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Rumsfeld's Secret Army
The gang behind the Abu Ghraib prison house of horrors
May 19, 2004
by Justin Raimondo

"Outlandish, conspiratorial and filled with error and anonymous conjecture," said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita the other day, and, no, he wasn't talking about the campaign of lies that preceded the invasion and conquest of Iraq, but of Seymour Hersh's New Yorker scoop exposing Operation "Copper Green."

Citing CIA and other high-level officials, Hersh detailed the "special access program" that eventually led to the Abu Ghraib horror show. In pursuing the "war on terrorism," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Stephen A. Cambone, his undersecretary of intelligence, created what amounted to a secret army whose task, as one insider put it, is to "Grab whom you must. Do what you want."

Headlines proclaimed the Pentagon's vehement denials, but if we look at what DiRita said, and – having lived through the Clinton years – give it a very close and literal reading, it turns out there's a awful lot of wiggle room between the lines:

"No responsible official at the Department of Defense approved any program that could conceivably have been intended to result in such abuses as witnessed in the recent photos and videos."

But what if it was unintended? In that case, the existence of such a program may not be inconceivable at all. If DiRita's statement can even be called a denial, it is phrased in such a way as to exculpate the culprits in advance as more evidence of "Copper Green" begins to surface.

Washington-speak is unique among languages in that a confession can be phrased like a denial. And this column was barely begun before new evidence buttressing Hersh's story surfaced: in Newsweek, which published a memo written by White House counsel Alberto Gonzales urging the Bushies to formally discard the Geneva Convention because it "substantially reduces the threat of domestic criminal prosecution under the War Crimes Act." The Act provides for penalties for "U.S. officials" that "includes the death penalty" for violations, in part defined as "grave breaches" of the Convention. Since "it was difficult to predict with confidence" just how a future Justice Department might choose to apply and interpret the law, Gonzales warned, the administration had better watch its back.

Gonzales defends himself by claiming that none of this applies to what happened at Abu Ghraib prison – only to the Afghan theater and Guantanamo – that the memo makes no specific mention of Iraq, and the Geneva Convention does apply in Iraq. Yet MSNBC News cites "defense sources" as saying that the memo was utilized as the legal rationale for the "do what thou wilt" strategy in Iraq:

"Sources told NBC News that Rumsfeld never directly ordered tougher interrogations. But they said he frequently raised the issue with Gen. John Abizaid, the head of U.S. Central Command, and directed Undersecretary of Defense Stephen Cambone last August to determine whether the same aggressive techniques that produced some successes at Guantanamo Bay should also be used in Iraq."

The timeline is incriminating: it was only a few weeks later that the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, put the squeeze on his subordinates, ordering them to come up with ways to wring more information out of suspected insurgents and their supporters. In mid-November, Sanchez turned over de facto control of Abu Ghraib prison to Col. Thomas. M. Pappas, whose 205th Military Intelligence Brigade was effectively conscripted into Rumsfeld's secret army.

Just as the Pentagon was going into spin-control mode, the New York Times reported that Pappas, in previously secret testimony, admitted that military intelligence officers instructed MPs in how to interrogate prisoners. Meanwhile, Lynndie England, the soldier seen holding a leash tied to a prisoner's neck in a photo published around the world, revealed fresh horrors: detainees were forced to crawl through broken glass and wear Maxi Pads, she said, adding "Everyone in the company from the commander down" knew about the abuse.

More ominously, the Los Angeles Times revealed sickening details of the grisly murder of a prisoner at the hands of his CIA interrogators at Abu Ghraib. Gonzales's watch-your-back legal advice was eerily prescient.

The coup de grace came when a key witness in the investigation, Sgt. Samuel Provance, told ABC News:

"There's definitely a cover-up. People are either telling themselves or being told to be quiet."

Provance, who ran the top-secret computer system used by the prison, said it was the interrogators from U.S. military intelligence who directed the goings on at Abu Ghraib, and that they freely admitted this to him:

"Anything [the MPs] were to do legally or otherwise, they were to take those commands from the interrogators. One interrogator told me about how commonly the detainees were stripped naked, and in some occasions, wearing women's underwear, if it's your job to strip people naked, yell at them, scream at them, humiliate them, it's not going to be too hard to move from that to another level."

