Here we are well into winter and still no sign of our Winter. I hope all is well with you WP wherever you are!
Filling in quite inadequately, I wanted to pass along a link I saw today about first-hand eyewitness accounts of the attempted bombing.
Quoted word for word:
Flight 253 passenger Kurt Haskell: 'I was visited by the FBI'
By Aaron Foley | MLive.com
December 31, 2009, 9:41AM
Following up on a visit from FBI officials about an eyewitness account first described to MLive.com, Michigan attorney Kurt Haskell described the visit in comment sections across MLive on Wednesday.
Haskell and his wife, Lori, were aboard Flight 253 when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly tried to destroy the plane. They say another man tried to help Abdulmutallab board the plane in Amsterdam.
Haskell had two detailed posts in two different stories. Here is Part One, originally posted here (Nothing below in the indent has been changed. Only links have been added.):
Today is the second worst day of my life after 12-25-09. Today is the day that I realized that my own country is lying to me and all of my fellow Americans. Let me explain.
Ever since I got off of Flight 253 I have been repeating what I saw in US Customs. Specifically, 1 hour after we left the plane, bomb sniffing dogs arrived. Up to this point, all of the passengers on Flight 253 stood in a small area in an evacuated luggage claim area of an airport terminal. During this time period, all of the passengers had their carry on bags with them. When the bomb sniffing dogs arrived, 1 dog found something in a carry on bag of a 30 ish Indian man. This is not the so called "Sharp Dressed" man. I will refer to this man as "The man in orange". The man in orange, who stood some 20ft away from me the entire time until he was taken away, was immediately taken away to be searched and interrogated in a nearby room. At this time he was not handcuffed. When he emerged from the room, he was then handcuffed and taken away. At this time an FBI agent came up to the rest of the passengers and said the following (approximate quote) "You all are being moved to another area because this area is not safe. I am sure many of you saw what just happened (Referring to the man in orange) and are smart enough to read between the lines and figure it out." We were then marched out of the baggage claim area and into a long hallway. This entire time period and until we left customs, no person that wasn't a law enforcement personnel or a passenger on our flight was allowed anywhere on our floor of the terminal (or possibly the entire terminal) The FBI was so concerned during this time, that we were not allowed to use the bathroom unless we went alone with an FBI agent, we were not allowed to eat or drink, or text or call anyone. I have been repeating this same story over the last 5 days. The FBI has, since we landed, insisted that only one man was arrested for the airliner attack (contradicting my account). However, several of my fellow passengers have come over the past few days, backed up my claim, and put pressure on FBI/Customs to tell the truth. Early today, I heard from two different reporters that a federal agency (FBI or Customs) was now admitting that another man has been held (and will be held indefinitely) since our flight landed for "immigration reasons." Notice that this man was "being held" and not "arrested", which was a cute semantic ploy by the FBI to stretch the truth and not lie.
Just a question, could that mean that the man in orange had no passport?
However, a few hours later, Customs changed its story again. This time, Mr. Ron Smith of Customs, says the man that was detained "had been taken into custody, but today tells the news the person was a passenger on a different flight." Mr. Ron Smith, you are playing the American public for a fool. Lets take a look at how plausible this story is (After you've already changed it twice). For the story to be true, you have to believe, that:
1. FBI/Customs let passengers from another flight co-mingle with the passengers of flight 253 while the most important investigation in 8 years was pending. I have already stated that not one person who wasn't a passenger or law enforcement personnal was in our area the entire time we were detained by Customs.
2. FBI/Customs while detaining the flight 253 passengers in perhaps the most important investigation since the last terrorist attack, and despite not letting any flight 253 passenger drink, eat, make a call, or use the bathroom, let those of other flights trample through the area and possibly contaminate evidence.
3. You have to believe the above (1 and 2) despite the fact that no flights during this time allowed passengers to exit off of the planes at all and were detained on the runway during at least the first hour of our detention period.
