle East map for ever'
'The Biggest Jailbreak in History: The Siege of Gaza is Broken'
'The town that measures life in 15-second intervals'
'The Fe