When Maj. Gen. George Fay undertook his internal investigation of the matter, Provance was interviewed, but the General didn't much care to be told about the key role played by military intelligence officers: he was only interested in the MPs. Speaking out against orders from military authorities, Provance complains:

"I feel like I'm being punished for being honest. You know, it was almost as if I actually felt if all my statements were shredded and I said, like most everybody else, 'I didn't hear anything, I didn't see anything. I don't know what you're talking about,' then my life would be just fine right now."

From the evidence presented so far, it is clear that the footsoldiers in Rumsfeld's secret army are not alone in their responsibility for the war crimes committed at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere. Not only Lynndie England and the other Army reservists charged, but also Col. Pappas, Stephen Cambone, and all the architects of Operation Copper Green are among the guilty parties, and ought to be brought to justice.

The War Party is reeling under the impact of these multiple shocks. Several have gone "wobbly," as Maggie Thatcher once said of Bush I, and I predict they'll go even wobblier – because more shocks are coming.

The Plame investigation, being conducted by U.S. Attorney Patrick J. "Bulldog" Fitzgerald, seems to be nearing completion, with the possibility of an indictment looming on the horizon. And the anthrax investigation – remember that? – has apparently been revived, with the trail finally leading authorities in a direction long pointed to in this space. The political implications are explosive, and spell more bad news for the War Party.

But don't underestimate their power. Look at what they've achieved. What we're dealing with here is the gang that pulled off a veritable coup d'etat and seized the reins of government, hijacking the American ship of state in the wake of 9/11. In Plan of Attack, Bob Woodward cites Colin Powell as saying that the Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz-neocon cabal went around the strictures built into the system and set up their own "separate government." This explains Operation "Copper Green": every government, after all, must – except that, in this case, it's a secret government, one not answerable to the people, and, concomitantly, it had to have a secret army, one that fights and kills in the shadows. An army, one might add, much like the Al Qaeda network it was supposedly founded to destroy – ruthless, with worldwide reach, and certainly not concerned with the niceties of the Geneva Convention.

Given the philosophy and stated policies of our rulers – who openly proclaimed that all the old rules were thrown out the window after 9/11 – what happened at Abu Ghraib was inevitable. As Nietzsche put it:

"He who fights against monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you stare persistently into an abyss, the abyss also stares into you."

They thought they were beyond good and evil, beyond judgement and the possibility of being caught. They wore their hubris like a badge of honor, daring the gods to strike them down for their blasphemy. And the gods, it seems, have finally struck. Too bad those thunderbolts won't reach their targets until a whole lot more innocents are slaughtered.

NOTES IN THE MARGIN

I have delayed thanking our readers for their astounding display of generosity during the course of our recently-concluded week-long fundraising drive, otherwise known as "Pledge Week," because the contributions were still coming in via snail mail. We raised well over our goal of $50,000 – $56,000, to be exact – and "thank you" doesn't quite cover my response. Suffice to say that I am floored, and humbled, and more than ever determined to live up to this overwhelming vote of confidence.

I am also very pleased to announce that we're putting your contributions to very good use by hiring Matthew Barganier, who is now our Editor. He tells me he has spent most of his life to this point in school, either as a student or as a teacher. In his new capacity, he will be editing articles, collecting news, and generally making himself useful, in addition to writing the "Collateral Damage" column.

When Matt first started writing for us, I got a number of letters saying, essentially, "Wow! Who is this guy? He's great!" I share their enthusiasm for his writing. In addition to his column, he's been blogging up a storm for us, and he is one of those writers you remember because his is a unique voice. I am thrilled that we've been able to get him for Antiwar.com.
http://tinyurl.com/29gpv

In Gaza: New Leader, Old Problems
November 13, 2006
Prepared by:
Eben Kaplan

After months of political infighting, international sanctions, and incessant Israeli military strikes, a reprieve of sorts for the divided Palestinian Authority (PA) appears imminent. The rival Fatah and Hamas factions of the PA seem to have finally agreed on a unity government. Tapped to lead the new government is Mohammed Shabir, a U.S.-educated biologist with no official ties to either major party (al-Jazeera). In an interview with Haaretz, Shabir said that while he is independent, he maintains “sound relations with all.” David Makovsky, a Middle East expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, tells CFR.org’s Bernard Gwertzman that while little is certain, a new Palestinian government marks “a potential turning point” that bodes well for the region, though he cautions that a potential U.S. change of tack on Iran has prompted “nervousness in Jerusalem.”