4. You have to believe that the man that stood 20 feet from me since we entered customs came from a mysterious plane that never landed, let its passengers off the plane and let this man sneak into our passenger group despite having extremely tight security at this time (i.e. no drinking even).
5. FBI/Customs was hauling mysterious passengers from other flights through the area we were being held to possibly comtaminate evidence and allow discussions with suspects on Flight 253 or to possibly allow the exchange of bombs, weapons or other devices between the mysterious passengers from other flights and those on flight 253.
Seriously Mr. Ron Smith, how stupid do you think the American public is?
Mr. Ron Smith's third version of the story is an absolute inplausible joke. I encourage you, Mr. Ron Smith, to debate me anytime, anywhere, and anyplace in public to let the American people see who is credible and who is not.
I ask, isn't this the more plausible story:
1. Customs/FBI realized that they screwed up and don't want to admit that they left flight 253 passengers on a flight with a live bomb on the runway for 20 minutes.
2. Customs/FBI realized that they screwed up and don't want to admit that they left flight 253 passengers in customs for 1 hour with a live bomb in a carry on bag.
3. Customs/FBI realize that the man in orange points to a greater involvement then the lone wolf theory that they have been promoting.
Mr. Ron Smith I encourage you to come out of your cubicle and come up with a more plausible version number 4 of your story.
Haskell continued his comment in a different post on MLive.
For the last five days I have been reporting my story of the so called "sharp dressed man." For those of you who haven't read my account, it involves a sharp dressed "Indian man" attempting to talk a ticket agent into letting a supposed "Sudanese refugee" (The terrorist) onto flight 253 without a passport. I have never had any idea how it played out except to note that the so called "Sudanese reefugee" later boarded my flight and attempted to blow it up and kill me. At no time did my story involve, or even find important whether the terrorist actually had a passport. The importance of my story was and always will be, the attempt with an accomplice (apparently succesful) of a terrorist with all sorts of prior terrorist warning signs to skirt the normal passport boarding procedures in Amsterdam. By the way, Amsterdam security did come out the other day and admit that the terrorist did not have to "Go through normal passport checking procedures".
Amsterdam security, please define to the American public "Normal passport boarding procedures".
You see the FBI would have the American public believe that what was important was whether the terrorist in fact had a passport.
Seriously think about this people. You have a suicide bomber who had recently been to Yemen to but a bomb, whose father had reported him as a terrorist, who supposedly was on some kind of U.S. terror watchlist, and most likely knew the U.S. was aware of these red flags. Yet, he didn't go through "Normal passport checking procedures." What does that mean? Maybe that he flashed a passport to some sort of sympathetic security manager in a backroom to avoid a closer look at the terrorist's "red flags"? What is important is that the terrorist avoided using normal passport checking procedures (apparently successfully) in order to avoid a closer look into his red flags. Who cares if he had a passport. The important thing is that he didn't want to show it and somehow avoided a closer inspection and "normal passport checking procedures." Each passport comes with a bar code on it that can be scanned to provide a wealth of information about the individual. I would bet that the passport checking procedures for the terrorist did not include a bar code scan of his passport (which could have revealed damning information about the terrorist).
Please note that there is a very easy way to verify the veracity of my prior "sharp dressed man" account. Dutch police have admitted that they have reviewed the video of the "sharp dressed man" that I referenced. Note that it has not been released anywhere, You see, if my eye witness account is false, it could easily be proven by releasing the video. However, the proof of my eyewitness account would also be verified if I am telling the truth and I am. There is a reason we have only heard of the video and not seen it. dutch authorities, "RELEASE THE VIDEO!" This is the most important video in 8 years and may be all of two minutes long. Show the entire video and "DO NOT EDIT IT"! The American public deserves its own chance to attempt to identify the "sharp dressed man". I have no doubt that if the video indicated that my account was wrong, that the video would have already swept over the entire world wide web.
Instead of the video, we get a statment that the video has been viewed and that the terrorist had a passport. Each of these statements made by the FBI is a self serving play on semantics and each misses the importance of my prior "sharp dressed man" account. The importance being that the man "Tried to board the plane with an accomplice and without a passort". The other significance is that only the airport security video can verify my eyewitness account and that it is not being released.
