Category: Corruption

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Winslow Wheeler: A-10 as Soul of Air Force – A Core Defense Issue Washington Will No Longer Ignore

Corruption, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Military
Winslow Wheeler
Winslow Wheeler

More than 100 people (Hill staff, journalists, combat pilots and ground commanders, DOD officials and think-tankers) recently attended two events on a national security issue that is usually, even studiously, ignored in Washington: what is the most effective role of air power in war, and what is the thinking behind the Air Force leadership's decision to retire the whole force of A-10 close air support aircraft as soon as possible.

Click on Image to Enlarge
Click on Image to Enlarge

Almost single handedly, Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has given the A-10 retirement issue, and the importance of the “Warthog's” close support mission, a visibility that neither have had on Capitol Hill since the days of the Congressional Military Reform Caucus of the 1980s.  The importance of the A-10, its role in warfare and the future of the Air Force were all discussed in considerable depth at two events sponsored by the Straus Military Reform Project and the Project On Government Oversight.

Some, but far from all, of the issues were addressed in seven news articles prompted by the two events.  More importantly, an amendment incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act by Senator Ayotte mean that the A-10 and close support issues are now rising to Washington DC's consciousness and will remain there for some months to come–until a growing fight is resolved.

The A-10 Warthog: A Core Defense Issue Washington Can No Longer Ignore

A Seminar on Combat Effectiveness, Addressing the Sequester, and Acquisition Reform

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Chuck Spinney: ACLU Video Spoof of NSA as Santa Rocks the Internet — We Do Not Make This Stuff Up (Someone Else Does)

Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Military, Offbeat Fun, Officers Call
Chuck Spinney
Chuck Spinney

Watch and weep

ACLU Action

Dear Alison,

When you think about it, Santa Claus and the NSA have a lot in common—both can tell when you’ve been sleeping and know when you’re awake…

So our civil liberties elves here at the ACLU decided to make an NSA version of that classic holiday tune, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” taking a cue from Santa’s own secret surveillance program. And as one of the more than 35,000 supporters who signed our petition to Congress to rein in the NSA, we want you to have the first peek at the hysterical new music video!

This new video is the perfect way to show your friends that while Santa’s spying operation may be magical, the NSA’s is very real—and why we should all care.

Check out the hilarious music video for “The NSA is Coming to Town” before anyone else, and be the first one to share it with your friends.

Click here to watch and share
The NSA has used every excuse from here to the North Pole to justify their unlawful spying operations, but we’re not buying it. And after all their deception, we’re not trusting them with a program so open to abuse of power.

There’s already good legislation pending in the House and Senate—we just need to get as many people as possible to stand with us and push Congress to pass it now.

Enjoy the video, and most importantly, make sure you share it with your friends and family so they can join in the fun and stand with us to make unlawful NSA surveillance a thing of the past (just like those old holiday jingles).

Thank you for your all your support this year,
Anthony for the ACLU Action team

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Jon Rappoport: What Happened to $2.5 Trillion Allegedly Spent Against Poverty? Is Government a Giant Money-Laundering Scheme?

01 Poverty, 03 Economy, 06 Family, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Corruption, Government
Jon Rappoport
Jon Rappoport

Is government aid a giant money laundering scheme?

Remember something called the War on Poverty? The Great Society?

President Lyndon Johnson declared it and announced it in 1965. Since then, the federal government and state governments have poured staggering amounts of dollars into the program.

How many dollars? Does anyone know?

In his 1992 book, Paved With Good Intentions, Jared Taylor puts the figure (1965-1992) at $2.5 trillion. So, for the sake of argument, let’s accept that.

Yet, by 1992 (and to an even greater degree since then), poverty had accelerated in America. Had gotten much, much worse.

So the logical question was and is: where did all that money go?

Continue reading “Jon Rappoport: What Happened to $2.5 Trillion Allegedly Spent Against Poverty? Is Government a Giant Money-Laundering Scheme?”

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Mini-Me: Cognitive Dissonance at NSA + NSA High Crimes RECAP + Integrity Remediation

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Corruption, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, IO Impotency, Military
Who? Mini-Me?
Who? Mini-Me?

Huh?

Do You Trust the Washington Post‘s Sources on Morale at the NSA?

Former officials insist that employees are upset because President Obama hasn't visited to show his support.

Reuters via The Atlantic,

A strange Washington Post story gives readers the impression that morale is low at the NSA because President Obama hasn't visited to signal his support for the intelligence agency, even as Edward Snowden's leaks are causing many to criticize it.

The headline: “NSA morale down after Edward Snowden revelations, former U.S. officials say.”

The lead:

Morale has taken a hit at the National Security Agency in the wake of controversy over the agency’s surveillance activities, according to former officials who say they are dismayed that President Obama has not visited the agency to show his support.

What these “dismayed” sources told the newspaper:

Supporters of the NSA say staffers are not feeling the love.

“The agency, from top to bottom, leadership to rank and file, feels that it is had no support from the White House even though it’s been carrying out publicly approved intelligence missions,” said Joel Brenner, NSA inspector general from 2002 to 2006. “They feel they’ve been hung out to dry, and they’re right.”

A former U.S. official—who like several other former officials interviewed for this story requested anonymity because he still has dealings with the agency—said: “The president has multiple constituencies—I get it. But he must agree that the signals intelligence NSA is providing is one of the most important sources of intelligence today. So if that’s the case, why isn’t the president taking care of one of the most important elements of the national security apparatus?”