Along with Shabir, the new Palestinian cabinet will likely include a number of other moderates in an effort to placate Western donors who cut off aid when Hamas won the January elections (Haaretz). Though finalizing the new government may take several weeks, Palestinian leaders hope fresh leadership can entice the United States and European Union to lift their crippling sanctions against the PA. But an influx of funding will hardly resolve the plethora of problems facing the Palestinians. Unity government or not, Palestinians remain divided over such hot-button issues as the recognition of the Israeli state, particularly after errant Israeli artillery fire killed eighteen Palestinians in Gaza last week (BBC). Furthermore, Palestinian militants still hold captive the Israeli soldier who was abducted in June. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he’s ready to swap prisoners (JPost), but such a deal has yet to materialize.

At least some help is on the way for Palestinians. On Sunday, a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo ended with a call for an international peace conference (Daily Star) to focus on the Arab-Israeli dispute and a pledge of financial support for the Palestinian Authority. But regional security will require more progress: In a September speech, “Building Security in the Broader Middle East,” State Department Counselor Philip D. Zelikow explained that dealing with Iran will require a large coalition, the formation of which hinges on the United States’ ability to make advances on solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As it stands, writes Washington Post op-ed columnist Jackson Diehl, “Iran is winning—not just in preserving its nuclear program but in a broader contest over the direction of the Middle East.”

When Olmert met President Bush on Monday, much of their conversation focused on Iran. Shifting political winds in the United States make direct talks with Iran—something advocated by Defense Secretary nominee Robert M. Gates in a 2004 CFR Task Force Report—increasingly likely. This, Makovsky tells Gwertzman, is likely to be a sore spot in U.S.-Israeli relations. Olmert told NBC’s Today Show that he is open to U.S.-Iranian dialogue: “Every compromise that will stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities which will be acceptable to President Bush will be acceptable to me.” But such a stance exposes an already flailing Olmert to even more domestic criticism; a Jerusalem Post editorial calls hopes of a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear threat “fantasy.”
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AMERICAN POLICE WILL ENFORCE THE 'NEW WORLD ORDER'
By Greg Evensen
October 14, 2006

Maynard Brazeal, the retired Director of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center told me privately in 1980, that the moral character of the men and women he was preparing for a career in law enforcement would determine if America remained free or would be under police state conditions. Mr. Brazeal is one of those few exceptionally talented men who knew police work well and also knows that society’s thin line between jungle rule and ordered society is but one riot away from catastrophe. Maynard was to become a very close personal friend who was admired by thousands of Kansas Peace Officers, state and federal agency heads, and politicians two numerous to count. His word was his absolute bond and when he said, “buddy, I’ll stand by you,” he meant with his life, if necessary.

Maynard was a Lieutenant for the Kansas City, Missouri, police department. He wrote the first organized riot control manual in the United States, and was involved in the great Paseo shootout that left several police officers and several more crime figures dead or wounded on Kansas City’s south-east side. Maynard was a fearless defender of society and of the men and later women he personally stood in front of and gave his extensive lifetime of experience to train. His training methods were straight forward, true to life, and absolutely left no room for ethical lapses in judgment. Maynard was a real life John Wayne in size, courage but most importantly heart. He stood by me as I fought to contain an old lawless town in Kansas, where I served as marshal after leaving the State Troopers. We stood by each other as we both endured the untimely deaths of our precious wives.

Maynard Brazeal is a legend. To Kansas Peace Officers and indeed police officers across America, he is still called on to assist in the defense of those who are on trial for split second actions that requires years of court reflection to sort out. He is a gifted public speaker, a Christian gentleman, and a very talented baritone vocalist who loves old Gospel quartet music. We have sung together many times and as Maynard would say; there are a few of us old timers “whose metal has been tested severely in the fires set by the most evil among us.” We each came through and now in the later years of our lives, Maynard has written in his own hand to me, “remember Greg, you would be a good man to walk the river with.” This saying, first uttered by a Border Patrol agent many years ago, is the final test of how brave men huddle together to share their lives. “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t talk too much,” is the unspoken rule among men who took lawful orders, used constitutional justice as their guide, and knew when to do the right thing the humane thing, the compassionate thing, when it was needed the most.
Other than Maynard, it is hard to find men of such sterling character, brave and steady courage, and unshakeable, rock-solid beliefs. There is not one square inch of political correctness in men like this and thank God, they would never consider a favor done as a license to plunder later. Jim Schwiesow is a man in the molding of Maynard Brazeal. As a former Iowa sheriff, Jim demonstrated his dedication to his county and to the people who entrusted him to serve them fairly and honestly. He never let them down. Jim, like Maynard is a hero to me, and I am honored to have shared personal correspondence with him. Read him carefully, he is a great authority on law enforcement past and present. He is a brave man of honor. Rick Shumard, Brian Berntson, John Daniels and my brother Jeff, are all such courageous, rock-solid men as well. There are many equally fine men and women in police ranks today; however, their command staffs are mostly politicians.