Who has the agenda here and who doesn't? Think about that for a minute.
Comments
the sound of pine needles
gently falling, down, down...
I wonder, should i renew this domain?
-NJT
I'm here, NJT!
Over here behind the piano
This story points out the benefits of the internet, doesn't it. Thanks for putting it up, NJT. Is it just my imagination or are false flags getting harder and harder to pull off convincingly?
I've got a short story on how the Fed et al pull off these stock market crashes. A missing piece of information fell into place recently. I'll put it up in the next few days.
short update
I have written the promised article on short selling stocks and shares but am unhappy about it's clarity. It's proving trickier than I thought to explain clearly or unambiguously. But I haven't forgotten it and it will appear soon.
Hi James
Thanks for the update - Looking forward to it.
I wonder how Winter Patriot is doing... and the rest of our former ad-hoc community...
-NJT
Me Too
I'm still here slogging my way thru the muck and mire. I am wanting to do a post on our PM proroguing (shutting down) our parliament for the second time in a year but that takes time and effort . Looking forward to your piece James.
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Site update
Hi - I am in process of renewing this domain for another year but I'm also switching registrars. I'll try to keep things up throughout the change but any outages over the next few days may be a result of that. And so to our skeleton crew of readers and contributors I ask that you please don't abandon ship completely, I'll keep it afloat! Just bear with me & if you happen to notice any leaks, I'll be on it.
Thanks!
The Undie Bomber
Hi NJT,
Pretty quiet around here these last few months. I would hate to see us lose this excellent site .... but would understand if that's your decision. I haven't been able to contribute much lately due to circumstances beyond my control. I am hopeful things are going to get better. I never run out of subjects I'd like to post about however I am never sure if I will be able to look after them if I post. I kinda feel like my life has been under attack lately. (I am ok personally just snowed under with crisis happening to immediate family and friends.)
Regarding the Undie/Crotch/Lap bomber: The official story is such a load of crap I am thinking they must have picked it up off the patsy's seat after he set his balls on fire. I had a neighbour over on boxing day and she spent some time earnestly relating to us all the official scary details of this latest terrorist threat. I had just heard about it (and had not done any reading) however, after she finished her story I said to her that I didn't believe any of it - even the day after, the story stunk and that was before anyone had done any digging into what really may have been going on.
This is such an obvious black-op. The audacity of it almost takes your breath away. I'm kinda curious to see how long this lawyer will last telling his story before they begin to attack him. I really applaud him for speaking up.
How very convenient that not only can they usher in more police state tactics at our airports (featuring full body pat downs and perv scans with talk of taser bracelets that passengers will be forced to wear), US/Israel can now sell an escalated war in Yemen (where they have been bombing civilians for some time now). According to Obama's National Security Adviser, Gen. James Jones, there are fewer than 100 al Qaeda in all of Afghanistan. It now appears that Yemen is the place where they have all been hiding - who knew!
And guess what Yemen has besides its incredibly strategic location on the southern tip of the Arabian Pennisula ----- lots of OIL and NATURAL GAS!!
They are also linking this crotch bomber to two Yemeni prisoners who were released from GITMO and to the shooter from Fort Hood so this story is also being served up as a cautionary tale.
For an excellent analysis of what is going on here check out Joe Quinn's The Underwear Bomber - Crushing Freedom With Phony Arab Terrorism
And the Truther Girls Are on the Case....