Is this just an attempt to exert pressure on the president and stave off even the mildest criticism of the NSA? The sourcing here seems awfully shoddy. Is a former NSA inspector general who hasn't worked for the agency in seven years really qualified to pronounce upon the current feelings of every employee? Is the proposition that NSA staffers are all of one mind about recent controversies something we'd credit even if a current NSA employee said it? Did the anonymous “former U.S. official” ever work for the NSA? What “dealings” does he or she presently have with the agency, and how remunerative are those dealings?

After reading what these former officials had to say, Marcy Wheeler points out that NSA employees have a reason for low morale that has nothing to do with Obama's support:

Most of the NSA’s employees have not been read into many of these programs … That raises the distinct possibility that NSA morale is low not because the President hasn’t given them a pep talk, but because they’re uncomfortable working for an Agency that violates its own claimed rules so often. Most of the men and women at NSA have been led to believe they don’t spy on their fellow citizens. Those claims are crumbling, now matter how often the NSA repeats the word “target.” [PBI: Emphasis added.]

Continue reading “Mini-Me: Cognitive Dissonance at NSA + NSA High Crimes RECAP + Integrity Remediation”

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Penguin: The Fukushima Coverup: “Biggest Industrial Catastrophe in the History of Mankind”

03 Environmental Degradation, 07 Health, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Proliferation, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Earth Intelligence, Government
Who, Me?
Who, Me?

Atoms for Peace….

The Fukushima Coverup: “Biggest Industrial Catastrophe in the History of Mankind”

Global Research News Hour Episode 46. Conversations with Yoichi Shimatsu and Hatrick Penry

We knew the world would not be the same. Few people laughed, few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says,

Click on Image to Enlarge
Click on Image to Enlarge

“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”

-Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project which created the first atomic devices. [1]

 

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Length (59:20)
Click to download the audio (MP3 format)

Read text and see documentation.

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David Isenberg: Private Military Contractors — Foxes in the Henhouse

09 Justice, 10 Security, Corruption, Government, Ineptitude, Military, Officers Call
David Isenberg
David Isenberg

The PMSC fox in the government henhouse

Although he may not have intended it as such, all the publicity surrounding the recent published book by Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm once known as Blackwater, has actually served a useful public policy purpose; namely, highlighting the near ubiquitous presence of private military and security contractors (PMSC), as well as other types of private contractors, and the cost and benefits of using them.

When it comes to the costs of outsourcing formerly inherently governmental functions there are many different ways to calculate them but one relatively under-examined way is to consider the dangers of allowing what in almost any other industry would be considered a conflict of interest.  Or. To put it more colorfully, does it really serve the public interest to allow a PMSC fox guard the government hen house?

Specifically, does anyone really think it is reasonable to assume that placing personal services contractors (Note: “personal services” is the umbrella category that all PMSC contracts fall under) in government procurement offices will produce dispassionate, objective assessments of the pros and cons of using PMSC?

Does anyone think that is a good idea; anyone, anyone at all?  Hmmm, your silence is deafening.

Well, if you think this is an absurd idea rest assured you are not alone. William Charles Moorhouse is in the house. Major Moorhouse serves in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and is currently the Chief of Contract and Fiscal Law for the U.S. Army Expeditionary Contracting Command.

Read full article with additional quotes.

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Preston James: Why Didn’t We Learn from Vietnam?

03 Economy, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Commerce, Corruption, Government, IO Deeds of War, Officers Call, Threats
Preston James
Preston James

Why Didn’t We Learn From Vietnam?

Individual soldiers deserted in huge numbers, whole units refused to fight, there was rebellion in some Barracks, and numerous incidents of fragging, some preceded by warnings to officers and non-coms to back off, others not.

There were large mass demonstrations at home in America and the situation became so dire, that President Lyndon Johnson was told by his advisers and the Ruling Cabal that he must step aside and could not run for a second term.

Most of this was kept from the American public by a Controlled Major Mass Media (CMMM) which served in most cases as official USG propaganda dispensers.

Henry Kissinger was the interface between the Ruling Cabal, the Secret Shadow Government (SSG) and President Nixon and basically ran Nixon’s foreign policy.

Nixon was elected and seemed to be led around by the nose by his National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger who is now viewed by many as a hardened war criminal for his many dealings in Vietnam, Myanmar and other places which directly resulted in mass death. He is also blamed for his manipulative, botched negotiations and recommendation to leave so many American POW/MIAs behind with secret plans to have them assassinated in jungle prison camps by special Observation Groups (SOGs), actually Special Operations Groups and aircraft dispensed poisonous VX gas when that failed.

It’s important to note that because JFK was Assassinated by a high military Cabal including LBJ, J. Edgar Hoover, GHWB, Dulles, Lansdale, Lemnitzer, etc. that Vietnam became possible as an illegal perpetual, un-winnable war for profits in the first place. Once JFK was out of the way, the US Military and the defense industry and banks surrounding became the Secret Shadow Government, and began ruling the visible, ceremonial government which actually became a hired prostitute of the SSG.

It takes creative Psyops by the top Policy-Makers to elicit a nation’s support for any new war.

No nation’s citizens are eager to send their children to war to be maimed and die in mass, and it take special high level psychological operations (Psyops) to process the society’s group mind to motivate them adequately to want revenge against another nation or group.

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