I set the stage in this article carefully, for what follows now will not be easy for me to say. I will suggest that you consider my view of our near term future. It is a future nearly upon us. It will test character, strength and the dispensation of street justice by police officers at all levels beyond anything Maynard, Jim or I have thus far experienced. We are re-entering the “dark ages” as my neighbor Nancy Levant has stated. She is also a hero in this struggle to wake up Americans to our coming disaster. When the time comes to begin enforcing the decrees and the full agenda of the new world order, our friends in law enforcement will have a very tough set of choices to make. But make them they will. How and why I will explain to you. The results will either finish our destruction or deliver us from it because these men and women of character, knew how, when, and WHY to truly “serve and protect” the public.

THE RULE OF LAW MUST BE BASED UPON OUR CONSTITUTION

There exists in our nation and in each of our states, scores if not hundreds of “laws” that are not constitutional. They do not pass the benchmark set by John Jay, our first Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. “Any law that is repugnant to our constitution is no law at all.” The outrageous expansion of the federal government during Lincoln’s administration, Wilson’s debacle, FDR’s socialist regime, LBJ’s criminal tenure, Nixon’s demented presidency, and King George II’s reign, are a few examples of executive power gone berserk. The Federal Reserve, income tax, social programs, wars without declaration, and regulatory agencies at every turn meant to corner Americans into submission by making business and manufacturing so difficult as to drive them from our shores. Tax us to death, take our homes and property at will and then tell us, “sue to get your rights BACK!”

Now add to this the internationalist factor, the UN dictatorship and the blending of all of the world’s problems into a shared responsibility none of us can escape from, and you have the final recipe for a United States Police State. Government (read that police agencies) will be required to collect a UN tax, enforce mandatory confiscation of all firearms, required one world schooling and religion, uncompensated land forfeitures, Agenda 21 repression in every community and state, monitored phone, internet, credit, and medical histories. Add to that, constant threats of loss of employment for any failure to comply at any point with these and pending regulations beyond those listed here, and you have your future.

Police officers will be given the ultimate responsibility to see that each one of us is carrying out the dictates of the government. They will do so because they have sworn to uphold the “law.” Ultimately, law will be what politicians and corrupted courts say that it is. Not what our constitution clearly states it actually is or is not. The due process protections will be gone as will be our dwindling Bill of Rights. Officers who have survived extreme background checks for compatibility with authority dictates and those who have proven that they will carry out ANY order given, will use this new definition of “character” to justify the investigation, arrest, detention, prosecution and imprisonment of “enemies of the state.” The same will be true of military forces. The failed Nuremburg defense (“I was just carrying out orders”) will be long forgotten or overlooked entirely. The only thing that will matter to the vast majority of American police forces will be that: 1) they obeyed their orders-and- 2) they obeyed their orders.

The thought of not carrying out orders from the traditional command structure is unthinkable, for it amounts to (gross insubordination) or mutiny and immediate dismissal and prosecution. Their disgrace and sense of betrayal among fellow police officers for disobeying (un)lawful orders (although a current requirement in all jurisdictions and in the military so as to avoid the Nuremburg hangman) would create tension, confusion and dissension in the ranks. By exercising independent judgment, common sense, compassion, and the application of huge amounts of resistance by those officers to unlawful commands (New Orleans Police during Katrina as they confiscated firearms), these courageous people will pay with the loss of their jobs and a certain addition of their names to the list of American patriots condemned to pay the ultimate price for bravery and commitment to the founding spirit of our nation.