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Thank goodness
Thank you for this piece, and for keeping the site alive. Ever since this farce began I have been checking WP daily for any insights and was beginning to despair. I had read the Quinn article and was going to link it, although hadn't seen the video which is a hoot. But I think this event points to more than simply a CIA black ops. It is so pathetic and full of holes that I believe it must have been deliberately done this way by some clique - likely associated with 9/11 - that wants to rub the noses of certain government entities who know at least the partial truth, but who will still have to defend their statements with a straight face. The plotters who arranged this stunt must know that it doesn't matter how ridiculous the tale for convincing the masses since this tale will be explained by the compliant MSM (and even less mainstream sites such as CounterPunch: in these cases - having defended the official 9/11 fable they now must continue to profess belief lest the whole facade topples). The true perpetrators must be convulsed with laughter every time they see this Keystone Cop event reported repeatedly by newsreaders and discussed by 'experts' on terrorism, and must now be discussing how they can top this. Next, to emphasise how truly evil are al Qaeda, and indeed all Moslems, I suspect that they might turn really nasty such as by planting a real bomb in an infant (small enough to ensure surviving eyewitnesses), again both to shock the uneducated public and to show their power.
Expanding the Axis of Evil
Thanks for posting Gordon and checking daily. I am sure we are all missing WP's take on this and I too am grateful the site is still alive. Although at this point I think we may be on life support.
I also wonder how many guffaws the PTB's have every time they get away with yet another one of these stunts, black ops, false flags etc. What I note, to I'm sure all of our dismays, is that it works. The continued use of these overtly bullshit scenarios, used to promote their evil agenda, is a sign of the psychopathic minds behind them. They are not going to change what is working and the fact it looks ridiculous to those few of us who have some idea what is going on, is of little or no concern to them. They literally don't care (as in they have no empathy). The only way it is going to change is if enough of the public wakes up and figures out they are being duped. I am holding on to approximately zero hope that is going to happen any time soon....but then miracles do happen.
A couple of other things to note:
From the BBC article linked in my comment above (selling an escalated war in Yemen) we now have AQAP (al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula) and the 'axis of evil' appears to have expanded to include Iran, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria and Cuba. All countries the US now considers state sponsors of terrorism and whose citizens will be subject to extra screening at airports. WOOO - that will keep us safe!
And there is this piece of Orwellian doublespeak from Clinton:
"It's time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government so that they can take actions which will have a better chance to provide that peace and stability to the people of Yemen and the region,"
just for your amusement.
Of the many disturbing details of this bizarre story perhaps the one that jumps out at me the most is that the bomber didn't react when he was on fire having just bombed his ass. Eye witnesses said he had a blank stare on his face even while he was on fire and being tackled.
So, we are supposed to believe that the son of an extremely wealthy and prominent Nigerian banker (with ties to Mossad) who was living in a 4 million dollar apartment in London, going to Uni and attending soccer matches, suddenly gets God and Jihad and travels to Yemen to learn to be a suicide bomber because he feels bad about what's happening to the Muslims in that country. Then when he blows up his ass, his balls are on fire and he is being thrown to the floor, he doesn't even react. It has Greenbaum, Manchurian Candidate, CIA sleeper written all over it.
On a somewhat related note, Stephen Harper and his Conservative government have for the second time in just over a year prorogued our parliament (that means suspended it in the middle of a session) till just after the 2010 Olympics. There are in the midst of "Toturegate" having been exposed for knowing that the Afghan prisoners the Canadian army was capturing and handing over to Afghan authorities, were being tortured. There is speculation that this is why Harper had parliament suspended however the Truther Girls have an even sinister take on this bizarre move and are warning of a false flag attack during the Olympics.
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Thanks James, McJ & Gordon!
Don't mind me, I think it's just the time of year. To be honest I'm relieved the holidays are over and glad the days are growing longer here again in the northern hemisphere.
It actually isn't cost prohibitive to keep this going so as long as we're using it I may as well renew it. Sure miss the original Winter Patriot. And looking forward to your new short story James.
On another note, I've been reading up on the persistent contrail phenomena recently. It seems to me they're increasing in number and relative percentage - meaning of all flights, the percent that leave persistent contrails is increasing. Do you guys get them where you are and do you give them much thought?
-NJT
goat riders in the sky
Yup, we get them here at the end of the world. And yup, they bother me. I was looking at one this morning and thinking I must look up the conditions in which the you can expect to see a contrail and when you shouldn't be seeing one to get a better idea of what I'm looking at. Anyone have any links to good info on this?
google persistent contrails
I've seen a number of charts with the atmospheric conditions required (temp & rel. humidity) for persistent contrails to persist. There is a lot of information out there, on both sides of the aisle. Of course there is plenty of chaff to sort through, no pun intended.
I've been looking at this blog for the past day or so. http://contrailscience.com/persisting-and-spreading-contrails/ Not that I subscribe to the opinions nor attitudes of the site's adherants, it's got some interesting information.
I can't say that I see them
I can't say that I see them here much but then I'm not looking for them. However, my neighbour informs me he sees them here all the time, very early in the morning.
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
The Militarization of Emergency Aid to Haiti
Here we go again.
The Militarization of Emergency Aid to Haiti: Is it a Humanitarian Operation or an Invasion?
by Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research, January 15, 2010
The devastating earthquake is presented to World public opinion as the sole cause of the country's predicament.
A country has been destroyed, its infrastructure demolished. Its people precipitated into abysmal poverty and despair.
Haiti's history, its colonial past have been erased.
The US military has come to the rescue of an impoverished Nation. What is its Mandate? Is it a Humanitarian Operation or an Invasion?"
A U.S. Army soldier from the 173rd Company, 73rd Cavalry Division, stands in front of the Toussaint L'ouverture airport in Port-au-Prince
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Is there oil there?
Thanks for this McJ. I'd like to investigate more, (or even fly to Haiti to see first hand?) but now I must get back to work on some things.
Thanks McJ. Haiti seems
Thanks McJ. Haiti seems like a perfect example of the 'Shock Doctrine' to me. Never let it be said that the MIC+Fin Corps that is the US, failed to take advantage of a gift when it saw one. BASTARDS!
You're spot on, Debbie. And
You're spot on, Debbie. And using this to build a military base makes a lot of sense (to the US military, that is). It looks to me that the aid was deliberately delayed to produce mayhem and maximise the deaths.
I know Cuba has oil deposits in its territorial waters but I don't know where they are in relation to Haiti. Either way, no doubt the US military would love to have a base in Haiti to pressure Cuba (with its oil). Can't have these pesky independent-minded countries getting rich off their own resources now, can we. Other countries might start getting ideas. And nothing is so powerful as an idea as an old Frenchman once said.
No Oil In Haiti but Venezuela has lots.
I'm only guessing at what more the US wants with Haiti. I know there are a lot of sweat shops there and an ultra cheap labor pool but it is a very small country with a population under 10 million. My bet would be another military base from which they can attack Venezuela as well as keep Cuba in check. They are already building bases in Columbia and they control Puerto Rico. I suspect Hugo will have something to say about this.
Seven New US Military Bases in Colombia Is Hardly a Move to the Left
snip:
"Fellowship of Reconciliation's John Lindsay Poland, who has spent years studying U.S. military bases around the world, writes, "the locations of the bases under negotiation raise further questions. None of them are on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, where aircraft from the Manta base patrolled for drug traffic – supposedly with great success, reflecting how traffic has increased in the Pacific. Three of the bases are clustered near each other on the Caribbean coast, not far from existing U.S. military sites in Aruba and Curacao – and closer to Venezuela than to the Pacific Ocean. Why are U.S. negotiators apparently forgoing Pacific sites, if counternarcotics is still part of the U.S. military mission? What missions 'beyond Colombia's borders' are U.S. planners contemplating?"
Check out the map below.
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"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
I really don't have words
I really don't have words for how I feel about watching this latest adventure in empire building. I guess they need them boots on the ground first before they can allow any relief in for the suffering.
Meanwhile horrors like this are happening.
I imagine it's always been this way. It's just that now I am paying attention.
Hugo Chavez had this to say.
""I read that 3,000 soldiers are arriving, Marines armed as if they were going to war. There is not a shortage of guns there, my God. Doctors, medicine, fuel, field hospitals, that's what the United States should send," Chavez said on his weekly television show. "They are occupying Haiti undercover."
And what can one say about having Slick Willy and Dumbya (of Katrina fame) spearheading the relief efforts in Haiti???