In addition to this “group think” concerning the police “mission” of enforcing the law—regardless of whether or not the law is righteous or constitutional---is the recent historic change in federal law. I am referring to Public Law 109-364, or the “John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007” (HR5122) (2), was signed by President Bush on October 17, 2006. It was signed in a PRIVATE Oval Office ceremony. It allows the President to declare a “public emergency” and station troops anywhere in America. It also allows him to take control of all state based National Guard units without the consent of the governor or local authorities, in order to “suppress public disorder.” Further, Section 1076 of this Act, entitled “Use of the Armed Forces in Major Public Emergencies and Section 333 Major Public Emergencies--interference with State and Federal Law, says that the President may use these forces when HE determines that domestic violence has occurred to such an extent that a State is incapable of (read that “refuse or fail” in) maintaining public order, “in order to suppress, in any State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination thereof or conspiracy to commit these acts against the United States.”

This “repeal” of the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA) is a deadly blow on this historic prevention of US army units intervening in local disputes. The 1878 Act, protected local jurisdictions and even states from the willful intervention of corrupted or dictatorial executive branch orders being forced upon the locals by Army units in a law enforcement capacity.

As to be expected, the mainstream press has provided the American public with absolutely no information in regard to this police-state action.

Even most of the “alternative” news sites, have barely mentioned the greatest threat to law and order since the time of Lincoln.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D) of Vermont, a leftist socialist I completely disagree with, was the ONLY politician to publicly provide an excellent description of what this change in the law will mean to Americans. He said, “We certainly do not need to make it easier for Presidents to declare martial law.” He went on to say that, “invoking the Insurrection Act and using the military for law enforcement activities goes against some of the central tenets of our democracy…….it subverts longstanding posse comitatus statutes that limit the military’s involvement in law enforcement, thereby making it much easier for the President to declare martial law.” He concluded by stating, “We fail our Constitution, and neglect the rights of the states when we make it easier for the President to declare martial law and trample on local and state sovereignty.”

Now if this ultra-liberal leftist Senator gets it, then where does that leave everyone else in the government? Americans who are uninformed, uncaring, complacent, and targets in the sights of militarized police units operating under the control of federal military units or federal Marshals will be in custody quicker than they can say, “What did I do?” Local police will be absorbed overnight into a massive, armed, “cocked and locked” army of enforcers with no will of their own and virtually no choice of their own to do anything except obey orders and subjugate the American public. This will come directly from the President’s office, the Pentagon or the United Nations. It will have the tacit blessing of our elected officials at all levels of governance. This action will be virtually irrevocable when challenged through complicit state and federal courts. Our fate will be locked in the moment martial law is declared. Movement, purchasing necessities, medical treatment, attendance at school and the workplace will be tightly controlled and you will be constantly challenged with the all too well known phrase, “Where are your papers?” When, not if this happens, it will doom this nation to the ranks of failed empires and fulfill the Council on Foreign Relation’s, the United Nations and the Illuminati’s centuries old dreams of conquest.

Our government will have paid the way through our confiscated tax dollars to accomplish this mind-boggling feat. They will have defiled our Constitution and used it for its legislative mandate of police-state authority. Elected officials will have succumbed to the ultimate power fix. Military men and women along with their counterparts in formerly civilian state and local police will have willingly accepted their orders to become the street Kings over their disarmed citizenry. The accomplishment of the greatest coup ever achieved in history over free people will have become reality.
Police officers at all levels have a sworn duty to resist this coming event with all the information, real constitutional authority to resist, and guidance from servants of the public mentality Chiefs and Sheriffs across this nation.

The time is now. This must happen now, if we are to believe that our men and women who wear the badge and have given their oaths will be there at that moment to truly defend us from the criminals who have given the “orders” to arrest the innocent. If our police forces, acting on what they believe is the right thing, ordered by thugs in our government to do the wrong thing, carries out those illegal and freedom killing final orders, then there WILL be bloodshed on a scale not seen in our nation before.

As that drama begins to unfold, as the government becomes the master of all and the people literally become the slaves, then I will abandon my efforts to educate, train and encourage my fellow citizens for peaceful change.

Make no mistake, I will follow in the footsteps of my fore-fathers and join the rest of you in justified armed insurrection. A beast cannot be reasoned with under any circumstances. It must be destroyed. I pray to God that Maynard Brazeal was right when he said that the character of the men and women in uniform will ultimately determine whether we live free or in a police state. I am counting on you, my friends in law enforcement. Please do not let your country down. It will come down to your allegiance to our constitution and your fellow citizens, nothing less. Choose wisely.
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