From The Guardian:
US accused of annexing airport as squabbling hinders aid effort in Haiti
Priority landing for Americans forces flights carrying emergency supplies to divert to Dominican Republic
The Haitian government, paralysed by the destruction of the presidential palace and ministries, signed a memorandum of understanding formally transferring control of Toussaint L'Ouverture airport to the US. Former president Bill Clinton said he will travel to Haiti today to meet with government officials and deliver much-needed emergency supplies.
"...Flights seeking permission to land continuously circle the airport, which is damaged and has only a single runway, rankling several governments and aid agencies. "There are 200 flights going in and out every day, which is an incredible amount for a country like Haiti," Jarry Emmanuel, air logistics officer for the UN's World Food Programme, told the New York Times. "But most flights are for the US military. Their priorities are to secure the country. Ours are to feed. We have got to get those priorities in sync."
"...French...foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, said the airport was not for the international community but "an annexe of Washington".
"...Brazil, which saw its leadership of the UN peacekeeping mission as a calling card of its burgeoning influence, was also indignant when three flights were not allowed to land
...Nelson Jobim, the defence minister, said Brazil would not relinquish command duties and suggested it, not Washington, would continue to lead UN forces."
"...The Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières complained about flights with medical staff and equipment which were redirected to the Dominican Republic. "We are all going crazy," said Nan Buzard, of the American Red Cross."
"...The Obama administration has enlisted former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton to spearhead relief efforts."
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Penny on Haiti
"Haiti, Yemen and Somalia, what do they all have in common?
They are strategically located.
Strategic to what, you ask?
Strategic to shipping lanes and control of ship traffic. Oil choke point traffic".
Thanks
I find that my anger and frustration just coninues to grow, exponentionally. Thnkas James and McJ for the f/u info.
Haiti
Hey winter patriot, followed you through my hit counter,
Interested in Haiti, then check this out!
http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2010/01/china-eyes-caribbean-f...
Another piece of the puzzle.
Humanitarianism isn't one of the pieces, infact it is no where in the puzzle.
since you were interested thought I would share!
Thanks for the link Penny
And nice to see you here. We haven't heard from Winter for a few months now.
This certainly is another piece of the Haitian puzzle. I also note from your comment section the article - Russia to drill for oil off Cuba
"Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin signed four contracts securing exploration rights in Cuba's economic zone in the Gulf.
...The US Geological Survey (USGS) recently estimated that as much as 9bn barrels of oil and 21 trillion cubic feet of natural gas could lie within that zone, in the North Cuba Basin."
With the planned expansion of the Panama Canal to accommodate the large oil tankers, China's increasing ties to Venezuela as it moves to expand its reach in the Caribbean residual fuel market and Russia securing rights to explore for Cuban Oil, it's beginning to make sense that the US MIC+FinCorps+BFEE* would be racing for the chance to exploit this catastrophe in Haiti. It's Disaster Capitalism/Shock Doctrine honed to some perverse fine art that we are witnessing. It does not bode well for the countries in this area with the three major players all vying for their piece of the oil and gas pie. It may give new meaning to Pirates of the Caribbean.
"Humanitarianism isn't one of the pieces, infact it is no where in the puzzle."
Unbelievably sad and soooo frustrating.
*BFEE - Bush Family Evil Empire
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
haiti
Oh, I am sorry to read that, is winter patriot ok?
I am unfamiliar with who he or she may be, but, goodness, a few months of absence must cause one to worry.
And yes the contract between Russian And Cuba is also another wrench in the wheel.
This bodes badly for the people of Haiti who have been used and abused for so long now, but the US, with the help of the Canadians, by the French, though the Haitians did throw them out, something they have been unable to entirely do to the US.
These strategic oil chokepoints are a factor in the Yemen, Somali saga.
The US has a strategy in which they are trying to encircle and choke off, as they deem necessary, China and Russia.
It is sad, very sad, that so many human beings will suffer for political games, and we are in the early stages of ww3.
I will be putting up another post, on another tiny Island, that is in a mess, because of this strangulation policy.
I hope winterpatriot comes back soon
Penny Re: Winter
We are not sure what has happened to the Winter Patriot. The last we heard his father was ill and in hospital. This is actually the Winter Patriot Community. The Winter Patriot (WP) comments here and ads posts with a link to his blog (which you can find here).
This site is hosted by NJT (comments as NewJesusTimes or Admin). Anyone can have their own blog at Winter Patriot dot com so you are most welcome to cross post any time you like. You don't need to post the entire article just a few lines with a link to your blog does the trick.
You may also like to check out our forum where we have some good info, maps, videos etc. and some very good reads tucked away. I have been thinking about adding a forum section for the Caribbean when I get a bit of time.
Looking forward to reading your next post. Drop us a link when you have it up.
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
US Mercenaries Set Sights on Haiti
US Mercenaries Set Sights on Haiti
By Jeremy Scahill
The Nation
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:36 EST
We saw this type of Iraq-style disaster profiteering in New Orleans, and you can expect to see a lot more of this in Haiti over the coming days, weeks and months. Private security companies are seeing big dollar signs in Haiti thanks in no small part to the media hype about "looters." After Katrina, the number of private security companies registered (and unregistered) multiplied overnight. Banks, wealthy individuals, the US government all hired private security. I even encountered Israeli mercenaries
operating an armed checkpoint outside of an elite gated community in New Orleans. They worked for a company called Instinctive Shooting International. (That is not a joke).
Now, it is kicking into full gear in Haiti.
The Orwellian-named mercenary trade group International Peace Operations Association didn't waste much time in offering the "services" of its member companies to swoop down on Haiti for some old-fashioned "humanitarian assistance" in the form of disaster profiteering. Within hours of the massive earthquake in Haiti, the IPOA created a special webpage for prospective clients, saying: "In the wake of the tragic events in Haiti, a number of IPOA's member companies are available and prepared to provide a wide variety of critical relief services to the earthquake's victims."
While some of the companies specialize in rapid housing construction, emergency relief shelters and transportation, others are private security companies that operate in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as Triple Canopy, the company that took over Blackwater's massive State Department contract in Iraq. For years, Blackwater played a major role in IPOA until it left the group following the 2007 Nisour Square massacre.
In 2005, while still a leading member of IPOA, Blackwater's owner Erik Prince deployed his forces in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Far from some sort of generous gift to the suffering people of the US gulf, Blackwater raked in some $70 million in Homeland Security contracts that began with a massive no-bid contract to provide protective services for FEMA. Blackwater billed US taxpayers $950 per man per day.
The current US program under which armed security companies work for the State Department in Iraq--the Worldwide Personal Protection Program--has its roots in Haiti during the Clinton administration. In 1994, private US forces, such as DynCorp, became a staple of US operations in the country following the overthrow of Jean-Bertrand Aristide by CIA-backed death squads. When President Bush invaded Iraq, his administration radically expanded that program and turned it into the privatized paramilitary force it is today. At the time of his overthrow in 2004, Aristide was being protected by a San Francisco-based private security firm, the Steele Foundation.
Beyond the establishment mercenary industry's activities in Haiti, look for more stories like this one:
On January 15, a Florida-based company called All Pro Legal Investigations registered the URL Haiti-Security.com. It is basically a copy of the company's existing US website but is now targeted for business in Haiti, claiming the "purpose of this site is to assure construction and reconstruction companies considering a Haiti project that professional security is available."
"All Protection and Security has made a commitment to the Haitian community and will provide professional security against any threat to prosperity in Haiti," the site proclaims. "Job sites and supply convoys will be protected against looters and vandals. Workers will be protected against gang violence and intimidation. The people of Haiti will recover, with the help of the good people from the world over."
The company boasts that it has run "Thousands of successful missions in Iraq and Afghanistan." As for its personnel, "Each and every member of our team is a former Law Enforcement Officer or former Military service member," the site claims. "If Operator experience, training and qualifications matter, choose All Protection and Security for your high-threat Haiti security needs."
Among the services offered are: "High Threat terminations," dealing with "worker unrest," armed guards and "Armed Cargo Escorts." Oh, and apparently they are currently hiring.
What is unfolding in Haiti seems to be part of what Naomi Klein has labeled the "Shock Doctrine." Indeed, on the Heritage Foundation blog, opportunity was being found in the crisis with a post titled: "Amidst the Suffering, Crisis in Haiti Offers Opportunities to the U.S." "In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti earthquake offers opportunities to re-shape Haiti's long-dysfunctional government and economy as well as to improve the public image of the United States in the region," wrote Heritage fellow Jim Roberts in a post that was subsequently altered to tone down the shock-doctrine language. The title was later changed to: "Things to Remember While Helping Haiti" and the wording changed to "In addition to providing immediate humanitarian assistance, the U.S. response to the tragic earthquake in Haiti should address long-held concerns over the fragile political environment that exists in the region."
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
I do have my latest up, but,
I do have my latest up, but, it is not on Haiti, it is on Jeju Island , most have never heard of it.
Since you seem to be working on Haiti here, I will mention it is up and ready to read.
I don't want to mess up this thread.
No worries Penny
No worries on that front Penny. This thread was started by NJT with a post on the Undie Bomber.
Here is the link to Penny's Piece on Jeju Island - a very interesting read.
http://pennyforyourthoughts2.blogspot.com/2010/01/jeju-island-fight-agai...
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Thanks McJ
Last night I was thinking about starting a new "open" thread but then got distracted.
Anyway, thanks for the link to Penny's article; I visited the pennyforyourthoughts blog last night and didn't get past the first article. Too many distractions!
-NJT
Thanks , again, McJ.
I knew, as soon as I heard about the quake, that the "shock doctrine" would be used against the poor people. As mentioned on Chris Floyds' blog,
" You know the old saying 'practice makes perfect'. I have come to realize that all the goings on in 'developing' countries (Shock Doctrine) are practice for what happens to us(western countries). A litte more subtle perhaps, but with the mind numbing brainwashing and propaganda of 'reality tv and celebrity worship' it works wonders.
My thoughts and donations to the people of Haiti, during this terrible time. "
It just gets more
It just gets more unbelievable by the day.
US ships set up blockade to prevent a mass exodus
"US officials have drawn up emergency plans to cope with a migration crisis and have cleared spaces in detention or reception centres, including the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The unprecedented air, land and sea operation, labelled Vigilant Sentry, began as a senior US official compared Haiti's destruction to the aftermath of nuclear warfare.
...As well as providing emergency supplies and medical aid, the USS Carl Vinson, along with a ring of other navy and coast guard vessels, will act as a deterrent to Haitians who might be driven to make the 681-mile sea crossing to Miami.
..."The goal is to interdict them at sea and repatriate them," said the US Coast Guard Commander Christopher O'Neil.
...US homeland security officials said hundreds of immigration detainees had been moved from a south Florida detention centre to clear space for a first wave of Haitians that was expected to reach America's shores."
This article by Seamus Milne in the Guardian UK is a good read:
Haiti's suffering is a result of calculated impoverishment
Last week's earthquake was a natural disaster, but the carnage is a result of a punitive relationship with the outside world
Re: Donations -I'm wondering what your (or anyone else's) thoughts are on a good organization to donate to. My parents were asking me about it the other night and I suggested Doctors Without Borders. I really don't know who is trustworthy anymore and will actually get the money to where it is needed. They both volunteered for many years for the Red Cross but are reluctant to donate to them because of some of the problems they became aware of while working for them.
"The most unpleasant truth in the long run is a far safer traveling companion than the most agreeable falsehood." Emerson
Donations
I am a regular donor(monthly) to MSF(DWB). On my limited research I think they are one of the best. We can't know for sure. An informed decision is better than an uninformed one, I guess
US has taken over the Presidental Palace now, I hear. It just gets funnier, not.
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